The term “Search Engine Optimization” often brings to mind visions of large, intimidating companies that can be hired for a small fortune, with promises of having your website listed on the first page of Google. What many small business owners don’t realize, is that most of the techniques…

When it comes to social media – especially that on-going conversation also known as Twitter – many people think that there's some super-secret way to get people to follow you. But, what's really going on is that people are forgetting that the most basic, the most simple tricks are the ones that actually work.

So, whether you're new to Twitter or need a refresher course, here are the 4 overlooked basics to get people to follow you.

Link to Twitter

Make…

Marketing your business is key in generating potential customers. Internet marketing for small business is one way to get your to that. However, many do not know how to market their business, especially on the internet. For many, the reason is fear. You don’t have to be afraid of marketing your business on the web. In fact it can be fun and exciting. You may have been afraid on opening your opening your own business, but you did didn't you? Fears can also motivate you instead of making you…

Blogging in the current business market is not only effective, it is imperative. Blog writing allows a person or company to quickly create new content for consumers or customers to read while allowing them the ability to provide feedback. There are many key points to keep in mind while making a blog, such as; page set-up, content, providers, maintenance, etc… the focus is keeping the blog simple and adhering to a few simple rules of thumb to keep the buzz on your site and have returning…

Guest posting is a rewarding experience for a lot of reasons, but sometimes finding blogs that accept posts in your niche is very time consuming.

For that reason, I've created an open spreadsheet on Google Docs for Bonfire members to list guest posting opportunities on their blogs. I've filled…

First you need to figure out what different types of autoresponders you need.



• A “welcome” autoresponder to any person that signs up for your email, fax, SMS and social media pages. Also, welcome autoresponders is a great tool for any new customer creating an account online or in person.



• “Gentle reminder” autoresponders pokes your wayward customers nicely while reminding them…

Though a catch phrase favored by the erstwhile Charlie Sheen, “winning” is actually a fantastic way to create an email campaign.



But, what is a winning email campaign?



The best way to look at it is that winning is akin to achieving. So, to create winning email campaigns is to focus on what your goals are. Meaning, what do you want to get out of your email campaign in the first place?



If…

Blogging can sound like an overwhelming process for many of us. However, it doesn’t have to be. With more and more people reading blogs, it might be a good idea to set one up for your company. When surfing the web you probably run into all sorts of blogs ranging from mainstream to obscure.

Connecting with Customers/Readers

Blogging is a great way to get customer’s feedback (whether it’s good or bad) and allows you to have a better…

If you have Windows 7, you probably noticed a big improvement in screensavers, desktop themes, wallpaper – whatever you like to call them. They brighten up our screens and days with the different sceneries and themes offered.

Microsoft offers free…

Have you been overtaken by the Pinterest craze? Me, too. :)

On the main blog, I just shared a list of 15+ articles that provide tips, best practices and examples on using Pinterest for business. I have literally been studying these articles to help get my footing and ramp up the way I use…

Sometimes the best place to learn about how to improve your email marketing campaign is right in your email.

Victoria’s Secret: the Good

• Frequency / Timing: Seriously, I don’t need a watch because I know exactly what time it is when I see my daily VS email. Predictability is one of…

Once again I'm looking for feedback from fellow Bonfire members for a future article on the main blog. Your replies may be included in the article with a link back to your Twitter profile. Simply leave a reply in the comments here if you wish to contribute feedback on the topic.…

In a new study of over 5,000 businesses, HubSpot found that traffic from LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate at 2.74%, almost 3 times higher (277%) than both Twitter (.69%) and Facebook (.77%).

LinkedIn's conversion rate also outranked social media as a channel overall. In other words, of all the traffic that came to these business' websites via social media, 0.98% of that traffic converted into leads,…

It's always fun to share the tools that make my life easier. Here are five of my favorite free, cloud-based business solutions. If you don't use them already, give them a try - you'll be glad you did!

EVERNOTE - A notebook for every aspect of your business and personal life.

Evernote is amazing - I use it all the time for my business, family, hobby, committee and club information. I even use it to write this blog. It has simplified and organized my life in ways…

Listed below are essential pointers on how to spot and avoid online affiliate frauds:

• Check the company’s reputation. Before joining a company offering an affiliate program, check its background and reputation.  Affiliate marketing scammers may put up a website that looks like the real thing overnight only to disappear after victimizing people.  Never sign up in a rush or without conducting your own investigation.
• Don’t…

Google+ now has over 90 million members... and has achived this in only a few moths! You need to be there are be one of the pioneers.

Google+ allows for business pages, like Facebook does. Here are 5 quick tips on how you can use Google+ for Business Pages.

You Can +1 a Page to Show Support or Add Them to Your Circles

You already love some brands and businesses. Others you may want to show a quick note of support, but not see all their…

It can get confusing, trying to pick exactly which loan type or purpose to use when creating your project. Here’s a list of types…

Today we’re going to go over how to make your copy of Windows legal (assuming it isn’t). Perhaps you bought a computer from Ebay  or Craigslist or a friend or family member ‘worked’ on your computer and installed a bootleg copy of Windows from a shady site.

The latter happened to a client of mine and she called saying she was getting pop-ups (from Microsoft), letting her know her copy of Windows wasn’t valid.

If you get WAT (Windows activation tool) popups saying your copy of…