1. Read the sales letter or announcement for the teleseminar carefully. You want to make sure the content and the people speaking are a match for your interests. The only time I was ever disappointed was when my expectations were not met – and when I re-read the sales letter I found out what I expected was not explicitly mentioned.

2. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of the multitude of complimentary teleseminars being offered. Yes, each will end with a sales pitch. But I consider 55 minutes of great content worth the 5 minute commercial. Certainly can’t get that trade-off on TV!

3. If they ask for questions before the teleseminar, send in a question. No matter how hard you have to think, come up with a good question. Many times the host is looking for good questions to get the discussion started, especially at the start of a call, so your question is more likely to be used on the air if you get it in early.

That means that if they use your question your name will be mentioned on the call. This is no cost publicity! Not only will the live audience hear your name, but everyone who listens to the replay will hear it, too. That can be years of PR.

Why do you care? Because when people are attending a teleseminar, the only thing they have to go on is a name. And the only names they are hearing are the experts who are talking – and the experts who are asking questions. Through association, you are automatically counted as one of the experts. Do this on several calls and other attendees will begin to “recognize” you. That’s good for your reputation.

4. Whether or not they ask for it, send a testimonial immediately after the teleseminar. Don’t wait till the next day. The seminar host is flying high and posting the followup page right after the seminar ends. So when your timely testimonial arrives, he/she is likely to add it to the site. You will be amazed at how many people say “I saw your testimonial on so-and-so’s site.”

A good testimonial is specific. Don’t say “great information”; instead say “I really liked the three tips you gave on affiliate traffic.” And be sure to sign your name and title and website as you want them to appear – they’ll copy and paste it if you’ve done a good job.

5. Use your testimonial as the start of your sales copy. Many teleseminars offer resale rights or affiliate programs. You’re in the perfect position to market the program – you’ve just listened to it and raved about it. Now tell your friends and colleagues about it – and make a profit as well.

So the next time you sign up for a teleseminar, look upon it as a marketing opportunity!

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with experts who are ready to turn their knowledge and their websites into Gold. Her reputation as a speaker and trainer has earned her the title of The Technology Tamer. If you would prefer teaching teleseminars to attending, pick up  TeleseminarBasics.com

Here are the things you should do on your first day.

1. Create your account. Just go to Twitter.com and sign up. Choose your user name wisely. If it’s available I recommend you use your own name. If not, consider variations, such as adding The infront of it.Or adding a middle initial. Or your first name with your city or state.

As an alternative you could use your topic or area of expertise. Just make sure you’re going to stick with that – or you’ll be left with a user name that makes no sense to the people in your new niche.

InterCap your name, such as JeanetteCates. It makes it more readable.

2. Write your profile. Include information about your interests and use keywords that relate to your niche. You’re limited to 160 characters, so you may want to write it out ahead of time to be sure you get all of the critical information in there.

3. Load a photo. The picture itself can’t be over 700k – but it’s going to create a 48 x 48 pixel picture of you to show on your profile. So try to get a picture that is close enough they can see your face.

Remember, all of this information can be edited as you become more sophisticated in your use of Twitter. The important thing is to get started!

4. Now it’s time to start tweeting. If you’re experiencing the “blank page” syndrome you’re not alone. Almost everyone feels that way when they first start. Here are some suggestions on what to tweet about.

I’m new to Twitter. What do you find most helpful to teach you to use it?

I’m setting up a ____   (it could be a new page, new blog, new article – whatever you’re doing that is business-related.)

Really found this article about ___ helpful. Give URL

My cat just jumped up onto the keyboard erasing my latest idea!

“quote goes here” along with author of the quote – these are great for people who re-tweet them.

You want to post 5-10 tweets, spread throughout the day. That will give people who are considering following you an idea of who you are. Notice that you’re combining a little bit of personality along with business-related posts.

Also notice that you are not sending one promotional message after another. Instead, aim for 4-6 content tweets to every promotional tweet.

5. Start looking for people you want to follow. Search for the names of well-known people in your field, as well as those known for social media marketing. Search for names of your friends. Just click the Follow button under their name and you’ll start seeing their tweets.

That should take care of your Day One’s activities. Altogether you can easily complete these activities in 3 to 4 10-minute sessions. You won’t find an easier way to start marketing online than by using Twitter.

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with new Online Business owners to help them create their Online Success. She is a prolific writer and presenter on Internet marketing. Follow her at http://Twitter.com/JeanetteCates Enjoy a free 90-minute webinar on social media marketing at SocialMarketingBasics.com

The second biggest concern is both the cost of advertising and the time and technology involved in most of the traditional marketing methods.

That’s why a lot of new online business owners enjoy social media marketing! It’s easy to start, takes virtually no money and it’s comfortable to promote once you understand the basics.

So where do you start?

1. Create an account on Twitter. Just go to twitter.com and sign up. If you can get your name, that’s the place to start. And you may want another account for your major keyword, but that’s optional.

2. Follow your favorite people on Twitter. While you can follow your friends you will be well-served to follow the thought leaders in your major topic area. And watch for other quality “tweeters” like Lisa Suttora and Connie Green. Both provide excellent content and model good Twitter behavior.

3. Sign up for a personal account at Facebook. Befriend those people who interest you – and look for your offline and online friends on Facebook. Many of them already have accounts.

4. Set up a Facebook group for your major topic area. And look for other groups that interest you. You want to make friends on Facebook and you do that by finding people who share your interests.

5. Integrate your Twitter account with your facebook account. When you do that, each of your tweets will show as new content on Facebook.

6. Integrate your blog with Twitter. This lets you show your most recent tweets on your blog. Plus it lets you notify twitter about new blog posts as they are added, getting more visitors to your blog.

7. Work these sites consistently. Plan to tweet once or twice a day. With just 140 characters allowed per tweet, this doesn’t take long! And you’ll be amazed at how many people start to follow you on Twitter when you provide good information.

Add 5-10 friends per day to your Facebook account. Your list of friends will grow steadily.

Then when you are ready to launch your next product or offer a teleseminar or webinar, you have a ready-made list of friends and followers! Once you get involved in social media marketing, you’ll find it’s a valuable tactic in your overall business marketing plan.

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with online business owners who are ready to create Online Success. Claim your free gift on social media marketing at http://SocialMarketingBasics.com

“I’m excited about this webinar, both because of the topic and because Connie and I are doing it together,” said Cates recently. “I don’t know of any other program aimed at the Getting Started Online market that provides the type of instruction and hand-holding that we do with the DotCom Jumpstart.”

The webinar is the first of a 5-part series that is dedicated to helping people get started online in the fastest, easiest way possible. It includes both webinar-based instruction and question and answer sessions to ensure there are no roadblocks to success.

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with new and emerging online business owners who are ready to create their Online Success. She is a Master Teacher with over 50 information products to her credit and a 12-year track record online.

Connie Ragen Green is a former teacher and real estate appraiser who has been online for 3 years. She has authored more than 1,000 articles and specializes in helping beginners get started with affiliate marketing and information products.

More information is available at http://DotComJumpstart.com

Let me know what you think – do you recognize yourself in any of these symptoms?

But then things changed. Styles changed and became more complex. As more people got faster connections larger graphics were added. More graphics were added. And I discovered there were people who could create websites faster, better and cheaper than I could.

So my business model changed. I no longer created websites – I began helping people figure out what to put on those sites. And once we had those decisions made, it was easy for them to tell their webmaster what they wanted.

One of the over-riding concerns that my clients have expressed for years is “I want to do it myself.” Now while I can generally convince them that they do not want to create the initial site themselves, I totally agree that you need to be able to make changes and updates yourself.

Again for years I advised them to find a great webmaster who was responsive to their needs – or to learn enough to use a web design program so they could make the changes. But that advice has also changed.

Now I tell them they do not want a traditional website – they want a blog. Here are 3 reasons you want to use a blog instead of a website.

• Search engines love blogs. As soon as you post new content on your blog, the search engines come running over to see what you’ve posted. It’s automatic when you have a blog. No more “Search Engine Optimization” required once it’s set up properly.
• You don’t have to learn HTML. It’s not a complicated language, but it’s one more thing to learn and do. If you can save the 10-20 hours it takes to become semi-proficient, it’s worth it.
• You can update your site yourself. With a short learning curve, Wordpress is a flexible free tool that is easy to use. And with the variety of themes (templates) that are now available, you can have your blog looks like any other type of site you want.

So the next time you think “I need a website” be sure you’re asking for what you really want – a customized Wordpress blog.

Related Resources:

First Blog Site shows you how to get your first blog online within minutes. It includes a 90-minute video overview of the full process, an option to Get It Done for you by my personal webmaster, and the step-by-step videos you can use yourself or have your assistant watch.

I offer a Brain Drain Special if you want to talk to someone personally about your ideas and website. I’ll refer you to my personal webmaster to Get It Done for you.

Talk To Your Webmaster outlines the process I use for working with my webmaster. It also includes tips on finding a webmaster and how to communicate with them more profitable – for both of you!

• Career transitions – how to move from here to there in your life
• Online Success – and what it means to you
• The biggest mistakes people make online
• The differences between the “haves” and “have-nots” online
• How women market differently
• And a break-through idea on vertical versus horizontal marketing

Listen to the program online.

I had forgotten how much I love to speak – I had spoken regularly at conferences for over 20 years, until about 18 months ago when health issues slowed me down. But I had so much fun doing this again that I’m looking for more speaking engagements!

As an audience member I was impressed – with the speakers of course – but also with the audience. This was one sharp group of people!

Here’s why I say this. Armand Morin, who hosted the event for AM2 members and their guests, set up a couple of networking events. And he set them up in a way that we were able to meet literally every person who attended the event. No one was left out. So I had a chance to really understand the unique gift each person brought.

And here’s just one result. I had lunch yesterday with a couple of the women from Austin who attended. They were able to take several of the lessons that Armand taught over the weekend – and immediately apply them to their business! Not only did they get the information they needed, but they also got the motivation.

Did I mention it was a great conference?

Now here’s the thing. Armand is hosting Another Conference in Dallas – April 24, 25, and 26. And this time, it is 3 days of Aramnd only! If you’ve ever had the chance to watch one of his videos or see him in person, you will understand why I’m so enthusiastic about this – Armand rocks on stage! You will learn more – and be inspired to do more – than at any other conference you’ve attended.

Here’s how you can attend this $2997 event – for a fraction of the price. Just click on this link and sign up for the program. As a member, you get to attend this event at no additional charge!

And when you sign up, drop me a note and let me know. I want to get a group of us together for dinner on Thursday night before the conference starts – it’s a perfect way to get to know one another better before we meet everyone else at the event.

So do this now so you can make your travel arrangements.

I’m looking forward to dining with YOU in Dallas!

Jeanette

P.S. Remember, in addition to the conference, you also receive weekly training sessions, instructional videos, and a great course on adwords advertising and PLR. Take advantage of this opportunity and get the conference as a bonus -

P.P.S. If you prefer not signing up for a member program that can change your life, here’s the alternate link – for a special price JUST to attend the conference.

It is also easy for us to assume that a new product or technology can do more than it really can. Following are some factors in considering what internet marketing is not.

First to consider is that internet marketing is not a replacement for the traditional means of shopping and/or selling. Assume for a moment that you are looking to buy a diamond ring for someone special. You go online, browse through picture after picture, find some really beautiful and eligible pieces, and that’s where you stop. You can’t feel that ring, nor can you take a close look at the diamond. You have only a limited scope of what the merchandise will be like when you physically possess it. Are you going to pay potentially thousands of dollars for that ring, or will you go to a local jeweler instead, where you can get a much better idea of what you’re buying? This is a key limitation to internet marketing for many products.

Internet marketing is also not a fail-proof system. Nearly everyone who conducts any form of business or shopping online has experienced the temporary unavailability of a website. The site goes down, and you can’t get your business done when you had planned. Furthermore, you may not even get an indication as to when the site will be operational again. It can be a frustrating fact of e-commerce.

Another fact of internet marketing that many fail to consider is that it is not a “get rich quick” scheme. True, many entrepreneurs have entered this lucrative market and become millionaires. However, when you compare the number who have had such wild success, with all the businesses who have failed or never really taken off online, you will find that the ‘overnight’ millionaires are not the standard of what internet marketing is. Most of the business realities of the brick and mortar world still apply to the virtual world. Success in internet marketing requires a lot of hard work, just as any other type of business venture requires. Internet marketing, finally, is not today what it will be tomorrow. As fast as one model of computer replaces another, so do the options provided in the world of internet marketing. Just fifteen years ago you could go online and find little more than text-based product descriptions. Now look at what you can find on the internet. Entire stores exist online, and their number is growing. Furthermore, laws on everything from personal security to taxation are changing and promise to make a different landscape of internet marketing than the one we see today.