Have you ever sat down and thought of the differences between business on the Internet and business offline?

Obviously the differences are many. There is one BIG difference, however, that many small business people overlook. That difference is PROMOTION. I'm not talking about marketing a product, your web site will do that.

I'm talking about promoting YOU and YOUR site.

Why are we in business? The answer for most is pretty easy, to make money. Here's the dilemma; we were not TAUGHT by our parents or in school to promote ourselves. It wasn't polite.

Here's some good news. The term SELF PROMOTER is not a dirty phrase! In fact, it is REQUIRED if you want to succeed on the Internet. I'm not talking about becoming the obnoxious person who everyone avoids at the dinner party because he's trying to pawn off his last time share unit. I'm talking about doing business like a business, not like a hobby.

WE HAVE NOT BEEN TAUGHT HOW. This is one reason we don't know how to do it and do it well. Until a few years ago many people thought that their path was going to be in a job with a company in the offline world. You remember a JOB don't you?

Well, part of the job included getting business cards and benefiting from all the advertising and NAME RECOGNITION that the company had developed. Now we end up on the Net and guess what; WE'RE ON OUR OWN and unprepared.

We must build our own name recognition.

What is YOUR promotion goal on the Internet? If you can't answer that question because you don't have a promotion goal then, please, sit down today and set one. One of the best promotion goals you can have is to BRAND yourself.

Branding occurs when YOU become the first thought that pops into the mind of your prospect or customer when they think of your product or service. The next time you make a photocopy or drink a soda, stop for a minute and listen to yourself.

You'll know what I mean.

We face HUGE COMPETITION on the Net. Do you think they are not going to promote themselves? Do you think they are going to be the shy type? Or that they won't go out and get the help they need? Don't bet the ranch on it.

There are many ways to successfully promote yourself and your website on the Internet. Many people use the ready, fire, AIM! method. That's the last thing to do. To properly promote yourself on the Net you will need a plan, you will need to know what tools are available and you may need some help.

If you really do set your plan, do your homework and get the help you need to consistently promote yourself on the Net, the rewards will astound you.

About the author: Michael Dacanay is dedicated to helping you carve out YOUR place on the Net. He can offer you PRACTICAL help and is happy to show you how at his info-packed site Visit him today at http://Go.to/$eriousHitsNOW to learn what you need to know about EFFECTIVE online promotion.