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During the holiday season, you’re busy buying gifts, attending celebrations and doing the hundred and one things that make the season so frantic.

But what about your business? You can get a real business hangover after the holidays if you forget that you’ve got a business to run.

You’ll want to relax and take a few days off, but don’t drop the ball completely. Holidays or not, the bills will keep coming in, and you’ve got to keep moving and keep your business humming.

If you’re tempted to slacken off, tell yourself that your competitors are almost certainly not guzzling champagne or lounging on the beach in Tahiti, they’re working harder than ever.

Here’s how to keep sales steaming along during the holiday season:

* Send greeting cards to customers: all your customers. Your customers are your personal gold mine. Say thanks. Offer them a special holiday deal;

* Use holiday season parties to network. Keep a stash of business cards in your pocket;

* If you’ve set a working schedule for yourself, stick to it as much as possible. Don’t give yourself time off just because you’re the boss and you can. If you don’t have a schedule, create one;

* Keep up your marketing schedule. Whether you advertise online or offline, get your holiday period marketing push under way. No excuses, like: “People are too busy to buy from me over the holidays.” No, they’re not, especially not online, where you have potential customers from all over the world.

Get marketing, and make this holiday season your best season ever. Happy holidays to you and your business.

Author of many books, including Making the Internet Work for Your Business,
copywriter and journalist Angela Booth also writes copy for businesses large and
small, and consults on search engine marketing. Angela has written copy for
companies in many industries, ranging from technology and real estate to the
jewellery trade. Her clients include major corporations like hp (Hewlett Packard),
WestPac Bank, and Acer Computer. For copywriting services and marketing
advice contact Angela at angelabooth.com

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Working for yourself as a writer, designer, or other creative professional is extremely satisfying. It’s also lucrative, if you can face the reality that you’re responsible for how much work you do. Your aim as a freelancer is to be happy, constantly employed, but not overwhelmed, so that you’re making more money than you would be making if you were working for someone else.

You can avoid under-employment as a freelance creative professional if you compartmentalize the creation of products, and the selling of your services. These two activities demand different mindsets. Schedule both activities, and do them at different times of the day or week.

Set aside a couple of hours each day, or each week if you’re moonlighting in your own business, to promote yourself and your services so you can build up work-orders. Over time, you’ll learn how much work you need to have lined up in order to feel comfortable.

Here’s how to stay as busy as you want to be:

=> Step One: Create a marketing package

You need a marketing package on hand that you can send out to prospective clients immediately, as soon as they enquire.

What your marketing package contains is up to you. Here are some ideas:

* a short bio (100 words max) with a photo. Note: you’re a consultant not a potential employee, so you don’t need to send your CV, no matter how impressive;

* a couple of work samples. You can print, scan, or send a PDF file of these work samples;

* an outline of the kind of work you do for clients, or would like to do;

* your hourly rate, and how this translates into projects.

I like to compile all this material into a PFD file. I burn this package onto several CD-Rs, and have them ready to drop into the postal mail.

=> Step Two: Target specific companies

In the best of all possible worlds, which companies would you like to work for? If you’re a writer, in which publications would you like to see your byline?

In a nutshell, the process is this:

* research the companies you want to work for;

* create a marketing plan for approaching those companies;

* schedule the activities of the plan.

=> Step Three: Develop a “how can I help?” mindset

If you’ve been a freelance professional for a while, you know that many, many companies need your creative services. The major stumbling block to them hiring you is that they don’t know what you can do for them. It’s up to you to show them what you can do.

Create proposals for specific companies. You do this by studying a company, and working out how you can help that company, and then you send them a proposal.

=>Step Four: Cross-promote with others

Cross-promotion works for many people. It means that you join with others who are operating businesses which are complementary to yours. They promote you to their client list, you promote them to yours.

Copywriters join forces with graphic designers. A gardening-supply company joins forces with real estate agents.

To find companies with which you can cross-promote, join your local Chamber of Commerce, and go to meetings.

Step Five: Get local coverage

Local newspapers, radio stations and TV shows are eager to promote local businesses. After all, the advertising of local businesses keeps them in business. Writing news releases is easy, and cost-effective, because all it costs you is a little time, and a few stamps to mail your news releases.

There you have it. Five creative ways for you to find creative work TODAY. Please try one or several of these techniques. You’ll be delighted with the results.

Author of many books, including Making the Internet Work for Your Business,
copywriter and journalist Angela Booth also writes copy for businesses large and
small, and consults on search engine marketing. Angela has written copy for
companies in many industries, ranging from technology and real estate to the
jewellery trade. Her clients include major corporations like hp (Hewlett Packard),
WestPac Bank, and Acer Computer. For copywriting services and marketing
advice contact Angela at angelabooth.com

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Many business owners are searching for viable ways to increase traffic to their web sites through innovative internet marketing techniques. Most individuals fear the marketing concept, and deem internet promotion and advertising to be overwhelming. While internet marketing can be confusing to those new to the web community, a little time and education can take the complexity out of this difficult subject.

Familiarizing yourself with the consumer is key when dealing with internet marketing. It is extremely hard to promote a product to an individual you know nothing about. A major aspect of internet marketing involves learning the facts about your target audience. Age, gender, location, career, and income of the potential customer all play a factor on how you will market your product and web site. The more information you gather about your subjects, the easier your internet marketing campaign will be.

Communication plays a big role in internet marketing. If you know your audience well enough, then you will be able to compose and communicate a message that will encourage and entice them to buy your product. This message must make your potential clients be able to relate to you and your goals. Your audience must understand the views you have, and what you are trying to accomplish as you sell your ideas.

Successful internet marketing must be executed at the right time of year to be fully effective. Many business owners have excellent products and pitches, however, they have chosen to market and promote at the wrong time. What times of the year are the best to perform your internet marketing plan? Major holidays such as Christmas and Easter generate major traffic and income to almost any web site or store. With the proper development and planning, your internet marketing campaign is sure to be prosperous all year round.

Scott has his own website to help you find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home at http://www.Pennies4You.com

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