As much as it pains me to admit this, I may have learned something from the Terminator. Well, to be clear . . . it was actually from the new Fox(R) spinoff series, “The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” I have never been much of a fan of this series of movies, but after viewing them again recently with my husband, I must reluctantly admit that “Ah-nold” just might be on to something.

Those of you who may be die-hard fans will know the line I am referring to, but if not, just indulge me a moment. I promise there is a method to my madness.

In both the movie and the series, there is a (variation) of the line, “Come with me if you want to live.” Direct, forceful, and certainly insightful on its own. But here’s where it gets a little weird (and I will warn you up front to make a bit of a leap with me).

In both the movie and in the series, the characters look toward technology to help them. We need these pseudo-human beings to guide us, and ultimately, to save us. It got me to thinking about how it parallels so much of what is happening with technology today, and how important it is that we both embrace and trust the technology around us if we want our small business to survive.

There are literally dozens of advancements that have come on the scene, and, whether you follow these developments or not, they can, and will impact you. You have two options here: you can choose to ignore them and resist accepting them, or, you can embrace them, and leverage them to your advantage. History teaches us that no matter how hard we may try to resist change, it is inevitable. Those who resist change are often left behind.

What Can You Do to Make Technology Work For You?

There are many small changes that we can make to begin the process of embracing the technology around us. I know how it feels to be hesitant, or even downright resistant, to these changes. I wrote many of them off as nothing more than fads, then watched with surprise as many industry titans began implementing them. THAT got my attention. And, fair reader, it should get yours, too.

So, just how can you start making technology work for you? I am so glad you asked. I have worked up a short list that I think will help get the gears turning for you. From there, I encourage you to expand and revise the list to suit your needs.

Utilize Small automations. Setting up reminders in your email client (check out Outlook’s Calendar feature, for example) can help keep you on track, and on schedule. I set reminders for everything from client conference calls to reminders to change out content on my various websites. I would be lost without it.

RSS News Feeders. Streamline your web-surfing by setting up feeds from your favorite news outlets, blogs, magazines, etc. This puts all the information in one place, and allows you to read them at your leisure.

Automatic Credit Card Processing. I used to waste several hours a week in processing orders for my various sites — because I was doing all of this manually. Last fall, I had finally had enough. I switched over to 1ShoppingCart.com, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Not only are my orders processed automatically, but the cart system also handles my affiliate program, autoresponders, and can even handle delivery of digital products. It is a bit pricey at first glance, but if you take the time to price out all of these elements separately, you’ll soon realize it is a valuable investment in your business.

AudioGenerator.com. This service is one that after you begin using it, you will wonder why you didn’t start sooner. You can record (via phone, or upload your own file) short messages for your website — welcome messages, product instructions, special announcements, etc. — and upload a short line of code to add them to your site. Because the file is third-party hosted, if loads quickly and won’t bog down your server. You can also give out a special phone number to your customers, and allow them to record product or service testimonials.

Productivity Tools. Embracing technology allows us to work smarter, rather than harder. That said, below are some time-saving resources, along with a short explanation of how they can serve you.

BizJournals: Search 41 business news journals at once.

http://www.bizjournals.com

TrackEngine: Set up alerts to monitor changes on frequently visited websites. http://www.trackengine.com

TinyURL: Shorten lengthy URLs for easy emailing. http://www.tinyurl.com

ZoomInfo: Don’t Google someone, ZoomInfo them! http://www.zoominfo.com

DomainTools: Identify web sites owned by the competition. http://www.domaintools.com

Blinkx: Track the TV coverage of your competitors. http://www.blinkx.com

Jux2: Locate unique results between 3 search engines. http://www.Jux2.com

Wikipedia: Search and browse the ultimate online reference site. http://www.wikipedia.com

Ask: Answer who-is and what-is questions instantly. http://www.ask.com

TurboScout: Search across multiple search engines for comprehensive results. http://www.turboscout.com

Social Networks. I saved this as my last list item (although I could go on for quite a bit longer) simply because it is one that I personally resisted for far too long. The good news is, if you aren’t using it, you haven’t missed the boat on this. Follow these helpful tips, and start using these networks as another promotional method for your business:

Always provide valuable content. Nobody likes a spammer. Avoid hopping on these sites shouting from the rooftops about how great you are. Let folks come to that conclusion naturally by seeing all of the valuable knowledge and content you have to offer.

Go for quality, not quantity There are tons of social networks out there, and more springing up each day (trust me on this, I have a news alert set up to let me know). Select one or two and test the waters. Get a feel for the community, and then become a productive and respected member of it. You don’t have to be a member of every social network in order to reap the benefits.

Be Prepared to Welcome the Leads. Do you have a lead-capture plan in place? If not, get one. Make sure you have a prominently placed opt-in area on your home page — preferably “above the fold.” Offer a free report, coupon, discount or other promotional offer to encourage conversions of that traffic.

These are really only the tip of the iceberg in terms of embracing the technology available to us as small business owners. The most important fact that I’d like to leave with you is that if you aren’t using technology, you run the risk of being left behind. The Internet offers us the unique opportunity to enjoy a global marketplace; don’t kid yourself into believing that your competition isn’t going to be employing these exact same strategies to get the jump on you.

Little do they know that we have the Terminator on our side. “Hasta la vista, baby!”

Every home based business news a marketing plan. A common mistake new business owners make is thinking that their work at home business virtually sells itself. They think that people will surf the web and find their website. The truth is that creative a website is not enough to bring in enough traffic to make a healthy profit.

Regardless of the product or services a business offers, there are some goals that all businesses have in common.

* To increase exposure to the website and the product or service

* To grow the business by increasing the customer base

* To target potential customers who are already interested in the product

* To improve sales

* To earn more money and remain profitable

* To stick within the advertising budget limits

To accomplish these goals you need a plan. Work at home businesses are prevalent on the Internet. You have to show people why your business is different and why it’s a good idea to buy from you. To do this, present your business in a positive light. Brand your business to give potential and current customers a positive image to remember you by. Brand identification influences how people shop and who they buy from. Come up with a creative business logo, maintain a degree of professionalism and present yourself as an expert in the field.

Online promotion is another way to let people know about a work at home business. Promote your website by running a contest or giving away a free sample when people join a mailing list. Press releases can also be used to let the public know about innovative products and services.

Internet marketing is another key component to the success of an online business. An Internet marketing strategy can include several advertising methods including banner ads, pay per click ads, article marketing, an email campaign using an opt-in list and adding SEO content to your business website. Each of these strategies works for different reasons. Experiment to see which methods are the most cost-effective and which bring in the biggest return.

Other methods of advertising a work at home business are using social networking sites, posting on forums within your niche topic, adding a link to your email signature and other postings, obtaining back links to your site, sending out a newsletter and contributing free articles to ezines.

There is always tradition advertising for your home based business as well. Placing classified ads, handing out business cards and using word-of-mouth advertising are still popular ways of getting word out about a new business.

Ultimately, how you choose to advertise your work at home business will depend on a number of things. Your marketing strategy will be based on your budget, the type of business it is, who your target market is, your marketing skills and the amount of time you have available to devote to marketing.

Keep your goals in mind when developing a marketing strategy for your work at home business. Decide which strategies will fit best into your budget and time constraints while providing good results. Track your sales and study where your traffic is coming from to determine which strategies are the most help at building your business. Only then will you know how to advertise in the future with the least amount of effort and the biggest payoff.

Although there are many ways that you can promote your home business, publishing a press release is still a very effective way to make your business news known. This tried and proven method will still effectively bring your business promotion to the attention of the media – and bring the results you want – customers. Here are some tips to help you know why this method still works.

Editors Want Press Releases with Real News

Press releases work because editors are always hungry to find some tidbit of news that people want. It makes a story for them. If you can win his or her attention with your home business news, an event or a promotion, you will have the media attention you want. An editor, however, will only take a few seconds to look over your press release and decide whether it is newsworthy or not. For this reason, only a press release with a good news angle will catch his or her attention.

This hunger for news makes it extremely important that you have some news as the main feature of your press release – if you want the major media groups to pick up the story. Although there are Web sites that will take any press release, it will take one that is written from a newsworthy angle to give you the widespread circulation you want. This includes things like news of your business, new product news, special awards received, new employees, promotions, milestones achieved, and more.

Good Press Releases Multiply

Many different groups of media pay close attention to press releases – on a daily basis. If a larger media group picks up and publishes your top notch press release, then other groups may also pick it up, rewrite it, and publish it as well – giving you even further free exposure. This, of course, is what you want. Whereas you may have paid for one good press release – now you get that potential multiplied.

A quality press release can also save you a whole lot of money in advertising costs for your home business. Larger marketing campaigns can cost many thousands of dollars if you buy multiple newspaper ad space, or TV and radio time. Letting the various media agencies, papers and electronic media rush to carry your news story is worth the little bit of money a press release will cost you. It is also possible that your outreach will be greater, too.

Online Press Releases Have Added Benefits

An online press release may even provide you with some additional benefits. First, it will provide you with at least one inbound link to your Web site. Other media sources could pick it up and republish it – if it is a good story. This means you soon could have many inbound links – just from one press release. Secondly, some Web sites keep press releases archived – which means your inbound links and popularity could increase very quickly wit regular press releases.

Helps Build Your Brand

Press releases are also a great way to build you home business’ brand. By using press releases on a regular basis – possibly one a month, soon the media and the public begin to recognize your brand – which means more business for you. Well-written press releases that grab the attention of the media can quickly help you get the brand recognition you want.

Press Releases Prove You Are a Growing Business

Besides just the branding that regular press releases gain for you, there are also other related home business benefits, too. It is important to show to your customers and business associates that your home business is on the move. Your company is growing, making news, and is always pushing forward. These things give your clients confidence in your company’s stability and future – making them even more willing to do business with you.

Finding a good press release company is just as important as the quality of it. Some shortcuts may be taken by some of these companies, which means your news may not go out at all. Select them carefully. Be sure to write your press release with a specific audience in mind, and make sure that the press release submitter sends it to media outlets that are interested in your particular news or product. If you have a Web site (which your home business should have), you also may want to keep an ongoing blog or Web page that shows recent press releases.