April | 2012 | Online Business

Starting Your Own Internet Small Business

06. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Make Money

So, you’ve decided that the Internet has a lot to offer you by the means of starting your own small business. So what is it that you have to do first? Well, what type of small business is it that you are going to start? After you have figured this out, whether it is an information site or selling products online, you might need to go to the many different Internet advertising sites that will help you generate traffic to the your new Internet small business. The next step, may be to decide what products you are going to have on your small business web site. This way you have an idea as far as the inventory and other information you will need. Building a web site for your small business.

There are many web sites available to help you as far as promoting your small business such as adverting sites and marketing sites as well.

When starting a small business on the Internet you’ll want some means of getting visitors to your site, this being said the advertising company you go with should be a reliable one. Once again, you can do the research and find many different advertising agencies as well as web sites that can help you with this. Usually small businesses that start out on the Internet without the help or support of any kind of advertising, marketing or helpful tools will not last very long and you will soon find your small business on the Internet suffering, if not being taken off of the Internet completely. Some Internet small businesses have tried this and it does not work. However, if you know what type of Internet small business you want, then you start researching on advertising and marketing and getting visitors to your site, such as generating traffic in other words; your small business on the Internet will have a better chance of surviving. And in most cases, prospering to the point that your small business on the Internet has grown tremendously. It is not impossible to start a small business on the Internet while some people may tell you that it is. You simply have to know the right techniques and have the right tools concerning the Internet at your disposal. This makes it so much more easily to start a small business on the Internet and at the same time making it a productive one, that will last. Advertising plays an important role in generating traffic, or visitors to your site, while the marketing portion, assists you in setting up the means of the visitors who want to purchase things off of your small business on the internet to do so. Make things as easy as possible for the visitors that come to your small business as well, in this case they may very well be returning customers.

Many Internet small businesses will start out with very few products on their site, however as time goes by, and if done in the proper way of management the site will grow along with your inventory as well as the profits. The visitors to your site will increase too. Remember, do research and don’t just throw an idea on the Internet building a web site to sell things. Think it out first, what you want to accomplish with your small business on the Internet, and then do the marketing and advertising parts next, therefore generating traffic to your new small business web site.

Tips For Getting An 0800 Number

06. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Make Money

There are many reasons that you might choose to get an 0800 number; you may want your customers to have a good way to get in contact with you that doesn’t involve giving out a home or personal line, or perhaps you are looking to create an image of stability. Getting an 0800 number can be an important milestone for your business, so when you do so, there are a few things that you should remember to make sure that the process goes smoothly and reflects well on yourself. The first thing that you should do is make sure that the supplier you are buying your 0800 number from is reliable. Take a look at how long they have been in business and, if possible, see testimonials from some of their existing customer base. You need to make sure that your calls won’t get dropped and that the supplier provides fast reliable service. When you are looking for a good supplier, remember that most of the reliable ones will give you a 30 day money back guarantee. If you find that the number is not doing what you hoped it would, or if you need to change it, you will be able to do so without spending out any unnecessary money. When you are getting an 0800 number, think about paying the small fee that is involved and getting a «bronze», «silver», «gold» or «platinum» number. This is a number in a more memorable format and is ideal for business in the UK who utilize traditional marketing methods, such as print media or radio advertising. You could cover the small additional investment quite easily with the extra business generated.

Take a look at the combinations that are applicable and then call a supplier to check on the availability. One of the many advantages of the 0800 number is that it is highly portable. Essentially, you will be able to maintain a telecommunications office while you’re on the go. You’ll be able to route calls to a cell phone and as long as you have reception, you’ll never have to be out of contact with your customers. This availability is one of the things that make these numbers such a good idea, so make sure that you exploit it. Similarly, you should take advantage of the fact that an 0800 number can forward to different lines and services. Even if you are one of the few people working the phones, or even the only one working the phone, having a different line for sales, support and complaints can help you determine what priority to give calls and what to say when you are on the phone. Further, you are giving the impression of being a larger business as well, something that people often look for when they are surveying suppliers. An 0800 number can help you keep your work organized as well as ensuring that you are able to stay in contact with the people who matter most; don’t let this valuable resource go to waste.

Rss And A Statement Of Terms

06. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Your Hopes And Dreams

The way the world views media has changed. Was it so long ago that we grabbed a TV schedule magazine off the rack of a grocery store shelf and perused it to find what we wanted to watch? If we knew we were going to miss it we set the VCR to record it while we were gone. Today we can receive a full compliment of audio and video programs on demand and online. No longer are we bound by limited choice or availability. Anywhere you have Internet capabilities you also have the ability to access compelling and entertaining audio and video streams. This revolution in media exchange has been easily facilitated by Real Simple Syndication (RSS). An RSS feed can manage the most popular media offerings and download them to a file for easy retrieval or playback. Many people have abandoned the morning paper in favor of news courtesy of an RSS feed. These individuals will set up their RSS reader to follow stories written by a particular author or articles written on a specific topic. Podcast fans can have their Reader capture and load a recurring podcast they enjoy and then listen to the program when time allows.

The same is true for video streams and other entertainment data. Sports fans can set their RSS systems to capture sports scores or information about their favorite teams. Movie fans can capture box office scores and movie news. Cooks can capture new recipes and cooking tips. Car enthusiasts can capture information on their favorite cars. RSS is incredibly flexible and can capture data from any site that uses an RSS feed. It has become much easier for the average consumer to locate an RSS reader and access the information they had to conduct a search for under other circumstances. The Internet is streamlining functions that had all been previously distinct and non-interactive. Now consumers have a global one-stop shop for whatever media they may want – and RSS is one of the bonding agents that bring all of this easily to the consumer. When you think about it there are millions of websites with trillions of words. None of us want to sort through all of that to find what we are looking for. A simple RSS subscription allows you to demystify the process and bring home what you want – when you want it. Because the Internet is a conglomeration of computers linked together there is a drawing on the collective brain trust of the web. It may not be perfect, but by selecting exactly what you want an RSS feed can bring that selected data, audio or video directly to you. The growth of RSS has made it a standard of excellence in delivering wanted material on your terms. This process does benefit the individual business site because it can keep site information in front of the consumer, but it also is a huge benefit to the consumer because unlike signing up for an email-marketing piece you collect only the data you want without feeling as though you are tied to the business that offers the content.

Web Design And The World’s Largest Pen Knife

06. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Your Hopes And Dreams

In the 2008 edition, Guinness Book of World Records will present the penknife with the most functions ever presented. This new life has 87 different tools and performs more than 100 functions. The knife’s case is almost nine inches long by four inches wide and weighs about three pounds. As of this writing about 500 of the $1,200 Swiss made knives have been sold.

Web design is a bit like that Swiss Army knife. A properly developed website is compact and utilitarian. Your website can provide customers with multiple tools in a compact understandable design. The key will be to make sure access to the tools is simple and logical. Too many websites make the process more difficult than it needs to be and inadvertently repel potential online consumers who just don’t want to spend the time to figure it out. I remember camping with family and friends and a Swiss Army knife was used to trim small debris from around the tents. Scissors were used to trim excess string and certain types of rope. The knife served many purposes and was routinely called upon to solve a variety of problems and most of the time it did. One knife I owned even had a small pen that could be used in an emergency. Work at developing a site that solves problems instead of creating them. Think about the logical steps your customer base will use to locate items and search for data. The tools you provide your customers with will be the tools that may ultimately sell your product. Web builder technology can be as useful to website design as Swiss Army is to knives. Because the software was designed from the best of current web designs it can provide as many tools as that world record knife. In most cases web builder software can provide significantly more tools for both customers and website owner than more expensive web design solutions. When you compare features you may be able to upgrade from a proverbial penknife to a much larger utility knife in website design. Unlike most of life’s options you really can do more with less. More website tools and possibilities for less money. The growth of this sector of web design is important in that it dares to challenge the notion that only individual web designers are capable of completing a web design that can manage the needs of the individual business. Perhaps the biggest reason many businesses do not look into web builder software has to do with a fear that they would never be able to develop the site on their own, no matter how many tools were available to them. The truth is the actual building of the website is not significantly harder than developing a social networking site. It is fully explained online and customer support is available. In some cases you can hire a designer to work with you to develop the site if you are really unsure as to your abilities or if you simply do not wish to develop the site. In the end it is still an extremely cost effective solution to your web design needs.

Using “get Paid To” Programs For Freelancers

06. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Make Money

One of the many ways that freelancers can make money from home is to sign up to one or more of the “Get Paid To” programs (or GPTs).

If you have been researching work at home jobs, you will probably have seen ads which claim that you can make money by reading e-mail or by answering surveys and trying free samples. The good news is that many freelancers make money doing exactly those things. However, a word of warning is necessary; this particular industry is attracts a lot of scammers so if you are interested in getting involved with GPT programs make sure that you do thorough checks on the companies that attract your interest. Take special precautions to protect both yourself and the security of the data on your computer. It should be stressed that very few people actually make full time income from GPT programs. Like mystery shopping, GPT should be viewed as a source of supplemental income. For many freelancers, GPT programs offer a fun and easy way to earn some extra cash when they need to. Freelancers who have most experience of using the programs usually advise that you never rely on GPT to pay your monthly bills. On the other hand, they can provide a perfectly good way of earning money for special occasions, for holidays or shopping for gifts. So how exactly do GPT programs work? There are basically three distinct categories of GPT program. You can get paid to read e-mail, get paid to fill out surveys and get paid to sample products. Each type has its own particular advantages and disadvantages. Before you start any GPT program, you should take some precautionary measures to safeguard your personal information. You will be required to give some personal information in order to join many of these programs, but the less you actually say about yourself the better. For a start you should set up a separate e-mail address for your GPT activities. Many GPT programs end up generating a lot of spam mail, so you will not want to use your main e-mail address. If one of the conditions is that you provide a phone number, you can register with voicemail service to get a voicemail inbox and private phone number. This will help keep your home phone free of telemarketing calls. Get paid to read e-mail programs generally pay you a few cents for reading e-mail and clicking on the accompanying links. The email messages usually contain offers for special deals on products or invitations to sign up for programs. Depending on the e-mail program, you will sometimes get more money or points if you try the offer, however, you should still get paid a few cents even if you decline to try the offers, provided you click the link inside the email. There are many popular paid e-mail companies. Do some research on Internet forums or via Google before you sign up for a program to make sure that people are actually getting paid.

Avoid signing up for too many programs at once or your GPT e-mail address will be swamped with junk mail. Getting paid to complete surveys works in a similar way. You sign up for a survey program and then fill out some personal details. You will be matched to surveys that are looking for the opinions of people in your particular niche; that is, people of your age, income bracket and some other factors. Depending on the company, either you will get paid for each survey you complete or the surveys you complete will earn you points that can be redeemed later. Just as with get paid to read e-mail programs, make sure you do adequate research on survey companies before you sign up to any of them. There are hundreds out there but only a relatively few are worth the time and effort. Finally there are programs that pay you to sample products. These programs pay significantly more than the other GPT programs. On the other hand, however, you will be required to pay anything from $1 to $10 to try the products. When you sign up to this kind of program, you have to make a point of keeping complete records of what you will be receiving and when you need to cancel the service or return the item otherwise you may end up paying more than you earn. Most of the time you will have to make an initial commitment to receive a product automatically every month, but you will have an option to cancel the contract within a certain period of time. Unless you really get hooked on the product you sample you will probably want to cancel the standing order before you have to pay for it. With legitimate GTI programs you will be able to call the company and cancel the service, yet still be paid for signing up for the GPT program. Remember that GPT programs are a great way to earn supplementary income but should not really be considered as something to be relied on to cover your monthly bills.

Living The Good Life Paid By Your Past Endeavors

06. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Your Hopes And Dreams

Like that annoying bunny beating that bass drum, having an income that keeps going and going and going is the dream that every business owner has when they finally go to sleep at night. Finding a way to grow a residual income is better than most retirement plans and can help set the stage for early retirement, if done properly while you are still young enough to plant the right seeds. What you need to do is to figure out exactly how this can be accomplished. Actors, actresses and professional musicians often receive a residual income based on their works that make it into syndication. Every time a show they were in or a song they recorded is played, they receive a piece of the action. The more shows that they starred in that are picked up for reruns even years after the original went off the air provides them with a residual income. If they were in several different shows or had many different hit songs recorded, the combined residuals can add up to a ton of money. Believe it or not, the same type of income can be established through an online business if you work your marketing programs correctly.

You do not need to be in on the ground floor of a continuing business success, by being aggressive in making sales for many different companies (in case one goes out of business) you could end up with a good residual income long after you decide to retire yourself from the working world. Affiliate marketing is one method of creating residual income. You can establish a website that is attractive to many different visitors and become affiliated with many reputable companies. As the visitors to your site increase, they will buy more products from your affiliated companies, and you will be paid a commission on sales. Depending on the topic of your site and the initial marketing success used to improve its popularity, the site can gain the status of operating without your influence. You will probably want to occasionally update the ads on the site, but with a few minutes everyday, your site can become self-sustaining. It is at this point that all the effort you put into building the site and attracting customers that your effort will start paying off. While you are relaxing on a beach somewhere, people are still going to your site, buying from your reputable affiliates and the affiliates are shipping out products and sending you the commission checks. You may also choose to join a franchise business model, by following the system and by allowing others to use this business’s name and franchise business model, you will begin to build your own residual income. Providing you have a good reputation, are honest and fair, your franchisees will begin their own marketing strategy helping to build your business while they are building their businesses and increasing the amount of residual income checks you receive every month. Residual income through affiliate marketing is one of the methods I use to build my wealth.

Using Pay Per Click Services And Controlling Your Costs

06. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Your Hopes And Dreams

To the people who use them, pay per click services are either loved or loathed, and some people both love them and loathe them at the same time. They are usually loved because they bring visitors, who probably would never find their website, to them. These visitors see the paid advertisements that are placed in a prominent position on the search engine results and click the link. It’s great for anyone’s business to see new visitors, but the reason that ppc pay per click campaigns are also loathed is because a lot of those clicks don’t produce any business but still end up costing money. Pay per click services can be expensive, especially when using some of the major search engines. There is, however, a way to increase your business and control your costs at the same time. Here are some steps that you should consider when you fine tune and manage pay per click advertisements. The first step is to review your pay per click services and pricing options. Sure, having one of the major pay per click search engines handle your account seems like the best idea, but you would be surprised at how a smaller search engine can also give you excellent results.

This is especially true if you are a small business or an individual who has limited resources (both in your budget and in what you are trying to sell). If this sounds like you, maybe a ppc pay per click campaign with a smaller company will help your business to grow slowly but steadily, instead of just jumping to the top of the charts. When choosing your pay per click services, you are going to need to keep detailed records of what your profits and advertising costs were like before and after. If you weren’t doing any advertising before, because your company is so new, you may want to think about how best to manage pay per click costs before signing up. You will need to make sure that you can afford it, especially if you are thinking about using the pay per click search engines like Google or Yahoo, who have high per click prices. Pay per click services do not come cheap, and those who are looking for a inexpensive ride to the top should realize the old proverb that “the best things in life are free” is definitely not referring to web advertisement and pay per click campaigns. However on the flip side, if you feel you can afford to rank on the first page of Google and especially in positions 3-8 you will get a ton of targeted traffic to yoru site. You have to remember that positions 1-2 are not the best poitions by any stretch of the imagination as you ususally get the click happy surfer who clicks on your link and has no intention whatsoever of taking an action when they arrive on your site. Actually that isnt one hundred percent true. They will take an action but it is the one action you dont want which is for them to leave your site. So tread carefully before you decide on your position on the first page.

0 Marketing Tools

05. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Reasons To Bless The Internet

A new internet gold rush has been taking hold with the emergence of social networking, blogging, podcasting and other web 2.0 experiments. Media companies and Internet giants have reacted promptly by acquiring many of the new players to take advantage of these new advertising vehicles and evolve their endangered models. Yet advertisers themselves have stayed on the sidelines to a great extent. Small businesses especially have reacted cautiously to web 2.0 marketing fearing its hype and its inherent risks and represent a very small portion of the x million blogs. It seems that there are several emerging trends that every small business should be aware of. We thought we would share these trends through examples of small businesses that have been the first to capitalize on web 2.0 and have reaped early benefits.

Trend #1: Establish a blog as your primary web presence. Customers value who they do business with sometimes as much as what they buy. Blogging provides you with a more personal environment where you can both promote your product and present a more personal view of your business. Blogging also allows you to initiate an on-going conversation with your customers and build a long term relationship. Blogging is especially important in professional services small businesses where the person is the product and where word of mouth and recommendations are the primary sales driver. Horsefeathers, a restaurant in North Conway, N. H., publishes a blog about food, wine, local events and restaurant news as a way to keep customers connected and loyal (http://www.horsefeathers.com/ ). Patti Thompson is the president of Way-Fil Jewelry, Inc. located in Tupelo, MS. She serves as the appraiser, designer and one of two bench jewelers.(http://www.diamonddivaonline.com/ ). She writes a combination of personal stories, stories about her store and appraisal posts (What is gold sodium thiomalate?). She also links her blog to her EBay store.
Trend #2: Take advantage of emerging hyper local blogs. With the number of blogs exploding (a blog is created every second!) and readership skyrocketing, the blogosphere is reaching a sufficient scale to address hyper local content. A similar phenomenon happened in the internet space when readership and websites reached a tipping point to be able to offer relevant content for very small customer segments such as a city and provide local search. This new trend in blogging makes local advertising for small businesses very relevant, for example restaurants, hotels, real estate brokers or accountants.
Cornerstone Wealth Advisors (http://www.cornerstone360.com) in Overland Park, KS created a blog about investing and other financial matters and use it as the jumping off point for several practice groups. Blogging Ohio (http://www.bloggingohio.com/ ), which is part of Weblogs (http://www.weblogsinc.com/ ), is a great example of this trend with posts that focus on specific towns in Ohio. Lake County, OH (http://www.lakecountyblog.com/default.asp?item=158547 ) has also started a local community blog and local sponsored links such as local restaurants, hotels or country clubs.
Trend #3: Use web 2.0 marketing to market to bloggers. Bloggers have become a growing and influential customer segment with strong economic power. As this customer segment reaches critical mass, some small businesses have understood the opportunity to target them and build marketing approaches that appeal to their tastes and preferences. Bloggersfuel is a great example of this focused marketing (http://www.bloggersfuel.com/blog/?page_id=2 ). Bruce Frcek has developed this blog to keep bloggers up to date on what is happening in the specialty coffee industry and with its online store Boca Java (www.bocajava.com) and to hear directly from bloggers on ideas about blogging and coffee. Daily Greencine (http://daily.greencine.com/ ) publishes a blog around independent and alternative cinema that gets 80 000 visitors each month and helps drive traffic to online rental and video on demand store GreenCine (www.greencine.com). The blog helped double the store’s revenues.
Trend #4: Leverage emerging web 2.0 advertising platforms. Web 2.0 start ups are positioning themselves as aggregators of advertising and providing new platforms to market small businesses. AdCandy (http://www.adcandy.com/default.asp ) allows consumers to develop advertising slogans and suggest product improvements for their favorite brands. Pro’tech’d (http://www.protechd.com/company/ ), a small company making iPod covers uses AdCandy to run a contest letting visitors create their ad campaign and slogan, thus helping raise awareness for its brand in its target customer segment. Zixxo (http://www.zixxo.com/cmn/Homepage.aspx ) allows small businesses to create and manage their own online coupons and syndicate them out to local consumers through partner websites and RSS feeds.
Trend #5: explore emerging audio and video marketing (podcasting and vloging).

The recent massive growth in these new formats triggered by the Apple IPOD and by new start ups such as You Tube will develop new advertising media that can be particularly appropriate for specific small businesses.

Chaz, a yoga instructor (http://yogamazing.com/ ), has a yoga studio in Louisville, KY and has been using podcasting on itunes for a series of instructional videos that promote his yoga techniques and his studio. Dave Seitter, (http://seminar.midwestconstructionlaw.com) a construction attorney located in Kansas City, Mo has created a monthly expert teleseminar and converted it to a podcast.
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Things To Know When Buying A/V Equipment

05. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Make Money

When buying A/V (audio and visual) equipment in the Orlando area, you have many choices.

No matter where you buy you need to know what is out there. Shop around and do your research online so you know you are getting the best quality and product for your money. Whether you are buying a home theatre system or looking for someone to host a business conference or media event, the knowledge that you obtain before buying A/V equipment is pertinent to your being satisfied with your purchase and that you are able to meet the needs of your event with professional equipment. Buying or renting A/V equipment is an important decision. If you are planning on renting the equipment make sure that the rental store will give you service and help you not only put up the equipment but have someone on standby while your meeting, concert, and any other event is going on to help you repair or modify the A/V equipment while you using it. Most people don’t know how to install optical front projection screens or to operate equipment for a live event production. You do not want to leave anything to chance, so make sure the service is provided. If you are shopping in the home theatre system market you really want some expert advice about how to set up your home theatre system. You need to know how to set up the screen to provide for the best viewing angle. The audio equipment needs to set to give you the best sound no matter where you sit in the room. You want that real theatre quality sound with the rich bass and the sharp tenors. The furniture in the room and the shape of the room is pertinent to the sound quality. Your local A/V professional will take all that into mind and advise you to the best arrangement for your home theatre equipment.

If you are buying A/V equipment for a bar or pub, you are making an investment that will bring in and keep customers for a long time.

Most sports enthusiast will pick a bar where the beer is cold, the service is friendly, and the game can be seen on the big screen as with the optical front projection screens. Your establishment will bustle with excitement and the talks about you’re A/V system will be the buzz amongst sports bar enthusiasts. If you are looking to put on a live event production like a concert or a stage show, you would probably want to contract someone to provide your A/V equipment. Setting up a large production takes time. You probably have more on your mind than to deal with setting up audio equipment and making sure the big screen featuring the artist is set up and functional. Let the professionals do it. You will be sure of the quality and at the same time you will know that you have the service to back up the product. With A/V equipment people around you, your live event production will go off with out a hitch.

How 4 Key Elements to Your Web Site Can Multiply Your Profits!

05. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Reasons To Bless The Internet

John Navata The fact is, even if your web site is full of fabulous sales copy and photos that illustrate all the great features and benefits of your product or service, your potential customers still need to know: What do people who have actually purchased and used your product or service think about it? It’s simple: your readers know that YOU believe in your product, or you wouldn’t be selling it! But what do people with the same problem or need that they have say about your product?

Answering that question is one of the most fundamental tasks your web site needs to accomplish — and it’s as simple to do as it is important. By using testimonials — reviews and comments from your satisfied customers, in text, audio, or video format — on your web site, you not only answer the question, you also transform your sales pitch into a credible, unbiased recommendation for your product. 1) Overcome buyer skepticism with a glowing testimonial As I said before, adding testimonials is probably one of the easiest ways to improve your web site — but a good one can generate more selling power than some of the best salescopy out there! So why are testimonials so effective? Testimonials build trust: Whether your customers are raving about what your product has done for them or about the great service you gave, they are telling your visitors first and foremost that they had a positive experience with your products and company.

Testimonials aren’t «salesy»: Because testimonials aren’t written in your «voice,» they stand out in your copy as candid and unbiased accounts of how well your product works. Testimonials overcome skepticism: A good testimonial has the power to convince even your «tough sell» visitors that your product or service really made a difference in your customer’s life — and can help them, too. For example, let’s say that you’re selling a special lotion designed for dry skin. A visitor finds your web site — a person with dry skin who needs some relief — and reads all about the amazing moisturizing ingredients in your product and how wonderful it smells. Those are two good selling points — things that people would want to know before they decided to buy. But lots of products can make those promises — and many of them don’t work! So why should they purchase your product ahead of all the rest? Then, as they look over the page, a testimonial catches their eye from one of your customers, explaining that your lotion quickly healed a lifelong, agonizing skin condition — something no other product had ever managed to do! That’s the power of an effective testimonial: it can convince your reader that your product DOES work — and that you can be trusted to deliver on your promises. 2) How to choose the right kind of testimonial to turn your visitors into customers When you’re choosing testimonials, there are a few key ingredients to look for that make the difference between an ineffective testimonial — and one that sells. Here’s an example of a glowing, but ultimately ineffective testimonial: «I love this product! I can’t get enough! I’m so glad I bought your stuff and I’ll be back to get more, for sure!» What could be wrong with that? It sounds like you have a happy customer on your hands! But what does this testimonial really tell your visitors? Does it prove that the product works, or explain exactly how your customer benefited from using it? While the feedback is definitely positive, the testimonial does not provide enough detail to have any real impact on your visitors. Here’s an example of the kind of effective, benefits-driven testimonials that we include on our own web sites: «I used the methods you told me to use and for three days my phone’s been ringing! I sold over $3500 in goods and services in three days! It’s the first time in 5 months that anyone had really purchased anything…» Now that’s a great testimonial! But what makes it so powerful? Let’s break down the elements of an effective testimonial in more detail… A good testimonial is filled with benefits: A comment like, «This product is great!» is nice for you to hear, but it doesn’t tell visitors what your product can actually do for them.

You want the benefits of what you offer to be front and center in every testimonial: «This product doubled our profits in a month!» or «This product made the pain in my back disappear completely — and did it fast!» or «We’ve never seen any product that could get the rust off our car without damaging the paint — until now.» A good testimonial substantiates your claims: If you say your product can do something, your testimonials should back up your promises — complete with actual facts and figures. How much money did your customers save by using your product? How much time did they save by using your service? How did it solve their problems or improve their lives? A good testimonial is from someone your audience can relate to: You want your visitors to see that your product helped someone just like them, seeking the solution to the same problem your visitors have. Make sure your testimonials come from someone with whom your target market can identify. If you sell primarily to seniors, for example, ask your customers if you can include their age along with the testimonial. If you are selling to moms with children, ask if you can mention how many kids they have — or include a photo of their family! A good testimonial is credible: Accompany each testimonial with the first name, last name, and hometown of each testimonial-giver to show that your endorsements come from real people. Always try to include a photo as well. And if you can, take it to the next level by including audio or video testimonials for maximum effect! Do anything you can to help your visitors connect with your testimonial-givers on a personal level. A good testimonial endorses the key benefits of your product: Your testimonials should emphasize the key benefits of your product. It’s fun to hear that your super-duper floor cleaner smells nice or that the bottle doesn’t drip — both things that matter to people who would consider using your product in their homes — but have you established that it cleans their floors well? A good testimonial is comparative: Did your customers try another product that didn’t work before they found yours? You want your visitors to know what your product can do that other products can’t. Choose testimonials that set your product apart from your competition! Now that you know what you’re looking for in a testimonial, how do you actually gather the reviews you need from your customers? 3) The secrets to getting great testimonials — even if you haven’t sold a thing yet! If your customers have given you positive feedback on your product already, then you may already have some great testimonials to add to your site.

However, if your customer response is a little scarce — or if you’re just starting out — getting testimonials from your buyers might take a little more effort. So how do you collect the testimonials you need — and keep them coming as you grow your business? One easy way to collect testimonials is to include a link on your site with a form that allows your customers to give you their vote of confidence: «Tell us how this product changed your life!» or «Click here to let us know what you think!» Put this link next to some testimonials that you’ve already gathered to give customers an example of the kind of feedback you’re looking for. A more effective method is to create an autoresponder that contacts your buyers after they’ve purchased your product — even a month later — to ask how they’re enjoying the product, as well as giving them a chance to offer feedback on their experience with your business. And, of course, any time you receive a great letter or e-mail from a customer, ask them if you can use their comments on your web site to recommend your product to others. If they were happy enough to let you know, they’re bound to want to spread the word. If you haven’t yet begun selling your product and have no feedback yet, offer your product or service for free to a select group of
customers in exchange for their thoughts on the product or some details on their experience with your site. The impact that testimonial will have on your bottom line will be well worth the initial expense! As soon as your online business is up and running, make a point of giving every one of your customers a chance to share their experiences with your product or service.

Ask for feedback — good and bad — in your autoresponders, your newsletters, and other spots on your web site.

4) Strategies for using your testimonials as effectively as possible Once you’ve got some testimonials to share with your visitors, you need to make sure that you’re putting them to the best possible use on your site. Always make sure that you… Include your best testimonials front and center on your homepage, like in your sidebars, or even above your headline. Place some testimonials right in the middle of your homepage salescopy to keep your readers focused on your credibility as you outline the features and benefits of your product. Set up a whole page dedicated to your glowing testimonials, as well as including snippets of their comments throughout your site. Be sure to put a link to your testimonial page next to each of those snippets! Include testimonials on each and every page of your web site. No matter where your visitors click, you want them to find a positive customer review of your product or service. Now let’s look at a few mistakes to avoid when using testimonials on your web site… Don’t edit your testimonials to exclude a comment or add information you want to hear! If you can’t post a comment «as is» and feel comfortable with it, it shouldn’t go up. If your testimonials are in your voice and all sound the same, no one is going to trust that they are legitimate.Never use a customer testimonial without permission. Never, ever invent testimonials! This is fraud, plain and simple, and lying never results in a positive impact on your business.

Paper Shredders Provide Added Security

05. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Make Money

Unfortunately, we all have to be a little paranoid when it comes to identity theft. Credit cards get stolen, computers get hacked and dumpsters get raided, all in an attempt to gain people’s person information. Private information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank account information and various bills can be used to steal your identity. Many businesses and home offices have another layer of information to worry about: confidential documents. These confidential documents can hold information regarding clients or the company itself. Either way, the company is responsible for protecting such data. What You Can Do to Protect Yourself Paper shredders are a simple solution to destroying many of the documents and materials that hold private information. While digging through your garbage is not the only way someone can steal your identity, it is a major source.

Businesses big and small, educational institutions, churches, homes, banks and government agencies all use paper shredders to protect private documents and information. Lucky for consumers, there are paper shredders available to meet the needs of everyone. Personal shredders all the way up to industrial shredders are on the market and available to purchase. Depending on the actual space you have for the shredder and your specific security concerns, you should be able to identify a shredder that fits your needs. Paper Shredder Choices Like binding machines, laminators and just about every other office product, paper shredders come in many different forms. These are some of the most common: Industrial: Industrial High Capacity shredders can handle a high number of documents. They won’t overheat even when you insert large stacks of paper simultaneously. Cross-Cut: Cross-cut shredders make both vertical and horizontal cuts. This type is usually more expensive than a strip-cut shredder. However, these shredders are more secure than strip cut varieties. Strip-Cut: Strip-cut paper shredders slice the paper into long pieces. This is the most basic and prevalent type of shredder. These machines are generally able to shred a large amount of documents quickly. CD/DVD: There are also shredders available to destroy CDs and DVDs. Nowadays, many people keep more information on disks than on paper. These durable and heavy-duty shredders will render the disks unusable by slicing them into pieces.

Choosing the Right Paper Shredder Office product manufacturers offer a wide selection of paper shredders.

A quality company will be able to sell you whatever office products you need-paper shredders, binding machines, binding supplies, coil bindings, wire bindings and laminators, all in one fell swoop. New businesses will sometimes buy all of these products at once. For most, however, it is a gradual build-up to outfit a business, home office, church or school. Once you find an office product company you trust, make sure they offer guarantees on each product. Promises of good customer service and product repair are important when it comes these products as well. This is especially true with something like a paper shredder since it may mean the difference between protecting your personal information and becoming the victim of identity theft. Most consumers are surprised by the fairly minimal amount of information it takes to steal someone’s personal information or corrupt the integrity of a business’ security. Taking simple steps, such as purchasing a paper shredder, can help you avoid a lot of pain and suffering in the future. That seems well worth the small investment.

Perpetual Leverage – Does Your Home Business Has That?

05. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Reasons To Bless The Internet

Let’s talk about something that many business owners neglect when it comes to having a home business. There are really only two ways you can go about making money.

Either you spend time making each and every sale, typically by spend hours every day cold calling. Pester your friends and family in to buying products and services from you OR you become part of a systematic plan that sells through marketing automation. Now you might be wondering how marketing can ever be automated. It is true that most people think that marketing means endless rounds visiting people and giving them your cards and trying to get their telephone numbers. You might think that no business can ever be successful without spending hour’s everyday cold calling potential leads and spending time with them turning them in to sales. While this is one way of doing business the important thing to remember here is that if you spent that kind of time cold calling you very well may achieve financial success but what Your TIME FREEDOM? Not all of us can afford marketing teams for our home based businesses and if you are a part of Global Resorts Network you have it going good for you. Fortunately, some good people called the Inner Circle have come up with a completely automated way of selling Global Resorts Network memberships. It is called the Reverse Funnel System or RFS. Now you might be wondering what exactly is Global Resorts Network. Global Resorts Network (GRN) is an excellent program that offers people the chance to take quality vacations at some of the best 4 and 5 star resorts worldwide. All the resorts offered by GRN are luxury, high end, desirable resorts and are provided by a company that has over two decades of experience in this industry. GRN offers its member’s excellent remuneration each time a sale is made by any member of a particular team and what is more, members can lay claim to 100% matching overrides made by other team members whom they have personally enrolled from $500 up to $1000.

This is what is called Perpetual Leverage.

Where else can you find such a system that gives you such kind of leverage? You will be getting benefits for time to come and have a great residual income. Global Resorts Network works effectively as it highly encourages the person who enrolled you to help you achieve success as they have a vested interest in YOUR success. This is only one of the many great aspect of this business that sets it apart from everything else out there. A crucial aspect of any home business is training. GRN is great that way because within this network you will find people who are actually willing and desire to lend you the help that you need to get started. Your team consists of a mentor who wants to give you the assistance you need to put your business fast tracked. Think about the immense benefits that such training can provide you when compared with having to struggle with establishing a business from the scratch. Most team leaders have valuable experience and they could possibly sell their expertise in seminar for thousands of dollars! Promotion is important to any business, especially a new business. However, promotion is also a highly technical aspect of business. Promotion that is not targeted properly is not likely to yield any results. In case of both Global Resorts Network and especially Reverse Funnel System you will be provided with key data that would lead you to place your advertisements where they will be highly visible. Team mentors and others have collected most of this data after years of hard work. You will be guided towards the e-zines that are generating the most amount of traffic. Not to mention you will get information about all the tips and tricks of video marketing, the hottest new way of marketing available today.

Promoting your Global Resorts Network business couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is follow the exact steps that your mentors have taken to build their own business. As many have already discovered, their success can be easily replicated. In fact, many new members have made a sale even in their first week of being operational! You will have to see it for yourself to believe how easy it is to set up re your Reverse Funnel System marketing Global resorts network opportunity. If you are able to use email and surf the Internet then you will be able to use this system to build your home business without a hitch. What amazes one about these system is that they have taken care of every aspect of the business so that you do not have to worry about doing it. Now I do not really know of many online businesses that offer that kind of convenience for their representatives. Global Resorts Network offers its members the advantage of a home business that markets almost by itself, has need for minimal human intervention, offers Perpetual Leverage, a great residual income, some really amazing rep payments and assistance in setting up the system. It is truly the perfect home based business available to you right now, today. I encourage you to do your due diligence. The Internet is abuzz with the news about the kind of opportunity that has now become available to home entrepreneurs and everyone is talking about the Reverse Funnel System and Global Resorts Network.

Site Promotion And The Tattoo Man

05. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Reasons To Bless The Internet

There are so many ways you can market a product.

Some of the more unique approaches to traditional advertising came in the form of sandwich board signs and willing men and women who would stand on busy corners and attempt to capture the attention of those passing by.

Magnetic signs were (and still are) used to place a business logo on the side of a vehicle. Some individuals have sold a portion of the space on their head for a tattoo with the promise to leave their head clean-shaven for a year while sporting a tattoo with the business logo. Many businesses have invested in a costumed mascot that will stand outside their businesses and wave to those passing by. All in all creative marketing has been big business and extremely diverse. What about marketing in the 21st century and online? Is that different? If so, how is it different? Online marketing is no less creative than brick and mortar counterparts. Some businesses might solicit customer pictures that include the customer using the product. There might be a contest with a video advertisement being developed with the product as the focal point to the advertisement. The goal is to inject your sales website with a variety of site promotion portals. For instance, if you are announcing a contest on a forum or blog create a link that takes the visitor to the contest page with tastefully placed links to the primary site for customer convenience. Make sure that the winning entries are found only on your primary website. Site promotion isn’t just a strategy of backlinks, Pay Per Click (PPC) and banner advertising. No, it is about a strategy that uses all three skillfully and still finds new ways to create a buzz that may act independently or interdependently of standard Internet advertising. This must act as a separate course of action from Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which should always take precedent over any other strategy you may consider in site promotion. Some businesses might even use products or individual purchases as a way to devise a contest that may further their goals in site promotion.

Imagine a satisfied customer receiving either an email or a notice in their packing box that invites them to return to your website to register for a shopping spree. Make this type of contest exclusive to actual customers when possible. You should already have the customer’s information for list building purposes, but this gives them a positive ‘extra’ experience that can increase what may be a tentative brand loyalty in many first purchase scenarios. You can also create a secondary contest for site visitors with no obligation to purchase. This can aid in list building because registration should be mandatory with a tastefully produced email-marketing plan to follow. This too should provide prospects with a shopping spree or other desired item (i.e. mp3 player, electronic game, etc). Site promotion is an important element in the health and well being of your ecommerce website. By all means develop the primary aspects of site promotion first and then feel free to let your creativity take your site to a whole new place.

What You Should Know About The Giblink Income Opportunity

05. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Make Money

What is the Giblink social network and what type of business opportunity is it that they offer? There are actually several modules to the success of the Gibline company beginning with Giblink, which links you to the business network so that you can promote your business. Gibline connects entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes from across the globe providing them with a revenue sharing opportunity. This isn’t just any revenue sharing. It’s a proven revenue sharing system, which gives you the tools to build and experience this internet phenomenon that will see you reap great benefits in the form of impressive income. Giblink opens the door to the world letting people from all corners of the globe connect. It is the very first system that offers the people that subscribe an opportunity to share in the revenues of this incredibly fast growing IT market.

What exactly is the business opportunity it has to offer you? This system is unique in that it will work no matter what product or service you are trying to market.

It will help you get your online store exposed and out in the open where everyone can find it and visit. They can provide you with a proven system that will see your earnings climb but of course, you need to do your part too! Here are some tips to help you successfully accomplish this. The very first thing you are going to want to do is create a mailing list. Some customers really enjoy being notified when something new becomes available so that they get to review it right away. You can also provide a place on your website where they can sign up to receive your newsletter. It should always be an option and it should never be forced on anyone who does not want to receive a mailing. Next, you want to make sure that you are utilizing all the search engine tools and getting maximum value out of getting your site ranked with the search engines. Giblink has all the information you need to be successful. You want your site ranked within the top ten of the competition. No traffic means no one visits your site and no one at your site means your store is empty and not making any revenue. Learn to use the forums to post information related to your products or services. If there is already a forum running that is relevant to what you have to offer then you can post a comment there and you can even make suggestions if you like. You are not allowed to directly advertise your site but you are allowed to create an interest and use the signature line to provide a link to your site. Whether you are posting ads or comments on forums it is important that you keep track of what you are doing so that you know what is working and what is not. There is no point wasting time beating a dead horse.

What is so unique about Giblink is that there are two ways that you will earn revenue – directly from your website and through the revenue sharing opportunity that Giblink itself provides – this is definitely a win-win all the way around!

Legitimate Home Based Business Opportunity: The Five W’s To Making Your Choice

05. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Reasons To Bless The Internet

If you recall back in your elementary English class, your teacher told you about the five W’s: who, what, when, where, and why. These same words can be helpful in assisting you in finding which area of a legitimate home based business opportunity you wish to pursue and what is required to begin your home based business.

Following these simple tips provided here can make the home based business journey much smoother and less difficult. Why The first thing is knowing why you want to pursue a legitimate home based business opportunity. Is it all about the money? Do you want to make more money and direct your income towards yourself with plans of quitting your job? Perhaps you’re interested in creating free time in order to be closer to your family and friends. Have you suffered a disability or some type of acute illness that you’re unable to go back and forth to work? These questions can guide you towards a deeper understanding of what is your driving force in this career preference. You simply don’t jump across a gorge for the sake of jumping. Often it’s because you need to get to the other side. Realizing why you are looking for a legitimate home based business opportunity creates focus. Where This area of questioning may sound silly as you are looking for a legitimate HOME BASED business opportunity, but do you plan to travel to clients/customers for any area of your business. Are you planning to set up a certain radius to meet or serve clients/customers in? Or are your plans to reach a worldwide audience? Taking the avenue of the internet certainly helps you to do so. This is ever so vital in setting up and running your legitimate home based business opportunity. Who In your legitimate home based business opportunity, who are your products/services for? Children, men, women, families, and businesses are all possible target audiences. Make sure you ask who in order to research on your audience in your location. Is there a large base of your target audience in a remote, general or worldwide location? If your legitimate home based business opportunity utilizes the web then your target audience actually is all of the above. This is key in marketing and sales. Which Which area of a legitimate home based business opportunity interests you the most? Do you enjoy creating a product by hand or is it the actual marketing and sales of the product? Some areas of business are enjoyable and that’s where you’ll blossom. Then some create struggle. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you to get ready for the good and bad of running your legitimate home based business opportunity. What What type of legitimate home based business opportunity do you want to be apart of? Do you want to be in wholesale? Do you want to be apart of e-commerce? Would you like to offer services such as tutoring or sewing? Affiliate marketing has really grown into a great way to get involved with a legitimate home based business opportunity.

Narrow your choices and find what you truly want to do within your home based business. These five areas are simple, but make a huge impact on your legitimate home based business opportunity set up. The answers guide you to make the most appropriate business choices that will end in satisfaction as well as success. If you start selling car parts online and you hate even changing your own oil how satisfied will you be doing this everyday? When you make a change to a legitimate home based business opportunity you must ensure that you know your why, know your goal, and know what you enjoy. That will make your choice to run a legitimate home based business opportunity worthwhile and long lasting.

The Icing On The Cake: Binding Covers

05. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Reasons To Bless The Internet

Choosing an attractive binding cover is the one of the most important steps in creating impressive bound presentations.

Such presentations can be made for projects done by large corporations, small businesses, home offices, government agencies, schools, churches, and many other establishments. Before you get to the point of deciding on the right binding cover for your presentation, you must first consider several other factors in the binding process. Let’s start at the beginning. First, you must choose what information you want to present and how you want to say it. Typeface, graphics and other visuals should all be considered when putting together any kind of presentation. Once you know what is going into the booklet, you must decide what type of paper you want to use. It can be flimsy or rigid, purple or green. Choose carefully because looks mean everything in these circumstances. You may also want to laminate the pages. This creates a more durable, impressive looking booklet. Colors are brighter and pages are going to stay fresh-looking and clean for a much longer time than paper alone. Once you have your pages printed, organized and stacked, it is time to choose what type of binding style you want to use to finish your reports. There are several options when it comes to binding your reports and presentations: Plastic Comb Binding: Comb bindings utilize 19 plastic rings that insert into corresponding rectangular holes on the edge of your bound document. Spiral Coil Binding: Coil bindings consist of a continuous coil that spirals through the holes in the paper. This type of binding is plastic or and is available in more than sixty different colors. Twin Loop Wire Binding: Also called double loop wire or wire-o, twin loop wire is made from a single piece of wire formed into a double loop.

These wires are shipped in a C shape and are closed into a round shape using a twin loop wire closer. Velobind: Sometimes called strip binding, Velobind uses a thin plastic binding strip that is applied to the edge of the document. Velobind can be applied using a hot knife Velobind system that rivets the strips in place or using recloseable Velobind strips that snap into place.

Documents bound with plastic comb binding, twin loop wire and spiral coil binding can all open flat. Wire bound and coil bound books can also be folded back, so the front page meets the back page. This is great for convenience and durability. After you have selected the right binding style for your document it is finally time to choose your binding cover. The first step in choosing a binding style is to select the color of cover that you are looking for. Binding covers are available in almost every color that you can imagine including black, blue, green, red, light gray, dark gray, ivory, white, purple, brown and more. It is important to choose the right color of cover that corresponds with the color scheme of your company or the color of your binding element. After you have selected the right color of binding cover it is then important to select the right material for your covers. Binding covers are available in different types of paper, clear plastic, embossed poly, vinyl and more. Certain covers are better for certain applications. For instance, plastic covers are moisture resistant and do not tear. However, paper covers provide a more traditional look and feel. It is important to consider these factors when choosing a binding cover. Finally, it is important to choose the right size of binding cover for your application. The most common sizes of binding covers are 8.5″ x 11″ and 8.75″ x 11.25″ with round corners. However, binding covers are also available in a number of other sizes including 9″ x 11″ for reports with index tabs, 8.

5″ x 14″ for legal sized documents and 11″ x 17″ for large format documents.

From the cover to the binding supplies, you should be able to obtain everything you need from one place. This helps to ensure compatibility between products, as well as making it more convenient to purchase. If you choose, you can even get your hands on the actual machines that bind and laminate materials. This allows you to do it all completely on your own time and budget. The binding cover is truly the icing on the cake when it comes to booklets. It is both the first and last thing a person will see when using a booklet. When creating such materials, keep in mind the importance of first impressions. A professional and polished booklet can take you a long way, regardless of the setting.

Put a little extra time into creating an impressive presentation and you’ll surely wow your audiences.