Featured eBook of the Week: How to Market Your Home Business Part 1

Each week we feature an eBook from Sherrard’s eBook Resellers eBook Store. This week the featured eBook is How to Market Your Home Business from the Business Category.

Here is the Table of Contents:

Section One

Introduction – Online vs. Offline ………………………8
Do You Really Want to Start a Home Business……….9
Choosing a Home Business…………………………….11
Setting Up Your Home Office …………………………14
Getting Started …………………………………………..15
Customer Service ……………………………………….17

Section Two

Online Marketing ………………………………………19
Mailing Lists ………………………………………….. 20
Ezine Publishing ………………………………………21
Article Writing & Submitting ………………………….. 24
Ad Swapping …………………………………………… 33
Ezine Advertising ……………………………………. 35
Online Networking …………………………………… 39
Online Vendor Events ………………………………… 42
Online Parties ………………………………………… 43
Email Signatures ……………………………………… 47
Prize Donations ………………………………………. 50
Blogging/RSS ………………………………………… 51
Tutorials & Ecourses …………………………………. 53
Testimonials ………………………………………….. 56
Online Directories ……………………………………. 57
Ebooks ……………………………………………… 60
Link Exchanges ……………………………………… 63
Search Engines ………………………………………. 65
Autoresponders ……………………………………… 69
Affiliate Program …………………………………… 71
Online Auctions …………………………………….. 73
Email Press Release ………………………………….. 75
Online Chat Sessions/Seminars ………………………. 77
Website ……………………………………………. 78

Section Three

Offline Marketing …………………………………… 84
Mailing Lists ………………………………………. 84
Flyers ……………………………………………… 85
Postcards/Postcard Decks …………………………… 88
Business Cards ……………………………………… 90
Classified Ads ……………………………………… 92
Home Parties ……………………………………… 94
Fundraisers ……………………………………….. 97
Car Magnets ……………………………………….. 99
Corporate Incentives ………………………………. 99
Brochures …………………………………………. 100
Seminars & Workshops …………………………….. 102
Flea Markets/Swap Meets …………………………. 103
Free Gifts & Samples ……………………………… 105
Greeting Cards ……………………………………. 106
The Yellow Pages …………………………………. 107
Catalog Distribution ………………………………. 109
Selling to Retail Outlets …………………………… 112
Trade Show Exhibits ……………………………… 115
Contests/Sweepstakes …………………………….. 117
Stationery ……………………………………….. 118
Inserts ………………………………………….. 118
Gift Baskets …………………………………….. 119
Community Involvement ………………………… 120
Take-One Boxes ………………………………… 121
Gift Certificates ………………………………… 123
Mall Booth …………………………………….. 124
Shopping Co-Op ………………………………… 125
Word-of-Mouth ………………………………… 126
Doorhangers ……………………………………. 127
Promotional Items ………………………………. 128
Gift Shop/Kiosk ………………………………… 129

Section Four

Follow-Up ……………………………………… 132
General Marketing Tips …………………………… 133
In Closing ……………………………………….. 134

Section OneIntroduction – Online Vs. OfflineWhen you have a home business, there are many ways to market/advertise your business. Some of these ways will involve going on the Internet and some will not. People have been discussing the pros and cons of both marketing avenues for many years. Some will say that online is better while others will say you have to do your marketing offline. Well, what we have learned from our experience is that these methods work the best when done together.

Online marketing such as networking, article writing, ezine publishing, blogging and so on have all been done very effectively combined with offline
marketing such as flyers, newspaper ads, business cards and so on. Your website should be an extension of your business, not your whole business. You need to advertise offline, market offline and sell offline. Do not rely on a website alone to build a successful business!

We will look into numerous marketing methods, offline and online, and explain each one of them. Most of the methods we include in this book are
very affordable and/or even free!

Do You Really Want to Start a Home Business?So many of us want a home business for various reasons, but do we really know what it takes to build a home business. A lot of people are under the
misconception that it will be a piece of cake, an easy way to get rich! Well, we are here to tell you like it is. Starting and building a home business takes time, commitment, perseverance, passion, strength, tolerance, and dedication. There will be times when it seems hopeless and your frustration will be high. Many people will give up!

But the good news is that it can be done and the high times can very much outweigh the low times. One of the things you have to keep in mind is you
need to do a business that you are very interested in and passionate about. You also need products or a service that you totally believe in. You will find out quickly enough that it is not easy to sell a product that you yourself would not buy. You will also find that if you are not passionate about your business, your interest will slowly fizzle into nothingness and you will surely fail!

Working at home can be a blessing and/or a disaster depending on how you are able to handle it. A home business or job is not for all of us. I know a lot of people who much prefer to “get out in the world” to work. Some of the problems you will face when working at home are:

* Isolation – This can be a tough one to deal with for some people. Sitting in your lonely little corner or home office hour after hour can get you down. When you start feeling isolated and lonely, contact an online friend and chat awhile. If no one is available, take a break and get outside. Take a walk to visit a friend or family member. Just getting out in the fresh air can make you feel rejuvenated and alive again. Even a phone call to an old friend or your spouse, if possible, can do wonders.

* Self-discipline – This one can be a tuffy. Having your own business can tend to make us lazy once in awhile. I know it does me. 😉 What I do is go over my goals and the reasons I started my business in the first place. I also think about all my distributors/customers who are counting on me. This helps me get back into focus and to get motivated to go back to work. You need to train yourself to work when it is work time because you have no boss to do it for you.

* Schedule Keeping – Making up a schedule is easy, sticking to it is not. I try not to have too strict of a schedule because it probably will need to be changed now and then. Try a daily schedule instead of an hourly one. This will make it much easier to bend it when you need to. Not being able to follow your schedule can be frustrating to say the least, but preparing a flexible schedule makes it less stressful on you and everyone else.

* Family Distractions – This is one of the main reasons it is so hard to stick to our schedules! 😉 Make time for your family and make sure they understand that work time is for work and family time is for them. With me, my family comes first and I arrange my schedule around them and it works out very well.

* Lack of Respect – Although we know how important our business is, our family or friends may not. They think we are playing around or just doing a hobby. You need to sit them down and explain that this is your job and it is very important to you and they need to respect that. Be firm. They will get the message. 😉

Working at home will be a blessing for some of us but yet a curse for others. If you believe you would be one of the blessed, then we wish you much
success!

Come back next time for Part 2. If you would like to buy it now here is the link: How to Market Your Home Business