So you’ve got a business on the high street? Let’s say it’s a shoe shop in Hammersmith!
Trouble is that your shop is just out of the way, off the beaten track or maybe no-one knows you’re there, so how do you get people through your door?

You may be surprised to learn that a profile website that you can blog out of is one of the best ways to drive traffic online and offline to your door! I’m not talking about a normal brochure website, I mean a profile, blog website that showcases you first and your business second. You see, people buy from people!

Maybe you don’t see this…maybe you only get your laptop out a couple of times a week? But I promise you that the majority of people use the internet to find the right place to get what they need. So if you have a way of marketing yourself and your business to your local target audience then you can’t lose.

Here’s how to market your “offline” business online using your Profile/blog website!

I know what you’re thinking!
How can a blog website bring people to my shop?

You need to portray yourself as an expert, a leader, someone who can deliver the best product or service. You do this by showcasing articles, writing blog posts and generally blowing your own trumpet!

Your blog posts must contain valuable content, they should not be self serving but informative and interesting. It doesn’t matter how obscure your business is there is always something you can write that is helpful or of  interest.
Let’s see, a shoe shop…..mmmm…not easy but how about the importance of well fitting shoes or how to stop your heels from scuffing or how to clean your leather handbag…got me?
Once done, you then send these blog posts out to online forums and social networking groups that are actually from your area or are your target audience. In other words…if you sell women’s shoes in Hammersmith you target women who live or work around Hammersmith!

If your blog posts are written with valuable content and include the right key words, good blogs and articles will lead people to your blog site and will also drive organic traffic generated by the search engines. If you want them to continue on to view your main website, and who wouldn’t, then you create strong links to it in your blog website.

How do keywords help you to get seen in organic searches?
Many search engines rely on the keyword and keyword phrases of a site to put it in their results list. If your content contains a good number of keywords and keywords phrases, it may be chosen to be a part of the top listed sites in the search result pages.

But before you think of just plastering your site and articles with all the keywords and keyword phrases you can, remember that the search engine police will notice if you are trying to abuse the system and will most certainly penalise you. You must have good well written articles that incorporate the keywords and keyword phrases properly in their content.

I know it’s difficult as many of you will say that you just don’t have the time to write your own blogs and articles, but if you can find the time it is well worth the effort.

If you do it right, articles once written, can be posted across the web to drive traffic back to your website so that your business, whether it be advertising services or selling products will gain immediate exposure.

Pat Sutton is “The Web Celeb Builder” check out her website at http://www.NicheMediaMarketing.co.uk

Do you think that your busines would benefit from you having an Internet Celebrity status?

I went from leaving a full time job in August last year to setting up my own blogging site and being Forbes listed as one of the top 30 women entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.

I have been interviewed for “The Get Inspired Project”. 365 inspirational people – one interview a day for one year!
The Get Inspired Project showcases not only what people need to be inspired but what approaches they are taking to inspire others.
I am number 141, why not have a listen? CLICK HERE

Also, you can join me where I am being interviewed by Patrick Dacre from Computerhelpers4good.net on “Women and Their Technology” A New Relationship show on BlogTalkRadio at http://tobtr.com/s/902849

At the time of this post, I have over 20,000 followers on my many Twitter accounts and am listed on over 300 lists.

Do you think that, if you had a great status on the Internet that it would help your business?

Of-course it would – it would supercharge your business wouldn’t it! Read More

I had a great dream last night – it was about chocolate!
I actually dreamed I was writing for an advertising campaign. I even remember this poem from my dream…
“What does chocolate do for me?
It’s comfort food when you’re feeling low
It’s something to grab when you’re on the go
It’s smooth as silk
It’s made from milk
Comes in a box tied up with a bow….
Tacky eh! Read More

Did you know that blogging is the new “BLACK”?

A blog can be uploaded to networking sites to spread the word about your business – that’s free advertising!
A blog gives you the chance to voice your opinions to the world.
A good blog can generate subscribers and we all know how important they are!
A blog with the right keywords will help the search engines to find you.
An informative blog can give you kudos…you could be seen as an expert in your field.
A blog can create an income from affiliate advertising and adsense.

So what are the 8 things you should have on your official blog site.

1. A subscriber’s sign up box. This will enable visitors to subscribe to the RSS feed of your posts.
2. A newsletter subscription box. Once they have agreed to receive your mailings then you can safely market to them by e-mail – it is always better to add a few subtle links to your products or services in a newsletter than to bamboozle them with adverts. Read More

Isn’t it frustrating when you arrive at an office reception only to find that there’s no receptionist! There you stand, waiting for someone to notice you.

And some how the staff manage to beaver away while at the same time giving you glances but, infuriatingly, not making any effort to come to your rescue?
You think to yourself, should I wait, should I talk, should I….

I have worked in many busy offices in my time and the one person who seems to have the most fun and the cushiest job always seems to be the receptionist.
The problem is that when a company has a belt tightening period, then the receptionist is usually the one that bites the dust leaving a void in the reception area and some poor employee out of work and me, the poor visitor, left to her own devises. Read More