Knowing the Market

A newcomer to the world of investments in the notion of “Virtual Real Estate Investing“. What is meant by “Virtual Real Estate Investing” ranges from online games like SecondLife (where real profit can be made) to the use of internet technologies to make normal real estate investors more profitable.

To separate fact from fiction, I asked Bryan Ellis of BryanEllis.com for comments. He’s the man many consider to be the father of this new form of investing.

When I began using the term virtual real estate investing in the late 1990s, I did so because I saw clear parallels between the strategies used for profiting from physical real estate and those that would create income in the online world, said Ellis.

An example of the similar nature of “virtual” and “physical” real estate Bryan Ellis likes to point out is the methods of making a profit from domain names compared to physical real estate. He points out that control of a domain name or even a specific web page is much like controlling a real estate property ” those assets can be monetized in similar ways: By selling them for a profit, by leasing them, by offering advertising, etc.

I must admit: Its easy to see the parallels. After all, if you own a valuable piece of real estate, it’s “valuable” because other people are interested in that specific piece of property. Similarly, ownership of a desirable domain name is valuable for the same reasons. In either case, you could sell or lease the asset and turn it into cash.

In our next installment of this series on virtual real estate investing, Bryan Ellis will share the internet analogies to the physical concept of real estate development.

The excellent old Chinese statement has an immense gist; the catchphrase portrayed the fact that we identify with an event a lot more when it is watched. Via video production or videography it’s practical to capture a sequence of occasions. Vidify provides clear strategic insight into managing online video as an effective part your video marketing mix.

Today in various different organisations presentations, video clips are often adopted. Utilising video production it is realistic to make available the necessary message to several different potential clientele to help encourage them. Video production is today employed for many different purposes; however, a number of corporate videos & awareness related productions are usually created in order to attain particular commercial goals.

Audio video productions are presently in vogue & thus are used in nearly any form of business activity. Digital media firms by and large work with a particular client or an organisation that wants to produce a short format video, a presentation or a series of video clips. The full work of video production is usually carried out by a number of freelancers; though there are a select number of good online video production companies around at the moment.

Involvement of music composers, cameraman and script writers can also be very typical when creating internet video productions. What’s more, advertising agencies and public relations agencies have very recently become involved with online video distribution.

Another common myth regarding PC security software is that “free antivirus” or “free antispyware” is worse than “paid versions” of same products. In fact, we’re talking about feature-limited editions - less controls, simpler admin panels, no live support, etc. But signature databases are same as with paid software, because engineers cannot waste time coding separate databases for users of free and paid programs. It would be silly. This kind of malware usually collects private data reports it to home server and creates the profile of your browsing activities.

This scam is very simple; the thieves simply wait until some unsuspecting user who is searching for, say, airline ticket offers, finds their site offering dirt-cheap airline tickets. Really pleased with himself and looking forward to the trip, the user fills in the form, entering his credit card number, expiry date and verification value (CVV). Data loggers, key loggers are just a few programs which harvest info from your computer. Winclear is the only program created specially to auto remove such spywares. 74. That is why every computer owner needs winclear.

Protect With Winclear :How To Delete History Internet
Identity theft protection is quickly becoming a hot topic. Every day, computer users are haunted by stories of people falling victim to identity theft. The biggest culprit in this recent rise in cyber crime is spyware, the buzzword that is on the lips of every internet user. Experts are now saying that nothing is 100 percent secure on the internet anymore, and users must take steps to protect themselves. Winclear is the only software which is capable of removing keylogger programs. Because even if you erase the file that person can use file retriever and in just seconds the file that you had been erased are still available. Winclear has been the industry leader in fighting keyloggers for the last 8 years.

Winclear:
Just because a banking site labels itself as secure does not mean that a user is protected from a keylogger. That is the reason why you need Winclear installed onto your computer. The Internet is a source of myriad information that can help us make our grueling existence easier and happier. Protect your computer security by using Winclear! More about Winclear here: Win Clear.

There seems to have been a surge of highly emotional debates on several of the networks I’m on lately, including ones that I moderate. I expect this on, say, Slashdot or other topical networks where people are anonymous, but it really surprises me that people engage in this in a business networking context. No one looks their best when they’re bickering.

There are two simple principles of netiquette that you can use to help prevent escalation of these conversations into flame wars:

1. Presume good intent. What is the best possible way the other person could mean by what they said? If your initial reaction to what somebody says is negative, pause. Take a deep breath. Try to detach from your own personal context and put yourself in their context. What might they have meant by that? Maybe you’re misinterpreting what they’re saying.

So pick the best possible meaning, and respond to that. What’s the worst that can happen? They correct you and say, “No, I really meant…”? On the other hand, if you respond to your negative reaction, the worst possible thing is that an escalation begins — a vicious circle. Sound familiar?

You’re never backed into a corner online. Take the time to cool off and re-think it before you reply.

2. Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say in person. Would you say it to their face at a networking event? If not, then why would you say it here? Don’t think that the relationships here are any less important, the feelings any less real, etc. And don’t think it won’t have any impact on your business.

No one looks good when they get emotional in an argument, even when they’re right. Does it reflect better on you to be right? Or to be someone who’s easy to get along with?

I’m not saying people shouldn’t voice their opinions, or debate their differences of opinion, but not at the expense of their relationships and even their reputation.

Think about it… would you want to do business with someone who was always right but always arguing about it to show how right they are? (unless they’re a trial lawyer, of course, in which case that’s a very desirable trait)

Scott Allen is the About.com Entrepreneurs Guide, providing free resources and guidance to help entrepreneurs as they start and grow their business. He is coauthor with David Teten of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online, the first guide to winning friends and influencing clients with online networks, and joint contributor to the companion resource site and blog. They write a monthly column for FastCompany.com and are contributing authors to Blog! How the Newest Media Revolution is Changing Politics, Business and Culture.

Years ago I was watching a documentary on advertising.
The creative director of a major agency was being
interviewed about what makes a successful advertisement.

Halfway through the interview he pulled out three
tennis balls and demonstrated something that still
sticks with me today.

He was talking about the most powerful way to make
sure your marketing message gets through to your
intended audience.

First, to demonstrate what most marketing does, he
threw all three tennis balls at the interviewer.
The interviewer tried to catch the balls, but as
you can imagine, he missed them all.

They repeated the exercise and the second time he
caught one ball.

He then went on to explain that this is what many
marketers do.

They cram their websites and brochures and ads and
elevator pitches with tons of information about their
business, product or service and they expect their
audience to “get it.”

This is the equivalent of throwing a bunch of tennis
balls at your audience.

What happens?

You’re lucky if the audience walks away with anything.
Much less the one key thing you want them to know
about you.

Back to the tennis ball demonstration.

Next, the creative director tossed just one tennis
ball to the interviewer.

Guess what happened? Yep, he caught it, easily.

Same thing happens with your marketing.

If you focus your marketing on one key message you
can be sure your audience is going to “catch” it.

This puts you in control of your marketing. And it
makes your marketing much more effective.

But it does take some work upfront because you have
to decide what that one key piece of information is.

You’ve got to know what to say in order to persuade
your audience to take the next step you want them
to take.

You’ve also got to know your audience and do some
other homework so you can determine what that key
message is.

It’s not hard.

But it is one very important step you must take
in order to be an effective marketer.

(C) Copyright 2006 Debbie LaChusa

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free 10-week Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com

If you want more traffic on your beer label’s website, the simple, useful and well-accepted beer coaster may be the answer! A recent German market survey describes the beer coaster as one of the consumers’ favorite forms of advertising. Survey participants classified beer coaster ads as entertaining, eye-catching, appealing and non-intrusive. More than 50% would take a coaster home with them - and they’re a lot more useful than a soggy cocktail napkin. Their durability is what makes coasters a viable advertising format.

The direct marketing situation is ideal. Your customers come across a beer coaster in their free time in a relaxed atmosphere where their attention will be drawn to the coaster on the table. With your brewery’s website address prominently advertised, the message is immediate. Integrating creative ideas such as contests, merchandise sales and the promise of details on your website will prompt the customer to visit the site and extend the temporal attachment to the advertising medium. If you have joined the growing number of companies buying advertising space on the beer home page you will see how beer coasters or beer mats drive up the traffic count.

The next step is getting your beer mats under the noses of your target audience. Of course it is common practice to supply beer coasters to the brew pubs, restaurants and clubs that sell your beer. Let’s extend the market! Do you sell your product in cyber-pubs, or non-alcoholic beverages in cyber-cafes? Providing coasters to these venues is a marketing opportunity that is bound to succeed.

Besides making beer coasters available at your booth, roam the crowds at beer festivals giving out coasters as you go. Contact sporting events and local fairs offering beer gardens - you will supply their beer coasters! When your company sponsors or provides beverages for a charity or special event, include beer coasters in your handout goody bag.

Contests are an interactive way of attracting attention to your coaster and on to your website. Along with your logo and company name, ‘Win A Pub Crawl In New York’ is sure to get attention! Add an arrow or ‘turn over coaster to learn how’ and use the flip side to ask the customer to visit your website for details.

Contest advertising on coasters is ideal for distribution at events and festivals. Attend with a display table and a computer with your website running so people can enter and join the fun instantly. Signage will prompt those present to look at the coaster and visit your site.

Coasters are collectible. A simple Internet search proves their popularity. Including your brewing company’s website address on special collection editions, lottery or coupon campaigns, etc., will enhance the coaster’s value for beer enthusiasts and coaster collectors.

Remember, beer coasters may not be potable but they’re portable. Not many customers take home a beer bottle with its label, set it in front of their computer and log-on; but they will take home a beer coaster!

Keith Tomlinson is President of Excalibur Communications, the company that created TheBeerHomepage.com Pixel Marketing web portal. Besides web marketing and development Excalibur provides value added 1-800 lead generation, tracking and conference call services to a wide range of clientele through North America. Visit http://www.thebeerhomepage.com to find out more about this exciting and fun new way of advertising.

How many niche markets are perched right under your nose? …markets you’ve been overlooking? Hey, take a look at the customers you have right now. Are there any groups that stick out in your mind? Now let me ask you this…Do your advertisements and sales cater to any of these groups?

When I say niche markets, if small businesses, nurses, or homeowners comes to mind… you’re thinking too broadly. Exactly what is a niche market?

Niche Markets Are:

1. Individuals within a group that you can identify by the same interests and needs.
2. Individuals who are looking for your product.
3. Individuals you have the ability to compel to do business with you, rather than your competitor.
4. Individuals that you can easily reach
5. A group that is large enough to do the amount of business you need.
6. A group that is small enough to be overlooked by your competition.

The greatest value of niche markets is that they enable you to target your sales messages precisely. And yes, the more narrowly you define your market, the easier it is going to be to address the needs within the niche.

How Do You Find Niche Markets?
Of course, the first place to start is with a list of the customers you already have! Dig around. Are there any similarities that seem to stand out to you?

Another method involves listing the benefits of your product or service. Think about it… which prospects would benefit the most from this list of benefits? A narrow group of people should begin to emerge. That is your niche market.

How Do You Reach Niche Markets?
Get to know them! First you’ve got to understand the language of each segment of your clientelle. Yeah, they may all be speaking English, but they have their own vocabulary and style that only an insider is privy to. Get inside the circle…it’s the only way to really gain insight to their special needs.

Insiders get the real scoop on things that outsiders never even know exist. When your customers see you as “one of us” you’ll be way ahead of the competition. Your customers will have a loyalty toward you that your competitor will not be able to break through…even with lower prices…because you are the one who understands their needs!

Marketers are always looking for low-cost ways to boost sales volume and profits…it’s in their blood…part of who they are. They can’t resist the urge to find, explore or invent another method to increase the value of their business…and most of them know that there are niche markets all around - just waiting to be discovered.

Who is Allyn Cutts, and why should you care?
Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally with clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at www.AllynCutts.com and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Submitted with Article Distributor.

When I started my coaching practice I believed that I could coach anyone. My marketing wasn’t targeted. Taking a few clients that were “wrong” for me cured me of that. I began to define my “perfect client” and then started to notice flags that told me that someone didn’t fit my definition.

Have you ever had a premonition that someone wouldn’t be a good client for you? Today the person I hired to paint my house dropped by to pick up his check. He asked me about a neighbor to whom he had given a quote. He said, “She seems like a nice lady but something is telling me she’ll be a problem.”

He went on to say that she wanted a guarantee that the paint wouldn’t peel. He said with all the plants around her house and her irrigation system he didn’t feel comfortable doing that. Although he would like the work and was confident in his ability to do a great job for her, he decided to pass on the job.

Bob has owned his own painting business for 25 years and really knows who his “perfect customer” is. He sees warning signs that tell him when the work will cost him more than he will make.

Large businesses often take all customers as long as they believe they have the ability to pay. They don’t use a screening method. I remember thinking while I was at AT&T that some customers were more of a headache than they were worth.

One customer I remember started her weekend early on Friday afternoon and came back to her office after lunch inebriated. In that condition everything annoyed her so she would start calling us for immediate service on her equipment or adjustments on her bill. She knew all the numbers to call (including the president of the company!). If she didn’t get attention she called the person’s boss. She sounded pretty normal on the phone so she was taken very seriously. She consistently drained resources.

Do you get an inkling that a prospective client will be a problem? What are the warning signs? I know for example that people who believe they know everything and never make a mistake are not good clients for me. I listen for that when I talk to potential clients.

Also if someone comes to me for a marriage issue, I know that is not my area of expertise. I could coach the person but because I don’t work in this area much it takes me longer to get up to speed on it. Better to refer that client to someone else and to find the lawyers and other professionals that I have a specific business development program for and experience in coaching. It is more profitable for me and more satisfying for my clients.

One exercise I do with my clients is to ask them to rate their current clients as A, B, C and D clients. They come up with their own criteria for A (the dream client), B (the dream client in training) C (the average client) and D (the client from hell). The goal is to find a way to have only A and B clients in their practice.

Can you see that getting rid of C and D clients would give you extra time to work with the clients you enjoy? By doing this you aren’t wasting precious time trying to please someone who needs lots of special attention.

Think too about the kind of referrals you will get from C and D clients. We attract people to us that are very much like us so C and D clients probably will refer C and D clients.

If you want to have a thriving practice with clients you enjoy working with the first step is to get very clear about your “perfect client”. What makes him/her perfect and then what tells you that the prospect sitting in front of you or the one on the phone is that perfect client?

Take Action

1. Read Attracting Perfect Customers by Stacey Hall and Jan Brogneiz

2. What are your criteria for A, B, C and D clients?

3. Classify your current and past clients as A, B, C and D clients. What did you learn from the exercise?

4. Can you create a script with several questions for your staff to use so that you don’t have to talk to any potential client that is clearly not an A or B client? Do you have a list of other attorneys, doctors, painters etc that they can refer the C and D clients to?

About Alvah Parker

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker’s Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Parker’s Value Program© enables her clients to find their own way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. Her clients are managers, business owners, sole practioners, attorneys and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

As a small business how do you compete with the big guys and their big budget advertising campaign? The big guys don’t read this magazine so we can share these low budget yet high-impact marketing secrets with you.

Use these tips to market yourself as the expert in your field.

Write tips sheets - for your clients, prospects and the media.

Write and publish articles in magazines, newsletters and newspapers.

Write letters to the editor expressing opinions, advice and clarification.

Publish your own newsletter.

Write a book - the best way to be seen as the expert.

Send out regular news releases.

Be interviewed by the press.

Sponsor a contest or award.

Make speeches to service clubs and associations.

Offer information seminars to prospects and clients.

Stay informed and leading edge on your area of expertise.

Offer your clients extra ‘free advice from the expert’.

Earn designations and awards from your industry or trade associations.

Seek out the top experts in your field - know and get known by them.

Act, sound and feel like the expert you want to be - confidence is powerful.

Find a mentor you admire who can help you and make introductions.
Seek out leaders in other businesses to trade ideas and do joint promotions with - we judge you by who you hang around with.

Why market yourself as the expert? Clients come to you and you can charge more money.

Excerpted from the national bestseller, Secrets of Power Marketing.

©George Torok is co-author of the national bestseller, “Secrets of Power Marketing”, the first guide to personal marketing for the non-marketer. He delivers training programs and inspirational speeches to corporations and associations. To arrange for your speech or training program call 905-335-1997. To receive your free copy of the special guide, “50 Power Marketing® Ideas” and subscribe to monthly marketing tips visit http://www.PowerMarketing.ca

Would you like to rake in $10,466 per month without having your
own products? If you would like to then read on…

1. So What Is It?

It is called affiliate marketing. It, as a matter of fact, is
one of the easiest and fastest ways to start your online
business and rake in thousands of dollars every month.

2. What’s Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing simply to say is promoting other people’s
product and in return you’ll get certain percentage of the
merchant’s item if and only people who buy the merchant’s item
buy through your link.

So we can say some sort of online multi level marketing.

Why I said that? Because many of these programs have 2-tier
which means you can refer another affiliate below you. Whenever
he or she makes sales you’ll get certain percentage of those
sales.

3. How do I get started?

Well, first off, you have to identify which niche you want in?
For example if you are a maniac golfer, then the chance you’re
more likely to promote golf equipment rather than fishing
equipment.

Then estimate the competition, go to Google and type in your
appropriate term for example “beginner golf guide” and see how
much sites on that subject already exist?

For me personally, I don’t care much about the competition if
you have more crowded competition that means you’ll need to wait
longer to make profits and so vice versa. It’s just that simple.

However, be sure to do something you really love, because in the
end it will be life and death of your business.

4. Let’s Find The “Eager-To-Give You Money” Merchant

Now you should have roughly figure on which niche you want to
in. The next thing we’re going to do is find potential merchant
that could bring you the potential income you always dream of.
To faster the process we are going to choose them from affiliate
programs directory. Affiliate programs directory is site that
already does the hard-work for us in selecting which one the
potential merchant, so you just need to pinpoint which one you
want to embrace.

Some of the best are: HREF="http://www.associateprograms.com" rel="nofollow">www.associateprograms.com
HREF="http://www.5staraffiliateprograms.com" rel="nofollow">www.5staraffiliatepr
ograms.com

5. Skyscraper Website versus “Mini” Content Site

As the time writing, there’re 2 current opinions:

The first state in order to get money from affiliate program you
have to build skyscraper site and fill it with hundreds of
content while

The second state in order to get money from affiliate program
you have to build multiple stream of mini site

Which one that works?

Both work, it is ultimately up to you which one you want to
adopt for example of the first one in action you can see HREF="http://www.sage-hearts.com" rel="nofollow">www.sage-hearts.com which
has been running by Rosalind Gardner while the second one you
can see HREF="http://www.dominatesearchengine.com" rel="nofollow">www.dominatesearchengi
ne.com which has been running by Anik Singal (Actually, I
haven’t ask their permission to cover their web site in this
article but I bet they wouldn’t mind)

Both is very respected and highly acclaimed both affiliate
marketer and internet marketer.

Here’re the pros and cons:

If you decide to build mini site then you’ll have to forget the
possibility of getting traffic from generic search engine.

If you decide to build skyscraper content site then you’ll have
to invest considerable amount of time and energy to build it.

Don’t re-invent the wheel there’s no point in doing so just
follow what already works. Examine both of their sites carefully
and see which part you can adapt to your business model. (But
mark my words don’t copy them words-by-words!)

6. Ready to Drive Traffic?

Now you have proven business model at your disposal, it is the
time to drive traffic to your site. I’d recommend first off you
start by going to build reciprocal link campaign. Reciprocal
link is the act of exchanging link between two sites in hope to
send traffic to each other.

Let’s put it into action…

Once again type in your keywords on search engine, next click on
each of the site you found, if you like this site then examine
it carefully. Are they having something like “submit URL” or
“add URL”?

If they have click on the link there should be simple
self-explanatory instruction to exchange your link with that
website but what if they didn’t have one? Just contact them
through email or phone and ask if they’re willing to do
reciprocal link with you.

What’s great about this method? Here’s what will happen…

Let’s say after doing reciprocal link for one month in the end
of the month you get 30 links. Each one refer one people per day
to your site, now you already have 30 people visit your site
without you doing a thing. In one month you will get 900 people
visit your site on completely auto pilot. That’s the beauty of
reciprocal link-)

What happen if you can manage to get 200 links?

7. Final Note

Like any of other endeavors if you expect some results it means
hard work and persistence. Don’t expect result in a week I tell
you that wouldn’t happen but expect in a year or so. Trust me
though it seems long far away at the beginning but in the end
your perseverance will pay off many times.