The dot.com boom of the 1980s permitted legions of people to cash in on the mushrooming availability and popularity of the Internet but when the bubble burst, there were those who did not cash in but instead ended up owing the bank a small fortune. Those who profited were also those who were able to find a way of starting an ecommerce business without a bank loan. Granted, some might have dipped into their credit cards or homes equity, which is only marginally better but by and large they only invested that which they knew they could afford to lose.
At this point in time potential web entrepreneurs are a lot more hesitant to march to the bank and ask for a loan to fund their ecommerce business. They have learned from the mistakes of others and perhaps they are already so strapped in their personal finances that they know adding another monthly payment will send them over the abyss. Those who are able to not take out the loans in order to invest them in a shiny new ecommerce opportunity will also be those who will live to try another day. The others who may or may not succeed will require years some even decades to financially recover from a failure.
It is important to understand that you do not need to start an ecommerce business with a bank loan. Instead, there are alternative ways of funding your entrepreneurship and those methods might in the long run be safer. For example, you will need a great computer and the latest software to make your presence known on the Net. While it is tempting to buy the latest and greatest machine, find out if you can simply upgrade that which you already have.
Usually you will be able to do so for a fraction of the price that a new system costs. If a new computer system is indicated, wait until special sales events come up and take advantage of them. Refurbished units and used machines which are for sale on many of the major auction sites are also a good idea. Similarly, do not worry about having an office to start out. You spare bedroom will work just fine until the money begins to roll in. It is important that you do not spend money on items which will do little to further your business.
Thus, if you are making and selling e-books, an office is unnecessary. Advertising, packaging and other incidentals can all be tackled at a shoe string budget until your business grows to such an extent that you can get a bit fancier. While it is tempting to ask for money from the bank, remember that you will need to repay this money no matter what. Starting an ecommerce business without a bank loan makes more sense in the long run, since you will be able to finance the next phase of your business with the monies you earn from the current phase.
Source : http://www.articlesbase.com
Showing posts with label E-Commerce Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label E-Commerce Tips. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
How do I make a Mobile Device Website?
Mobile Devices like the BlackBerry and Pocket PC are becoming ever more popular. People are moving away from the office so that they can become more productive.
As this trend continues it becomes even more popular for the webmaster or business to have a website that is friendly to a mobile device.
It's best to retain those web users and maybe even gain a few new one in the process. Website's specifically engineered for mobile devices do just that.
Why can't mobile devices use the same website as pc's and mac's?
Well the main reason is that the pages are way to large. Most websites are made to be viewed at a 1024x768 resolution or at least 800x600. Well the BlackBerry 8730e has a resolution of 320x240. It's the equivalent of looking at a map through a pinhole.
So what needs to be done? We need to lower the resolution of the web page. Because we can't expect 90% of your users that are on PC's to look at a tiny website on their screen we need to create a duplicate site.
There are a few solutions, but the best one in my opinion is to do it by hand. 1st consider why someone would be viewing your website from a mobile device? There are a few main reasons 1.Looking for email address 2.Looking for phone number 3.Looking for location 4.They want to know more about your company
OK. I'm getting ahead of myself here. So we must create a second website for mobile users. Most people choose to go with the mobile.yourwebsite.com approach. I think that creating a subdomain is probably the best and fastest way to deal with the situation.
Creating Subdomain for Mobile on Apache Web Server
If you are running your site on an apache web server chances are that it has cpanel and in cpanel there is a create subdomain icon/text. If this is the case go there and follow those directions. It will then create a folder on your site like so. http://www.yoursite.com/mobile/ and when users go to mobile.yoursite.com it will show the contents of the mobile folder.
Creating Subdomain for Mobile on IIS Server
Creating Subdomain on IIS Server is a little more tricky that on Apache. First you must create a folder in the inetpub called mobile. Then you need to add new website by right clicking My Computer going to Manage and then Services and Then IIS then Web Sites. Create a new website naming it Mobile Site, then make sure that the properly / Home Directory Tab is showing the contents of the mobile folder. Then go to the control panel and select network devices and right click your network connection and go to properties. Then click the advanced button and make sure the tab is on IP Settings. Add an IP address (a new one not the same one as your other site) and then save all that.
Now you need to NAT the incoming request for mail.yoursite.com to that internal ip address. I may have skipped a step or two but i thing i have all that covered. If you have questions just google "Subdomain Setup IIS Tutorial"
Now back to what we where talking about earlier, making a few pages specifically for the mobile device browsers You need to create at least 4 different pages
* Email Directory
* Phone Directory
* Location
* About
If your organization is not that large you can probably compress Email / Phone directory into 1 contact page.
These pages need to be minimal. Minimal text, minimal tables, minimal pictures ect. Also NO FRAMES, NO JAVASCRIPT, and NO FLASH as most mobile device browsers can't read any of those.
Assuming that everything has wen 't well you should have a mobile friendly website that can be viewed by any user anywhere. Make sure to post a link on your main page linking to the Mobile Page, and give it out to your customers as well.
Source : http://www.articlesbase.com
As this trend continues it becomes even more popular for the webmaster or business to have a website that is friendly to a mobile device.
It's best to retain those web users and maybe even gain a few new one in the process. Website's specifically engineered for mobile devices do just that.
Why can't mobile devices use the same website as pc's and mac's?
Well the main reason is that the pages are way to large. Most websites are made to be viewed at a 1024x768 resolution or at least 800x600. Well the BlackBerry 8730e has a resolution of 320x240. It's the equivalent of looking at a map through a pinhole.
So what needs to be done? We need to lower the resolution of the web page. Because we can't expect 90% of your users that are on PC's to look at a tiny website on their screen we need to create a duplicate site.
There are a few solutions, but the best one in my opinion is to do it by hand. 1st consider why someone would be viewing your website from a mobile device? There are a few main reasons 1.Looking for email address 2.Looking for phone number 3.Looking for location 4.They want to know more about your company
OK. I'm getting ahead of myself here. So we must create a second website for mobile users. Most people choose to go with the mobile.yourwebsite.com approach. I think that creating a subdomain is probably the best and fastest way to deal with the situation.
Creating Subdomain for Mobile on Apache Web Server
If you are running your site on an apache web server chances are that it has cpanel and in cpanel there is a create subdomain icon/text. If this is the case go there and follow those directions. It will then create a folder on your site like so. http://www.yoursite.com/mobile/ and when users go to mobile.yoursite.com it will show the contents of the mobile folder.
Creating Subdomain for Mobile on IIS Server
Creating Subdomain on IIS Server is a little more tricky that on Apache. First you must create a folder in the inetpub called mobile. Then you need to add new website by right clicking My Computer going to Manage and then Services and Then IIS then Web Sites. Create a new website naming it Mobile Site, then make sure that the properly / Home Directory Tab is showing the contents of the mobile folder. Then go to the control panel and select network devices and right click your network connection and go to properties. Then click the advanced button and make sure the tab is on IP Settings. Add an IP address (a new one not the same one as your other site) and then save all that.
Now you need to NAT the incoming request for mail.yoursite.com to that internal ip address. I may have skipped a step or two but i thing i have all that covered. If you have questions just google "Subdomain Setup IIS Tutorial"
Now back to what we where talking about earlier, making a few pages specifically for the mobile device browsers You need to create at least 4 different pages
* Email Directory
* Phone Directory
* Location
* About
If your organization is not that large you can probably compress Email / Phone directory into 1 contact page.
These pages need to be minimal. Minimal text, minimal tables, minimal pictures ect. Also NO FRAMES, NO JAVASCRIPT, and NO FLASH as most mobile device browsers can't read any of those.
Assuming that everything has wen 't well you should have a mobile friendly website that can be viewed by any user anywhere. Make sure to post a link on your main page linking to the Mobile Page, and give it out to your customers as well.
Source : http://www.articlesbase.com
Downloadable Audio Books: Demand Up And Prices Down
Yes, audio books demand is growing very rapidly and the industry has a hard time delivering what consumers demand. And the increased demand means for consumers that prices are coming down as quantities increase.
One has to distinguish between the physical product audio book, that is delivered on cassettes and CD's and the digital audio book that can 'only' be downloaded from the Internet. But let's first look why the demand has increased that much:
The hectic lifestyle most of us are forced to lead leaves little time to sit down and read a book. Commuting, heavy work schedules, the kids, different daily chores use up a lot of time. There is simply not enough time left to pick up a book and sit down to enjoy it....
On the other hand we all have time in the day when we are not really busy mentally, where the brain is in 'idle' or has at least a lot of spare capacity. Whilst you are occupied with work that demands that you use your eyes (and hands), the mind would be glad to get decent and stimulating input. Just think traffic jam, weeding or cutting the grass, or any other manual chore and housework that use up hours every day, or jogging, working out - any type of sport that mostly occupies the muscles.
An audio book, read by a professional narrator who is telling you the story, is an ideal way to 'read' books that you wanted to read for a long time, but that lack of time did not permit. Story telling has a very long tradition and with the new technology, it is gaining popularity again.
"For many people, listening to an audio book is an opportunity to hear an author firsthand," says Mary Beth Roche, president of the Audio Publishers Association (APA) and president of Audio Renaissance, a New York-based audio book company. "It's like having the very best lecture series, not just in your own town, but in your own car or home." - and at your command, they'll read when YOU are ready to listen.
Audio books used to be thought of as limited special products for only the blind and sight impaired or for kids and lazy people who either can not or do not want to read themselves. This has dramatically changed over the last few years. A survey of the Audio Publisher's Association has found that the average listener to audio books is about 45 years of age and has an average yearly income of more than $50'000, at least a college education and often more advanced degrees. And these people are very Internet savvy.
In short: These affluent middle aged internauts are the ideal customers for on line audio book shops. Downloading an audio book is like picking up their email for these customers and they appreciate the ease of purchasing a new novel in form of a down loadable audio book, be it for their iPod, Zune or other MP3 player.
"Middle-class, well educated, and smart, that's a great demographic to have," says Eileen Hutton, vice president of editorial for Brilliance Audio, one of the oldest publishers of audio books.
Roche says there is no data on sales for the industry as a whole. "We are just beginning to send out surveys to compile sales information, but individually, members of the Association boast of annual sales increases in the double digits," Roche adds.
Audio book sales are increasing so fast that the audio book industry is not able to keep up with the demand. Creating an audio version of a book is more costly and time intensive than printing. More often than not, an actor or a professional narrator has to be hired to narrate the book, and there's the cost of the recording studio, a production crew, post production and packaging ( that applies to conventional audio books on CD - Down loadable audio books don't have that cost attached.). A large saving can be made by making the audio books available as down-loadable audio file. This is also reflected in the cheaper prices for audio books that are down loadable directly from an on-line audio book store.
The peak sales season for audio publishers are in the spring as Americans prepare for those long driving vacations or basking on the beach, and before the Christmas season, when people are shopping for holiday gifts. Sales start to be a lot more even though, as people routinely pick up audio books to feed their MP3 players.
Audio books are especially good for children who hate to read because of problems in school. That way they are familiarized with the adventure of using their own imagination to paint their mental pictures of what they hear, rather than just staring on the TV screen. Also, if they have the book and the audio, reading along can help to overcome reading problems:
"Librarians and teachers have been using audio books for years in the classroom, but parents aren't making the logical connection at home," says Amanda D'Acierno, director of audio publishing at Random House. "It's been proven that listening and reading go hand and hand. If children can hear the spoken word and follow along with the book that helps them. Listening is much more in tune with the way humans learn than sitting down and reading a book."
People who for some reason or other don't have the reading skills they should have, but are intellectually fit can listen to audio books to continue their education and listen to self help audiobooks, language course audios etc.
Articles Source : http://www.articles-hub.com
One has to distinguish between the physical product audio book, that is delivered on cassettes and CD's and the digital audio book that can 'only' be downloaded from the Internet. But let's first look why the demand has increased that much:
The hectic lifestyle most of us are forced to lead leaves little time to sit down and read a book. Commuting, heavy work schedules, the kids, different daily chores use up a lot of time. There is simply not enough time left to pick up a book and sit down to enjoy it....
On the other hand we all have time in the day when we are not really busy mentally, where the brain is in 'idle' or has at least a lot of spare capacity. Whilst you are occupied with work that demands that you use your eyes (and hands), the mind would be glad to get decent and stimulating input. Just think traffic jam, weeding or cutting the grass, or any other manual chore and housework that use up hours every day, or jogging, working out - any type of sport that mostly occupies the muscles.
An audio book, read by a professional narrator who is telling you the story, is an ideal way to 'read' books that you wanted to read for a long time, but that lack of time did not permit. Story telling has a very long tradition and with the new technology, it is gaining popularity again.
"For many people, listening to an audio book is an opportunity to hear an author firsthand," says Mary Beth Roche, president of the Audio Publishers Association (APA) and president of Audio Renaissance, a New York-based audio book company. "It's like having the very best lecture series, not just in your own town, but in your own car or home." - and at your command, they'll read when YOU are ready to listen.
Audio books used to be thought of as limited special products for only the blind and sight impaired or for kids and lazy people who either can not or do not want to read themselves. This has dramatically changed over the last few years. A survey of the Audio Publisher's Association has found that the average listener to audio books is about 45 years of age and has an average yearly income of more than $50'000, at least a college education and often more advanced degrees. And these people are very Internet savvy.
In short: These affluent middle aged internauts are the ideal customers for on line audio book shops. Downloading an audio book is like picking up their email for these customers and they appreciate the ease of purchasing a new novel in form of a down loadable audio book, be it for their iPod, Zune or other MP3 player.
"Middle-class, well educated, and smart, that's a great demographic to have," says Eileen Hutton, vice president of editorial for Brilliance Audio, one of the oldest publishers of audio books.
Roche says there is no data on sales for the industry as a whole. "We are just beginning to send out surveys to compile sales information, but individually, members of the Association boast of annual sales increases in the double digits," Roche adds.
Audio book sales are increasing so fast that the audio book industry is not able to keep up with the demand. Creating an audio version of a book is more costly and time intensive than printing. More often than not, an actor or a professional narrator has to be hired to narrate the book, and there's the cost of the recording studio, a production crew, post production and packaging ( that applies to conventional audio books on CD - Down loadable audio books don't have that cost attached.). A large saving can be made by making the audio books available as down-loadable audio file. This is also reflected in the cheaper prices for audio books that are down loadable directly from an on-line audio book store.
The peak sales season for audio publishers are in the spring as Americans prepare for those long driving vacations or basking on the beach, and before the Christmas season, when people are shopping for holiday gifts. Sales start to be a lot more even though, as people routinely pick up audio books to feed their MP3 players.
Audio books are especially good for children who hate to read because of problems in school. That way they are familiarized with the adventure of using their own imagination to paint their mental pictures of what they hear, rather than just staring on the TV screen. Also, if they have the book and the audio, reading along can help to overcome reading problems:
"Librarians and teachers have been using audio books for years in the classroom, but parents aren't making the logical connection at home," says Amanda D'Acierno, director of audio publishing at Random House. "It's been proven that listening and reading go hand and hand. If children can hear the spoken word and follow along with the book that helps them. Listening is much more in tune with the way humans learn than sitting down and reading a book."
People who for some reason or other don't have the reading skills they should have, but are intellectually fit can listen to audio books to continue their education and listen to self help audiobooks, language course audios etc.
Articles Source : http://www.articles-hub.com
Making Money with Blogs - Blogging Isn't Just for Online Diaries Any More
At first blogging was strictly used as a tool for online diaries. Then blog and ping came along and people began making money with blogs. Then in 2006 tag and ping was introduced and blogging became an even more formidable tool in the hands of internet marketers.
Today many of the most well-known internet marketers have their own blogs which they use to keep customers informed of what's happening. Many marketers use a blog as a way to promote their upcoming product launches and to dialog with their visitors. By leaving comments visitors and customers can interact with the blogger, using the comment box to ask questions, give testimonials, and let their thoughts be heard.
Anyone, whether experienced or internet newbie, can set up a blog, make a post, and have search engines spidering their site within minutes. Visitors can be coming to their blog in less than a day.
Blogging Tools
There are lots of great tools for bloggers to use. Many of these tools are free. Blogging software such as Wordpress combined with a multitude of plugins, tag and ping, RSS, and social bookmarking work together to making blogging a phenomenal way to get your product or information before the public.
There are plugins that put tagging on steroids, such as Ultimate Tag Warrior. There are plugins that help you put video on your blog with a simple line of code, such as Fallen Media Plugin. And at least one plugin, Akismet, that takes care of spam comments.
There are plugins that create a static home page on the blog, similar to a home page on a static web site. If you don't want a home page, perhaps you would like to make a permanent post that stays at the top of the main page. There is a plugin that will do that called Adhesive. There is also a plugin called Adsense Deluxe that simplifies placing Adsense ads on the blog.
Favorite Wordpress plugin downloads can be found at:
Headzoo.com - some of the best plugins for Wordpress
Wp-Plugins.net - has an amazing number of plugins for Wordpress
There are also free themes available for you to use with your blog. A theme is the look of the blog. If you are using Wordpress, check out Themes.Wordpress.net for an unbelievable number of free themes you can download and use for your blog.
The Importance of a Good Ping List
First of all, if your blog is keyword-rich, the search engine spiders will visit your site's quality content, especially if you update and ping your blog regularly, once a week at the very least.
For lists of possible sites to add to your ping list do a search on the term "ping list" or visit these two sites: SeoBlackhat.com/2005/09/05/rss-ping-list/ and InternetFamous.net/2007/list-of-ping-services.html.
Submitting Your Blog and RSS Feeds
Two more ways to get more traffic to your site is to submit your blog and your RSS feed to sites like Technorati and Ice Rocket. A great list of fifty-five such sites can be found at MasterNewMedia.org/rss/top55.
There are many sites where you can submit your blog, such as Technorati and Icerocket. There are also sites like these that include feed aggregators that will syndicate your RSS feeds. Or you can use a service like RSS Submit to submit your RSS feeds automatically.
Conclusion
This is just a quick rundown of the tools available for bloggers to generate traffic to their blogs. Of course, new tools are being created all the time. Last year tag and ping and social bookmarking became popular.
Now we are in a new year with new possibilities. Whatever happens, blogging is continually gaining in popularity as a way to make money online.
Articles Source :http://www.articles-hub.com
Today many of the most well-known internet marketers have their own blogs which they use to keep customers informed of what's happening. Many marketers use a blog as a way to promote their upcoming product launches and to dialog with their visitors. By leaving comments visitors and customers can interact with the blogger, using the comment box to ask questions, give testimonials, and let their thoughts be heard.
Anyone, whether experienced or internet newbie, can set up a blog, make a post, and have search engines spidering their site within minutes. Visitors can be coming to their blog in less than a day.
Blogging Tools
There are lots of great tools for bloggers to use. Many of these tools are free. Blogging software such as Wordpress combined with a multitude of plugins, tag and ping, RSS, and social bookmarking work together to making blogging a phenomenal way to get your product or information before the public.
There are plugins that put tagging on steroids, such as Ultimate Tag Warrior. There are plugins that help you put video on your blog with a simple line of code, such as Fallen Media Plugin. And at least one plugin, Akismet, that takes care of spam comments.
There are plugins that create a static home page on the blog, similar to a home page on a static web site. If you don't want a home page, perhaps you would like to make a permanent post that stays at the top of the main page. There is a plugin that will do that called Adhesive. There is also a plugin called Adsense Deluxe that simplifies placing Adsense ads on the blog.
Favorite Wordpress plugin downloads can be found at:
Headzoo.com - some of the best plugins for Wordpress
Wp-Plugins.net - has an amazing number of plugins for Wordpress
There are also free themes available for you to use with your blog. A theme is the look of the blog. If you are using Wordpress, check out Themes.Wordpress.net for an unbelievable number of free themes you can download and use for your blog.
The Importance of a Good Ping List
First of all, if your blog is keyword-rich, the search engine spiders will visit your site's quality content, especially if you update and ping your blog regularly, once a week at the very least.
For lists of possible sites to add to your ping list do a search on the term "ping list" or visit these two sites: SeoBlackhat.com/2005/09/05/rss-ping-list/ and InternetFamous.net/2007/list-of-ping-services.html.
Submitting Your Blog and RSS Feeds
Two more ways to get more traffic to your site is to submit your blog and your RSS feed to sites like Technorati and Ice Rocket. A great list of fifty-five such sites can be found at MasterNewMedia.org/rss/top55.
There are many sites where you can submit your blog, such as Technorati and Icerocket. There are also sites like these that include feed aggregators that will syndicate your RSS feeds. Or you can use a service like RSS Submit to submit your RSS feeds automatically.
Conclusion
This is just a quick rundown of the tools available for bloggers to generate traffic to their blogs. Of course, new tools are being created all the time. Last year tag and ping and social bookmarking became popular.
Now we are in a new year with new possibilities. Whatever happens, blogging is continually gaining in popularity as a way to make money online.
Articles Source :http://www.articles-hub.com
Google Adsense - Make Money With High Paying Keywords
If you are a website publisher looking for a fast and easy way to make money, Google Adsense program is for you. Posting relevant, text-based Google adsense ads on your web site's content pages will earn you money every time someone clicks on them. Many people are now realizing that this is a good way to make money.
How much you will earn per click depends on how much the advertisers are paying for the keyword. Keyword is the most important factor. If the keywords the advertiser have chosen are high paying keywords, you could earn more dollars per click. On the other hand, low paying keywords will earn you just a few cents per click.
Start making money out of your website using Google Adsense now:
1. Sign up for a Google Adsense account.
2. Insert the Adsense code into the web pages. Google Adsense ads will start to appear after that.
3. You start to earn money when visitors click on the Google Adsense ads, this will range from a few cents to a few dollars per click.
4. You can log in to your Google Adsense account to check your statistics.
a) go to adsense setup
b) select channels
c) select Adsense for content and click on URL channels
d) Add in all the URL of your web pages. (If you have many web pages containing AdSense ads, this will help you to monitor the clicks on different pages.)
Once you start to make money from this website using Google Adsense Program, you may want to build as many sites as possible to maximise your earning. Of course there are other factors that will affect how your website will perform, you may learn it step by step in a later stage.
Articles Source :http://www.articles-hub.com
How much you will earn per click depends on how much the advertisers are paying for the keyword. Keyword is the most important factor. If the keywords the advertiser have chosen are high paying keywords, you could earn more dollars per click. On the other hand, low paying keywords will earn you just a few cents per click.
Start making money out of your website using Google Adsense now:
1. Sign up for a Google Adsense account.
2. Insert the Adsense code into the web pages. Google Adsense ads will start to appear after that.
3. You start to earn money when visitors click on the Google Adsense ads, this will range from a few cents to a few dollars per click.
4. You can log in to your Google Adsense account to check your statistics.
a) go to adsense setup
b) select channels
c) select Adsense for content and click on URL channels
d) Add in all the URL of your web pages. (If you have many web pages containing AdSense ads, this will help you to monitor the clicks on different pages.)
Once you start to make money from this website using Google Adsense Program, you may want to build as many sites as possible to maximise your earning. Of course there are other factors that will affect how your website will perform, you may learn it step by step in a later stage.
Articles Source :http://www.articles-hub.com
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Social Commerce: Trend or Fad?
This July, JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business, released its latest US Retail Consumer Survey. What the researchers discovered after surveying approximately 2,000 online shoppers was that a majority (53 percent) went directly to retailer and manufacturer sites to research and purchase products, rather than using shopping comparison sites or social and/or community networking sites.
"The use of traditional resources such as retailer Web sites continues to dominate shoppers' behavior," according to the JupiterResearch report. "While social and community sites and content offer some value, they are only driving a small portion of online shoppers (12 percent) to buy more than planned."
Similar research by MarketingSherpa, a research firm specializing in tracking what works in all aspects of marketing (and what does not), supports the JupiterResearch findings. "Social and community network sites have an impact," said Stefan Tornquist, the research director for MarketingSherpa, "but I wouldn't call that impact direct or considerable at this stage."
Does this mean that social and community sites have no place in an online retailer's marketing plan? Not necessarily, say both JupiterResearch Senior Analyst Patti Freeman Evans, who was the lead analyst on the survey, and Tornquist.
The Role of Social and Community Sites in E-tail Marketing
Despite their negligible impact on sales, social and community networking sites do play a role in how consumers perceive a company's brand, products and/or services.
"The big opportunity in the social arena is really in branding and advertising and awareness building," explained Freeman Evans. Additionally, "29 percent of online shoppers say they make better decisions after using these sites," according to the report.
And, as MarketingSherpa's Tornquist points out, certain products, particularly ones that are complex or have enthusiasts who like to chat about them, benefit from being talked about on social or community sites. So depending on your brand, product mix and/or services, it may behoove you to include certain social and/or community sites in your marketing plan, whether it's to post comments, advertise or run promotions on these sites.
But for generating online sales, said Freeman Evans, online retailers get "the best bang for the buck" by "providing user reviews on their Web site, because they immediately help consumers make decisions."
Indeed, more and more, retail sites are providing consumers with all the information they need — product specs, pricing and customer reviews — in one place, forgoing the need to check out third-party sites. That kind of convenience is very important to online shoppers, over a third of which, according to the report, only visit one Web site when researching and purchasing a product.
Google Versus the Shopping Comparison Sites
While the survey revealed that social and community networking sites play a pretty minor role in driving online sales, the researchers found that Google still played a relatively major role, especially when compared to shopping comparison sites, social and community networking sites and third-party blogs.
Indeed, according to the report, Google now drives 15 percent of traffic to retailers' Web sites, compared to just 3 percent for shopping comparison sites, though the reports' authors theorize that the latter's users may be more qualified, that is, more likely to buy something when they reach their desired shopping destination.
Making Smart Marketing Choices
So in light of the JupiterResearch report's findings, is there a magic formula for determining where online retailers should focus their online marketing dollars, especially if they have a limited budget? As Freeman Evans emphasized, a lot of it depends on your particularly business. However, "if you really need to ring the register and acquire customers," she said, "it's probably best to focus on things that drive users directly to your Web site, such as search engine marketing, affiliate marketing, e-mail marketing and those all-important user reviews."
David Schatsky, the president of JupiterResearch, offered this insight: "There is a propensity to gravitate toward what is considered to be the latest and greatest method of getting noticed without knowing for certain that this particular (method) will work. Retailers would be better served to take a step back and evaluate how effective tactics really are — and with whom — to make a stronger impact with the right audiences rather than succumbing to trends."
Put another way, there's no harm in trying out an intriguing new marketing opportunity, but before you pour thousands of dollars into a particular method, test it out, say the experts. Then, if the traffic and dollars come, or if they don't, you will know if that particular method or vehicle is the right one for your online business.
Source http://www.ecommerce-guide.com
"The use of traditional resources such as retailer Web sites continues to dominate shoppers' behavior," according to the JupiterResearch report. "While social and community sites and content offer some value, they are only driving a small portion of online shoppers (12 percent) to buy more than planned."
Similar research by MarketingSherpa, a research firm specializing in tracking what works in all aspects of marketing (and what does not), supports the JupiterResearch findings. "Social and community network sites have an impact," said Stefan Tornquist, the research director for MarketingSherpa, "but I wouldn't call that impact direct or considerable at this stage."
Does this mean that social and community sites have no place in an online retailer's marketing plan? Not necessarily, say both JupiterResearch Senior Analyst Patti Freeman Evans, who was the lead analyst on the survey, and Tornquist.
The Role of Social and Community Sites in E-tail Marketing
Despite their negligible impact on sales, social and community networking sites do play a role in how consumers perceive a company's brand, products and/or services.
"The big opportunity in the social arena is really in branding and advertising and awareness building," explained Freeman Evans. Additionally, "29 percent of online shoppers say they make better decisions after using these sites," according to the report.
And, as MarketingSherpa's Tornquist points out, certain products, particularly ones that are complex or have enthusiasts who like to chat about them, benefit from being talked about on social or community sites. So depending on your brand, product mix and/or services, it may behoove you to include certain social and/or community sites in your marketing plan, whether it's to post comments, advertise or run promotions on these sites.
But for generating online sales, said Freeman Evans, online retailers get "the best bang for the buck" by "providing user reviews on their Web site, because they immediately help consumers make decisions."
Indeed, more and more, retail sites are providing consumers with all the information they need — product specs, pricing and customer reviews — in one place, forgoing the need to check out third-party sites. That kind of convenience is very important to online shoppers, over a third of which, according to the report, only visit one Web site when researching and purchasing a product.
Google Versus the Shopping Comparison Sites
While the survey revealed that social and community networking sites play a pretty minor role in driving online sales, the researchers found that Google still played a relatively major role, especially when compared to shopping comparison sites, social and community networking sites and third-party blogs.
Indeed, according to the report, Google now drives 15 percent of traffic to retailers' Web sites, compared to just 3 percent for shopping comparison sites, though the reports' authors theorize that the latter's users may be more qualified, that is, more likely to buy something when they reach their desired shopping destination.
Making Smart Marketing Choices
So in light of the JupiterResearch report's findings, is there a magic formula for determining where online retailers should focus their online marketing dollars, especially if they have a limited budget? As Freeman Evans emphasized, a lot of it depends on your particularly business. However, "if you really need to ring the register and acquire customers," she said, "it's probably best to focus on things that drive users directly to your Web site, such as search engine marketing, affiliate marketing, e-mail marketing and those all-important user reviews."
David Schatsky, the president of JupiterResearch, offered this insight: "There is a propensity to gravitate toward what is considered to be the latest and greatest method of getting noticed without knowing for certain that this particular (method) will work. Retailers would be better served to take a step back and evaluate how effective tactics really are — and with whom — to make a stronger impact with the right audiences rather than succumbing to trends."
Put another way, there's no harm in trying out an intriguing new marketing opportunity, but before you pour thousands of dollars into a particular method, test it out, say the experts. Then, if the traffic and dollars come, or if they don't, you will know if that particular method or vehicle is the right one for your online business.
Source http://www.ecommerce-guide.com
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Chinese Voices Could Possibly Dominate Business
China Rising is the name of a documentary released within the last couple of years, indicating that China, in both trade and voice, is becoming a super power on the world stage, a power that will have the attention of the entire world thrust upon them as they host the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
China, while an economic power, is also a linguistic power with millions of people around the world learning how to speak Mandarin and Cantonese in order to keep up with the fast paced growth being experienced overseas and in International trade.
Mandarin is quickly becoming the language of business and any businessperson who learns how to speak it is at an advantage to be certain.
As the role of the Chinese language, spoken by billions, becomes more prominent cross the ocean and more Chinese citizens immigrate to North America, the need for Chinese language skills and Chinese voice over will increase significantly.
This week, I conversed with two Chinese voice talents based in the Peoples Republic of China, Kuang Haze and Zhenyu Tan, about what makes their language unique and the role that the Chinese language, particularly Mandarin, plays in the voice over marketplace.
When asked what makes the Chinese language different from other languages, both Kuang and Zhenyu were quick to note that the Chinese language, an Oriental language, is unique because of its structure, characters and relatively high learning curve for non-speakers to learn.
Zhenyu added that along with the development of China, Chinese has become more and more popular around the world. He speculated that Chinese could even be the second most popular language other than English. The Chinese population has spread throughout the world that also facilitates the spread and application of the language in other countries.
Zhenyu raises a pertinent point. With more and more Chinese people moving to North America, the need to provide new citizens of Chinese heritage with communications in their own language is very important.
Kuang Haze, offers, "I have lots of clients from North American, because there are so many Chinese people living in North America. Then often hire me for radio PSAs, on-hold systems, IVR, narration, translation and localization services."
Zhenyu Tan, similarly, is finding that North American clients seek his services.
He relates, "More and more Chinese moved to North American so the local companies started to provide customized products and services for Chinese customers. The marketing is growing. Another factor is that lots of headquarters of global companies are located in North America and oftentimes they produce training materials for all the branches in different countries centrally in North America. The clients in North America have good credit on payment. Most of my jobs from North America are e-learning and business presentations."
The currency of choice to invoice in for Zhenyu when working with International clients is mostly USD and acknowledges that some European clients asked for a Euro quotation. Kuang normally quotes and invoices her clients in Euros, US Dollars, and the British Pound Sterling.
Both voice talent agree that their success marketing online coupled with abilities to speak multiple languages has contributed greatly to their bottom lines.
"I enjoyed greater success marketing my voice online to my clients. I can extend my business to all over the world, I have a big market," Kuang replied. "Most of my clients are agents and producer, all of them had been satisfied with my work, most of them would hire me when they have Chinese VO order. And some of them find my website by searching engine, also I can get hired through voice over marketplaces."
Zhenyu, in agreement with Kuang, shared "The most efficient way (of finding work) is through the voiceover marketplace. Agents can also seek me from the marketplace. My own website only demonstrates the services and voice demo currently."
What I find interesting is that after hearing from so many different voice talents, only Zhenyu at this juncture, has confirmed that he has voice over agents working on his behalf in North America, several in fact, resulting in about ten jobs.
A part of this reason may be because Zhenyu speaks a neutral dialect of Mandarin.
He revealed that the Chinese government has placed an emphasis on speaking Mandarin Chinese for almost over 40 years because they believe that having too many different dialects has caused communication obstacles. Furthermore, even after all of that reinforcement, it is seldom that people can speak standard Mandarin Chinese which government certified.
It is for that reason in particular that hiring a native speaker without any dialect imprints is very important. According to Zhenyu, a business presentation with even a light accent will make people look down or cast judgment upon a company.
Kuang's answer was related to Zhenyu's. She added "There is a big difference between a native speaker of Chinese and someone who is a descendant of a native speaker living abroad. The dialect would changed a lot even someone had living abroad for a long time. Most of the descendants of a native speaker living abroad don't regard Chinese as their primary language. All of my clients need native speaker, so they find me. It is very important."
Source http://www.goarticles.com
China, while an economic power, is also a linguistic power with millions of people around the world learning how to speak Mandarin and Cantonese in order to keep up with the fast paced growth being experienced overseas and in International trade.
Mandarin is quickly becoming the language of business and any businessperson who learns how to speak it is at an advantage to be certain.
As the role of the Chinese language, spoken by billions, becomes more prominent cross the ocean and more Chinese citizens immigrate to North America, the need for Chinese language skills and Chinese voice over will increase significantly.
This week, I conversed with two Chinese voice talents based in the Peoples Republic of China, Kuang Haze and Zhenyu Tan, about what makes their language unique and the role that the Chinese language, particularly Mandarin, plays in the voice over marketplace.
When asked what makes the Chinese language different from other languages, both Kuang and Zhenyu were quick to note that the Chinese language, an Oriental language, is unique because of its structure, characters and relatively high learning curve for non-speakers to learn.
Zhenyu added that along with the development of China, Chinese has become more and more popular around the world. He speculated that Chinese could even be the second most popular language other than English. The Chinese population has spread throughout the world that also facilitates the spread and application of the language in other countries.
Zhenyu raises a pertinent point. With more and more Chinese people moving to North America, the need to provide new citizens of Chinese heritage with communications in their own language is very important.
Kuang Haze, offers, "I have lots of clients from North American, because there are so many Chinese people living in North America. Then often hire me for radio PSAs, on-hold systems, IVR, narration, translation and localization services."
Zhenyu Tan, similarly, is finding that North American clients seek his services.
He relates, "More and more Chinese moved to North American so the local companies started to provide customized products and services for Chinese customers. The marketing is growing. Another factor is that lots of headquarters of global companies are located in North America and oftentimes they produce training materials for all the branches in different countries centrally in North America. The clients in North America have good credit on payment. Most of my jobs from North America are e-learning and business presentations."
The currency of choice to invoice in for Zhenyu when working with International clients is mostly USD and acknowledges that some European clients asked for a Euro quotation. Kuang normally quotes and invoices her clients in Euros, US Dollars, and the British Pound Sterling.
Both voice talent agree that their success marketing online coupled with abilities to speak multiple languages has contributed greatly to their bottom lines.
"I enjoyed greater success marketing my voice online to my clients. I can extend my business to all over the world, I have a big market," Kuang replied. "Most of my clients are agents and producer, all of them had been satisfied with my work, most of them would hire me when they have Chinese VO order. And some of them find my website by searching engine, also I can get hired through voice over marketplaces."
Zhenyu, in agreement with Kuang, shared "The most efficient way (of finding work) is through the voiceover marketplace. Agents can also seek me from the marketplace. My own website only demonstrates the services and voice demo currently."
What I find interesting is that after hearing from so many different voice talents, only Zhenyu at this juncture, has confirmed that he has voice over agents working on his behalf in North America, several in fact, resulting in about ten jobs.
A part of this reason may be because Zhenyu speaks a neutral dialect of Mandarin.
He revealed that the Chinese government has placed an emphasis on speaking Mandarin Chinese for almost over 40 years because they believe that having too many different dialects has caused communication obstacles. Furthermore, even after all of that reinforcement, it is seldom that people can speak standard Mandarin Chinese which government certified.
It is for that reason in particular that hiring a native speaker without any dialect imprints is very important. According to Zhenyu, a business presentation with even a light accent will make people look down or cast judgment upon a company.
Kuang's answer was related to Zhenyu's. She added "There is a big difference between a native speaker of Chinese and someone who is a descendant of a native speaker living abroad. The dialect would changed a lot even someone had living abroad for a long time. Most of the descendants of a native speaker living abroad don't regard Chinese as their primary language. All of my clients need native speaker, so they find me. It is very important."
Source http://www.goarticles.com
Buying A Cell Phone Case Online
The cell phone case has emerged as one of the single most important fashion accessories that you can buy. There are plenty of different styles and designs that will suit your particular tastes. There even may be a cell phone case that is appropriate for a certain mood.
The good news is that these items not only come in an array of styles; they come in an array of price ranges as well. You can opt for a cell phone purse that is designed to impress or you can choose one or two that are perfectly matched for different outfits.
The high end cell phone case is still pretty inexpensive. This is a thrilling revelation for anyone who follows couture fashion and runway styles. The expensive cell phone case won't set you back but it will offer all of the elegance and sophistication that you would expect from celebrity style.
The affordability of the cell phone case that falls into the really cheap realm is overwhelming. You can opt to buy any number of these little gems without coming close to breaking the bank. The wonderful thing is that the typical cell phone case is still well made in spite of its price.
Nevertheless, I like to opt for the best of the best. Those who prefer quality over quantity will want to opt for a cell phone case that is made of excellent materials and one that boasts outstanding craftsmanship. Following are some prime choices in quality cell phone cases that won't set you back.
Italian design is a staple for the sophisticated individual. There is a sporty Italian cell phone case that is fun and androgynous. Men and women alike will fall for this sporty yet sophisticated cell phone case made by Milatne in the Bengina Collection. The colors offered are red, brown or black but any one is a winner.
A man's man may be a little more interested in something a little more masculine. The MOBO cell phone case is perfect for the professional male who wants to make a statement that won't be forgotten. This item is nothing short of masculine beauty incarnate.
Ladies, on the other hand might prefer something a little more flirty and fun. The glittery Rica cell phone case is offered in the hottest fashion colors available and its detailing is eye-catching and fun. Who would have thought that a cell phone case could be so chic?
No matter what your personal style, you can be sure that there is a cell phone case made just for you. Chances are, you will find more than one.
Source http://www.goarticles.com
The good news is that these items not only come in an array of styles; they come in an array of price ranges as well. You can opt for a cell phone purse that is designed to impress or you can choose one or two that are perfectly matched for different outfits.
The high end cell phone case is still pretty inexpensive. This is a thrilling revelation for anyone who follows couture fashion and runway styles. The expensive cell phone case won't set you back but it will offer all of the elegance and sophistication that you would expect from celebrity style.
The affordability of the cell phone case that falls into the really cheap realm is overwhelming. You can opt to buy any number of these little gems without coming close to breaking the bank. The wonderful thing is that the typical cell phone case is still well made in spite of its price.
Nevertheless, I like to opt for the best of the best. Those who prefer quality over quantity will want to opt for a cell phone case that is made of excellent materials and one that boasts outstanding craftsmanship. Following are some prime choices in quality cell phone cases that won't set you back.
Italian design is a staple for the sophisticated individual. There is a sporty Italian cell phone case that is fun and androgynous. Men and women alike will fall for this sporty yet sophisticated cell phone case made by Milatne in the Bengina Collection. The colors offered are red, brown or black but any one is a winner.
A man's man may be a little more interested in something a little more masculine. The MOBO cell phone case is perfect for the professional male who wants to make a statement that won't be forgotten. This item is nothing short of masculine beauty incarnate.
Ladies, on the other hand might prefer something a little more flirty and fun. The glittery Rica cell phone case is offered in the hottest fashion colors available and its detailing is eye-catching and fun. Who would have thought that a cell phone case could be so chic?
No matter what your personal style, you can be sure that there is a cell phone case made just for you. Chances are, you will find more than one.
Source http://www.goarticles.com
Friday, July 20, 2007
Advantages of Merchant Accounts
Merchant accounts, have definitely come as a boon for businessmen operating in both physical and online environment. As consumers become more tech savvy and prefer to use their credit cards for making purchases, marketers too have to gear themselves adequately to provide their customers with the easiest payment options. A merchant account basically helps you accept credit card payment from your customers. If you are an online marketer, then you have no option but to offer electronic payments to your customers. At present, online merchant accounts have become a prerequisite for all web merchants irrespective of their size, nationality or geographical location.
And these accounts really help in processing payments faster and without any complication. Merchant accounts which also goes by the name credit card processing enables business concerns to accept credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and all other types of electronic payments. The biggest advantage of online merchant accounts is that its enables you to cut back on paper work, phone calls and labor cost for data entry. And they also provide a merchant with the additional option of accepting multi currency payments. This gives them the liberty to deal with overseas players and grow their business internationally. Now you can add to your profits by saving hundreds perhaps thousands of precious dollars that you would otherwise have paid as service cost to your merchant service provider. Just log on to Advanced Merchant Services (www.merchant-accounts.com) and discover the advantages of associating with best Merchant Service provider in the United States Today. Advanced Merchant Services, has been leading the merchant service industry for almost a decade and is backed by the biggest processing banks in America. So whether, you need to process a sum of thousand dollars or a million your funds are absolutely secure with AMS. By signing up for a merchant account with Advanced Merchant Services you will be not be required to sign expensive contracts and bind yourself to AMS. It's a perfect testament to the confidence that AMS has in the quality of its services.
Advanced Merchant Services, has not only offers you the best merchant account deal but the cheapest one as well. By using the special Price Bust option, a one of a kind service offered only by AMS you can browse through the rates of all our competitors. If you ever come across a cheaper rate on a service similar to the one provided by us, just let us know and we will immediately beat it by 5%. So visit us at www.merchant-accounts.com and find out about the numerous other advantages offered by AMS.
And these accounts really help in processing payments faster and without any complication. Merchant accounts which also goes by the name credit card processing enables business concerns to accept credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and all other types of electronic payments. The biggest advantage of online merchant accounts is that its enables you to cut back on paper work, phone calls and labor cost for data entry. And they also provide a merchant with the additional option of accepting multi currency payments. This gives them the liberty to deal with overseas players and grow their business internationally. Now you can add to your profits by saving hundreds perhaps thousands of precious dollars that you would otherwise have paid as service cost to your merchant service provider. Just log on to Advanced Merchant Services (www.merchant-accounts.com) and discover the advantages of associating with best Merchant Service provider in the United States Today. Advanced Merchant Services, has been leading the merchant service industry for almost a decade and is backed by the biggest processing banks in America. So whether, you need to process a sum of thousand dollars or a million your funds are absolutely secure with AMS. By signing up for a merchant account with Advanced Merchant Services you will be not be required to sign expensive contracts and bind yourself to AMS. It's a perfect testament to the confidence that AMS has in the quality of its services.
Advanced Merchant Services, has not only offers you the best merchant account deal but the cheapest one as well. By using the special Price Bust option, a one of a kind service offered only by AMS you can browse through the rates of all our competitors. If you ever come across a cheaper rate on a service similar to the one provided by us, just let us know and we will immediately beat it by 5%. So visit us at www.merchant-accounts.com and find out about the numerous other advantages offered by AMS.
Explode Your MLM Team in 3 Short Months With this Amazing 3 Prong Power Punch
The Key to explosive growth is to create a strong team idenity and at the same time promoting team work. These 3 Free Online Tools encourage effective communication with MLM team members and enable anyone to Motivate their MLM Team for explosive Downline growth.
In another article I discuss 9 Sure Fire Methods to explode your Downline. In this Article I discuss 3 of those methods in more detail.
Prong 1 - MLM Team Newsletter You can E-mail this newsletter using the Downline Mailer or Free or Paid Auto responders available on the Internet. The Delivery method is secondary the key is to have a newsletter. You need to let your Downline Know you care and want to help them.
Here are some things you can do with your Newsletter
1. Announce Contests 2. Explain Key parts of the MLM program you are involved in 3. Run Contests 4. Spotlight a Downline Member of the Week 5. Have a Tip of the Week 6. Give Recruiting Tips 7. Announce the Ad Co-Op 8. Announce Conference Calls 9. Brag a little about how well you are doing 10. Encourage your MLM team to join the Team Newsgroup and post often.
Have your team members looking forward to receiving the newsletter by keeping a Regular schedule as much as possible. If you say you are going to send out the newsletter every Friday, send it every Friday.
Prong 2 - The MLM Team Blog A Blog just ads a little more versatility to your Newsletter. Post each and every Newsletter in your Blog. This allows new members to get up to speed by viewing old newsletters it also allows older members to review past newsletters anytime they need too.
In addition to the Newsletter Posts Be sure you Blog at least 2 more times a week. Like Your Newsletter try and keep a Blog Schedule. Make sure you tell your MLM team members that you may make surprise posts to the Team Blog so they check it daily. Encourage your Team members to add your RSS Feed to their Favorite Blog Reader
Things to Blog about
1. New Ad Resource you found. 2. A Little known feature of the MLM Program 3. A huge Surge in membership. 4. Some topic that seems to be getting attention in the Newsgroup 5. Update something you wrote in your newsletter with new and improved Information 6. A quote of the day, Week 7. An Interesting article someone else wrote
Prong 3 - The MLM Team Newsgroup The Newsgroup is the most important part of the 3 Prongs (You can sign-up for a free newsgroup at Yahoo, Google MSN) The Newsgroup is the place your team members can go to interact with each other. The newsgroup is the place where your team members help each other. This is the place your team to really does become a Team.
You need to be pro active in the newsgroup. Post timely Replies to your MLM Team Members. You need to ask Questions of your team members so you know how best to help them. Use the newsgroup to gauge the Pulse of the team. The Newsgroup is your stethoscope into the heartbeat and soul of your MLM Team.
Use your Blog and your newsletter to promote your Team Newsgroup. You really want to get all your team members involved in the newsgroup. The team needs to know and believe the newsgroup is theirs and they can guide it any way they want too. Have the team to choose the newsgroup moderator.
Source http://www.goarticles.com
In another article I discuss 9 Sure Fire Methods to explode your Downline. In this Article I discuss 3 of those methods in more detail.
Prong 1 - MLM Team Newsletter You can E-mail this newsletter using the Downline Mailer or Free or Paid Auto responders available on the Internet. The Delivery method is secondary the key is to have a newsletter. You need to let your Downline Know you care and want to help them.
Here are some things you can do with your Newsletter
1. Announce Contests 2. Explain Key parts of the MLM program you are involved in 3. Run Contests 4. Spotlight a Downline Member of the Week 5. Have a Tip of the Week 6. Give Recruiting Tips 7. Announce the Ad Co-Op 8. Announce Conference Calls 9. Brag a little about how well you are doing 10. Encourage your MLM team to join the Team Newsgroup and post often.
Have your team members looking forward to receiving the newsletter by keeping a Regular schedule as much as possible. If you say you are going to send out the newsletter every Friday, send it every Friday.
Prong 2 - The MLM Team Blog A Blog just ads a little more versatility to your Newsletter. Post each and every Newsletter in your Blog. This allows new members to get up to speed by viewing old newsletters it also allows older members to review past newsletters anytime they need too.
In addition to the Newsletter Posts Be sure you Blog at least 2 more times a week. Like Your Newsletter try and keep a Blog Schedule. Make sure you tell your MLM team members that you may make surprise posts to the Team Blog so they check it daily. Encourage your Team members to add your RSS Feed to their Favorite Blog Reader
Things to Blog about
1. New Ad Resource you found. 2. A Little known feature of the MLM Program 3. A huge Surge in membership. 4. Some topic that seems to be getting attention in the Newsgroup 5. Update something you wrote in your newsletter with new and improved Information 6. A quote of the day, Week 7. An Interesting article someone else wrote
Prong 3 - The MLM Team Newsgroup The Newsgroup is the most important part of the 3 Prongs (You can sign-up for a free newsgroup at Yahoo, Google MSN) The Newsgroup is the place your team members can go to interact with each other. The newsgroup is the place where your team members help each other. This is the place your team to really does become a Team.
You need to be pro active in the newsgroup. Post timely Replies to your MLM Team Members. You need to ask Questions of your team members so you know how best to help them. Use the newsgroup to gauge the Pulse of the team. The Newsgroup is your stethoscope into the heartbeat and soul of your MLM Team.
Use your Blog and your newsletter to promote your Team Newsgroup. You really want to get all your team members involved in the newsgroup. The team needs to know and believe the newsgroup is theirs and they can guide it any way they want too. Have the team to choose the newsgroup moderator.
Source http://www.goarticles.com
The Top 4 Reasons You MUST Consider When Choosing an Affiliate Program
Choosing the right affiliate program is vital for your success in making a successful career of affiliate marketing.
Time is precious and you do not want to invest too much of it on programs that are never going to pay off.
As I am sure you are aware, there are many internet scams out there - so you need to be careful before investing your time and effort in any one direction.
In this article, we're going to learn how to distinguish an excellent affiliate program from a rather mediocre one. Yes, indeed. Not all affiliate programs are built alike. Some are simply better than others.
I personally spent at least two years flitting from one program to another and even got involved with the occasional scam. I lacked guidance and lost $1000s trying everything possible to become successful.
I made a few dollars here and there so I knew it was possible to make money online. I just needed a break or someone to put me on the right path.
Here are some points that you need to consider when choosing your affiliate program:
1. How much is the commission rate being offered by the affiliate program? Obviously, you want as high a commission rate as possible. Who wouldn't, right? True, but there is no point gaining 70%-90% of the sale if the product is crap:-) - which leads me on to my next consideration.
2. How sellable is the product? If you are going to spend time and/or advertising money promoting a product then you must check to see if there are other people finding success selling this product.
A good place to start is Google. If you find advertisers on Google selling this product through Google adwords, then you can be sure there is a profit to be made.
You can also do a quick search of topical online discussion forums where you will find the unbiased reviews and testimonials of other entrepreneurs and internet marketers.
3. How credible is the affiliate program? Is there a big, well known Internet Marketers' name on the product? Do they have a track record of great products and satisfied customers.
You do not want to be known for recommending second rate products online.
Building a trustful reputation online is a massive part of becoming successful so it is extremely important that you only recommend products that yourself and others have found to be useful.
4. How and when will you get paid? There are various ways you can get paid your affiliate commissions. I prefer a straight bank transfer to my account. The most commons methods are by company check or via Paypal.
Paypal is an online payment system that will transfer any money you accumulate directly to your bank account. It is free to join but they will take a small charge for each transaction.
Some affiliate companies pay weekly or fortnightly but the vast majority pay once per month. I would not join a program that paid me less frequently than monthly.
Choosing your affiliate program is only a beginning but if you choosing wisely could make the difference between the success of failure of your affiliate marketing business.
Source http://www.goarticles.com
Time is precious and you do not want to invest too much of it on programs that are never going to pay off.
As I am sure you are aware, there are many internet scams out there - so you need to be careful before investing your time and effort in any one direction.
In this article, we're going to learn how to distinguish an excellent affiliate program from a rather mediocre one. Yes, indeed. Not all affiliate programs are built alike. Some are simply better than others.
I personally spent at least two years flitting from one program to another and even got involved with the occasional scam. I lacked guidance and lost $1000s trying everything possible to become successful.
I made a few dollars here and there so I knew it was possible to make money online. I just needed a break or someone to put me on the right path.
Here are some points that you need to consider when choosing your affiliate program:
1. How much is the commission rate being offered by the affiliate program? Obviously, you want as high a commission rate as possible. Who wouldn't, right? True, but there is no point gaining 70%-90% of the sale if the product is crap:-) - which leads me on to my next consideration.
2. How sellable is the product? If you are going to spend time and/or advertising money promoting a product then you must check to see if there are other people finding success selling this product.
A good place to start is Google. If you find advertisers on Google selling this product through Google adwords, then you can be sure there is a profit to be made.
You can also do a quick search of topical online discussion forums where you will find the unbiased reviews and testimonials of other entrepreneurs and internet marketers.
3. How credible is the affiliate program? Is there a big, well known Internet Marketers' name on the product? Do they have a track record of great products and satisfied customers.
You do not want to be known for recommending second rate products online.
Building a trustful reputation online is a massive part of becoming successful so it is extremely important that you only recommend products that yourself and others have found to be useful.
4. How and when will you get paid? There are various ways you can get paid your affiliate commissions. I prefer a straight bank transfer to my account. The most commons methods are by company check or via Paypal.
Paypal is an online payment system that will transfer any money you accumulate directly to your bank account. It is free to join but they will take a small charge for each transaction.
Some affiliate companies pay weekly or fortnightly but the vast majority pay once per month. I would not join a program that paid me less frequently than monthly.
Choosing your affiliate program is only a beginning but if you choosing wisely could make the difference between the success of failure of your affiliate marketing business.
Source http://www.goarticles.com
Ecommerce Hosting Plays A Vital Role In Your Inernet Business
There are quite a few things that you need to do to set up your online business, before you could open your online store to trading community online. The most important thing is to identify a suitable ecommerce hosting service for your business website. There are companies who provide web hosting or ecommerce hosting services along with Internet connectivity and related application software.
First of all, do not sign on to the first ecommerce hosting service you come across. There are many and it is better to enquire around and ask those who are running online businesses before selecting the ecommerce hosting service for your online store. Narrow down your list of preferred hosts and check out the features each offers. First of all, compare the bandwidth offered by the host. What is the minimum bandwidth offered and is there a provision for providing more bandwidth, as your business increases?
Another important feature is the shopping cart software. Ask the web host what are the different shopping carts offered, shortlist those that are widely used by others and try them out through demos provided by the host. Take time to select the one that is suitable for your intended business and ensure that it is scalable so that you can later increase the number of products or services. Please note that it is often very difficult to change to another shopping cart in mid-stream after your business up and running.
Web hosts usually provide two types of databases based on compatibility with the operating system. The first type of database is that which is compatible with Windows operating system while the second type (like MySQL) is compatible with the open source operating system Linux/Unix. You should also check the scripting provided which could differ from windows supported ASP and .Net to PHP which is compatible with Linux. Most of the online shoppers choose the cost effective and competent php shopping cart.
Some of the other things to take into account are enough disk space, design of the web site, cooperation with a variety of payment transfer services, email accounts functional both for incoming and outgoing mail, an autoresponder service, assistance with domain registration plus web mail facilitating checking the email from anywhere. You should also determine if backup versions are available by contacting the host and asking about procedures in the event of his server misfunctioning.
If you have checked the full list of features and facilities offered by each, consider the reliability and competency. Go through the fine print and check out the technical support and payment options. You will naturally want your business set up quickly and it helps to select a host which offers you a package deal that includes everything your business needs in technology rather than opting for several vendors who provide you different parts of ecommerce solutions, as integrating the piecemeal parts into a complete package is bound to be expensive and time consuming.
Source http://www.goarticles.com
First of all, do not sign on to the first ecommerce hosting service you come across. There are many and it is better to enquire around and ask those who are running online businesses before selecting the ecommerce hosting service for your online store. Narrow down your list of preferred hosts and check out the features each offers. First of all, compare the bandwidth offered by the host. What is the minimum bandwidth offered and is there a provision for providing more bandwidth, as your business increases?
Another important feature is the shopping cart software. Ask the web host what are the different shopping carts offered, shortlist those that are widely used by others and try them out through demos provided by the host. Take time to select the one that is suitable for your intended business and ensure that it is scalable so that you can later increase the number of products or services. Please note that it is often very difficult to change to another shopping cart in mid-stream after your business up and running.
Web hosts usually provide two types of databases based on compatibility with the operating system. The first type of database is that which is compatible with Windows operating system while the second type (like MySQL) is compatible with the open source operating system Linux/Unix. You should also check the scripting provided which could differ from windows supported ASP and .Net to PHP which is compatible with Linux. Most of the online shoppers choose the cost effective and competent php shopping cart.
Some of the other things to take into account are enough disk space, design of the web site, cooperation with a variety of payment transfer services, email accounts functional both for incoming and outgoing mail, an autoresponder service, assistance with domain registration plus web mail facilitating checking the email from anywhere. You should also determine if backup versions are available by contacting the host and asking about procedures in the event of his server misfunctioning.
If you have checked the full list of features and facilities offered by each, consider the reliability and competency. Go through the fine print and check out the technical support and payment options. You will naturally want your business set up quickly and it helps to select a host which offers you a package deal that includes everything your business needs in technology rather than opting for several vendors who provide you different parts of ecommerce solutions, as integrating the piecemeal parts into a complete package is bound to be expensive and time consuming.
Source http://www.goarticles.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)