In other words, links are great for helping small business Websites get found!

I’m not just talking about link exchanges with other sites either. Those can be fine, but proceed with caution. You don’t want to exchange links with just anyone. Because you’re now basically giving a referral to their site from yours.

So think carefully about who you link to as it can affect your professional reputation and hurt your business.

While link exchanges can be worthwhile, you’ve also got all the links you can generate from your social networking profiles, Twitter tweets, online article submissions, online press releases, blog posts etc. These are great for driving traffic and improving search engine ranking.

Here’s the one caveat though…

Where you point your links has a huge impact on your marketing results and your bottom line.

Because regardless of where the link comes from, unless you link people to the right place on your site, you’re going to lose potential business.

Think about it…

Have you ever read an article or post somewhere talking about a wonderful product…But when you clicked the link it to you took a main catalog page with a bazillion products, and the one you wanted is nowhere to be found?

Or seen a mention of an interesting article…But when you click the link it takes to the home page of a blog and the article you wanted to read isn’t there?

What do you do when this kind of thing happens? If you’re like me you click away and look for what you want on another site.  Because you don’t have time to go searching around for whatever it is you were looking for. And there are millions of other sites.

Sadly, this happens on entrepreneur’s Websites and blogs all the time. In fact, studies have shown that more than 50% of Website visitors leave without taking action because they can’t find the info they’re after.

So anytime you put a link back to your site anywhere—online or in print—make sure it takes people back to the specific product, item, article, offer or information you’re talking about…Never to a home page, or a page with multiple products or items on it, if there’s somewhere more specific to send them.

The faster and easier you make it for people to find exactly what they’re after, the faster and easier you’re going to grow your business.

Where do your links go and why? Have you thought about it? Do you have an actual linking strategy for your small business?

Check out The Unchained Entrepreneur for more articles by Stacy Karacostas

On top of all that, with all the noise and competition out there, you have to be marketing your business constantly and consistently. Because if you don’t, people are quickly going to forget all about you and what you do—if they ever even noticed you exist to start with. 

So forget sleeping more than four or five hours a night. Or taking even an afternoon off on the weekend. Unless you find a way to put your marketing on autopilot.

Because if you don’t keep marketing you don’t exist. And if you don’t take some tasks off your own plate you’re going to hit a plateau in your business and a wall in your life.

Luckily, there are three ways any overworked entrepreneur can put their marketing on autopilot…

1. Replicate Experienced marketers rarely reinvent the wheel. Instead they find ways to replicate and repurpose everything they know, do or create into different forms and formats. A web page can become three emails, a press release and a postcard mailing. Ezine articles can become blog posts, Tweets, link builders, the foundation of your next book and more.When you do this, you get more marketing done with less effort. Plus you easily create your own ebooks, books, audio products and more. Thus gaining expert status, some passive revenue, and more ways to get your name out there.
2. Automate If your business is on the Web—and if you have a Website, it is—you have to deal with everything from social networking to online sales, product delivery and follow-up processes. Plus all the marketing that goes with driving people to your site and turning them into subscriber, then a customer or client.Handling all this can be a full time job and then some. But if you’ve designed your Website properly it can handle all or most of the sales job for you.  Combine that with the latest widgets, email marketing, microblogging and blogging tools to automate much of your online marketing and sales follow up, and you save yourself tons of time and hard work.
3. Delegate Solo-entrepreneur is such a misleading title. Because no one can do it all alone anymore. That’s why you need to delegate. For a lot of small business owners, hiring an employee just isn’t in the budget. Instead the key is to outsource as much of your marketing as you can to your own team of experienced Virtual Assistants.These experienced assistants can set up all your online automation tools as well as handle much of what can’t be automated from their own home offices. Since they run Internet-based businesses they’re typically pretty savvy about the ways of the Web.That means you don’t have to teach them how to do something, you just need to explain what you want done.  And you can scale up and down as your business and budget demands.

Taking any one of these three steps is going to start freeing you up to do the things you do best and enjoy the most. And because your marketing is going to be happening consistently without you turning that crank, you can grow your business without being chained to it.

Want help figuring out what and how to best put your own marketing on autopilot? I currently have a couple of consulting slots open each month just for this.

Interested? Email your phone number, time zone, and time of day that works for you to stacy @ theunchainedentrepreneur.com (without the spaces). I’ll get back to you with a time we can chat, so I can learn more about your business and see if this is indeed a good fit for you.

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You see, he doesn’t even have a business card, let alone a Website or other materials. So he is putting the cart before the horse (which never gets you very far).

Marketing is all about perceptions…

Right now, because he has no marketing materials, the perception is that he’s just sort of getting started.

On the surface there’s nothing wrong with that. Except that if he doesn’t look like a competent professional no one is going to take him seriously or give him their money. And why should they? With no business card or marketing materials, he looks like a beginner or hobbyist.

He needs marketing materials that convince people to hire him. Otherwise nobody is going to pay him to write THEIR marketing materials. On the other hand, if his own stuff seems top notch, most folks will never even ask to see his portfolio.

Seems painfully obvious, right?

So, what’s this got to do with you?

Whether you are launching a business, event or a new product, you have to give the impression you know what you’re doing from the get-go. Otherwise no one is going to spend their hard-earned dollars with you.

It doesn’t work to just test the waters with a few homemade-looking fliers and free Vista Print business cards (or worse, no cards at all).

The Internet has created tons more competition in any field than there was just 5 years ago. So you’ve got to have your marketing ducks in a row before you try to sell a thing. Otherwise someone out there is sure to be making a better impression than you.

Thankfully, creating a top-notch impression with your marketing doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Just use my…

10 Cheap Ways to Create a Professional Marketing Impression

1) Having a fancy graphic logo is often overrated and expensive. But you should have a unique look to your business name. Try looking at other company’s logos (not your competitors) for a font that gives the right impression. Then search the Internet for something similar and download it to your computer.

2) Design a nice business card and have it professionally printed. Not sure how to design one? Look at a bunch of other people’s cards for ideas on layout or use a Publisher template. You can now get 500 cards digitally printed for just $29.99. If you aren’t serious enough about your business to at least do this, you have a long, uphill road ahead of you.

3) Buy a domain name and hosting at www.godaddy.com for about $50 a year. Then put up at least a single page Website with your products or services and contact info. Unless you market to senior citizens, this is a must.

4) Have your email connected to your domain name so it reads you@yourdomainname.com. This makes you look professional and drives people to your Website.

5) Create your own letterhead with your spiffy new business name and contact info. Then just add it to your documents in Microsoft Word and print as needed. And don’t pay for expensive envelope printing. Grab a pack of blank return address labels and print them out at home as needed. Most Avery label templates are already in Microsoft Word or can be downloaded from the Web.

6) Skip the spendy brochure. One-sheets (IE fancy fliers), articles, and tips sheets are easy to create on letterhead or with your logo at the top, and add credibility. Then just print them up at home. Or turn them into downloads you can offer from your Website.

7) Get yourself online. Social networks offer an easy and inexpensive way to market your business, increase credibility and drive traffic to your Website. Pick a few like LinkedIn, Biznik, or ones that cater to your target market and set up a profile. Then be sure to include a link back to your Website.

Make it easy for people to get in touch. Always include your phone number, email, and Web address on all your marketing materials-especially business cards. And use either a cell phone or get an extra phone line at home (often no charge) so the impression is professional when they call.

9) No graphic design ability? Find someone else who does. www.elance.com can be a source of cheap labor. Or, hire a college student. If you have no other choice, use the templates in Publisher or Front Page.

10) This should go without saying, but always, always, always dress the part. If you want people to pay you big bucks, you better look like you’re already making it. Marshall’s, Ross, and Macy’s sales are terrific places to pick up designer brands on the cheap.

Remember, giving people the right impression from the get-go is critical to making them feel confident in hiring-or buying from-you. If you look like an experienced professional, you’ll be treated like one-and that means more clients and sales for you!

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