Growing really tired of attending rubber chicken luncheons, paying for ineffective classified ads, mailing out postcards that bring no results, and spending countless hours doing cold calling? Then you’ll want to learn about the important benefits of marketing your business online.

The internet provides you with a slam dunk opportunity for massive visibility. Handing someone a business card is fine, but creating your big “electronic” business card through online marketing will get you and your services in front of hundreds of thousands of eyes.  I’d say that beats the heck out of walking around parking lots putting flyers on windshields, wouldn’t you?

As a service professional, marketing your business online will allow you to:

1) Showcase Your Expertise – Put yourself in the spotlight and toot your own horn. Authentically tell your story and reassure your prospects that you work with people just like them.  People don’t want processes, they want solutions. Add results-oriented testimonials to your marketing strategy and allow your current clients to sell for you.

2) Stand Out From The Crowd – As strange as it sounds, you really have no competition when you promote yourself and your business online.  After all, there is only one YOU in this world. Take this prime time opportunity to demonstrate your unique juicy benefits and what differentiates you from everyone else.  Each of us has our very own special character, style, and persona. Let it shine! Be yourself, be creative, and have fun.

3) Save Lots Of Money – There are so many different internet marketing platforms to choose from and the majority of them are FREE. You can build your business online very cost-effectively through blogging, video, podcasting, article marketing, social media, teleseminars, and webinars. You can even host your own internet radio show or T.V. show.  Cost?  Zero dollars.

Give potential clients the chance to know, like, and trust you. Whether you are most comfortable using your voice, writing, or being in front of a camera, marketing your business online will help you build visibility and credibility and establish you as the go-to expert in your field.

Do you Tweet? I’d like to invite you to Follow me on Twitter.

I know you are interested in building your online business in 2010 … or you wouldn’t be reading this.  Today’s post is an important announcement I wanted to pass along to you.  I don’t want you to miss out … and you’ll want to take action right away.

A couple of friends of mine are giving a workshop in Las Vegas called the Online Revenue Workshop. And while I think it’s too late to register, you can still benefit from this workshop with the recordings.

When I asked Dr. Jeanette Cates, one of the organizers, about the recordings, here’s what she told me:

YES, the recordings are available.

YES, the recordings will include both audio AND video replays of the sessions. Any time we use a computer for the presentation, whether it’s slides or a live demonstration, we’ll be recording the screen.

These are not the “talking heads” videos you sometimes get from conferences. I mean, do you really need to see the presenter in order to “get” the content? Instead, these are the visuals that make the information clear and ready to implement in YOUR business.

YES, there is a special pre-publication price of only $97.

YES, we’ll be raising the price immediately after the conference. It will go to at least $197 – twice what it is right now.

So it sounds like you need to take action today. They are only guaranteeing the special pre-publication price when you buy before the conference kicks off on January 22.

Babies are soft and sweet and gentle. But sometimes they can be really loud! Those are the moments they will instantly and effectively grab your attention, awaken you from a sound sleep, call you away from the dinner table, or even cut your shower super short.

What can you learn from babies that will help you market your business online?

Babies are great at taking center stage, tooting their own horns, and getting someone to take action. And that’s exactly what you need to do as an online marketer in order to reach your business goals. Pardon the pun, but you can’t take “baby steps” and be shy about it. Many service professionals I’ve met would rather do a root canal on a Rottweiler than promote themselves. They’re afraid of coming across as sales-y and no one likes a pain-in-the-patootie sales person.

I’m not suggesting you annoy your target market by pitching, pouncing, prodding, and pestering (loud and obnoxious never wins any awards). Instead, learn how to become an expert at Bragging — the right way. Your clients and potential clients want to work with a winner, someone who is skilled at alleviating their pain and solving their problems. They want you to brag and they want to brag about you.

Ask yourself these questions as you put together your marketing messages: “Why would someone want to hire YOU? What are your strongest selling points that set you apart and make you stand out? If someone were to brag about you, what would they say?”

Friend and colleague, Cathy Goodwin of Copy Cat Copywriting, has an mp3 recording and 25-page workbook called Bragging101 for under twenty dollars that is a phenomenal tool that teaches you how to market confidently without sounding like a used car salesman. I use it in my own business and refer back to it often. If you have a fear of bragging, check it out.

If your current marketing strategy and self-promotion resembles that of a sleeping baby, it’s time to wake it up!

Podcasters and Internet radio show hosts can use private label rights content in a variety of ways to help boost their listenership. PLR articles aren’t just for information sites and here are a few ways podcasters can put them to use on their own site.

1.) Use the articles to post to a blog or website in between shows to keep your show fresh in your listener’s mind.

2.) Use PLR to brainstorm future show topics.

3.) Make recordings of the articles and post them as bonus or mini-podcasts.

No matter how you choose to use your PLR articles to boost your podcast, it’s extremely important that you realize you need to rework the original content to make it your own. Add your own thoughts, rewrite the content to make it fit your audience, add your own personal research and data, etc.

Looking for more tips to give your subscribers about getting the most use out of their PLR? Check out the 9 Uses for PLR Articles.

Many people want to write a book, yet don’t know where to start or don’t consider themselves “good writers.” These five tips will give you food for thought when it comes to writing yours.

BOOK WRITING TIP 1: Select a topic that’s an “inch wide, mile deep.” It’s easier and faster to write, and readers like books that are very topic specific.

BOOK WRITING TIP 2: Keep your book short & powerful-it doesn’t have to be your version of “War and Peace.” The upside of this type of book is that it’s easier for people to read in one sitting or while on a plane ride.

BOOK WRITING TIP 3: The key to getting finished is getting started! It sounds simple, yet it’s very true. There’s power just in getting started.

BOOK WRITING TIP 4: Start writing where you’re most passionate. It might not be Chapter One and instead could be Chapter Five. Again, the key is to get started and build momentum.

BOOK WRITING TIP 5: Don’t consider yourself a writer? “Talk” your book. Record, transcribe, edit and – wah lah – you have a completed manuscript.

For more book writing and book publishing information, join in a special teleseminar series being conducted by my friend and colleague Donna Kozik. You can find out more here, plus see a cool video Donna put together with a tip on how to build buzz for your book-before you even start writing it!

I sent a Facebook message to Donna Kozik of “My Big Business Card” and “Write A Book In A Weekend” on Friday. She responded quickly. I wrote her again on Saturday. Got another reply. Sent her a note of thanks and appreciation. Received a warm, genuine compliment in return and a promise to send me some new, exciting affiliate promotional materials soon. Trust me, they’ll be in my mailbox in a jiffy pop!

Every single time I reach out to Connie Green of “Build An Online Empire With Connie Ragen Green”, I not only get a timely response, I get the most beautiful words of encouragement. Imagine that!? I don’t have to question Connie’s intentions, I know she sincerely gives a hoot about her affiliates.

I felt as proud as a peacock when Cathy Goodwin of “Copy Cat Copywriting” actually thanked me, publicly, for my loyalty on one of her Thursday copywriting Cat Chats. Does it get any better than that!?

Michael Katz of “Blue Penguin Development” and “E-Newsletter System” is another story. When I saw the exceptional value of what Michael had to offer (and his refreshing sense of humor), I went looking for his affiliate sign-up page. There was none. So I started sending him messages – pronto! He wrote back to tell me that he had turned off his affiliate program. Long story short. I gave him the proverbial “nudge” and he re-opened it again. He emailed me to say “thanks” for giving him the push to light it up again! He added a little compliment by saying that I was “convincing”.

Jessica Swanson of “Shoestring Marketing” makes me feel like I’m the most special Twitter follower in the whole wide world … the whole world wide web! Enough said.

I recall when I wanted to become an affiliate for blogger extraordinaire, Denise Wakeman, of “The Blog Squad”. At the time, she was re-vamping her affiliate program. But … she religiously followed up with me over a period of time and made certain that the sign-up process went smoothly. She checked, double-checked, and triple-checked in with me. Amazing.

I could go on and on …

However, are you seeing a pattern here? As an affiliate, HEARING from the online marketing experts you’ve aligned yourself with is a good sign that you’re promoting the right people.

If you’re looking for worthwhile affiliate programs and professionals that will treat you with dignity and respect (plus great follow up), go to the top of this page and click “Melanie Recommends”.