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Give me a F-A-M-I-L-Y By Tonya Ramsey One afternoon last summer, my brother invited me to come to my nephew’s baseball practice, so I decided to take a well-deserved break and spent the afternoon in the park watching a team of ten year olds practicing the nation’s favorite past time. I listened to my brother as he slipped into the role of coach; it made me think of the awesome responsibility that he and the other coaches had. Not, only were they teaching these impressionable youngsters the fundamentals of the game itself, but they were teaching them the importance of teamwork. “Teamwork n. Cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal.” It is an easy enough concept…together we are stronger than we are as individuals. So, Why not apply the principles of teamwork to our families? By working together as a team the burden, does not have to lie on just one person, try-letting go of the need to do it all; instead, enlist your family to work as a team. Even the youngest member of your family can do it. My son has been doing his share of teamwork since he was two and now at 4 years-old is a pro. Every morning he fills the cat's food and water dish, he knows what drawers his clothes go in, and where all his toys go. Families working as a team will not only free up more time because everyone is doing their own part, but it will strengthen your family and leave you more time to enjoy time together without looming worries of what needs to be done. You will also be setting a great example for your children and learning the concept of teamwork is going to be something they will be able to apply to situations throughout their lives. Internet Marketing and Home Business Depending on whom you ask, the term Internet marketing can mean a variety of things. At one time, Internet marketing consisted mostly of having a website or placing banner ads on other websites. On the other end of the spectrum, there are loads of companies telling you that you can make a fortune overnight on the Internet and who try to sell you some form of "Internet marketing program". Today, Internet marketing is evolving into a broader mix of components a company can use as a means of increasing sales - even if your business is done completely online, partly online, or completely offline. The decision to use Internet marketing as part of a company's overall marketing strategy is strictly up to the company of course, but as a rule, Internet marketing is becoming an increasingly important part of nearly every company's marketing mix. For some online businesses, it is the only form of marketing being practiced. Internet marketing is using the Internet to do one or more of the following: 1. Communicate a company's message about itself, its products, or its services. 2. Conduct research as to the nature of existing and potential customers. 3. Sell goods, services, or advertising space over the Internet. Components of Internet marketing may include: 1. A website, consisting of text, images and possibly audio and video elements used to convey the company's message, to inform existing and potential customers of the features and benefits of the company's products and/or services. 2. Email marketing, which is a method of distributing information about a product or service or for soliciting feedback from customers about a product or service through Email. Email addresses of customers and prospective customers may be collected or purchased. 3. Banner advertising, which is the placement of ads on a website for a fee. Offline this would be similar to traditional advertising in newspapers or magazines. Of all of the components of Internet marketing, prospective customers and clients expect a business to have a website. In fact, not having one could raise a red flag to a prospect. Online usage has become so pervasive today, many prospects might easily choose to do business with a company that they can get up-to-date information on 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Even a business that only has very local customers, such as a single location restaurant or shoe store can benefit from having a Web site. And, those businesses whose customers are not restricted to a geographical area might have a difficult time finding an alternate method of attracting customers that offers the reasonably low expense and worldwide reach of a Web presence. Because of the "virtual" nature of most home businesses, websites, if not an absolute necessity, can certainly provide benefits to a home business operator. Since most home-based businesses don't have a physical location, a website provides an inexpensive means for prospects to get to know what you do or what you sell and can even be a "storefront" for selling goods and services directly. The Internet has greatly enabled home businesses to prosper because of the reasonably low cost to start and maintain a web presence. Therefore, Internet marketing should be part of your business plan and your marketing strategy. Advertise in Empowering You! Become a Empowering You! Sponsor and get a 125x125 Button in EY! for only $10 a month. As an introductory offer, you can get 3 months for $15 that is 50% off! Take advantage of this offer today. |
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