How many times have you shopped at a store or eaten at a restaurant and been invited to take a customer service survey. Usually these survey opportunities are presented by the clerk or waiter who points out a web site at the bottom of your receipt. I have never paid attention to these in the past and often find them to be a nuisance. Sure, Target claims to give away $5000 gift cards. But who... Continue Reading

I have surveyed online business owners a number of times over the years. I have discovered a common thread in the problems that the majority of them are experiencing. 1) They are frustrated with the amount of traffic they get to their websites. Can you identify? 2) They are concerned that their online presence is not generating enough leads and new customers. Does that describe you? 3) They are upset with themselves (or vendors) for... Continue Reading

I recently wrote a few articles that created quite a bit of response from my readers. Where is the Integrity in Internet Marketing? challenged many of the all-too-common tactics used by unscrupulous marketers. I invited my readers to share their thoughts and experiences related to these issues, and the comments that followed were both insightful and instructional. Let's face it. When it comes to selling a product or service, marketing approaches are all over the... Continue Reading

Despite what the doomsayers would have you believe, there is plenty of opportunity to conduct business online. However, there is a big difference between trying to make money online and running a business online. The make money online pitch has unfortunately become synonymous with "get rich quick." The mentality is that you simply create a product and make money selling it. That's NOT building a business. That's trying to make a few bucks. Maybe it... Continue Reading

It's not entirely new and it's not entirely unique. Third-party providers like TwitterAnalyzer and Klout had already been providing some statistical feedback for Twitter for some time. CrowdBooster, a new service, promises to do even more. But the launch of Twitter's own Analytics service is going to change everything. Continue Reading

Part of project planning is knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, as a wise man once said. No matter how exciting or cool you might think a project is, some of them just don't become as profitable as you would like. It's important to set some boundaries and budget limits at the outset, so that you don't keep pouring money and effort into something that isn't going to go anywhere. Here... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Dan Nickerson) In preparation for writing this article I thought I would look for a great quote about learning from your mistakes. You know what...that was a mistake, because honestly there are a ton of them online. They all boil down to one basic principle: You can learn far more from your mistakes than from your successes. Continue Reading

Starting your own online business is a lot like a long journey. You will need perseverance, stamina, and some faith, and you will reach your goals. But lots of people burn up all of their energy right out of the starting gate. Have you ever gotten really excited about a business idea or an online mentor, thrown a lot of money at it, and then never done anything or really learned anything from it? There... Continue Reading

Recently I went to one of my favorite restaurants for a quick lunch. I called in an order of Chicken Tortilla soup to-go and went to pick it up. While I was there I observed that the restaurant was not busy. It SHOULD have been busy, being lunchtime. But it wasn't. It was then I asked to see if the owner was there. I wanted to speak with him for his benefit. He came out... Continue Reading

The following email was sent to me by one of the creators of The Internet Marketing World Cup. I told them I would consider updating my previous blog entry based on what he shared with me. After further consideration, I thought I would just let IMWC's point-of-view speak for itself. With that said, here is the entire email sent to me. It is thoughtful and I admire the IMWC team for proactively contacting me and... Continue Reading

While addressing the nuts and bolts might not be the most exciting part of a business, a sturdy, well-planned foundation is necessary to build great success. Here are some administrative items that we have believe are essential to any business: Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Tim Golen) In my line of work, I get asked a lot about what the difference is between mobile application development and mobile web development. Instead of just responding to a bunch of emails, I thought it best to write an article about it. Continue Reading

When people dream about ditching the J.O.B. and working for themselves, they tend to focus on the good things. They see themselves taking time off whenever they want. They imagine themselves commuting from the main bedroom to the spare bedroom. They love the fact that their future is in their own hands. Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Brian Means) Attending conferences is a great thing to do for your business. However, it's easy to get in the bad habit of over-commitment, attending too many conferences when you don't even have a solid game plan for attending one. Too many people do not have a clear end in mind when attending conferences. You need to create a strategy for your conference season. Continue Reading