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Vol. II, Issue 4 – 9 January 2006
Editor & Publisher: Tracey Dooley
Welcome, to 123 new subscribers! Please help us grow together and forward this issue to any friends, peers and associates you think would benefit. Thanks!
In this month's success-packed edition:
• Publisher's Preamble
• 10 Business Resolutions to Guarantee a
Better Year Ahead
• Business Makeovers that Make You Money?
• Online Predictions for 2007
• About the Word Doctor
• Free Ezine Content
• Reader Q&A
• Prize Draw – Your Input Needed!
• Business-building Thought
• Residual Income Made Easy
• Business-building Marketplace
My favourite
time
of
the year is New Year's Eve. No! Not scrabbling my way
around the drinking holes trying to find somewhere where, a)
I don't feel like the only thing I am missing is the blue rinse
(my birthday was just before Christmas and I am feeling old!
BTW, thank you for all the messages you sent
following my
announcement. I was overwhelmed by your support and I
thank you from my heart for all your kind words), b) there isn't a heaving mass of nonsense, c) people can actually
stand up at, oh, say 9 o'clock in the evening (and, no,
propping up the bar does not count, no matter how stylish you
think you're being), and d) you are not charged extortionate
rates just to get past the doorman.
I mean getting together with family and friends around a
cozy fire, with mulled wine and fine conversation and food.
When each of us reflects back to on the year gone by and
looks forward to the year ahead. When we forget old
wounds, and forgive old 'hurts'. When there seems to be
something magical in the air. When there is
something to look
forward to...
Will 2007 be a good year for you? I truly hope so!
For me, personally, I want 2007 to be the most unforgettable
year for everyone in this wonderfully diverse world of ours – for all the right reasons...
I hope to create the life of my dreams, and to help others
achieve the business success of their dreams. And I promise
in 2007 I will intensify my efforts to provide value for you,
my CfS readers.
On that note, please be sure to take part in the one-minute What Subscribers Want survey, below. As well as
being the catalyst for making sure I continue to write about
what you actually want to read, there is a
special prize
drawing for
your efforts, too.
Where is Your Business Going this Year?
How was business last year? If you didn’t manage to hit all of your targets, be sure to check out this issue’s feature articles – you’ll find tons of tips and tricks for making this year a much better year all round.
Here's to a prosperous and wonderful 2007!
Tracey
PS Have YOU sent in your free subscriber ad yet? Quick! There are only 1-2 free slots per issue. Send yours here. Please make sure you keep it to a maximum of 5 lines, 65 characters per line (including your URL or email address). Copy deadline for the next issue is 12 February.
PPS Please add 'tracey [at] mediaminister [dot] co [dot] uk' to your whitelist or address book in your email program, so that you always receive your issues!
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Business-Building Feature Article |
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| 10 Business Resolutions to Guarantee a Better Year Ahead |
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Having a few carefully laid plans can
boost the pulling power of any business. Here's what to
concentrate on in order to put the 007 in 2007...
It’s at this time of year when numerous – and, quite frankly, often pointless – resolutions, goals and wishes are set for the year ahead. But over and over again they involve some kind of pain (going without chocolate?! Running before breakfast?!), ultimately leading to failure.
Time to turn the New Year Resolutions on their head and get
smart. Forget setting generalised goals and watching them go
down the drain through lack of progress or faith in achieving
them. Why not set specific, measurable goals that impact favourably on your business – and consequently you?
Here, then, are 10 to get you started:
1. Increase your ezine or e-newsletter subscriber list by 1,000 over the next 90 days. One way of doing this is to write and submit articles to online article banks. Read by thousands upon thousands of people looking for quality content, it’s a great way of creating awareness about what you do. Just be sure to mention your ezine – and give away something of value to your target market when they sign up – in your author bio or resource box, usually positioned at the foot of the article.
2. And if you don't have one, start a
newsletter, or enhance what you already have!
Newsletter marketing is one of the most powerful ways to
keep your name in front of your customers and prospective
clients. Some ezines are nothing more than blatant
advertising, so try to include as much valuable information
as you can. It might be as simple as a local massage
therapist regularly sending out a one-page update of case
studies, or offers, or the complementary health market.
3. Make sure you know your 'model' customer inside and
out. Creating an ‘ideal customer’ profile is a really useful exercise for any type of business and at any time of the year. By evaluating your customer base and determining which types of consumers or business you can best be of service to, you can establish which people or businesses to target. They are likely to be the most profitable, too.
4. It's important to consider the types of clients
you enjoy working with, or you run the danger of everything becoming a struggle. So let go of those clients you find it difficult to work with, say ‘no’ to prospects who don’t fit your profile and focus on attracting those you really had in mind when you went into business in the first place.
5. Create a mini-marketing plan. Perfect for testing an idea before making a commitment, a mini or condensed version of the standard marketing or even business plan can prove valuable in a number of ways – not least to analyse the year before, review where you are now and focus on what you wish to achieve over the next 6 months or year. By putting it in writing, you will identify tactics and strategies to help you with your business goals.
6. Make thyself be known. If you want more
customers, more profits, more time for yourself, and a more
enjoyable business, you have to make sure people know
about what you do and offer! So get adventurous (or feign
confidence!) and promote yourself or your business. Aim to
write at least one press release every month or so, and
publish it in places where your target audience is likely to
see it. Or try sending postcards that act as vouchers to
prospective customers.
7. Re-invent (or refine) your marketing wheel.
Reach beyond your comfort zone, and try things you have never dared before. Try a new approach. Get support from a coach, mentor or business group. Just market! A business without marketing is without business. You need to do what it takes to make sure you don’t lose sight of your dream business.
8. And everyone should re-appraise their
website to see how best they can convert more visitors into buyers. Don’t have a website? Get one, pronto – this is the digital age and most if not all businesses need an online presence.
9. Make this the year you expand your knowledge
base. Learning something new can keep you feeling enthusiastic about your business and the path it is on – even during ‘down’ times.
10. Enjoy what you do. What’s the point of being self-employed or building that dream business if you’re not having fun along the way? So think of a few aspects of your business that you dislike – and stop doing them. If you break out in a sweat at the mere thought of tax returns, hire an accountant. If you find writing sales letters slightly less overwhelming than attempting the marathon, get someone else to write them... The point is by reducing your stress levels and enjoying what you can do, you’ll end up with a more productive business that you enjoy being a part of.
Don’t have time to fit all 10 in? Then choose just 8, or 6 or even 2! As long as you do one thing (no matter how small) every day, you will be closer to your ultimate goal for your business by this time next year – if you haven’t already achieved it by then!
(C) 2007 T Dooley
Want to use this article (or any tip in this newsletter) on
your website, blog, a message board or in an ezine? Not a
problem! But please give credit where it's due. You MUST
include the following:
Tracey "Word Doctor?" Dooley of MediaMinister
(www.mediaminister.co.uk) is an experienced copywriter,
editor and marketer. She has spent almost 14 years crafting
compelling copy that successfully sells, informs, educates or
entertains. =====>To sign up for her freebie business-
building tips, marketing and publicity pointers,
visit
www.mediaminister.co.uk.
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Business-Building Announcement |
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| Business Makeovers that Make You Money? |
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The beginning of any new year is IDEAL to have a makeover for your business. A MediaMinister Makeover™ is ideal for:
- Anyone unsure whether their next promotion or direct
marketing campaign is really up to par.
- Selling more products or services.
- Pushing your response rates through the
roof.?
- When you are getting a poor response from your marketing
or advertising.
- Generating maximum profits by attracting more
targeted buyers.
- Successfully spreading the word about you and
your business.
- When you need to market as inexpensively and
effectively as you can.
...and much, much more. You won't believe how powerful a
MediaMinister Makeover™ can be for business ?| and it can work wonders for you, too.
If you haven’t taken advantage of the special pre-launch price yet, you’d best get a move on. As of now and until noon on 25 January, I'll be raising the current price from £267 up to £350 in a few days' time. Find out what’s happening and why you need to be a part of it here: http://
www.mediaminister.co.uk/makeover.htm
Business-Building Guest Article |
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| Online Predictions for 2007 |
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Around this time of year I always like to make a few
predictions about what the upcoming year holds in store for
those of us who use the Internet with any regularity.
By the way, I'd like to point out that I was screaming from
the rooftops about online video 3 years ago and look where
we are now!
So, let's peer into my crystal ball, delve into the future,
and take heed of the following signs of things to come.
* Isolation and Info-Overload *
Anyone who does business online, either full or part time,
knows the avalanche of information has not abated.
If anything, the "info-overload" syndrome worsened in 2006
as we were pelted with new offers, new opportunities, and
new things to do online.
Though this trend will only increase in 2007, all is not
lost.
Because of these feelings of isolation and overload, new
opportunities will arise to lessen, eliminate and, in some
cases, even fix these problems.
These solutions will manifest themselves in many ways
online.
* "Mash-Ups" and "Widgets" Will Rule *
"Mash-Ups" are sites that combine data from multiple sites
or databases to give the user the benefit of a unique
perspective not available on any one individual site.
For example, Maps.Google.com not only enables you to plot
destinations, but find specific locations, stores and points
of interest.
Search "hardware store Williamsburg VA" and Google returns a
list of local hardware stores and plots them for you on the
map.
"Widgets" take an opposite approach.
Widgets are small software applications that use only a part
of the massive amounts of data available from a specific
site or sites.
An example is the little weather widgets available from many
TV stations or even Weather.com that keep you updated.
Instead of logging on to a website to wade through all the
ads and extraneous information you don't want, a widget
automatically delivers exactly what you need.
Both mash-ups and widgets save incredible amounts of time
and help to greatly reduce info-overload.
* Social Networking Sites *
Feelings of isolation create the need for social networking
sites.
Don't believe me?
Look at the explosive growth of MySpace.com, eHarmony.com,
Match.com and other sites where people go to meet, greet,
and get a sense of community and belonging.
As the software and server power to create these sites gets
cheaper and more powerful, expect to see social networking
sites with very specialized "niche" audiences to appear and
thrive.
* Video, Video, Video *
It's hot right now and will only get hotter in 2007.
With Google forking out over a billion dollars for
YouTube.com, the video train has left the station.
However, one trend to watch for is anything that will bridge
the gap between online video and people's TV sets.
Despite the popularity of online video, people still enjoy
sitting in the Lazy-Boy with a cold one flipping channels.
I predict TiVo will come out of the gate with an easy way
for online video content providers to broadcast to a more
traditional audience.
They operate the equipment, have the audience, and it just
makes sense that TiVo will take the distribution of online
videos to the next level.
(C) 2006-7 Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved. Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the creator of an amazing course that will teach you step-by- step and click- by-click how to finally create your own money-making mini-sites...
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Finally! A Quick and Easy Way For YOU to Painlessly Set Up Your OWN Moneymaking 'Mini' Websites... Without Being a Computer Geek, Buying Expensive Software, or Paying Outrageous Fees To A Webmaster!"
Click here:
www.minisitecreator.com.
Tracey "Word Doctor" Dooley is an experienced copywriter and PR/marketing & editorial consultant. She has spent almost 14 years crafting compelling communications copy that successfully sells, informs or entertains.
She can remove the hassle of writing, editing and producing all your marketing communications – including general business writing, web content, sales letters, postcard campaigns, direct mail packages, brochures, ads, PR materials and more. She can ghostwrite your business articles, too.
Just let her know a little about yourself (who you are, which company you own/work for, the size of your company, your industry), which service you require, the type of copy you’re interested in (ads, mailings, etc.), and she’ll get right back to you.
Get in touch via the online form at www.mediaminister.co.uk/contact.htm or email her
your full brief and any supporting documentation.
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Business-Building Resource |
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| Free Content for Your Newsletter |
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Your ezine's out next week, but you haven't even
begun writing the main feature. Not to worry, just click along
to EzineArticles.com website and help yourself. Just make
sure you read the 'Terms of Service' link.
In return for uploading and sharing their articles, authors
(and that can mean you, if you write an interesting and
relevant article that gets accepted) receive free publicity
and can generate traffic to their websites by way of a link at
the end of an article.
The authors of these articles have given their permission for
you to reprint the articles, as long as you include the entire
article including resource box or 'sig' line intact and that you
make the links 'linkable' or 'active'.
A win-win situation for everyone.
You can search by topic or author name, and have your
newsletter up and running in no time!
Here is the link: www.ezinearticles.com.
Got a resource you'd like to share?
Email it to me and I'll
include it in a future issue of
Communiqué for Success!
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Business-Building Reader Q&A |
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| Ask the Word Doc! |
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Question: “How do I differentiate from the
competition?" Anneve Hutchinson
Answer: I worked with a law firm last year and in
order for their marketing to succeed, as with most projects, I
had to do some digging around.
One of the first things I did
was to ask them for testimonials and other client feedback. It
soon transpired that what these clients valued about this
particular firm more than anything else was the fact that the
lawyers always got back to them quickly when they had a
question or concern. This fact differentiated them
from other
law firms, they said, who took some time to return their call
or never got to them at all.
What we are talking about here is their Unique Competitive
Advantage (UCA) or Unique Selling Point (USP) ?| and
clarifying and paying attention to this can pay big dividends.
It is one of the reasons that customers seek to do business
with you ?| rather than your competition.
It could be to do with the emotional benefits you personally
deliver that make the difference between being seen as just
another good vendor or employee and a true leader that is
indispensable.
So think what it is about you or what you offer that is unique
to you. Is there one specific trait that always seems to be
pointed out by happy customers? Are you faster, more
honest, more accurate than your biggest competitor? Do you
go the extra mile?
Once you have pinpointed your USP, make sure your
market know why you or your business are the best choice for them.
More questions from you next issue. Let me know if
you want anything answered by
emailing me and I'll
include it in a future issue of
Communiqué for Success!
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Business-Building Competition |
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| Prize Draw – Your Input Needed! |
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Might I ask you to spare just 1 minute by answering
these simple 3 questions? It will greatly help me keep
shaping this ezine into something that you can't wait to read!
1. What would you like to see MORE of in this e-
newsletter throughout 2007?
2. What would you like to see LESS of in this e-
newsletter throughout 2007?
3. What specifically could I do to help you be more
successful in 2007?
Send your answers to
survey [at] mediaminister [dot]
co [dot] uk, along with your email address and full
name if you want to be entered into the prize drawing.
Entries for the prize drawing much reach me by 12 February 2007. Good luck!
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Business-Building Thought |
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"The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself."
Peter F Drucker (writer, teacher, consultant and all-round guru)
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Business-Building Refer & Earn |
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| Recommend MediaMinister & Earn Money |
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If you're a fan of MediaMinister products or
services (and why not?!), you could earn as much as 33%
per sale just by recommending them to your clients,
colleagues and friends. Easy passive income!
To find out more just go to
==>
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Business-Building Marketplace |
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Finally! A Quick and Easy Way For YOU To Painlessly
Create, Post and PROFIT From Your Own Money-Making
Online Videos... Without Being a Computer Geek or
Paying Outrageous Fees To A Webmaster!
==>
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READING THIS AD? YOURS COULD BE HERE, TOO! To find out more and get on board to reach entrepreneurs, business owners and consultants, just email the Word Doctor using the contact information below.
Disclaimer: Neither Tracey Dooley nor MediaMinister endorses the accuracy or reliability of any of any third-party advertisements in this e-newsletter. Rest assured, advertisers are carefully selected and sometimes personally known, which can only be a good thing for you! However, I simply can’t (and don’t) investigate the legitimacy, validity or legality of any item advertised. It therefore always makes sense to check each one out using your own diligence.
Feel free to FORWARD COMMUNIQUÉ FOR SUCCESS! in its entirety to anyone you think will find it useful. When doing do please add a note explaining why you're sending it to them, else they might think I've sent it to them without permission – thanks.
Get FREE Publicity!
Got an article, question, tip or resource to share? Great! Send it to me and you could be featured in a future issue of Communiqué for Success! – and you'll enjoy great business exposure in return.
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