Get More Clients Online

Social Networking: 10 Steps to Finding Your Target Market in Facebook

Everyone 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 success with this strategy is making sure that members of your target market are in your network.

Facebook is very strict and very particular about how its participants contact each other. Facebook limits the number of new invitations that can be sent in a given day or week. The exact number is a Facebook secret and unknown to the public, but if you exceed this secret amount you can get booted from Facebook. However, I think if you stick with no more than 10 per day, you will probably stay within their limits. Secondly, you are permitted only 5000 friends in Facebook, so if you're successful in this strategy, you may ultimately need to create a waiting list of friends.

How do you find your target market in Facebook? Whether you're an experienced social networker or just a newbie, here are 10 secrets to growing your target market network in Facebook:

1. Update-to-date profile and/or Fan page: Before you begin a "friending" (i.e. request to become another's friend), be sure that your profile is up-to-date with an accurate description of what you do, your interests, and your contact info, including your web site URLs. If you have multiple businesses, invite people in your appropriate target market to become fans of your niche-specific fan page.

2. Follow the gurus. Follow leaders in your field/industry and "friend" them. Anytime you make a friend request, include a personal note, as that will increase the likelihood that they will accept your request. Say something like, "I'm a big fan and have been on your ezine/blog list for several years. I'd love to have you in my network in Facebook." Once they have accepted your invitation, make comments about their status updates to help you get on their radar and in front of their networks.

3. Friends of friends. Take a look at the people in the network of your industry leaders, as they are probably part of your target market as well, and send friend requests to those of interest to you. When you friend someone that you only know by association, send a personal note as well, like "I discovered your profile in <name here>'s network and would like to get to know you batter by adding you to my network."

4. Use groups. Look for groups that may contain your target market. In your search for groups, use keywords that describe your niche, your industry, your geographic area, the interests of your target market, or whatever other terms you might use to find members of your target market. Join and begin to participate in the group so that they begin to get to know you. Then peruse the member lists for good prospects, such as the members you've connected with or have gotten to know. Since you won't be able to view the profiles of the group members because they aren't in your network, much of your decision-making about whom to friend may be based upon appearance or how you might be connected to them via other friends in your network.

5. Check your own lists. Friend people that you already know from your high school, college, alumni associations, and places of employment if they fall within your target market definition.

6. Facebook-recommended friends. Facebook typically recommends friends based on your current friends list when you log into your profile. I've found these recommendations to be pretty solid. Take them up on their recommendation and add those folks to your network.

7. Add by interest or industry. Do a people search by job title, industry, geographic location, or interest. Those people with those terms in their profile will show up in your search, and you can request to add them based on common interests.

8. Build the relationship. Once you friend someone, you need to begin to get to know them and start them on the like, know and trust journey so that you become their top-of-mind expert in a particular area. Begin building the relationship by posting a quick "thank you" note on their wall, as well as a comment about something on their profile that interests you or in which you have in common. Watch for their status updates, as well, and comment on these when appropriate.

9. Create a group. Once you've got about 500 followers, create a group for your target market. Provide the group with useful content and and ask questions to stimulate discussion and get the members to return to participate in the group. You can post articles, links to blog posts, or videos you have created. Invite group members to any free virtual or face-to-face events you're hosting.

10. Integrate into your plan. No marketing strategy works unless you consistently implement it over time. As a newbie to Facebook, you might want to spend as much as 60 minutes per day researching friends and participating in groups. As your network grows, you many spend only 15 minutes 3 times per week on Facebook. The key to success is to put this strategy on your calendar and make it a routine part of your ongoing Internet marketing tasks.

While social networking is an inexpensive marketing tool and can be effective in helping you grow your business, maintain your other marketing strategies, as well, and simply add this strategy to your marketing mix. A well-rounded Internet marketing plan that includes social networking and is implemented consistently will mean that your prospect well will never run dry.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a  baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at == > http://www.OnlineBizU.com

7 Secrets to Successful Keyword Research

As 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 category, like "auto body shops" in the "automobile repair" category, search engines like Google and Yahoo sort by keywords so that auto body shops are found under "auto body shop" in their database.

In order to be found online by your target market, you need insight about the terms that they are using to search for a business like yours. The quickest way to gain that insight is by conducting research on possible keywords they use. However, so many of my clients conduct only very basic keyword research and miss many keywords because they don't really delve into the problems and needs of their target market, which contain prime, keyword-rich topics they can use to be found online.

Here are 7 secrets to a successful keyword research campaign:

1. Define your target topic or interest. Use 1-2 words to describe your topic. In this case, let's say our interest is pest control businesses because you're seeking to target owners of this type of company.

2. Define synonyms for your topic area. Use an online thesaurus or  Google Sets to help you brainstorm synonyms for your topic. In this example, similar terms for pest control business might be exterminating business, rodent control, insect control, bug business, and pest control company.

3. Use "how" to help define problems in your topic area. When people search online, many times they're seeking answers to their problems, and they seek answers to these problems by asking "how" questions. I use Google's free  Keyword Tool, to help me define some of the problems of a pest control business. I plug in the synonyms brainstormed in step 2 to help me come up with this list. In this case, common questions might be things like how to do one of the following in a pest control business: start, grow, train employees, find employees, market, advertise, price services, bill customers, bid for contracts, buy, insure, find supplies, and write a business plan.

4. Record your action terms. Note the action terms that were used found in this example -- starting, buying, growing, marketing, training, advertising, billing, bidding, etc. These are terms that people use to help them solve the problems they have with their pest control businesses. Create a list for each of these terms and brainstorm synonyms for these terms, as well.

5. Group and research. Now, return to your keyword tool and enter your action term combined with your target topic and see what people interested in this topic are actually searching on. For example, for the term "how to start a pest control business," you would see results like: mosquito control, electronic pest control, ant extermination, roach extermination, how to kill fleas, pest control software, pest control license, etc. Organize the keywords into groups according to the problem being solved or action being taken.

6. Count the searches. Look for the largest clusters in your groups and count the searches on the terms in the groups. A large cluster with lots of searches will contain the initial terms on which you will want to focus. However, don't overlook the groups with smaller searches, as many times these contain keywords that are less competitive and thus become easier for you to use to rise to the top of the search engines, rather than being one of millions competing for a very competitive term. These keywords with smaller searches are referred to as "long-tail keywords," and I believe that the traffic you get from high rankings on numerous long-tail keywords is equivalent to and quicker and easier to achieve than entering the contest for very competitive keywords.

7. Use the keywords. With this research you can write articles on these topics, create blog posts about these topics, upload web pages on these topics, update the meta tags on your web pages, make videos on podcasts about these topics, create information products, write pay-per-click campaigns, and design classified ads, to name just a few of the uses for this research.

Have you conducted thorough keyword research for your target market? If you haven't, you may be missing key opportunities for your target market to find you online. Set aside 2-3 hours one day and discover all the other options at your disposal to help your target market solve their problems.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a  baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at == > http://www.OnlineBizU.com

How to Create Your Target Market Profile

Much has been written on how to locate and define your target market.  However, there is a problem with this process. Once you have defined that target market, you're probably completely overwhelmed with all the details and facts you have collected about this target market and have absolutely no idea about how to use this information.

Rather than trying to cover all characteristics of your target market in your marketing efforts, pick out a dozen or so traits of your target market and create a target market profile that is a description of one member of your target market.  For example, my target market profile is a 50-year old female solo business owner with grown children who sells products and services via her website from the comfort of her home office with the help of one virtual assistant.   Do other types of people join my membership site?  Yes, they do, including women of other ages, men interested in Internet marketing, and individuals still employed full-time for a company who want to transition to a full- or part-time online business owner.  

However, I've discovered it's much more effective to market to one person at a time (i.e. one target market profile) rather than to try and include all the characteristics of a group of people.  Consequently, I write all of my online marketing copy with this one person in mind. That's why creating a target market profile helps. This succinct description of one member of your target market will serve as the person to whom all of your marketing copy is targeted, whether that copy is appearing as a sales letter, your website homepage, or decryption of an upcoming training session.

Take a few moments and create a picture of your target market in your mind.  Give your profile a name so that it seems you're talking to a real, live person.  Perhaps you base the description on the traits of one of your favorite clients, or consider these traits as you create your profile:

• age

• marital status

• family status

• where they live (city/country and house/apt)

• occupation

• annual income

• hobbies and interests

• clubs/organizations which s/he is active

• goals and aspirations

When you've completed your profile, print it out and tape it to your monitor or tack it to your bulletin board.  Find an image from a magazine or online source that seems to mirror your description and attach that to your written description.  Now you've got an imaginary friend to whom you sell and market.  Bet you thought you were done with imaginary friends! :)

Here's an example of an effective target market profile:

Stacy Stiles is a 43-year old married female solo entrepreneur with a professional organizing business. She's fairly Internet-savvy and very business-savvy, having been a professional organizer for over 7 years. She invests about 50% of her profit back into her business and pays herself the remainder. She lives in a middle-class neighborhood in a bedroom community outside Seattle with her 2 teenage children, Aiden and Emily, one dog, Isaboo, and her husband, David, who owns a landscaping business. She's involved in her children's education and activities, attending Aiden's basketball games and Emily's Junior ROTC drills. She works from her home office and makes approximately $85,000/year. She jogs 3 times a week to keep herself in shape for the 2 marathons she participates in each year. She loves to go antiquing and checking out the latest art festival in her community. Her big dream is to go to Greece with her husband someday.

Take a few hours to construct your target market profile. You'll find your marketing becomes so much easier when you are writing it with one particular "person" in mind.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a  baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at == > http://www.OnlineBizU.com

How to Get 95% of My Clients Online

Q:  Exactly what do I need to have on my website (including links to blogs etc.) to be able to function as my 95% marketing machine. List the things: autoresponder, PracticePaySolutions, etc. whatever it is.
Diane DePould

A:  Hi Diane--

Here's what you need on your website to help you get 95% of your clients from Internet marketing:

1.  Understanding of your target market.  Do you have a target market profile written?  If you know to whom you're writing when you create marketing content, marketing becomes so much easier, and members of your target market will readily respond when you write to them, as they will readily identify themselves.

2.  Email marketing system.  You need to purchase an email marketing service to help you capture the names and email addresses of your visitors in an opt-in box.  I use and recommend GetMoreClientsAutoresponder.com.

3.  Client attraction device.  You need to have an ethical bribe, what I call a client attraction device, that is appealing enough to your target market that they will gladly part with their name and email address to get what it is you're offering.

4.  Followup autoresponders.  Create 2-5 followup autoresponders that go out over the next few weeks to the prospects who have signed up for your list and offer them more resources that you have available or begin to upsell them to your products and services.

5.  Stay-in-touch strategy.  In order to keep you top-of-mind with the prospects on your list, you need to "reach out and touch them" regularly via a regular email newsletter (weekly is best) or regular blogging (at least 3 times per week).

6.  Free valuable content.  Put the articles that you write on your site to help your visitors and prospects realize that you know what you're talking about and are an expert.

7. Traffic generation strategy.  I use article marketing and syndicate and publish all the articles I write to GetMoreClientsArticles.com, which helps me drive traffic back to my site.

For more detailed tutorials, downloadable audio, and how-to articles to implement any of these strategies, consider a membership to OnlineBizU.com.

Got an Internet Marketing question?  Ask it here: AskDonnaGunter.com.

How to Get Found Online

Q: How do I get people to find my site?
Laurie

A: Hi Laurie-- While "if you build it they will come" worked in the movie, The Field of Dreams, that little homily doesn't translate well to marketing your web site.

First, you need a viable target market that is in sufficient quantity and hungry for (i.e. willing to buy) the info that you're selling. Have you researched your target market? If not, this article might help: How to Find Your Niche, Determine Your Ideal Client, and Target Your Market.

Next, you need some strategies to maximize your visibility, including publishing an ezine, writing press releases, optimizing your site for search engines, etc. More detail can be found in this article, 10 Best Strategies to Massively Increase Your Visibility Online.

Lastly, you need to create an Internet marketing plan that you follow each week so that you are regularly marketing your web site. Here's how you can create your plan: How to Create an Internet Marketing Action Plan That Gets Results.

For some inexpensive online business coaching, consider a membership to OnlineBizU.com, where you'll access over 300 articles, downloads and recordings with details on how to get found online.

Got an Internet Marketing question?  Ask it here: AskDonnaGunter.com.

8 Secrets to Fill Your Business in 60 Days

Recently 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. Best of all, the strategies I recommend to fill your business are the same ones that can be applied to any business, and then applied again and again to other online ventures. Here are 8 secrets to filling the prospect funnel in your business in 60 days:

1. Success mindset. Don't gloss over this strategy -- it may be the most important of all. If you truly want to succeed in your business and are passionate about what you do, nothing will hold you back. This often means that you have to step out in faith that you'll succeed, and most importantly, believe in yourself as a success. Sure, you may stumble, or even fall, but you must be willing to pick yourself back up and persevere -- even without a safety net hanging under you.

2. Target market. The biggest mistake that business owners make is wanting to sell to everyone. If you've tried this, you have no doubt discovered that casting your net around everyone is a very difficult task. Narrowing that group to a more manageable number will actually serve you much better, believe it or not. If you can identify a smaller group of hungry prospects who are willing to pay for the solutions to the problems that keep them awake at night (or those who are willing to pay for more information about a hobby or interest that occupies much of their free time) AND who are reachable in groups (associations, membership sites, magazines, newsletters, discussion forums or lists, social networking groups, etc.), then you have made a key discovery that will catapult your business forward.

3. Client Attraction Device. You've heard it said time and time again that "the money is in the list." This still holds true today, as well. Without a list of interested prospects to whom you can market, you don't have a business. The quickest way to begin to develop a list is to give something away. Yes, you heard me correctly. If you have content you have already created, dig through that to see if you have something appropriate for your chosen target market.

If not, identify a problem of your target market, and create some content that answers one of those problems. Perhaps it's a checklist, a Top 10 list, an ebook or special report, an audio interview, a podcast, a video -- do whatever is easiest for you. Just ensure that it is in a plug and play format , i.e. don't make your prospect download some weird software that's not commonplace to read and view this material.

Make sure that your Client Attraction Device has some valuable content in it. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to read a free giveaway that only serves to remind me that I have a problem and offers no solution unless I pay for it. Don't be afraid to demonstrate your expertise by giving "how to" information away. Trust me, if you are truly good at what you do, there's no way that you can share everything you know on a topic in one short information product. Your Client Attraction Device starts your prospects on the like, know, and trust road that is imperative for them to travel before they will decide to buy something from you.

4. Email marketing system. You must have some way to collect your prospect's information and a system by which you can stay in contact with them. The best way to do this is by purchasing email marketing services. I use GetMoreClientsAutoresponder.com.  Do not use a free service for this, nor try to send emails out of your Outlook program. If you want to be a serous online business owner, invest in the most important asset in your business -- your email marketing system.

5. Blogsite. A blogsite, which is a website/blog hybrid, is the quickest way to build an online presence. The two most popular blogging platforms, the fee-based  Typepad and open source software,  Wordpress, can be used to create a blogsite very quickly. If you want either of them customized with a particular look or feel, that may take a bit longer and require a greater investment. However, either will work well to get you started, and both will permit you to enter your email marketing system's signup code onto a page so that you can immediately begin to collect contact information from prospects who have requested your Client Attraction Device.

6. Stay in touch. Whether you do this by submitting regular blog posts or publishing an email newsletter (or both), you need to reach out and touch your prospects at least weekly (or several times a week if you are blogging). Give them some insights about what's happening with you personally as well as sharing some aspect of your expertise with them by creating a content-rich article or answering their questions. And, don't forget to sell -- offer some product or service in each email newsletter, or submit regular blog posts that remind your readers about what you are selling.

7. Social networking. Never before have we had the opportunity to connect with others online easily and inexpensively as we do now with social networking. Create profiles on the social network(s) used by your target market, do research to add friends/followers in your target market, and use the status updates to be useful to your followers, i.e. by sharing resources, asking questions, and updating them about how you help clients/customers.

8. Drive traffic to your site. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, but my favorite starts with writing an article. Once it's written, I publish it in my ezine, my blog, and to my website and syndicate it on article directories all over the Web through GetMoreClientsArticles.com. Then I have the option of making a podcast with the content; creating a screencast video or "talking head" video from it; writing and submitting a press release; creating a teleclass; create a Q&A radio show interview opportunity; breaking up the points as separate Twitter posts, or Tweets, and tweeting them to my followers; or sharing it on my Squidoo lens or other information-sharing portals. The point here is to work once and profit, profit, profit. Repurpose one article as many ways as you can to drive traffic back to your blogsite and thus get more and more prospects to sign up on your list and ultimately convert them to customers.

The advent of the Internet makes it easier than every to create and promote a business online with very little startup capital. And, if done correctly, the strategies will results in you filling your business in 60 days with eager and willing prospects ready to buy what you are offering.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at == > http://www.OnlineBizU.com

How to Stand Out: Differentiate Your Business with Authenticity

I had lunch several years ago with a colleague in a networking group. We talked about many things and were trying to get to know each other so that we could better understand what might make a great referral for the other. One of the things he told me caused me to chuckle because it was so true, but it seemed to surprise him somewhat.

He told me that he liked my website because I was straight-forward, to the point and I just "put it all out there". By that he meant that I outlined what I do, how I do it, the benefits of what I do, and that I let the visitor decide to either buy into it or not. Most surprisingly, I didn't seem to have any attachment to the visitor's decision either way. I didn't waste any time trying to convince visitors that I was always the right choice, regardless of circumstance. However, if the visitor does "buy" into what I'm offering, they have ample opportunities to get on one of my lists and/or purchase something from me.

My response to his observation was that, as a small business owner, I had the responsibility of discouraging as many people as possible from wanting to do business with me. I know this philosophy sounds crazy, especially in this day and age of a downturned economy.

Here's my belief: I'm not out to sell my services or my products to the world, nor do I want to sell my services to everyone. I only work with clients who meet my ideal client profile and only market to those in my target market. Period. And, that's only a very small chunk of the world. Why?  Because I truly believe that there's enough business for everyone.

My business and my life are so much more fun and joyful when I work only with clients that I love. I do that through what I call the WYSIWYG approach, or "What You See is What You Get."  I am who I am and let that center of authenticity come through in all that I do--my speaking, my writing, my website, my coaching, my personal interactions.

If you don't "buy" into the business that is me, that's wonderful! You can continue your search for a coach/consultant/infomarketer that better meets your needs, and I still have room in my practice for clients that I'd love to work with. If you do "buy" into what I do and who I am, you're doing it because on some level, you're buying into "Donna the Person", and the good, bad, and ugly that accompanies that.

Now that I'm firmly entrenched in middle age, I finally feel that I'm fully coming into my own in all aspects of my life, and I have stopped running away from those aspects that I thought others might not like or might be offended by. Being myself for a living is so much easier than trying to live up to an image (or create an image) that doesn't really exist.

When working in higher education, I always felt that I was split in two halves, Donna the Human Being and Donna the Housing Administrator. Rarely did the two Donnas meet -- they were almost separate personalities, and quite frankly, Donna the Human Being (my true self) didn't really care for Donna the Housing Administrator at all.  It's no wonder I felt exhausted all the time in that job -- I was living two distinct lives, and one of those lives I really hated. The creation of my own business -- and my own set of rules -- has freed me to be me -- and probably saved me thousands in therapy fees..;->

My role model in life is the late Ann Richards, former governor of the great state of Texas. Ann was bold, brave, humorous, bright, and embodied the best in a Southern/Texas woman, and made no bones about that. Long ago I decided to embrace my being a "southern girl from the sticks" (English translation--lived in the country in a small East Texas town) rather than trying to make myself over into something more palatable to a wider group.

A former client used to get the biggest kick out of the stories I would tell her about living in a small east Texas town while at the same time telling me I needed to move away from there to a more civilized place. I told her if I moved, she would lose her great source of funny stories that she could incorporate into her speeches, and I would lose what makes me "me."

As a small business owner, how can you incorporate "you" into your business so that your ideal clients are naturally drawn to you? What natural gifts and talents do you possess but aren't willing to acknowledge? I strongly encourage you to tell your story--your parable of why you do what you do. Playing to your gifts and being who you are for a living is an extraordinarily rewarding way to run your business. Most importantly, it's what makes your business distinct -- and helps you stand out in a sea of small businesses.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.OnlineBizU.com

How to attract clients to your website

Q: How do I get clients to go to my site and contact me? Alberta Watson

A:  Hi Alberta-- It's all about attracting traffic to your site. However, before you begin to generate traffic, you need to be prepared for the traffic.

By this I mean that you need a primary call to action on your site. This call to action should be an invitation to get the visitors on your email marketing list. The most effective way to do this is by having a client attraction device, or a free giveaway on your site. Here's an article where I've written more about the call to action on your site, Dramatically Increase Your Conversions with a Clear Call to Action.

Once they have signed up for your list, then you need a keep-in-touch strategy, like an ezine or a blog. This lets you remain top-of-mind as the solution to their problem.

Here's an article I've written about how to create an effective ezine, Ezine Marketing: 3 Essential Components Required to Make More Sales From Your Email Newsletter and one called How to Create Your First Blog. 

Once those are in place, then you need to begin to drive traffic to your site. My favorite way of doing this is via article marketing, where I write one article with a compelling offer in my resource box (author's bio) and have distributed throughout the Internet.

Here's another article I've written about article marketing, How to Write Articles That Will Increase Traffic to Your Website.

Once you've begun to write articles,then you need to begin to repurpose your article to continue to drive traffic to your site: Article Marketing: 15 Secrets to Repurposing Your Articles to Work for You Again and Again .

For more info about driving traffic to your website and converting them to visitors, consider a membership to OnlineBizU.com, where you'll find a step-by-step outline telling you how to get more clients online.

Got an Internet Marketing question?  Ask it here: AskDonnaGunter.com.

10 Best Strategies to Massively Increase Your Visibility Online

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Increasing 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 implementation.  Where does an online entrepreneur turn first to get the visibility (and traffic) you seek to help you promote your online venture? 

New tricks and gimmicks come out every day, but unfortunately, most of them are like so many recording artists and become one-hit wonders.  In my business, I've discovered that there are a handful that are able to stand the test of time.  Some have been around for as long as websites have been around, while others are newer kids on the block.  Here are my 10 most effective strategies to massively increase your visibility online:

1.  Press releases.  Press releases are a well-known marketing strategy that has worked for years with print and broadcast media.  In recent years they have found new life as an online visibility tool. Just like in the old days, your release should carry some newsworthy angle that has been optimized with a select few keywords by which you want your business to be found.  Don't waste your time submitting your release to the free press release sites -- the release simply sits on the site and goes no where else.  Instead, invest in a fee-based service (I prefer PRWeb.com), which will ensure your release gets the recognition it deserves.

2.  Social Networking.  A "johnny come lately" to the online visibility scene, social networking now ranks near the top in terms of attracting much visibility to your business for a very low cost. If you don't yet have accounts on the two most popular social networking platforms, Facebook and Twitter, today is the day to hop on board and begin to network. Choose 1-2 social networking platforms where your target market hangs out, and then begin to work it by making connections, joining groups or networks, sharing resources, and asking questions.  Dedicate 15-30 minutes each day to your effort to begin to see results.

3.  Article Marketing.  Writing and submitting articles to major article directories has definitely stood the test of time for online visibility.  Article marketing will drive traffic to your site, establish you as an expert in your target market's eyes, and give you valuable content to repurpose into information products. For maximum effectiveness, your article needs to contain a strong resource box (author's bio) that drives traffic back to your site, needs to contain useful content that solves a problem of your target market, and is written in a tips-based fashion, like this one, as they are the easiest for a website visitor to read and digest.

4.  Blogging.  Business blogs (a web log or journal), have gained popularity over the last few years as an online visibility tool. Blogs use RSS feed technology to immediately get new posts and updates out to your blog subscribers through a feed reader. Unlike ezines or traditional websites, search engines index blog posts almost immediately, which help you generate traffic to your website. To use effectively as an online visibility tool, you need to post 2-3 times per week to keep your readers interested and coming back.

5.  Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Optimizing your site or your blog for organic (naturally-occurring) searches has been around from the beginning of Internet marketing.  Use a keyword research tool and create a list of keywords applicable to your business.  Don't forget to add things like "how to", "tips", or short descriptions of your target market's problems to your research. Then, take a look at your page titles, page descriptions, page headlines, and formatted text on a page (bolding, italicizing, underlining) and include your keywords in those areas, as well as sprinkling 1-2 keywords throughout the content of your page.  Make the SEO appear to be natural, not forced, and the search engines as well as your visitors will love you.

6.  Email Newsletter (Ezine). Regular publication of an email newsletter (weekly is most effective) will enable your prospects to get to know, like and trust you and have you be top of mind when they are ready to solve the pressing problems that fall within your line of expertise.  If you make opting into your ezine list the primary call to action on your website, you continually build your list with prospective customers.  Best of all, if they like what you write, they are more likely to pass along the issue to their contacts, thus increasing your visibility yet again.

7.  Signature Teleseminar/Speech.  Have you created your signature speech or teleseminar that you can present whenever you're asked to speak to any type of group (face-to-face or virtual)? If not, design a signature speech or teleseminar that demonstrates your knowledge and expertise without giving away the store (focus on the what and the why but not the how) that compels your listeners to visit your website or request your client attraction device and get on your list.

Then, begin to research groups that contain your target market both in your geographic area and online. Once you've landed a speaking gig, strategize your best call to action for the group -- do you want participants to sign up for your email list, purchase a product, or book a consultation?  Add that call to action to your presentation.

8.  Videos.  With the popularity of broadband Internet connections, it's much easier for almost anyone to view online video these days.  And, with high-quality yet low-cost web cams, video cameras, and screen capture software readily available, anyone can make a video today.  You might record a live Q&A session on UStream.com and post it on your site.  Or, perhaps you want to record a "how to" tutorial using screenshots from your computer and upload that to your YouTube.com channel. Remember to include your call to action in your video so that you drive traffic back to your site.  Just think -- your video may cause you to become the next YouTube star!

9.  Expert question sites.  Most people conduct online searches to find free information that answers their questions.  Many online entrepreneurs are registering as experts on an expert or answers site, like Yahoo Answers or AllExperts.com, in an effort to get visibility online. To be an effective expert on these sites, you need to seek out questions that you can knowledgeably answer as an expert. Your answer needs to be very detailed and as specific as possible. The more thorough your answer, the better chance you'll have of getting chosen as the "favorite" answer, which is the one rated highest on the site and in the search engines.

10.  Viral marketing.  Viral marketing involves creating a marketing piece (ebook, video, software) that gets passed along fr*ee of charge from person to person. Publicity Hound Joan Stewart does this quite effectively each year when she compiles the best tips she's written about in the previous year in a "best of" ebook compilation that she gives away free of charge on her site.  She also encourages her list and website visitors to "regift" it.

You've got two options when you try to get online visibility:  the "steady and effective over time" method or the "quick and short and probably get banned" method. I prefer to use methods that have stood the test of time and won't result in my site being removed from the search engines.  Use one or more of these time-honored strategies to get you the visibility you deserve online.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Internet Marketing Strategist and Boomer Biz Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses that they love by demystifying and simplifying the tools and strategies needed to market and grow their businesses online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at  AskDonnaGunter.com.

5 Secrets to Moving the Free Line With Your Client-Capturing Device

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Once 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 sp*mmers began to grow and started to make marketing by email more difficult.  So, then to encourage someone to opt into your list, you had to give something away, typically a very short assessment, checklist or special report.

As more and more online business owners implemented this strategy, website visitors started to become more skeptical.  The giveaway then had to be more substantial, like a free ebook or transcript or recording, to get a visitor to part with his contact information.

And, today, the free bar is raised yet again. Ongoing difficulties with sp*mmers and email marketing has caused online business owners to almost give away the store, it seems at times, to interest visitors in parting with their name and email address.  If you've been in business awhile, you probably have some valuable content that you can easily add to enhance your giveaway.  If you're newer in business, the first pieces of content you create should be used as your fr*ee giveway rather than creating them in hopes of selling them.  Remember, your primary call to action on your website or blog should always be to grow your list and a great giveaway does just that.

How can you be more competitive in a landscape full of marketers with fr*ee client-capturing devices?  Here are 5 secrets to moving the free line with your website giveaway:

1.  Be Content Rich.  If your giveaway isn't chock full of useful content that helps solve some immediate problems of your target market, you shouldn't waste your time.  Sure, your client-capturing device needs to have info in it about you and your products/services and an upsell to purchase from you.  However, if your giveaway is nothing but an extended infomercial about how wonderful you are and why the reader should buy from you, you won't create a trustworthy relationship with your reader. Visitors conduct Internet searches because they're seeking fr*ee info to help them solve their problems.  If they get valuable and credible content from you that they can immediately begin to use, they are much more likely to pay attention to what else you have to say and begin to like and trust you, which, of course, leads to their eventual purchase from you.

2.  Multiple Offerings.  A lone ebook, recording, or checklist is no longer enough.  Now, multiple offerings in your free giveaway are necessary to lure the visitors onto your list.  Creating some type of kit or package that includes three or so items, like a free ebook or report, an audio file, a video, etc. all focused on a similar topic is now what is required as an effective client-capturing device.  Your graphical representation of this giveaway needs to reflect that you are offering multiple items in the giveaway, as well.

3.  Monetary Value.  Because you're including valuable content in your giveaway, you need to determine the monetary value of this content.  Determine a reasonable price in line with your other offerings, and don't do what so many other marketers do by creating ridiculously inflated prices for their fr*ee information.  Place a value on each piece of info that you provide in your client-capturing device, and then a total price on the entire giveaway.

4. Sales Page Required.  Just like a fee-based product, the free giveaway also now needs its on sales page to let the visitor know why the giveaway is useful and wonderful and how their lives will change (or problems will be solved) by requesting the giveaway.  I don't think it has to follow the long sales letter format (the one that seems to go on forever and ever) but follows a shorter, more succinct sales page that clearly outlines the benefits and features of your offering to the visitor.

5. Audio and Video Help.  Almost everyone to whom I've spoken agrees that their opt-in rates have increased when they add audio to the giveaway sales page, and have skyrocketed when video is added.  Typically all the audio or video does is welcome the visitor to the page, run through why the visitor would want to get the giveaway, and then walk the visitor through the process of requesting the information.  The audio and video component is simply a smart marketing strategy because it lets the visitor know that they're dealing with a real, live, human being and if they can now see you in video, it hastens their feeling of connection to you.

Email marketing continues to be a viable marketing strategy.  However, in order to convince savvy Internet searchers that they should do business with you, you need to up the ante and create more offerings and greater content in your website giveaway.  Follow these 5 secrets to enhance your offerings and watch your list grow!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Internet Marketing Strategist and Boomer Biz Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses that they love by demystifying and simplifying the tools and strategies needed to market and grow their businesses online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at  AskDonnaGunter.com.