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Viral marketing. It sounds like some kind of disease, but it’s really not. Viral marketing is really word of mouth marketing. Word of mouth marketing is where your customers like your product so much that they tell others about it, others try your product and then tell others about it, and so on.

There are tons of ways to start a viral marketing campaign for your business. One of my favorites though is using an ebook. The reason is that many people like ebooks, and they will read them if you give them something to solve their problems.

When writing your ebook though, there are a few things you want to consider.

First, you want your ebook to be short and sweet. Present a particular problem to your readers and then show them how to solve the problem. This shouldn’t take more than five to ten pages.

One way to show your readers how to solve their problems is through the use of your products. If you’re not selling your own products, then you want to offer affiliate products that solve the problem.

Format your ebook in PDF. PDF, or portable document format, is a format that is universal to all computers, and anyone will be able to read your ebook.

Once your ebook is ready, then it’s time to start your viral marketing campaign.

Start by giving your ebook away. This is one of the easiest ways to make it go viral. Give it to your readers first. (Don’t forget to tell them that they may also give your ebook away!)

Next, submit it to ebook directories, as well as software directories. Although this will take you a little time, it is well worth it because it makes it easier to get it into the hands of readers.

(One thing I want to mention here is that if possible, make your ebook brandable. Brandable means that those giving away the ebook may add their affiliate links for your products to the ebook. This makes it easier to make your ebook go viral.)

If you are a member of social network sites like Twitter or Facebook, post a short note to let others know the ebook is available. Let them know you are giving it away. Your note will need to be very short; Twitter only allows 140 characters, so make them count.

Another place to add your ebook is download sharing sites. These sites have become very popular, and they make it very easy for you to share your downloads.

Consider social networking sites like Free IQ or document sites like Scribd. These sites will allow you to give away your documents and get them into the hands of readers.

The more places you put your ebook, the more likely it is to go viral. Write an ebook that others find useful, and then get it into the hands of as many readers as possible.

Want more ways to make more money from your writing? Then sign up for my list, Marketing for Writers. My article marketing ecourse will teach you how to make money writing articles.

Jinger Jarrett is the author of “Internet Marketing to GO! Cashing in on Article Writing,” available on Amazon.

In a fast paced business, it is important to keep important records in an orderly and organised fashion. The reservation book is vital to the smooth running of many businesses such as hotels, restaurants, beauty salons, car repairers, medical centres and veterinarians. Without an efficient booking system in place, chaos and confusion would result. Whether you use a generic system or one that has been customized for your specific business, the reservation book is an important tool for accurate record keeping and efficiency of day to day operation of your business.

The very nature of a reservation book means that alterations need to be made, often numerous times on the same page. The book is also subjected to continuous handling by different members of the staff and it is easy to understand why these books quickly become worn in appearance. A worn and dog-eared reservation book does not give a good impression of the business; it looks most unprofessional and may lead customers to doubt the wisdom of using their services.

A solution to this problem would be to select reservation books that have a solid cover to protect the contents. Even better would be to invest in a system that uses loose leaf pages to record your data, maybe even personalized to suit the specific needs of your business. The pages would be enclosed in a binder specifically designed for that purpose. Such binders are strong and sturdy, easily able to withstand the constant handling that occurs with reservation books.

Binders are available in a variety of materials including board, vinyl, fabric and leather, and could be color coordinated with your corporate colors. It is possible to have your company logo and name printed on the front. This serves to formalize and unify your reservation books, and help your staff to have pride in the company they work with. You can also chose the types and number of rings you want in your binder, whether it is a two or three ring binder or has small or large rings. The spacing of the rings will also vary between binders.

Appearances are very important in any business, but especially so in service industries. Keeping your reservation book in a protective binder will improve your customers’ impression of your business and add to your professional image. You will quickly see an improvement to your profits and your customers will notice your excellent service and attention to detail.

Lance Thorington’s articles have been distributed on several sites online. So if you are in the market for reservation books, the people at restaurant reservation book can assist you. You can see all their books at http://www.reservationbooks.com/home/default.aspx

It is never too early to get a reservation book for the upcoming New Year. If you don’t already have a 2009 Reservation Book, you should rush right out now to get one right away. Guests and clients like to make reservations well in advance of important dates, so you’ll need to be ready and have the 2009 Reservation Book on your desk and ready to be used before someone wants to make a reservation. You will be glad in the long run that you are properly prepared.

When purchasing your reservation book, make sure it lists all of the holidays. Knowing when the holidays will fall is important for making reservations. Some clients may not know the exact date that they want, but will know that it is the day before Hanukkah. If you don’t know when Hanukkah is, you’d better have a reservation book that does! Holidays also change each year so having an up to date book for each year is important.

You might want to consider placing your 2009 reservation book under the current 2008 reservation book to make it convenient to get to. If your current book allows for refill pages, add in some pages to the current year so that you don’t have to carry both books at once. You can simply use the current book. When the year is over you can pop out the 2009 pages and put them into your 2009 reservation book. Additionally you can simply replace the pages in your reservation book so you don’t have to purchase a brand new book every year, just find some refill pages and you are all set to go.

I like using the books with refill pages because it allows you to keep a book for more than a year and it is much more economical to buy refill pages than it is to buy a brand new book each year. In addition, if you completely mess up a page due to changes and erasures, you can easily remove the page and insert a new one and the book will look as good as new. You can’t do that with a spiral-bound or a saddle-stitched 2009 reservation book. These types of books are very convenient and highly popular. You can find any sort of reservation book you may need whether it is in a general format or completely customized for you needs.

Lance Thorington’s articles have been distributed on different sites online. So if you are in the market for a reservation books for your restaurant, bar, or hotel. The people at reservation book can assist you. You can see all their books at http://www.reservationbooks.com/home/default.aspx

Personalized reservation books are a fantastic way to include your businesses design on all aspects of service. Reservations are mainly used in the food industry and for accommodations. However reservations are now needed for an increasing number of occasions, and the information needed for these reservations will vary. So a standard reservation book will not be appropriate for all businesses though you can use a standardized reservation book for many occasions and services if so desired.

It is possible to obtain personalized reservations books for function, banquet and meeting rooms, table reservations, function/table reservations, time based reservations, log books, group room control reservations, guest registers, standard reservations, menu covers, wine list covers, guest check presenters, two sided table tents, ring binders, case bound books, table tents and restaurant menu covers. You can find a personalized reservation book for anything and if you can’t find pone then you should contact a manufacturer and determine if they can make one for you.

Reservation books can be personalized in many ways and some options are dates printed on each page, all holidays noted, both religious and legal, printed tabs to separate the months, choice of paper, choice of binding, choice of cover material, stamped or embossed company logos, years produced in advance, partial years, page layout and book size. The possibilities are endless and as many non-service industries are using reservation books the formats and options can vary significant.

The basic reservation book will include date, time and name or party. If you need more information you can include contact information, special requests and more. You can use reservation software to track room usage and create reports that can be used for marketing and sales. Personalized reservation books are still requested for restaurants and for guest registers, even when reservation software is used. Reservation books also make excellent hard copy back ups to software programs as you can still access all of your information even if there is a technology problem.

Most companies will have some sort of personalization on their reservation books, whether it is on the actual book or menu etc. The pricing for personalized items will vary depending on what you want added or changed and most companies will provide a quote before commencing any work. You will need to determine what is vital and what is not if you need to stay within a budget. But no matter what you needs and budget you will be able to find what you need with a little research.

Lance Thorington’s articles have been distributed on several sites online. So for a reservation books for your restaurant, bar, or hotel. The people at restaurant reservation books can assist you. You can see all their books at http://www.reservationbooks.com/home/default.aspx

If you are in the hospitality or restaurant business, I would heartily recommend visiting the reservation books websites because they offer a variety of solutions to meet your reservation and hospitality needs. The reservation books were designed with quality in mind and were built to withstand the rigors of restaurant demands. These books will not wither from the daily use they will receive.

Reservation books offers contain specially created books to help with specific areas of your organization. There is a catering module that allows your manager to track the number of guests, the menu for the event, the staff that will be working the event etc., and all of this is separate from your day-to-day reservation book. If you want to track your bar organization, there is a book that allows you to keep records of your AM and PM bar staff. You can track the number of identifications that were checked and the number of cabs that were called on any given night.

Depending upon the type of establishment you have, you might want to consider getting a customized reservation book. Your customized book can be embossed with your hotel or restaurant’s name and or logo, which immediately identifies your establishments as an upscale organization. Contact the manufacturer if you need a reservation book with non-standard sized paper to see whether your request can be accommodated or not. Most manufacturers are very accommodating and are used to customizing books for many companies.

The hospitality industry requires having smooth day to day operations and having the right reservation and management tools at your fingertips can separate your organization from the one down the street. Reservation book sites can offer you communication tools that will help you to achieve the success that you desire. All reservation books allow you to track who, when and where, but they can help you ensure that you have all of the resources that are required to meet your event planning needs.

Finding the correct format and desired options can be difficult if you are looking for more than just a general reservation book. Many professionals do not know where to start looking and even if you do not purchase a reservation book from online sites you should at least visit their site to view the many types of reservation books available. You can also get a good idea of the prices for each type of book which can help you when purchasing your own.

Lance Thorington’s articles have been distributed on several places online. So if you are in the market for reservation books for your restaurant, bar, or hotel. The people at reservation books can assist you. You can see all their books at http://www.reservationbooks.com/home/default.aspx

And now I would like to offer you free access to my FREE Self Publishing eKit when you subscribe to Publish2Profit, a free monthly newsletter on book writing, publishing and marketing tips. You can get your instant access at http://www.selfpublishinghouse.net
From Earma Brown, 14 year author, book writing and publishing coach

Letterheads may be considered as an ordinary heading in company stationery, yet it spells a lot of difference when doing official business.

In fact, the letterhead has so much importance in the business sector. It represents the company and is considered as the legal document of the company. The letterhead is only used for the official matters relating to different issues of businesses and is considered at the same time as part of the flow of communication within different departments and also to the outside the organizations. Thus, every business has its letterheads for sending letter across the organizations, to send business proposals, to make quotations, making appointment letters, official letter movements, to purchase inventory and related matters.

As a legal document of the company, it can be enforced in the court of law on the basis of a letter head. So letterheads are very important for the business. It gives a corporate image to the people and makes an identity of the company that distinguishes one company from another company.

When planning for your letterhead, consider what feeling you want each of your customers to have when they receive something from you, and incorporate that into your letterhead design. Among the things you should consider is the color. A black and white letterhead can be effective, but there really is no reason why you should not use color. Color printing is not that expensive, and the positive impact it will have on your letterhead is significant. Use colors that emphasize the purpose of your business and that evoke the type of feelings that you want your customers to have.

How many ways are there to design letterhead? More than you might think. And while there may be no hard and fast rules for how you design it, there are some rules and guidelines that will help you create hardworking letterheads that look great.

The following tips are some general guidelines to help you as you are designing your letterhead.

1.Gather all of your content elements and decide on the ink colors and type of paper you will be using before starting to design your letterhead. This will give you the necessary pieces to create your design.
2.Select typefaces that reflect the nature of your business. Try to limit your selection to two different typefaces. You can use bold and italic in the typefaces you select but avoid overuse. Avoid using all capital letters, they are more difficult to read.
3.Put emphasis on the name and the other information you want people drawn to first.
4.Do not overcrowd the letterhead with too much information. White space used effectively will help attract attention where you want it and avoid a cluttered effect.
5. Use color selectively. When color is used in too many areas, the areas start to fight for attention. Use color to emphasis specific areas.
6. Be sure your copy is positioned in an appropriate position, whether it is at the top, bottom or on the sides, so that adequate room is left for the letter itself without making it look crowded on the page.
7.The typestyles and format you use should follow through on your letterhead, business card and envelopes to promote consistency throughout.
8.If you are trying to design your own letterhead and create the artwork on your own but are not confident in what you are doing, it may be worth the cost of having someone experienced do the work for you. They will be able to provide the artwork prepared according to the printers requirements, saving you the time and cost of having to redo artwork that is not prepared correctly.

Finally, once you have your perfect letterhead made up, remember to use it. Put it on all of your letters and other things that you print from your office. Also, send it along with all of your other printed material when you send the designs into your printer. Your letterhead should appear on all of your brochures, business cards, posters, fliers, and everything else that you use in your marketing campaign.

Kishor Nayak is a Business Consultant working with International clients. Did you find this information useful? You can learn a lot more about how corporate letter heads can help your business.

The letterhead that you use for your business will affect the image that others form about your company. It is sometimes the first opportunity that you have to present your company to someone. It is important that the design you create for your letterhead reflects the image you want conveyed. Your letterhead will not only provide the customer with your name and address, it will also create an image about the quality of your products or services.

The design you use for your letterhead should express your company’s personality. A letterhead designed for a company that sells children’s toys should be different from a letterhead designed for a law office. Each needs to reflect the personality of the company to create the proper image. You can affect the image that is created through the use of different elements on your letterhead, such as your logo, ink colors, typestyles and the paper it is printed on.

When deciding what elements to use on your letterhead, you should consider some of the following factors:
1.Does your company have a logo? If it does, the logo should be used on the letterhead. If you do not have a logo, consider having one designed for you, it is a good way of expressing your company’s personality. Once you have a logo, it can also be used on your business cards and envelopes. It should be used on other marketing and communication materials that your company uses. Using it on all company materials builds consistency in appearance and company recognition.

2.What colors are used to represent your company? If you have other printed materials that have a color scheme that is used, you should incorporate the same colors into your letterhead. This will create company identity through the use of the associated colors.

3.Select a typestyle to use for your company name. Select a style that reflects the image of your company, different typestyles create different images. You should also select a typestyle to use for the other content on your letterhead. Try to limit the typestyles that you use on your letterhead to two different typefaces.

4. Decide on the information that is important to be on your letterhead, such as company name, address and phone numbers. Does your company have a slogan? If it does, you should use it on the letterhead. A slogan is a good way of providing a message about your company, products or services

5.Select the type of paper you would like your letterhead printed on. The paper’s weight, finish and color will all affect the image your letterhead conveys. If you use a special type of paper, you may want to determine if you want to use the same type for your envelopes and business cards. Using matching stock adds consistency to your overall company image.

Once you have determined what elements you will use, you are ready to start the design process.

Content Elements
The content of your letterhead consists of any information about your company that you want included on your letterhead. The main purpose of your letterhead is to provide information about your company. The content should include the following elements that are applicable to your company.
1)Logo
2)Company name and address
3)Contact name
4)Phone numbers
5)Fax numbers
6)E-mail address
7)Slogan

Do not include any unnecessary information. The letterhead should not look overcrowded and should leave plenty of space for the letter itself.

Kishor Nayak is a Business Consultant working with International clients. Did you find this information useful? You can learn a lot more about how corporate letter heads can help your business.

Read more novels and fewer business books.

–Tom Peters

Many people dream of having an international best seller. Naturally since most books never reach that status, writers and would-be authors can’t get enough information about how others did it.

As most authors discover, the reality is a lot different from the advice or what you read in magazines. There’s a lot of trial and effort involved. But if you keep plugging someone will either like your book or tell you how to make it better. Then, you have a beginning.

Here’s our story.

By early 1998, the book concept we then called The Future Before Its Time had gone from being a vague desire to write a book into a long manuscript on which Carol Coles, Robert Metz, and I had lavished much wordsmithing. To us, this material was obviously so good that every publisher in the world would soon be fighting over it. We coauthors were all very pleased with the results.

We asked Robert Metz to suggest how we might proceed with our manuscript. He said that there was one book agency that could turn our championship effort into an instant best seller. Robert didn’t know anyone there, but like the intrepid reporter he had always been, he called and made a contact.

We received from them a faxed form to fill out in order to be considered for representation. Robert felt that he couldn’t answer most of the questions, and I agreed to take on the task. Soon, I was stymied, too. Robert called back for more direction and was told to just do the best we could.

Eventually our 37 pages of answers were ready to go. We expectantly sent the answers off. We waited for weeks. Nothing happened.

When Robert called to check, his contact sheepishly revealed that the agency couldn’t represent us. The contact told Robert they had another author under contract who was working on a virtually identical book. Since Robert and I are both lawyers, we could understand the need to avoid a conflict of interest. We were glad that we had been in contact with such a reputable agency.

Of course, we still haven’t figured out what that virtually identical to ours book was. Perhaps it was just a proposal that didn’t sell.

Where should we go from there? Robert explained that the publishing business had changed a lot in the prior decade. Before many mergers, even tiny publisher had tried to have full list of books in every category. But with the shrinking number of publishers, many companies had chopped out business books.

As a result, there were now only a handful of places where business books like ours ever found a home. Although each of these publishers would accept submissions directly from us, Robert felt that we would do better if we could arrange an introduction.

Unfortunately, all of Robert’s former editors were no longer doing business books and could not help us. One of our clients was a business book publisher, and a contact through that client had previously led to a publishing contract. We felt that route would be a good one to follow again.

I also knew some successful business book authors and contacted them to see if they could introduce me to a publisher. Several were helpful, but one person was extremely so. He recommended his publisher very highly and gave me the contact information for all of the right people.

I called the person our friend had recommended, and she indicated that she was the wrong person to call. But she put me through to the correct person who was duly impressed by my mention of the man who sent me: His book was their featured title for the current catalog.

Again, a long list of questions to answer was faxed to me. I found that I could reuse some of the answers I had written for the agency that had turned us down.

What is a good method for today to avoid our mistakes?

Start with those editors and successful authors you know who write business books and tell them what you have in mind. Ask for their advice about agents and directly trying to place your book. This is the shortest and more secure route. I wish we had followed it sooner!

Donald Mitchell is an author of seven books including Adventures of an Optimist, The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution Workbook, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage. Read about creating breakthroughs through and receive tips by e-mail through registering for free at

http://www.2000percentsolution.com

Have you finished your self-published book and ready to sell? Or if you are like me and other non-techies you wanted to get the payment system worked out before writing your book. You may consider this the hard part. If you are thinking that way keep reading you’ll find out it’s not.

It’s true plastic money is what turns the wheels of ecommerce or to put it another way the gas that burns in the engine of ecommerce. Therefore, you must be able to receive payments online so that your money-making ability is not hindered.

One of my clients with a resume service told me about the horrors she had with collecting payment using the regular check system. She told of how she got burned quite a few times. So along with her new business website including a career help and resume section, she wanted to receive payment online.

A friend of hers had described receiving payment over the internet and how fast and easy it could be. She was thinking she wasn’t ready for a merchant account but still wanted the ability to accept payment online.

Of course, being the good web developer that I am; I gave her several options to choose from just like I am about to give you. She chose Paypal to begin her selling experience online. Last time, I checked with her she was very pleased and had done numerous resumes and received full payment online.

Setting up your payment system is a necessary function of selling your book (information product) online. But it doesn’t have to be as hard as it may sound. In fact, it can be as easy as a one time setup with very little ongoing maintenance.

Free enterprise has advanced. It used to be very expensive to get a merchant account. There are now many professional companies on the Internet which are ready to help you get setup. If you are not ready for a merchant account there are also numerous 3rd party companies that will process your orders for you. All you need do is link your web site to their secure servers.

Merchant Accounts

If you decide to get a merchant account, you need access to a secure server and a shopping cart system. A secure server will protect your customers’ information. Many companies that provide shopping cart systems require that you purchase a secure server license commonly called SSL. The shopping cart system will provide your customers with a total of what they have ordered, tax, shipping and the total cost.

The following website can provide you with a merchant account:

Total Merchant Services (TMS)

The TMS Merchant account, for Internet transactions, will enable you to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. They offer two merchant processing software packages to choose from. The first package is the TotalPay powered by Authorize.net Virtual Terminal. This package will enable you to authorize, process, and manage credit card transactions from any computer with an Internet connection and a Web browser.

Shoe String Budget Tip: If you are ready to invest in your own merchant account, be sure to shop around. At the time of this writing, the market was competitive with several companies offering Free Merchant Account Setup if you purchased their service. (waiving the steep setup price usually associated with merchant accounts)

Third Party Credit Card Processors

Third party credit card processors are an affordable option for budget-conscious business owners and those just starting online. Each company provides you with an easy set of instructions to help you get setup to accept credit cards. Most newbies and budget-minded businesses enjoy the hassle free operations. You have to bother with processing your credit card payments or charge backs. It is all handled for you on their secure server.

The third party credit card processors will process your credit card orders for you. There are normally no monthly fees. But they do charge a “per transaction” fee. They send an instant, bi-monthly or monthly payment for all of the orders processed, minus their fee and a reserve fee. A reserve fee is held back to cover any charge backs you may have. If you have no charge backs within a set period of time, your reserve will be refunded to you. Each company has different guidelines governing how often they pay and regarding reserves.

Here’s a short list of websites that process credit card orders for you:

iBill, PayPal, ClickBank, Revecom, 2Checkout.com
The list above is by no means a comprehensive list. If you need a short review of these companies, google them for reviews of each service.

In order to profitably sell your books or other information products on the Internet, you must accept credit cards. Additionally, to sell effectively, you must make the ordering process as simple as possible for your customers. With the advance of technology and free commerce, even the smallest home business can now accept credit cards almost instantly. Choose one of the web sites listed above and get your book selling website up today. Best wishes for your wildly successful book.

And now I would like to offer you free access to my FREE Self Publishing eKit when you subscribe to Publish2Profit, a free monthly newsletter on book writing, publishing and marketing tips. You can get your instant access at http://www.selfpublishinghouse.net
From Earma Brown, 14 year author, book writing and publishing coach