<p><b>Getting The Word Out</b>
<br>There are many ways to get your points across in the online world. There is blogging, podcasting, videos, Tweeting, Facebook, internet radio and more. There is no limit to the number of people you can reach and you can do it all from the comfort of your home. No need to spend thousands on travel expenses and spend all that time away from your family and friends. Now you can spend a few hundred dollars and with an understanding of how the internet works, you can build an online business for yourself in no time from the keyboard of your computer.</p><p><b>Getting Known</b>
<br>You can build a name for yourself through a variety of mediums that only require an investment of your time and content. In a few hours a week, you can begin building Your Empire, Inc. If you create some products along the way too, you'll find shortly that you'll have built a passive income stream that will pay you for years to come.</p><p><b>Finding a Niche</b>
<br>If you're just starting out, you may argue with me that you don't need a niche and you don't want to limit your market that way. To you I say - you limit your market by NOT choosing a niche. When you choose a niche, you now have something to craft your message around, which means you have something to say. If you try to be everything to everyone, you wind up saying nothing. Rule of thumb: read your marketing - if what you're saying couldn't potentially offend someone (not your niche), then you haven't really said anything. You may already have your niche, or you may be looking for one. Whichever it is, it doesn't hurt to do a little keyword research to make sure that you're working in an area that people are interested in. Google's Keyword Tool can help you determine if your niche will be a boom or a bust in the marketplace, without you having to spend a single dime.</p><p><b>Defining Your Target Market</b>
<br>You know your niche, but do you know the people in it. Spend some time building a profile of your ideal client - the person who, if you could create them from scratch is the person you would always choose to work with because they are a joy. The profile should include demographics and psychographics, values structures, places they hang out, etc. It doesn't mean that you'll never work with anyone else, it just means that this is the person to whom all of your marketing is targeted. I'm a women's business coach for speakers, trainers, coaches and authors, but it doesn't mean that I never coach men or people in other businesses - it just means that my marketing isn't targeted to them.</p><p><b>Branding Yourself</b>
<br>If you want to have a presence online, then you want to have a way for people to find you easily. You'll want to create a brand that people can recognize. This means a look, a name and a sound (for audio and video presentations) that represents you. (If you're looking to save some cash at the outset, check out Opuzz for your audio and 99Designs for your graphic design). In the world of speaking, training, writing, and coaching you need to remember - you ARE your brand, which means that you need to make sure that whatever images and sounds you pick, they should really reflect your personality. Nothing will drive potential clients away faster than a disconnect in this area.</p><p><b>Branding Your Programs</b>
<br>Your programs need to have a brand as well. This means that they need to be positioned to say something compelling to your prospects that turns them into clients. You have to be able to clearly define what it is you do - not just in terms of features, but more importantly, in terms of the benefits the client will see from working with you, reading your book, attending your seminar, or hearing you speak. Don't underestimate the power of a good title to get you places too. Authors this is especially true for you. Don't let the marketing weenies at your publisher take all of the pop out of your book title. The best titles are short, alliterative and have a repeating sounds or a music to them. A good title can bring people in all by itself. If you did nothing but spend a week getting just the right title for your program, it would be time well spent.</p><p><b>Crafting Your Message</b>
<br>Now that you have your niche and your brand, it's time to craft your message. Here are the elements of a compelling message:
<br><ul><li>An offer that is clearly something that your prospect needs and knows s/he needs OR identify something that the prospect didn't know they were missing but that is obvious they need once they see it there in front of them</li>
<li>An emotional appeal that speaks to a strong desire or fear that the prospect has
<ul><li>A clear message that offers a solution to the pain of the fear or not having the desire fulfilled</li>
<li>A story line or format that makes it easy to read/scan</li>
<li>A compelling, time-sensitive, focused call to action to get your prospect to act</li></ul></ul></p><p><b>Sales Funnel</b>
<br>Because people on the web don't know you and won't be speaking to you immediately, they need a way to dip their toes (and their wallet) in slowly so that they are sure they are making the right decision. Then you need a way to bring them from smaller purchases up into larger ones. This is called the Sales Funnel. Yours should begin with a freebie giveaway of some kind that requires an opt-in (they have to give you their name and email address to get it). Then, if you're keeping the contact online instead of having them come to a live event, it should progress to something that costs less than $100. From there, you can bring them up into higher priced items.</p><p><b>Marketing Plan</b>
<br>There are so many tools in the world today that it's easy to get sucked into spending a ton of time accomplishing nothing. This is why it's important to map out a clear marketing plan that takes people through your sales funnel. Draw a clear path that you want people to take through your sales funnel process and then map out the places and ways that you can bring people into that process.</p><p>Remember that people may choose to come into the funnel in a variety of places. For instance, as a platform-building coach for women, some of my clients start at the Finding a Niche stage, many more come in with an already established platform, but they are looking to bring the business online, so I need to have an entry point for them as well. If you plan ahead, then it will be easier for you to know where to spend your time and how much time to spend in each arena. Make sure to include elements of both traditional internet marketing (pay-per-click ads, banner ads, SEO) and social media tools (blogging, podcasting, videos, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn).</p><p><b>Tracking Your Results</b>
<br>It's all well and fine to design your systems, but it's where the rubber meets the road that matters - results. How well did you plans work out? This is where tracking tools come in. Google Analytics, Quantcast, Feedburner, SiteMeter, Hubspot's Website Grader, and more can help you determine whether your marketing plan is yielding fruit or not. From there you can make decisions on how to improve your plan.</p><p>Building a business online isn't simple, but it is easy. Once you know what tools to use and how to put them in place to best effect, it's just a matter of spending the few hours a week to keep your cash machine producing.</p><p>Kelle Sparta, author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent, is one of the top innovators in the industry. Kelle's innovative techniques took her to the top of the market and they can take you there too. Kelle has coached agents from around the country who have been producing as much as $45 million per year in gross volume. Now she brings her unique style of real estate to you. Her dynamic presentation skills, high energy approach, and brilliant new ideas are sure to be the highlight of your day. Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides products, coaching and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love. For more information, visit her website at <a target="_new" href="http://www.spartasuccess.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.spartasuccess.com/</a></p><p>© 2009, Kelle Sparta</p><p><a target="_new" href="http://www.spartasuccess.com/FreeRealEstateAudio.asp" rel="nofollow">FREE 10-Part Audio Training Program</a></p>
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