This is newbie promo method 101.

It’s where most newbies START promoting products. And you know what? It actually works!

The method is simple. You pick a handful of online forums and participate in them. Most
forums allow you to have a signature line or sig line where you list a URL and a subject line.

In the sign line, you send people to your blog or offer a free download, free PDF or free REPORT
on a problem-solving topic.

That means you’ll need to learn HOW to write and create a PDF or problem-solving report. This is why I say that you learn a lot of basic, necessary skills by promoting affiliate products. Later,
when you have your OWN product or service, you’ll be able to promote it the very same way.

Plus, you practice your WRITING and typing skills by creating free reports, writing promotional articles and so forth. I’ve found a lot of people can’t type worth anything. In this business, you need to be able to type. So I recommend you buy a little software program that helps you learn to type faster.

Anyway, the BIG LESSON to learn about promoting in forums is do NOT under any circumstance go into a forum and post a blatant commercial pitch. You’ll get FRIED immediately for doing so. What you do is you offer helpful, useful information to others. And you promote using your sig line.

It’s that simple.

In “Amazing Formula” I talk about how you create “bait” that gets other people to bite. That is what your free PDF reports are. They are “bait” that gets others to bite.

The other thing to know about forums is they sometimes attract cynical, skeptical people with the worst attitudes in the world who are convinced everyone else is trying to scam them.

You’ll also find the resident frequent forum poster with no track record who acts like the expert from above. It’s not a bad idea to BECOME that person. But don’t take advice from them!

People in forums are often like the blind leading the blind. Nothing wrong with that. Just don’t
get sidetracked by the forum participants who are dogmatic and have their own agenda to
push, programs they want YOU to buy and so forth.

Remember, you are there to HELP and to PIMP! By “pimp” I mean, to push YOUR programs,
not get sucked into the promotions of other people who, quite frankly, may not have a clue
what they’re talking about.

Marlon Sanders

Some misinformed people have associated multi-level marketing work at home busineses with pyramid schemes. This is unfortunate because multi-level marketing is a proven and ethically sound formula that has helped many people achieve financial security. So what is the difference between multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes? The difference is simple. Pyramid schemes do not offer a product. They are closer to the old chain-letter schemes than they are to any legitimate business.

Multi-level marketing, on the other hand, is simply a system whereby the seller of a product receives commissoins on the basis of what he or she sells, along with what those that he or she has sponsoered sells, down to a defined level, depending on the company. The truth is that a work at home multi-level marketing business can actually be fun, and many have found it to be the easiest way to make a residual income online.

So just because a company uses mlm (multi-level marketing) as its sales approach does not mean it is bad. In fact, most true mlm companies do offer a viable product that can very legitimately be promoted. And if it is a product you particularly like or have an affinity with chances are you will be good at promoting it to others. Of course, just like any business, mlm or not, you should always check to see if it is a member of the Better Business Bureau and whether it has a solid reputation before you join.

From StartupNation.com:

Imagine a marketing program that can increases sales 10% to 25%–and you don’t pay a dime unless you get results. Sound too good to be true?

That’s pretty much how affiliate marketing works. Through these online programs, you sign on with a partner that markets your product or service, often through a link or banner ad you place on their website. The affiliate then gets a commission based on sales, visits, or customers that result from those efforts. It’s the ultimate in pay for performance. “An affiliate partner will do a lot of the marketing for you. And you only owe money if they provide the outcome you want,” says Marty Fahncke, president of FawnKey & Associates, a consulting firm with expertise in affiliate marketing.

At the same time, successful affiliate marketing requires understanding some basics. Here’s what you should know:

Evaluate your affiliate marketing channels
Your affiliate can be anything from a website or enewsletter to a shopping portal, to name a few. Fahncke points to one client, a small business selling sunglasses, as a case in point. Perhaps their most successful affiliate is a website devoted to bicycling, which recently included an article about the product and a link to their site. The company pays the affiliate a 20% commission on sales. At the same time, however, the firm uses a variety of other affiliates. The bottom line: “You want a good mix of different types of channels,” says Fahncke…..Full Article Here.

From Entrpreneur.com: Take the low-tech, high-touch route to network marketing with these tips for throwing successful home product parties.

Tupperware, Avon, Pampered Chef and Mary Kay have used home parties to build large, lucrative companies, but what about your business? Could you also market through home parties? Depending on your product, it just might be the best way to build your business.

Most network marketers are focused on getting new business online, but home parties will move you from high-tech to high-touch. It’s an opportunity to see, touch and try the products, ask questions and receive immediate answers, and hear others’ opinions.

So are home parties right for your network marketing business? First, you need to determine whether your business is suited for them. Do you have a product that can be sampled or demonstrated? Second, are you the type of person who likes to entertain? Third, do you have a home that’ll comfortably seat a group of five to 20 people? If you answered yes to these questions, home parties could work for you…..Read More.

From Entrepreneur.com:

Most of the best businesses and products for moms come from moms themselves. Your experience as a mom should help you identify with your customers, but realize not all moms are the same. How you market to them may be as important as the product or service you offer.

For business owners, the $1.6 trillion “Mommy Market” is well worth pursuing. In the book Trillion Dollar Moms, Maria Bailey and Bonnie Ulman teach you how to take advantage of this lucrative market. They describe three generations of moms: baby boomer moms, Gen X moms and Millennial new moms. If your company is still marketing to soccer moms, you’re missing two-thirds of the mom market.

Their book examines how recent generational shifts have impacted the buying behaviors of today’s mothers and moms-to-be. Moms today want high quality and are proud to admit when they get a good price. That’s part of why you’re seeing more designer items at stores like Target and K-Mart. Most moms surveyed by Bailey and Ulman say they feel advertising is not geared toward them and many feel that advertising is offensive…..

Full Article

Squidoo has become yet a famous phenomenon that enriches the arsenal of internet marketing tools. With the availability of Squidoo it is even easier to start an internet home based business within an hour with a website (=lens) to promote your products.

Seth Godin founded Squidoo and launched the website in October 2005. It is a platform designed to make it easy for anyone, for free, to set up a single page on a topic he or she knows or cares a lot about. It’s a social network of user-generated lenses -single pages that highlights one person’s point of view, recommendations, or expertise.

Users of Squidoo, or lensmasters can use a lens template to create links, feeds, abstracts, and lists for other users. There are different modules that allow you to create Flickr photos, maps, blogs, eBay auctions, YouTube videos, iTunes music, Amazon products, and other links. You can get all these functions on your lens for free within an hour. You can even earn money with Squidoo since there are standard incorporated Adsense ads on the lenses, and you can sell for example (e-)books or other products for Amazon or other shopping chains. Squidoo splits its revenue with its “co-op” of lensmasters. 5% goes straight to charity, first. Then 50% goes to the lensmasters. 45% goes to Squidoo.

Full Article

From Entrepreneur.com:

First there’s marketing. Then you have direct marketing, consumer marketing, B2B marketing, buzz marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, online marketing . . . really, the list is endless. But one form often left out is guerrilla marketing.

The term “guerrilla marketing” was first used by Jay Conrad Levinson in his popular 1984 book, Guerrilla Marketing. In it, he describes this method of marketing as nontraditional, low-cost or no-cost ways of marketing, promoting, advertising, publicizing, etc. Some have called it unconventional marketing; some have called it extreme marketing; still others have even used the term stealth marketing. And all of these apply in the sense that the tactics are nontraditional and low- or no-cost.

Guerrilla marketing has a major profit orientation and emphasis. Since guerrilla marketers don’t have unlimited funds, they must employ smarter rather than harder ways to work. This is done through the full use of time, energy, information, knowledge and, most of all, imagination. The guerrilla marketer must use all of his or her contacts to network, find creative publicity stories, angles and outlets, and generate ideas that’ll get noticed and talked about….

Full Article Here

The thing about owning a profitable home based business that appealed to me the most when I was starting out was that I could do it on my own time, and in my own space. Last summer, I even went on a vacation and left my business behind and it still worked for me while I was away.

One thing you have to remember when owning a profitable home based business, though, is that in order for it to be successful, you have to give your prospects and customers what they want. This includes going out of your way to do extra things for them to make up for the money they may be spending on your business opportunity.

Marketing your profitable home based business is very important for this reason. You need to get traffic to your website, and you need paying customers to help build your business if it’s going to be successful.

The problem is always money, money, money, or should I say lack thereof. Many people jump into a business feeling like they’re going to make a fortune without realizing the costs of advertising. Many people don’t make a budget they can afford and sustain over time, so their profitable home based business ends up being not so profitable, and they may even quit…..

Full Article Here

From Entrepreneur.com:

If you still think social networking sites are just for teens and college students who want to display their personal lives online, think again. Social networking sites also make great marketing tools. If you choose one that caters to your target demographic, you can set up a profile, attract prospective customers by offering interesting content and encourage people to go to your website or storefront. And in the spirit of guerrilla marketing, the cost is next to nothing.

One great way to start finding new prospects is by targeting your local area. MySpace, for instance, allows you to target zip codes. This powerful tool resembles what many home businesses do in higher-cost direct marketing campaigns. You can go from having no contacts to a full list just by inserting a zip code or geographical radius specification.

Once you identify target contacts, invite them to enter your circle of networking friends. On MySpace, these contacts are known as MySpace friends and show up on your MySpace home page. Your new friends can be repeatedly contacted in a variety of ways, including bulleting posts, event invites and personal messages. Repetition is the key to any marketing. Doing it at no cost will impact your bottom line in a positive way.

Full Article Here

From Entrepreneur.com:

This time around, many candidates are taking their campaigns online in new ways. Find out how you can use their tactics to build brand loyalty and convert community interest into sales.

Ten years ago, it would’ve been hard to imagine candidates actively campaigning for a presidential election two years away. It would’ve been even harder to imagine that some of the well-financed, prominent candidates would announce their candidacy online or promote it on sites like YouTube.

Social networks officially have become mainstream, allowing politicos and businesses alike to endear prospects to their brand and services. Entrepreneurs can learn many lessons from the initiatives the current presidential campaigns will implement leading up to November 2008. While new trends likely will emerge during the next two years, here are some tactics businesses should consider enacting now.

Ready, Set, Post
Former senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards made his recent 2008 candidacy declaration on his website the day before his scheduled, prepared speech. Launching his campaign online extended the shelf life of the announcement with the major news outlets by one day. Edwards’ online presentation also enhanced his reputation as a relevant candidate among younger voters, while appearing more savvy and creative to voters in general…..

Full Article from Entrepreneur.com

YouTube is more than just a source of viral videos that spread from inbox to inbox - YouTube can also be the best marketing tool that money can’t buy. From the marketing antics of Blendtec with its popular series of “will it blend?” videos to the magical magnetic jewelry by Dynomighty Design small brands are making their way into a national marketplace armed with digital cameras, simplicity and creativity.

While Madison Avenue advertisers are looking for new ways to break through the noise smaller companies are using their creativity and low-budget production to stake out a national and even global piece of the online marketing pie. Case in point Terrence Kelleman the inventor of a creative jewelry line who used YouTube videos to launch his company Dynomighty Design onto the national marketplace with his mesmerizing video, “magic magnetic”…..

Full Article Here

When you own a profitable home based business, one of the biggest things you need to consider is gathering up links from other sites, and posting your links on other websites. The main reasons for this are to get more traffic to your site, and to increase your link popularity, or “link pop”.

Link popularity is a measure of the number of links that point from other sites back to your site. The more back-links you have, the greater your traffic and possibly sales may be.

Link popularity is not the same thing as Google Page Rank, or PR. Page Rank is more a reflection of the quality of links pointing back to your site. This can be important too, but many webmasters would say that PR is not as important as focusing on making your site easy to use, read, and navigate for the average visitor.

If link popularity creates traffic for you, and helps you build a profitable home based business, then you really want to focus on attracting visitors to your site by making sure the URL to your website is posted on many other sites.

First of all, there are websites that will calculate your link pop for you if you type in “Link popularity checker” into Google’s search box. If you visit one of those sites, you will be asked to type in your URL and it will give you the number of links you have in Google, MSN, and Yahoo.

Full Article Here

From Entrepreneur.com”

The basis of network marketing is building networks of people who buy and sell products. What better place to build a network of people than on the ultimate worldwide network–the internet? According to Internet World Stats, as of 2006, there were more than 1 billion people online worldwide. It’s no wonder that the internet is the place to go to build a network marketing business.

The benefits to building your business online are extensive–you can work in shorts and a T-shirt, you only talk with people who are highly interested, your business is working for you 24/7, your maintenance costs are low, and it’s easy to expand internationally. Most important, anyone can do it–you don’t have to be a computer genius to find success.

Your first step is to create an online presence. Before you begin building a site, you need a domain name. You could secure your personal identity site (yourname.com), which is always a good idea. Another approach is to pick a domain that relates to the name of your network marketing group or team, for instance, wealthteam.com or prosperitygroup.com. Or you might want a domain that says something intriguing, such as increaseyourwealth.com or massiveincome.com. Come up with a bunch of ideas, then check your choices on a registry site until you find one that’s available.

Once you have a domain, you’ll need to buy hosting services and then begin to build your site. If you don’t know how to design a site, you can either hire a designer or use a site builder that offers pre-made templates through your host. No matter which method you choose, your site should include the following:

Read Full Article Here

As Published in “Network Marketing Business Journal”:

Global Domains International (GDI), has the potential to be the largest network marketing business in the world in terms of distributors and customers. GDI sells domain names ending in .ws, and provides web site creation and monthly hosting with e-mail accounts…all for less than most companies charge for any one of these services. As you read this and when you see the company’s informational DVD presentation, you’ll understand why we at “Network Markeing Business Journal” make these statements.

There are about one billion people with global access to the Internet with hundreds of millions logging on each day, and this number is growing. There are 200 million existing web sites currently, but experts predict that there will be 500 million domain names and sites active globally within the next decade. If you could earn just $1 per month on 100,000 customers, that would be a lot of money. If you could make $1 per month on a million customers, that would be an insane amount of money. Network marketing experts believe it is possible to have a million people in a downline with this wide-appeal type of product. This becomes exceedingly realistic, when you consider the network marketing industry is reaching 100 million people worldwide. Most everyone in network marketing needs at least one web site. Although many companies provide a replicated web site, GDI allows distributors to create a permanent home web page of their own. The value of GDI’s high-tech web services are better than any other company’s within our industry and will attract customers and opportunity prospects to GDI in numbers unheard of before.

Learn More Here

“You can’t make money and excuses at the same time.” - Joe Schroeder

Building a network marketing business is many times a challenge. We often hear about having a positive mental attitude and just do whatever it takes and we will be successful. Easier said than done!

Going beyond having a positive mental attitude, we must build a sustainable motivation and condition our mind to make certain we are taking the necessary actions to build and grow our business. The above quote I heard from Joe a long time ago really stuck in my head. Re-read the quote a couple times and take a few minutes to really think about it.

One of the most often excuses I hear from network marketers is, “I don’t have money, in fact, I barely have enough money for my leads.” What about you, do you have the money to market your business? The truth is, most network marketers do not have the money to market and when you don’t have the money to market, you can’t market effectively.

So, if you don’t have the money to market, do NOT make ‘not having money’ an excuse for not building your business. Rather, make ‘not having money’ the reason to build your business. Make it YOUR PRIORITY to build your marketing budget.

Realize, to start your network marketing business, you can start on a shoestring marketing budget… you can even start with very little money, even for free. But getting started in business and building a business are two different things. You will find, building your business will take an average $300 to $500 a month. You will have postage, phone bills, marketing material, leads, etc. Let’s face it - You NEED a marketing budget. Your downline NEEDS a marketing budget.

I strongly believe, if you had an extra $300 a month to market your business, you would make less excuses for not taking action and you would begin to really build a big business. What if 10% of your downline also made a serious commitment and had an extra $300 a month to market their business? The possibilities are endless.

So how do you build a marketing budget? Begin with Leaders Club! Leaders Club is more than just a lead source, by referring Leaders Club to other networkers, you earn a commission. This commission (residual) becomes your marketing budget. Set a goal as to the size of a budget for your marketing that you want ($300, $500, or $2000 a month is not unrealistic). Then get with your Leaders Club upline and map out a plan to achieve building your marketing budget.

Keep in mind, if you do not have the money to market, you can’t market your business effectively. Without the money to market, you will also tend to always make excuses because you do not have the money to market.

TIP - It is extremely important for you to make building your marketing budget a priority… even if it means putting your primary business on hold for a couple months while you focus on building your budget. Build your budget as soon as possible and you will find building your primary business will be a whole lot easier.

Article from Leadersclub

Article excerpt from Entrepreneur.com:
The basis of home business network marketing is building networks of people who buy and sell products. What better place to build a network of people than on the ultimate worldwide network–the internet? According to Internet World Stats, as of 2006, there were more than 1 billion people online worldwide. It’s no wonder that the internet is the place to go to build a network marketing business.

The benefits to building your home business online are extensive–you can work in shorts and a T-shirt, you only talk with people who are highly interested, your business is working for you 24/7, your maintenance costs are low, and it’s easy to expand internationally. Most important, anyone can do it–you don’t have to be a computer genius to find success.

Your first step is to create an online presence. Before you begin building a site, you need a domain name. You could secure your personal identity site (yourname.com), which is always a good idea. Another approach is to pick a domain that relates to the name of your network marketing group or team, for instance, wealthteam.com or prosperitygroup.com. Or you might want a domain that says something intriguing, such as increaseyourwealth.com or massiveincome.com. Come up with a bunch of ideas, then check your choices on a registry site until you find one that’s available.

Once you have a domain, you’ll need to buy hosting services and then begin to build your site. If you don’t know how to design a site, you can either hire a designer or use a site builder that offers pre-made templates through your host. No matter which method you choose, your site should include the following: [Click Here to Read Full Article]

Article Excerpt from BusinessKnowHow.com:

“You had high hopes when you started your work at home business. You figured you’d get all the business you need for your fledgling startup by running an ad or two in the newspaper and telling all your friends and former business associates about your new home business. But customers have been few and far between. And most of the people who express interest in your product or service, don’t want to spend the money to buy it.

What can you do? How can you keep your home business dreams alive? What are successful home businesses doing that you aren’t doing?

Here are several home business marketing suggestions to help.

Expand your network. Your friends and family may be supportive of what you’re doing but they may not be the best sources of referrals. Consider who would make a good customer and then look for ways to meet those people. Chamber of commerce meetings, PTA meetings, local civic associations, regional trade shows, professional conferences, and phone calls can all be effective. So, too, can networking online through message boards and mailing lists. Don’t spam the boards or lists with links to your products. Just participate and contribute to the groups that are likely to include prospects for your services and you will get known.

Read Full Article Here

Entrepreneur.com

10 Home Business Marketing Trends to Watch in 2007

“Throughout 2006, I’ve been watching and interpreting the marketing stats and studies that impact small businesses to give you tips on staying one step ahead. Now, with 2007 fast approaching, let’s look at a roundup of the hottest trends, from changes taking place among consumer audiences through what to watch for in traditional and online marketing. Here’s the info you need on the most important trends and how to make the most of them to increase sales and grow your business in the New Year.

Consumer Trends

1. College Grads
If you’re searching for the most effective way to reach this desirable prospect group, move your marketing dollars into online media. The internet is now the primary source of media and entertainment among college grads, whose top planned purchases upon graduation are professional clothing, travel/airline tickets, health insurance and furniture according to the “Y2M: eGrad College Graduate Survey”. Nearly 80 percent of respondents are online purchasers, making them ideal candidates for your online campaign.

2. Affluent Working Women
The big news is that this group is increasing in size, and the best way to reach them may be online. According to The Media Audit, affluent working women with family incomes of $75,000 or more are growing in number, and 94.3 percent access the internet during an average month. About half are now considered heavy users of the internet, while heavy use of radio, television, newspapers and direct mail has all declined within this group. To increase sales from this expanding audience, alter your media spending to place greater emphasis online.

Read the Rest from Entrepreneur.com

Can you believe how quickly the holidays have arrived this year? It’s not too late to ramp up your home business marketing.

Any shopper headed to your web site now will be in a state of gift-searching PANIC, and it’s up to you to make sure they don’t leave your pages until they’ve got exactly what they need — and in time for the big day!

You still have time to do a few quick things to take advantage of those desperation shoppers and the last few “shipping” days before Christmas.

Because the clock is ticking, here’s a list of 7 quick and easy — but extremely powerful — ways you can increase holiday sales and profits during the final shopping days before Christmas.

#1: Guarantee SUPER FAST shipping!

#2: Offer to ship gifts directly to recipients

#3: Highlight INSTANT delivery

#4: Offer the gift of choice — GIFT CERTIFICATES!

#5: Remind your audience WHY your product makes a great gift!

#6: Feature seasonal specials in the first “fold” of your homepage

#7: Make a personal connection with a festive newsletter or email promotion

Everyone gets busy as the year comes to an end, but just because you haven’t found the time to set up a comprehensive holiday marketing strategy doesn’t mean that you can’t increase your holiday sales over the coming week.

However, you do need to take the time to implement some of these quick tips IMMEDIATELY. And I mean within the next 24 hours! Pick one or two of these tips and do whatever it takes to catch the last holiday shoppers.

The great thing is that all of the tips just given you can be implemented quickly and easily. Most of these tips should only take you an hour or two to set up on your site, and the results will increase your holiday sales so much you’ll wish you’d started much sooner.

Happy holidays from all of us at Work-at-Home-Business.com!

10 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2007 from Entrepreneur
Throughout 2006, I’ve been watching and interpreting the marketing stats and studies that impact small businesses to give you tips on staying one step ahead. Now, with 2007 fast approaching, let’s look at a roundup of the hottest trends, from changes taking place among consumer audiences through what to watch for in traditional and online marketing. Here’s the info you need on the most important trends and how to make the most of them to increase sales and grow your business in the New Year.

Consumer Trends

1. College Grads
If you’re searching for the most effective way to reach this desirable prospect group, move your marketing dollars into online media. The internet is now the primary source of media and entertainment among college grads, whose top planned purchases upon graduation are professional clothing, travel/airline tickets, health insurance and furniture according to the “Y2M: eGrad College Graduate Survey”. Nearly 80 percent of respondents are online purchasers, making them ideal candidates for your online campaign.

2. Affluent Working Women
The big news is that this group is increasing in size, and the best way to reach them may be online. According to The Media Audit, affluent working women with family incomes of $75,000 or more are growing in number, and 94.3 percent access the internet during an average month. About half are now considered heavy users of the internet, while heavy use of radio, television, newspapers and direct mail has all declined within this group. To increase sales from this expanding audience, alter your media spending to place greater emphasis online.

Read More from Entrepreneur.com

Links to your work at home website are extremely important. Without them no one will find your site, especially not the search engines. Start off your link campaign by submitting your site today to low-cost search engine directories.

The best links for your site are one way non-reciprocated links; in other words a vote for your site from another site that you haven’t paid for through a reciprocated link. Directories are ideal for this as they are authority sites that will provide non-reciprocated links to websites.

Learn More about submitting to Search Engine Directories here.

8 Opt-In Offers Your Visitors Can’t Refuse - Entrepreneur

These days, consumers know that their personal information is gold, and they won’t give it to you unless you give them a really compelling reason to opt in to your list. And it’s definitely worth your while to give them the incentive because a good opt-in e-mail list will start generating profits for your work at home business immediately–and continue to do so well into the future.

There are tons of different incentives you can use to encourage people to give you their personal information, but not every offer will suit every website or business.

Most people think of newsletters right off the bat, for instance. But for some businesses, a free newsletter just won’t work. Suppose, for example, that your site sells washers and dryers. You’re going to be hard pressed to come up with interesting, relevant information about laundry for your free newsletter every month.

Before you start a newsletter, think about how much relevant information you can deliver to your audience and how much time you have to put it together so it can be delivered regularly. If it turns out that a newsletter isn’t a good fit for your business, here are eight other ways to collect your prospects’ e-mail addresses: [Read the 8 Tips from Entrepreneur]

Entrepreneur.com

Want to work from home on your spare time? Then network marketing may be the business you’re looking for.

Why the Interest in Network Marketing?The main reason so many people are entering network marketing is that it fits the current marketing trends. If you haven’t figured it out by now, the baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are in control. Seventy-six million strong in the United States, and over a billion worldwide, the boomers have dictated what’s hot, from baby food to fast food to minivans to SUVs. Now the boomers are looking for products that’ll help them look and feel younger, and for ways to secure their financial future and enjoy more time freedom. Network marketing offers the answers.

Tired of the corporate rat race, many people are starting home businesses in record numbers. CNN reported that a new homebased business is started in the United States every 11 seconds. The home-business boom is the next big trend, and network marketing is one of the hottest home businesses available. It offers low start-up investment and monthly overhead, and entrepreneurs can start part-time, while still employed, and build the business to replace their current job income. Age, gender and race aren’t barriers in network marketing; in fact, well over half of the success stories are women.

Is Network Marketing for You? Read Full Article…

With a slew of big-city newspapers on its side, Google sets out to reproduce the success of its online ad programs—offline [Great new way to market your work at home business]

Google (GOOG) is rolling out its most ambitious print advertising initiative yet, an online marketplace that will let advertisers place bids on space in more than 50 major newspapers across the U.S.

The search giant will launch an alpha test of Google Print Ads this week. Since last fall, Google has tried at least three small-scale experiments with placing print ads in newspapers and magazines. Some of those earlier efforts were not well received (see BusinessWeek.com, 12/12/05, “Can Google Go Glossy?”).

All Aboard
Google Print Ads is notable for both the number of newspapers that have signed on, as well as the participants it’s attracting. Among the participating papers are some of the nation’s largest and most renowned: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Denver Post. More than 100 advertisers will take part as well. (The test hasn’t yet started, and Google declined to release the names of virtually all advertisers.) Tom Phillips, director of Google Print Ads, says he expects the program to be expanded to include weekly newspapers “sooner rather than later.” He says weekly magazines eventually will be involved as well.

The move cements Google’s central position within the media universe: a ubiquitous entity with which all major media players simultaneously partner and compete.

Learn More at BusinessWeek.com

BusinessWeek.com

Google or Yahoo for small-biz advertising? Who prepares better business plans: men or women? Plus, an organizational approach with competitive advantages, and more

Google (GOOG) wins hands down, says Fred Thacher, president of uSalus, a seller of specialized wool bedding. The first time he specified Google keywords for ads, within hours of posting he received a call from a Google rep, who advised him that he likely wasn’t making the best choices. Over a period of several days, says Thacher, the rep spent four to five hours guiding him through a realignment of his ads.

In contrast, he says, simply composing ads for Yahoo! (YHOO) is an adventure. “The difficulty arises when there are several keywords and the customer has to write copy and insert the correct landing page for each ad. Yahoo cuts the customer off after only 20 minutes and all your work is lost. How bad is that!”

Moreover, all keyword ads need to be approved by Yahoo, which is fine by Thacher, to reduce clutter and spam. “The problem arises when the keyword buyer composes an ad for use and the ad is submitted for review and is rejected,” he says. Trying to correct the situation “is tough to do even by a skilled user. I know because I have finally, out of desperation, asked my paid Web designer to do some of it for me. He reports back the same problems.”

What are your experiences with the two kingpins of online advertising and searches? Post your comments with this column.

Read More…