Lively Biz for Online Entrepreneurs with Alicia Forest

It seems that, at least in the US, the holiday season starts earlier and earlier, with Christmas cards taking over most of the card section of any store right after Halloween (if not before!).

And while it bugs me to hear holiday music over the store speakers while I'm shopping for my kids' Halloween costume (because by the time Santa does visit, I'm quite tired of dreaming of a "White Christmas"), as far as planning on how to market for and during the holiday season for my business, it's almost never too early.

Writing valuable content-rich articles for your target market and submitting them to article directories and other publishers is one of the best ways to market your business, become known as an expert in your field, and add subscribers to your list.

For example, if you regularly write an article for your ezine, you can get a lot more mileage out of it if you submit it to article directories and other online publishing services. And making every piece you write work more than once for you is one way to work smarter and not harder. That's called leverage.

About 3 years ago, I was driving around running errands, and I tuned into a local radio station that was hosting a radio-thon to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. When the DJ said, "Think about what your healthy child is doing right now, playing, having a snack, whatever... and then think of the kids at St. Jude" - well, I couldn't pull over fast enough to whip out my wallet and cell phone.

Whether you're publishing an ezine, sending an ecourse, posting to a blog, or building an email list of clients and customers in another format, there are a few things you need to know to make sure that you're complying with the legal aspects of sending email as well as for making your list-building efforts that much more effective.

Are there ezines that you receive that you just can't wait to read? I know I have 3 or 4 that I read as soon as they hit my inbox, and others that I print and put in my "reading box" next to my desk.

If you're reading this, it's likely that you've participated in a teleseminar, whether it be mine or one of my colleagues. You've probably been on some that have been very good, where you got tons of really valuable information. And you may have found yourself on a few that were nothing but pitch-fests for the host's latest product.

Just like writing a sales page for your product, program or service, writing successful email promotions can be easier than you think. There's a science to it, more than an art, and to get you started, I'd like to share a tested formula for you to follow.

Now that the fall is upon us, I'm already gearing up for 2011 - planning, organizing, strategizing, visioning, and more. There are many transitions and transformations on the horizon for me and my business, and much to do to prepare for them, so I'm making space and opening the flow.

Here's a question I get asked all the time:

"I don't know you how do it, Alicia...with two little ones to care for and so few hours in the day to actually focus on your work. Somehow you manage to write your weekly ezine, hold a bunch of teleseminars each month, run your group and private coaching programs, AND be creating and promoting new offers and new products all the time. I'm so impressed and inspired by you, but more than that, I want to know how you do it all!?"

Want to encourage people on your email list to buy one (or more) of your products or programs sooner than later? Have a sale! The following are 7 ways that you can provide value to your potential clients/customers and still bring in a profit for you at the same time.