First Word

Over the years I've figured out some unusual ways to do business on the cheap. Who doesn't want to save a buck, right? So, here are some cheap tricks to do business with less expense... Gmail is a great backup device . What I do is pay the annual $30 fee to buy extra storage space each year. I then have an automatic backup system for every document I send to my team, which equates to all of the documents. I don't have to buy extra storage devices. If I need to save something and back it up I send it to myself. Blogger is free . If you're not looking for links to other blog sites and just need a straight-up blog tool then Blogger works great. My only expense is the graphic design required to keep my brand consistent. This expense is recurring about once every couple of years just to update the look. You can't beat free. Pandora is mostly free . I listen to music all day long. I pay the extra $30 annual fee for Pandora for unlimited listening. I like Pandora ...

Do you know what I consider my two most valuable marketing tools? My blog and newsletter. Here is why ... Blog : a blog refreshes and keeps your website at the top of the search engines without having to do search engine optimization. You constantly add keywords to your "labels" and keep your company name and presence on the Internet refreshed. Now couple this with education-based marketing, which enables you to keep your prospective clients or customers informed but not pitched to. You don't want to pitch, but rather provide information about why your services are valuable to your client by educating them about how things works vs. selling them something. Blogs enable education-based marketing and keep your name on the top of the search engines. Newsletter : I've been doing my newsletter weekly for the last six years. Every Sunday my readers can count on seeing First Word  (you can sign up at www.3LPublishing.com) arrive in their in-boxes. This tool acts as an on...

Do you know what is information-based marketing? It is pretty much what it sounds like. The power of providing loads of great information to market and promote your business. I get asked all of the time, "Why are you willing to share so much of your expertise for free?" Because most business people and authors cannot do what I do. Giving and sharing information doesn't take away from my business, it gives me business. Once prospective clients understand the value of the information I am giving away, they typically are sold on my knowledge and expertise. Once sold on what I know, they are more open to hire my company to work with them. Blogging is a tool to provide information on a daily basis (yes, except Sunday) and build a following. Followers may not directly do business with your company, but if they're impressed enough with you they will refer you to friends. Prospective clients also research those they work with, and your blog becomes part of what they research ...