When it comes to online branding, one must make the decision whether to brand the business or brand him/her self. In the online business world, it’s hard to be transparent with site visitors. You don’t have that personal connection as you do with a traditional offline business.

One question that gets asked many times is, “Should I brand myself or my business?” This would depend on what kind of business you have or plan to have. If you’re marketing a specific product or service, you may want to brand that product/service. If you’re an affiliate marketer and promote many different programs, you’ll definitely want to brand yourself.

When it comes to online branding, it’s all about trust. People want to trust you, so you need to give them a reason to trust you or your product/service. Without that trust and personal connection established, your potential clients/customers will go somewhere else where they feel more safe.

I must say, it’s a lot harder to brand yourself online. I’ve made my best effort to make myself known to my site visitors, utilizing a picture of myself and having contact information available. This Work From Home Blog is probably the best way for visitors to see who I really am and learn more about me. That’s important for me, and it helps me build trust in my readers.

While online branding can be difficult, it’s not impossible by any means. Here’s some tips on how you can brand yourself online with social network sites:

• Use a picture whenever possible
• Complete your profile
• Network with others with the same interests

If your branding a specific product/service, you want to make sure you talk about it within your profile. You could even use the product as the picture. Anything to get your product/service or yourself out there and known.

While I was planning this post on branding, I came across a video about Tony Hawk talking about how to brand a business. I thought it was quite interesting, so if you have some time, check it out.

No matter what business you’re in, branding is essential to success. Want more tips on how to brand yourself or your business online? Check out this insightful post on the Even Carmichael Forums about Personal Branding.

Do you have any other online branding tips? Share your thoughts below…

If you own a website then I’m sure you know the importance of obtaining backlinks from high PR sites. If you’re not aware of this, then listen up. It’s important to get as much free organic traffic from the search engines as possible. One indirect way to do this is through free directory submission.

There are literally thousands of web directories available for you to submit your site to. Some are obviously better than others, and you’ll want to focus on the high PR directories. Getting backlinks from high PR directories will not only increase your PR (Page Rank), but also increase your search engine rankings.

This means more traffic to your site. I’m always searching for ways to get more traffic from the search engines. It’s the lifeblood of any website or internet based business. As I was searching I came across a site with a huge list of high PR web directories to submit my site to. Some I have heard of and already have my site listed there, and others I haven’t.

I’ve been going through this list the last couple of days and making use of the free directory submission. Some directories require a payment, and others require a reciprocal link. I’ll settle for a reciprocal if I have to, but I opt not to when possible. I also don’t pay to be listed. There’s plenty of free directories to go around.

You can view this list by going to High PR Directory List. Now the point here is not to get traffic from the directories, although you might get some. The point here is to build backlinks to your site from high PR sites. When it comes to traffic and ranking well in the search engines, especially Google, it’s all about the backlinks. The more the better.

So do your website a favor and make good use of free directory submissions. Once approved, you’ll have built more high PR backlinks to your site and should see your site slowly moving up in the search engines. Remember to use your keywords in the Title of your submissions.

Was this article helpful? Leave your comments below…

Do you dream about having a unique, wildly successful online business? It takes a lot of work to create a start-up business from scratch. If you have an existing small business, most likely you have put a lot of time and energy bringing it up from nothing; after all, web site promotion and internet marketing is very time consuming. If so, you have good reason to be very proud.

However, you did not do it to simply create yourself a job. When you are wildly successful, you will want to step back and let your company run itself, without you. This goal separates a business owner from those who are simply self-employed. Treating this goal seriously and keeping it close to your heart will ultimately set you free.

While the success of your business is something you strive for daily, business owners should not have to be constantly concerned with the daily mechanics. They should be concerned with customers and products, not SEO, PPC, Internet keywords and who is typing out your letters. Concern should lie on putting out a great product, and serving your customers. Let competent workers and specialists take care of the rest.

Today, expanding your web presence is the key to your business’ success. Whether your customers are local or around the globe, the Internet is the most powerful resource for potential clients to find you.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult for you to make your website prominent, and it really is not worth your time and energy to reinvent the wheel. Affordable expert small business advice is available to optimize your website, allowing it to be found by potential customers, instead of by people who will just bounce off the pages. Without the proper optimization and marketing, your website may be stumbled upon, but not by people who are interested in your services. Your website might not be found at all. And being found on the web is becoming more and more significant. Fortunately, it is still possible to get an edge on your competition; however, any delay to building an online presence will diminish this advantage.

Do you want news about your business to be contagious? CNN, celebrities, and many businesses use Twitter to release news updates, business solutions, tips and ideas. Social media allows active participation instead of passive visiting. Interaction is crucial, and your business must become a part of this. Community building is becoming very integral to the internet. Social networking will let people spread the word about you and recommend you to others.

Clearly there is a lot that needs to be done to promote your business correctly. Even if your customers are local, your office can be global. With the internet on your side, your business can partner with the best in the world; no matter where they are. Information can be sent and retrieved instantly. A virtual office saves money on equipment and the rent of a physical location to house personnel.

If having a successful unique start-up business is your goal, do it right by getting expert help today.

Confused about web site promotion and internet marketing? Don’t have the time to market your business? We have teamed up with Update Small Business to provide you everything you need to run your business successfully without having to manage every single aspect of promotion. If you would like to learn more, simply fill out the form below…

Email marketing is an integral part of online businesses today. I honestly don’t know what I would do without an autoresponder that takes care of marketing to my list. As an online business owner, building a list of prospects can be a very profitable endeavor.

One of my very first posts ever written on this blog covered the topic of having a list of subscribers. Is the Money Really in the List? takes a look at how you should treat your list.

This post is going to cover my preferred email autoresponder of choice, and the service I use to build my list of subscribers.

I use and recommend GetResponse. I have been using GetResponse ever since I started my online business and marketing on the internet. They provide a very reliable and affordable email autoresponer service that allows you to put your email marketing on autopilot while building your list at the same time.

Here’s GetResponse in a nutshell:

• Unlimited email marketing campaigns, autoresponders, follow-ups, lists and broadcasts.
  
• 150+ professionally designed HTML templates.
  
• Powerful, cost-effective newsletter hosting.
  
• Unparalleled email deliverability.
  
• Click-through, sales and revenue tracking.
  
• Top-notch support and training.

Here are some benefits that you’ll receive when you sign up for GetResponse:

• Add a simple web-form to your website in 2 minutes to build your list, boost your traffic, get more customers.
• Launch your email marketing with GetResponse’s advanced newsletter hosting features and top email deliverability.
• Track your email marketing clicks, visitors, open-rates, undeliverables, sales and sign-ups!
• Retain your traffic by automatic mailings to your visitors whenever you update your blog.
• You will benefit from unlimited email marketing and autoresponder features, follow ups, mailing lists, and broadcasts.

If you look towards the top of my blog, I have a simple form on the right-hand side for entering your name and email address. This form is powered by GetResponse. If you would fill out the form and hit the “Sign Up” button, you would receive an automated email to confirm your desire to sign up. This is what’s known as double-optin, and keeps you Can-Spam complient. You would then be sent emails every so many days, which I already have setup on autopilot. BTW, filling out that form would be a smart move.

Email marketing and making use of autoresponder services such as GetResponse allows you take a hands-off approach when it comes to marketing to your list. Of course, you’ll be able to send out broadcasts when you need to make special announcements to your list that you want them to know about.

What makes GetResponse ideal for email marketing is the fact that they provide all the features and options I need to run my campaigns as effeciently as possible. And, they’re coming out with a version 6, due to come out July 6. This will be an all-new GetResponse that will have all the same features I know and love about them, plus some awesome new additions.

New features for GetResponse 6.0:

• Great-Looking Email Campaigns. Create eye-popping messages with GetResponse easy-to-use tools and wizards! Choose from over 300 Designer HTML Templates to create visually stunning campaigns for every audience and industry.
• Video Email Marketing. Give a face and a voice to your emails with interactive, high-impact audio-video! You can store and manage up to 100 MB for easy access and reuse. Just select and link your multimedia content to emails, newsletters, blogs and Twitter and you’ll make a “real” impression! This new addition I’m really looking forward to!
• Email Analytics. Capture, track and report on your digital email and domain information so you can constantly improve your messages and methods. Identify which emails are opened the most and which subjects, messages and links generate the most sign ups and sales, so every campaign is better than the last!
• Online Surveys. Use the GetResponse Survey feature to stay on top of trends and tastes, create accurate profiles, improve your products, and stay ahead of the competition! I’ve been wanting to use surveys for quite some time now, so this new feature will be very useful for me.

I’m really looking forward to the new additions coming out, and this just makes me like and want to recommend GetResponse even more. Seriously, if you’re looking for an affordable and reliable autoresponder service, I highly recommend GetResponse.

Check out the GetResponse site to learn more and sign up!

What is your preferred autoresponder service of choice and why? Leave your thoughts and comments below…

Here’s the scoop. Garry Conn from GarryConn.com, one of the leading make money online blogs, is looking for people to advertise on his site.

Garry’s blog is one of the leading blogs to cover the topic of making money online. It has attracted advertisement business from leading companies such as MarketLeverage.com, HostGator.com, NetPartner.com, DirectAgents.com, and, PepperjamNetwork.com.

If you’re looking for affordable advertising that gets results, then Garry’s blog may be the perfect fit for you. Get targeted traffic that gets results. Isn’t that what you should get for your advertising dollars?

Advertising your work from home business is a must. If you don’t advertise and get the word out, you’re not going to attract potential prospects or customers. If you happen to be in the make money online/work from home niche, please help Garry out by advertising on his site. I know he’d appreciate it.

Your business will grow when you advertise and get targeted visitors to your site. Advertising is the life-blood of any business, whether online or off. Remember, sometimes it’s necessary to make money. Consider it an investment in your future.

Here’s a few stats about Garry’s blog:

Google Page Rank

Alexa Traffic Rank

As you can see, GarryConn.com has been as high as the 13,000th (roughly) most visited site on the entire internet. This means a lot of traffic is going to Garry’s site, and the potential for you to receive a portion of that traffic when you advertise with Garry today.

What are your thoughts on advertising on other websites? Do you like Garry’s blog? Leave your comments below…

The title says it all. Those are the reasons that this site is now hosted by HostGator web hosting. If you tried visiting my site yesterday, you may have been presented with a blank page or a database error message. For that, I apologize.

My site had been hosted with Host4Profit as part of the PIPS program. I still like Host4Profit as their support is one of the best around, probably second to HostGator’s. But, I wanted to consolidate my sites and save a bit of money every month. You can’t blame me, can you?

The steps involved in transferring a complete website is a bit complicated, and having never done it before, I was a bit overwhelemed. Thankfully I had tons of support from fellow peers as well as both hosting company’s support departments. Without them, I would have never gotten it done.

With that said, I highly recommend HostGator for all of your cheap web host needs. They provide cpanel web hosting, which is a huge lifesaver, especially the one click WordPress setup. You can host unlimited domains without the price ever going up, which is real handy if you have quite a few sites or plan to build more than one. And, as I said before, their support is top notch. They’re very hard to beat in price, and the site up-time is also the best around.

After the switch, I was recommended to transfer my domain to NameCheap.com. What a lifesaver that was for me. I was looking at paying $25 or more for my domain renewal every year. With NameCheap, it’s less than $10 a year for domains. My transfer was even less. I highly recommend them!

Another awesome benefit about NameCheap, which I didn’t know about until I transferred my domain, is that they offer free WhoisGuard protection. This means the Whois information for your domain is guarded. Very cool and makes them even more worth it!

So, if you’re looking for reliable yet cheap web hosting, make the switch to HostGator. You can’t go wrong. And, I’ll even throw in a little bonus if you sign up through me. Sign up for a hosting account through my links, and I’ll setup a WordPress blog for you free. That’s my way of saying thanks. Then you can take what you’re learning here and apply it to your new site.

Are you using HostGator? What’s your feelings about NameCheap.com? Have you gone through the hassle of switching hosts?

I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Article marketing is one form of marketing that I think will never lose ground. It’s been around for a long time and still remains a proven method of promotion and link building. If I had to choose just one marketing method, it would be article marketing.

Here’s my list of sites that I submit my articles to, some are more important than others, but I have found all to be quality sites that bring in traffic or at least get exposure.

My top 31 Article Directory List:

1. The Free Library
2. Hot Article Directory
3. Hubpages – Must be unique
4. Qassia – Must submit here before anywhere else
5. Scribd
6. eHow
7. Helium
8. Google Knol
9. Associated Content
10. Ezine Articles
11. Go Articles
12. Article Archives
13. Free Articles Directory
14. Article Dashboard Directory
15. Article City
16. Article Cube
17. Article Alley
18. Buzzle – Must be unique
19. Isnare
20. Amazines
21. Articles Base
22. Article Marketer
23. Article Rich
24. Articles Factory
25. Drop Jack
26. eArticles Online
27. Get Your Content
28. Idea Marketers
29. Best Syndication
30. Niche Article Directory
31. Google Base

Which article directories do you get the best results from? Do you use any not listed?… Add them in your comments below.

I’m all for getting more traffic to my blog. Traffic is a good thing, especially when you’re trying to sell products online as an affiliate. You won’t make sales if you don’t bring in any traffic.

I’ve been a subscriber of Jeff Johnson’s for quite some time now, and he provides some top notch tactics on getting more traffic and sales. And believe me, I don’t use the phrase “top notch” lightly at all.

Jeff knows his stuff and tests everything he does. It also helps to have a team working for you, which of course, Jeff does. He had his team put together new software that could get more traffic to his blogs by optimizing them for search engines and utilizing various plugins.

Jeff provides a lot of awesome content on his Underground Training Lab blog, and for free. He’s really a down to earth guy that enjoys sharing what he’s learned with others. I’ve learned a lot just from his videos. If you’ve never seen any of Jeff’s videos before, you can check them out on YouTube.

Jeff decided to give away his SEO blog software for free. I’ve already downloaded my copy and plan to install it here on this blog shortly. I wanted to make all of my readers aware of this software and how it can really benefit your blog by bringing in more traffic, and hopefully more sales.

You can grab your copy of Jeff’s Free Traffic-Getting SEO blog software here. All you have to do is simply enter your email address… no name required. You’ll also get full instructions on installing the simple plugin and setting everything up.

If you don’t yet have a WordPress blog setup and want to take advantage of this software, simply sign up for a hosting account through HostGator, and I’ll help you set up your new blog and software. HostGator is my recommended web hosting company as they provide the best support, and their prices are very hard to beat.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how this software is bringing in more traffic for you. Did you find it easy to install and setup? How much more traffic are you getting from it?

Once I get it up and running on here, I’ll be back with an update.

I’m not a huge Twitter user, personally, as I don’t spend hours at a time chatting with my fellow tweets. I guess you could say I don’t use it for its intended use of socializing with others and building relationships. I make occasional updates about what I’m doing or thinking, but I don’t usually chat with anyone.

Nonetheless, I can’t ignore the fact that Twitter can bring in a lot of traffic. Twitter does have many advantages, and I continue to get more and more followers daily. Because of this, I use a service to automatically post my blog updates to my Twitter account.

As a marketer I try to capatalize on my efforts to get as much traffic with as little effort as possible. I’m sure others could agree that they strive to do the same. What better way to do this than to have others help bring you more traffic? That’s what the TweetMeMe WordPress plugin is designed to do. You may notice a little box above every post showing how many tweets that post has. There’s also a little green rectangle that says “ReTweet.”

If you find my posts useful and would like to share them with your fellow followers on Twitter, you can simply click that button at the top of the post to ReTweet it. Of course, you’ll have to have a Twitter account first. You can sign up for free here.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter at @AMater.

If you realize the true potential of social media and how sites like Twitter are gaining a foothold in the marketing world, you may want to consider adding this plugin, or a similar one, to your own blog.