Google AdWords
You’ve heard of Google AdWords, but have you tried it? It may at first seem daunting, but once you get the hang of it, it can fast become an asset.

In AdWords (www.google.com/ads) you can create text, print, radio or even TV ads. Start with a text ad, the kind you find on nearly every website and the ads that you see to the right of Google searches. They include a bold heading, two lines of text and a website address.

Write an ad that will draw people’s attention and encourage them to click on it which will take them to your website. Make sure your website is up to date prior to getting started!

Before creating your ad, do a Google search on the terms you think people will use to find your company and see what comes up, your competition? Local/national companies? Many ads, a few or none. What do the ads say? Which one would you click on? If many ads appear, there is greater competition and your cost per click will need to be higher.

Cost per click refers to how Google charges you; however, you have control over this. You can set your cost per click at any amount, it depends on your overall budget, how much your product costs, and how high up on the list you want your ad to appear. If your product or service is inexpensive, you probably don’t want to spend a lot for a potential lead, but if you are selling a more expensive item, you might want to spend more per click. This amount is flexible even by keyword; so if you were in the landscaping business you might spend 25 cents on the keyword ‘lawn’, and $5.00 per click on ‘landscape design.’ You will also set a daily and monthly budget, so if you want to spend $150 per month on Google ads, you will choose $5.00 per day then divide that by the amount per click to arrive at the number of clicks to expect per day.

You can also select specific sites that you want your ad to appear on.

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Trade shows and expos are a terrific way to showcase your business and meet new customers. Preparation, several months in advance, is the key to ensuring that you maximize the experience.

Very often local trade and business organizations host an annual expo of some kind. These usually offer a good opportunity to get your feet wet on a smaller scale without the flying and hotel expenses.

If you aren’t already familiar with expos in your area, begin contacting business organizations to ask about regional trade shows and find one that is right for you. While you need to make sure the target audience for the show is appropriate for your business, sometimes you can find a show that at first glance may not seem like a fit but actually might be a good choice and, at the same time, provide a chance to outsmart the competition.

For example, a recent home show near me features the expected booths such as home builders, kitchen cabinet makers, garden experts, and power washing, but also on hand were two videographers who offered wedding and special occasion video services as well as the transfer of old home movies to DVD. So while their work wasn’t specifically geared toward the home it was certainly of interest to many and they stood out in the crowd.

Smaller, local shows are often less expensive to ‘buy into’ as well. Typical smaller trade shows generally charge between $200 - $2,000 for 10 x 10 booth. For larger shows expect to spend anywhere from $5,000 - $10,000+ on the booth rental. You can also purchase several booths next to each other to create one larger booth or display area. Obviously the more space you desire, the more expensive it will be.

Signing up early can sometimes enable you to request a specific location within the trade show and may also give you the chance to take advantage of early bird discounted registration rates.

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I think most of us are pretty sold on the idea of extending our networks. Knowing more people gives you a greater opportunity to be of service. Like many other marketing activities, networking requires an investment – of your money, your time and your commitment. So before paying again for another year’s membership, take a moment to analyse whether this investment has given you the return you expected.

Firstly, did you commit fully to the network over the last year. Did you go to meetings regularly, make an effort to meet new people, and then keep in touch with them afterwards? Did you join a committee or become involved in the management of the group?

If you haven’t made the grade by participating fully in a network, then you shouldn’t expect a big return. Your decision on whether to stay with this particular network should revolve around whether you plan to put in 100% effort for the next 12 months.

However, if you can say - hand on heart - that you invested the right amount of time, then the question really does become about what you got out of it.

Here’s a list of things to consider:

•  How many new contacts did you make that you would feel comfortable contacting?
•  How much new business did you get as a result of being part of the network?
•  How valuable was the content of the events you attended? What did you learn that has helped you or your business?
•  How much did you enjoy mixing with the other members?
•  How much time did you invest with each network?
•  What was the total cost of being with the network for the last 12 months?
•  How relevant was the network to the type of business you run?

When you start to articulate some of these things, it will quickly become clear whether you should stay or move on from each group.

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Have you been hearing all of the buzz about social networking? Feeling confused?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The great news is that it isn’t as complicated or time consuming as it may seem. Plus, it’s more than just social; it’s good for your business to get involved.

The list of social networking sites is long and growing. I don’t want to overwhelm you so I’m only going to focus on two that are particularly suited for you as a business owner, Facebook.com and LinkedIn.com.

So why should you care? What’s the big deal? Well, here are just a few reasons to enter the social networking realm:

* Gain exposure for your business that may lead to new clients or projects

* Increase the credibility of your business (give and receive recommendations on LinkedIn, post messages on friend’s pages on Facebook)

* Be connected to the people in your network in one location (OK, two if you’re on both Facebook and LinkedIn)

* Re-connect with business contacts you’ve lost touch with (sometimes they find you, sometime you discover them)

* Meet new people and expand your business network (meet your friend’s friends that you otherwise wouldn’t meet)

Here’s a quick overview of them (both are gratis and LinkedIn offers paid upgrade options).

Facebook:

- Informal and more social than business focused (this doesn’t mean it’s not good for your business)

- Almost 100 million members (according to Wikipedia)

- Anyone can ask you to be ‘friends’ (you don’t have to accept) and you can ask anyone to be friends (they don’t have to accept either)

- It is possible to share photos, videos, and add applications

- You can join groups within the network that interest you (or make your own group)

LinkedIn:

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As a business owner you know a lot of people, and you continue to meet new people. This is your network. But what are you doing with it? How often do you connect with people in your network? Do you have a plan to stay in touch consistently and develop your relationships?

If you’ve been neglecting your network it’s time to make some changes. It’s never too late to begin where you are and start connecting with the people you know.

Networking is about giving first. It’s about building relationships over time with people. If you don’t invest in nurturing and growing your relationships with people in your network, then your network will become nothing more than a list of names in a database.

When you stay in touch and develop relationships with people, your business will be top of mind when people need your products or services. This also increases the number of referrals people will give to your business.

To nurture a relationship, you must give it attention and energy. There are loads of ways to connect with people (many of which are very inexpensive). You can:

* Pick up the phone

* Send an e-mail

* Send a note the old fashioned way (otherwise known as snail-mail using the post)

* Meet in person for coffee, lunch or a drink

Finding a reason to connect isn’t hard to do. You don’t have to wait for something big to happen; little things can mean a lot too. Here are just a few ideas:

- No specific reason, just to see what’s new and catch up

- Birthdays or anniversaries

- Sharing an article, book, website, or other resource

How often you touch base depends on the kind of relationship you have with each person. For some people connecting twice a year is perfect and for others every three months is appropriate.

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Before we talk about specific networking tips I want to address a critical aspect of networking that is often overlooked. Sometimes we are so eager to network that we don’t stop to consider whether or not we are investing our energy in the right places.

Listen, you can go to all of the networking meetings under the sun and collect hundreds of business cards while you’re at it but if you’re not hanging out with people you can do business with, you might make some new friends, you won’t necessarily grow your business.

If you want to grow your business by networking it is imperative that you network with: people who are your ideal clients, people who know your ideal clients, and/or people who do business with your ideal clients. It’s that simple. So before you sign up for your next networking event, ask yourself if it is a good fit for your business.

When you network with people who need your products/services(or know others who do) there will be a natural interest in knowing more about your business. Stop, not so quick – the story of you and your business comes later. First, let’s walk through what happens at a networking event and I will give you a tip for each step.

Step 1: Meeting People

Enter the room with confidence, stand up straight and smile. Look for a friendly face and introduce yourself. If you don’t see an opportunity to meet someone right away don’t panic. A sure fire way to strike up a conversation is to get in a line(to sign in, for food, for drinks, for the restrooms). You can also approach the person hosting the event and ask for an introduction. In addition, if the list of attendees is available prior to the meeting you can identify someone you would like to meet and approach someone to ask if the person you are looking for is at the meeting.

Step 2: Getting to Know People - The Ed Principle

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People make snap judgments in all their interactions. According to Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, you have two seconds before someone jumps to a conclusion. You have two seconds to state your initial marketing message.

On your website, you have two seconds to convey who your web page is targeting. Make it obvious through the use of headlines, layout, menu names, and graphics your exact message.

When you meet someone, how you dress, where you look, your facial expressions, your tone of voice, and the words you use all quickly tell people about you. Make yourself easy to approach and give each person your full attention.

In your emails, make your subject line both interesting and accurate. Most people look through their email in-boxes first by seeing who sent the mail, and then the subject of the email. If it doesn’t pass their internal filter, the email is often deleted even before it’s read. You don’t want emails from you to be equated to spam.

In your correspondence, make your opening sentence on-target. If your letter doesn’t give me a reason to continue reading, then I’ll quickly toss it, and read my next letter.

In your advertising, the image and headline you choose will either attract or repel the reader’s eye. The image should reflect your copy, headline, and branding. An image that doesn’t jibe with the copy quickly becomes eye candy, and reduces the believability of your message.

When you answer the phone, do people feel welcomed? Do you speak slowly enough to make sure the caller knows if they dialed correctly? Do you clearly say the name of your business?

When you leave a message, do you say your name, company name, and phone number at the start of the message clearly?

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Networking still tops the charts to find the right work. Moreover, although I remain an advocate for the strength of in-person networks, I can see the growing success of online social networks. They’re bubbling to the surface and gaining popularity!

I’ve been a member of LinkedIn for a while now. However, it never really grabbed me. Maybe it’s because this online social network’s target audience is professionals, without the feeling of personal rapport. I’ve also noticed an underlying trend in which people appear more interested in “adding numbers” of connections to grow their business instead of building real relationships based on trust - something I believe is foundational to networking. 

Out of curiosity, I decided to join Facebook, partly as a way to grow friendships and partly to see whether I could use it to nurture a meaningful network. So far, the activity has been slow, but I hear it builds momentum over time. We’ll see.  

In the meantime, these recent experiences with online social networks have shown me this: The line between social and professional networking is really blurred! 

If you’re searching for work - looking for a new job or an entirely new career - where do you draw the line? Recognize that online social networks such as Facebook showcase the whole person. You’re opening your kimono (so to speak) and letting the whole world see the real you. 

If you’re on the prowl for a job, review your Facebook or MySpace profile. Make sure it’s personable, yet professional. This is an amazing opportunity to present to your potential employers who you are - your interests, passions, observations - while still maintaining your professionalism and integrity. Remember, everyone can peek into your worldview. You want to build your reputation, not taint it. 

Here are five tips to use Facebook immediately in your job search:

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