The Three Reasons Your Small Business Needs a Blog

Just a few short years ago hardly anyone knew what a blog was, but now, because they are so easy to set up and maintain, their popularity has blossomed beyond all expectations. Blogs are not just for ordinary people who wish to expound on their hobby or area of special interest. Blogs are for the smart small businessperson who understands the power of the published word online.

A blog can provide a low cost means of marketing online, a feedback mechanism for establishing your side of the story against someone spreading negative and potentially damaging things about you and your business, and a means of connecting and communicating with existing clients and potential clients. The purpose of this article is to explain these three main positive reasons why your small business needs a blog.

1. A Blog as a Marketing and Promotion Tool for Your Small Business

Small business internet marketing seems easy at first glance, but many have tried it and failed. Others have persevered, perfecting search engine optimization techniques, keyword density and linking strategies, which work for some but not always for others. They have followed the advice of every "guru," only to be more mystified at the end of the process than when they started out. They invariably end up thinking that there has to be a better way, and there is - a blog.

The search engines love blogs. Yes, a little optimization with careful keyword placement and some back links will never go amiss, but even the complete novice knowing nothing whatsoever can enjoy good results simply by regularly maintaining a blog. All it takes is a simple strategy, perhaps focusing on a particular product line and posting just once a day, to get results that will make a difference.

With time and as your understanding of blogging techniques improve, your small business internet marketing efforts will bear significant fruit. And remember, the cost of all this is negligible compared to newspaper advertising, for example. Of course, this is not the only reason why your small business needs a blog. What if someone is "badmouthing" you by blogging all over the Internet, perhaps because they didn't like something about the way you do business? How do you defend yourself and give your side of the story? You need a blog!

2. A Blog as Feedback Channel to Establish a Positive Image for Your Small Business

A real-life example of someone who found themselves dealing with negative blog posts involves a medical doctor who practices on her own in California. She treated two patients whose poor health situation was largely of their own making. She told them that they needed to take some responsibility for their own health. This was not at all what they wanted to hear. Feeling insulted, they started to blog about it online, giving only their side of the story and painting a very damaging picture of the doctor in the process.

If you were to go to Google or any of the major search engines now and do a search for her name, the only information you would find are negative, almost libelous, rants created by these two aggressive individuals who couldn't face up to the truth about their own health situations.

However, had this doctor previously considered the advantages of blogging for local small businesses to complement her business activities, she would have been able to limit at least some of the damage caused. Patient confidentiality rules would have prevented her from posting a positive rebuttal to the negative blog posts -her side of the story in other words. But she could have built up an archived library of positive and factual information about herself and her practice, automatically dealing with negative blog posts at the same time. Anyone then using Google to search for her name would still have found the negativity, but they would also have found the positive balanced view.

This type of situation can happen to anyone running a business, not just doctors. A blog for your business offers you the chance of great flexibility to promote your business, publish a positive image, and to communicate with all your clients, even those who don't know that they have yet to become your clients!

3. A Blog as a Communication and Connection Tool for Your Small Business

People love getting free things on the Internet. We all do, in fact. And one of the most successful things to give away and help build your business at the same time is a free newsletter. Traditionally, this has taken the form of a specially formatted email, but increasingly small business owners are turning to blogs for publishing their newsletters. They still send out an email to the people on their list, but only to send them over to the blog where the newsletter can be read online.

This is a great way to communicate with your existing clients. You can regularly give them useful information, making them realize that your newsletter has real value. And every so often you can pitch an offer - a special bargain offer perhaps, and a percentage will make a purchase that you would not have had otherwise. But it doesn't have to stop there. Your blog can be a tool for getting new customers too.

If you have carefully built up your business blog with regular and useful posts, the search engines will have noticed and in time your blog will be ranked according to whatever the search engines deem appropriate. Hopefully this will be a favorable placement, and if it is, people who search for the kind of product information you provide will find your blog.

When they are on your blog you can ask them to sign up for email alerts to whenever you make a new post, or whenever your latest newsletter is published. Once you have them on a list you can make offers to them and a percentage of them will buy. Blogging for local small businesses can be a wonderfully inexpensive and highly effective method of acquiring new customers with little effort.

There are many more ways to use a blog for any small business. Often it just requires your imagination to come up with new ways to use it. And you don't have to limit yourself to only one blog; you can have several, each one dealing with a particular topic, and all of them linked together. This can be extremely powerful if done properly, and it isn't hard to do either.

The three reasons I have offered you for why your small business needs a blog are indeed important ones. But they are not the only reasons. Don't waste time now trying to think up other reasons. Get a blog in place first, and then the ways to use your blog will become increasingly obvious. You really do owe it to yourself to get your own small business blog in place today!

Marketing Blog - Part 2

Being in a very competitive market online, when you have finish selecting the products you wish to market, it is also very important to plan and visualize what are your objectives.

Step 3 - Planning

Most Internet Marketers will fail to this before they off their journey to promote their products. There are many forms and ways to market an online product. But like any business, it is very important you plan your layout of your business because you even start any promotion or thinking of using which form of tools to promote your products.

Always plan a head of things and plan it on a daily routine to do a set of task to build momentum for your online business. Here is a example how I plan my business, I wanted to create a community online to share my expertise on Web Design and Graphics to a audience of people online.

However, sharing knowledge on that is pretty common, so I planned to have a unique selling point compared to the rest of my competitors. I shared valuable information on not only on how to design website, but how you can generate massive amount of traffic for your online business.

To know what's your unique selling point, you first have to ask yourself what is it that you can provide that your current competitors do not do, which can give more value to your customers.

Always have that in your mind during your planning and plan out a action plan task you need to do to accomplish what you want to achieve.

Step 4 - Implementation and Setup

This process is normally the part where most people will feel frustrated about. From my experience, normal people who are used to a 9 to 5 desk job will normally only know how to do two things in their job. Check emails and reply emails.

Most will always get stuck in the process of developing your website for your business. But like any businessman, you do not want to focus on the problems but rather find solutions to the problems.

Most people who want to go into Internet business will think they do not require to learn any HTML language at all. The truth fact is, you don't need to know everything but you must at least know the basics of HTML to create websites.

It's cheap and easy to outsource to others to develop your projects and sites but what if you do not have basic knowledge on HTML how are you able to add links on your site to promote your products?

Looking at the current trend, it looks like blogging is here to stay and it is growing by the numbers everyday. And that actually says something about blog itself, I highly recommend if you want to start a site to sell your products, blogging would be the best medium to start off with.

You barely need to know much HTML, but just basic will do to operate a blog. It is recommended if time allows to post a article on your blog on a daily basics but if you don't have the time, you can at least blog once every 3 days.

The hint to this reason, search engines like daily updated sites. The more you update your site, the more times search engine spiders will actually crawl into your website for updates. This in return tells search engine, my site is a daily updated site please come and visit me more often.

In blogging, there are generally two popular types of blogging platform that most people use for. The Blogger and Wordpress blogs.

Blogger is a great tool created by Google, but there are lots limitations in Blogger that most people fail to see. If you are just a casual writer who just like to post stuff not for business blogger is sufficient.

If you are looking for a business solution to sell stuff online, a Wordpress installed on your web host is highly recommended. Do not be mixed up with the free wordpress online and the server Wordpress. These two services are totally different, only use the server based Wordpress where you will need a web host to host your blog.

I will talk more into the next part more on customization of Wordpress blogs and how you can use blogs as a tool to drive your business faster and more effectively with Online Marketing Blogs.

Pheromones the Odourless Love Scent

Want to enhance your sex appeal? Looking to increase your sexual attractiveness? Well, search no further! According to 3 independent university studies, the answer lies in pheromones.

What are pheromones? Pheromones are defined as "a chemical secreted by an animal that influences the behaviour of others of the same species, often functioning as an attractant of the opposite sex".

Pheromones are natural biological substances that our bodies make specifically to lure others. Pheromones are well documented as the force controlling all social behaviour, including reproduction, in the animal kingdom. University research has now shown that human behaviour is also tremendously influenced by these invisible, odourless sexual magnets.
The word pheromone is derived from the Greek word "pherein" which means to carry or transport, and the word "hormone" to stimulate.

The history of pheromones. In 1959, pheromones were first classified as chemical substances that could trigger reproductive behavioural responses from a sexual partner of the same species. In 1986 human pheromones were proven to exist. By 1999 pheromones came to be defined as a chemical excreted by animals that promote behaviour that ensures the continuation of that particular species.

Basically, pheromones are naturally occurring substances that a fertile body will excrete externally. This then conveys an airborne signal which elicits a reaction from the opposite member of the same species.

How to use pheromone products. Human sex pheromones are colourless, concentrated liquids that will not affect the aroma of your favourite scent. You add this natural love scent to perfumes, colognes or eau de toilettes that are alcohol based. At least every second day, you apply pheromone mix behind your ears, above your upper lip and anywhere else you fancy. You have to apply your pheromone perfume solution as a splash on and not as a spray or aerosol.

Do pheromones really work? There have been 3 university studies involving pheromone research in the U.S. since 2002.

In March 2002, researchers at the San Francisco State University (SFSU) concluded that men are more attracted to women wearing pheromones. This resulted in the women experiencing more formal dates, affection, heavy petting, kissing, and sexual intercourse. Their study proved that when a woman's perfume is laced with synthetic pheromones this acted as a sexual magnet, increasing the sexual allure of the women to men. 79% of the women in the study who had pheromones added to their regular scent saw an overall increase in the sexual behaviour of men. "This is a biological signal to a male that suggests this female can reproduce and he responds with romantic behaviour related to securing intimate relations with her. This is not a smell one can detect, nevertheless the male and female is aware of it, but it's very powerful. The chemical appears to influence a man's desire to have sexual intercourse" stated research author Norma McCoy SFSU psychology professor.

In March 2003, a study at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrated that after exposure to male perspiration, women's moods brightened, their tension lessened, and they became more relaxed. There was also an effect on the stimulation of their luteinising hormone, which is involved in the process of ovulation.

University of California, Berkeley, February 2007. Researchers here showed that a few whiffs of a chemical found in male sweat (androstadienone) was enough to improve a woman's mood, increase her sexual arousal, and elevate her vital signs. Within 15 minutes, their blood pressure, heart rate and respiration had increased and these remained elevated for more than 1 hour.

It seems conclusive that these odourless, natural love scents, aka pheromones, will illicit a sexual response from the opposite sex when you are wearing them. So if you are aspiring to become a sexual magnet, perfume or cologne with pheromones in it, could be for you! The perfect accessory for the little black dress or a great addition to your favourite after shave.

Breathlessly, Coco Swan

What Does Blogging Mean?

Blog is the condensed name for a "weblog" or "web log".

Blogging is the action you perform when you make a post to a web log or blog, comment on a previous blog post or maintain a blog. Many people who make posts to a blog on a regular basis are referred to as bloggers.

Basically, a blog is an online journal where you can post your thoughts, observations and comments about a particular topic that the weblog covers. A blog is just a simple web page that has chunks of information called posts added to them on a regular basis. Depending on how it was setup by the person maintaining the blog, the posts can be all on one page forcing visitors to scroll down, or each post will have its own individual web page. When you are blogging and visiting different blogs, you will see the most recent posts first at the top of the web page.

The Uses of Blogging

Online personal journals were some of the first blogs. Individuals used their computers and the technology of the internet to make entries into their journals rather than the traditional method of keeping a pen and paper journal. Blogs are primarily categorized as personal since many of them are online journals but today many blogs are used for a variety of purposes. Businesses are starting to use blogs as a way to provide information about their products and services. Politicians are using blogs to communicate with their constituents. Musicians and other entertainers are using blogging as a means to stay in touch with their fans as they tour. The list goes on.

Often, blogging is a way for you the individual to post a comment on a particular news item or subject such as politics, world or local news events, hobbies, entertainment etc. The topics covered in a blog are endless, and many times controversial and volatile. Sometimes one simple post can lead to a flood of additional comments and many have gone so far as to gain national attention by being mentioned in the news media.

Blogging Software and Services

Originally, blog posts are mostly text based. However, changes in internet technology and online services have given rise to other ways to make posts such as using video and audio (also known as podcasting). Now today a typical blog will have a combination of text, photos, video, and audio as well as links to other blogs and websites that are related to the topic of the blog.

Blogging has taken off and grown in popularity over the years. Now, a blog can be setup in a matter of minutes with little or no cost. There are varieties of hosting sites that will allow you to setup a blog free, and many web hosts now offer ways to quickly and easily install a variety of blogging software such as WordPress or MoveableType.

Along with quickly setting up a blog, many of the free online blogging services easily provide ways to allow you to make video and audio posts on your blog. They also offer other features such as password protecting your blog so you can keep your thoughts and feelings private, or allow only a select few in to view your blog. You are also able to pick the look or theme of your blog from literally thousands of different templates available; this is a great way to express your own individuality with your blog.

One of the most widely used free blogging services today is Blogger.com, which is owned by Google. In three easy steps, you can setup your very own blog and start expressing your thoughts and views to the world. After you setup your blog, you can make posts to it at any time day or night. The blogging services today are so easy to use and you do not need to have any technical knowledge of HTML or any other web coding language. In fact, if you can use a word processing program such as Notepad or MSWord, you can start blogging today.

How Blogging Benefits You

Blogging has been mostly been used for personal thoughts, professional observations, political rants, and entertainment reviews. However, there are so many more reasons to start blogging. One of the biggest benefits I have found is staying connected with my family and friends. I live on the west coast but grew up on the east coast. Through blogging, my family and I are able to stay connected and share things even though we live thousands of miles apart. We can share photos and post videos and audio files that let us remain a part of each other's lives.

Through your blog, you can share with the world your thoughts about any topic you like. Having a blog is one of the easiest ways to stay in contact with others and communicate with others who have the same interests that you do. Everyone has something to say and wants to be heard when they say it. Blogging allows you to share your experiences, joys, laughter and pain. With a blog, you can find answers to your questions, learn new, exciting and wonderful things, comfort a friend or be comforted at times. Remember, the benefits that can come from having a blog are as wide and varied as the different topics that a blog can cover.

Intermediate Tips for Blogging

Blogging is an effective way to share one's thoughts with like-minded people. These days blogging is an effective way to market your products and also increase traffic to your web site. Blogs have an advantage that regularly updated blogs are given high ranking in search engines results page. If you have a blog on your web site and you update it regularly you have greater chances to have a good rank on search engine results page. Here are some intermediate tips for blogging that will make your blogging more effective as well as targeted.

The first tip is to research the keywords for your blog with great care. Research the keywords and find out the most frequent keywords searched by people trying to get to the products and services such as yours. Use the keywords that are relevant to your web site. Then add links to your web site so that the traffic to your blog can be diverted to your web site.

The second tip is to encourage the readers to be interactive. Allow your readers to post comments. Make them write comments along with their email ids. You can use the email addresses for email marketing, as these people are those who are genuinely interested in products and services such as yours. This will help you to target the right audiences.

Make your blog content more focused and appealing. This will help in generating more traffic to your blog. The traffic to your blog in turn helps to generate more traffic to your web site

Blogging Traffic Secrets

Creating blogging traffic using web 2 marketing tactics you
could easily create serious traffic within thirty days.
This could be anything from a few hundred visitors to a few
thousand visitors. Blogging traffic can be used to market
your affiliate programs, generate opt in subscribers and
also drive traffic to your Google Adsense adverts. If you
update your blog content consistently you will generate
repeat visitors. I am going to show you a few ways that you
can generate serious blogging traffic using web 2 marketing
techniques.

There are mainly two types of social bookmarking sites. The
first is a social bookmarking site and the second is a
story site. The first kind of site is a site where you can
bookmark your favourite links according to tags in a
central place where other people also have access to your
bookmarks. If they like it they will copy it. It is
important that you bookmark sites that you really like to
build up trust. If you just bookmark sites to spam very few
people will actually copy your links. The second type of
social bookmarking site is where people vote on a story.
The more votes you get the more popular your story becomes
and the more read it will become. The key to getting a
story actually read is to have a controversial headline
that attracts attention.

The best way to bookmark your sites is to install a toolbar
from a site like Onlywire which allows you to bookmark
several sites at once saving you a lot of time. Also with
story sites like Digg it helps if you have a button on the
web site which allows the visitor to automatically add the
story to Digg and vote on it. If you have a Wordpress blog
you can add a plug in which will do this automatically for
you. If you do this right you can easily attract a few
hundred to a few thousand visitors in a matter of days.

If you apply this subset of web 2 marketing techniques you
will drive blogging traffic to your web site within a few
days. Blogging traffic has never been easier and with the
power linking techniques you will dominate the search
engines. The only thing you need to make sure of is that
you include your keywords in the title and the body.

My inner Rock chick!

You Are Gwen Stefani!

All guys dream about youAnd all the girls want to be you"Sappy pathetic little meThat was the girl I used to be"

Who's" Your Inner Rock Chick?