I’ve been undecided about what to write today. As most of you know I always write about what’s been going on in my life. I’m a great believer in people buy from those they like and trust and try to build relationships with my lovely subscribers.

I also always say never write about negative or sad things.

But today I’m breaking my rules! Sadly my wonderful aunt died last Friday. Sunday we had the funeral and last night we had a beautiful memorial service for her.

My aunt bless her was a good age; she was 89 and had a wonderful life. We were very close; she was like a grandmother to me as mine died when I was very young.

Often when we are faced with death or sad things it makes us reflect on our lives. We are only given one life and it’s so important to live it free from regret.

My aunt’s carer came up to me yesterday and told me how proud my aunt was of me, all my achievements both in business and personal. I do feel proud of what I have achieved and often forget how far I’ve come. When I went to Downing Street for Best Mumpreneur of the Year my aunt and all my family were so proud of me.

Remember your dreams, your aspirations. Dreams CAN come true. Sometimes they just need a bit of work:)

What are your dreams? What do you hope to aspire to?

I feel very privileged to be able to be in a position where I can choose the hours I work, how much time I want to work, be able to pick up Emily every day from school and of course earn a good income.

But it wasn’t always like that. I chose to have my working life like that. I’ve chosen a path where I can spend more time at home and be with my family. Yes, it can still be stressful, but I have “procedures” in place to help reduce the stress. We all get stressed, its natural, it’s how we deal and cope with it.

Today I’m back at work so please do give me a call on 07590 554292 if you would like to have a chat about how I can help you with your business or if you have questions about Yournetbiz.

One of the barriers with running a business which I hear all too often is not enough time. Running a business is time consuming and it’s imperative that we manage our time correctly in order to get everything done.

Everyone is given the same amount of time. I look at successful business owners like Sir Alan Sugar and Duncan Bannatyne and wonder in amazement how they do it all. Yes they pay a lot of people to help them but they must also have to do a fair bit themselves (when they’re not sunning themselves on one of their many yachts!)

Below are a few of my top tips for managing your time:

• I write a ‘to do’ list at the end of each day so I can get stuck straight in at the start of the following day

• I limit when I check emails. Hundreds come flooding in every day so I make a point of looking at them three or four times a day and then responding/actioning as appropriate. It makes your time much more effective

• Everyone is different in terms of when they are most productive. If you can analyse when this is then it’s useful to schedule important activities to match

• Working from home gives me flexibility but it’s also easy to get distracted. You have to discipline yourself so that you don’t do housework when you should be focused on your job or business.

• Keep a close eye and monitor how you spend your time, see what activities are taking too long.

• I try to keep a clear desk and it’s important to factor in clearing up time into your day. It’s easy to let things pile up – you’ll then find that time gets wasted by searching through piles of paperwork.

• If you work from home then burning oils can give your working environment good ‘karma’

• It’s useful to re-evaluate how you spend your time every few months to see where you can save time and get the right balance.

• I carry a notebook with me everywhere I go. It helps with noting down ideas and thoughts but also things I need to do – it helps me keep on top of work and family. It helps to reduce stress too because if you can get it all down on paper then you feel much more in control – you don’t feel overwhelmed by keeping everything in your head

Below is a short video which I did yesterday with my 5 year old daughter.  It’s been half term and I feel very fortunate that I have been able to hardly work throughout the week so that I can spend time with her.  We’ve been to London, had parties, Beaconsifeld village, the farm and various other fun activities!

For me, this is what it’s all about, I joined Your Net Biz so that I could spend lots of time with my family whilst at the same time earn a fantastic income, which before joining seemed like an impossible dream!

Most people starting up their own business don’t have a big budget or very little to spend on their marketing efforts. But do you really need to spend a huge amount anyway?  With social media playing a huge role in many companies marketing strategies it’s cut the cost of most marketing budgets.

Below are my favourite top 10 FREE marketing strategies that I use and personally can recommend. The important thing to remember is to be consistent with your marketing and to do it regularly. I would recommend doing each of the following on a weekly basis. I have seen amazing results and you can too!

1. Youtube

Youtube was founded in February 2005 and now is ranked No. 4 of the top sites on the web. It has millions of people watching video’s every day so is a great way to increase your SEO (make sure you choose your key words wisely) by driving people to your website(s). Don’t be shy about networking on Youtube as well. Post comments and build up a subscription base. Youtube is a really great way to not only drive traffic to your website but also generate business. Check out my channel here

2. Article Submission

Writing articles and submitting them to the various directories is another free and great method to bring people to your website. It also helps you become an expert within your chosen niche. There are many article directories that you can submit to, below are my favourite ones:

EzineArticles
GoArticles
WebProNews
ArticleDashboard

3. Blogging

Blogging is an excellent method that should be used as part of your online marketing plan. It is a great way for getting people connected to you and drives people to your website. By posting regularly you also raise your profile online. One of the most immediate great things about blogging is getting people to comment and seeing discussions start. This gains interest to the blog and back to your company, particularly if you do it well and consistently.

You can set up a blog for free. I recommend using http://www.wordpress.com or http://www.blogger.com

Check out my blog here

4. Twitter

Twitter would have to be the fastest growing site on the web today. It is currently ranked 13th of the most used websites on the web and is taking the internet by a storm. There are around 10,000+ new users per day signing up to join.

Twitter is best described as a micro blogging platform. You are limited to 140 characters each time you do an update, which initially, may seem a small amount. However, as you become more experienced, it’s just amazing what you can fit into 140 characters.

Twitter is one huge global chat room, but then again, it doesn’t have to be. It all depends on how many people you follow on Twitter.

I highly recommend using Twitter for business, it’s a fabulous way to drive traffic to your website as well as gain business. Follow me here

5. Facebook

Facebook is the 2nd most used website on the web (after Google). It’s a social utility that connects people, to keep up with friends, upload photos, share links and videos. It’s also a fabulous way to promote your business, drive traffic to your website and gain new business. Connect with me on Facebook here

6. Squidoo

Squidoo is a popular publishing platform and community that makes it easy for you to create “lenses” online. Lenses are pages, kind of like flyers or signposts or overview articles, that gather everything you know about your topic of interest. Another great free way of promoting your business and driving traffic to your website. Check out my lens here

7. Free Classified ads

There are various websites where you can place a classified advert for free. Here are my favourites:

http://uk.freeads.net/#
http://www.vivastreet.co.uk/
http://www.classifieds.co.uk/#
http://www.freeukclassifieds.co.uk/

8. Ecademy

Ecademy is a Social Business Network founded in 1998. Ecademy enables business people to connect through online networking as well as business networking events. You are also able to post blogs, and “marketplace listings”. Ecademy is a great way to generate business together with driving people to your website. Connect with me here

9. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries with over 48 million members. LinkedIn is another great online network which raises your profile online, drives people to your business and generates business. Connect with me here

10. Network

Okay the last free place is pretty obvious but often forgotten. I recently went to one of my daughter’s friend’s birthday party. I met a guy that I hadn’t seen for ages and, of course we got talking. I had no idea that he was interested in Online Marketing and when I told him about what I was doing now he was incredibly keen and wanted to know more about it. He also had a few friends who liked the opportunity. (By the way after the party we got chatting via Facebook too!) Networking amongst your friends, family, colleagues and wider circles is a huge and incredibly powerful way to get business. People buy from those they like and trust, and who better to buy from you?

Don’t forget to do simple measures to ensure that you can network wherever you go! Always take your business cards with you and don’t be afraid to talk business at social gatherings.

I hope the above tips help you. There are many more free places to promote your business, but these are just a few to get you started! It’s important to remember that effective marketing doesn’t always equal big budget.

I just thought I would share with you a great and FREE – and also FUN way to make video’s. I’ve recently signed up to http://www.animoto.comwhich is a fabulous site which allows you to make video’s. You can also upgrade and create longer video’s for a small fee.

I’ve just spent 10 minutes uploading a few photo’s and it’s created the video below. I had great fun and I think the end result is not bad considering it’s free!

Posting video’s on various different video channels – my favourite of course is YouTube which is currently the second most popular website in the world after Google! Is an amazing and lets not forget a great cost effective way to promote you, your business or whatever you are trying to promote.

And best of all it’s fun!

Enjoy!

Free ways to drive traffic to your website. An informative video which gives lots of different ideas to get people on to your website – for free!

Research by Sharpe Partners, an interactive marketing agency, has shown that 89% of adult Internet users share email information with other users. Which is great for those who use viral email techniques to sell their products.

The research also looked at the type of email content that is forwarded most often. Top of the popularity list is humour.

Next, in decreasing order of popularity, are: news; medical & healthcare; religion and spiritual matters; games; personal finance & business; and hobbies & sports. So humour is the best approach for your viral marketing campaign.

To ensure that your email message goes viral, add something like jokes, cartoons or funny video clips. If it makes them laugh, people are more likely to pass it on. They are more likely to forward your message to friends and family if it is entertaining, rather than just an advertisement.

A little while back about 35 million people received an email that included a picture taken in Disneyland. There was Donald Duck lying flat in front of the famous Cinderella Castle. The caption read “Bird Flu has hit Disneyland”. This was viral email marketing for Disneyland, using a borderline strategy of making fun out of something serious – and it works.

Lots of computer users have seen that picture and hence the Disneyland advert. The bird flu epidemic was newsworthy and had the potential to get attention for any brand that might, whatever the reasons, associate itself with it.

Since people are more likely to share a funny picture or a joke than anything else, including humour in your email campaign could be a smart move.

Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective and potent ways to earn money online. It is a concept that provides everyone with a chance to earn cash via the Internet. Affiliate marketing schemes are easy to join and implement, and they pay regular commission. Hence more and more people are looking at this business.

However, as with any other venture, there are a lot of scams in affiliate marketing. Some of the more common mistakes can cost participants a large chunk of their daily profits. So avoid them if you can.

Mistake 1: Joining the wrong scheme

Lots of people want to start earning from affiliate marketing as soon as possible. So in the rush to get going, they tend jump on a bandwagon and select a product that everyone says is “hot”. In other words they go for a product currently in demand rather than one that appeals to them.

This has a number of disadvantages. In particular, if the product is of little interest to you, then it will be more difficult to generate passion in your marketing. Also, if there is a bandwagon to jump on, then there could be a lot of competition from other affiliates.

So pick a product that appeals to you. Research the product and see if it is in demand. If you are passionate about the product itself, then it will be much easier to promote than if you are in it solely for the money.

Also, think about the product owners (on whose behalf you will be selling). Are there many other affiliates (who will be your competitors)? Is the scheme good to work with?

Mistake 2: Joining too many schemes

Because affiliate marketing schemes are easy to join, there is the temptation to join lots of them to try and maximise your earnings. You may also think that there is nothing wrong with joining many schemes and nothing to lose by it.

This may be true as far as it goes. However, if you join many schemes over a short period, trying to promote them all at the same time will stop you from concentrating on any particular one of them.

What happens then? You will not realise the full potential of your collected schemes and your earnings will be less than you first thought.

To get good results, start off with just one scheme, but one that pays a high commission (say 40%+). Then give it your best shot by promoting your products wholeheartedly. As soon as you are getting reasonable results (with reasonable earnings), then perhaps you could join a further scheme.

The right approach is slow but sure. You really don’t need to rush things, particularly with affiliate marketing. The future of affiliate marketing looks bright and is likely to be around for quite a while.

Mistake 3: Not using the product

The main function of an affiliate is to promote a product or service effectively and persuasively and to seek out customers. To do this you must be able to communicate the product or service’s qualities. This will be harder if you have not tried out the product or service for yourself. In particular it will be more difficult to promote and recommend your offerings convincingly or to create a desire for them in your customers.

Try the product or service first before becoming an affiliate. See if it really delivers what is promised. If you have done so, and still want to promote it, then you can give a real, credible testimonial, fully aware of its pros and cons. This, in turn, will communicate a level of sincerity to your customers and they will be more inclined to try out your wares for themselves.

And finally….

Lots of affiliates make these mistakes and pay dearly for them.

Time is important. Take the time to analyze and develop your marketing strategy. Check continually that what you are doing is likely to yield the results that you want. Done properly, you can maximise both the potential of your affiliate marketing scheme and your earnings from it.