It is a chilly Saturday morning here in northern Michigan and I am curled up with a blanket and a delicious caramel capuccino on my loveseat. I don't usually write longhand anymore but the home office just doesn't appeal to me this morning. So here I am, pen and paper in hand. My neighbor is busy in his yard, wearing long sleeves of course. Our cool summer has been a disappointment to many and now it's nearly over. It looks like my friend's accross the street are preparing for one more campling trip before the kids have to go back to school It has been quiet in many of the online communities I visit. Families are anxious to savor every last ounce of summer and make work at home Moms have placed their businesses on a semi-hiatus. Soon Labor Day will come and go and Moms with school age children will have the time they've been missing to focus on their home based business. A home business that has been on summer auto pilot will need some dusting and shaking out to get some forward motion going again. Here are some ideas to get your business joices flowing: 1. Give your website an autumn mini makeover. You don't have to redo the whole website, just freshen up the look with some seasonal images and references. Let visitors see that your website is up to date and ready to do business! 2. Rearrange your products to feature the products most likely to be popular in the fall. 3. Develop a great autumn special or contest. Feature it on your main page and submit contests to all of the contest websites. 4. Kick off a new customer newsletter if you don't already have one. You need a way to capture your visitors email address so that you can keep them coming back. 5. Be active online. Ask for feedback on your website and seek out complimentary website link exchanges. Don't just start spamming lists with your ads, participate! Don't be afraid to try something new this fall. Marketing on the internet is always changing. What worked last year may not produce results for you this year. That is why we need to say in the know and be willing to adjust our approach when needed. Some areas to consider stretching into: -PPC Advertising. You can get started with Google Adword for only $5 and fice cents per click. -SEO (Search Engine Optimization). So some keyword research and tweak your pages and add good description text to your products. -Copywriting. There is a right and wrong way to say everything and it's easy to learn which is which. -Article Writing. Incorporate your business into topics of interest to your target market and then distribute it to be used without cost. If the idea of tackling some of these areas is intimidating to you, let me encourage you. Anyone who really puts their mind to it will see positive results. I've seen it in action with the women being mentored at Mom Masterminds http://www.mommasterminds.com. Sometimes all you need is come personal direction to master a new skill. Now that you have some new ideas to roll with, have fun putting your plan into action! And remember, as soon as you feel you have your website set up for the fall, it will be time to make plans for the holidays! |
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