Brainy Tidbits: Niche Marketing&Internet Marketing = Dollars!

Marketing Idea Shop, LLC
411 Rainier Road
Massanutten, Virginia 22840
Telephone 540.289.3840
Toll Free 800.203.8660
Fax 540.289.3839
Email ideas@marketingideashop.com

Visit our sister site:
Success Secrets of Women Business Owners

Niche Marketing, Internet Marketing & More

PLEASE TELL OTHERS!
Please forward this to anyone who wants to attract more customers, close more sales, get more website traffic, and find resources to help them compete more successfully in today's market.

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You might be wondering why you haven't received a newsletter in awhile. So I'm putting this section right up front today because it's been 4 weeks since I've written to you.

Over the holidays, my brother Steve became very ill. At first, we thought he would be quickly stabilized, but he continued to deteriorate, and he died December 31 at the
young age of 55. I flew to Wisconsin to be with him and my sisters throughout his final days. Steve was a Vietnam veteran who suffered for years with the after-effects of
Agent Orange. He was married and divorced twice and had no biological children. Several relatives and friends came to visit him while he was at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Milwaukee, and he passed away comfortably under
V.A. hospice care. The staff at V.A. was wonderful.

While sitting with Steve, I occupied my time making earrings, a hobby I have recently begun. The nurses would come in and comment about how pretty they were (and drop
hints about their favorite colors). I gave away most of the earrings to the nurses, my relatives and friends. I was honored that everyone thought they were pretty.

During his visit, my cousin Terry reminded me about my Grandma Sadie's Brown Sugar Christmas Cookies. He kindly sent me the recipe and I'm sharing it with you:

I hope you are doing well and you have a very profitable 2006.

Peace & Light,
Lois

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One of my good friends, Jo DeMars, has run a very successful business in Wisconsin since 1988. I profiled her in October 2004 in my "Success Secrets of Women Entrepreneurs" ezine. At that time, she had 25 full-time-equivalent employees, 40 independent contractors, and about 300 volunteers working for her dispute resolution
company. Read the profile.

Until 2005, DeMars and Associates' biggest client was Ford Motor Company. When the Better Business Bureau underbid DeMars for Ford's arbitration work, DeMars and Associates lost its biggest profit-generating client and has had to scale back its whole operation, a loss of 20 jobs and a drastic curtailment of work for 40 independent contractors and 300 volunteers.

Yes, you read that correctly. The nonprofit, membership organization BBB took business away from a for-profit company! In the past, the BBB was a champion for consumers,
helping them resolve disputes with businesses. Companies joined the BBB to show that they worked hard to equitably resolve disputes, and the Better Business Bureau worked with them to resolve complaints. But this is an entirely new direction for the Better Business Bureau. (Where's "60 Minutes" when you need them?)

I think it's time to expose the BBB for its deceitful practices. Stealing business from a member company is very underhanded. If you have ideas on how to publicize this
issue, influence the BBB to discontinue this practice, or help DeMars and Associates become the strong business they once were, post your comments on my blog.

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3. Quote of the Week

"I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony,
health, love and abundance. Then whenever doubt, anxiety, or
fear try to call me, they keep getting a busy signal and
soon they'll forget my number."

~Edith Armstrong

What's your definition of success? Email your comments to me.

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4. Niche with Passion

One of the keys to creating a successful business is finding a market niche that's small enough to corner the market but big enough to make money. Let me tell you about a few people who have done that well, and why it works for them.

Tony Cox, Catalog Solutions: Tony only focuses on small specialty foods catalog companies. He's found a very profitable niche, and he has developed a national
reputation for being able to grow customer lists and improve profitability for these small companies. This works for him because there are plenty of small specialty foods companies that need help, and he's able to significantly make a difference in their return on investment because he knows how to drive more business their way.

Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, shares her publicity expertise every week with over 14,000 subscribers. By concentrating on how to get terrific publicity, Joan specializes in something that every small business wants and needs. She has become "the" publicity expert, and is sought after for her public speaking and articles. When companies
ask her to write a marketing plan (a complementary need), she refers them to other specialists because doing a marketing plan would take more time for her than the project
would be worth. It's not her specialty, so she usually turns it down.

Annie Jennings of Annie Jennings PR focuses on book publicity for authors, speakers and experts. Her unusual pay-for-placement method of generating publicity is
different than what most publicity firms offer, creating a niche market for her services. You don’t pay her unless you get a media hit. She also offers f*ree teleseminars on lots
of topics related to book marketing.

Tom Antion of GreatInternetMarketing.com concentrates on teaching people how to become better speakers and make more money by using creative marketing techniques. Although these same marketing methods would work for anyone, Tom focuses
his efforts on speakers who want to improve, which winnows the niche market to a reasonable size. Consequently, when people think of training for speakers, Tom's name often comes up. He's also a successful Internet marketing coach and trainer and has become a multi-millionaire using the techniques he teaches others.

None of these folks is in business simply because they can make money at it...although they DO make money. They have the skills, knowledge and passion needed to create a
successful business.

How can you find a niche for your business? Take an inventory of all your skills, abilities, interests and passions. Which ones most excite you? What do you LOVE to do? What needs in this marketplace aren't being met? How can you meet those needs?

Remember, you have to be passionate about what you do or you'll never get anywhere. So put your passion to work and discover a niche where you can make money in an online or offline business. The smaller and more specialized the market, the better. Focus on profits.

For specific training in Internet marketing, pick up a copy of Tom Antion's "Butt Camp CDs," newly revised for 2005.

Or better yet, attend his Butt Camp Teleseminar and ask your questions in person!

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5. How to Use the Internet for Free Publicity
By Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound

The Internet is one of the cheapest ways to market your business and obtain free publicity, as long as you're willing to spend the time it takes to spread your name far and wide.

Your task is easier if you have your own website. But even if you can't afford that just yet, you still have many options:

Become an active member of forums or discussion boards.

Blatant commercialism is discouraged, but hang around some of these forums long enough, offer free advice and before long people will be asking what else you know--and possibly what kind of product or service you sell. See "Secrets for Getting Through to the Media Online":

Start blogging.

Anyone can create a blog for free, and blog postings get better search engine rankings than articles at a website. You can get your own free blog at:

Word Press or Blogspot

Check out the website of the media outlet where you want to be mentioned.

It might have contests, special offers, guest books or other features designed to find out more about you. You also might find profiles of broadcasters, editorial calendars for
newspapers, and other information that will help research that medium.

Many newspapers and magazines feature "hot websites."

Ask them to visit yours. But first, make sure it’s worth visiting.

Write articles for electronic newsletters and magazines, like this one.

In exchange for your article, most editors will let you write a generous tagline telling readers what you do and how to contact you. See "Special Report #6: How to Write How-to Articles That Position You as an Expert":

If you don't have the time to write articles, subscribe to other people's free newsletters.

Give the editor free advice, tips and nuggets of helpful information for their newsletter, in exchange for using your name and e-mail address.

If you publish your own electronic newsletter, make sure you register it.

Ezine Listing and Ezine-Universe are two of the largest databases
for electronic newsletters.

Need more help using the Internet for free publicity?

See "Special Report #17: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Website to Draw Traffic and Boost Sales."

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," a free ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe and receive free by email the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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6. Now That You've Joined, Talk, Chat, Get Help!

Membership is growing—we have 174 members as of today. But the content depends on you. Let's get talking!

Do you have new products you're launching? Announce it in our Success Secrets Forum. Want help with getting more clients? Talk about it in the forum. If you post, I will reply! And if I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who does. Let's chat.

Oh? Haven't joined? There's still time. And the Success Secrets forum is still FREE!

Success Secrets of Women Entrepreneurs forum

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7. A Little Fun

From http://www.jokesaround.com

Here's a little clarification of corporate lingo:

"Competitive Salary:" We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.

"Join Our Fast-Paced Company:" We have no time to train you; you'll have to introduce yourself to your coworkers.

"Seeking Enthusiastic, Fun, Hard Working, People:"...who still live with their parents and won't mind our internship-level salaries.

"Casual Work Atmosphere:" We don't pay enough to expect that you'll dress up; well, a couple of the real daring guys wear earrings.

"Join Our Dynamic Team:" We all listen to nutty motivational tapes.

"Must Be Deadline Oriented:" You'll be six months behind schedule on your first day.

"Some Overtime Required:" Some time each night and some time each weekend.

"Duties Will Vary:" Anyone in the office can boss you around.

"Must Have An Eye For Detail:" We have no quality control.

"Career-Minded:" Female Applicants must be childless (and remain that way).

"Apply in Person:" If you're old, fat or ugly you'll be told the position has been filled.

"No Phone Calls Please:" We've filled the job; our call for resumes is just a legal formality.

Be sure to visit our past jokes and trivia at:
Marketing Jokes and Trivia and Fun Stuff

Take a look. You'll have fun!

Help keep the smiles coming...please send me your marketing, PR or sales jokes. I'll be happy to give you credit and list your website! Email me.

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8. Resources for Marketers and Entrepreneurs

Internet Marketing Association of Information Marketers
If you want access to Tom Antion, who you’ve heard me talk
about in this newsletter, for as little as $15 a month, join
the membership group called NetAIM. Each month, you can ask
Tom questions about your website, ezine, blog, products, or
any facet of Internet marketing. Joining this group was the
smartest decision I made this year. I get the latest tips
tools and resources. And, besides Tom Antion, I can network
with lots of other leaders in the field and participate in
online forum discussions. Join now: check it out.

Women's Sales & Marketing Summit
The eWomenNetwork will hold a sales and marketing summit for
women on March 15, 2006, from 9:30 am - 3 pm at Maggiano's,
Tyson's Two Galleria, 2001 International Drive, McLean, VA
22102. $60/$50 for members. Learn more and register.

Want to Add Audio to Your Website and Emails?

It's very easy to do with AudioGenerator. You just call in on the phone, record the clip and AudioGenerator will send you an email with the code for your website or email. Then you just paste it in. It's so easy...even I can do it. Check out how I use it on my home page.

And you can try it FREE for 21 days.

Want to Learn Internet Marketing Techniques?
Mitch Meyerson interviewed the top Internet marketers to create his "Online Marketing Superstars Home Study Course." It includes such stars as Tom Antion, Yanik Silver, Seth Godin, Robert Allen, and many more. Read more about it and
buy it here.

Need Content for Your Website?

You may reprint anything I have written in my ezine or on my website as long as you include the following paragraph at the end of the articles:

"Lois Carter Fay, APR, is a marketing strategist, copywriter
and author with 30 years experience. She is the founder of
MarketingIdeaShop.com and offers three email newsletters
about marketing, "Brainy Tidbits," "Brainy Flash" and
"Success Secrets of Women Entrepreneurs." Subscribe free at
http://www.MarketingIdeaShop.com

Check out my available articles.

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