22 May, 2009
Push Don't Pull
The world is full of social media chatter and the social media expert world is very crowded. So much so it is difficult to believe there is something missing in all the noise that is generated.
Where are the good examples and case studies of companies and brands that have embraced social media and made it a successful part of their relationship with their customers?
Yes there are many examples of companies and brands using social networking to push their latest brand slogan or marketing message. There are not so many that use the social networking to engage with their customers. It would seem that pushing the message is OK they get that but pulling the information no not so good.
A few hours on Google and you can find some great examples of companies using some of the social media tools well. A lot of the IT suppliers for example. Some other examples Amazon.co.uk use customer generated reviews on some products. As does Patagonia.com. These are great examples of allowing the customer to comment on the usability and in Patagonia's case the wear ability, of the products they sell. This is great feedback when you have to decide which brand you will buy.
A search on Facebook reveals that most of the large consumer brands do actually have a Facebook page. But again most are used as an extension of and for marketing. Pushing not Pulling.
Twitter the same applies. However for is a shinning example of the commercial use of Twitter see Dell's Twitter site (475,00 followers and it has only been going for 8 months). A great example but still pushing not pulling.
There are few examples of companies that have taken all that social media can offer and used the best relevant to their user base to communicate and engage with their customer and having done that to show that the company is listening and responding to what the customer has to say.
I would expect to find these shinning lights in the media and IT worlds. Those market segments which are more lightly to be receptive to the new ways of doing things. This is partly true see.
The BBC have done just that. Harness the listeners and guess what they now provide a lot of the content. Comments and opinions by email, text and voice fill many hours on BBC radio and TV. Fabulous.
But what of the large and medium companies.
I have found that you will find gems in and amongst companies that have traditional had a close relation ship with their customer base. I have already mentioned Patagonia but a new addition is Rohantime.com the community platform for Rohan.co.uk the UK based travel and outdoor clothing brand. On Rohantime many of the social media feeds have been embedded. Blog posts from the customers, the company and journalists in the field abound.
It a good example of best practice in the field of social media. There are not many examples of brands that have really embraced social media and see the potential for engaging with their customer base.
Sarah Howcroft
22 May, 2009
Make Money Online - Uncover 4 High Powered Secrets to Increase Your Income Online
Do you want to work at home and earn more than your usual paycheck? You can do this as long as you have a computer and a reliable internet connection. Here's how you can make money online:
1. Make money through writing. Today, there are millions of ebusiness owners and marketers from across the globe who need web content and articles for their marketing strategies. Some of these people don't have the needed writing skills and they hire ghostwriters to do the legwork for them. If you don't have any problem writing articles, blog posts, ebooks, and web content on just about any topic, you can earn as much as $1,000 - $2,500 per month. Of course, your earnings will largely depend on your output so you must be willing to put in more time pounding on your key board.
2. Blogging. This is one of the most popular ways to make money these days. Start by choosing a topic that you know very well. Right now the topics that are being sought for by online users are making money online, health and beauty, traveling, simple how-to's, etc. It's important that you stick with your topic all throughout so you can attract a specific group of people. How to earn? Post affiliate ads or Google AdSense on your blog that are closely related to your chosen topic. You'll be paid each time these ads are clicked by your visitors. The more traffic you generate, the more money you'll earn.
3. Affiliate marketing. This could be one of the most lucrative fields in the online arena if you do the entire process right. Your job is to help ebusiness owners sell their products and services. Each time you bring business to their doorstep, you'll be able to earn commissions. You will need to create your own website or blog to succeed in this field. You must also position yourself as an expert on your chosen niche so you can easily earn the trust of your target market.
4. Build your own ebusiness. If you have product or services to sell, I recommend that you take them online where you can easily tap the global market. Create your own website where your prospects can get more information about your offerings and where they can place their orders. The key to succeed in this field is knowing how to drive interested people to your website. You can do this by using various traffic and lead generating tools. You must also improve your selling skills to boost your revenue in no time.
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Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed a brand new free guide. Download it free here: Internet Marketing Do you want to learn how to use articles like this to drive targeted traffic to your site? Click here: Article Writing Guide |
22 May, 2009
The Benefits of Providing Laptop Wireless Internet Access
Small business owners around the world are starting to realize the benefits of providing laptop wireless Internet access. These savvy business owners are capitalizing on changes which have resulted in a media driven society. More and more people are interested in staying in constant touch with those around them. With the increasing popularity of cell phones and portable devices the ability to stay connected with friends and colleagues is easier than every before. There are even indications that addiction to email and the Internet is a growing concern. With such widespread interest in staying connected it is understandable that small business owners want to use wireless Internet access to help increase their revenue.
More and more places of business are beginning to offer wireless Internet access. At the onset of this phenomenon there were a few cafes offering Internet access either through a hard connection or a wireless one. However, these days just about every café and coffee shop around is offering some type of Internet access. These hotspots are also beginning to creep up in other business establishments such as bars, offices, hotels and hospitals. In some cases it is a matter of trying to keep up with the competition while in other cases it is a matter of the business owner trying to be innovative for the purpose of staying ahead of the competition.
The bottom line, when it comes to offering wireless Internet access in your business, is that it can attract customers with very little effort or financial investment. The cost of setting up a wireless hotspot is a one-time expense. This one-time cost will vary depending on the size of the establishment and the types of features required. However, a relatively small business offering basic Internet access can be set up for around $50. There are also monthly fees associated with maintaining a wireless hotspot. These fees include charges by your ISP as well as a few hours of maintenance per month. These maintenance hours may be performed by you or a hired professional. Again, the monthly cost will depend on the ISP you choose as well as the type of service you are offering. However, it is a fairly marginal amount. This monthly fee will likely be under $100 for a small place of business.
Despite the relatively low cost of providing wireless Internet access to your customers, this amenity can increase your profits. Not only will you likely draw in new customers by offering a hotspot but your existing customers are likely to spend more time in your establishment. This is noteworthy because the more time a customer spends in your establishment the more money they are likely to spend. For example if you own a coffee shop offering free wireless Internet access a customer may come in to have a cup of coffee and check his email. However, if he has a number of emails requiring an immediate response, he may wind up spending more time than planned and will likely end up purchasing additional food or beverage items.
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Emma Mostrum is a staff writer for WiFiHotspotAnswers.com Read more about the business aspect of Laptop Wireless Internet Access at Laptop Wireless Internet Access |
21 May, 2009
How to Sell a Website - Selling Websites Made Easy
If you have a website that you no longer use (some people have at least 10 websites), you can sell it and convert it to instant cash. Here's what you need to do to make that happen:
1. Determine the real value of your website. Determining the real value of your website can be tricky as there are so many factors that you need to consider. Start by knowing how much your domain name will sell. Some powerful domain names like creditcard dot com can sell for millions of dollars. Consider consulting an expert to get the real value of your domain name. Then, know the real value for your website. The things that you need to consider when doing this are your traffic, its page ranking, and the number of years it has been established on the World Wide Web.
2. Improve your website. If you want to get more money from selling your website, I recommend that you improve it first before putting it up for sale. If you don't have the technical know-how, you can hire experts who can make your website look more visually appealing, interactive, quick to download, and easy to navigate. You can also make it more informative and more content-rich by loading it up with more valuable information that your visitors will find interesting. On the other hand, you can improve its page rank through SEO, link building, and by submitting it to relevant directories.
3. Contact potential buyers. Perform a thorough research and get in touch with your competitors who have website that are not as good as yours. These are your best prospects. Send them with an email telling them that your website is for sale. Give them all the information that they might need to consider your offer and a phone number where they can easily contact you.
4. Choose the best buyer. The best buyer is simply the person who offers the highest amount for your website. I recommend that you wait for at least 2 months before you actually pick your buyer as there might be some people who would be more than willing to pay more for your website. You would want to secure more money from this transaction, right?
5. Document all agreements. For your own protection, I recommend that you document everything that you and your buyer agreed on like how much time you are going to spend in helping them run the website and the payment terms.
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21 May, 2009
Selling Tips - How to Sell Just About Anything Online
Are you struggling to sell your products and services online? Do you find it challenging to convince your prospects to do business with you? Would you like to improve your selling skills? Then, this article is for you.
Here are the most powerful selling tips on how you can to sell just about anything online:
1. Active listening. The problem with other sellers is that they do most of the talking. If you want your prospects to stick with you all throughout the selling process, you've got to let them talk -- most of the time. Probe about the things that they are struggling with, their goals in life, and the things that they would like to learn about and make sure that you listen actively. Show these people that you are truly interested in understanding them to get them to like you and later on, trust you.
2. Prepare a compelling sales presentation script. You would want to keep your prospects interested throughout the selling process. You can do this by creating a compelling, interesting sales presentation script. Make sure that you insert the actual problems being faced by your prospects and use their language so they can easily identify with you. Don't forget to give them good news (freebies or discounts) and communicate the real value of your offerings. Your sales presentation must be benefit-driven and it must be all about your prospects.
3. Present your offerings as solutions. Tell your prospect how they would look or how they would feel after using your products and support your conclusions with compelling data and statistics. You need to convince your prospects that what you are selling is the best solution to their problems otherwise, they will not have a solid, legit reason to make a purchase.
4. Negotiation skills. What would you do if your prospects are trying to haggle? Well, one tip I can give you is don't give in right away. What you can do is reiterate the real value of your offerings by highlighting their competitive advantage and their major selling points. However, if your prospects insist, you can give him discounts provided that you'll still profit in the process.
5. Talk only to decision-makers. Save your time and energy by only talking to those people who are in the position to make decisions. You will need to do your research and determine the best person to talk to when selling your products especially if you are calling an office. Be nice to gatekeepers as they will be the ones who'll determine if you are going to have a word with their bosses.
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21 May, 2009
How to Sell Your CD - The 7 Best Ways to Sell Your CDs
If you are an aspiring recording artist or an expert who want to share your knowledge through CD series, this one's for you. In here, I will share the best ways on how you can easily sell your CDs online.
1. Target audience. The first thing that you need to do is to define your target audience or those people who are most likely to get interested on your CDs. Get to know their age, economic status, and most importantly, their online behavior. You will need to know all these things so you'll know how and where you can reach them to capture their attention.
2. Social networking sites. You'll easily be able to connect with a lot of people from across the globe without shelling out a single dime by simply joining social networking sites like FaceBook and Twitter. The key here is researching the members and inviting those who share your interest and passion. Build rapport and personal connection with these people before you pitch your CDs. It's important that you get them to like you first before you even mention your offerings.
3. Article marketing. Personally, I find article marketing as the best product promotional tool in the internet today. You can use this when selling your CDs. All you need to do is write articles about your offering and distribute them to submission sites like ezinearticles dot com. Make sure that your articles speak volumes about your expertise and they must be useful. By doing so, you'll be able to convince your readers to click on your resource box.
4. Write and distribute sales letters. If you want to easily connect with your potential buyers, I recommend that you send them sales letters. Make them compelling and powerful to entice your prospects to buy in no time. Highlight the benefits that your CDs can offer and their competitive advantage. Sell value instead of the price.
5. Referrals. Get your previous happy customers to help you out by simply encouraging them to recommend your CDs to their friends and family members in exchange of freebies or even monetary rewards. These people will surely sound more convincing compare to affiliate marketers as they have first-hand experience on your offerings. If they are impressed with your CDs and if they feel that they got great value for their money, you can be assured that they'll help you get the word out even for free!
Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed a brand new free guide.
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