Running a business on the net these days can be like looking up into a clear night sky; it can leave you feeling very small and insignificant.

I am a one-person operation, and I also offer personal service. It has taken some time for me to acquire clients, but I feel that my business is a smashing success!

Why?

First of all, there is nothing more fulfilling than having a client thank you for something; whether it be something you did for them or something you said.

Secondly, it is wonderful to get to know your clients. My sessions are usually conducted via chat, which leaves lots of room for conversation. I get to know my client as a person, as well as getting to know their online businesses.

It also makes staying in touch much easier. I can email my clients and feel comfortable doing so. Instead of feeling like an inbox intrusion, I am able to share links and resources which I feel are relevant to their particular type of business. And you know what? My clients do the same for me!

Running a small business on a tight budget does mean waiting longer for the 'big bucks' and working harder. But, I have found the principle to be same on the net as it is in 'real' life: if you are willing to work hard at your business, you WILL reap the benefits....eventually! What goes around comes around. The trick is to build a solid, honest and positive foundation.

So, the next time you are feeling down in the dumps about your business, remember: you are only as insignificant as you think you are!

Elizabeth Piotrowski

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Elizabeth is a freelance copywriter and owner of Strategy Ad Service. She provides copywriting solutions for small businesses worldwide. For promotion ideas, free articles or more information about her services, visit her website at http://www.strategyadservice.com

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Internet marketing, a lot of the time really is hit and miss. Always keep in mind that when you promote your site you are, in effect trying to get the word out to the whole world. Not an easy task! How can there NOT be variables when you are advertising to billions? It isn't always where you advertise that makes the difference; it's HOW.

First and foremost, it is SO important to have effective ad copy. Without it, you truly are wasting your time and money. Along with effective ads, it's imperative that you have variety! Don't advertise all over the place with the same ad. The surfer of today seems to get bored very quickly, so it's important to pique their curiosity as often as possible.

Rotate your ads - this means, that if you post to ffa.net with Ad A on Monday, you will post to that site with Ad B on Tuesday. And track your ads so you know which ones are getting the most clicks. Once you know this, you can scratch the less-effective ads off your list, and write new and improved versions.

The time of day you submit can also make a difference. You have to test/track this as well. Try different times of the day, different days of the week, and different ads on each site. See how your ads do when you advertise once a week, twice a week or every day. It's a lot of work!

I have found ffas to be quite effective. Now, before you say "UGH!" let me tell you - ffas aren't the only advertising method that generate mounds of email! If you don't like the idea of submitting to individual ffa pages, try a database submitter, like worldsubmitter.com or mymegasubmitter.com. Your ad can be on thousands of sites in minutes. And don't forget to set up a 'junk' email account BEFORE you post to the ffas, or you will be in trouble!

Next are the safelists. I submit to under 40 safelists daily, but receive over 1000 emails in each of my 7 mailboxes every 2 days! The point is, whether you use ffas or safelists, you cannot escape a full inbox :)

Safelist examples are adtactics.com and mbpsafelist.com, and they get pretty good results if your headline is effective. If you can, try a sponsor ad (your ad at the top of every email sent to the safelist) - incredible results, but only for the first 3 or 4 days - I noticed a loss of interest shortly thereafter.

The list goes on and on - start page programs, banner exchanges, reciprocal links, classified ads, ezine advertising - try all of the above. Find the mix that works best for you. And, when it stops working, either drop it entirely or mix differently. Eventually you will find a winning combination.

Elizabeth Piotrowski

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Elizabeth is a freelance copywriter and owner of Strategy Ad Service. She provides copywriting solutions for small businesses worldwide. For promotion ideas, free articles or more information about her services, visit her website at http://www.strategyadservice.com

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Everything!

Let me explain - most of us started our own businesses for one reason - to make money! Of course, money is a good thing, but sometimes we are so focused on it that we forget there can be value in other means of exchange.

I am talking about service exchanges, barter and the like. Offering your service in exchange for another can have a profound effect on your business, as well as increase your credibility.

How?

Here's a scenario:

A visitor comes to your site, is interested in your service and contacts you with their enquiry. They tell you that they don't have a lot in their budget right now (for whatever reason), but that if you'll agree, they will give you one year's free posting at their ad site in exchange for your services.

Now, before you hit "Reply" and decline the offer, think about it - you could be throwing away literally thousands of dollars in sales by saying no!

Let's say that this person's ad site costs you $12 each time you place a 30 day 'premium' ad. That's $144 per year. Those premium members probably get listed at the top of the page in bold text. Great exposure for you! In a nutshell, they are offering you an entire year's worth of premium advertising for just a few hours' work!

So how does this increase your credibility? That's an easy one :) By being nice enough to accept their offer in lieu of money, you have not only relieved their financial stress - you have shown them you've got heart. And believe it or not, there are still people out there who appreciate that!

Individual results will vary, but:

- this person may contact you in the future and be able to pay you with money, maybe even more than you expected (in appreciation for your past understanding);

- they may propose another service exchange, offering you something with a greater dollar value (or benefit to your business) than before;

- they may highly recommend you to their colleagues, which can generate more business for you (and even if it doesn't right away, it's traditional 'word-of-mouth' advertising which is very powerful).

My experiences with this kind of exchange have been very positive; I've received pro safelist memberships, ad postings, top banner spots and branded ebooks for free (to name a few).

Obviously, there is an element of risk associated with this type of payment - so keep your eyes and ears open, do a little research and most importantly, do the math - if you don't think their offer is equal to the dollar amount of work you will be doing for them, then you will either have to do a little more haggling or respectfully decline their proposal.

Remember the old adage "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"? It still rings true - especially if you can reach your customer on the most important (and responsive) of levels - their heart!

Elizabeth Piotrowski

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Elizabeth is a freelance copywriter and owner of Strategy Ad Service. She provides copywriting solutions for small businesses worldwide. For promotion ideas, free articles or more information about her services, visit her website at http://www.strategyadservice.com

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I have seen my site hit #3 at Google, and some of my fellow entrepreneurs are wondering how I did it. Well, it's no big secret, and it won't cost you anything but your time! Here's the scoop in 5 steps: