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On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
Articles from Donna Gunter | Selfgrowth.com
- Teleseminar Marketing: 10 Secrets to Being the Guest Expert EVERYONE Wants to Interview - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2010 from Donna GunterI interview guest experts every month as one of the benefits offered on my membership site. Most of the time, the preparation for the interview is fairly easy, as the guest expert sends all the requested information in a timely fashion. However, sometimes getting the info from the expert (or ...
Views: 1290(1 vote) - The Internet Marketing Secret That Stops Small Business Owners in Their Tracks - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2010 from Donna GunterAll of my clients are exceptional at the service they provide for their clients. However, many of them come to me for coaching because they're having a hard time filling their practices and finding clients. Almost without fail, they tell me that this is a marketing problem. It is a marketing ...
Views: 779(1 vote) - Top 7 Reasons Why Your Email List Isn't Growing - by Submitted on Dec 03, 2010 from Donna Gunter"Why isn't my email marketing list growing?" is a very common question I hear from clients. When you start your list, sign ups are great and your list grows rapidly. However, in a few months you hit a wall and experience a big slump in growth. Not to fear -- this is quite normal! Typically, ...
Views: 1367(1 vote) - Top 8 Out-of-the-Box Ideas to Get Your Articles Published Online - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2010 from Donna GunterEven though I use an amazing article distribution service, not all publications or blogs serving my industry or my target market are on the distribution list for this service or for the well-known, high traffic article directories. So, to ramp up the syndication of my articles yet another ...
Views: 1346(1 vote) - Business Planning: Your 17-Point New Year's Business Inventory and Cleanup - by Submitted on Jan 16, 2010 from Donna GunterA new year always brings New Year's resolutions, as well as the urge to purge things from your life and business and begin anew. I caught the decluttering bug between Christmas and New Year's Day this year and removed from my office many boxes of physical materials that had served me well once ...
Views: 1102(2 votes) - Signature System: 5 Proven Steps to Creating a Signature Program That Attracts Clients Like Crazy! - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Donna GunterIf you teach what you know in some way (as a speaker, author, coach, trainer, or consultant), you'll soon discover that no one buys training, consulting or coaching. They buy a solution to their problems. So, rather than trying to sell your service (a group coaching package, for example), sell a ...
Views: 4901(3 votes) - How Introverts Can Get More Clients Online with Screencast Videos - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Donna GunterEven though videos are one of the hottest Internet marketing strategies today, I have been very slow to jump on the video marketing bandwagon. Why? Because making a talking head video of myself is about as enticing as dipping my body in honey and watching the flies swarm over me. I've never ...
Views: 1356(2 votes) - The Best New Year Business Resolution is NO Resolution - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2011 from Donna GunterI'm the world's worst at New Year's resolutions. My effort at making resolutions is best summed up by Mark Twain, "New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." As a business owner, however, I see ...
Views: 1137(1 vote) - 13 Essential Wordpress Plug-ins for Every Wordpress Installation - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2011 from Donna GunterI'm just now jumping on the Wordpress bandwagon and am starting to convert many of my sites to Wordpress. Now that I've decided to use this platform, I needed to determine which plug-ins were most essential to my site's success. If you don't carefully select your plug-ins, you can accidentally ...
Views: 1748(3 votes) - Social Networking: 10 Steps to Finding Your Target Market in Facebook - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2009 from Donna GunterEveryone is talking about social networking, and many claim social networking to be the panacea for all of your marketing ills. Marketing on social networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter can help you increase the size of your email list and help you grow your business. The key to ...
Views: 1630(2 votes) - Social Networking: 7 Strategies to Finding Your Target Market on Twitter - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2009 from Donna GunterSocial networking using Twitter seems to be the most popular way to connect today, from celebrity Ashton Kutcher's challenge to Oprah to reach one million friends first (Ashton won) to a U.S. State Department official contacting the co-founder of Twitter to delay upgrading the Twitter system so ...
Views: 1971(4 votes) - 5 Most Effective Online Continuity Program Models - by Submitted on Oct 19, 2009 from Donna GunterContinuity programs are the "new" online business model that has recently escalated in popularity. No longer is it good enough to simply sell information products for a one-time sale or sell your services online. Instead, online business owners need to seriously think about changing their ...
Views: 1534(7 votes) - 13 Examples of Continuity Income in a Service-Based Business - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2010 from Donna GunterTired of the day-to-day struggle of chasing one client to the next? Want a better way to run your business that enables you to better predict your monthly income? One of the best ways to stabilize your income when you're a self-employed service professional is to create a monthly recurring ...
Views: 1105(3 votes) - 15 Powerful Ways to Promote Your Teleclass - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2009 from Donna GunterTeleclasses, also referred to as teleseminars, teleconferences, and webinars (with the added component of seeing a presentation) provide a platform for online service business owners to connect virtually with prospects around the world via a teleconference bridge line and share information with ...
Views: 1927(2 votes) - Article Marketing SEO: 7 SEO Tweaks to Make the Search Engines LOVE Your Articles! - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2012 from Donna GunterI had a conversation with a potential client this week about her article marketing SEO efforts. She had hired someone to submit her articles to article directories and social networking sites, but she wasn't getting the results she expected. I took a quick look at her articles on one of the ...
Views: 1685(5 votes) - Business Planning: 4 Steps to Creating Your Online Business Model Blueprint - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2009 from Donna GunterI'm in the process of completely rethinking my business model, and that will be my primary focus as I plan this year's business retreat for myself. Your business model doesn't have to be at all complex, but should provide the guiding force for all that you do, like guiding you to the ...
Views: 641(2 votes) - Drive Traffic to Your Site with a 6-Step Blog Comments Blueprint - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Donna GunterOne of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your web site is by commenting on other people's blogs. However, a vast majority of people don't do this the right way. Their primary traffic strategy is to leave meaningless comments on the posts of blogs in their niche just to get a few ...
Views: 1056(1 vote) - Ethical Bribes: 10 Most Effective Client Attraction Device Giveaways - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2009 from Donna GunterOne of the quickest ways to build your email marketing list is by creating an ethical bribe, or what I refer to as a client attraction device. This free giveaway serves to entice visitors to your site to sign up for your email list because they want to access your solution to their problem ...
Views: 931(1 vote) - How to Become Your Industry's Leading Expert in 30 Days - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2009 from Donna GunterMany online solo service professionals wonder how they will ever become known in their industry, given the easy access to the abundance of information found online. Almost everyone claims to be an expert, so it stands to reason that some percentage of that group are charlatans. How do you ...
Views: 687(2 votes) - How to Market Benefits vs Features - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2010 from Donna GunterOne of the most difficult concepts to grasp for online business owners who are writing their own sales copy is to write about the benefits of your product/service, rather than the features. Even though this skill is critically important, I would guess that less than 10% of business owners truly ...
Views: 777(1 vote) - How to Use Your Ezine Thank You Page to Create a One Time Offer - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2009 from Donna GunterMany times, when you sign up for a free giveaway or purchase an item, you are taken to an OTO (One Time Offer) page, where you'll be given the opportunity to purchase a "never to be seen again, one time offer," which is a product that has been discounted for one time only during this one ...
Views: 960(2 votes) - Internet Marketing for Introverts: Use Your Gifts to Attract All the Clients You Need - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Donna GunterWhen I began to market my business online, I just started to do things that were pretty natural to me. I'm a great teacher, so I held teleclasses, and I'm also a great writer and researcher, so I began to write about what I knew. Holding teleclasses was definitely a strategic marketing move, ...
Views: 1385(1 vote) - Top 8 Signs of ECommerce Fraud: How to Detect Fraudulent Credit Card Transactions - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2009 from Donna GunterWhen you have an online component of your business, experiencing ecommerce fraud is becoming the rule rather than the exception. No longer is it a matter of "if" this will happen to you but "when" it will happen to you. I did some quick research and was astounded at the extent of fraudulent ...
Views: 921(1 vote) - Twitter Marketing: How to be Follow-Worthy on Twitter - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2009 from Donna GunterI often get asked the question, "How do I get more followers on Twitter?" Many of my clients want to pay a sum of money for the latest scheme to get them 10,000 new followers in 24 hours or some such nonsense as that. As in all marketing strategies, it's not the number that counts. Rather, ...
Views: 570(1 vote) - What To Do If Your Facebook or Twitter Account is Hacked - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2010 from Donna GunterUnfortunately, this scenario is a reality for all of us who use social networking -- it's not a matter of IF your Twitter or Facebook account will be hacked, but simply WHEN. I've been on the receiving end of messages from my friends whose accounts have been hacked. The message typically ...
Views: 830(1 vote) - 7 Strategies for Building Online Relationships with Industry VIPs - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2009 from Donna GunterOne of the most difficult aspects of being an independent service professional is being seen as credible and as a viable expert in your industry. Until recently, that process often took years and required an investment of much blood, sweat and tears. Ultimately, it wasn't until you paid your ...
Views: 873(3 votes) - 7 Reasons Why an Online Business is the PERFECT Business for Introverts - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2009 from Donna GunterI recently realized that much of my 1970's childhood upbringing both enhanced my natural tendency toward introversion and prepared me to own a virtual online business. I grew up out in the country, about 10 miles out of town. My friends lived 10 miles from town in other directions (about 20 ...
Views: 2379(4 votes) - Article Marketing: How Writing Just One Article a Week Can Drive Massive Traffic to Your Web Site - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2011 from Donna GunterArticle marketing is still a great way to to drive lots of traffic to your web site, as well as a phenomenal way to demonstrate your expertise to potential clients. In recent years, however, article marketing has taken a beating with the Google Farmer/Panda update, where many article "farms" ...
Views: 1390(1 vote) - 10 Best Strategies to Massively Increase Your Visibility Online - by Submitted on Feb 18, 2009 from Donna GunterIncreasing online visibility is the goal of most online business owners. After all, without visibility, you have no traffic and thus no business. However, when you start to research how to increase your online visibility, you discover so many options, yet have so little time for research and ...
Views: 678 - 10 More Proven Methods to Promote Your Free Client Attraction Device - by Submitted on Jul 21, 2012 from Donna GunterYour client attraction device is one of the most important assets of your business. It provides the ethical bribe that entices visitors to your site to opt into your email list so that you can begin marketing to them. I first wrote about this topic a few years ago. However, I have recently ...
Views: 1353 - 10 Proven Methods to Promote Your Free Client Attraction Device - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2010 from Donna GunterYour client attraction device, also known as an ethical bribe or free taste, is the information that you give away on your site in exchange for a visitor's name and email address. I call it a client attraction device because it helps to build your list. Unfortunately, just like a product that ...
Views: 1324 - 10 Steps to Testing the Viability of Your Online Business Idea That Won't Break the Bank - by Submitted on Jan 07, 2009 from Donna GunterThe economic recession is pushing more and more people to consider self-employment. Starting an online business is a very low-risk way to put your toe in the entrepreneurial pond because the start up costs are minimal, the overhead is low, and the returns can be high. Despite these benefits, ...
Views: 661 - 3 Expert Strategies to Prevent A Great Referral From Going Bad - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2010 from Donna GunterIn the course of my business, I routinely make referrals to other products and business service providers that I know or use regularly. In 99% of the cases, I've actually used the product or service myself or have a good relationship with the person who is providing it. In rare cases, I will ...
Views: 830 - 3 Secrets to Avoiding Isolation as an Online Entrepreneur - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2009 from Donna GunterIn my first foray into the self-employed world, I created stenciled floorcloths and wallhangings and sold them in juried craft shows around New England. I did what all of the authors of self-employment books said to do -- turned my hobby into a business. What I discovered rather quickly that ...
Views: 1351 - 3 Ways to Improve Customer Service with Help Desk Software - by Submitted on Apr 26, 2010 from Donna GunterWhen you start your online business, you have very few customer service issues. Those that do emerge can usually be handled fairly easily via email or a phone call, and you'll probably resolve most of these yourself. However, as your business grows and you begin to develop products and ...
Views: 1273 - 4 Proven Strategies to Leverage Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income - by Submitted on Dec 03, 2010 from Donna GunterPutting all of your eggs into one basket in your business is never a good idea. Diversity is key, which means that your revenue should come from a number of clients (not just two or three) and preferably should come from multiple sources other than your primary service. These multiple sources ...
Views: 1398 - 5 Best Strategies to Develop a Responsive Email List - by Submitted on Oct 23, 2009 from Donna GunterI see the well-known Internet marketing gurus do this all the time -- they begin to try and sell to me when I first opt into their list. This has worked quite well for them over the years, but I think the tide is turning and people are generally becoming more marketing-savvy. Your list members ...
Views: 1274 - 5 Proven Strategies to Keep You From Being Held Hostage by Your Virtual Team - by Submitted on May 10, 2012 from Donna GunterI began working with a new client last week in my Automated Authority Marketing Program, and of course, I needed access to his various online services being managed by his virtual team. It's been over a week, and I'm still gathering all the info that I need to be able to access his accounts, ...
Views: 1509 - 5 Secrets to Creating a Powerful Google Profile - by Submitted on Oct 19, 2009 from Donna GunterI often want to find out more about someone before I decide to do business with that person. To get the information that I need, I Google the person's name and see how well-known they are online and what they have to say. What I discovered in my search is that their social media profiles, ...
Views: 1412 - 5 Secrets to Moving the Free Line With Your Client-Capturing Device - by Submitted on Feb 12, 2009 from Donna GunterOnce upon a time, in the dark ages of Internet marketing (only about 10 years ago in Internet years), all an online business owner had to do was stick an email opt-in form on her site and request visitors to join her list. Simple, wasn't it? Then, the legion of spammers began to grow and ...
Views: 537 - 5 Ways to Use QR Codes to Increase Your Online Visibility - by Submitted on Dec 21, 2011 from Donna GunterYou may have seen some funky looking symbols recently in newspapers, flyers, magazines, or on products. Most of us here in the U.S. have no idea what they are or what to do with them, but I see that the tide is slowly turning. They're called QR codes, or Quick Response codes. They are a 2-D bar ...
Views: 1310 - 6 Proven Strategies Helping Introverts Easily and Effortlessly Market Themselves - by Submitted on Jul 31, 2010 from Donna Gunter"I hate to market myself" is a very common complaint I hear from many of my clients. Some are introverts, who are naturally averse to self-promotion, while others just don't realize that they also wear the hat of Marketing Director when they start their own business and unhappily discover that ...
Views: 1368 - 7 Biggest Mistakes Info Marketers Make When Creating a Product - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2010 from Donna GunterCreating an information product is the first thing most people want to do when they start an online business or transfer their offline business online. Why not? Information products have very low overhead, since they're developed electronically, and other than time for product creation and ...
Views: 1378 - 7 Essential Sales Pages Needed on Every Web Site - by Submitted on Feb 24, 2012 from Donna GunterWeb site creation has been at the forefront of much of what I've done as an online business owner. While I haven't designed the look and feel of all of my sites, I've created the content for all of them. Determining what to include on a web site can be overwhelming to the most seasoned business ...
Views: 1093 - 7 Secrets to Successful Keyword Research - by Submitted on Oct 19, 2009 from Donna GunterAs people search for information online, they use a series of words, what are referred to as keywords, to find the information that they are seeking. Keywords are the core of any market research conducted by an online business owner. Just like the Yellow Pages Directory groups listings by ...
Views: 1401 - 7 Steps to Creating a Google Plus Page for Your Business - by Submitted on Mar 22, 2012 from Donna GunterJust like Facebook and Linkedin, businesses can now create their own Google Plus pages. I can hear you now, saying, "Oh, no! Not another social networking site! Why bother with this?" The short answer is that Google Plus pages won't be a relevant for every business. But since Google accounts ...
Views: 1565 - 7 Steps to Guest Blogging Your Way to More Traffic and Greater Online Visibility - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2011 from Donna GunterOne traffic generation strategy that I'm started to explore is that of guest blogging. Guest blogging is the process of looking for other blogs read by your target market where you can submit your content for publication. This strategy is a natural fit for anyone who is using content marketing ...
Views: 1199 - 8 Secrets to Fill Your Business in 60 Days - by Submitted on Oct 17, 2009 from Donna GunterRecently I was asked in an interview to imagine that I was starting all over again, and as a newbie, how I would fill my business in 60 days. Things have changed tremendously since I began my online business in 1999, mostly for the better. Most of the steps, however remain the same. ...
Views: 1307 - Amazon.com Marketing: How to Get Your Blog Published on Amazon's Kindle - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2009 from Donna GunterAmazon's Kindle is a electronic book-reading device that allows people to purchase and download electronic versions of books, newspapers, and magazines. Now, you can have your blog available to Kindle readers, as well. Best of all, you can get paid for this strategy. However, you don’t get to ...
Views: 1705 - Article Marketing: 7 Steps to a Great Author Resource Box That Drives Targeted Traffic to Your Site - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2011 from Donna GunterSyndicating your articles online, also referred to as article marketing, is the #1 way to drive traffic back to your web site, if done correctly using an author resource box. Why? Because content is king in this new age of Internet marketing. While I've always advocated great content as a ...
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