Some colors are very cheerful. Some are sophisticated. Some are energizing. Some are relaxing. The list can go on and on.

They type of business you have  - and the market you are trying to reach – dictates which colors you should use.

For example: If you have are a virtual assistant who wants to put energy into your clients’ businesses, use energetic colors in your marketing.

On the other hand, if you make aromatherapy products and you specialize in helping people de-stress and relax, you would want to use calming colors.

Not sure what to use? Start by making a list of  words that describe how you want people to  think and feel about your business. Once you have your list of descriptive words, find colors that match the description.

By using these colors, you will be “setting the mood” for your potential customers. Just seeing the colors will help them develop a “feeling” about your business. Using the right colors can make a big impact!

For more info on this topic:

True, you are going to have to act fast, and get aggressive, but it can be done.

Click Here for a list of Valentine’s Day marketing ideas to get you started.

Once you have an idea of how you want to promote your business / product / service, it’s time to get serious about getting the word out. Here are some ideas:

• Write a blog post about your Valentine’s Day sale / promotion
• Put the link to your blog post out on Twitter & Facebook
• Take pictures of your Valentine’s Day themed items and share them on Instagram. Be sure to include the link to where people can buy your items in the picture description.
• Link to your items on Pinterest
• Ask your bloggy friends to write about your Valentine’s Day items / sale
• Send out some info about your Valentine’s Day items in your next newsletter

If that term is new to you, a basic definition of affiliate marketing is being paid a commission on products you promote. For example, I have an affiliate program, and if you joined it, wrote a blog post about my Summer Biz Survival Kit and someone read that blog post and bought it, I would pay you a commission.

I am super excited about this #indiebizchat session, because my guest will be Lynn Terry of ClickNewz. Lynn is a Super Affiliate – which means she is VERY successful, and really knows her stuff! She earns a more than full-time income with affiliate marketing, and she is going to be sharing her knowledge with us!

You do NOT want to miss out on this! And please take the time to thank #StitchKnit for sponsoring this session!

I recommend using TweetGrid to keep track of the discussion. You can log in by clicking here.

Remember to use the hashtag #indiebizchat when you enter in your tweets.

** Not sure how to join the Twitter Party? Click Here to watch the Twitter Party Video for instructions.

(Want some great exposure for your biz? Sponsor an #indiebizchat Twitter Party for just $35 by clicking here.)

Ok… it’s not that easy, is it?

In this free class, we’ll talk about how to use social media to grow your business AND chit chat at the same time. And you won’t have to worry about looking like a total spammer jackass ever again. Really.

This class will take place LIVE on Thursday, August 4 at 7pm Eastern. If you can’t make it, don’t worry. I’ll be recording it.

Sign up below to get the details for the live call, and then get the recording and a workbook – for free!

This class is sponsored by: Dawn Smith Designs

My new love? It’s Instagr.am! This is an app for your iPhone. It allows you to take photos (or edit existing ones), add cool effects with built-in filters, and them share them instantly via your Instagr.am feed, as well as through Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and more.

So why am I so obsessed? Well, I’ve always been photo crazy. I’m a scrapbooker, and have been for years. So any app that lets me edit photos in a cool new way is going to get my seal of approval. Add the social network aspect, and you can see why it’s a done deal.

Now, I know that I recently put up a post about how I was kind of getting sick of all this social media bandwagon stuff, but hear me out. I have some very good reasons on why you should be joining the Instagr.am craze (if you have an iPhone, anyway).

1. It’s a new (quick and easy) way to connect. I know, I know, I know. You are already connecting… but you know what they say. A photo is worth a 1,000 words. By putting up one photo a day, you are saving yourself the trouble of writing 1,000 words!

2. You don’t have to worry about crossing the line between personal and business. I get a lot of questions from people who are concerned about posting too much personal stuff on their blogs and making themselves sound unprofessional. Well, if you are at the Famer’s Market and you Instagr.am a photo of some apples you just purchased, you don’t have to worry.

It’s a photo of some apples. It’s personal – it shows your followers what you are doing at that moment. But it’s not some long, drawn out story about your Aunt Bertha. It’s not boring anyone. It doesn’t make you look unprofessional. It’s a picture! It’s no big whoop!

3. It’s a new way to showcase the goods. Many of you who are reading this blog make physical items. Pictures are what showcase your work. Many of you probably have a Flickr account – so why not add Instagr.am to the mix? Like I said, you can post directly to Facebook and Twitter, but it also goes into your Instagr.am stream, and people who may not know you from your other social networks can find about you and your work this way. Just be sure to leave a comment with the photo so that they know where to purchase!

If you decide to join Instagr.am, or are already a member, you can find me at @crissyherron

Looking forward to seeing you on there!

If you would like to get more serious about your blogging and marketing in 2011, you will want to check out my Year Long Marketing And Blogging Plan.

This workbook has 52 marketing ideas – enough for one idea each week, and 156 blogging ideas – enough for 3 posts each week for a year.

To get a free preview of the workbook -5 marketing ideas and 10 blogging ideas, visit:
http://www.indiebizchicks.com/preview-yearly-marketing-blogging-plan.pdf

Normally priced at $30, you can get this workbook from now until Nov 15 for only $20.
To purchase the full workbook now, click here

Your content is what keeps people coming back to your site, so you may just be thinking of it as the shiny object that attracts people to your site, and hope that they stick around and explore long enough to find what you have your sale.

Instead of thinking as your content as bait, start using it to actually make you money!

That’s right! Your content can make you money!

For example, when you write a blog post, mention one of your products or services. Your post doesn’t have to be an “ad” – it can contain information that is worth reading.

If you make and sell jewelry, you could write a post about a day you spent at the beach this summer, and even include some pictures if you’d like. At the end of the post, you can mention that the color of the water inspired you to create a pair of earrings, and then link to them, so that the reader can view and purchase them.

Want more tips on how to use content to increase your sales? Check out the new, 16 page workbook in The Indie Biz Chicks Members Center that explains exactly how to do this! The best part? Join the Members Center this week and grab it for free!

You will have a FULL seven days to check out the Members Center. If you like it, you will have access to new, exclusive reports each month, as well as classes and other bonuses for only $14.95 each month.

If you don’t like the Members Center, simply cancel during your no cost 7 day preview. You will owe nothing! (the reports are your’s to keep!)

To grab these reports and check out The Members Center, click here.

An easier way is to share your knowledge – to teach other people what you know!

For example, if you are a virtual assistant (or VA), there are some people out there who will never hire you. These people want to “do it themselves.” The problem is, they may not know how to set up labels within their gmail to organize it, or they may not know how to keep track of their business expenses in an Excel file.

This is where you step in! You can teach them how to do those things – for a fee.

By doing this, you will be earning additional income within your business AND you’ll be reaching a new market who may not have purchased anything from you (aside from that class).

This theory can be put into any type of business. No matter what you do, there are people out there who want to learn it! So why not earn some money by teaching it?

If you would like to learn how to teach your own online class, register for my 4 week workshop that walks you through everything, step-by-step! For more information, click here!

You can listen to the audio online by clicking here

Click here to view / download the worksheet

You can also purchase the entire class, which includes the full audio, 4 page worksheet, and a live web chat on October 27 at 9pm Eastern, where you get to ask me all of your holiday marketing questions — and you get all of this for only $5.

Click Here To Purchase The Entire Class For Only $5 Now

The big question is, can these shoppers find you on the web? If they can’t find your business – and your products – they can’t buy anything from you!

Using the same keywords in your item descriptions, sales pages, blog posts, and press releases that these people are using in their web searches will help the search engines lead these shoppers right to your site!

For instructions on how to do a keyword search, click here.

Want more tips like this? Sign up for the October Publicity Special! You will receive daily email tips, access to weekly web chats with me to get direct feedback on your business, and more! All for only $29. To learn more and register, click here.