It’s that time of year again. With the New Year just around the corner it’s time to sit back and reflect at the year gone by – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

When it comes to marketing there is always something more you could be doing, so here are some tips to help you form your New Years marketing resolutions and help make 2012 the year your business takes it to the next level.

1. Review and revise your marketing strategy: Taking a look back at your marketing strategy, whether it’s just in your head or in a document, can help you figure out what’s working and what’s not. To get started, ask yourself the following questions:

• What worked in 2011? What didn’t?
• Do you need to step up your networking efforts?
• Are you up to speed on the latest in social media? (Google+ anyone?)
• Are your social media efforts meeting the goals of your organization?

2. Try something new: It’s great to stick with what works, but marketing is all about pushing the envelope. Ask yourself what more can you do to step up your marketing in 2012. How about a new (hopefully viral!) video idea? Have you looked into trade shows or other advertising avenues? How about a creative new campaign to get people buying your products or services? Think outside the box in 2012 and try something new!

3. Collaborate: There are so many great marketing experts out there, from direct sales to online marketing specialists. Pride will not help your business grow, but teaming up with other knowledgeable experts sure can’t hurt. So reach out and ask for help this year!

4. Join an organization: Local chambers of commerce or other specialized organizations can help bring not only a more professional appeal to your business but they can also be a great way to market yourself. So if you aren’t currently in any organizations, join one – many are free and only charge minimal fees for networking events. If you’re already a member of an organization look for a new one! There are so many great groups out there and business owners can never meet too many people.

5. Improve your customer service: In a world full of words like “hits,” “likes,” and “followers,” it can be easy to overlook the basics of marketing. There’s no marketing like good public relations – a happy customer will not only return but will also be likely to refer your services to their customers or friends as well. So make an effort to improve your customer service this year, it will not go unnoticed!

Article Submitted By Kamea Zelisko  – Kamea Zelisko is a marketing expert with Red Queen Creative Group. For more information visit http://www.redqueencreative.com

I have been professionally working from home for the past 21 years and at times I have gotten so bogged down with doing things for my family, friends and my business that I had no time left over for myself. Over the years…I have learned to say no to others so that I had time for myself.

At the beginning of my work at home career I was juggling way too much. I tried to put in 6-8 hours a day working on my business, cleaning my home, taking care of the kids, making dinner, running errands and all of those things that we are responsible for as mothers. At the end of the day I would be stressed out and exhausted and didn’t feel any self-worth or self-importance.

Over the years I have learned to balance both my professional life, family life and personal life into something that works for me. The solution for me was to come up with a daily schedule and routine. To start your own daily schedule and routine you need to sit down and make three lists. Label your three lists: Work, Family and Pleasure. Your next step is to list the tasks you want to accomplish along with the amount of time you think you will need to accomplish those tasks in. You will want to block off 1 blank hour per day onto each of your lists for those things that ‘pop up’ that you didn’t plan on.

Your next step is to put your newly drafted plan into action and to come up with a daily routine. Once you get into a daily routine you will find that your day will run more smoothly and you will get more things accomplished…getting things accomplished will lead to self-worth and self-importance and you will end your day feeling fulfilled and happy.

As work at home moms…we need to realize that we are only one person and at times we won’t get everything done. When that happens, there is always tomorrow!

Shelly Hill has been working from home since 1989. Shelly is a wife, mother, grandmother and a professional online writer and blogger. You can visit Shelly’s Work At Home Business Options site for home business articles, tips and ideas at www.workathomebusinessoptions.com and you can visit Shelly’s Two Classy Chics Blog at twoclassychics.blogspot.com for information on product reviews.

Control is a big thing and a must for business owners, but it’s a difficult thing to have when you work from home. You don’t have a boss standing over your shoulder or someone pressuring you to complete a task by a certain deadline.

As you may know, the telephone can be a distraction, but one that’s even bigger is the television. The television is one of the hardest distractions to handle, but it can be done if you work hard and push through the hard times.

The reason the television is such a distraction is that you can turn it on very easily. It’s hard to say you’ll only watch it for 30 minutes or an hour and then turn it off. It seems as if the shows run together with the commercials and before you know it the next show has started and you didn’t even know it changed. If you’re distracted you could easily spend two or three hours watching it and not even realize it.

While you know you must stand strong to avoid this distraction it may be very hard to do. One way to make it happen is avoid turning it on from the beginning. Once it’s on it’s hard to turn it off. Another way is to turn it on when your work is done.

This will give you something to look forward to, but you must stand your ground and stick to it.

If you find you really struggle with the television, you need to consider the location of your office. If you don’t have a room you can dedicate as an office, you need to consider using your bedroom, the kitchen, or another room without the television in it. If you don’t have a desk, consider a table and chair or a TV stand and a chair. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just a place to work.

If you find there is a show you really like to watch, you should consider recording it. All satellite providers and most cable providers offer recorders you can purchase, so recording your show is a good way to make sure you don’t miss an episode. Your record could be watching your show when your work is done.

There are a number of distractions that can cause you to not reach success with your business. When you do what it takes to avoid the distractions you’ll have a better chance of reaching success.

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business. She enjoys helping her clients reach their goals through the services she offers. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, click here to see how she can help you make that happen.  http://www.wahm-articles.com

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When you work more efficiently you get more done in a day and you won’t stress about things. One of the best ways to make that happen is to organize your home. There are a number of ways to make this work, but it’s important you get it done so you work your business efficiently and effectively.

Here are a few suggestions for you to consider putting into action in your own home.

1. Clean your home from top to bottom making sure everything has a home and that it makes sense where you put it. Don’t put your toilet paper in the kitchen or your towels in the bedroom. It’s important to put things in your home close to the place you’ll use them at the most.

2. Create chore lists for the family. When they know what needs to be done they won’t bother you with questions about what needs to be done. One thing to consider is creating a list for each room of the home and taping it in a place where each person can see it easily. A cabinet or wall is a thought.

3. Take one day a week and clean your home thoroughly. Then do a quick pick up each day so it doesn’t take a lot of time to clean on that day you choose. Involve the entire family so you’re not the only one cleaning the house.

4. When you work a home business it’s important to have your own space. While that space is important you need to keep it organized and personal home items free. Don’t store the kids’ toys in your office, but at the same time it’s important to keep your business items in your office and not in another part of the house.

An organized home makes for an efficient family. It’s like a well oiled piece of machinery, it works smoothly and efficiently and the same goes for your home. When it’s organized and in order you won’t have problems knowing what to do and how to do it. You won’t have to worry or stress when you spend all day cleaning only to find out you forgot something.

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business and she’s the owner of WAHM-Articles.com. She is married and has two teenagers. She loves spending time with her family. Catch up with everything she has going on when you click here to read her mommy blog.

Starting a business is no easy task and while working at home can be a major plus, it is no easier to get a work at home business off the ground than a traditional brick and mortar one.   Hard work and dedication is called for in each type of business and it can be very frustrating when you don’t see continued progress some days.  But the question is, do you give up to easily?

I know there are some days I just want to scream with frustration when I have been diligently working away on the promotion of my business and yet it seems to come so slowly.   It is a trial and error for the most part.  What works best for one business may not work for your business.     Tracking your progress and setting reasonable goals will show you where you are going and where you have come from.  But it can be months and months for your traffic to steadily increase; sales and profits to grow.  And the temptation to give up can be huge.

Don’t let that temptation overcome and take over!  If you are effectively talking about your business and promoting it correctly, it will happen!  Slowing down on your marketing and promotion of your business can hurt your progress very quickly.  You will see that you are right back where you started and that is even more frustrating.  Find new and creative ways to market yourself.  Study and learn about new methods and embrace them.  Giving up is giving in and you can do this!

Remember the old saying “Don’t Let the Turkey’s Get You Down?” Well, the same saying goes for developing your work at home business.  Success rarely happens overnight.  Ask any business owner.  It is hard work and you have to work it every day to see the long term effects. But it can be done and it can be done by you!  Don’t give up or give in!  If you want success bad enough, you will get there.

Copyright Chris Carroll All Rights Reserved
Chris Carroll is a sales professional that has made direct sales her business of choice and enjoys sharing with others. Blogger, product reviewer, article writer and ghostwriter round out her profession. DirectSalesTalk. You can also find her at her business site ShopOnYourSeat.