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Video Madness

In case you haven’t noticed there is a hot new trend sweeping the Internet today. Savvy Internet marketers are integrating short videos into all of their media such as their website, blogs, and in some cases even e-mails. These entrepreneurs are using videos to replace long-form sales copy, because it is more appealing, and tends to retain a person’s interest longer. Instead of copy that runs on for several thousand words, most current website copy is limited to a few short paragraphs, and then supported by and integrated with one or several video clips.

The reason for this is simple — videos are an effective way of communicating a marketing message. Because the video is essentially interactive, it tends to capture the viewers’ attention more thoroughly than does displaying written copy. For convenience, the view can start and stop the video as necessary, but if it is compelling and interesting, they will remain engaged.

The other obvious aspect of a video is that it allows a viewer to see the person who is promoting the message. As opposed to written copy where the reader has no idea as to who the author is or what the author is all about, a video enables the viewer to get a sense of the person on the other side. Particularly if the person featured in the video is adept at speaking on camera, they can go a long way to establishing the all-important credibility and rapport that is so necessary in a sales situation. And that is a critical distinction—your website or blog should always be selling.

The key to Web video however is the production quality. Too many people are posting casually filmed videos with no thought as to content, context, and background. A well executed online video should include a detailed script, as well as rehearsals so that the person appearing in the video knows what they say, how to say it, and can optimize their approach. A poorly shot and executed video will actually turn people off.

Web video is an excellent way of communicating and intricate sales message very effectively. For anyone involved in network marketing, mastering online video is a critical skill.

One Small Step

Productivity experts typically recommend breaking large projects down into small, easily accomplished, easily digested tasks in order to ensure that the project is completed. Very often, someone who is contemplating tackling a huge, seemingly never ending project falls victim to procrastination and cannot even summon the momentum to get started. Over analyzing and creating mental roadblocks before an undertaking can begin is a sure way of undermining the positive mindset that is necessary for true success to be realized. Looking at the big picture, instead of seeing only the individual steps along the way makes almost any journey seem impossible.

Small-business people need to look at their business with this perspective in mind. Particularly in the world of Internet marketing, where Web 2.0 technologies are becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated, it is very easy for an Internet entrepreneur to put off dealing with important tasks. For example, creating a website requires a significant amount of graphic design, copywriting, and programming. Looking at the project in its entirety, it is very difficult to get started and stay motivated enough to finish it. But if the tasks are broken down into individual steps it becomes much easier.

Noted performance expert Tony Robbins calls this process ‘chunking.’ This refers to the process of looking at a huge seemingly insurmountable goal, and breaking it down into easily accomplished chunks. In order for this to work, the key element is momentum. As long as progress is made every day, regardless of how slight, the project will move forward. As the project begins to run forward, momentum is gained and once momentum starts to occur, the project becomes unstoppable.

This one small step at a time approach is an essential element of the positive mindset that an entrepreneur needs to operate a successful and profitable business. By enabling oneself to break a complex undertaking into individual and easily accomplished tasks, the entrepreneur will never feel overwhelmed or overburdened with the tasks at hand. In addition to taking the small steps, it also helps to envision the final outcome.

If the entrepreneur has done a good job of creating a vision of success, the journey towards it becomes much more tenable. By being able to see in one’s mind eye what will result from these individual small steps, linked together and driven with momentum, the entrepreneur motivates himself or herself to continue moving forward. It’s the key to success in life and to achieving success in business.

Understanding and Managing Your Profits

One thing many Internet entrepreneurs often forget is that running an online marketing business is just that — it’s running a business. Because it’s typically conducted from the comfort of the home, with little in the form of structured days and pressing appointments, an Internet marketing business is almost relaxing. Despite the fact that they are essentially recession proof and offer the potential of an extremely lucrative income, an Internet marketing business is a fun and a comfortable way to make a living. Nevertheless, it is a business and as such must be managed and operated as one.

 As most people are well aware, the lifeblood of any business is profit. But in order to ensure that a business has optimized its profitability, it is essential for the business owner or manager to know what those profits are. The only way to manage profits is to track them, and monitor the ebb and flow of business profitability. It should come as no surprise, that the best way to do this is through formalized management accounting reports.

The problem of course is that most Internet entrepreneurs are not accountants. Many cannot even read a basic financial statement, which is a deficiency that should be corrected. The good news is that there are a number of high quality and easily maintained automated accounting solutions on the market that can help a home business entrepreneur to completely automate the accounting function of the enterprise. Although this might sound like overkill for a home-based business, it really is not. The key to managing anything is effective information, and a home-based small business accounting system can do just that by providing the critical financial information necessary to make decisions and guide the business.

The solutions are typically very inexpensive, generally available for several hundred dollars or less. They no longer require the need for professional accounting help and can be self installed in a relatively short period of time. Additionally, most of these software packages feature integrated educational modules that will help the entrepreneur to understand the reports that they are generating. Although some people might resist this somewhat disciplined approach to a home-based business, it is essential.

If you are running an online business, embrace the fact that you have a business. Hopefully, it is a successful one. Whether it is or is not, tracking sales and profits is an integral aspect of sound and effective business management. If it is not an area of expertise, it is really something that demands your attention.

Who Are You?

Who are you? That should be the first thing you ask yourself before you embark on any business enterprise, but particularly before you launch an Internet marketing business. The answer to the question of who you are will form the underpinnings of your brand. This in turn is arguably the most important element of marketing yourself in any environment, but particularly so online.

Simply stated, your brand is your reputation. It is how people know you, how they recognize you, and how they think about you. A positive brand combined with the tools and techniques of state-of-the-art Web 2.0 technology can launch a business literally overnight and create massive wealth for the entrepreneur. Conversely, a brand that is poorly defined or improperly communicated to the marketplace will result in a business that ultimately will fail.

As you set about to launch your business, spend a significant amount of time pondering the question of who you are. It might sound tedious and boring—after all you’ve got a business to start—but it’s a critical step. Today, many entrepreneurs rely upon the principles of attraction marketing which suggests that people by other people and not products or services. Because this is the case, your brand forms the core of any attraction marketing strategy. People should want your brand because of the value that it conveys, and the problems that it will solve. By identifying what problems you solve and also how you plan to convey value, your brand messaging will become self-evident.

Identifying your brand messages is an iterative process that should take time and effort. Many people, impatient to begin and launch their business, fail to spend adequate time on this vital step. Because it is so easy to launch a website and a blog, they commence their online presence without paying the dues necessary to craft a finely honed brand message platform.

Doing so is a fatal mistake. By spending the time and effort up front to craft your brand and its messages carefully, you can ensure long-term Internet success. Attraction marketing is a very powerful principle. But it is based on the value and quality of the brand that is promoting it. Accordingly, if a solid brand is not in place, the business is destined to fail. Spend the time and the effort to craft your brand message carefully.

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