Do you think outsourcing is only for those businesses that are already making a lot of money? I find that the sooner the small business owner gets started outsourcing, the more potential there is for profit. I recently shared  how outsourcing will save you a huge amount of valuable time as well as make sure that your online business is running to the best of its ability because you’re utilizing the expertise of others.

Because online business calls for a wide variety of skills and talents, it only makes sense that no one person can or should tackle them all on their own. There are several tasks that can easily and, more importantly, beneficially be outsourced elsewhere. (more…)

Blogs are magnets, especially when they’re written with the consideration of keyword content. A blog is naturally attractive to search engines since they are content-rich web pages that have many links and are regularly updated.  Techniques for optimizing blogs are similar to optimizing content websites, but they can actually rank much higher than a static website.

Let me share a few simple rules: (more…)

An interactive website encourages your website visitor to stick around so they get to know you. Since  blogs are very interactive, they give you the opportunity to authentically communicate who you are and what you have to offer so you can attract the right customers.

Let me tell you a story about how my blog helped me interact…. Last week I was at sitting in the waiting room at one of those less-than-fun (but necessary) appointments and I decided to re-read The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea. It’s a beautiful parable by Bob Burg that I’ve enjoyed several times and each time I’m reminded of key lessons that serve as the foundation for my business.

Fast forward a couple days…I had an hour’s break while carpooling my kids one afternoon and took advantage of a few quiet moments waiting in the car with my laptop and wrote a blog post about The Go-Giver and the key lessons I’ve learned from it. When I got home I uploaded it to my blog and within a few hours Bob Burg (best-selling author) had added me as a friend on Facebook and a follower on Twitter and was promoting me to his list. This was amazing to me and certainly the kind of interaction I thrive on!

Blogs are also easy and inexpensive to set-up and manage. Don’t have a blog? At my upcoming Metromom Online Success Tele-Summit, #mtmm09,  Wendy Maynard will share steps to creating a blog for the first time quickly and without spending any money.

A blog is a fantastic way to start forming a bond with your visitor by letting your individual style and approach to business shine through. Blogs are also great for busy work-at-home moms because they’re very flexible-you can blog daily or weekly, you can post long or short blogs, you can be have informational posts or entertaining ones.

You can also make your blog interactive by inviting the reader to leave a comment or ask for their opinion on a hot-topic. This is a great way to start a dialogue with your customers, find out what they’re thinking and start establishing relationships. Ideally, you should provide your blog readers additional ways to connect with you. On your “side bar” you can provide links to your website, Facebook and Twitter pages or newsletter sign-up.