What Are YOU thinking about for your next online marketing tactic?

[Debbie Ducic]

I have found that when I pick the brains of the ladies I talk with at all my female oriented networking events, there are certain trends I see happening in the area of technology and online marketing.

One of those trends is that there are an inordinate amount of ladies looking to buy a laptop computer. The next most requested need is help with getting a website going or updating one they already have.

Obviously there's alot of change happening in the industry that business people are wondering about. GutZy Women aren't afraid to ASK and HEAR the scoop because they sense how IMPORTANT it is!

If you are one of them, then one solution that makes sense is to sign up for the Beta Membership in LetsGetGutzy.com. And the other is to join this Ning and get to know those BRILLIANT WOMEN who can help, support and mentor you.

So inquiring minds want to know.. What is it that YOU think you need to be able to take your business out to the online world?

[Hayley Solich]

The right product! The niche product that people want...
It's interesting, Debbie. I am currently running an online survey on the needs of women and daily I am checking the stats and every day it is different. There are a couple of trends that are standouts. But overall, daily it is shifting. The standouts were that women worried most about their families, money and their physical health. Niche markets there are products for "growing" families, how to's on making money and health focussed products. Markets in these areas are already flooded, so where is the niche there?

Then they say that they are most interested in being a voice for those who cannot speak up for themselves. Perhaps there is a niche there training women in how to be more assertive in their communications, teaching them when to speak up and when to hold their tongue! I guess if you have the wisdom on that one every woman would be lining up to hear how to control the mouth gate! (LOL)

The other trend is that women are most inspired by Oprah Winfrey or Dr Fiona Woods. Perhaps approaching either of these ladies to do an autobiography might bring results, but whose got the time to follow them around for a week!

So for me, I am seeking to find my niche market. I am a business and motivational trainer who is currently spending most of my working hours, doing employment contracts for tertiary institutes, which is well paying and reliable. In 2008, I would like to make the jump to getting my own business off the ground!

Regards
HAYLEY

[Debbie Ducic]

Dear Haley,

I hear your dilemna and feel your frustration, believe me!

I have done so much research as to how to be successful on the internet. And until recently, the answer was always the same...find out what people are searching for, what their problems and challenges are and offer them answers and solutions. But that wasn't good enough...ONLINE, they also had to be buyers and NOT just researchers.

Well, of course, the best way to determine that was to do the keyword thing, the clickbank research, the amazon once over, etc. Now I know that there are ALOT of people out there that have been VERY successful at that, but the problem is...once you have offered that product, you now have to offer them the next one, and then the next one, and then again, so that it reminds me of when I was a stock broker. Once you sold one stock, you had to hawk the next one.

What happens then is it's very tempting to offer products that aren't quite up to your own standards and you end up feeling empty and used. Your clients start catching on to your game and then you may lose them AND your integrity and reputation.

That's why I'm very excited about this NEW "Maven" approach that is being promoted by people like Jay Abraham, Rich Shefren, David Skul (my mentor). It's more about what are YOU passionate and knowledgeable about, how much work are you really willing to do and is what you're doing truly helping people reach THEIR goals and dreams?

I really LIKE that approach and I'm taking that path BIG TIME in 2008. I have committed to posting 2-3 videos and 4-5 articles a week on my sites to offer free info and strategies in order to EDUCATE people...especially women in the NEW Web 2.0 world. From there, I plan on meeting people locally AND internationally through networking in order to find those who are looking for direction and advise as well as offer myself as a resource in making THEM successful. HOW? Promoting THEM and what they have to offer in any way I can .

What can I do? I'm into video, audio, teleseminars, podcasts, etc. I can use those skills for their benefit. And what I'm finding is that it's coming back to me without even asking and opportunities for monetizing comes in MANY different ways...through speaking, joint ventures, paid teaching , consulting fees...etc.

I've gone through MANY stages in my "internet business" development and THIS is what feels the most RIGHT and comfortable to me. In fact I"M LOVING IT! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

LOVE
DEb

[Connie E]

Hot Discussion Here!...I have been struggling with that for a long time! What people are researching and what they are buying are not necessarily what resonates with what I would want to offer. And as you said, the market is so saturated with tons of products, as well as a growing number of teachers and services. And I think that about 65% of the population now works as a Coach. While almost every 'info-product' I have purchased goes unread, I also hesitate to contribute to that scenario.....Wow....as I type this....I am sensing a bit of a scarcity and fear mentality!.....but I will continue anyway with some of my other responses as I read through the 'replies'....

I think that as a society, a culture, that we are outgrowing our desire to continue to consume so much. I think that CONNECTION and REACHING OUT is an evolving desire. And I think that it is definitely time to find and express our voice, and to move from awareness into ACTION!....together! And Oprah is certainly a wonderful example and teacher!

Thank you for your comments, Debbie! So right on!

Now...I hate to turn this into a pitch...but I really do think that Humanity Unites Brilliance has a wonderful vehicle to provide the field for what you speak to....having the freedom, funding and support to do what you are PASSIONATE about! We each have unique gifts and talents to offer, yet many struggle to make it feasable to do so. And many more do not even take the time to consider what their unique gifts and talents are! And as women, it is only natural for us to TRULY desire to assist others to achieve their goals and dreams. And our collective dreams are changing! They come from a much deeper place! Yet there is currently no system to support them - hence dis-ease, depression and addiction. It is time for us all to reach out and assist one another - AND TO MAKE MONEY DOING IT! It is time for all people of the world to move from a place of Survival, through Self-Empowerment, to Sustained Abundance! And there is a new movement awakening that is providing this vehicle!

The model that allows such a flow of resources and funding is through Social Network Marketing, which despite its tainted reputation, is actually based on very ancient and sacred practices - I believe. This company is still very much in its infancy. We are still working very hard to learn how to 'tell the story' in a clear and concise way. New Paradigms must be Organic, Dynamic, CO-CREATED, Evolve and Unfold!.....AND.....the labor process can sometimes be painful and messy...but it will all be worth it!

OK.....enough for now.....please take a look at www.ihaveimpact.com if you would like to learn more. I would be most interested in learning of your perceptions and reactions.....As for the latest 'Gizmo' that I am excited about purchasing and utilizing.....the Flip Camera! www.theflip.com.

Lotsa Luv,
Connie

[Hayley Solich]

Hi Debbie and Connie.
Perhaps 2008 is as you say, Debbie. Perhaps 2008 is not about building Hayley's vehicle, but about building a vehicle for others. Certainly that is my passion and the reason why I have founded Women Can International I know that the work that will be involved in the Association will satisfy every part of me. Perhaps I am to focus my energies there and everything else will flow out of it.
Money is not really important to me. I see it as a means to an end, but I do know from running businesses that a lack of funds is like trying to run a car without gas. You can only go so far.
I'm very keen to start podcasting, as I met so many inspiring women when I was the Co-Editor of Pearls Women's Magazine, another very satisfying project but not financially rewarding. Every woman has an inspiring tale to tell and I'd love to interview these women and start to light a candle in other women about being involved in community or overcoming barriers to enjoying their lives.
I am so grateful for the social networking sites that I have found because I am an external processor and having separated recently, I lost my sounding board for ideas! I find that I get clarity from the process of brainstorming, so thank you for being so kind as to respond to my posts.
I am going to leave no stone unturned in my search for the right pathway because this is my year of freedom.
Blessings
HAYLEY

[Debbie Ducic]

You can't imagine how excited I am that the both of you have joined me in this conversation because THIS IS IMPORTANT!

So important in fact that I'm going to ask that each of you, as well as myself, to do what we can to get others to join in this conversation so we can get other points of view.

Maybe we're just dreaming of a world that's not yet feasible? OR maybe we are joining together and CO-CREATING a world in which WE WANT to LIVE?

Hayley...I went and took a look at your association and what you are doing there is quite ambitious. It looks like TONS of work! But when we do something that we LOVE...something that we're PASSIONATE about, it doesn't feel like work to us does it? At the same time, I totally understand that it's tough to keep going if we're broke, so the trick is how to monetize. I will help you in any way that I can because what you are doing is important!

Connie...Obviously Hayley is not the only one with that concern, as you and I have already talked about that and I agree with you that HUB is a great NEW paradigm in the way of monetizing people's passions~! I think you've done a super job on your website and I encourage you to keep at it.

I make the committment to take more time to look at HUB and wrap my mind around it because it seems to address 3rd world needs more than the needs right here in the US. That's a judgement that I made from my initial research, but I need to do some UNLEARNING since I was trained in traditional business, free market enterprise type stuff.

But I know that with the quality of people who have jumped aboard HUB, being such VISIONARIES, that I WANT TO see what you and they see! Then I can truly say Do You See? I See! (Sorry, I just had to throw that in :)

I ENCOURAGE anyone out there visiting this ning and the others we're all a part of to join into this conversation NOW!

This was the original question:
What is it that YOU think you need to be able to take your business or cause out to the online world?

PLEASE JOIN US!

Deb

[Hayley Solich]

Thanks, Deb. I agree with you that what I am doing is important. Not for me, but for the women that are going to be energised by Women Can International. I see teams of women going out into the world on projects. It may not happen overnight, but it is going to happen. We all need a starting point, an impetus to stretch out our tent pegs and embrace more of life. I know women who have not been out of their cosy little country town in their whole lives. They are content but they are also missing out on a world of fun and adventure. I know women who are imprisoned within the walls of their homes. I have been one of these women. I want them to know that they are not alone, that they have a sisterhood that cares and understands them and is passionate about their future.
Enough of my rave. Suffice to say, I am really pleased that you are supportive, Deb. Right now I am researching podcasting as I want to get something up in the next month once a week interviewing women who are inspirational - you have no idea how many women have a story to tell.
Catch you soon.
HAYLEY

[Debbie Ducic]

Hayley,
I'm not sure what is in Australia or if it even matters where the software is, but Talkshoe is the podcast software that I am most familiar with. Feel free to talk to several ladies on this Ning that use Talkshoe as their podcast platform of choice.

http://www.talkshoe.com

What I don't know is if the telephone numbers they work off of will work with Australia.

Just something for you to check out and since we have some pro's right here on this ning, who would love to mentor you...take advantage of that!

LOVE
Deb

PS: I DO KNOW how many women have GREAT STORIES that WILL be TOLD NOW...because we have this FANTASTIC venue called the World Wide Web! Don't ya love it?

[Connie E]

TalkShoe looks great! Another one that a friend of mine uses is:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Anita-Pathik-Law
Have not looked at them closely enough to see the specific differences.
Wonderful vision, Hayley! How is your price structure set up?
And I also completely agree with you! So many of my clients live with severe depression and addictions. They each feel so isolated and that there is no purpose or meaning to their life....yet when there is so much individual suffering, if we simply connect and see ourSelves in each other, then we may all be able to see, experience and express how we are meant to best serve! (Did that make sense?) My Mother lives with Bipolar Depression. We are working on doing an eBook and some programs to provide a 'safe place' for those who either live with depression themselves, or that they are affected by a loved one's depression.

We are also going to be doing a blogcast on through the above mentioned service. I will be interviewing diferent women who have joined HUB and who have begun engaging in new passions that they have finally had the courage and support to follow. It will also serve to promote their passion. And because they are earning an income through the Social Network Marketing of HUB, they will not have to worry about how or what to charge for their services. I am also working closely with www.PeacexPeace.org so that local women's circles may connect with another women's circle around the world. This may also be done on an individual basis.

Women WILL be the Ones to change the world! We are the One's we've been waiting for!

[Hayley Solich]

Thanks, Connie. Will have a look at that as well. A friend of mine, Jill Bonnano, one of the girls on my Committee, works for a community radio station and they podcast there. So I am going to have a chat with one of the announcers there next week and get his expert opinion on the matter. There is also a seminar coming up at work (I do work for TAFE - Govt training body), so I'm going to put my hand up for that as well, as I want to be fully armed with the facts.
I really appreciate you ladies taking the time to share your wisdom!
Regards
HAYLEY

[Diane Corriette]

I'd like to add my 2 cents and a slightly different point of view. People are making a huge amount of money in "flooded markets" in fact there is no such thing if you think about it because all you need to be willing to do is make yourself different in a pool of fish that are the same!

I am currently on the SMARTS program and here is what Don is promoting. He comes from a direct marketing background - 20 years. We are being told go find the big markets and jump right in! After all of the talk about niche and sub niche I thought .... WHAT!

He told us in direct marketing you never go for niches. You go for where the money is and you make your money in there... you just have to know how to do it!

The key here is that if you know how to optimize what you are doing with key words then you can get yourself on the top of the search engines and in front of businesses that have been doing this stuff for years!

PLUS... there is extra work involved.

When it comes to resale rights, just taking a product to resell it most people will put the website up and do very little else, maybe a bit of adwords.

The way to win with resale rights is to create a free report (write your own), create a free ecourse (write your own) write 30 articles and send them out to article directories and then continue to write 2 articles a week every week.

What are the chances with all those articles, the free report and the free ecourse that you will sell something.
But most people won't do the work it takes... some people can't do the work it takes and others have absolutely no idea about the work it takes.

Today I have a webinar for a new magazine that will promote teleseminars. I got tired of paying $39 to promote one and am using an established idea and making it better. there is some hot competition and I am not in the least bit concerned. Why? Because I will do whatever it takes, for how ever many hours it takes to get that magazine on the top spot of google.. .end of! Plus of course I'm learning with Don :0)

I won't put it up and hope people come to it. I won't put it up and send an email to a few friends and hope they come to it. I will be on this every single day for 3 months, non stop, just like I did with my Ning and just like I did with my membership site and personal growth podcast directory.

I choose my keywords and I don't stop until I appear on the front page at least 2 or 3 times.

So go after the biggest niche you want and have fun... I'm about to take on Alex Mandossian... well not directly because I don't want to teach how to create teleseminars but my magazine will promote them so whenever Alex's name comes up I want my magazine right there underneath (or on top of) him!

If you want to know how to win this game... get a mentor... and when you are done learning from them... get another... get someone you respect and you KNOW they are a name in this game and give them your money!

Learning from each other is great but you need to be willing to take the time to learn. I have provided so much free information that if people stopped to look they would never need to pay for anything again! But who takes the time to look and learn..... ?

Get a mentor and get rich. Watch out for the SMART program. Be on the alert list. Learn how to optimitze and get the traffic that dominates myspace and facebook. You won't ever concern yourself about this again!

[Hayley Solich]

Very interesting, Diane. I hear you and you know what, I think there are elements of truth in what is being said here. The bible puts it like this, "There is nothing new under the sun." King Solomon said that and he was referring to life and work. So taking that to the extreme, you could say that in business there is nothing new also. It's just the same dish served up with a different sauce!
I have been one who has been taking the time to learn. I feel like I have been eating, breathing and even dreaming about what the next step is for me in my life in relation to business and other activities I am invovled in. I have been asking questions and I have been searching. I haven't been resting, in fact, I could sleep for a few days to catch up! And I think I'm starting to see the right pathway for me.
I've also been listening to a lot of very successful business men on CD. I've been looking for the secrets to their success and a common thread is emerging. I have found there are a few keys to their success:
1. Hard work
2. Determination
3. They build their business for their customer's benefit and that is their focus
4. They have a plan and they work their plan
5. They don't let the dream stealers steal their dream
Perhaps it is a case of working out what customers are looking for, choosing something that you know well or can learn easily, creating or finding products that suit your subject and becoming very active in getting the attention of the world for your products.
I am on the verge of a big jump...I can feel myself bouncing on the diving board...but I am aware that timing is everything! That is why I am arming myself with knowledge while I have the chance.
Thank you for sharing, Diane. I find one post from you keeps me thinking for a week! :)
Regards
HAYLEY

[Joanne Quinn-Smith]

Okay I don't have much time for this as I have a breakfast meeting to get ready for this AM. But you will hear more from me later. I have been and still dabble in network marketing or multi-level marketing and most of those systems have proven techniques for getting things accomplished so all I can say about that is look to your up-line and if that person is not doing the business or successful, keep moving up the food chain until you find someone who does.

Now if you are truly marketing your own product on the internet, I believe you need a platform and I will have a product out about that soon. In the meantime. Internet marketing is like anything else. You can build the most beautiful store and if no one shows up to shop, when your big budget runs out, you are simply out of business.

Everyone seems to think that because it's easy to do and there's so much free stuff on the internet that you can just set something up like a talkcast, like a blog or a social network and expect it to work.

As the Italian spoof commercial says, "Fuget bout it." You are going to have to create a platform and promote, promote, promote.

I have been talkcasting since last March, and have logged almost 150 shows and interviewed over 200 people.
I started out to promote my local chapter, of the National Associaiton of Women Business Owners, thought someone would take it over and they did not, so decided that I would promote NAWBO and at the same time promote myself.
Thus: Positively Pittsburgh Live on Mondays at 7 PM was born.
Then: Many of my guests could not figure out Talk Shoe in the beginning, it's much simpler now, I started Techno Granny at 7 AM on Mondays initially to help people understand how to access Talk Shoe. This show mushroomed immediately and people started to ask me to have different shows. I don't always use an expert but I do always use someone who works with the technology in question and is conversant with it.
Then I got the brilliant idea to market my own business, Dreamweaver Marketing Associates with Monday Morning Marketeer at 9 AM on Mondays.
Finally I found interesting people who did not fit into Positively Pittsburgh Live so I started Professionals with Impact.
I also have a blog for each of these shows on blogspot and am teaching my clients to use the net to optimize their local presence.

When Talk Shoe set up a partnership with Ning, I dived in, still don't know everything about it but I have a wonderful site that supplements my Positively Pittsburgh Live Show, growing weekly and has nearly 50 members.

Strange Odyssey but I have set myself up as a credible authority in several arenas.
New Technology--I am no expert, but I've got people. LOL
Pittsburgh--I have substantively created a resource for and about Pittsburgh
Marketing--people from all over the world are downloading my guerilla marketing 15 mintues and my listeners and clients are growing exponentially
PR--my clients on Professionals with IMpact are getting business and contacts

Now the ultimate result of all of this is that I am getting speaking engagements and guess what I have a platform for a book and am investigating a publisher and doing a proposal. I have no need to self publilsh since I have a platform, just a matter of finding the right publisher.

I am not tooting my own horn, just letting you know that anyone can do it but it requires dilligence, commitment, sometimes stamina and definitely discipline.

You blog and talk cast and social network for many reasons but here are the three main ones:
a. monitor your market
b. participate in other blogs, talkcasts and networks to increase your visibility and credibility
c. shape or convert market with your blog, talkcast or network

Hope this helps someone.
Got to make my meeting.
Continued prosperity and blessings.

Joanne Quinn-Smith
Techno Granny: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/30986
Monday Morning Marketing: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/33960
Professionals with Impact: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/33431
Positively Pittsburgh Live:
http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/18520