About once a month I email my list with ‘How may I serve you?’ as the subject line. It’s my opportunity to take a break from teaching and marketing and return to the idea of serving others. It also reminds me of how fortunate I am to have this amazing online business, where I choose when and where I work and spend most of my time doing what I love each day.

Who is your ideal client? How can you best serve them? When you are able to answer these two questions you will be on your way to amazing experiences. With social media bringing our target audience into our homes 24/7, we are able to reach out to the exact people we wish to serve.

Spend some time today making a list of what you know, what you love to do, and how you wish to spend your time. Then think about the people who could benefit from what you have to offer. This is the beginning of your online empire and home based business. If you think about it, it really isn’t fair to anyone if you spend time doing things you don’t really love to do. You are taking that task or activity away from someone who loves doing it.

We are living in a new economy, and the rules have changed. You do not need to work 40 hours a week at a job you do not enjoy. It’s time for everyone to become an entrepreneur, the way many of us did as children. When I cut the neighbor’s lawn, raised gerbils to sell to the local pet store, and scraped barnacles off my uncle’s boat, I was learning about earning money under my own terms and conditions. We can all do the same thing now, so figure out what you love to do, who needs what you know, and how this will earn you money.

Use the phrase ‘How may I serve you?’ as your starting point.

When people hear you name in regards to marketing on the Internet, what do they think of? We must all find the area of online marketing to be known for, if we want to achieve true success. Sometimes you will know which area this is from the very beginning, and other times it will be something that will evolve more slowly over time.

When I was just starting out, at the end of 2005 and into 2006, I knew that I wanted to join the larger field of Internet marketing. I also knew that this would be more difficult for me because I was new, had no marketing experience, and was not very technical. That meant that I would have to choose a smaller niche in order to get started.

I chose eBook writing and marketing as my niche for those few couple of years. I had been a classroom teacher for the previous twenty years, so teaching others had to write was an area I already was experienced in. I was also heavily involved in studying online marketing, so I knew that I could teach others what I was learning, giving it my own twist. This worked well for me, and many people were able to write their first eBook and start selling it online based on my training classes.

At the same time, I began writing articles and submitting them to the article directories. I challenged myself to write an article each day for one hundred days in the spring of 2007, and achieved this goal during only the first 78 days. I became known for this, and it fit well with the courses I was offering on eBook writing and marketing.

Without giving it much thought, I incorporated

Using long tail keywords to find your prospects just makes sense. Keywords are the words and phrases we all use when we are searching online to find the information we want and need. Long tail keywords refer to the more specific phrases that describe what we are looking for in more detail. For example, if I want information on how to make money with affiliate marketing, I am better off typing in ‘how to make money with affiliate marketing’ than simply typing ‘affiliate marketing’. This will save me time by giving me the information I need in the first search on the first or second page of the results.

This can make a huge difference when it comes to selling products and services online, as well as with connecting with your prospects based on your niche topic. By always including these long tail keywords in your article and blog post titles, as well as using them when you are on the social media sites, your prospects will have an easier time of finding you on the Internet.

I recommend using Google’s free keyword tool to find

Marketing online opens up a whole new world to you if this is your first time as an Internet entrepreneur. My background was in real estate, but it turned out I knew next to nothing about marketing myself and my services. If I had known then what I know now, things would have been very different.

Most of us were told by our family that it was not polite to brag about yourself. My mother always said that if I was good at something people would find out. To this day I still don’t know what that saying meant, but I did learn to keep quiet about my accomplishments.

Fast forward to this millennium, and now we know that great marketing begins with telling your prospects exactly who you are, what you do, and how that can help them to achieve their own goals. Writing articles, blogging, holding teleseminars, and sending press releases are all a part of my work every week.

If this sounds like it will take you too far out of your comfort zone, start slowly by

Is it possible that we do not connect well with our prospects and clients if we do not know a little bit about their daily life experiences? I got to thinking about this after one of my mastermind partners made a comment about watching television. She said that she watches a few popular shows sometimes, just so she will understand the references that are made. This makes a lot of sense.

I was a classroom teacher for many years. I taught various grade levels during that time, all the way from Kindergarten through high school. I would always immerse myself in the culture of the age group I was dealing with, and it made me better able to relate to my students. They never had to explain jokes to me, and sometimes I was the one who started the conversation. One of our favorites was the show ‘Super Nanny’. When one of my fifth graders would not stop talking, I asked him if he needed to spend a few minutes in the naughty chair. It brought us all closer together.

What are your prospects doing in their spare time? Is there a magazine you could be reading or a forum you could visit to make sure you are in the loop? Think about how you can better

If you can’t sit down and write whenever you want to, it will be extremely difficult for you to connect with your list. Writer’s block is something we don’t hear about very often any longer. Twenty years ago, when I wanted to pursue a career as a professional writer, I found it difficult to sit down and write. After a short time, I believed that I was suffering from writer’s block and would always have this problem. Now that I write daily and have developed an online business based almost exclusively on my writing, I can honestly say that I am never at a loss for something to write about.

What’s the difference between what I do now and what I did long ago? I believe it is based on the fact that I am now writing on topics I know something about, can choose the time of day I write, and that I continue to repurpose my writing on a regular basis.

You can think about this in a number of ways. If someone asks me to write about something I am not interested in or do not know much about, the writing becomes a chore. I often write articles for my students, and typically I am not very knowledgeable about their topic. For instance, I wrote about

Are you excited at the news you are sharing with your list? You must exaggerate what you say and write when you are working online, because the majority of your prospects will never meet you in person. You will want to tell everyone who you are and what you have to offer. This is a form of storytelling that works well on the Internet.

Don’t be afraid to brag about what you are doing and how it will benefit others. You can easily create a ‘buzz’ online by blogging, sending press releases, and sharing information about what you are doing on Facebook and Twitter. Build excitement with everything you, no matter how small it may seem to you at the time. I call this the ‘Kindergarten Effect’ because you will be just as excited in sharing your business news as a Kindergartner is when they have show and tell.

I first did this with an email I sent several years ago. I carried

As you continue to build your relationship with the people on your list, be sure to share your very best tips and secrets with them. If I try something new, and it works well, I share this immediately with my list. The same goes for resources, websites, software, and anything else that would be beneficial to them in growing their business online. Many times I receive information that is not available to the general public yet. I love being the first one to pass on this information to the people who are counting on me to keep them in the loop.

This weekend I received information on a free report that teaches you how to use Squidoo lenses to generate traffic and leads for your business. I was able to send this report to my list so they could get started right away. All weekend long people wrote to me to thank me and to tell me how much they appreciated this information.

If you are recommending something that you are an affiliate for, be sure to let them know that as well. This will keep you in compliance with the new FTC ruling that went into effect on December 12.

Sometimes we assume that because our clients found us on the internet that we must continue to work with them only online. Nothing could be further from the truth! You can build great rapport with your list by taking them offline as quickly as possible.

As soon as someone signs up for one of your products, courses, or services, send them a postcard or an envelope with a small gift. These ‘lumpy’ packages are lots of fun, and can contain anything from an eraser to a notepad. The point is that you are reaching out to them in a way your competitors likely are not.

Better yet, pick up the phone and thank them personally for their purchase. Ask them if they have any questions about what they have just ordered. I started

Everybody loves a secret.  This goes back to our childhood, when knowing a secret made us feel more grown up. Why not share secrets with the people already on your list? This can be a very effective way to build a relationship with your prospects so that you can connect with them on a deeper level.

Starting an online business seems like a mystery to many of the people on my list. They may be frustrated with the process or struggling with the technology. The marketing is completely different from anything they have encountered previously. When I share some ‘insider’ or ‘secret’ tips they feel like they are part of the inner circle that