The Income Streams Site

Copyright (c) 2008 Acey Gaspard
A Touch Of http://Business.com”
http://www.atouchof business. com

Finding a product to market takes effort and several defined
steps. You could go after the wrong product and end up with a failing business.

I’ll discuss my view on this subject and if you take the advice,
then you’ll be headed in the right direction and find something
fulfilling to put your time and effort into.

Doing what you love to do will dramatically increase your chances
of success. Don’t waste your time and effort on something that’s not for you.

Alex loves computers; he can talk about them all-day. He keeps up with the latest trends and technologies. Computers are his
passion. Alex has a successful career in selling computers. He’s
doing something he loves. He could market computers with little
effort and he could go nonstop because of his passion for
computers. Alex is blessed, because he’s doing something he
loves. Do you have a passion like Alex?

Many of us may be unaware that we can do much better by marketing something that we are passionate about. Don’t look for the hottest products or latest trends to market just because of the
money. If you want long lasting success you have to market
something you enjoy, something that captures your interest.

Here are a few reasons you should market something you’re
passionate about rather than just doing it for the money.

When you’re marketing something you’re passionate about, then
you’ll find new ideas easily. If you face a setback, you’ll
always a find away around it. You’ll be creative. You’re focused
and you won’t jump at every unrelated opportunity that shows up.
You’ll be happy while you’re working. You’ll be working at your
peak performance. You’ll feel satisfaction when you’re
successful. You’ll enjoy your work.

When you’re marketing something you’re NOT passionate about,
then you’ll think of giving up when faced with any glitch as
opposed to looking for a solution. You’ll be jumping from
opportunity to opportunity, cutting your resources short. If
you’re successful you’ll feel a void, because this is not your
true purpose. If you work long hours, you’ll ask yourself, “Is
this worth it?” You’ll feel overwhelmed when you need to give it
all you’ve got. Your efforts and creativity are limited.

Here are some simple steps to help identify your true interests

Step 1: Consider the following questions:

What are you good at?
What are you interested in?
What are passionate about?
What do people ask you about a lot?

Step 2: Write down ONE answer for the above questions.

Step 3: Is there a product or service that you THINK the
marketplace wants? Write down your answer on the next line.

Step 4: Go to Step 1: and repeat the steps until you have
eliminated all other interests.

Step 5: Go over the list and do a little research on what’s
going on in the marketplace. You can do this by typing in a few
keywords in your favorite search engine. For example: Your
interest is art. You could type in any of the following: art
business opportunity; affiliate program art; art; business art;
starting your own art business

Step 6: With a little more knowledge of what’s in the
marketplace, you now have a better idea of what you want to aim
for and what the marketplace wants. Follow your feelings and
choose the area that interests you the most.

There is still work, but you are now on the right track. You can
put your time and effort into something that you’re interested
in. Now you can develop or find the best product for the
marketplace. You have just dramatically increased your chances of success, because you have a solid foundation and you’re pointed
in the right direction. Your passion will guide you and push you
through any hard times you may face.

That’s the way I see it.
To Your Success!
Acey Gaspard

Action Steps When Looking for a Great Product to Market

1. Think about your passions, what brings you enjoyment, what you would do all-day without getting paid for.

2. Take some quiet time and do the exercise above.

3. After you have identified your passion and interest, then you
must do research to find or develop a product or service for the
marketplace.

Important Points to Keep in Mind When Looking for a Great Product to Market

* Doing what you love to do will dramatically increase your
chances of success.
* Don’t waste your time and effort on something that’s not for you.
* Many of us may be unaware that we can do much better by marketing something that we are passionate about.
* Don’t look for the hottest products or latest trends to market just because of the money.
* Follow your feelings and choose the area that interests you the most.
* Put your time and effort into something that you’re interested in.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— -
Acey Gaspard has over 20 years of business experience. His site,
A Touch of Business.com, http://www.atouchof business. com is
steadily growing with well over 1,100 original pages to help you
run and market your small business. Get Tips you can use today!
http://www.atouchof business. com/tips. html

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Super Bowl Marketing: How To Market Your Business by the Month
Copyright (c) 2007-2008 Tammy M. Ratcliff
the Phantom Writers
http://thePhantomWr iters.com

Marketing your business can be as easy as looking at a 12-month
calendar. There is some kind of holiday or sporting event during
each month of the year. Even if the event has nothing to do with
your field of expertise, you can still take advantage of it by
using a little creativity. Below are some ideas to get you
started.

January

There are two major holidays in the month of January–New Year’s
Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A brand new year is always a
good time to advertise new products or to have a big sale on
them. If you are in the debt consolidation industry, this is a
great time to promote your services since many people go further
in to debt over the holidays. Not all businesses recognize MLK,
Jr. Day, but they should. This is a wonderful opportunity to show
that you are an equal-opportunity company that recognizes the
importance of honoring this civil rights leader. For sports
enthusiasts, the Superbowl is right around the corner. Find a way
to make connections between your business and this very popular
event. Customers always like to do business with people whom they
feel share a common interest.

February

Of course, the biggest event in February is Valentine’s Day.
Flower shops and candy makers are all over this holiday. There is
no reason why a mortgage company couldn’t put a little love into
their marketing. It should be pretty easy for any company to come
up with some clever advertising around this theme. This month
also showcases Groundhog’s Day and President’s Day. Offer
different discounts for customers based on what Punxsutawney Phil
predicts or special prizes for anyone who can guess how old the
Presidents would be.

March

This month is chocked full of reasons to celebrate. Daylight
Savings Time (for those of us not living in Arizona), St.
Patrick’s Day, and the First Day of Spring are all good excuses
to market your product. Springtime brings to mind flowers and
shamrocks, so why not use this occasion to advertise the
spring-like qualities your industry has to offer? March is also a
huge month for college basketball. Use March Madness to lure
basketball fans to your store or website with bracket contests or
other basketball related scenarios.

April

April Fool’s Day is probably the one holiday you should not use
in your advertising. No one likes to be fooled when it come to
their money. But if you decide to come up with a marketing idea
for this holiday, make sure the “surprise” is a good one. April
is also the month of Passover, Good Friday, and Easter. While
these are technically religious holidays, there should be no harm
in advertising products related to them, as long as they are
handled respectfully.

May

May is another great party month. Even though Cinco de Mayo is a
Mexican celebration, Americans are embracing it more and more
each year. This is one holiday that people of any race can
associate with, so get creative and use it to your advantage
before your competition does. May also gives us Mother’s Day and
Memorial Day. Flowers tend to have a monopoly on these holidays
as well, but times are changing rapidly. People today are looking
for new ways to express their feelings. Perhaps your company has
a unique idea they could use. Let them know about it! May is also
the month for high school and college graduation ceremonies. This
is another huge advertising opportunity even if you don’t
personally know a graduate.

June

The month of June leads us right into the First Day of Summer,
Flag Day, and Father’s Day. Besides honoring Dear ‘Ole Dad,
this is a great time of year to get patriotic. The Fourth of July
is right around the corner so start thinking Red, White, and
Blue. The last few years have put Americans through an emotional
ringer. Let your customers know you are proud to be an American
by offering free US flags with every purchase or by publishing
online articles about the importance of supporting our troops. If
there is any way at all to tie your company to patriotism, this
is the perfect time to do so.

July

Since Independence Day comes at the beginning of July,
advertising for this holiday should really begin in June.
However, there is no reason you cannot continue a patriotic theme
throughout July as well. Interestingly, there are a number of
“bizarre” holidays in July that could be great to use for
marketing purposes. For example, July 6th is National Fried
Chicken Day, July 14th is National Nude Day, and July 22nd is
National Ratcatcher’s Day. How’s that for a variety? Center a
marketing idea around one of these holidays and you will not only
educate the public, but possibly create a new tradition for your
company.

August

Everyone knows that August is the month that the kids go back to
school. Students and their parents are notorious for spending
lots of money at the beginning of the school year, so use this
opportunity offer discounts on everything from clothing to book
bags to inexpensive furniture and household goods. Almost any
company can create some kind of special deal for students or
their parents this month.

September

Come up with some way to honor the workingman this month and you
will be all set for Labor Day. If that doesn’t work, there is
always Grandparents’ Day or the First Day of Autumn. Anytime
there is a special day set-aside for a particular group of
people, companies should try to promote it through their
advertising. The recognized group will definitely appreciate your
efforts, and may reward you with new business.

October

Baseball is said to be America’s favorite pastime, so in October
be prepared to do some World Series based marketing. Sporting
goods stores are obviously going to promote their baseball
products at this time, but other companies can get into the
spirit too. For instance, a company that sells insurance could
advertise travel insurance for fans that are going to the game.
Halloween is also a great theme to market around. This holiday
appeals to kids and parents alike so there are multitudes of ways
to approach this scheme.

November

Once again it is Daylight Savings Time for almost all of the
United States. Elections are held during this month, Veterans are
honored, and turkeys are carved. This month is split between
politics and thankfulness. This may be a prime time for showing
genuine customer appreciation in some way.

December

The last month of the calendar brings the most celebrations of
the year–Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years Eve. People
are primed to spend money so make sure they know who you are and
what you do or sell. Online article marketing is a very effective
way to do this, but there are other options as well.

Final Thoughts…

If you use article marketing to promote your business, or if you
use any kind of print media, do keep lead-times in mind.

If you are looking to get an article into a print magazine, most
of those magazines run on a three- to six-month lead-time for
content. What that means to you is that the publisher must
approve your Thanksgiving article no later than August, in order
to make the deadline for the November issue of the magazine.

If you are trying to use article marketing to promote your online
business, lead-time is also a consideration to keep in mind.
While some online publications will use your article within just
a few days of having received it from you, most online
publications run on a 30- to 90-day lead-time for the articles
that they publish.

No matter how you choose to market your business, do not hesitate
to make use of that calendar on your desk. It could be the best
marketing tool you have ever used.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— -
Written by: Tammy M. Ratcliff, (http://www.thePhant omWriters. com)
Stop throwing your money away on Ineffective Article Marketing
Campaigns! Learn the Secrets of writing reprint articles that can
generate thousands of dollars in new sales. The techniques shared
in The Phantom Writers $37 ebook could even help you to get more
effective articles from your ghost writers. Get your own copy of
“Article Marketing For Traffic, Sales and Profit” today, at:
http://thephantomwr iters.com/ ebooks/article- marketing- traffic.html

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6 Marketing Landmines To Avoid At All Costs
Copyright (c) 2007 Dan Lok
Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd.
http://www.WebsiteC onversionExpert. com

I’ve seen it way too many times. Marketers of all skill and
experience levels making profit killing mistakes. The result is
badly performing marketing campaigns. But the good news is that
many of these mistakes are avoidable with proper knowledge,
planning, and continuous testing and tweaking.

Here are just 6 marketing landmines you’ll want to avoid if you
want to maximize your profits and grow your business.

Marketing Landmine #1: Failing To Test Your Headlines. Your
headline, regardless of copy purpose, is the first thing that’s
read. And as you know, your headline and the overall site
impression will make or break you. Statistics generally show that
you have less than 5-7 seconds to grab your reader!

And as I constantly teach and preach… you should always test
your headlines to find the one that works best. It’s not hard.
But it takes effort and action. The good news is that many of
your competition will never do this. So it’s not hard to beat
them if you do test.

Marketing Landmine #2: Failing To Test Your Offer. With the right
offer, your prospective customers and readers WILL respond. Of
course there are other issues that come into play. But if your
offer stinks… you’re definitely swimming hard upstream! And of
course TEST your offers. Time well spent.

Marketing Landmine #3: Failing To Develop A Responsive List. The
success of your marketing campaign will directly correlate to the
quality of your list. There’s really NO excuse anymore for
failing to have a quality list. Unless you have not done your
homework to correctly identify your target market.

Your marketing budget will be well-spent on developing a great
list. And there are lots of professionals willing to provide
their expertise in this area. Don’t skimp on your list!

Marketing Landmine #4: Failing To Have Proper Marketing Timing.
You can have absolutely everything else perfect in your marketing
campaign…but if your timing is wrong your results and profits
will suffer. Lots of things can affect timing. The market can be
saturated with your product being offered by too many other
marketers. This is especially true with online info products. Or
there may be seasonal factors involved. Having the right timing
is often simply the result of “paying attention” to what’s going
on in the world. Doing research and talking to people in the
know.

Marketing Landmine #5: Failing To Measure Your Campaigns. Another
word for this is tracking. It doesn’t matter who you are or how
large or small your business, you simply MUST track ALL of your
campaigns. This is such a complete marketing no-brainer but still
lots of businesses fail to do this. There’s no excuse for it.

Marketing Landmine #6: Failing To Communicate. It’s getting
worse! People are hit with SO many marketing messages that the
time required to convert them is increasing. That’s not good.
But it’s easily remedied. Just scale your marketing
communications to do it. Track everything. Test. And keep the
lines of communication open with your list and potential
customers.

You have an unprecedented opportunity to learn from the marketing
mistakes of those who passed before you. Many of them did not
give up. They learned, adapted, and went on to earn millions in
business. These are just a few of the many marketing landmines
you need to avoid if you want to be successful online or offline.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— -
A former college dropout, Dan “The Man” Lok transformed himself
from a grocery bagger in a local supermarket to an internet
multi-millionaire. Discover how you can maximize your website
profits in minimum time. For a limited time, you can test-
drive Dan’s Insiders Club for 30-days Risk-Free and get
$1,165 dollars worth of bonus gifts. Rush cover to:
http://www.websitec onversionexpert. com/testdrive. html

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Proven Home Business
Guarantees Your Fast Home Business
Success!

The Real Reason Success Is So Elusive (Hint: It’s not fear of success.)
Copyright (c) 2007 Mark Silver
Heart Of Business
http://www.heartofbusiness.com/

I’m guessing you spend a certain amount of time daydreaming…

Daydreaming of what it will be like when you hit ‘the big
time.’ When your finances are really abundant. When you become
well-known in your field. When you make that next big step,
whatever it is.

Dreams of lolling around on silk sheets with peeled grapes and
fizzy drinks. Dreams of giving away as generously as you’ve
always wanted to. Dreams coming true.

Why are those dreams so elusive?

Comfort is the problem.

Living those dreams seems so… comfortable, doesn’t it? Having
all you need, an abundant generosity, and so forth. Living the
good life, you would think, is very comfortable.

But, it’s not. At least not at first.

How can that be? Well, let’s look at what comfort is.
Merriam-Webster defines comfort, in part, as “Contented
well-being. A satisfying or enjoyable experience.”

For most of us, contented well-being, or a satisfying or
enjoyable experience has to do with familiarity. When things are
familiar, we tend to be more comfortable. The more unfamiliar
things get, the less comfortable we become.

Get into a situation that’s very unfamiliar, and you can end up
feeling panicked, overwhelmed, disoriented. Don’t believe me?

Not all parties are fun.

Let’s say you’re invited to a party. And you get dressed up in
the best you have. But, when you show up, everyone is dressed
even better. Black tie, tuxedos, evening gowns. Caviar
everywhere. What’s more, you don’t really know anyone.

Would you have what it takes to stand on the threshold of that
party, see all the tuxedos, the unfamiliar faces, to look down at
yourself as underdressed, and still walk in?

I bet that you could muster up what it takes. But I’m also
betting that you’d feel uncomfortable, not having fun, until you
found someone you liked in a comfortable corner, and started to
settle down.

As human beings, we can only handle so much unfamiliarity, before
the adrenalin overwhelms us, and we start to shut down.

Success is uncomfortable.

If you have goals you are wanting to reach, then, by definition,
you aren’t there yet. You live in your life as it is now, and
your daydreams, your successful life is somewhere else. Maybe
even somewhere you’ve never been.

It’s unfamiliar territory. Which means, by definition, that
it’s uncomfortable.

Personal success story: Fear and overwhelm.

You can ask my mastermind group what happened to me when Heart of
Business started flying financially. Joy and celebration? Easy
street?

No way, Jose. A strange, unnerving feeling in my belly and my
chest. Disorienting. An inclination to sob at times, without
knowing exactly why.

It took a couple of months to re-orient, and feel comfortable in
our new surroundings.

How do you get up the nerve to enter the success party?

Well, a Sufi teaching leads the way. Read:

Keys to Success

* Sufi teaching: The ego clings to comfort. The heart seeks
truth.

It’s tempting to believe that if it’s comfortable, then you’re
on your path. But if you’re attached to feeling comfortable, you
may not get yourself into the party.

For you, it may be more comfortable to forget the fancy party and
go get a hamburger. Don’t do this- go into the party, even if
you’re uncomfortable!

People go get the hamburger all the time. If your business has a
month where a lot more money than you’re used to comes in, watch
for your tendency to spend it quickly, on things you can’t even
remember.

That kind of spending brings you back down to what you’re used
to: not having as much, which, despite how uncomfortable that can
be, it has the trump card: the comfort of being familiar.

See if you notice any impulsive moves you make to cling to
comfort, that move you away from success.

* How to tell truth.

Think of something challenging that you’ve accomplished lately,
something that just ‘felt right’ to do. Something that took
courage, or effort.

Take a moment and feel the effort and the struggle that you put
into accomplishing it. Then, take a moment and ask to feel in
your heart the truth of the situation.

Truth has a timeless quality that goes beyond the action or
accomplishment in the moment. You can find a subtle settled
feeling of ‘rightness’ in your heart, despite the struggle.

In moments of struggle or discomfort, take time with your heart
to see if that ‘rightness’ is present. If it is, keep going. If
it isn’t, maybe you can stop struggling.

* Knowing when you need comfort.

If you spend too much time out of your comfort zone, your ability
to grow and learn becomes impaired, as you go into overwhelm.
Without comfort, true healing isn’t possible. Luckily, there are
ways to get comfort, without veering from the truth.

In the fancy party, you can take a break by going out into the
garden alone, or going into the bathroom. This will give you a
chance to catch your breath, and to take assurance that you do
belong here- just look at your handwritten invitation!

On your way to business ’success,’ however you define it, if
you notice yourself starting to panic or freak out, don’t go
running out and get the hamburger. Instead take a bathroom
break.

First let yourself be conscious of your need for comfort, and
take a moment to ask your heart, “What will help to comfort and
soothe me, without taking me away from truth?”

Whatever you get, do that until the comfort comes in and you can
calm down.

Ahhh… now, to continue on your way to success. The best to you
and your business,

Mark Silver
———————————————————————
Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your
Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your
Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line.
He has helped hundreds of small business owners around
the globe succeed in business without losing their
hearts. Get three free chapters of the book online:
http://www.heartofbusiness.com

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9 Unseen Benefits From The New Web 2.0 Marketing Flavor!
(c) Copyright S. Kumar 2007
http://www.learnhom ebusiness. com

Did you notice the sweeping changes happening on the online
business scene? Web 2.0 Marketing is slowly taking control over
the traditional means. It’s growing and Web Marketing 2.0 can’t
be ignored anymore.

Your need to take a serious note of this. Your present Internet
marketing strategies need to re-assessed. Know that most of the
big gurus are quietly focusing on Web Marketing 2.0 and they
know “something deeply beneficial” to online marketers is
lurking behind it. And they are at work in perfecting their new
Web 2.0 Marketing Plan just to be in the race.

But the intriguing question is,

What is Web 2.0 Marketing and Social Media Marketing and how to
craft a result oriented Web 2.0 marketing plan.

Marketing that we are all used to is a totally controlled and
organized process! Every step is planned ahead and the general
public do not figure anywhere once it comes to execution.

But with the arrival of Web Marketing 2.0, this controlled
process is threatened as the power shifts to the consumer. The
interactive ability among the customers to propagate mass
opinions can have an impact on the future of a product!

Simply put, Web Marketing 2.0 is all about establishing contact
with your prospects through,

* Social Bookmarking. For e.g. websites like del.icio.us, furl

* Blogging with sites like Wordpress, Blogger etc

* Viral marketing where word of mouth and sharing of materials
ultimately results in more traffic

* Effective use of Social Media sites like flickr, picasa,
YouTube where Photos & Video are shared

* Social Networking websites like MySpace

* Setting up RSS feeds