You could have been born yesterday and still see the popularity that mobile phones have today.  It’s important for small business owners to realize how often their customers are using their mobile phones, to talk, to text, even to surf the Internet. 

Mobile advertising has increased significantly as a result of the mobile phone revolution.  What used to be for big advertisers can now benefit any size company, including mobile advertising for the small business owner.  Below are some of the benefits to the small business owner:

1.    Rates of Conversion.  One of the most popular mobile advertising avenues is when customers “subscribe” to receive SMS text messages from vendors they choose.  This preselected interest by the customer means that the text message advertisements sent by a vendor have a higher chance of being opened and acted upon than other forms of advertising. 

2.    Inexpensive Mobile Advertisements.  The cost to set up and initiate a mobile ad is often very reasonable, and most small business owners can find a program that fits their marketing budget. 

3.     Ability to Target Mobile Advertising Campaigns.  Because most mobile phone ad campaigns are based on consumer’s opting in, it is very easy for a small business owner to target their ideal customer at the onset.  Different criteria that can be used are age, gender, even location.  Mobile advertising is a very beneficial option for the small business owner because of this ability to target a specific customer type with your advertisements. 

Any small business owner knows that the best way to be successful is to give the customer what they want when they want it.  Mobile phone advertisements are a great option for the small to mid sized business owner because they can meet that goal

To find more information about mobile phone advertising for the small and mid sized business owner, visit SmallBusinessMobileAdvertising.com.  Make sure to take advantage of the opportunity to give mobile sms advertising a trial run for free for 15 days (mention the promo code “mobilenow” and receive double the credits during your trial period).

Many small business owners have a vision for their company’s future, but fail to properly plan for that goal.  An important part of any business should be making business plans, which can be used for many different purposes.  Most people think of business plans as being used only to obtain financing from banks or angel investors.  While it is definitely important to have a business plan when attempting to get financing, that is not the only reason to prepare a business plan. 

A lot of entrepreneurs are great at the big ideas, but have trouble seeing the dream through to fruition.  In short, that is the role of a business plan.  The step by step process of creating a quality business plan addresses all of the critical areas you need to achieve your goals.

Keep in mind that good business planning does not involve coming up with a good logo, website, social networking strategy or any other tool that you will use later to implement your business plan.  The first steps before all that is to answer the foundational questions about your business that you need to create a strong plan. 

For example, when creating the marketing portion of your business plan, you should not at the onset plan what advertising venues you will use or the look of your ad.  Before that, you should strive to discover what you actually want to achieve through your marketing efforts.  Ask yourself fundamental questions about your customers: what customers do you want to attract?  Where have you found them in the past?  How can you reach them?  What are their likes and dislikes? What specific products or services will you offer to them? 

Until the core questions have been answered, in essence the “what” questions, it doesn’t make any sense to think about or implement any of the “how” answers.  After you have the “what” clear in your head, the “how” you will achieve that objective becomes much more simple to identify.  

Think about building a pyramid when you set out to build your business.  Spend more time on the base, or core questions to build a strong foundation.  A solid base you can count on to achieve business success is to take the time to prepare a good business plan. 

Be sure to visit SmallBusinessAccountingBackroom.com to get many more resources to help your small business succeed, including information and resources on business planning, financing, sales and marketing.

Mobile advertising is not a fly by night thing.  Over 90% of young families in America have at least one mobile phone, and Nielson studies have reported that there are approximately 63 Million Americans that use mobile web devices.   As a result, more and more small business owners are thinking about including mobile advertising as part of their strategic marketing plans. 

Mobile advertising is not the same as other forms of advertising, however, and it’s important for the small business owner to keep the disadvantages of mobile phone ads in mind when deciding on their mobile advertising strategy. 

First, you must take into consideration that mobile devices still have a relatively slow data transfer speed.  Mobile phone users that have grown up with high speed Internet may be frustrated at the transfer time with some mobile devices.  While technological advances occur every day, a small business owner setting up a mobile advertising campaign must be aware of this limitation.   

Very few mobile phone surfers “surf” on their device, probably because of the slow data transfer speed.  Most people using mobile phones want the answer to an immediate question, and won’t be distracted by something irrelevant, which is the opposite of most online Internet users. 

Mobile advertisers are overcoming both of these challenges through the use of SMS text messaging advertisements or In-page mobile search engine advertising rather than the diversion ads and pop ups you see on the Internet.   

Studies have shown that the SMS mobile advertising and mobile search engines are actually very well received and can be up to 50% more effective than traditional Internet ads if they add value and help the mobile phone user solve their immediate needs.  This is a real advantage to small to mid sized business owners as both these forms of advertising are simple to begin economically and easy to budget expenses. 

Be sure to visit SmallBusinessMobileAdvertising.com to get many more resources about how small businesses can use mobile phone advertising to grow their business. Make sure to get your free mobile advertising trial (and mention the promo code “mobilenow” and receive double the credits during your free trial period).

Have you been on Comcast.com or Amazon.com recently?   What was the first thing you thought when you landed on the site?  Most likely, it was something like:  “Terrific, now that I’m here, lets get to what I need.” 

Now, think for a moment about a site you may have visited that was less effective.  Maybe it was clearly done on the cheap, looked like about a hundred other second-rate sites, or just seemed to be thrown together by an amateur.  I suspect that what came to mind when you saw that web site wasn’t “what can you sell me?”, but rather “is this a real company?”

The key to an effective website on the Internet lies in trust. For authors and speakers who are selling their personalities, this fact is particularly critical.   A visitor to your site will click away and won’t return at any time they have reason to doubt your integrity.  In this article, you will discover some of the essential components that will cement a visitor’s belief in you and create an effective web site.

First and foremost your web site must clearly identify you as a real person.  Your site visitors should understand from the minute they arrive on your site that you are unique and different from all the others out there.  There are numerous ways to achieve that goal.  You should make sure your text is well written and speaks to your visitor, and you can get unusual graphics to enhance that message.  The core component is to never lose site of how you want to present yourself to your visitors. 

Secondly, your visitors must see immediately that you have a proven track record in your industry, just by viewing your web site.  One way to achieve this is through the strategic use of effective copy writing and testimonials.  Don’t hide your victories deep in your website, make sure they are well displayed on every page for your site visitors to view. 

Finally, your web site must communicate to your visitors that you can solve their problems.  Most visitors are so busy that they would be happy to stop looking for a solution to their problems and accept the one that you offer.  Your effective, believable website is your advertisement to make that happen.

Be sure to stop by ProfessionalSpeakerPromotionOnline.com to find many other resources for successfully promoting your professional speaking career online.

The activity of outsourcing critical tasks to third party vendors is becoming increasingly more popular.  It is an ideal use of a speaker’s or author’s resources to take advantage of outsourced help while promoting their speaking services or book.  And, small to mid-sized companies have had to let full time staff go and delay hiring new employees because of the recent economic conditions.  The result has been more people looking for work.  The answer is very often outsourcing. 

The advantages of outsourcing for the small business, speaker, author, or other entrepreneur purchasing the service are:

1.    You Don’t Have to Commit Full Time to Outsourced Help.  It is easy to end a working relationship with an outsourced service provider and find someone else if a situation turns out to be a bad fit. 

2.    Less Employment Overhead.  You only pay for the work you need at the time you need it.  When times are slower, there are generally few if any expenses involved. 

3.    Can Outsource Very Simple Tasks to Very Complex.  From legal situations to minor office tasks, you will be able to find an outsourced situation for whatever you may need.  Some of the more popular tasks that small business owners outsource are “virtual assistant” duties, website and Internet marketing tasks, and even bookkeeping and accounting. 

There are benefits for the person providing the outsourced services as well:

1.    Choose Your Own Employer.  If you find that a working relationship is unhealthy, you can “fire” the company and find a better fit. 

2.      Easy Scheduling.   As a contract worker, you can work on your own terms and time frame, and are often able to complete the work from home. 

3.    No Economic Reliance.  Even when traditional jobs are not available in your field, you are often able to earn fees on an outsource basis. 

It is evident that outsourcing is here to stay, and that is a good thing for both the small business owner, entrepreneur, author or speaker purchasing the outsourced help and the outsourced service provider. 

For many more resources and ideas for promoting your book effectively online, visit PromoteYourBookCoach.com.