The world wide web is a great equalizer.
With just a computer and internet connection, businesses of any size can create a presence on the internet that will place their product or service in front of millions of potential clients around the world.
But it is not all that easy for the average small business to compete in the world of internet marketing.
While the "big guys" hire a squad of employees with specialized skills, the small business owner is left to learn the technicalities of search engine optimization, list building, and other technical aspects of website development in their limited spare time.
For most small businesses, there is simply no way to compete on the high tech internet marketing playing field.
Enter the Law of Attraction, a principle that can be used to enable even a one-person business to become a top internet marketer.
You've probably heard of The Secret, a 2006 best-selling book and video praised by Oprah Winfrey and others as a transformational life tool.
Simply put, the law of attraction says that people's thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) help shape their lives.
What, you may ask, does that have to do with internet marketing? The guiding principles of attraction marketing are simple: you frame an intention to use your products and services to help others, and you place your attention on providing them with high quality, valuable information that responds to their needs.
The combined power of your intention and attention will naturally draw people to you.
As you build a relationship with them, you will become a trusted advisor, and the forces of attraction marketing will draw them to enter into a mutually beneficial relationship by purchasing your products or services.
That all sounds good, but how does it work in reality? Let me give you an example.
Let's say you sell natural skin care products online.
Although there may be a lot of people looking for similar products, that is a very crowded market and the chances of a small business ranking high on the search engines is small.
A typical internet marketing strategy might be to set up an e-bay store, place some product ads, and try to attract people to your shopping cart.
You might get some results, but probably not a steady stream of paying customers.
How would an attraction marketing strategy look? Instead of placing product ads, you would focus on providing valuable content to potential customers.
For example, you might set up a section of your website for FAQ's about skin care and the importance of natural ingredients.
You might use social networking techniques, such as blogging, tweeting, or writing e-zine articles to share your expertise about skin care and specific skin conditions.
People looking for skin care information on the internet would be drawn to your valuable advice, and start to rely on you as an expert.
Only after developing this relationship of trust would you begin "selling" your skin care products.
Potential clients would be drawn to buy from you not because of your advertising hype, but rather because you freely shared your knowledge and expertise with them.
The beauty of attraction marketing is that it is mutually beneficial and easy to replicate.
By presenting yourself as a helpful coach or mentor, over time you become a trusted expert in your niche.
It doesn't matter what product or service you have to sell -- what you are really building is a relationship that provides real value to others.
As long as you stay true to your passions and your beliefs, they will be willing to follow you as your products and recommendations change over time.
Attraction marketing not only works -- it is the most highly ethical marketing strategy around.
Rather than using hype or manipulation, attraction marketing works on principles of passion, intention and integrity.
By delivering true value, you can help people acquire the products or services they really need while creating profits for your own business enterprise.
And all of that without the need for highly technical website development skills!