Saturday, March 25, 2006

What Is Viral Marketing And How Does It Benefit Internet Marketers?

The practice of viral marketing can be very useful to internet marketers. Viral marketing consists of giving away free products or services along with your original ad copy such as links, contact information, and mailing list. In return, those who receive your free products can pass it along to their own customers and prospects. Viral marketing is a great way to advertise for free and without a lot of effort on your part.

Internet marketers should be aware of the value of viral marketing. The ability to advertise your products to a large audience is of great value to you. You can increase your sales and traffic to your web site through the sharing of free information. Some of the more effective methods of viral marketing are:

Ebooks. You can share your free ebook with all who visit your web site. You should include an advertisement for your most profitable product and links to your web site. Make sure to inform those who receive your free ebook that they are free to share it with their own customers and contacts.

Software. You can offer a free trial version of your software to your web site visitors. As with the ebook, include links to your site and your contact information. State plainly on your web site that all those who receive it can share the software freely.

Free web hosting. You can provide free hosting on your server to small businesses or beginning internet marketers. In return, place a banner ad at the top of each site advertising your products and web site. This is a very effective means of advertising your site with little expense. The potential increase in the number of visitors to your web site is worth your efforts.

Templates. You can design your own web site templates, including your own contact information in the design, and offer them as free downloads. Make sure to expressly grant permission for them to be shared with others.

Content. You can provide original content about your particular area of expertise. Include your contact information and web site in the text and allow others to publish it as long as they keep your information intact. As this information is shared and published by others you will attract more traffic to your web site.

Discussion boards. Setting up a discussion board or forum with your banner ad attached is an excellent means of advertising. Invite your web site visitors to join your discussion board and make it available to the public.

Internet marketers should make themselves aware of all means of free advertising. The more you spread the word about your products and services, the more traffic you will draw to your web site. Internet marketing is extremely competitive and you should use all the avenues that are available to you in advertising your web site and products. Experiment with the various ways of viral marketing until you find the ones that work best for you. Increased visibility means more traffic to your web site and more traffic will translate in to higher sales.

Successful internet marketers not only provide valuable products and services, they use any means possible to advertise to as many people as possible. The success of your business rests on your ability to promote your web site.
 

About the author:

Peter Dobler is a 20+ year veteran in the IT business. He is an active Real Estate Investor and a successful Internet business owner. Collect more free software and bonus content for your own web site at http://www.online-business-idea.com

Visit our sponsor http://www.sell1on1.com

Friday, March 24, 2006

Common Search Engine Mistakes That Internet Marketers Should Avoid

Traffic to your web site is what will make you a successful internet marketer. If you cannot draw traffic, you will not make money. Normally the creator of a web site does so with the intention of generating traffic. You can accomplish this through various forms of advertising, but the least expensive way is through the search engines. A successful internet marketer will design their web sites to be attractive to search engines. No matter how impressive the design of your web site, you will not profit from it if the site is not noticed by the major search engines.

The effective use of keywords is probably the most important factor in search engine placement. If you pay little attention to keywords or use the wrong keywords, your web site will receive little or no traffic. The overuse of keywords is just as bad as having no appropriate keywords. If you repeat the same phrases over and over the search engines will downgrade your web site or skip it completely. Be careful to provide unique content on your web pages. Search engines will detect duplicate content and may refuse to index your site at all.

If you want to succeed as an internet marketer you must use only the keywords that are directly related to your business. The excessive use of unrelated keywords is an unethical practice that can cause your site to be classified as spam by the search engines and possibly removed from search engine listings. Make certain to use only the keywords that pertain to your particular business.

Including keywords that are simply there to generate traffic is not a recipe for success in the world of internet marketing. In addition, do not use hidden text as a means of attracting visitors to your site. Occasionally internet marketers will place hidden keywords on their site, usually by making the keywords the same color as the web page so that the words are not visible. This is also unethical and search engines are smart enough to notice.

Do not make the mistake of thinking all search engine are the same. Each search engine has its own rules that are subject to change at any time. Make a point to learn the particulars of each of the major search engines. Free web hosting is also a bad idea. Search engines will often rid themselves of content that is provided by a free host. If you are serious about succeeding as an internet marketer, you must be willing to build quality web sites with valuable content. You should also be vigilant in making certain your web site is complete. Missing graphics and links will not help you to generate traffic to your site.

These are just a few of the things an internet marketer can do to generate traffic and be recognized by the search engines. If you want to profit from internet marketing you must be willing to put forth your best effort in building your site and making it attractive to the search engines. You will waste your time and effort by attempting to build sites that contain spam or offer no real information. Internet marketing is a highly competitive business. Your success or failure depends on how much you are willing to put into your web site.
 

About the author:

Peter Dobler is a 20+ year veteran in the IT business. He is an active Real Estate Investor and a successful Internet business owner. Collect more free software and bonus content for your own web site at http://www.online-business-idea.com

Visit our sponsor http://www.sell1on1.com

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Aspiring Internet Marketers - How To Attract Business To Your Site

Every day more and more people are realizing the great potential in internet marketing. Internet marketing is a booming industry and can make you money - if you are willing to work for it. Potential internet marketers have access to multiple sources of free training material. You can learn the best techniques and business practices practically free due to the numerous resources available online. In turn, your clientele can learn just as quickly on what is truly a value and what is simply hype. People are more than willing to spend money online. A successful internet marketer will treat the public like intelligent adults who are able to determine what constitutes a bargain and what does not.

As an internet marketer, ask yourself a few simple questions:

What will it take to convince potential customers to buy from you instead of the competition?

What will make your customers want to ask for a refund and unsubscribe to your mailing list?

What makes people want to buy in the first place?

You can keep your customers interest by offering a valuable product that will provide them knowledge. Your product or service must offer them a way to speed the growth of their own business. Your product will sell if it provides internet marketers a way to automate certain tasks, freeing their time to concentrate on creativity and marketing rather than spend their valuable time on routine jobs. Once your customers have become accustomed to a few sales letters, they begin to search for what the product can truly offer them. Original content and products that give customers a unique value for their dollar are what attracts new business.

In general, people unsubscribe from mailing lists because they repeatedly receive the same emails over and over. As an internet marketer you must remember to move customers from one mailing list to another after they have made a purchase. Emails that give the identical information as several other affiliates for the same product will lead to the loss of customers. Your customers demand new information presented to them in a way that makes you stand out from the crowd. Keep in mind that once someone has subscribed to your list, you will have to provide regular mailings containing new information. Unique content is absolutely necessary for the success of your internet marketing business.

If your product does not live up to the promises you make, you can expect customers to ask for a refund. Smart customers will no longer simply chalk it up to a bad experience. If your product or service does not provide them exactly what you have promised, they will not hesitate to ask for their money back. To succeed as an internet marketer, you must provide your customers value for their money.

There is always another internet marketer who is willing to offer potential customer a superior value. If you expect to profit, you must give your customers an exceptional product at a fair price. Keep your mailing list updated and offer unique content each and every time. The way you relate to your customers is directly related to the profits you can expect to receive. Becoming an internet marketer is not as simple as creating a web site and joining affiliate programs. You will have to be vigilant in the work you put into your business and the attention you give to your customers.
 

About the author:

Peter Dobler is a 20+ year veteran in the IT business. He is an active Real Estate Investor and a successful Internet business owner. Collect more free software and bonus content for your own web site at http://www.online-business-idea.com

Visit our sponsor http://www.sell1on1.com

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Your Finances

Terry J. Rigg Sr.

Your Finances
By Terry Rigg

Which category do you fall in?

I have determined that financially, people fall into one of
three categories.

1. Family 1 has all the money they need for necessities and
more and manage it very well.

2. Family 2 has all the money they need for necessities and
more but live payday to payday with ever increasing debt.

3. Family 3 don't have enough money for necessities.

The funny thing about the three families above is that they
could have exactly the same income and family size. This is
not to say that special circumstances has nothing to do with
it, but on the average most people live above their means.

Family 1 has established a workable budget. They don't pay
more than they can afford for housing, transportation,
utilities, etc. They also have money set aside for long and
short term savings. This short term savings provides two=
things. First, it makes money available when the car breaks
down, you need a new washer or any number of unexpected
expenses that crop up. Second, it prevents the need to use
credit cards for these items. The savings here could be
hundreds of dollars. Family 1 planned.

Family 2 is still struggling to establish a budget. In many
cases their house payments or rent is much more than they can
afford. They don't take the time to evaluate the money that
could be saved with little effort. Usually there is no short
term savings, let alone short term. They use credit cards as
if they were cash and pay hundreds of dollars in unnessary
finance charges and penalities. These people find themselves
with financial problems that often leads to bankruptcy. Family
2 either didn't plan or may not know how the handle their
finances.

Family 3 has given up on a budget. No matter what they do there
isn't enough money to pay for= housing and other necessities.
They struggle to put food on the table. Most don't qualify for
credit cards, which is a good thing. In some cases this
situation is self inflicted and some are due to circumstances.

What is the answer to these problems?

Family 1 - Leave these people alone unless you plan to ask their
advice.

Family 2 - These are the people that need to seek help and stand
a chance of becoming a family 1 family. The possible solutions
include a debt management company like Consumer Credit Counseling
Service. They need to establish a budget and stick to it. If
their housing and other expenses are too high, then they need to
cut back, even if they have to move. They also need to cut up
the credit cards and think about consolidating. Depending on
how far they are in debt, this could take years.

Family 3 - While their struggle seems useless, there are things
that can be done. First, they need to= see to it that everything
is being done to keep expenses down. The electric bill is a
good example. There is federally subsidized housing that only
charges a small fee based on your income. Make sure that they
are receiving all federal and state benefits that they are
entitled. If they are able, they should seek job training or
some other means to make their life a little better.

Which family are you? No matter whether your are family 1, 2
or 3, there is hope. The primary thing that must be done is to
educate everyone that learning to managing their finances is
absolutely for their peace of mind. With the vast amount of
information on the internet providing help, this is possible.

If you are a family 2 or 3 family, "The Complete Budget and Bill
Organizer" http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/BBOonline.html can help.

About the Author

Terry Rigg is the author of Living Within Your Means - The Easy
Way http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/ebookadpage.html and editor
of The FREE Budget Stretcher Newsletter and Budget Stretcher
web site http://www.homemoneyhelp.com. He has 25 years of
experience counseling individuals and families concerning their
personal finances. Use this email link to get a list of all of
Terry's articles by autoresponder at:
articlelist@budgetstretcherpremium.com

Internet Marketing - Draw Traffic To Your Site With Content

Content is the most important factor in drawing traffic to your web site. Internet marketing requires more than just developing a web site and hoping for the best. Providing useful content is imperative to the success of your internet marketing endeavors. There are several ways content can boost your sales, bring visitors to your web site, and increase your profits.

Internet marketers must place the appropriate keywords on their web sites if they expect a high ranking in the search engines. Depending on the nature of your business, finding the most searched for terms on a particular topic will bring visitors to your site. You must provide fresh content on a regular basis if you expect the search engines to find you. You can also increase your subscriptions and your clientele by regularly updating the content on your web site. By offering free reports or informational publications you will increase your customer base. People love to receive free bonuses, and by offering them to new subscribers or clients you will surely attract new business.

You can create additional cash flow by using an auto responder to send out multi-part newsletters containing links to affiliate programs or web sites. Your subscribers will love the constant information and they will be drawn to the links you provide. Training courses and multi-part newsletters serve as excellent freebies for prospective clients.
Simply having a mailing list is not enough to find success in the internet marketing industry. You must build a relationship with your subscribers and actively seek out new subscribers.

As an internet marketer, sending out new content in the form of informational articles will establish your expertise in your particular area of business and will allow you to gain the trust of your subscribers. The result will be that your subscribers will be anxious to pay for the services or products you offer. Make sure to not take advantage of this trust by offering low quality products. You will quickly lose the trust you have gained if you do not offer the best your business has to offer.

Internet marketing has one constant rule. A list of subscribers is money in the bank. Cultivate your list with new content and special offers. Affiliate programs and link sharing are excellent money making tools for internet marketers. By providing new content on a regular basis, you can keep the interest of your subscribers and gain their trust as an expert in your field. Keep your mailing list up to date and offer special promotions and freebies to your subscribers. Success in internet marketing consists of more than developing web sites and waiting for the traffic to flow. You must offer unique content and attractive incentives if you want your business to profit.

Many internet marketing businesses have failed due to lack of updated content. Your web sites must be constantly updated with new content in order to draw the attention of the major search engines. Keep this in mind when cultivating your mailing list. You can keep the interest of your subscribers by offering free information and offers of free training courses. Your subscribers will love the attention and the expertise you share with them. Internet marketing is a great way to put money in the bank. Just be certain you are providing valuable, new information to keep your subscribers interested.

 

 

About the author:

Peter Dobler is a 20+ year veteran in the IT business. He is an active Real Estate Investor and a successful Internet business owner. Collect more free software and bonus content for your own web site at http://www.online-business-idea.com

Visit our sponsor http://www.sell1on1.com

Using the internet to manage your family's finance

cashzilla

The effectiveness of managing family finances has never been more significant, as parents struggle to find a balance between work and family life. A recent study by Mother and Baby magazine has found that new parents are getting less sleep than previous generations, with new mums struggling to manage their exhaustion.

Whilst there is no technological solution to sleepless nights as yet, it is possible to assign many tasks which were once only possible through physical movement, to the internet, such as shopping and banking. No longer do you have to worry about co-ordinating the demands of screaming children with your weekly shopping list or about missing the bank at 5:01pm. Whatever issues you may face with your child, there are plenty of websites collating advice from parents around the world, such as http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/ and http://www.babycentre.co.uk/.

There are websites such as http://www.parentspenniespounds.co.uk/ offering financial advice and support, and financial comparison sites such as http://www.moneynet.co.uk/index.shtml, which ensure that parents can always find the best deal for their finances, including credit cards, loans, mortgage, life insurance, house insurance, car insurance and the children's savings accounts. Many personal finance sites including moneynet also offer "account aggregation" tools, which allow parents (and non parents!) to manage all of their finances online, including current accounts, savings accounts, loans and credit cards. If you think your household bills are too high, uSwitch.com can provide you with a comparison of providers for gas & electricity, water and household communications.

And if that all seems a little too practical, take some time out for a little light relief with http://www.learnthenet.com/english/features/tenthings.htm. This website offers a wealth of information about how to extract useful information from the internet, as well as providing more random suggestions such as the science of online games, "design a structure of copper coins" and even the world's most calorific sandwich.

About Rachel: Rachel writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla: http://www.cashzilla.co.uk Cashzilla is a personalfinanosaurus. "Rachel" means sheep in Hebrew: "little lamb" or "one with purity". Cashzilla means financially savvy with great fiery ferocity.
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Oldsmar
FL 34677
United States



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Tuesday, March 21, 2006

University Life: a course in personal finance

Richard Green

Recent findings from the Educational Policy Institute indicated that the UK is the third most expensive place in the world to go to university. Combine this with figures from the Prudential, showing that a third of university students have considered abandoning their studies due to the financial strain they have encountered, and it is not surprising that many prospective students are finding the need to seriously think through the merits of going to University.

Whilst it is true that there are currently loans available from both the government and from banks that are designed to see students through their period of studies, for many this will mean emerging into their adult life with mountains of debt. Barclays Bank has stated it believes that once top-up fees are introduced it will cost about £33,000 to put a child through university in England and Wales. At a time when the number of students has greatly increased and the number of high paid graduate careers appears to have diminished, students now have to factor in the cost of living when making the important decision of where to study. In an article by the Scotland On Sunday (http://business.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=644512005 ), the experiences of a university student from Glasgow show that the question of finance already weighs heavy for some students in their choices of where, or even if, they can study. Moving out of the parental home to take full advantage of university life may become less of an option for students as costs increase and financial assistance decreases.

The president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, Melanie Ward, said: "I think most students underestimate the amount of debt they will leave university with, which will be above £13,000."

With graduates needing to earn £22,000 a year in order to pay off anything more than just the interest on their student loans, many people are in their 30s or even 40s before their debt is fully cleared.

Graduates are also finding that they have to make tough decisions as soon as they complete their courses. With banks, building societies, credit card companies, and other private sector lenders requiring the sums borrowed to be repaid. The immediate question of, "Do I build on the knowledge, work experience and internships, that I've had over the last few years and pursue my dream career, or does the chasing of the perfect job I've been working towards for years, have to take second place to getting back into the black?", is now an all too intrusive reality for many.

Some students are finding it so difficult to make ends meet that they are trying to seek alternative means of resolving their debt. Checkmyfile.com ( http://www.checkmyfile.com/) has shown that that the number of students declaring themselves bankrupt tripled in 2004. Another method of reducing graduate debt is getting the loans written off through undergraduate bursary programmes by the military or teacher training, in return for agreeing to a placement period following graduation. There are however some potentially serious drawbacks to both types of schemes. These include possible damage to future career prospects or compulsory placement period in a career which the graduate does not want to proceed with long-term.

All is not doom and gloom however, with university authorities and the Students' Union offering advice at college, and after graduation. Public sector organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau ( http://www.cas.org.uk/ )can provide advice if real difficulties occur. Speaking directly to your lenders can often resolve problems. Switching between loans and credit cards is a good way to help reduce interest payments. Financial websites like Moneynet ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk ) can provide a useful source of information by enabling students and graduates to see which loan or credit card provider is currently offering the best deal and 0% introductory rate.

It seems budgeting and hard decisions are required by all potential students these days, with a degree in personal finance a desirable pre-requisite before starting actual studies.

About the Author

Richard works in Edinburgh for a media company, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla, and drinking too much coffee.

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Oldsmar
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Monday, March 20, 2006

Understanding UK Bridging Finance

Commercial Lifeline

Bridging finance, also referred to as "bridge loans" and "bridging loans", have nothing at all to do with re-constructing the London Bridge. Bridging finance is typically a short-term loan that a business uses to supply cash for a real estate transaction until permanent financing can be arranged. The word "bridge" conveys the fact that the loan is designed to get you over a temporary obstacle. A typical use for a bridge loan is to cover situations such as when a company needs to close on a new office building before having sold their old one. They would use the proceeds of the bridge loan to continue making payments on the old building until it is sold.

Bridging finance almost always requires that you pledge some sort of collateral as security against the loan. You could offer up commercial or private real estate that you own,or are in the process of buying, machinery and office equipment or even existing inventory. If you have outstanding business and personal credit, as well as an outstanding relationship with your lender, you might be able to secure your bridge loans on just a signature.

Because the need for bridging finance sometimes arises suddenly and without warning, it is a good idea to establish a relationship with a lender before the actual need arises. When you do this you can arrange to be pre-approved for a specified loan limit. Later, when the need suddenly arises, you won't have to wade through all of the red tape. The typical term for a bridge loan runs from a fortnight to as long as two years. Of course, any terms can be negotiated and a motivated lender will work hard to match your needs.

Since bridging finance usually lasts for a relatively short period you may find that the interest rate you are being asked to pay is slightly higher than a more conventional type of loan. Lenders make their profit by charging interest across the life of the loan. The shorter the loan period the less interest they earn. As a result many lenders will often boost the rate by a 1/2 point or more. In general, the length of the loan, the amount of risk that is present for the lender, the quality of your credit history and the liquidity and value of your collateral all are used to help determine the interest rate.

Your best bet for securing a bridge loan at the most favourable rates and terms is to work with a qualified UK Commercial Mortgage Broker who understands the ins and outs of bridge loans. That way you can get your application in front of as many lenders as possible and end up with several who are willing to compete for your business.


About the Author

Commercial Lifeline are Commercial Mortgage and Bridging Finance specialists.

This article comes with reprint rights. Feel free to reprint and distribute as you like. All that we ask is that you do not make any changes, that this resource text is include, and that the link above is intact.

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United States



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