Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Video Marketing Can Be a Huge Boost for Your Business

A positive perception of business brand is a must for any business to spread its wings. Today's Business websites that are stuffed full of text only, are labeled as dead websites. Writing articles with different fonts and different colors to promote your business is the thing of past. A more powerful and effective way of promoting your business has taken the place of text. This powerful medium is video marketing.

By James Trent

A positive perception of business brand is a must for any business to spread its wings. Today’s Business websites that are stuffed full of text only, are labeled as dead websites. Writing articles with different fonts and different colors to promote your business is the thing of past. A more powerful and effective way of promoting your business has taken the place of text. This powerful medium is video marketing.

A Little Glimpse of the New Power
Suppose you run a business related to digital image enhancements. You are promoting your business with brochures full of text stuffed pages. Your website describes the processes involved in the enhancement process. Now A Days internet surfers are not at all interested in the magic the content writers create with textual words.

Your business will fail to create that impact on the consumers mind. Moreover, a digital company doing its publicity by text sounds weird! Try creating a video out of text.. The consumer can now see the actual affects of the techniques used and more easily understand them. Less time spent, more impact is made.

Luring Consumer Traffic- Priority of Every Business
YouTube now days attracts more traffic than Google. Convert your articles into videos and upload them on video sharing sites like YouTube, MetaCafe, and Dailymotion. Videos spread at a faster rate than text. Consumers are more interested in getting the real feel of any business product or service. On these video sharing websites, traffic sky rockets into the millions. Once your video tops the charts, the amount of visibility your business can generate is unimaginable.

The Trust Factor
The trust factor is the key to the success of any business. Instead of written text explaining the motto of your business, put up a video explaining your business. It will bring more credibility to your business in the consumer’s mind. The video offers a personal touch between you and the consumer.

Catches the Imagination of the Customer
The major benefit of video marketing is that it keeps the consumer interested in your business promotional activities. Video engages their senses more than text, thus keeping them longer on your website. This helps build long term relationships with your visitors (especially if you make the video personal) which leads to more trust.

Video Marketing Gives you That Extra Inch
A craze for your company brand can only be created by video marketing. Videos trigger the senses of a consumer. Later they will remember you by the theme of your video. The same consumers generally refer videos to other interested people. This reference is generally done with the theme displayed in your video.

Viral Marketing- Video Marketing
A Marketing strategy that spreads like a wild fire is known as viral marketing. Videos spread virally. You can market your videos on social networking sites, blogging platforms and media sharing sites for free. If your site if properly linked to the social networking world you will reap huge benefits from video marketing with no additional cost.

Kick Out the Myth
Do not believe in the myth that video marketing is costly. With the amount of visibility it can gather for your business, I personally do not think that it should be termed as costly.
If you want to carve a niche for your business, video marketing is a strategy you need to embrace.

James is a mentor and business coach that assists serious entrepreneurs in building a profitable online business with multiple streams of income. James and his team have assisted hundreds of people in generating profits in their very first year. For more information and to contact James, visit his website. http://thesevenfigurepro.com

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Don't Lose a Contact Due to Internet Slang

Your Internet Slang knowledge or "lack-of" can make or break a sale with a potential client. It will either show that you are up-to-date or behind-the-times to an increasing field of buyers for your product.

By Byron Johnson

This is a quick and easy article of recommendation for the website www.InternetSlang.com where you can easily show your knowledge of communication in the world of SMS (Short Message Service) and Twitter.

On this site you will find a list of slang terms, acronyms and abbreviations as used in websites, ICQ chat rooms, blogs, SMS, and Internet forums - a complete dictionary of slang.

There are many such internet slang words in use, some are more widely understood than others, and new ones are evolving all the time. The list contained on "Internet Slang" is large but inevitably incomplete; however it contains the more commonly used slang words and slang terms. 4071 acronyms are listed at present - if you know of another that should be listed they allow you to recommend the acronym to their site.

So, enjoy the feeling of not being lost when others around you are texting and typing in internet slang. GLTY (Good luck to you)!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Want to Fail Your Way to Success?

Can you fail in some area of business and still create a successful business? Andrea Scott, a home business expert, reveals a healthy perspective of failure which can lead to the creation of a profitable home business.

By Andrea Scott

Failure is seen as a dirty word in our society. People are praised and lionized when they are successful. But let a public figure make a serious mistake and that’s another story. They are considered has-beens and also-rans. We idolize the “successes” and we mock those who “fail”.

But what if failure is part of the process of achieving your goal? What if we took another look at failure, gave it a different definition?

Webster’s dictionary defines failure as “an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose”. The Oxford dictionary defines failure as a “lack of success in doing or achieving.”

However, these definitions raise an important question. Should we consider someone a failure because they haven’t achieved business success? Did the event fail or is the person a failure? Should they let the event or situation define their value and worth as a human being?
Your perspective changes everything. So what’s the option? What’s another perspective on your business failure?

John C. Maxwell, in his book, “Failing Forward” states that “Every successful person is someone who failed, yet never regarded himself as a failure.” He cites Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers of our time, who was told by a Munich schoolmaster that he “would never amount to much.”

Maxwell encourages you to “Tell yourself, ‘I’m not a failure. I failed at doing something.” You need certain abilities in order to have a healthy view of failure. You must first reject rejection. Instead of taking failure personally, take responsibility for your actions and learn from the situation.

Achievers also see failure as a temporary situation. They don’t think it’s a permanent event. Consequently they think creatively about the challenge that they face and identify possible solutions. Successful people have realistic expectations for their goals. They accept their setbacks and learn from them. They persevere despite the setbacks.

Achievers also concentrate on their strengths. They focus their energy on what they can do instead of complaining about what they can’t do. They develop their strengths.

As you evaluate your failure, ask yourself “What can I learn from this situation?” Is there another perspective to consider? What are your successes in the situation? What did you do well? What could you improve?

As you review the situation, ponder how you can improve your strengths. Also, consider if there is someone who could help you in your weaknesses. Create an action plan with that person and take the first step.

As you change your perspective and take action, you are failing forward. You are using failure to create great success. You are a winner!

Andrea Scott is a joyful internet marketing entrepreneur who shows others how to have a successful online business.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Do You Really Know How Much You Spend For Gas Per Year?

How much do you spend on gas over a 12 month period? If you know, you are unusual. As the price of gas increases so has your yearly gasoline cost. Gasoline has become one of the major components of your family budget. In order to maintain a proper family budget you really need to know how much you are spending for gas during the year. Most drivers are familiar with the amount of money it costs to fill the car but few can state with certainty the total spent per year.

By Scott Siegel

How much do you spend on gas over a 12 month period? If you know, you are unusual. As the price of gas increases so has your yearly gasoline cost. Gasoline has become one of the major components of your family budget. In order to maintain a proper family budget you really need to know how much you are spending for gas during the year. Most drivers are familiar with the amount of money it costs to fill the car but few can state with certainty the total spent per year.

It is easy to figure out and only takes a few minutes. That being the case one would think that most drivers would take the time to work the calculations and determine their annual expense. But most don’t. If they did they might realize how important it is to their financial health to do something about it.

We see it almost every day, the increases to the price of gas. $3.00 per gallon, $3.19 per gallon, $3.39 per gallon even $3.49 and $3.59 per gallon are prices that we have become familiar with this year. Not too long ago $3.00 per gallon seemed high. Now $3.00 seems almost a bargain.
The American Automobile Association uses 15,000 miles as an average amount of miles traveled per vehicle when they calculate costs. If you on average travel 15,000 miles a year in a vehicle that runs at about 20 miles to the gallon, you will purchase around 750 gallons of gasoline per year. If the price is $3.00 per gallon that equals $2250.00 per year.

If you are a two car family averaging 15,000 miles per car you will use 1500 gallons of gas per year. 1500 gallons at $3.00 per gallon equals $4500.00 per year.

If the price of gas is $3.49 per gallon of course the results are significantly higher. If you are a one car household utilizing 15,000 miles per year you will have an expense of over $2600.00 annually. If you are a two car family your yearly costs will be over $5200.00 annually. That equates to $437.00 monthly. You are likely spending more for fuel than you spend on a car payment.

Each time the price of gasoline goes up at the gas pump by 10 cents the annual increase for your two car household is $150.00 per year. When the price jumps 20 cents in one day, realize that the 20 cent increase will cost you $300.00 per year.

When you consider the yearly cost of your gasoline it is staggering. When you consider that you may be spending $5200.00 per year just for gas it could well be time to seriously look at ways to lower that cost. As you figure out the 20 cent increase at the pump today will really cost $300.00 this year it becomes a great motivator to do something about it.

Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of industry insider information on saving gas and dollars at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Do a Sales Job on Yourself

Resolve to put your customer's interests first and watch your sales increase.

By Charles H. Green

Let's get real for a minute. If you look up the dictionary definition of the word “sell,” you may not like some of what you find. There are unpleasant synonyms and usages, words like "persuasion," "inducement," "sell out," "hard sell" and "sell down the river.

"Selling, in other words, doesn't have an entirely good reputation, but you probably already knew that quite well. You know some people who react negatively to being "sold" and even deplore sales as a career. You've probably spent some energy justifying the role even to yourself.

All this makes it hard to do a great job selling. Unfortunately positive thinking alone won't change people's perceptions. And crossing over to the dark side--accepting the role of con artist and hustler--is ugly, immoral and doesn't work well, anyway.

But there's a way out, a way of acknowledging the tough reputation of sales and overcoming it at the same time. It involves the most important sale you'll make--the sale inside your head.

Pick one of these simple ideas, however you say it:

-You get more sales by getting people what they want than by trying to sell them what you want.
-If you stop trying to control people, they'll cooperate with you.
-If you listen to people first, they will then listen to you.
-If you help people you increase your chances of making sales.
-If you put your customers' interests ahead of your own, you'll end up better off than if you tried to achieve your own ends directly.

There's a good reason most customers are suspicious of salespeople: Most salespeople are, in fact, more motivated by getting the sale than they are by helping their customers. And it's made worse by the sales professionals' relentless pursuit of efficiency, closing and objection handling--all of which are about the salesman, not the customer.

The idea is so plain it can be difficult to believe. It seems paradoxical: Stop trying to control your customers and you'll get better results than if you try every trick in the book.

People want to buy from those they trust. The best way to be trusted by your customers is simply to be worthy of their trust. Be trustworthy. That means truth-telling and transparency. Above all, a relentless focus on the best interests of your customers will earn their trust.

If you constantly serve your customers' ends, you'll gain a reputation for being trustworthy. When people trust you, they hassle you less about price, they refer you to others, you get fewer competitive and more sole-source bids, higher repeat rates and far more cooperation from your customers.

Successfully selling yourself on building a trust-based relationship is a win-win. Customers get their interests served better, and you get your interests served better. But this only happens when you don't lead from your own self-interest.

That simple, internal sales job is not all that easy. But the very best salespeople in nearly all industries have managed to make that sale. They have convinced themselves that everyone, themselves included, is better off if their primary focus is serving their customers.

Put it another way: Make your own sales not a goal, but a byproduct, a byproduct of making customer satisfaction your primary goal.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Saving is Something You Should Do Everyday

Americans have forgotten how to save in recent years.

By Jason Zweig, Wall Street Journal

First, we came to regard the stock market as our piggy bank; if we needed a little spending money, surely we could always sell a few shares of stock or a bit of a mutual fund at a profit. Then, we viewed our houses as money machines that would always provide a surplus of cash on a moment's notice, since real estate "never goes down in value."

All that has changed, at least for now. People finally have again realized how important it is to save. After all, thrift was once one of the quintessential American virtues: Just think of Benjamin Franklin intoning, "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Our ancestors knew what we had forgotten until recently: Unless you save, you cannot make your wealth grow. It's much easier to tell ourselves that our horse will come in at the racetrack, or that we will win the lottery if we just keep playing 4-7-10-14-36-51, or that some stock we heard about online is the next Google, or that we can simply use our credit cards to buy whatever we feel like today and pay it all back tomorrow...after our horse comes in at the racetrack.

But Benjamin Franklin was right when he wrote: "Human felicity is produc'd not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day."
And the biggest of all "little advantages that occur every day" is the simple act of saving money. That, in turn, requires you to become more mindful of where your money goes and why, and whether you are spending it wisely and saving enough.

Here are a few simple ways you may be able to raise your own rate of saving. Each will save you something; together, they will save you a lot.

Drive more efficiently. Driving at 55 miles per hour, instead of 70, will save you the equivalent of roughly 70 cents a gallon, which could easily put hundreds of dollars a year into your pocket.

Before you start your car, get your kids seated and belted and do all your other preparations for driving. This will save you a few minutes' worth of gasoline usage every day. And don't idle your car; if you know you will have to wait more than a couple of minutes, turn it off. For more tips, see fueleconomy.gov.

Conserve energy. Set your home's thermostat to 65 degrees in winter and wear a sweater. Before you go to bed, set it down to 60 degrees and use a second blanket if needed. In summer, set the air conditioning at 70 degrees. Adjusting your home thermostat wisely could save hundreds of dollars annually.

Also make sure your home is properly insulated and that windows, doors, chimney and the basement are properly sealed. Here, too, the annual savings can be in the hundreds of dollars. For more advice on saving on fuel bills, see energysavers.gov.

Walk or bike to work. If it's feasible, walking or biking, instead of driving or paying for a bus or train, could save you $5 a day, $25 a week, $1,250 a year.

Don't buy lunch every day. Instead, make and take your lunch to work. Better yet, pull together a brown-bag club with a few friends, with each of you bringing your own food plus something to share. You could save another $1,250 a year.

Cut back on dining out. Take a cooking class. You will acquire skills and recipes that you can use to make better food in your own home than most restaurants serve -- and you will be able to make it for a fraction of the price.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical American household spends $6,133 a year on food, 44% of it on meals eaten outside the home. When you do go out, don't be afraid to skip an appetizer, share an entrée or split a dessert. Always inquire how much the specials cost. (Specials are typically no better than regular menu items, but they tend to be more expensive.)

Don't order the second cheapest wine on the list, as many people do to avoid embarrassment. Instead, unabashedly order the cheapest one. It's usually almost identical in quality.

Quit smoking. With cigarette prices at roughly $5 a pack, someone who smokes two packs a day could burn through $70 a week, or more than $3,600 per year. Smoke like that for 20 years and, if you are still alive, you will have spent roughly $75,000.

Rent DVDs free from the library. Depending on how often you rent, you could save $100 or more a year.

Put your refrigerator on ice. Before you open the refrigerator, pause for a moment to see if you can move several things in or out at once. Every time you open the door of the fridge, you make it work harder. My guess is that a family that becomes more mindful about opening the fridge can save about 50 cents a week, or $25 a year.

Don't shop on an empty stomach. Walking into the supermarket when you are hungry can make you more inclined to buy food you don't really need. Eating a light, nutritious snack before shopping could easily save you $ 100 a year, not to mention several hundred calories a week.

Don't sign up for insurance, service contracts or extended warranties. Avoid the added cost of these extras for appliances and consumer electronics -- especially on things like cellphones, which you probably won't lose or damage and are likely to use for only a couple of years.

Manage credit-card spending. Pay with cash or checks when possible. Credit cards are essential for a few things, such as online purchases, car rentals and airline tickets. But you can do fine without them most of the time.

And ignore the minimum payment on your bill. You should be paying the maximum you can afford. If the minimum payment is $20, but you owe $774.84, see if you can pay $200 (a little more than 25% of the balance) or even $80 (about 10%).

Also, if you can find a credit card with a better rate somewhere else, switch. You can compare rates at federalreserve.gov/Pubs/shop/survey.htm and at bankrate.com.

These are only a few ideas for economizing. You will have others, many of which will be better than mine. Send your favorite suggestions on saving to intelligentinvestor@wsj.com.