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There are many voices out there today, each one clambering for our attention. In our home based business, we get bombarded daily with offers that we are told we just can’t refuse! Each one offers their best marketing strategy and/or courses, which if you will just simply buy it; it would literally set you financially free! Ever been there?

Well, that’s not what I’m going to do here!! We’re going to be talking about one subject: Email Marketing and email marketing strategies. Clearly there are more marketing strategies than email marketing. The fact is, there are many different marketing strategies out there, and we have many choices, but you have to decide which ones you want to implement. A strategy that has worked well for me and other internet marketers is to start with two, maybe 3 marketing strategies. Get very familiar with those, and make sure they are working for you. Don’t let anything or anyone sidetrack you. Stick to your guns. Once you have those mastered, move on to the next 2 or 3, but don’t abandon the original 2 or 3.

There are many marketing strategies, and I’ll name a few, such as:

• Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yuwie, Friendfeed, Squidoo, etc

• Articles – Ezine, Articlebase, BetterNetworker, etc

• Press Releases – FreepressRelease.com, 24-7pressrelease.com, PRWeb.com

• Videos – You Tube, Traffic Geyser, Camtasia, etc

• Blogging – WordPress, Blogger, Digg, etc

• Forums – Warrior Forum, Google and Yahoo forums, etc

• Email – Viral Host, AWeber, List Bandit, List Joe, Viral URL, etc

There is a myth floating around out there that I want to address right now, and that is this: There is a common misconception by many people nowadays that the internet is too competitive, and that a newbie [slang word for a newcomer to the internet] cannot possibly hope to succeed running against the big dogs, or the more seasoned internet marketers.

Nothing could be further from the truth! There are many ways of making money online and so many opportunities and niches to take advantage of. And the bottom line is this: there are constantly new people coming online, and new people looking for business opportunities. The key is to find something you are interested in, have a passion about, and begin to market in that niche.

This is not about niche marketing, and at this juncture I’m not going into how to find your niche and finding the right keywords to market your niche or product. There are plenty of articles and blogs out there about that.

You can find plenty of articles and blogs about all the different marketing strategies, but what I’m going to focus on here is email marketing. Email marketing is a key part of any marketing plan, but where that falls in priority for you is totally dependant on what your marketing strategies might be.

I’m going to assume that you already have your list [if you don’t contact me, and I will help you with that, or point you in the right direction]. Email marketing lists are important, but maintaining them and keeping them up to date is even more important.

In email marketing, your reputation is important, more so online than offline. Both are important, but most of us reading this are trying to build a home based business through an online presence. We build and develop our online reputation through social media engagements, blog posts, press releases, articles, forums, videos and etc. Our reputation actually is created by our readers, and if we continue to supply them with valuable content, our reputation grows.

When it comes to building our reputation in social media, it is important to not bombard your friends and followers with just links to your site. Several times throughout the day is okay, but provide valuable content, such as positive quotes, links to videos that can help build their business, etc. A whole article could be written just on this subject, and many have been written.

Our online reputation is what makes our email deliverable! That’s right; our reputation is what helps get our emails opened. If our reputation has become tarnished because of some negative posting on a forum or a negative blog, it will definitely affect email deliverability. If people on our list view us negatively, they tend to blacklist us, and now the email goes into the spam box instead of the inbox. That will have a direct impact on your bottom line.

Here are 7 tips that will help get your emails delivered.

Tip#1: Manage and Maintain Your Online (and Overall) Reputation

a) Can’t say enough about this – it is completely within your control!

Tip#2: Get Opt-In Permission

a) You have to provide options to your subscribers to allow them to change their subscriber preferences. Subscribers have to have the option somewhere in your email to opt-out if they so choose and it should be plainly visible.

Tip#3: Recipients Expect Frequent and Valuable Content

a) I get some emails on a daily basis, and one even sends between four and six per day. However, I always read them, because invariably they provide good and valuable content. Actually, two or three times a week is sufficient, and there is even some thought out there that once a week is enough. It really depends on your list and your product.

b) The bottom line – whatever your frequency, it has to contain relevant and valuable content. If not, they will opt-out or drop it into the spam folder!

Tip#4: Use a Recognizable “From” Address

a) I’ve received email from online marketers where it was kind of obscure as to where the email was coming from. There are plenty of email providers out there (see list above) so there is no excuse to not have a recognizable “from” address.

b) Make sure your subscribers have a way to reach you. If your “from” address in your email is not a reachable address, provide one somewhere in your email. I prefer to provide mine in the signature of my email.

Tip#5: Design the Header of Your Email to Deliver Your Message

a) This is the first thing they see when they open their mailbox! If you know anything about copywriting, you know that the header is the most important item to getting your email opened and read. This can be the difference between a successful or unsuccessful email campaigns.

b) Let’s say you aren’t good at writing headlines – there are plenty of sources out there where you can find someone that is. Go to elance.com, post what you want done and you’ll find someone that can do it for you. Just be sure to check them out thoroughly and get some good verifiable references. For as little as $200 you can get someone to write you a great email campaign with a great header.

Tip#6: Spam – Who Defines It

a) Does it really matter who defines spam? Absolutely!! What comes to mind when you think of spam? Most times the response I get is “It’s sending unsolicited emails.” Really, is that it???!!! If that’s what comes to mind, then you definitely need to familiarize yourself with what spam really is!! It can mean the difference between getting your email opened (delivered) or not.

b) CAN-SPAM laws were created and enforced by the FTC [Federal Trade Commission]. What is CAN-SPAM? The acronym CAN-SPAM derives from the bill's full name: Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003.

c) ISP (Internet Service Providers), as well as the FTC have a large part in determining what is or is not spam. ISPs do not rely on CAN-SPAM to define spam. Their contention is that spam is first and foremost defined and determined by the user. If, for example, a user determines the email is spam by putting it in their spam folder, or in their blocked senders list, or just simply not opening it, then the ISPs consider it spam – whether or not it adheres to each and every rule of CAN-SPAM

d) Stay current on the CAN-SPAM rules and make sure that every email campaign complies and adheres to those rules. Be sure that your email recipients can opt-out easily. Remind your email recipients of the email address they should use to request information or if they have any questions.

Tip#7: Relevance and Continuity

a) When the potential client and/or email recipient clicks on your PPC ad or a link that you provided in your email, it is imperative that what you had in your email and/or ad is where the link goes to. For example, if you are advertising something about weight loss, make sure that when they get to your site, you are actually promoting weight loss, and not something irrelevant – like, let’s say skiing!! Remember….it’s your reputation. If it doesn’t connect or is irrelevant, it could make the customer want to consider future ads irrelevant and they will avoid clicking on them.

b) When that happens too often, search engine algorithms will then label your ads as irrelevant, suppressing the Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and PPC conversions. SEM is only relevant if you have a website

The last thing I want to cover (and certainly not the least) is search engine marketing. Search engine marketing can and does have a great impact on your online reputation, i.e., your email deliverability. What is search engine marketing? Glad you asked!! Search engine marketing is the performance of marketing or advertising your web site through search engines, like Google, Yahoo or Bing. Search engine marketing (SEM) may consist of one or more of the following components:

Pay Per Click (PPC) - On the right side of the page you will see little boxes or ads, and those are what are considered PPC [Pay Per Click]. Every time you click on those, the advertiser pays Google, Yahoo or Bing (the amount depends what search engine you are using). You bid the amount you are willing to pay per click. The more you bid, the more likely your ad will appear higher in the search engine results. Google Adwords has implemented an additional aspect. Your ads will rank based on the relevancy or importance that Google places on your site, which is very difficult to manipulate. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Google, Yahoo and Bing [formerly MSN] crawl through content of your article, blog, website, etc., and look for valuable and relevant content. SEO is what gets you in the top 10 positions on the left side of the page when it is opened up. It is referred to as generic listings. Pay For Inclusion (PFI) - What is PFI? It is a search engine marketing technique that involves paying for a Web site listing in a Web directory, for example Yahoo Directory [not same as Yahoo Search] or Verizon's SuperPages. The bottom line is you are paying to be included in a Web directory. In addition to search engines, like Google, Yahoo and Bing, various other directories also exist on the web. These directories can either be general in nature or can be related to a specific topic. You can get free listings in some online directories, like DMOZ. However most directories now charge for a listing. Yahoo describes its directory as: Subject-based directory listing websites in a wide range of topics, from arts, entertainment, and society and culture, to science, education, and health.

So is Search Engine Marketing Important?

It really depends on whether you decide to make search engine marketing a part of your marketing and advertising strategy. If you don't have a Web site or ever plan to have one for your business, you certainly wouldn't need search engine marketing. But in today's business climate, it’s hard to imagine anyone not wanting or having a website, as nearly all business are expected to have a website and most do.

Search engine marketing is used as a means to get traffic to your website. This again can be done through your emails with links to your website, or through SEO, PPC, or PFI. This then should ideally lead to getting new customers and adding to your home business revenues.

When compared to other means of advertising and marketing, search engine marketing can be very cost effective. For instance, you could implement some SEO techniques on your own. Organic search rankings are free, so if you can move yourself up in the rankings, your traffic should increase, which, in turn, should increase your home business revenues.

In the same way, PPC can be very cost effective. Since you can set limits on how much you'll pay per click and how much you'll pay per day. By doing that, it's fairly easy to keep your costs in line. As previously mentioned, some Web directories like DMOZ allow free listings, while others can cost as little as $25 - $30 per year.

In closing, it is vital to your success to keep your lists up-to-date so that you can optimize your response rates, your conversions, and your overall email campaign performance. With all the spammers and fraudulent email senders out there, it has created a lot of mistrust. So I can’t stress enough how important it is to consistently update your email list, review your list often to establish which email recipients haven’t opened or clicked through for the last six months. Make them another compelling offer, and if they still don’t open them, you might want to try one more time, but then take them off your list.

To your success in getting your email opened!

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This is the second article in the series dealing with Biblical Entrepreneurship. In this article, we will focus on one of the main components of being a Christian entrepreneur. The topic of today is service.

A business that is based on biblical principles must be grounded in service. Focusing on servicing your customers’ needs will set your organization apart from your competitors. To truly have a customer-focused business, your company must have a ministry philosophy. In order to get a clear understanding of ministry, you can model yourself after a great person, Jesus Christ.

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If you want to make money from home, you have 2 main choices:

One. Make money online.

Two. Make money off line i.e. not using your computer.

In this article I will cover how to make money online, and in my next article, part 2, I will cover making money off line.

So, here is something vital you need to ask yourself (and then I will show you how to make the money!):

How much do you want to earn and how much time can you put into your home-based business?

Because your answer to those questions will help you determine which route to make money from home is best for you.

If your answer is something like "I want to make $2000 - $5000+ a month, passive income and I have plenty of time to build my business" then I would recommend you: Create your own website (no previous experience required, full details via the link below) and/or get involved with affiliate marketing. This is where you sell other people's products online, without needing to buy anything yourself or deal with customers.

These are both my preferred way to make money online. Why? Because you can create a passive income with them once the initial work is done. In other words an income that comes in whether you work or not! Plus, I really enjoy both methods.

If your answer is "I just want to make a lot of money fast and I don't have much time" I would recommend you explore how to make money with Google Adwords. What is it?

This is an online advertising program. My best advice with this is, don't spend a dime on ads until you have thoroughly studied how this system works. It looks easier than it is! However, once you have studied carefully how the successful marketers make money with this system and have some successful campaigns of your own, it can pretty much take care of itself. So, if you have a full time job and/or family commitments this could be great for you. You can run any number of campaigns, and therefore earn as much as you decide.

If your answer is "I simply want some extra part-time income and I don't want to learn new stuff" I would suggest you investigate doing online surveys. It's a straightforward simple way to make some extra cash.

If you like sharing your thoughts and opinions with the world, and would like to get paid for doing so, look into how to make money blogging. A blog is simply an online journal really which you can set up for free. So, if you are financially challenged this could be a good option to start with. You make money with the blog from adverts and links you place on the blog. There are books which explain exactly how to do this.

Finally, to make money online successfully it's also vital to understand all about keywords. Keywords are like signposts really - if you put the right ones in the right place and quantity on your website, in your adverts or on your blog you will, in time, get lots of visitors. Lots of those means income for you...

All sounds like Greek? Don't despair! I explain all these methods on my website in full detail.

Last tip: If you feel passionate about your business success will surely follow. So take your time researching the method to make money from home that's right for you. If you are excited by one method more than the others, try that one first and give it all your focus. There are big incomes to be made on the internet but the legitimate ones require hard work initially at least.

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Twelve Self Motivation Tips - Part 1

Self motivation Tip #1:

Wake up in the morning with an attitude of appreciation. Why? Simply because you woke up. When asked,”how are you today?” your answer should be, “fantastic, excellent or great”.

G.R.E.A.T. stands for Getting Really Excited About Today. You are excited because you woke up, you can see, hear, walk, talk, etc.; however, today could be your last day. Why not make it the greatest day of your life? This is a great self motivation tip to live by.

Self motivation Tip #2:

Self motivation should begin the moment you wake up. What can you do for you? After all, you are the most important person in the world. If you are unable to grasp self motivation and do something special for yourself, you certainly won’t be able to do anything helpful or productive for anyone else. A self motivation tip is to do something for you first.

Self motivation Tip #3:

Self motivation is just beginning. Once you have done something special for yourself, recognize and reward yourself with a glass of juice, a cup of coffee or breakfast. It’s a small treat, however any behaviour that is recognized and rewarded, gets repeated. Self motivation needs recognition and only you can provide it.

Self Motivation Tip #4:

Understand that no one provides self motivation, only you can motivate yourself. Self motivation can hail from external influences which are never lasting or better yet, self motivation can be internal and ever lasting. Live your life from the inside out not the outside in and embrace undeviating self motivation.

Self Motivation Tip #5:

Make a decision. Choose self motivation and live the life of your dreams. Do you really want to live someone else’s dream, a combination of your dream and theirs or do you want to leave life to chance and circumstance? In the realm of self motivation, it doesn’t matter what you decide. You are the decision maker and by utilizing self motivation you will make that decision work. Go ahead, make a decision now and enhance your self motivation.

Self Motivation Tip #6:

Self motivation is taking control of your life. You cannot control the weather, the traffic and even what other people say. Therefore, if you cannot control it, let it be. Alternatively, there are things in life you can control. Learning to control your thoughts, your ego, your reactions and most importantly, your attitude is all part of self motivation. Knowing you have gained control of your outlook and approach to daily life, will increase your self motivation.

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