Free or Low Cost Marketing Ideas to get your website out there!

Recently I set out to explore how to get my blog seen by more people. However, I am on a low cost budget so pay for clicks were just not a feasible option for a blog that is still new. I thought I would share what I found because I am sure there are others of you out there in the same situation.

Traffic Exchanges: These seem like a good option on the surface when you are looking at the free traffic aspect. If you are someone who sits at their computer all day. It is indeed an option. I actually surf the exchanges while watching T.V., while waiting with my lap top and when I am bored and curious. They are much better as a paid advertisement. Your time is worth money too. Many exchanges for a low cost will place your URLs instead of you having to search for credits.

If you are promoting anything with AdWords. They do not like traffic exchanges. Create a splash page - a Catchy graphic billboard ad that when clicked on, will bring people to your site. I found a link that not only gives free splash pages, it also organizes a large number of the exchanges so you don't lose your log in information plus allows you to refer others. The advantage of it was that once I set up all the exchanges with my primary business and the URL that had all the exchanges organized, I began to get free credits from referrals. Took awhile but now it is just spinning in credits on its own. The Program is called Traffic Tornado - Awesome Tool - I give it an 8. I would give it a ten but it took awhile to get all set up but.. it was FREE.

A couple of programs that drive traffic and you could list in your exchange URLs are also: Six Links and Affiliate Funnel. Click them to check the look of these out. Six Links was free. I upgraded Affiliate to be allowed six options.

A similar concept is the surf bar. This little bar flashes a new ad up as I am going about my business. Every time the little text ad changes twice, someone is seeing mine once. Again, it was free but you can also pay so that you don't have to have the bar on your own computer. I give this a 7.

I found some other low cost options and using an ad tracker, found that they do indeed work. My favorite of these all would have to be Monster Traffic. For only ten dollars a month, this site is on automatic for me. It sends out a daily email to about 300 people a day. It rotates my sites through its home page as well as a small classified ad. I just go in once a week and change my email as I am still testing which email has the best response. It was an easy, low cost option and is indeed driving traffic to my primary business at DrinkACT. I give this advertising option a 10.

Another one that was low cost and has been a wonderful tool is TrafficWave. It has free 30 day trial but even then, was less then 20.00 a month. It includes: Build Your E-Mail Marketing Lists. TrafficWave.net Auto Responders help you efficiently follow up with prospects and convert more prospects in to sales. You can publish email newsletters and e-mail marketing campaigns. It also lets you track your results. It has more benefits that those of you who are webbuilder savvy might understand. I am still new to a lot of these and am just learning the benefits and drawbacks of autoresponsders. Anyway, first 30 days are free. I upgraded in two days because it lets me set a free letter to those coming into the FFA page and I mail out about 300 opt in letters a day. This one has a lot I still need to learn. I give it an 8 only because I don't understand it all yet. But the parts I have mastered are wonderful.

This one was simple and easy and if you upgrade, you got two for the price of one. It is called FFA Storm. It has a set it and leave it responder and I mail out about 500 opt in emails a day with this program. I give this one a 9.

Here is the list of other program and ratings I have been using. They are similar to the ones listed above. All these together, if I started them all at once would be about $250.00 for the upgraded versions. However many of them are free to try or set up. I added them slow enough that it was not a financial burden. Do to the fact that all of these are either free or have affiliate options, I pay nothing for my advertising. However, to get there, you have to share your affiliate URLs through the traffic exchanges or occasionally run them as one of your weekly emails. Anyway, here is the rest of the programs I am using, I hope they help:
* Multi-Links
* X-Stream Traffic
* Daily Targeted Leads
* Kiosk.ws
Oh one last thought, on the programs with the opt in emails. I have had more success if I go in and refresh my ad weekly and just spruce up the title. I only spend about an hour a week on my advertising so I can spend my time doing what I love most, writing! Well, unless I am surfing.. then I am always advertising because I have my surfbar. Have a prosperous week, I hope this helps some of you who are where I was not so long ago. Beautiful Websites - No Traffic!

Cheryl Matthynssens

Never Assume - You May End Up "Mopping" Up After Yourself

While visiting my daughter in-law for the week, my 12 year old daughter and I were helping clean up while she was doing some errands. We don't have a dishwasher at home. I have always just done the old fashioned hand washing because I was unwilling to sacrifice my precious cupboard space for a dishwasher. However, I had made the mistake of assuming that despite this, my daughter understood the basic mechanics of one.

She had finished loading it and I checked it real quick, making sure that plastic items were up top - etc. It looked good. So without further thought, I told her. "Great Job, now add the soap and start it." That was it. It was all I told her to do. Unbeknown to me, she grabbed the dawn dish soap beside the sink, filled the dispenser completely and turned it on. About fifteen minutes later, I entered the kitchen and shouted with surprise. It was knee deep in suds. Despite three rinses and scooping out what we could, below is the status of the dishwasher on the fourth rinse.


On the Fourth Rinse

This got me thinking about two things as I was working to clean up the mess. How many other messes in my life had I been forced to clean up because I had assumed that the listener knew what I meant. Almost all major problems in relationships and in business teams comes from miscommunication and the primary one is making assumptions. Don Miguel Ruiz teaches, " Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. " this is from his book, The Four Agreements. I highly recommend this book by the way. Small and a quick read, but awesome. Anyway, I know this agreement and yet I catch myself doing it all the time. Mostly, in that the listener is understanding what I am saying.

When running a team whether in MLM, Marketing or in face to face Sales, you must never assume that your instructions are clear. It will save you hours of "cleaning up the floor" so to speak if you just take the time to stop and ask, "is that clear?" or "Have you been shown how to do that yet?" In busy lives and businesses, it is easy to make the assumption that someone else has trained the individual on that task or project. If you are not careful, your instructions might be followed to the letter. Which is great if you included all the letters but disastrous if you skipped a few. Remember always communicate clearly, check in now and then to make sure that your instructions were understood and be sure to own the error if you didn't give all the instructions. This will lead you far in being a great team leader. Most importantly to you personally, this extra little time will save you a lot of headache and stress. It might even save you an hour of cleaning up soap suds.

Have a prosperous day.
Cheryl
www.balancedfreedom.com

Making Money During a Recession

On August 7, 2009 Mariko Lamb, of Talk Radio News Service reported that Keith Hall, Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics had released Data to the Congressional Joint Committee reporting a moderation in unemployment. A view of this report, available at the Bureau of Labor statistics shows that the unemployment rate has remained consistent at 9.4%. These numbers combined with the growing areas of job losses such as transportation, financial activities, and especially construction and manufacturing; can frighten someone considering opening a small business or a home business.

These numbers do not mean that this is a bad time to open a business, especially one with lower overhead such as from home. While it is true that the above areas have lost employment numbers, it is also true that employment in leisure and health care have been increasing. The important thing is to be smart in choosing a home business or small business that will fit the current trends. Statistics support home business pursuits. About 70% of home-based businesses will last over a three-year period, compared to 29% of other business ventures, according to the Home-Based Business Institute. In fact, According to IDC, home-based businesses create an estimated 8,500 new jobs daily.

When opening a business, consider a few important things. First, what do consumers not go without if they can help it? Where are the first places they will cut? Looking at these two factors will help with decisions as to whether or not the product to be marketed would be profitable or if it is on the list of things that a consumer would scratch off the list first.

Second, consider the 80/20 rule. Most marketers sell their product to the 80 percent of the consumers who have only 20% of the economic purchasing power. That is a lot of work. Consider businesses that focus on that 20% that hold 80% of the economic purchasing power.

Third, if a service industry business is being considered, look at what consumers are having to leave undone while they work harder during these economic crunches. Is there a service that could be offered to assist or fill in the gaps. For example, most day cares cater to the 9-5 worker. But many consumers today, are being forced to take jobs with differing hour structures. There are very few day cares that cater to swing shift or graveyard workers.

Another option is offer to teach to others an area of expertise. Consider taking on an apprentice at a lower wage to save money or offering lessons in a trade or industry. For those facing disability, look into helping others market their businesses from a computer. There are many affiliate programs out there as well as direct marketing that can be done.

Regardless of when an entrepreneur is looking to start their business, money can be made during a recession. It is a proven fact that many increased their portfolios even during the great depression. The important factor is to figure out what is either down in cost that can be invested in and held on to till the recession is over. Or, if that is not a financial possibility, to market to what people are looking for today. After all, according to the 2009 edition of The Small Business Economy released by Advocacy and posted on sba.gov this year, it was stated. "Risk-taking entrepreneurs are often the generators of the innovations that drive the American economy forward."


Have a prosperous week
www.balancedfreedom.com

Your Brain - The Ultimate Smart Bomb

One of the first things I learned when I opened my direct marketing business was that I am my own worst enemy. It is not the recession or my product line that sabotages my business, it is me; first my thinking and then my habits. In a society where the media makes its income mostly on bad news and a world that competes, many of us have no idea that we are constantly inputting negativity into our lives.

The Brain is an amazing organ. In my research to find out why so many people seem to sabotage the very success they are about to reach; I ran across the comparison that the brain is like a smart bomb. A smart bomb is given a target and then as wind and resistance take it off target, it self corrects to hit its target. The difference is, the subconscious takes for truth what it hears the most.

The conscious mind can set 1000 goals but if the daily thoughts are negative; the subconscious mind will self-correct. Just like that smart bomb, it will hit the real target believed. For example, the goal may be 100k income online a year. But if there is that little voice saying "I always fail" or "I don't deserve success" you will NEVER hit the goal. You will self sabotage your successes every time. So what do you do? You change how you think.




Affirmations are the way that one can reprogram the brain. Napoleon Hill wrote, "When you deliberately feed your mind with good, wholesome thoughts and information, and keep your proper frame of mind, you are supplying the subconscious mind with nourishing material to feedback to you. You condition your mind's output by the input you give it."

To use this skill, you pick the qualities you need to have in life. Start with the most important one you wish to have. Let us say that it is organization. "I am an organized person." Say this to yourself for one week as you look in any mirror. The more times you say it, the more that "smart bomb" is programmed to the new target - organization. Then second week, add the next skill or quality you wish to have. "I am a motivated and enthusiastic person." Keep adding one every week till you have all that you wrote down memorized. Remember, you MUST word them as if you have already acquired them. Then just keep saying them daily. The brain will make this your reality. Think that this is to easy to be worth anything? Almost every motivational speaker out there teaches affirmations. People pay 100's of dollars to "get motivated" but they never apply it.

Zig Ziglar wrote, "Are you willing to commit yourself to invest fifteen minutes every day for immediate results and long-term benefits?" Seriously, are you? The simplest thing you can do to reach your goals and most of us won't take the five, ten or fifteen minutes it would take to do so. This article, for most of you, is not new information. Yet, despite it's proven success rate; despite speaker after speaker and writer after writer telling us this is how they succeed, we do not follow suit.

When this finally hit me, I sat back stunned. On my shelf are 100's of dollars in self help books, seriously. And this investment is not counting all the times I have gone to motivational seminars. Yet despite this money invested, I had not invested the one thing that cost me nothing, my time. I am telling you. This works. Do not keep seeking the secrets to change. I just gave it too you.

I applied the very techniques that Zig Ziglar, Napoleon Hill and Denis Waitley have been teaching for years. I began the daily affirmations not only to my marketing business but to my personal life. I am now headed for a world where I chose where I work, if I work and when I work. I have the freedom and success I always dreamed of being able to enjoy. Spend that 15 minutes a day to reprogram the Ultimate Smart Bomb - Your Brain!

Be Present- Whether Marketing, Business Ownership or Even Socially

Being Present... what does that mean? It means that whatever you are doing, be there. If you are in a business meeting but your mind is on your kids at the lake this next weekend, you are undercutting your potential. You may miss making some contribution that would benefit your team. You may miss some contribution that could make the difference in your earning potential and freedom.

On the reverse side, if you are at that lake with the family and your mind is on work or you are answering messages, you are missing the miracle of family. You may miss that first dive or that accomplishment of overcoming a fear or beating a sibling for the first time. Children and Grandchildren grow so fast. Every moment you are with them, but not present, you are missing the miracle of childhood. Live life with no regrets! If you look back and wish you had been home more, you can never make that up.

One of the hard things about a J.O.B (Just over broke) is that you do not have freedom. That means that you have to work harder to get that balance in your life that is so crucial to stress management and happiness.

Physically - Be Present when you eat. Take the time to actually taste your food. Enjoy it. This lowers stress, lowers how much you eat and makes meals something to look forward to. Have dinner with people you care about. Make your meals about socializing and not about how quick can I get to the TV or back to that report that is due on my desk. Take care of your body! It is the main vehicle that has to get you through the next 70+ years. Pay attention to how you feel. Get exercise, plenty of water and good nutrition.

Socially - Be Present in your organizations. It doesn't do you any good to join a business organization whether it is MLM or Direct Marketing if you stand on the fringes and watch what others are doing. Dive in there. If you are volunteering, don't wait for someone to ask, Dive in there. Be present and let others know what your strengths are. You never know what opportunity will arise because someone remembered you from a PTA meeting, a spiritual gathering or a business meeting.

Mentally - What ever you are doing, where ever you are, be there in mind and spirit. Listen, really listen, to what others are saying. People, including me, are often so busy thinking about what they want to say next, they are not really hearing what their prospect is saying. If you really listen, you will connect better with family, prospects and customers. They will feel validated and important. Karl A. Menninger once said, " Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand."

Spiritually - Many think religion when they hear this word. But while it can include religion, it is not limited to religion. It is about staying in touch with that all important "I". What are you doing to stay centered? Are you happy? If not, what do you need to change? Ask yourself as you look at this, will _________ matter six months from now? If not, let it go. Spend time with you and be present. Don't let your mind wander to business, family or even finances. Just spend a little time being present with the most important person in your life. YOU!

For me, being present is so important. As a Direct Marketer with my company, I need to stay in the moment when I am working. If my mind is on dinner, the fact that it is so hot outside and I want to go to the lake, I won't get the things done I need to do with the quality that will bring me what I want.

Being present is especially important to those who are in business for themselves. Businesses need your attention to stay productive. Learn how to Market your business is crucial. Paying attention to current trends, really listening and focusing on what is working now. If this is an area that is weak for you, you can get training. There are many places out there to get such education. If you don't have an idea where to start, try Balanced Freedom, my site. We have great training, easy to follow instructions and 30 day marketing plans for any budget, EVEN ZERO Budget.

So how do you stay present? Practice! You need to catch yourself when your mind is drifting and remind yourself why being where ever you are in that moment was important to you. If it isn't important to you, ask yourself a even more important question, why are you there?