Blogging for business purposes is always a great idea if you (a) keep up with it and (b) have something relevant to say.  If neither holds true then, don’t bother.

That’s probably something I should’ve told myself when I put up this site so many years ago.  This was yet another blog, and one that I didn’t have time for, but I needed a place that I could bring together all the pieces of my online life in to one spot; a portal if you will.

HeatherJacobson.com was born.  I moved over the articles that I had written and posted in various locations, threw up the links to the books that I wrote and the websites that I ran, and then?

With every good intention of coming back here to blog about business or post articles from my newsletter, etc, I walked away.

Until I needed this space again last February.

With the new found knowledge that I was going to lose my job, I came back to this site and decided that I was going to revamp it.  No longer was it going to be a blog, because, clearly, I wasn’t keeping up with the upkeep, but rather, it was going to serve as my online resume.

I started mapping out the site, writing brief placeholder content, and figuring out how I could showcase the talents and abilities of Heather Jacobson to the online world.

When in reality?  I just thought it was different to put a URL that had my name on it on my resume.

I secured employment before I finished the site and never returned.  Yes, I had plans to come back to it; to finish what I started, but I never made it.

That is until last night and even up to that point I hadn’t really thought about it.

But a friend and I were talking and I realized that I have so much to say about marketing, social networking, and business relationships that I needed to write them all down.  Truthfully and honestly, do I think that by writing this down it will bring me customers?

No.

I’m an Account Manager at a Technology Infrastructure firm.  If I were writing about how to configure a network or solve IT headaches, then yes.  Maybe a local audience would find it and we would be well on our way to establishing credibility and expert status.

But what I feel the need to write about has very little to do with getting more clients or padding my paycheck.  It has everything to do with my mind swelling with ideas that I feel the need to share with others.  Do I use some of these things in my own realm?  Of course.

Should you use some of these ideas in your business?

Maybe.

I say maybe because just because something works for me, or I think I’m a pure genius for coming up with something, doesn’t mean it will fit with your business.  It might.  It might not.

If you like what you read, try it!  If it works… great!  (Please let me know, of course.)  If it doesn’t?  Can you take an idea I have and spin it so that it can work for you?

The sky is the limit when you’re out there working on building you customer base, your business, your youth group, your blog readership, or what ever it is that you’re trying to build up or market.

So, with that, I’m going to make sure that I’m coming back here to spill my brains.  Maybe people will read it.  Maybe people will talk about it.  Maybe I’ll help someone in their business or career.

Or maybe I won’t.

But, I will at least release the ideas that so often weigh my mind down because I just can’t get them out.

I do hope you’ll subscribe and keep coming back for more.

If nothing else, I’m kinda funny.

Until next time…

When you want to create a buzz, you do so by offering something up that people want.  Like an iPod Touch for example, which is what the Networking Masters are doing today.

Not only are they offering up this great prize, but in order to win it, you have to create a buzz for them.  The more you buzz, the more points you get, and the person who creates the most buzz, wins.

Simple.

Ingenious.

This is taking the simple idea of a contest, which is highly popular to generate traffic, and create awareness about your site, and getting it out there.

There’s still time to enter this great contest and once you do, take some time to think about how you can replicate this idea to make it work for you.

Until next time…

Heather

In my newsletter today, I bragged on Swype File.  It was great.  I was making a little extra money by way of Adsense and book sales, and gaining new commenters on my articles and new newsletter subscribers.

It was generating traffic which was the whole purpose of the concept.  I wanted others to sign up, too.

But I just went to log in to kill some time before my doctor’s appointment and found the following

Unfortunately, swypefile has been shut down for the time being. Things weren’t going as planned, and we are re-thinking the swypefile concept. Thanks to everyone who supported what we were trying to do!

I must admit that I’m a little bummed.  I understand that concepts go awry but I think we all knew that this was a new concept, a new site, and that changes would be forthcoming.  I’m also dissappointed that there was no email notification that was sent out.  Had I gotten it, I certainly wouldn’t not have recommended it to the masses.

So for now, if you’re an internet marketer and have great articles to share you’ll have to go back to the article directories, your blogs and newsletters.  At least for the time being.

(or you could submit some to me… I’m always looking for great content to share with my readers!)

Let’s face it…people like free stuff. You probably know people who attend Home Shows and Expos and go from table to table with a bag and gather as many freebies as they possibly can.

Because we know that people like free stuff we often try to send our own products to them as a sample so they can see what we have to offer. Many times we even take it a step further and personalize it for them. We have the mindset that just because they like free stuff, it’s an automatic in. That pen or calendar we send will last a while and, in turn, our telephone will ring off the hook with their orders.

Your customers are no different. They come to you, the distributor, to purchase promotional items to give away because they too know that people like free stuff. The next time you are at an expo take notice of how many people walk by a booth because there are no goodies on the table. It’s just the nature of the beast.

But, as a business owner, you are aware of the amount of direct mail you get each month. What sets one company apart from another? Do you think it’s a pen or a calendar? With a pen, something we all have too many of, it goes into the drawer typically never to be seen by the recipient again. In my home, they are stolen by one of my children who seem to think pens are disposable after one use.

The calendars? How many calendars do you get around the first of the year? How many calendars does one person possibly need? What makes your calendar different from the one they got from their insurance agent, their realtor, or the local dry cleaner?

While these are both inexpensive products that you can give away to your existing and potential customers, what other items do you have in your arsenal that might have a longer shelf life? This can include items that people don’t realize they need but can’t seem to live without once they have them or items that you can never have enough of.

Items that people don’t realize they need but can’t live without once they have them

• Jar openers

Most everyone struggles at some point in time opening a jar lid. The average person does not know that there is a solution to the problem. So, when they go to the store, they are not looking for something to rectify the issue. They deal with it.

When they are introduced to the jar opener, they see they can easily open the lid with a flimsy piece of plastic. It becomes a necessity for them over time and when they lose it they truly realize the value in it. It becomes something they can’t live without.

• Travel Alarm Clocks

How many times have you traveled for business and were so afraid that you would oversleep and miss that important meeting in the morning? When you are away from home you often feel out of your comfort zone and typically the alarm clocks in the hotels are different from the one to which you’ve grown accustomed. Rather than lugging your own alarm clock across country, wouldn’t you rather have a personal travel alarm clock that you know how to operate and you know is going to wake you up in the morning?

• Zippy Letter Openers

A letter opener is a letter opener is a letter opener. Not necessarily. One of my clients recently discovered the Zippy letter openers after I recommended that she purchase them to give away at the conference she was attending with administrative professionals from all over the state.

It’s the little things that make people happy. I no sooner showed it to her and she began opening every envelope she could get her hands on. Shortly thereafter, that old point letter opener found its way to the trash can.

The average consumer would never make a special trip to the office supply store for a simple letter opener. It is one of those items that never seem to make it to the list of items needed. Before the Zippy letter opener was discovered I used my finger and oh how attractive those paper cuts were!

Items You Can Never Have Enough Of

• Sticky notes

Can you imagine your life without sticky notes? They have been around since 1977 and by 1990 Post-Its were one of the top five office supply products sold in the United States. We now have computerized versions and those annoying pop-ups while surfing the internet are starting to look like them as well.

You can never have enough sticky notes! How many creative messages can you send with your sticky notes to a potential customer? Perhaps it’s a note pad in the shape of a foot with a little note that says, “Just wanted to get my foot in the door.”

Sticky notes are not going to go in the trash or into an unused drawer and more often than not will be seen by many.

• Flashlights

How many times do you find yourself in need of just a little more light? There is always one place in your home, office, or vehicle that you wish you had a flashlight but always seem to forget to pick up an extra one.

For me, I wanted one in the office but never made it out to get one. When I need to plug something in to the back of the computer the extra light is always nice. A realtor gave me the one that I have now and I’ve had it for 4 years. It’s made 2 moves with me. The best part is I don’t have to traipse all over the house to find a flashlight when I need one. I’m now on a quest for a flashlight for my glove compartment.

We’re no different than anyone else. We like free things. As consumers, we are drawn to the word free. We all go to conferences and events only to slip away to see what everyone else is giving out. How many of us come home with promotional items that we didn’t bring with us? I normally come home with a big bag of goodies that I give to my children only after I’ve taken the cool gadgets out for me.

That’s right. The kids get the pens, pencils, plastic key chains and candy. Most of these items end up in the trash at some point in time. I keep the Zippy letter openers, sticky notes, travel mugs and jar openers.

Go through your inventory. Ask your friends. Determine what they use and ask them what promotional items they have in their home they just cannot live without. Make sure that what you give your potential customers will not find its way to the circular file or the bottom of a toy box.

About the Author:

Heather Jacobson is an expert in marketing and implements marketing campaigns for companies on a budget. Her favorite topic is frugal marketing, and her latest book, “Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer” demonstrates how to maximize your marketing budget. For more information visit www.HeatherJacobson.com