If you’ve been around the social media circuit for any time, you know Twitter is the phenomenal micro-blogging platform revolutionizing the way people network and market their business. Twitter gains somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 new users every month. The recently elected American President, Barak Obama, made Twitter a household name as the political pundits across the country marveled at the way his campaign team used the tool to reach millions of Americans with Obama’s message.

For all the people using Twitter effectively, there are also huge numbers of people who either don’t make good use of it at all or who try to overpower the platform and its users with unwanted spam.

Here are three of the best business practices for using Twitter effectively:

1. Use a complete profile. Twitter gives every user a profile page. Make the most of this space by uploading an actual photograph of yourself, providing your real name in your biography and offering information about and links to your website or blog.

People look at your profile page to decide if they want to follow your updates. They may also take a look when you post a message particularly relevant to them. When they get there, make sure you give them what they need to make an informed decision about your business. It may be the only shot you get.

2. Interact. Don’t just broadcast. Twitter is a social networking tool with the operative word being social. Don’t just blast your site information or the link to your sales page every time you use Twitter. Talk to people. Ask them what they do and how you can help them or ask about their family members or interests.

Twitter is great for conversations kept open enough for everyone to join in. General talk about a specific industry, process or training is a great way to get others involved in a discussion. If you engage in banter and chat on Twitter every time you use it, you may even find it a bit tough keeping up with all the followers you gain.

3. Share your expertise. The people with the highest rankings on Twitter are the ones who aren’t afraid to give away some of their best stuff.

Share tidbits of real information related to your area of expertise. If you’re a marketer, don’t just push products. Instead offer tips on how to build your list or ways to help your affiliates. If you’re a writer, offer tips on how to write an effective headline or what to say in an email campaign. Share enough of your knowledge to let people know you’re the real deal. It’s the fastest way to draw them to your website where you can sell then sell your products.

If you consistently follow these three business practices while interacting on Twitter, you are all but guaranteed to grow your business. Twitter is really all about interaction and relationships are all about give and take and showing respect. Using good business sense and common courtesy in your Twitter affairs will gain you not only followers and clients, but respect for your business as well.

Article Writing is one of the Top 5 Skills Demanded By Businesses

I just read a recent hiring trend report from Elance.com hiring trends for February and found that article writing is one of the top 5 skills that businesses are outsourcing to freelancers. It’s really no surprise, especially since Elance caters mostly to online businesses. After all, what is the Internet made of? Images and WORDS… and it’s those words that are crucially important.

And believe me, most Internet marketers don’t have either the skill or the time to write – or both – and that means a lucrative opportunity for people like you with some writing skills.

But outside of article writing, there are other in-demand skills for online ghostwriting, such as copywriting, blogs, press releases, email marketing, white papers and more. This means less competition for you and more opportunities to specialize and actually charge MORE for your services.

If you’ve been thinking of breaking into ghostwriting and doing it quickly, I recommend this guide to ghostwriting.

It will show you:

- How to market your services without spending on advertising

- Where to find clients with deep pockets – Why and how to put up a professional website

- Which industries are virtual gold mines for ghostwriters

- How much to charge to actually make profit

- How to set yourself apart from your competition

- How to develop your portfolio especially when you haven’t
had a single client yet

…and more!

To have a successful ghostwriting business, you need the right tools and strategies that successful entrepreneurs use. This guide gives you the stories of two successful ghostwriters who earn a full-time income writing from home.

Not only are they inspirational, but they give great tips too.

The best part is, because this guide is written for Moms, the price is just right. In fact, you’ll easily earn back the cost of this guide with your first writing assignment. I better just stop writing about it and let you check it out yourself. Click here to learn more about the Just Add Sweat Home Business
Ideas for Women,  Get Paid To Write: Become A Ghostwriter.

Until YouTube came along, there was no social networking site that promoted user content in the form of video. This niche has catapulted YouTube to the forefront as a leading social networking site. Because of its ease of use and popularity, YouTube has become a launch pad for many business viral marketing campaigns as well.

Do you have a digital camcorder or webcam? If so, you can make a video that can be shared online. People like to see what others are doing. There is no better way to allow others to do just that, than through video media. YouTube is the largest generator of user video content on the web.

Yes, YouTube is another hot spot for kids on the Internet. They can create their own videos to upload or watch videos generated by their friends. Comments can be left on videos either praising or denouncing what they have seen. This feedback can be extremely useful for future video productions and marketing campaigns.

The best thing of all is that it is free to become a YouTube member. Once a member, it only takes a good video camera to create quality film capture for the public. The best videos are those from a wide angle for lots of movement like sports videos or still shots where someone performs a demonstration from a single spot. The more interesting you can make the video, the more hits it will get on the Internet.

Businesses have found a way to use YouTube to increase their bottom line as well. Videos are a great to head up a viral marketing campaign. What is viral marketing you might be asking? We do it all the time and many don’t even realize it.

When someone shares a good review of a product with us and we go out and buy it, that’s viral marketing. Essentially, it is word of mouth advertising. It also works on the negative. Poor reviews lead to lower sales of certain products. On the Internet, negative statements spread like wildfire.

With YouTube, the negative to a viral marketing video campaign is not being seen by anyone. Creating interesting footage of your business products and links pointing back to your website can drive traffic your way. Many YouTube business users have special landing pages on their websites just for people who discover them on YouTube.

Another way that many people create a viral marketing campaign via YouTube is to create their video, upload it to YouTube and at the end of the production, send visitors to their website to pick up a free report, product sample, or the ability to sign up for more information about their business.

Think about some of the ads that you see on television. How many times have you gotten to the end of the commercial and wondered what it was even about? A viral marketing video will talk about your business but present the material in an eye-catching way. Remember the Crazy Glue guy hanging from a beam by his hard hat? You might want to hang from the side of your garage instead of fifty stories in the air but you get the idea.

YouTube provides opportunities for businesses to market their business in a viral fashion. With high quality video and a bit of social networking around the site, traffic and sales will benefit. If you haven’t begun advertising your business via video, YouTube is the perfect place to start. It doesn’t cost a dime to put your business in front of millions, but can produce a return that maybe even you could never have imagined.

Customized Tweets!

Twitter is the hottest Social Network on the web and a prime opportunity for you to establish Networking connections and grow your exposure on the Internet.

Stand out from the rest of the Tweeple ~

Develop and promote your brand niche by taking advantage of all that background space!

If you’re looking to promote and advertise your business without spending a lot of money; have an ecommerce website, or are a Work-at-Home Mom, sell on eBay, Etsy, Bonanzle, customized Twitter Backgrounds are the way to go!

For more information, visit: TwitterWebs

2008 is winding down…

And most all those resolutions we began earlier this year are now just distant memories.

Life gets kind of blurry this time now… as we charge into the much-anticipated ‘new’ start…again.

Lots of changes for most of us, new schedules, new plans, new goals…

And as the kids prepare for the holidays we love, we also consider how expensive things are getting and have been…and perhaps how things will change in our job, our life, our business in January.

Before you focus too far into the future, take a good, hard look at today.

Are you where you need to be to make this your best year yet?

To reach your full potential in life, family, and business?

It’s OK if you can’t answer yes.

Maybe you plowed right through the last few months, taking care of business as usual, but still not seeing the results you want…

Maybe you’ve been studying internet marketing, buying big box homestudy courses, reading every newsletter with great interest and wondering why you’re not having the same results as ‘the big boys’…

Or maybe you’re starting out, doing your research, plotting, planning and hoping that something about this ‘internet marketing stuff’ will work for you.

Whatever the reason, you are ready to:

• Focus on your online business without losing sight of your life.

• Find out what it takes to make your site, your offer, your product unique and set yourself apart from the rest.

• Layout your step-by-step plan for growing a strong, profit-generating online business.

• Get more done AND have more time each and every day.

• Connect with other positive online marketers, men and women with the same interests that you have.

• Bust through those mental walls (and or technical hangups) that have been holding you back.

You know it’s time to pull out the stops and make it all happen.

But what you may not know is that you don’t have to do it alone…

NOW OPEN – Internet Marketing Barefoot Boot Camp registration!

Six INTENSE and interactive sessions of coaching that Carrie Wilkerson, The Barefoot Executive created specifically for internet marketers, LIKE YOU!

Six power-packed strategy sessions, exercises, and a host of resources that will transform your mindset, your business, and your life.

Her easy-to-understand (AND PROVEN) blueprint model that will get your profitable as quickly as possible. She doesn’t promise you overnight riches, but she DOES promise to teach you what works for her!

Where you are at next month, next year, five years, and even ten years from now, all starts with today.

You can get more details at Barefoot Boot Camp

Carrie is not the same-old hypey, aggressive marketer you expect to hear from… there is something different about her – but you need to check it out for yourself!

Go to this page and let her tell you in her own words! You will be glad you did!

But hurry – Carrie limits these classes for maximum interaction and there will only be 75 total slots sold! (last I checked, there were
just 62 left)

Do you have a product you currently market or are contemplating marketing?

We all need technology and new programs to make our online businesses run more smoothly. After all, computer technology is what allows us to sell our products online to our audiences. But sorting out all the details of new programs and determining what programs best suit our businesses and budgets can be very time consuming.

As an online product seller, one thing is true across the board: you need a shopping cart program. However, not all shopping carts include the same features nor are they priced the same. At one extreme you have free carts that may not be secure and offer no extra business features but the other extreme is the shopping cart that has many features but costs well over $100 per month.

With such disparities, it is important to do your research and price comparisons but if too much time is spent on research, then you are not able to focus on the money-making aspect of your business. Or, if you commit to a certain program and then determine it’s not right for you, you will have lost some hard earned money.

If you need a guide to explain the different features of an online shopping cart and what extra features will help your business grow, join us at the Shopping Cart FAQ teleseminar on December 17, 2008 at 9pm EST. Your personal guide is Regina Baker, your ecommerce solutions advisor who will answer all your shopping cart questions.

Over the years Regina has heard from numerous home based business owners the despair about not having $100+ per month to pay for an online shopping cart. Or feeling like they’ve wasted money on carts that had so many features their small businesses just could not use. Before you make a mistake in choosing your shopping cart, hear first hand how Regina has become the ecommerce solutions advisor overcoming some mistakes she made along the way, and her strategies for choosing the right shopping cart.

If you are new to internet marketing, you will leave the teleseminar with a full understanding of how an ecommerce website and shopping cart work in unison. Discover how to fully automate your ecommerce business so you can truly make money while you sleep.

If you are an experienced internet marketer, you might evaluate your current shopping cart and learn from Regina how you can make your ecommerce business run more smoothly and more efficiently. Improving your business automation will leave you more time to develop other money-making projects.

Don’t miss this opportunity to have access to Regina Baker’s e-commerce expertise at the Shopping Cart FAQ Teleseminar — for only $1 come and learn something new, ask your burning questions, and leave with a better understanding of how your business can grow with the right shopping cart.

To register for this informative Shopping Cart FAQ Teleseminar on December 17th at 9pm ET, simply Click here!

A career in the real estate industry bring with it thoughts of flexible schedules and big commission checks. But how flexible is being a real estate agent? Many moms think about a real estate career but wonder if they will have to commit all their evenings and weekends to working with clients.

Will You Have to Work Evenings and Weekends As a Mommy Real Estate Agent? by Tina McAllister

Are you a Mommy thinking about a career in real estate? Wondering how it will fit into your schedule as a busy Mom? Real estate can be an enticing career. For the most part, you are the captain of your own ship, you are your own boss.

Many people like to go into business for themselves because they want to be in charge, they want to be the boss. Then they quickly learn that when you own your own business, EVERYONE is your boss. Every single customer is in essence your boss! And this can’t be more true than for real estate professionals.

There is a certain amount of flexibility when you work real estate. Let’s face it; you don’t typically have clients wanting you to meet at 6am. Or even 9am. In fact, many agents joke that other agents are late-risers. But as a Mom, you probably don’t find that an issue since the kids probably already get you up first thing!

You WILL have to work some evenings and weekends!

But with that “no set hours” sense of freedom comes the reality that a real estate agent needs clients. She needs to talk with clients, meet with clients, show clients properties. You get the idea.

And your typical client will have a working schedule from 8am to 5pm. You may be able to call or email them during the day. But listing appointments and showing homes will most likely take place during the evening and weekend hours.

So…if you’re thinking that real estate is a business you can work while the kids are in school or while your babies take their naps, think again. But you will be able to do work during those hours, and with a little help from others, you can streamline your business so you don’t feel like every evening and weekend is being spent away from the very family you want to financially support! You are still in control and you can set limits on when you are able to meet with clients, and it’s important you do so from the start in order to create a healthy balance between your real estate business and family responsibility.

Tina McAllister is a ghostwriter for busy professionals and the author of The WAHM Agent. She also runs WAHM Biz Tips, a site providing business tips and more to work at home moms.
Article Source: WAHM Articles

If you’re a mommy looking to begin her real estate career, your first step will be getting your education. And before you step foot inside a real estate licensing class or spend a penny on your licensing courses, you’ll want to consider a few things.

What a Mom Should Consider Before Attending Real Estate School

by Tina McAllister

Once you’ve decided that real estate is the career for you, you need to get educated! Your state’s licensing requirements will let you know your options. Some states allow you to obtain your pre-licensing education online. But there are states where online licensing courses are currently not an option. For example, in Arizona, those who want to earn their real estate license must take classes in person at an accredited real estate school.

Your state’s department of real estate will inform you as to which schools are accredited to provide the required licensing courses. There may not be a lot of choices when you look for real estate schools in your area. But if you have several to choose from, make sure you look into each one carefully. Price should not be the only issue, though it is a critical component!

When you are looking at attending a real estate school in person, typically the classes you will be required to take in order to take the state exam will be bundled together for one price. And in fact, the bundle is usually a savings off of taking each class piece-meal over time. Prices vary all over the country, but expect to spend anywhere from $300 to $800 for your pre-licensing education. The more schools that offer the pre-licensing courses, the more competition…so that means you have bargaining power. If one school costs a little more, but is closer to home or has a better schedule, don’t be shy about asking that school to match the competition’s price.

Time-wise, you should look for a school that offers enough classes to fit your schedule. As a mom, it may be difficult for you to take any accelerated schedules that cram all the courses into the shortest time frame possible. But if you can, go for it! Sometimes it’s nice to just whiz through and get it all done so you can move onto that state exam while it’s still fresh in your mind. And you don’t want to be in a situation that if you miss a class you have to wait another couple weeks before it’s offered again.

Other factors to consider are the drive time and even the parking situation. With the cost of fuel these days, you don’t want to drive clear across town every day or several times a week, for several weeks. Factor in the cost of gas and your pre-licensing school costs just skyrocketed! And parking can definitely be an issue of concern as well. Imagine getting to school with just minutes to spare. Yet you can’t find any place to park!

Being required by the state to attend a real estate school in person shouldn’t be seen as a deal breaker. While you will definitely have to carve time out of your busy schedule to make it to school, it also gives you time away from all other responsibilities so you can concentrate on learning everything you can about real estate. And that’s a good thing!

Tina McAllister is a ghostwriter for busy professionals and the author of The WAHM Agent. She blogs on business tips and more for the work at home.
Article Source: WAHM Articles

As a Paralegal, my favorite area of expertise was in the coordination of real estate closings.  I worked very closely with Real Estate Agents, mortgage lenders, attorneys, and of course, clients.

The real estate industry can be very lucerative, and many people think it’s just a matter of showing either residential or commercial property, and then collecting a commission check.  But there’s far more involved than meets the eye.

If you’re interested in entering the real estate industry, you need to know the real costs involved. From license fees to initial business cards and signs, you want to know how much to budget so you can become a real estate agent.

Start-up Costs a Mommy Can Expect When Entering the Real Estate Industry

by Tina McAllister

Are you a Mom interested in entering the real estate industry? If you’ve ever pondered jumping into real estate, you want to have a good idea of what kind of costs you will incur as you start your business. Because there are costs involved in becoming a licensed agent.

First and foremost, you will have to pay for schooling. You probably have some options in terms of where (online vs. offline) and their respective pricing. But you will still have to pay. You’ll be looking at anywhere from $250 to $800 for the licensing classes.

There are a few instances where brokers may pay for your education. Especially if you are currently working in the industry in some capacity and your boss wants you to become licensed. In that situation, you should definitely get your employer to foot the bill. Some brokers even have their own school where tuition will be refunded if you sign with them as a licensee.

And don’t forget to ask the school (whether online or offline) if there is any tuition assistance available. For example, active duty military can typically get discounts or assistance. It never hurts to ask. There’s a lot of competition out there. In fact, some online schools will beat out their competition’s price by 10% if you show them the numbers. So it pays to do a little legwork in order to save a few bucks on the schooling.

Another cost that you won’t be able to shake is the state exam and the state license. Each state has an exam you will be required to take and pass before a license will be issued to you. Exam fees can range from $25 to $200 but can also include other fees, such as the state license, so it’s important to understand what is included. Each state has a department of real estate website, or at least one page dedicated to professional licensing and all your education, exam and fee requirements will be found there.

Additional up-front costs can include fingerprinting and background check fees. Again, this information may be found at your state’s department of real estate website.

But what about after you have the license in hand? When you interview brokers and decide where to hang your license, you will find that each broker is different in terms of what you can get and what is expected of you. Many will expect you to attain membership in the local Association of REALTORS and the fees associated with that will also gain you membership into the state and the national associations as well. But you may have to fork out anywhere from $100 to $200 for the annual fees. Not only will this provide you entry into the largest professional association in the nation, but it will also provide you access to the MLS, also known as the Multiple Listing Service. This is important, as most homes for sale and rent can be found in your regional MLS.

Other start-up costs can be business cards and signs. There are ways to cut costs. You can have some temporary cards made inexpensively online through websites such as VistaPrint. And the same is true of signage. With a little bit of searching you can save $20-$100 on your initial order of signs by just looking around online.

You will also need a lockbox key. This will run you somewhere between $80-$120. This is the gadget that will allow you access to homes with keys kept in lockboxes. This is pretty much a must-have. And if you plan on working with sellers, you will want at least one lockbox in your inventory. This will also run about $80-120. But it’s good to have on hand so you’re ready when a client is listing his home with you.

Starting up a career in real estate isn’t expensive, but it does take some money. You’ll want to budget at least $500 to $1000 to begin your real estate business, but if you think of it as an investment towards a long and successful business, it’s well worth it!

Tina McAllister is a ghostwriter for busy professionals and the author of The WAHM Agent. She also runs WAHM Biz Tips, a site providing business tips and more to work at home moms.
Article Source: WAHM Articles

When I network with small business owners and online marketers, I often find myself asking them if they’ve launched their blog yet. Adding a blog has so many important benefits and it’s no wonder that huge corporations and megastores are also getting into blogging. Especially for the micropreneur however, blogs have several distinct advantages. Here are a few.

1. A blog is search engine food! Google and the other big search engines love content and a blog can help you get free search engine traffic. Recently search engines are giving more weight to blogs because they want to offer the freshest, most relevant content to Internet searchers.

2. Blogs create community. Because they are interactive, a blog draws people back to your site again and again. Your visitors will read your post then leave their comments, read comments left by others, and come back to see how the conversation is flowing. Blogs are much easier to manage than message forums too. With RSS (Real Simple Syndication), people can subscribe to your blog feed and be notified automatically when you update your blog.

3. Blogging puts you in control of your site. Posting to your blog is as easy as typing an email or a word document. Why pay a designer to add a page to your website when you can update your site whenever you like, easy as pie? You can blog as often or as rarely as you like to serve your particular needs.

4. Blogs help you grow your bottom line. There are many ways you can add additional monetization streams to your blog so you can make more money in your business without working harder.

5. Your customers love blogs. They can ask you questions, read info about your products and services, and share their opinions. A blog has a more friendly feel than a website.

6. Blogs help you know your target market. As you observe who is leaving comments on your blog, you get to know your market better. This education helps you be a smarter marketer.

7. Conduct market research. A blog is an easy way to conduct surveys and polls to help you get inside the mind of your customers. This information is invaluable to you.

8. Blogs help your customers get to know you. A blog gives your customers a chance to see your personality shine through. People buy from people they like!

9. Blogging is fun. I’ll admit it, blogging is addicting once you get going! There are so many benefits to your business. What’s not to love?

10. As a small business owner, you have a limited marketing budget. Blogging is a free marketing tactic – it only costs you a little of your time.

Get help setting up your blog, learn what you should blog about, and get marketing tips to get more blog traffic at To take advantage of this special 4 week Coaching Package, click here