Let’s face it. You can’t be taken seriously as a business owner in today’s marketplace without having a strong presence online. (this is not true, many businesses do NOT have an online presence. You need to clarify this and narrow it down to your audience. Perhaps say, “You cannot be taken seriously as a virtual business owner without…”)

Whether you want to admit it or not, prospective clients ARE going to look for you online and you need to be in control of what they find.

The foundation of your online presence is, of course, your website.

If you don’t have a polished, professional, client focused site now, or your current site is out of date, you likely have wondered how to go about go about creating a quick and easy, money making website.      Read more about The #1 Marketing Tool Successful Entrepreneurs Use

How often have you viewed a great business video and thought – “I wish I could do that”? You can! In this week’s episode I show you just how easy it is to implement video marketing into marketing your business. From the simple tech tools to sources of content, I share the 5 simple steps you need to get started and succeed. Yes, even YOU can do it!

How to Use Video to Build Relationships with Your Ideal Prospects (SSMS Episode 66) [ 12:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (361)

There's one simple, inexpensive and reliable way to develop a relationship with your audience that will lead to more sales. By growing an email marketing list you can stay in touch with your target market and turn interested traffic into eager buyers. In this week's article you'll learn how to implement a simple email marketing plan that will help you connect with your audience and show them exactly how you can help them with their needs.

A Simple Marketing Strategy to Build Trust and Increase Sales (SSMS Episode 64) [ 13:10 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (369)

Creating visibility for your business online can seem like a daunting task. There are many different options to choose from and you’ll likely find yourself in “analysis paralysis" if you try them all at one.

That said you simply can’t ignore having an effective strategy for marketing your business online. It is quite simply one of the most reliable and affordable ways to let the world know “Here I am! Here’s how I can help you.” Even if you primarily do business in person with people in your local area, I guarantee you your prospects are looking for you online. So you want to make it easy for them to find you and to say yes to what you have to offer. MORE

Social media – it’s one of the most overhyped words in online marketing – so much so that many service professionals have thrown the baby out with the bath water and given up. However, when you learn to use social media consistently and correctly it can be a great boon to your business.

Here are five reasons why social media should be an essential part of your marketing toolbox: Read more about the Top 5 Reasons Why Social Media is an Essential Tool

I recently reviewed my client list over the past 18 months to see where my clients had come from so that I could fine tune my marketing efforts. You see, Smart Simple Marketing is not about doing more. It's not about doing the "latest and greatest thing". It about doing what works and doing that consistently.      Read more about How to Find Out EXACTLY Where You Should Be Promoting Your Business

Hosting virtual events such as teleseminars (essentially a conference call) and webinars (which is basically a PowerPoint presentation delivered via the Internet) are a great way to boost your business. They are both easy and highly effective tools to create more visibility and new profit streams for your business. Using these tools to promote your services and educate your market can be a regular piece of your marketing strategy.

With teleseminars and webinars you can give your audience an opportunity to sample what it’s like to work with you live and see how quickly they can benefit from your expertise. You offer them solutions and prove your value in a an hour or less. MORE

One of the most important considerations in creating your version of a successful business is having a brand that reflects the high quality services you provide.

Just because you have a small business, doesn't mean your brand should look "homemade". Everything you do from participating in social networks, to your website and how you show up at networking events should reflect a polished professional image.  There is NO second chance for a first impression.

Therefore, you’ll want to give careful attention to your marketing materials and what they're saying about you.  No matter what it is: your website, email newsletter, headshot, social media profiles, etc., your marketing materials should be first class.  They speak to your audience even when you aren't there or long after you've met.  What are your marketing materials saying about you and the services you provide?

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Article marketing is one of the very best ways to market your business and your services by sharing your expertise.  By writing and submitting articles on a regular basis you are sharing your knowledge with your target audience and giving them a chance to get to know you and your work.  Articles are short (about 500 words) but informative pieces that give specific information to your readers.

Writing different types of articles can be beneficial to your target audience.  For example, the "how to" article can show them how to do something very specific.  It outlines a task, how to complete the task and a call to action.  Even if the "how to" article is actually one of the services you provide, it's OK to give this information away because then your target audience will see how knowledgeable you are, they will start to build trust, and sometimes when they try to do it themselves, they realize they can't and call you for your expertise. MORE

The cornerstone of successful (i.e. profitable) email marketing strategy is having a responsive list.  Many Internet marketing "gurus" talk about having a large number of subscribers and liken that as the link to their success. But when you're building a community within your target audience, it's really less about the quantity of email subscribers and more about the quality of subscribers on your list.  Building a strong, trusting relationship with ideal prospects in your target market is important because when you do make an offer, they'll be more likely to respond.

The only way to get your email subscribers to respond to you is if you earn their trust.  And one way you can do this is to keep in touch with them consistently.  Sending an email only when you have something to promote will not yield the results you expect.

Why? MORE