Though working at home may seem like a dream job, and well it is, one can lose their sanity in the attempt to become a success. There are boundaries that should not be crossed when sacrificing to reach our goals.
The misconception that if you're work from home you are not actually working has been circulating and it is just plain wrong. The comments ,"Must be nice to nap whenever you want to." or "Sure wish I could take it easy like you do.." get flung at internet marketers on a regular basis. The thought that if you work at home you must not really be working has grown into a pulsating big green monster. Jealousy of the work at home situation makes many 9 to 5 workers feel as though home business owners must really be slackers. In reality home business owners work very hard, if not harder than most 9 to 5 workers.
Working from home does give one flexible hours. Sometimes you can work 2 hours one day, and no hours another day. However, there are many times at home entrepreneurs are working weekend hours when other people are out having fun. Home business workers are working late nights while others watch T.V. or absurd morning hours when most people are cuddled warm in bed. Those who work at home do have the luxury of flexible hours, and they also have the curse of flexible hours. They spend a lot more time working than if they were in an office.
Because of this constant work at any hour of the day schedule it is easy for home business owners to get stressed out. They may feel some times as if they are losing their sanity due to the odd work hours and need to keep their lively hood a float. Here are a few tips to keep a firm hold on that sanity.
Eat Well, don't blow off healthy meals just because you're busy. Make the effort to take a break and eat your meals. You will always be busy, and the 'right' time may never come around, without making the effort you could miss all of your energy boosting meals. Remember, you may be making oodles of money working through meals, but eventually your brain is going to stop functioning at ultimate performance if you deprive it of the nutrients it needs. Then what will happen to your home based business? So take a break, eat a meatloaf and your veggies, your brain will thank you.
Exercise, you don't have to be an aerobics guru to appreciate the benefits of some good exercise. When we get busy the first thing we throw to the wayside is exercise, how sad is that? Exercise is a great energizer, and it is habit forming. Make exercise a habit and you will find that you are thinking clearer and feeling better everyday. Both of those ingredients make a healthy marketing entrepreneur.
Take breaks when you need them. Do not force yourself to work past your limits. Burning yourself out will do nothing but pull your business down. Not to mention a burned out person is just asking for more sickness and less energy. The whole saying of 'Wok through the pain' or 'It's mind over matter' are just that, sayings. Your body will tell you when it needs a break, and it is your duty to supply that break and do something you enjoy. You will see that you will return to work refreshed and ready to tackle your assignments for the day.
Stick to a regular schedule, you may have flexible hours, but a regular schedule will keep you on track and getting things done. If you do not have a an approximate schedule to follow, you may find that chaos may reign and work will be less likely to get done on a regular basis.
Treat yourself right and take care of your needs so that you can operate at maximum efficiency. Enjoy the luxury of working at homeFeature Articles, and keep your sanity well in tact.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
Jason Pearson is an online marketing expert who wants to share his secrets with the world. To find out more...
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March 31, 2008
Ezine Advertising: 10 Steps to Writing Powerful Ezine Ads to Grow Your List
Advertising in email newsletters with ads is one of the greatest adverting bargains available today. It can be a very effective strategy to help you grow your mailing list and drive traffic to your website. There are thousands of ezine publishers eagerly standing by to take your money for a classified ad in their publication.
Copyright (c) 2008 OnlineBizU.com
Classified ads have been around as long as I can remember. Whether you're reading a newspaper or perusing the back of a magazine, you see classified ads. Before the advent of online marketing, placing classified ads in print publications was the method many people used to sell their products or services.
What has worked for years in traditional marketing is also quite effective in online marketing. Advertising in email newsletters with ads is one of the greatest adverting bargains available today. Moreover, it can be a very effective strategy to help you grow your mailing list and drive traffic to your website.
There are thousands of ezine publishers eagerly standing by to take your money for a classified ad in their publication. And, writing an ezine ad isn't quite as easy as it looks. How do you know the ad will be effective, and how do you create an ad that will result in a desired action?
Here are 10 steps to help you write a profitable classified ad for an ezine:
1. Choose your publication. Finding the right publication that goes out to the right target market is the key first step in this process. Optimally, you want an active list of at least 10,000 double opt-in subscribers who are accustomed to receiving regular ezines from the publisher (publishes weekly). Unfortunately, not everyone opens every email that they receive, so ask the publisher about her "open rate," which is the number of subscribers who actually open and read the ezine. A respectable and reasonable open rate is 30-40%. A great place to look for ezine publishers who sell ads in their email newsletters is Charlie Page's Directory of Ezines, http://www.directoryofezines.com.
2. Be one of few, not one of many. Check out the publisher's sample email newsletter, as well as back issues, before you decided to advertise. How many ads does the publisher run in one issue? For maximum effectiveness, choose one that runs 5 or less ads per issue. This gives you a much better chance of being seen when your ad is competing against a smaller number of ads.
3. Craft an attention-getting headline. Your headline is the part of your ad that must grab your reader's attention immediately. Otherwise, the reader scans right past your ad to the next one. Use action words that emphasize a solution to a problem that your target market has. Or, ask a question that attracts the reader's interest. In order for your ad to be read, your headline must effectively answer the reader's most basic question, "What's in it for me?"
4. Outline your benefits in the body. Don't use the body of the ad to promote your products or service. You'll get the best results when you offer readers something that they can get immediately at no cost, like an ebook, audio, special report, ecourse, etc. Readers never want to learn more for the sake of learning. They want to get to the benefits you promised, or what it will do for them, instead.
5. Create a call to action. Tell the reader what to do next -- what action to take. Typically this means directing them via your URL to a web page to take this action. This step is even more effective if you create a sense of urgency -- give them a reason to act immediately.
6. Keep it short. Most ezine ads vary between 25 and 50 words, including your URL. This means that you have limited space to create maximum impact.
7. Design your landing page. Make sure your landing page listed in your call to action speaks specifically to the readers of that ezine. Don't send them to a generic page of your site and expect them to be able to figure out where to go on that page and what to do. Greet them by name, i.e. Welcome subscribers to ABC Marketing Ezine, and reiterate who you are, what you're offering, and how they can receive your offer.
8. Track your results. Truly effective advertising is only effective if it creates your desired result. Be sure that you have a tracking mechanism in place, like ad tracker software, so that you can see exactly how many people took action on your ad and exactly where they came from. If your ad tracking system is integrated with your shopping cart, you'll also be able to track how many sales resulted from your ad.
9. Test and change. You may actually come up with 10 or 20 variations as you design your. Don't discard any of them, as you may find them useful in the future, especially as you test which versions of your ad are effective. Test different headlines or different calls to action over a period of time in the same publication and see which versions get the best results.
10. Run multiple times. A one-shot ad never works. Plan to advertise at least 4 consecutive times in an ezine to see how you do. The more the ad appears, the greater the likelihood that the ezine reader will notice it. Over time, you will begin to see which versions of your ad are more effective with what kinds of target markets.
Ezine advertising is a proven, low-cost strategy to help you market your online business, grow your listsBusiness Management Articles, and increase your profits. Start writing your classified ad today!
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at http://www.AskDonnaGunter.com.
Copyright (c) 2008 OnlineBizU.com
Classified ads have been around as long as I can remember. Whether you're reading a newspaper or perusing the back of a magazine, you see classified ads. Before the advent of online marketing, placing classified ads in print publications was the method many people used to sell their products or services.
What has worked for years in traditional marketing is also quite effective in online marketing. Advertising in email newsletters with ads is one of the greatest adverting bargains available today. Moreover, it can be a very effective strategy to help you grow your mailing list and drive traffic to your website.
There are thousands of ezine publishers eagerly standing by to take your money for a classified ad in their publication. And, writing an ezine ad isn't quite as easy as it looks. How do you know the ad will be effective, and how do you create an ad that will result in a desired action?
Here are 10 steps to help you write a profitable classified ad for an ezine:
1. Choose your publication. Finding the right publication that goes out to the right target market is the key first step in this process. Optimally, you want an active list of at least 10,000 double opt-in subscribers who are accustomed to receiving regular ezines from the publisher (publishes weekly). Unfortunately, not everyone opens every email that they receive, so ask the publisher about her "open rate," which is the number of subscribers who actually open and read the ezine. A respectable and reasonable open rate is 30-40%. A great place to look for ezine publishers who sell ads in their email newsletters is Charlie Page's Directory of Ezines, http://www.directoryofezines.com.
2. Be one of few, not one of many. Check out the publisher's sample email newsletter, as well as back issues, before you decided to advertise. How many ads does the publisher run in one issue? For maximum effectiveness, choose one that runs 5 or less ads per issue. This gives you a much better chance of being seen when your ad is competing against a smaller number of ads.
3. Craft an attention-getting headline. Your headline is the part of your ad that must grab your reader's attention immediately. Otherwise, the reader scans right past your ad to the next one. Use action words that emphasize a solution to a problem that your target market has. Or, ask a question that attracts the reader's interest. In order for your ad to be read, your headline must effectively answer the reader's most basic question, "What's in it for me?"
4. Outline your benefits in the body. Don't use the body of the ad to promote your products or service. You'll get the best results when you offer readers something that they can get immediately at no cost, like an ebook, audio, special report, ecourse, etc. Readers never want to learn more for the sake of learning. They want to get to the benefits you promised, or what it will do for them, instead.
5. Create a call to action. Tell the reader what to do next -- what action to take. Typically this means directing them via your URL to a web page to take this action. This step is even more effective if you create a sense of urgency -- give them a reason to act immediately.
6. Keep it short. Most ezine ads vary between 25 and 50 words, including your URL. This means that you have limited space to create maximum impact.
7. Design your landing page. Make sure your landing page listed in your call to action speaks specifically to the readers of that ezine. Don't send them to a generic page of your site and expect them to be able to figure out where to go on that page and what to do. Greet them by name, i.e. Welcome subscribers to ABC Marketing Ezine, and reiterate who you are, what you're offering, and how they can receive your offer.
8. Track your results. Truly effective advertising is only effective if it creates your desired result. Be sure that you have a tracking mechanism in place, like ad tracker software, so that you can see exactly how many people took action on your ad and exactly where they came from. If your ad tracking system is integrated with your shopping cart, you'll also be able to track how many sales resulted from your ad.
9. Test and change. You may actually come up with 10 or 20 variations as you design your. Don't discard any of them, as you may find them useful in the future, especially as you test which versions of your ad are effective. Test different headlines or different calls to action over a period of time in the same publication and see which versions get the best results.
10. Run multiple times. A one-shot ad never works. Plan to advertise at least 4 consecutive times in an ezine to see how you do. The more the ad appears, the greater the likelihood that the ezine reader will notice it. Over time, you will begin to see which versions of your ad are more effective with what kinds of target markets.
Ezine advertising is a proven, low-cost strategy to help you market your online business, grow your listsBusiness Management Articles, and increase your profits. Start writing your classified ad today!
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at http://www.AskDonnaGunter.com.
Improving Your Life With A Home Based Business
There really is no surprise why so many people are quitting their 9 to 5 jobs to work from home. You will experience far more benefits with your own home based business than you ever imagined with a 9 to 5 job. Everything from working for yourself to spending more time with the family can be experienced by having an internet home business.
There really is no surprise why so many people are quitting their 9 to 5 jobs to work from home. You will experience far more benefits with your own home based business than you ever imagined with a 9 to 5 job. Everything from working for yourself to spending more time with the family can be experienced by having an internet home business.
The first thing you will notice when working at home is the infinite amount of freedom you possess. You have the ability to work when you want, do whatever you want and take the business in whichever direction you choose to. The key is to remember the business depends on your hard work. You will be presented with distraction because of the freedom, but you have to remain focused and determined to accomplish the task at hand.
Part of the freedom includes being your own boss. The feeling that your life is in your hands and not controlled by your employers is an immense relief. No longer do you have to work on projects that you have no interest in. The sky is the limit for where you take your business.
While the competition is extremely stiff online, the internet never sleeps. As mentioned above, this gives you the opportunity to take your home based business to whatever heights you choose to. There is nothing stopping you from working long days to get what you want.
However, you do not want to overwork yourself just to get to a new level. The great thing about the internet is having the freedom to work when you want at your own leisure. Knowing that you can now spend time with your family rather than being chained to the office will put a smile on your face. Now you can make it home for dinner, make it to your kids' extracurricular activities, and spend the night out on the town with your better half.
Lastly, having your own internet home business gives you the chance to take on multiple tasks. What a benefit it is to be able to break out of the routine that you have been in and start to develop your own future. Having your own business entails you being the boss, writer, marketer, and customer service. The Internet never fails to provide new experiences day in and out.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for how you will benefit from having a home based business. You have the ability to make thousands of dollars a week from the comfort of your own home. As long as you have the desire and motivation to avoid the distractions that will ariseFree Articles, the sky is the limit for where you take your internet home business.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
About the Author: With many years experience online, Dominic Turner is an expert in Money Making Online Business Sites. He runs the successful and informative money making online business site, Life Changing Plan where he reviews the best opportunties.
There really is no surprise why so many people are quitting their 9 to 5 jobs to work from home. You will experience far more benefits with your own home based business than you ever imagined with a 9 to 5 job. Everything from working for yourself to spending more time with the family can be experienced by having an internet home business.
The first thing you will notice when working at home is the infinite amount of freedom you possess. You have the ability to work when you want, do whatever you want and take the business in whichever direction you choose to. The key is to remember the business depends on your hard work. You will be presented with distraction because of the freedom, but you have to remain focused and determined to accomplish the task at hand.
Part of the freedom includes being your own boss. The feeling that your life is in your hands and not controlled by your employers is an immense relief. No longer do you have to work on projects that you have no interest in. The sky is the limit for where you take your business.
While the competition is extremely stiff online, the internet never sleeps. As mentioned above, this gives you the opportunity to take your home based business to whatever heights you choose to. There is nothing stopping you from working long days to get what you want.
However, you do not want to overwork yourself just to get to a new level. The great thing about the internet is having the freedom to work when you want at your own leisure. Knowing that you can now spend time with your family rather than being chained to the office will put a smile on your face. Now you can make it home for dinner, make it to your kids' extracurricular activities, and spend the night out on the town with your better half.
Lastly, having your own internet home business gives you the chance to take on multiple tasks. What a benefit it is to be able to break out of the routine that you have been in and start to develop your own future. Having your own business entails you being the boss, writer, marketer, and customer service. The Internet never fails to provide new experiences day in and out.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for how you will benefit from having a home based business. You have the ability to make thousands of dollars a week from the comfort of your own home. As long as you have the desire and motivation to avoid the distractions that will ariseFree Articles, the sky is the limit for where you take your internet home business.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
About the Author: With many years experience online, Dominic Turner is an expert in Money Making Online Business Sites. He runs the successful and informative money making online business site, Life Changing Plan where he reviews the best opportunties.
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