When Tweets are like Day Old Fish.
Posted by admin in Business Tools, Twitter marketing on June 22nd, 2009
Using Twitter as a Business Tool
After several months using Twitter I have concluded it is a great way to connect with customes and clients, so long as you can filter out the junk mail and tire-kickers. Like e-mail and junk mail, I sift through accounts that interest me. I find that a quick note from time to time from followers makes the start of my day interesting. Yet, like fish, some begin to stink in a few days, inundating me with a barrage of 10 or more tweets in a row.
While I remain patient, I start to feel pressured to read or buy from these twitter salepeople. Anxiety starts to rise. I am annoyed because my tweet from Kevin Spacey has moved off the main view scope. I decide to pull my favorite twitters in to my RSS reader - ahhh, I can now read them at my liesure.
Now, when I go to Twitter it is to search for new interests, to deal with new and potential clients and unfollow those who clog up my twitter home.
Establishing Yourself as a Big Dog over the CopyCats
Posted by admin in Starting an Online Business on May 26th, 2009
When coming up with the next big product on the internet – the trouble is staying ahead of the copycats. Unlike developing a new green-energy efficient car engine, there are millions of online people looking for an undeveloped idea to take, make better, repackage and sell as their own - and in a very short time frame.
You rarely have second chances on the internet to become the next big thing. Your product has to be so unique that it literally has everyone jumping on the bandwagon. And like little children – they want more.
Online business owners want to know how this new product will help them make more money; Affiliate marketers want to know how much money the product can make for them; Joe Sunday wants to know how difficult it is to use; and the youth want something fun and engaging.
The trick to online success is not to be one step ahead of the pack, but three or four leaps ahead before your Grand Opening. Put your product to the beta test before you officially launch. Nothing kills a brilliant idea better than a sloppy product filled with bugs.
Don’t sell yourself short on time and quality. If the idea is sound, work through all the angles first, ask the best people to do a thorough beta test, and when you launch understand you will be watched, scrutinized, and evaluated. If you are found wanting by the Internet Community, it could mean a swift execution. But if you win their hearts, they will stick with you faithfully and tell thousands of their online friends.
How to Avoid Information Overload
Posted by admin in Starting an Online Business on May 20th, 2009
You are ready to start your first website. You find a plethora of information on the Internet and BAM! You are bombarded with so much information you don’t know what direction to take or whom to believe. There are literally thousands of products giving your information on the “best way to do….” whatever. There is literally there is too much information for your mind to absorb and become completely overwhelmed.
Too much information could push any marketer and designer into a comatose state. At this point, nothing gets done and you find yourself flying from one course to another looking for that simple blueprint. Unfortunately the more sites you sift through, the more overwhelming it becomes. This information overload can defeat and kill your enthusiasm for online marketing.
The best way to start is be aware there is more information on the Web than you could possible read. Your best course is to concentrate on one or two sites for all your information. Eliminate the clutter and by utilizing a few key resources for information you will eliminate the frustration.
Once you become comfortable with your new found knowledge, you can expand your resources to marketers who back up their claim with actual results on the web. There are many who are regurgetating information, charging $19, $49, up to $97 for these “trade secrets”. Be cautious when paying for information, especially when you are first starting out, unless it is a trusted source.
I still use my first sources of information. Wilson Web provides a lot of quality information on how to market on the Internet. You should also know a little about HTML coding, even if you hire someone. A good place for tutorials and information is HTML Goodies .
Just remember to do your homework and test the information you gather. I know this may be difficult in an unfamiliar arena, but it can be done. Eventually you will be able to recognize the wheat from the chaff.
Free Conference Calls
Posted by admin in Business Tools on May 19th, 2009
If you own a business, you understand the need to stay in contact with your employees. With telecommutors a large part of the workforce, costs of utilizing conference calling services can deter productivity. What if you could have up to 150 people on one call, on a reliable network, have the ability to record, playback and even download your meeting to an MP3 AND have this all for FREE?
Well, you can. AlwaysFreeConferencing.com offers this free conferencing call service. Signup is a breeze, all you need is an email, and you are instantly ready to start.
Uses for Always Free Conferencing calls are not limited to businesses. Students can record a lecture and replay it over and over for total recall. Teens can record a merry greeting for a sick friend. Churches can organize prayer groups, or keep in touch with missionaries. The possibilities are endless.
Use of this service is completely free, but like all your calls, your minutes or charges are dependent upon your phone plan. I have an unlimited calling plan, so conferencing is easy, simple and free.
Give AlwaysFreeConferencing.com a try, and let me know what you think.
How do I Begin?
Posted by admin in Starting an Online Business on March 25th, 2009
Where do I start? HOW do I start? I hear this every time I welcome a new client. First, remember the Internet ISN’T a f.ree source. Though you can setup a website for nearly nothing, there are costs involved. Hosting, domain name purchases, website template design, optimization, marketing and maintenance.
You can reduce your costs by creating your own web site, or downloading a f.ree template, and implementing the SEO yourself. But you need to know wha tyou are doing, how to do it and do it right - the first time through. The problem with many people is thay think the faster they put up web sites, the more exposure they will attain and subsequently the money it will bring in.
That simply isn’t true. A successful business, online or off, take work. Online marketing is the more affordable choice for those starting out or on a tight budget. And if you are willing to work at it, then you can make a success.
I will be starting a new section on How I Start an Online Business. I will take you through my entire process, frustrations, and implementations - starting from ground zero. I will make mistakes along the way, and yes, I will post them!
Follow my progress step-by-step. If you have questions and frustrations of your own, I want to hear.
Decided against PPC Classroom 2.0
Though the modules in PPC Classroom 2.0 are great for the newbie, I didn’t feel it was worth the $97/month. I wouldn’t be able to view the forum until after my free month. I retain access to the modules and unless the Inner Circle provides insights beyond my knowledge, I cannot see the worth of almost $100/month.
An excellent source of information on PPC Marketing - Adsense, specifically, is The Unofficial Adsense Blog.
PPC Classroom 2.0
Yesterday, I signed up for PPC Classroom 2.0 . I was ready to signup the minute the “doors opened”. Exactly at noon eastern, I waited for the email that would contain the link for the sign up. 5 minutes passed and I went directly tot eh site. I was redirected to the pre-sale page.
After several refreshses of the PPC Classroom 2.0 site, it was there. I immediately signed up with no problems. I haven’t had time to do a full review, but since there’s a lot of buzz surrounding PPC Classroom 2.0 , I thought it best to get something objective out for you.
What’s In PPC Classroom 2.0
PPC Classroom 2.0 is free as long as you pay shipping and handling of $6.97 for US residents or $9.97 for international deliveries. This payment covers the shipping of a DVD shipped to your door, online access to the materials, and a many bonuses.
If it is free - then they must be making money. It is from all the upsells, which makes sense.
When you enter your shipping and credit card number for PPC Classroom 2.0 the first upsell is for the “Niche Detective Club”, which is free for 30 days and $19.95/month after.
The second upsell is called a negative billing option. When you pay the DVD shipping and handling costs of $6.97/$9.97 you also agree to pay $97/month starting 30 days from the order date. This payment is for full access to the Membership area “PPC Inner Circle”. In other words, the first month’s access to the “PPC Inner Circle” is free, at which point you either need to cancel the membership or pay $97/month to continue. Either way, you only pay the initial small fee for lifetime access to PPC Classroom. If you choose to cancle the PPC Inner Circle membership your access to PPC Classroom is still available.
I am not fan of negative billing or upselling, although I do understand that upselling is necessary to make money. They promise to make cancelling the PPC Inner Circle membership easy…. here’s the cancellation policy:
| Cancellation Policy: By purchasing this DVD you are agreeing to join the PPC Inner Circle which will start after 1 month of your purchase. You will not be billed for the PPC Inner Circle at the current moment, you have a full 1 month to try PPC Classroom and decide if you would like to remain a member. If you decide to stay, you will automatically be charged a nominal $97/month. You may cancel at any time. If you cancel before the first month is over, you will never receive any billings. There is no commitment or obligation. There is no cancellation fee of any sort. We are here to help you and if you do not feel that we are providing value, we do not feel we have earned your money!How To Cancel: Canceling is very easy and hassle-free. You will never get harassed to stay a member by any of our staff members. You can cancel right on the system with the click of a link. Our goal is to make this the best resource for you, we’re not here to trick anyone. You can try our PPC Inner Circle with no concerns, doubts or risks. |
In this ecomony I don’t classify a $97/month as “nominal” (especially if you add on any of the upsell offers you chose). However, I have worked with Affiliate Classroom, and have a mutual associate who knows the people behind PPC Classroom. From my perspective I’m confident they will respect this policy.
NOTE: you have to pay with a credit card, or PayPal Debit Card - PayPal is not an option.
As I go through the site, I will post my findings.
Starting a Business
This economy has everyone watching their income. Many have turned to the internet to earn a residual income. Why Not? It’s a media source that reaches the world for very little investment.
To begin, I will offer e-courses in two areas - those with a product to sell and those without. I will show where you can get started selling other peoples products, or how you can find and develop your own.
I will also show you step-by-step how to setup a template, install helpful scripts and promote your site with little money outlay. The idea is to teach you how to build a successful business.
My tutorials will be informal and based on the assumption you are new to the affiliate, online marketing and business building arenas. Recommendations of sources will be from areas I have personally used and approve. You are under no obligation to use any of these suggestions.
Feel free at any time to ask questions.
Thank you,
Suzanne
How to Start a Christian Home Based Business
Welcome to OneWay Advertising’s Business Blog. We will take you through the frustrations of attempting to get your business online, using web templates, SEO, and much more.
I have over 25 years advertising and graphic design experience. When I started on the web in 1996, I made a lot of mistakes. I learned quickly. With this new knowledge, I was able to help my clients move to the internet. I also realized I will never know everything about the internet - nor would I claim to. No one person could know it all. And beware of anyone who claims to do so.
I want to address questions all of my clients expressed when we expanded their marketing and advertising to the web. It was a low cost advertising forum. They learned quickly that a website presence does not equate to sales and traffic. it takes a lot of work and dedication to do it right. I showed how to start their marketing on a shoestring budget, increasing their online marketing when their budgets allowed.
Now, I want to share this same Ground Zero knowledge with you.
If you have questions or frustrations, please let me know
God Bless,
Suzanne Fyhrie Parrott