If you’ve been online for longer than twenty minutes, you’re sure to have grasped the concept that relationship building needs to be your main focus and highest priority.

But are you striking up conversations with the right people?

That’s the TRICKY part.

Just ask Shelly Roberts – she’ll tell you!

I was so impressed and uplifted by the “Open Farewell” post she wrote recently that I just HAD to share it with you.

Talk about a great lesson!

I found myself smiling and cheering and applauding with every word!

When you’re struggling to make real connections online, it can be very easy to find yourself spending lots of valuable time communicating with people who are not really a good fit.

Read Shelly’s post and find out exactly what I’m talking about. She’s a fabulous role model and a true inspiration.

It’s Day 7 of the “31 Days to Build a Better Blog” challenge, hosted by Lisbeth Tanz and Michelle Shaeffer …

… and I’m still upright and taking solids.  That’s a good sign!

Today’s task was to write a “link” post to put someone else in the spotlight and give a fellow blogger a little blog-linking love.

Well, since I just did that in my first sentence, I guess I’m done with my homework.

But I’m not one who’s known for being lazy, taking shortcuts, or looking for the easy peasy way out.

I love a good, stimulating challenge!  It’s not only good for the soul, but it also helps you to S-T-R-E-T-C-H as a solo professional.

So I’ve decided to take today’s link-posting task to a whole new level. I’ve got a pretty cool proposal for the members of 31DBBB.

If you can give me one good reason to link to you and your blog, I’ll do it!

First off, look over this list of topics that I like to cover on my blog:

• Shoestring Marketing Strategies
• Social Media Savvy
• Relationship Building
• Blogging
• Affiliate Marketing
• List Building
• Buzz and Branding
• Single Mom Entrepreneurs
• Outsourcing
• Improving Your Writing Skills
• Relaxation
• Personal Development
• Time Management

Have you written a blog post on any of these topics that would resonate with my target audience?  If so, then you’ve got a Great reason for me to link to you.

Just put your name and the title of your post in the comment box – no links, please – or your comment may end up in spam land.  Then head back over to the 31 DBBB “members blog” for Day 7, hit “reply” under my comment, post your link, and I’ll grab it there.

Happy to support the members of this challenge and I wonder who I’ll be linking to first?!

“I don’t like marketing” or “Marketing is too hard” is the mindset of many small business owners, especially those just starting out.

That’s a shame because marketing needs to be at the top of your priority list every day.  If you don’t plan on devoting the majority of your time to marketing your products or services, you may as well fold up your tent and leave camp!

Most of the time, a negative attitude toward marketing stems from misconceptions and a misunderstanding of the difference between advertising and marketing.

Let’s run through just seven (there are many more!) false impressions of marketing your business online:

1)  Marketing is a big bother and an interruption to
people.

Actually, that statement pertains to “advertising”, NOT marketing.
Television advertisements are bothersome, for example, because they
interrupt the viewing of a program.  I haven’t met anyone yet who’s said, “I
love T.V. commercials!”  Marketing is not a blatant “in your face” method of
making sales.  Marketing is a much softer and palatable business-building
tool.

2)  People won’t be interested in what I have to offer.

In other words, “People won’t buy what I’m selling”.  Not true.  If you’ve
taken the time to study the demographics of your target audience and
you’ve done some thorough keyword research, then you can market
confidently knowing there’s a flock of potential clients or customers that
want what you have to offer.  Marketing is about establishing and nurturing
relationships with your prospects through a crystal clear understanding of
their problems and the solutions you offer.

3)  It probably won’t work anyway, so why bother?

Oh, brother.  I’ve heard this one more times than I care to count. 
Developing the right kind of “marketing mindset” matters.  Giving up before
you even try is a one-way ticket to failure.  If you maintain a defeatist
attitude, your business will not thrive.  The only way to get past this type of
thinking is to dig your heels in and take some action!  You need to “test” a
marketing strategy or platform first, give it a fair amount of time, and see if
it’s working for you.  

4)  Marketing is way too expensive.

Rubbish!  Advertising can empty your wallet pretty quickly, but marketing
can easily be done effectively on a tight budget.  The majority of the
successful marketing strategies I use cost $0.  So even if you’re on a super
slim budget, don’t sweat it. There are literally hundreds of free marketing
platforms.  Want to learn more about marketing on a zero-dollar budget?
Download a Free Shoestring Marketing Kit.

5)  Only business owners with sub-standard products or services need
marketing.

Ouch!! I always want to fall off my chair when I hear someone say this and
I’ll never understand the origin of this misconception.  In fact, EVERY solo
professional needs to market their business. Once again, marketing needs
to be your highest priority.  Without marketing, don’t expect sales … period.

6)  Marketing leads straight to rejection.

Wrong.  “Selling” can lead to rejection.  No one likes to sell or be sold. 
Marketing, on the other hand, is a means of avoiding rejection.  Once
people get to know you better through your marketing, they’ll begin to like
you and, ultimately, trust you.  Then and only then will they feel
comfortable enough to make a purchase.  Remember that your primary
marketing goal is to build relationships with your prospects.

7)  I’m a lousy writer.  No one will want to read my
writing.

I’m going to ask you to trust me here.  You don’t need to be Ernest
Hemmingway to market your products and services online.  You need to
be YOU!  Whether you are crafting blog posts, articles, e-books, reports, or
sales pages – your writing will resonate with people if you use your
authentic voice.  But if you absolutely hate to write or you don’t really “get”
what being your authentic self in writing is all about – my friend and
colleague, Lisbeth Tanz, (corporate sales and marketing escapee!) can get
you on track and up to speed in just one weekend.  Look her up and check
out her Savvy Article Marketing Success Weekend.  Lisbeth offers a
simple, yet effective process to get business owners in action writing about
what they know best – their industry and business.

Just push these false impressions aside and get ready to love marketing!

If your blog is feeling a little stale or stagnant lately, you can stop the moss from growing on it right away!

Listen to the Audio Boo below to find out how you can choose one, two, or all three ways to give your blog a makeover and a boost.

Need more eyes on your blog? Feeling like your posts are floating around out in never-never land? Let’s change that scenario!

Here are 3 great ways to get lots of eyes on your blog:

1. Continuity Blogging Community — Jane Lee

Free to join and ongoing

2. Ultimate Blog Challenge

Starts August 1st, 2010

Michele Scism & Michelle Shaeffer

3. 31 Days to Build a Better Blog — Lisbeth Tanz

Starts August 23rd, 2010

Before you read the grand finale on affiliate marketing, be sure to go back and read Parts 1-4, if you haven’t already.  They’ll help you tie up any loose ends about the common mistakes people make as well as the wonderful benefits and expert tips for affiliate marketing success.

Here are the two questions people ask me all the time:

“What is the best tip you can give me, Melanie, about affiliate marketing so I can start making some money?”  And “What’s the best way to start?”

The answer to both those questions is the same. You need to focus on finding the RIGHT people to promote and recommend to others.

GET TO KNOW potential affiliate partners first.  Follow them on Twitter, befriend them on Facebook, communicate through emails, attend some of their free teleseminars, opt in to their list, and read their blogs.  Observe what they are doing and how they conduct themselves to decide if you resonate with them or not.

If you choose to skip this step, you’ll be missing out on the most important contributing factor to your success.

I’ve spent over three years going through this process, repeatedly, before deciding to join someone’s affiliate program.  The time, energy, and effort I’ve put into building relationships first has paid off and it can pay off for you, too.

In this final segment on affiliate marketing, I’d like to leave you with a list of experts I feel proud to represent and promote as an affiliate.  And, yes!  These links are my unique affiliate links.

Here’s your behind the scenes look at some of the people I have built a relationship with and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to others:

• Online Client Attraction:  Cathy Goodwin
• Relaxation & More Me Time:  Heather Bestel
• Cash In On Public Speaking:  Felicia Slattery
• Shoestring Marketing Strategies:  Jessica Swanson
• Marketing Brainstorm Workshop:  Michelle Shaeffer
• Blogging Mastery:  Denise Wakeman
• Write a Book in a Weekend:  Donna Kozik

If you really want to give yourself a tremendous leading edge in affiliate marketing, I would strongly suggest taking Connie Ragen Green’s course, “Affiliate Marketing Profit Secrets”. I really enjoyed this course and learned some new tricks and tips that have helped me to profit even more from affiliate marketing.

Wishing you awesome affiliate marketing sales and success!

Affiliate marketing can be an excellent way to get started in business online or a powerful, profitable addition to a current business.

There are amazing and wonderful products to sell and wonderful product owners to partner with.

Being an affiliate marketer isn’t just about making money, it’s about promoting products that you believe in and are passionate about – this is key to becoming a successful affiliate.

But what if affiliate marketing doesn’t seem to be working for you?

Here are some of the common mistakes to avoid when you are starting out as an affiliate marketer:

1) There’s a disconnect with your visitors

No matter how interesting and informative the content of your site is, most of your visitors won’t stay and browse unless you have injected some of your personality into it.  Add some personal details, perhaps a photo or an about me page, and try to make the content sound as though you are actually talking to your visitors.  Write conversationally, as if you were speaking to your sister or your best friend.

2) All lookers and no buyers

This problem is generally caused by failure to really pre-sell the products you are promoting.  Anticipating the needs of your audience and convincing them that your affiliate product will address that need should increase your conversion rate.  A well designed site will have your customers prepared to buy the product before they even click on the link.

3) Not taking names

Don’t forget to ask your customers for their e-mail addresses, whether that is to receive a newsletter, e-book, audio, video, or a free report.  If you don’t, you are missing out on a great opportunity.  Very few people buy from a site on their first visit.  So capture their e-mail addresses in exchange for something of value so you can gain their trust and confidence and ensure you have future chances to sell to them.

4) Leaving out the human element

Human elements sell better than clever copy every time!  Don’t rely on advertising over testimonials.  Although banner ads in the sidebars on your webpage can lead to affiliate sales, they are not as effective as personal recommendations and endorsements.

Online customers are becoming immune to traditional advertising but the human element of a recommendation can still dramatically increase your sales.  Even though your customers are probably aware that you make a commission from recommending a product, they will reason that you would not endorse something you didn’t believe in because that would damage your reputation and credibility.

Do write a heartfelt enthusiastic endorsement.  It may take some practice, but it will be well worth the effort when the commissions begin to roll in.

5) Tell before you sell

Too much sales-y stuff and too little content turns people off.  Whether you are promoting affiliate products via a website or information products, your customers will want to learn something from you rather than reading a blatant sales pitch.

As a general rule, you should be aiming for 90% high quality informative content and 10% sales content on your site.

6) Repeating the same mistakes

Many affiliate marketers find they are only making a small profit from one product, so they decide to promote a large number of products in order to increase this income.  All you really achieve with this is repeating a formula that doesn’t work very effectively.

If you are not generating much income from your affiliate products, look at different ways to market them.  Having a few well-marketed products is always better than hundreds that get little exposure.  Don’t be afraid to try out some new marketing platforms and strategies.

See you for Part 5 – The Grand Finale!

Guest post by Jane Lee

One might ask why bother blogging? I just do not have the time to blog. What is in it for me? Definitely, I hear all your concerns.

With business both now online, off-line, and corporations, everyone asks do you have a website/blog?

Your website is now your storefront. Prospects, clients/customers walk into your establishment and they want to see what you are all about. Your blog is that connection with your readers just like the customers walking into the store. They find out about your specials of the day, the types of service that you offer them and information that will help them make an informed decision of which product/services is right for them.

Here are the 3 key reasons why you should be blogging on a regular basis:

1) Keep your prospects, clients/customers up to date on what is happening. Think of yourself as a newspaper or magazine. You are providing consumer information that they may not be aware of and they are coming to you for resources.

2) By providing rich content and information, your prospects, clients/customers see you as the expert in your field and this builds credibility.

3) It takes time for visitors to find you.  If you are a brand like Coke-Cola, then everyone is familiar with your service. By blogging, reciprocating, and becoming visible in the community, others will start to notice and begin to follow you.

Happy Blogging and to your Great Success!

Jane Lee is a Marketing and Sales Coach who loves to blog. She teaches coaches, service professionals, and solo entrepreneurs how to sell authentically with confidence and ease.

For the past thirty days, I feel like I’ve been riding one of those large luxurious tour buses with a whole pile of really neat people.

Funny thing, though.  It really didn’t matter to me where the bus was headed, I just knew I wanted to be on it.

When we got on board on June 1^st, I immediately recognized a few of the passengers from a previous 30-day excursion.  On that particular pleasure trip, the fun never ended for the entire journey!

It was fabulous and we deemed ourselves the “Fab 50”.

Wondering what happened after we reached our destination?

Well, we didn’t want the excitement, camaraderie, and good times to end, so we got right back on the bus and started touring again.

However …

This time we picked up an extra 200 passengers!

Given such a huge group of people, I had my suspicions that I wouldn’t have enough time to get to know everyone on this trip, and I was right.  I’m sure there were lots of fascinating folks that I didn’t have a chance to meet.

But with any luck …

They’ll be back on the tour bus when we board again in the fall!

I want to extend a very warm and extra special thank-you to all the fantastic bloggers who knocked on my door during this 30-day challenge and posted so many well thought-out and meaningful comments.  I hope we can work together to keep the momentum going!

It’s true. Flattery will get you everywhere.  And social media venues are no exception.

Online marketers often complain that social media sites are a waste of time. They spend hours crafting and posting promotional offers and updates that bring no sales, no clients, no subscribers, and no results.

The truth is that using social media venues is a smart, savvy, effective way to get your message out to your target market. The key is knowing HOW to do it right. Having one-way conversations by posting “Me, Me, Me”, “I, I, I” messages simply doesn’t work.

Sorry to hurt your feelings but … nobody cares about “You”.

In order to get the results you desire and deserve, remember that flattery will get you everywhere. You may not be ready to hear this, but you must be prepared to “give” before you “get”.

Here’s how it works:

Compliment

Give others a thumbs up, a shout out, or kudos for a wonderful blog post, an inspirational quote, a helpful resource, a personal story, etc. that adds value to your life and/or your business. Simply let people know that you appreciate them or admire their expertise. Of course, be absolutely genuine. Don’t say it if you really don’t mean it. Everyone can spot a phony, fabricated remark. You’ll be surprised how far sincerely complimenting others will, in turn, get you noticed online and build your credibility.

Comment

Always take a few minutes to leave your thoughts in the comment box on someone’s blog. Comments create backlinks to your site, providing a tremendous benefit to you. However, posting self-serving promos, coupon offers, and other sales messages will get your comments blocked. Remember that most successful online professionals moderate their blog comments. “Selling” is not proper social media etiquette and you’ll be labeled as hype-y and probably banned from future comments. Only leave well thought out, appropriate comments that are directly related to the topic.

For more simple and creative ways to build your business on the internet and more info on social media marketing, subscribe to the Online Success Newsletter … it’s 100% free and always loaded with expert tips and fantastic resources.

According to the Urban Dictionary, “Buzz” means …

Excitement, hype, cool gossip, joy, exhilaration, tantalizing!

Something that creates excitement, hype or a thrill.

Something that generates hype, cool gossip, talk, exciting rumors.

Anything that creates excitement or stimulus.

The feeling experienced by someone in a stimulated state.

Notice the repetition and emphasis on certain words?

Urban Dictionary has certainly made their point!

The very best buzz you can create in your business is through the positive experiences of a happy client or customer.  When people start passing the word around about you, you’ll know you’re doing something right.

Great customer service, exemplary follow up and follow through, attention to detail, and good interpersonal relationship-building skills will naturally create buzz for you and your business.

So are people talking about you?  What are they telling others about you?

Word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising and, hence, the best kind of buzz.

If people aren’t talking about you, start to think of ways you can get the ball rolling!