Mental Marketing: It's All In Your Head!

I wrote this short article with Deborah Simmons for the Mental Health Professional Group's Spring/Summer Newsletter. It was so well received that I thought I would post it here! There is a part 2 coming and I will share that with you after it's printed! If you need help with marketing your practice then please visit my website LaMothe Services, LLC at http://lamotheservices.com/

Sharon

Mental Marketing It’s All in Your Head!
By: Sharon LaMothe and Deborah Simmons, PhD, LMFT

The world of marketing can be very confusing, especially when services and people, not products, are being sold. There are a number of components to marketing, including sales, advertising and branding. There are several venues in which to “sell” or promote services. Below you will find a few simple steps to help you conquer any concerns that you may have about marketing your unique mental health services on the Internet and elsewhere.

The very first thing to consider is who you would like to serve. By deciding on your desired clientele, you can focus on what is referred to as “niche marketing.” There are many good general therapists around but you have something special to offer. Own it and promote it. If you have several areas of expertise, you can use the same marketing techniques to reach potential clients as well as professional referral sources.

Along with knowing to whom you are marketing and what your expertise is, you need to know what your message is. Why should people come to you? What makes you special or memorable? Do you have unusual approaches, like EMDR, hypnosis, or special experience, or perhaps years working in a fertility clinic? Remember that your services and your “brand”--you-- make up your business and every business has competition. No one likes the idea of competing for clients but if you want to stay current, fresh, and focused in our new economic environment, you need to market yourself actively and differently then you might have been doing so in the past.

Now let’s look at positioning yourself on the Internet. While working with the Web can be daunting, it is increasingly your biggest and best tool. Not only will your personal web site reach other professionals, you will be connecting directly with actual patients or clients in a very personal way. Providing public access and information about you and your practice is one of the most important moves you can make. Google and websites have become invaluable search tools. They are often now the very first place where you “greet” your potential clients. Although it is great to ask other professionals to hand out your cards and refer clients to you, your website can offer so much more. Think of it as a living biography of who you are and what you do, as well as a form of web-based education and resources. You are offering the hope of solutions to people who need both, in your office and through linkages to other resources. With pages regarding your services, your biography (with a photo), your professional resources, events at which you will be available, books you have written or recommend, and a page regarding a personal statement about your practice and philosophy, a potential client can form enough of a connection to entice him or her to pick up the phone and make an appointment. Clients surveyed have mentioned that they were drawn to the photographs, philosophies, and the help that is offered on websites before they even consider making a phone call.

The Internet also offers an opportunity to ‘blog.’ Having a blog, especially if it is connected with your website, allows professionals, clients, and others to know more about you, how you think, and how you approach life. A news article or your comments on a current event allow people to connect with you on a level that normally wouldn’t be available.

Networking is a huge component to marketing your services. You already are doing that when you attend conferences, visit clinics, and join associations like the MHPG, ASRM, EDSPA, APA, AAMFT, or NASW. Networking in person builds trust with your peers and allows them to comfortably refer clients to you without hesitation. Go and meet fertility clinic nurses, doctors, and office managers. Do the same with OB-Gyn clinics. Clients deeply value personal referrals from people they trust. It certainly helps that you have provided several unique business cards to share with your website, blog and contact information boldly printed on them!

Let’s not forget the social networking sites available to anyone who owns a computer. Millions are using Face Book, LinkedIN, and Twitter to name a very few. There, on your “page,” you can list your biography, photo, website and import your blog. You can be easily accessible to potential clients. Take advantage of the professional groups available which will widen your professional net work. The book Ladies Who Launch and its accompanying website, http://www.ladieswholaunch.com/, is for entrepreneurs and who want to connect with others, whether it is about business or new ideas.

It is time to move past introversion and fear of the unknown and to embrace new ways of spreading your own wisdom to a wider clientele. Remember that marketing ‘services’ is all about marketing your professionalism, your compassion, and your approachability—you! Thing big!

Having trouble staying focused? These tips are for YOU!

Having trouble staying focused in your home office? There are so many distractions and in order to get everything done during the day that needs your attention you need to focus! Below are several tips that you probably already know about but just haven't put into practice. I suggest you give these ideas another try!

Sharon
LaMothe Services, LLC
http://lamotheservices.com/

The Art of Staying Focused

Many new and even seasoned internet marketers find it hard to stay focused on their tasks.
When you work online it can be nearly impossible to get anything accomplished when you run across new opportunities, are tempted to visit websites, watch videos, check email, browse forums, check your stats, listen to tele-seminars, browse Google and do other distracting online activities. Not to mention other offline distractions.

Here are a couple things you can do to diminish distractions.

1. Work alone in a quiet space

If you have young children you'll understand how crucial it is to work in a quiet space where other people can't distract you. It seems just about when you're ready to start working you're barraged by requests to do something or help with something.
Now, there's nothing more important than my family but when you need to work you must get down to work.

Go to a quiet space and carve out a solid amount of time where you can be productive. If someone else is in the room with you while you're working you run the possibility of getting distracted.

2. Throw your TV out the window

That's right. Turn it off and get rid of it. This will curb your curiosity of wondering what's on TV. When you're tempted to see what's on you tell yourself "well, I'll only watch a little bit."

Before you knew it your watching an hour or more of TV and aren't getting any word done. This can also be a form of psychologically avoiding tasks you need to get done - procrastination. Procrastination is a surefire way to make sure nothing gets done.

If you find yourself doing this, remember you can always record what you miss on Tivo, or better yet, you can probably find the shows you miss on online.


3. Get Rid of Internet Distractions

While it may be fun to look online for the latest viral videos, check you stats, check email, browse forums, you can literally waste hours doing these activities and check your favorite social networking site. These activities don't get you closer to your goal.

Force yourself not to do any of your favorite internet time wasters until you've gotten some real work done and can see actual results from your real efforts.

If you don't see results don't give up and give into temptation, try again and again. When you see results then reward yourself with your favorite activity.

If you don't actually have the will power to prevent yourself from engaging in your favorite online activities there is actually software which will block these activities for you.

By implementing at least one of these strategies you'll find your productivity going up and your goals will become much closer than you thought.

About the Author: Bill Thompson is an internet marketer and writer. Discover how Niche FAQ gets the niche research done for you so you can have more time to do your favorite activities

Twittering Your Small Business

I am sure you know by now I am pretty big into the whole social networking deal...and I love using twitter....I sign up clients for this FREE service and then we all twitter away. I hate hearing about who is driving to the store or whose kid is getting potty trained but for those who are using twitter as a business tool....sharing links and tips and sometimes an uplifting quote, its great! Check out this article below and then start twittering away! (I have over 500 followers! Feel free to join us at http://twitter.com/SharonLaMothe)

Sharon LaMothe
http://lamotheservices.com/

Twittering Your Small Business
By SCOTT CARMICHAEL, GADLING.COM

Word on the street is that "Twitter" is the latest rage, but chances are you have either ignored it, or simply didn't have the time to look into what it has to offer.

Thankfully, Twitter is extremely easy to explain -- they call themselves a "microblogging service". Micro blogging allows members to talk about anything they want, in bite size portions of 140 characters or less. That is essentially the entire service. What makes Twitter so popular is not what it does, but how many people it does it with. There are millions of people on Twitter, some very active, and some that signed up but never quite understood the concept. Like many blogs, the majority of people on Twitter use the service to relay information about their life. They'll post what they had for dinner, or what time they got up in the morning.

Hidden away in all those blog entries, could be the information you need to gain a customer, or prevent losing one. Here is a good example -- if one of your customers makes a purchase off your web site, but the product arrives damaged, they might take their complaint to Twitter before they even consider calling you.

Keep in mind that a disgruntled customer is often capable of creating a PR nightmare for you. A very simple way to be proactive about these things is to keep an eye out for keywords related to your business. The Twitter search feature allows you to search for anything in the millions of "Tweets" posted every day.

Get your own Twitter account, and if someone pops up with a complaint about your company and tries to spread the word to the rest of the Twitter world, step in and offer to help them out any way possible.

Remember, many Twitter users have their entire social network following their posts and badmouthing you or your products will often spread like wildfire.

Of course, Twitter can also be used to reach potential customers. You can do this by setting up your own Twitter page. I wouldn't recommend sitting at your desk all day describing what you see out your window, but a post a day about your deals, upcoming promotions or even as a place to hand out discount codes for your products will generate some goodwill and show your customers that you are at least aware of the latest social networking trends.

Just don't trick yourself into thinking that Twitter will magically increase your sales overnight. Getting your company on Twitter starts with registering an account -- do it now, and make sure you register all variations to your company name. Remember, Twitter is like domain names; if you don't register the name, someone else might, and the last thing you want is someone posting "Acme Widget Inc. sucks" using your company name.

Once you have your account setup, the hard part begins -- what to say?

I'd suggest beginning with some basic stuff. Post about a new product, post about trade shows you plan to attend. Think of Twitter as the message board at your local grocery store -- a place to share the good news about your company. Posting your messages to Twitter can be done through their web site, but also through one of the many "Twitter clients", available for most mobile phones and computers.

Once you've gotten a hang of posting, it's time to start doing some marketing. Make sure your Twitter profile page contains all the right information and be sure to use your company and product names in your "Tweets", that way the search engines will pick them up, making it easier for people to find you.

If your company specializes in "Widgets", start talking about them, provide general tips and tricks for people to use the product, and before you know it, you'll be seen as a specialist in your field (provided you are not posting utter rubbish).

There are of course also a couple of things not to do on Twitter -- most importantly, remember that anything nasty or rude you say can and will be used against you. If you badmouth a competitor, or a customer, make sure you are ready for the repercussions. Social networks are notoriously unforgiving, and if you screw up badly, it'll be all over the "blogosphere" before you know it.

Even if the entire experiment only yields one new customer, it is one customer you did not have before you started Twittering, and at the end of the day the whole thing will not have cost you anything other than your time.

By staying up to date with the latest social networking trends, you'll be ready for the next new service to popup, and before you know it, you'll be a pro at reaching new markets.

Back to School

We are all learning from life every day and so I thought I would post the article below...In the field of reproductive technology even the professionals are learning every day...there are no degrees for agency owners (Surrogacy, Egg Donation) for example. Those who run agency's in the US are not licence or certified. However we hope that will change in the near future with seminars, classes and online modules to assist professionals working within the infertility industry to better serve their clients. It's never too late to learn....or to teach!


Sharon LaMothe
LaMothe Services, LLC
http://lamotheservices.com/
Back To School
by Will Craig
The kids are back in school. Are you?

We live in a knowledge-powered economy and if we're not continually upgrading our capabilities we become obsolete. The good news is the educational choices we make at 18 don't need to be hard and fast choices we're stuck with for a lifetime.

You can choose to look at lifelong learning as the homework assignment that never goes away. Or, you can choose to look at it as an essential strategy for living long and living well.

I'm not suggesting you must go to college to gain the necessary knowledge. What college did do for me was make me recognize that organized learning, whether in traditional schools or through condensed courses and teleclasses, would significantly shorten my learning curve.

"Don't let your schooling interfere with your education."
- Mark Twain

Had I to do it all over again I might choose a succession of bite-sized learning opportunities in the specific areas of my interest (recognizing those change over time). Short-term, condensed educational programs have become more available and recognized as an efficient way to gain specific expertise in less time without spending your life's savings on a long program.

Learning does not take place in a box we call a classroom or in a hotel conference room. We learn more, we learn better, and we learn faster by doing and being actively involved. How are you upgrading your knowledge and abilities?

Will Craig is President of Coach Training Alliance and holds a Masters Degree in Education and Human Development. He is co-author of the #1 best-selling coaching home study course, the Coach Training Accelerator.

Background Checks...A Necessary Tool

Background checks are so important when you are screening Intended Parents and Surrogates. The IP's want to make sure that their surrogate has no DUI's or criminal activity in their past and the Surrogates want to be reassured that their Intended Parents don't have any child molestation or abandonment issues in their past. The form below is a sample. I suggest that you find a professional outfit to run your background checks for you. You can build in the cost into your agency fees.

Sharon LaMothe
Infertility Answers, Inc.
http://infertilityanswers.org/
LaMothe Services, LLC
http://lamotheservices.com/


BACKGROUND CHECK RELEASE FORM

1) Signing this authorizes a background check.

2) You may not be offered entrance into or Surrogacy or Egg Donation Program based on it.

3) You can review the report and dispute errors prior to official turndown.

LAST NAME FIRST MIDDLE NAME SOC.SEC# FULL DATE OF BIRTH ______________ ________ ________ _______ __/__/____

PRESENT Address___________________________
CITY,ST,ZIP_____________________County____________ Years_____

PRIOR Address___________________________CTY,ST,ZIP____________________
County_____________Years_____

List any other counties in which you resided in
the last seven years. DRIVER LIC# _____________STATE:___ Your phone( )__________Cell _______________Home ______________Work

Other names used ____________________________

COLLEGE 1)_______________________City,ST_________________Dates(years) there: ______________DEGREE?________

2)___________________ ______________ ______________ ________

HIGH SCHOOL_____________________City,ST_________________ Dates(years) there: _______________Graduate? _________

DEGREES/LICENSES________________________YEAR EARNED_________

Name then if different ________________________________________

LIST ALL CONVICTIONS INCLUDING TRAFFIC (Indicate “M” for misdemeanor or “F” for felony. ) YR. NATURE OF OFFENSE WHERE(CITY/ST COUNTY) YR. NATURE OF OFFENSE WHERE (CITY,ST,COUNTY) 1)______ ________________ _________________ 2) ______ ________________ _________________ 3)______ ________________ _________________ 4) ______ ________________

_________________ ______________________Use space here for others: NOTE: INABILITY TO IDENTIFY YOUR PRIOR EMPLOYMENT CAN CANCEL OR DELAY PROCESS.


EMPLOYER NAME STREET CITY/ST PHONE NUMBER SUPV’R NAME DATES THERE 1)_______________________________ ________________ _____________________ ( ____)______________ ________________ FROM_______TO______ YOUR POSITION______________________EARNINGS_____________WHY LEFT?________________________CO-WORKER NAME___________________ 2)_______________________________ ________________ _____________________ ( ____)______________ ________________ FROM_______TO______ YOUR POSITION______________________EARNINGS_____________WHY LEFT?________________________CO-WORKER NAME____________________ 3)_______________________________ ________________ _____________________ ( ____)______________ ________________ FROM_______TO_______ YOUR POSITION______________________EARNINGS_____________WHY LEFT?________________________CO-WORKER NAME____________________

*CIRCLE ANY EMPLOYER WE ARE NOT FREE TO CONTACT. PLACE CHECK MARK BY ANY EMPLOYER YOU ARE INELIGIBLE FOR REHIRE.

I hereby authorize this release to ______________. Any information held by any parties regarding my prior employment , criminal, credit, driving, workers compensation and educational history as well as information regarding my general character and reputation can be released. I release any providers of such information from any liability for providing same. I understand the information may be reviewed initially and periodically by______________. I understand that any falsification of my information may make me ineligible for the ____________ program.


Signed__________________________________ Dated_____________

Notary: ____________________________ Stamp:

How I'm going to use social networking to steal your identity!

I liked this article so much that I wanted to share it with you. Although I am a huge fan of social networking there are people out there that will take advantage of you and Ron really shows you how it could be done and it can really make you think! I look forward to your comments...

Sharon
LaMothe Services, LLC
http://lamotheservices.com/

How I'm going to use social networking to steal your identity!

Ron Shulkin
Chicago Social Networking Examiner


I think about all my trusted advisors in real life: my attorney, my doctor and others. There are questions that if posed by my insurance agent, I’d react by getting up from the table, letting him know it’s none of his business. But in the spirit of connecting socially, I easily answer these same questions in a Facebook quiz. It’s a cathartic release, a confession. Sometimes it makes up for the close mouthed, private way I act in real life. I know it seems great to “share” with others. And social network communities are the perfect place to dive in. Somehow sitting alone at the computer gives us license to answer some very intimate questions.


So the first thing I’ll do to steal your identity is find out everything I can about you. I can take a quiz, as apparently 34 million others did and with almost 200,000 fans, for “How Well Do You Know Me”? I’ll find out your birth date, where you were born, the names of your parents, your spouse, and your children. And I’ll find out their birthdates. I’ll find out your hobbies and your interests. I’ll see who all your friends are.


I’ll read “25 things you didn’t know about me”. I’ll know what sports you like, what your middle name is. I’ll know what your favorite stores are. I’ll figure out where you live by seeing where you shop. Your grammar school and your high school will be listed. It won’t be long until I find out the name of your first pet. Oh look, you used to have a space between your two front teeth!


I’ll read what Greek god you are, what Sex In The City character you think you are and who is your celebrity twin. Then I’ll figure out your childhood nickname, in what city you met your significant other, the name of your favorite childhood friend, the street you lived on in third grade. It won’t be long before I know your oldest sibling’s birthday month and year, the middle name of your youngest child, your oldest sibling's middle name, the school you attended for sixth grade, and your childhood phone number including area code. You’ll have listed your oldest cousin's first and last name, the name of your first stuffed animal and the city or town where your mother and father met.


Your MySpace or Facebook Info page will tell me your email address and your employer. The “Who Are You Related To” will tell me all your relatives. It’s great to know what cities you’ve visited, so when I start using your credit cards I won’t set off any suspicious behavior.


Somehow or another, one of the eight thousand eight hundred and eighty four Facebook quizzes that everyone’s taken will provide me with the answers I’m looking for.


Because your bank, your credit card, your school, your payroll company and your employer might ask these security questions, I’ll read your blog so I can find out the first name of the boy or girl that you first kissed, the last name of your third grade teacher, where your nearest sibling lives and your youngest brother’s birthday. After reading your blog, even if I don’t have a direct answer to any of the security questions, I’ll know enough about you to start making really good guesses.


On LinkedIn you’ve listed the name of your elementary / primary school and the city or town where your first job was. I can see your college history and even all the people who connect with you doing business.


Even without all this data I could probably figure out what your passwords are. Most people use the same password for every web site. Here’s the top ten according to PC Magazine:
1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. abc123
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. link182
10. (your first name)


Didn’t have to do any research for those. And the default password usually included from your vendor will also let me try: sun123, Cisco, Alcatel, Kyocera, McAfee and IBM. A surprising number of people never change the password from the default after installation. If it’s a six character requirement I can guess, and likely be correct with shadow or summer. Eight characters? Then desklamp or portable. I’m guessing people start looking around when they have to come up with a password quickly. If the password requires a number, it is almost always “1”.


But unless you’re using a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols in a random order, I can either try a top ten favorite from above or dig into your (not very) private life and figure out your password. Or if I can’t figure out your password, I can answer the security questions that let me reset your password to one I like. Then you can’t get in, but I can.
My first step will be to break into your email. Most of us have had our email addresses for a very long time, so it is likely the password we used was a product of that time period. I signed up for my Yahoo email when it came out, probably a decade ago. I wanted to grab my name before other computer savvy “shulkin”s did. These were eras with less security concerns about password strength.


I’ll do this hacking into your email account late at night, so when the notifications of password changes come in, I can delete them before you wake up and check your email. Hopefully you’ll have a folder in your email system called “passwords”. That will make the rest of this identity theft easier. And if there’s anything good in your inbox, I’ll read them and mark them “unread” before I go.


Once in your email system, I’ll crack your credit cards and bank. I’ll answer the security questions to change the password, “in case I forgot it”. Then they’ll send that notification to the email address and I’ll delete those too. I’ll know what web sites you subscribe to, so I’ll go on eBay, Hoovers and all your other resources. This will let me know more about you, as well.


My next pass will be to get into your cell phone account. You manage it on line, so I can get that password with security questions. I can look up all the phone numbers you get calls from and to whom you call. These friends of yours might be my next targets. Maybe your girlfriend is using a combination of your first name and your birthday as her password. Worth a try. It will still be hours before either you or she wakes up.


So if you wake up one morning and all your credit cards are cancelled or you’ve bought some airplane tickets or a nice HDTV (and had it drop shipped to an address one door down from yours where I’ll be waiting wisely informed as to when with the results of the record tracking on shipping); if your cell phone has ordered a bunch of custom ring tones or if your bank has had most of its funds transferred to my favorite charity, you’ll know that you answered one too many questions on that Facebook quiz.


Some things are meant to stay private. When you get on Facebook, stick to reminiscing about high school.

SMART ART X: Come and Join me in Orlando

Calling all ART professionals! I will be hosting 2 luncheon round tables at this years SMART ART in Orlando, Florida. Below is the information if you haven't had the chance to sign up yet! It's FREE and very worthwhile! I hope to see you there!

Sharon LaMothe
www.InfertilityAnswers.org

The SMART ART™ X Conference has extended the deadline for Call for Nominations for those practitioners that have advanced reproductive medicine in their practice and/or outreach and education to their community. Finalists will receive a travel stipend to attend the SMART ART™ X Conference in

Orlando

where they will be specially recognized.

If you have registered for the meeting (www.123enroll.com/SMARTART to register) and have already made your travel plans, it is not too late to submit yourself or a colleague. Winners may use the travel stipend toward existing travel.

You may nominate yourself or a colleague. Nominations should include: your name or the name of the nominee, degree, position, practice, contact information and a brief description (~500 words) of how the candidate has made a significant impact within their practice or community. Submissions to include:
• How clinical procedure/practice or community outreach has fulfilled an unmet need in community or clinic;
• How fulfilling the unmet clinical need benefited patients or clinic/practice; or how community outreach benefited or enriched recipients.

Limit nominations to yourself or one nurse that has made a significant contribution in reproductive medicine in the clinic or community where she/he practices. (All other submissions will be eliminated, regardless of the merit of the nominee.)

EXTENDED DEADLINE: Nominations must be received via e-mail, fax, or mail no later than Wednesday July 15, 2009. Finalists will receive a travel stipend to attend the SMART ART™ X Conference where they will be specially recognized.

Questions and nominations should be submitted to:
Letters & Sciences
Attn: Jamie Miller
9 Whippany Road, Suite B2-5
Whippany, NJ 07981
Phone 973 560-1234 ext 16
Fax 973 560-1247
jmiller@letsci.org

REMINDER TO THOSE NOT YET REGISTERED:
Location and Accommodations
Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort


1751 Hotel Plaza Boulevard
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Phone: (800) 782-4414; (407) 827-4000


The SMART ART™ X Conference has negotiated special hotel rates at the Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort. Rooms have been reserved at a reduced rate of $115.00 per night, single or double occupancy, plus tax. To take advantage of these rates, please book your hotel reservation by July 21, 2009. After that date, the SMART ART™ X room block will be released.

Hotel reservations can be made directly through Hilton reservations online, available through our website, or by calling toll free (800) 782-4414 or (407) 827-4000. Please ask for the "SMART ART" group block at the Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort to receive the discounted conference rate. Hotel cancellations must be made at least 5 days before check-in to obtain a full refund.

Visit www.123enroll.com/SMARTART for more information on hotel, travel and local dining and

What Does Your Web Design Do For You

I think that everyone who is starting up their own business is looking to the Internet to provide them with information that, hopefully, will help them avoid the mistakes their competition maybe already making....which is why they look up and read every website in their chosen industry. They critique the design, look for typos in the content, take note of the colors and then try to dream up a unique design that will make a statement about how special their services are. The information below is a huge help....another thought is to hire someone within your industry to guide you in the best way to market in your niche. It truly helps to have someone in your corner especially when it comes to your largest marketing tool...your website!

Happy 4th of July!! Be Safe!!

Sharon

http://lamotheservices.com/

What Does Your Web Design Do For You

There are so many websites on the internet nowadays, so if you want a great website that stands out from the crowd, you are going to have to have brilliant web design incorporated into it.

A website that is badly designed will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. If you want a website that is remembered for the right reasons, you are going to have to have a design that makes your website unique.

Your web design is the first thing that people notice when they arrive at your website. If you have an untidy website with bad graphics and terrible navigation, you are going to lose your readers and viewers right from the start. That is why web design is important in the process of creating a successful website. Whether it is a personal website or one that you intend to use for business purposes, it needs to be well designed and well maintained.

If you can grab the reader's attention by graphics that are relevant and useful, text that is of a very high quality, colors and layouts that are easy on the eye, then you are half way there! Research has shown that more people buy from websites that are designed professionally and look trustworthy, rather than quickly made and with badly thought out designs.

So, you can see how important your web design really is now. There are many ways to improve your web design, both for free and by hiring someone else to do it for you. Which you choose will depend on your budget and your time frame. A busy web designer may not be able to fit you in for months.

How you layout your website is also very important. You may have lots of great content on your website that people would love to read, but what if they can't find it? If you haven't clearly and easily laid out your website in the web design process, your readers won't be able to find any other pages. This could be disastrous if you are selling some kind of service or product.

All in all the web design aspect is only a small part of getting your website up and running, however, it is very important. When you are designing your website, remember to make it easy to navigate, concise and clear.

If you are not familiar with web design and all the aspects that go into creating a website, it may be worth your while looking for a professional web designer or a pre made template. Web designers come with different price tags all depending on where you get them from and what you need doing.

If you want a relatively simple design you will be looking at a fairly cheap price. If you are looking for a complex website with many features you can expect to pay a fair amount of money for it. A good designer will include you all throughout the process. You will be able to approve the website as many times as required.

Ready-made templates are great if you don't have the budget for a professional designer and don't have the time to learn how to create one from scratch. There are many free ones that you find on the Internet or ones that you can buy for a small amount of money.


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About the Author: Daniel Millions - If you need high quality VPS Hosting or FFMpeg Hosting with a guaranteed high uptime look no further.

All Websites Are International

I think that this article could also be entitled "Selling Concepts" because that is what it's mostly about. The majority of people who read my blog are selling a service and, as I talked about earlier, in essence, selling themselves.( Meaning their reputations) Having said that, reading below maybe an eye opener for those just starting out with their business...moving it from the dream to the machine! (computer...Internet...you get the picture!)
Sharon
http://lamotheservices.com/

All Websites Are International

Tip O'Neill, the late Speaker of The House of Representatives is often quoted as saying "All politics is local," meaning a politician that helps a constituent with a problem is likely to win that vote based on the personal assistance provided, irrespective of that politician's stance on the larger, more weighty, geo-political issues. What then of business, is all business local or international?

Shopping Is An Experience

The world has changed dramatically since the days when neighborhood shopping was the main option, and people relied on their local merchants for products and services. The world of commerce today seems to be divided between two competing scenarios: on the one hand, people are more mobile than ever before, and more willing to travel to buy what they want, even with wildly fluctuating energy costs; and on the other hand, people are busier than ever and use the Internet to seek out the companies, products, and services they want and need.

What seems to be consistent is the underlying need to feel something, to experience the process. The higher the value, the greater the psychological component to the buying experience. The same is true for products and services that are considered non-essential.

People Wonder Why They Can't Sell More Stuff

We all have our favorite stores and websites, where we know we will be looked-after with more than the ubiquitous and perfunctory, "have a nice day," but sadly that sense of service is all but lost in a misguided rush to pseudo efficiency. Brick and mortar stores with their part-time, minimum wage time-fillers whose only talent seems to be a vacant blank stare accompanied by "that's not my department" is bad enough. But what of websites that don't accept phone calls, or any other kind of inquiry other than a form email that you can be assured will be answered in a week or two, along with a request for more information that generally corresponds to the information you've already provided - that's what passes for website service today. And people wonder why they can't sell more stuff.

The Web Is An International Venue

The Web of course presents one additional wrinkle to the service issue, one that puts a premium on communicating your message effectively: the Web is an international venue. No matter what you do, or where you're located, you can be sure people from all parts of the world are visiting your website if you have something of value to say. This then puts a premium on your ability to articulate a coherent message, one that eliminates the need for visitors to phone Mumbai, Beijing, or Lickskillet, Ohio.

English speaking companies have a hard enough time communicating effectively, but what of non-English speaking companies trying to break into the North American market? You find websites in many different languages, catering to local markets, but if you're looking for North American exposure, you best deliver your message in the language of the Web, and like it or not, that language is English.

Words Have Meaning

Far be it from me to criticize CBS news anchor Katie Couric, who generally does a fine job, but when she refers to the Democrats winning the House, Senate, and Presidency as "single party rule" it raises the hackles on the back of my neck. Words have meaning and presentation has impact. But I am not just talking about proper grammar, syntax, and usage, something many of us stumble over at times, but what of idiom, metaphor, and voice; elements that are just as important in effective marketing communication as proper usage.

Years ago while visiting London, England I passed a store with the sign that read "Fags and Mags," a disconcerting message until I got acclimatized to the British slang. When it comes to marketing, you can get away with a lot, but even countries that speak the same language have different patois, slang, and cultural references.

One of the great advantages of being from Canada with its proximity to the USA, its historical ties to the British Commonwealth, and its multicultural population is that we understand these differences and can translate them into effective North American marketing campaigns.

Crafting Your Web Marketing Message

What do you sell? A seemingly simple question any business executive should be able to answer, but can they answer it accurately? Ask yourself: do you sell a product, a service, or a concept? Does a shoe store sell shoes, or comfort and status? Does an accountant sell auditing services, or legitimacy and security? Does a politician sell tax cuts, or a better future?

When it comes to marketing you have to think concepts; if you build your advertising around products or services rather than concepts you will never be able to develop an effective campaign, let alone an effective website presentation.

Take Target and Walmart for example: they both sell similar products for the most part, a problem many retailers and most distributors have but refuse to face. Target markets itself as the leader in low priced, designer-styled merchandise, a distinct marketing position compared to Walmart that markets itself as the low priced leader and the heck with design. Each company delivers a unique marketing concept, one targeting consumers interested in price alone, the other aimed at shoppers who want a little style with their bargains: two different concepts, two different brand positions, and two different marketing strategies.

We All Sell Concepts Not Products and Services

One way or another we all sell a concept no matter what the product or service. When a client approaches us with the question "why aren't we selling more stuff?" a quick review of their site usually provides the answer: their website is not articulating in any meaningful, memorable manner, the conceptual premium their product or service delivers.

Before you invest in a new website or Web marketing campaign, decide what concept you are actually delivering. That concept is the basis of your marketing strategy and it informs what you say and how you say it.

Selling Concepts Is All About The Presentation

The recent US election is a great example of how to sell a concept. Putting all political bias aside look at the difference between how Obama approached his speeches and how McCain approached his. Of course both men talked about their policies and how they would handle different domestic and international situations.

McCain spoke to his constituency and delivered what they wanted to hear, but his words and presentation style fell far short of motivating the undecided or converting non-believers. Accusing a fellow Senator and Harvard Law alumni, with red baiting language like "redistributing the wealth" was obvious code language that failed the sniff test to all but his staunch backers.

Compare McCain's efforts to motivate through distrust and fear to Obama's message of hope, with his "Yes We Can" catchphrase echoing the American 'can do' spirit and traditional approach to solving problems. Not only did Obama say the right words to motivate his audience, he delivered his message with the motivational rhythm and cadence of an inspirational preacher.

Whether you're selling a political agenda or carbonated sugar water, you must learn to communicate your marketing concept in a way that people will understand, remember, and act upon.

Concepts Are Universal

The Web is an international venue. If you have something of value to say or sell, you will attract an international audience. Foreign companies that want to access the USA market must learn to speak "American" or hire a marketing communication company that does. American companies that want to grow beyond their local markets must learn to think concepts, the universal language of sales.


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About the Author: Jerry Bader is Senior Partner at MRPwebmedia, a website design firm that specializes in Web-audio and Web-video. Visit http://www.mrpwebmedia.com/ads, http://www.136words.com, and http://www.sonicpersonality.com. Contact at info@mrpwebmedia.com or telephone (905) 764-1246.

6 Search Engine Marketing Strategies

With the economy in a (seemingly) downward spiral now is not the time to give up on marketing your services! Use your website and blog to get yourself and your business noticed above all of the others! below are some tips that I have found to assist you in your marketing techniques!

Sharon
http://lamotheservices.com/

6 Search Engine Marketing Strategies

Search engine marketing involves keeping your content fresh, using keywords that put you at the top of the first page and obtaining as many links to your site from other websites as possible.

Pleasing the Search Engines

1. Search engines love updated content. Pay attention to which sites show on the first page and you will notice that among the sites in keyword competition, it is the sites with the most updated content that win out. Either write your own articles and upload your own graphics and photos or outsource the job to freelancers.

There are many freelancers who write for reasonable rates. With one good writer or writing team, you can improve your site's rankings dramatically. Make sure the writer you choose understands SEO.

2. Keyword strategies include going for those people who instead of searching for 'weight loss' search for 'how to lose 20 pounds fast' and other more specific terms. Do not stuff your pages with keywords. The recommended density of keywords is between 2 and 3 percent of the text on your page.

Excessive keyword phrases are not only recognizable to search engines as 'stuffing', they can ultimately affect the quality of the writing. This is where LSI comes in. LSI involves using phrases that are synonymous with your original keyword phrase. Learn about LSI!

3. The more relevant sites that link to your page, the better your rankings will be. For example, if you sell creative scrap booking products, try putting links about your self-designed scrap booking pages on sites that instruct people on how to scrap book. This is one way of 'piggy backing' on the keywords used by other sites.

Write your own articles or have a freelance writer write some for you. Submit them to article directories and allow other sites to use them providing they leave the resource box or by-line connected to the article. It is a 'scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' strategy and it works for both sides.

4. You can use your blog for more search engine marketing. If you update your blog daily and ping it with blog directories, you will see an increase in your blog's search engine rankings. Link to your site from your blog. This is another means of piggy backing.

5. Purchasing clicks on search engines is another strategy used in search engine marketing. This is how sites are placed in 'sponsored sites' at the very top of the page and along the right hand side on Google. Depending on the keywords you use for this strategy, you will have to pay a few pennies to several dollars in order to beat out your competition.

Yahoo allows you to set a daily maximum amount of money for clicks. If your site is brand new, try the lowest amount of money for a week or so to test how many clicks you get and how many sales you make from those clicks.

6. Monitor your site traffic on at least a weekly basis. Note how much of your traffic is coming from regular search engine marketing. After a couple of weeks of tracking, make small changes to optimize your site's search engine rankings. Continue looking for ways to improve on your site.

Gather all the information you can find on each of these strategies. Search engine marketing, as with all other forms of marketing, is constantly changing. Stay up to date on everything there is to know about search engine marketing and you will see your sales increase considerably!


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About the Author: Karla Whitmore is a creative freelance writer dedicated to supplying fresh, original and SEO rich content and plr to online businesses, webmasters and affiliate marketers.