An effective way to develop your business, which in turn increase your profits is to talk to people you know; friends, families, neighbors, hit the pavement, spread the word to everyone you know, especially those who like your business and the products you have to offer. Networking is so very important for any form of business – online or offline. Some work at home moms expect to do their stuff at home the whole time but this belief can only limit your potential. When you go to businesses or friends take a few samples of your products to show them. You may even want to leave your products with them so they can look at them while you are gone and then follow-up with them and find out what they think. Get them into your business! So if you want people to buy diet pills online, you may need to educate them on the benefits. Be creative and think out of the box. Share with them about how you earn money from home.

Networking is a great way to make business contacts and you can do this almost anywhere that you go. Carry your business cards with your websites or online stores on them and make them your marketing and advertising channels. Bring them to parties, gatherings, meetings and any places where you are likely to meet people.

Another useful way is to be part of a community with the people you want to do business with. Join like-minded groups. You should also keep in mind that before you receive, you should learn how to give. You want to be able to be a friend that provides advice and helps out. Speak to your friends and gain their trust. This will ensure that they will listen to your recommendations and will trust your instincts on this topic too. Word of mouth is the most powerful tool you have and is the hardest to get. This will let others in your community know that you are a genuine and approachable person and not just one who want their business!

So you see, even if you work or earn money at home, you cannot neglect some of these basic and simple marketing techniques. Sometimes we get too caught up with the high techie methods that we have forgotten to go back to basics. Nevertheless, it is never too late to begin now.

I am considering using Feedblitz or Zoodoka for this purpose. Zoodoka is a FREE email marketing application designed specifically for bloggers. It enables you to send a daily, weekly or monthly summary of your latest blog posts directly into your vistors inbox, keeping them up to date. You can also manage subscribers and enhance your blog with custom newsletter subscription forms.

I believe Feedblitz does the same. Can anyone who use any of the above software share your experience?

• Online networking is global and is borderless whereas offline networking requires your physical presence

• Online networking allows you to meet multiple contacts at any one time whereas offline has limitations

• With Online networking, you can be in your PJ whereas offline requires you to dress up smartly

What other advantages can you think of? Please feel free to add to this list…

To All Women: Something interesting is happening tomorrow at 8am (Eastern)!

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO – The WECAI Networkâ„¢ sends me this plug about Virtual Woman’s Day.

Join Heidi and her team on Thursday March 15th for Virtual Woman’s Dayâ„¢ “Where women connect virtually to share their stories, promote their products and make new friends” . Rather than tell you about it other than to say it’s a Virtual Online Conference that begins at 8 AM Eastern and runs throughout the day (to 8PM) I am sending you the link. You can visit the blog to learn more about it and to register.

And by the way, there is absolutely no charge to attend. They will be participant “showcases,” prizes will be given away every 15 minutes throughout the day and they have confirmed four speakers who will talk about weight management, self-promotion, attracting corporate sponsorships and creating strategic alliances. All this and a song-writing contest.

Be sure to visit http://virtualwomansday.blogspot.com/ to learn more about it and to register. Information is posted daily, including women’s history tidbits, member and guest profiles, prizes and an updated schedule. Everyone who visits the blog will also receive a link to a valuable coupon book brought to you by Strictly Business Network.

When you visit Virtual Woman’s Day™ You can also listen to the eWednesday Chat™ on How to use Virtual Networking to Grow Your Business featuring Rima McDonald and Cynthia Frazier (two leaders on Strictly Business). These two women met online and have since created many cross-promotional opportunities for one another and others since they first connected. This one-hour seminar is filled with valuable advice on how to increase your bottom line with Virtual Networking.

Happy Women’s History Month!

See you there!