Ten BE's To Increase Your Social Media Followers

As a business owner or marketing strategist, social media is an important tool to increase brand awareness, we can see social media like a cocktail party, where you can have networking and fun. I will explain 10 Must-Haves in your campaign to rock your social media strategy.

1. BE INTERESTING.

According to BBC News the average attention span is less than 12 seconds, thanks to multiple devices and a lot of distractions is really hard to stay focused and maintain the audience entertained. The only way is generating interesting content in relation to your service or product, there are a lot of formats according to each channel like videos, interactive images, and useful information applicable to their needs.

The best example is TED Talks, their content is about generating content through guest speakers of the most trendy and interesting topics in different industries.

2. BE AN EXPERT ON YOUR AUDIENCE INTERESTS.

Rule number 1. The more you know about your target, your strategy perform will better. Who are you talking to? What do they do? Why they buy your product/service? What are they doing? Where are they from? Which type of content are they interested in?

Netflix knows us well, if you are watching comedy movies, they will recommend other ones of the same type, the recommendations are driven by machine learning algorithms analyzing your interests and behaviors.

3. BE PART OF THE INFLUENCER TREND.

The storytelling of influencer marketing is more realistic, and the followers can feel connected and identified with their daily life. Marketers are increasing their budget on influencers thanks to the impact on their audience.

Fiji water did a partnership with the influencer Danielle Bernstein who is a fashion blogger offering workout videos with her personal trainer. The goal was to highlight the importance of hydrating if you want to feel and look good, the campaign name is #weworewhat with #bodyworewhat.

4. BE EMOTIONAL.

We are human beings and even we live in a connected world, we want to feel different emotions on ads and campaigns to take the experience to the next level. The campaigns that get a connection with their audience are the ones who will last for a long time in their minds.

Dove is the brand taking the beauty perception as its core strategy, they don't sell soaps, they sell beauty to women empower them to gain esteem.

5. BE FUN.

To engage your audience, you need to be unique and enjoy this job. Choose a game, a funny quote, a meme, depending on your service or product to get your audience attention.

Test, measure and repeat, you never know how your campaign is going in comparison with other campaigns, just make experiments and make them run to see what happens.

6. BE AWARE OF YOUR DATA.

Imagine if you just do campaigns and don't measure their performance, you maybe will get the results you want but, you don't know what exactly is causing a conversion or working with your audience. With your data, you can optimize your campaign and bidding.

A great example is Amazon, do you imagine this revolutionary business without data? Data gives the information and the information gives the power.

7. BE INBOUND.

Inbound marketing is a whole strategy to increase the traffic to your website and create conversions to get new customers. Content marketing is one part of that strategy, the first step is identifying the pain points of the brand and competitor's analysis. Then, create a persona (with the information you have on point 2), create content offering value to your audience and make it with a CTA (Call to Action) where you can redirect them into a landing page and you can proceed with a sales strategy.

Chipotle captured gaming fans, chipotle fans with a successful inbound strategy about "Chipotle Taste Invaders" with a laser tag shooting burrito, fighting against additives and educating the customer about the burrito ingredients.

8. BE CREATIVE.

Remember you need to captivate your audience with your campaign and it's not necessary just explaining the products and services. One of the best campaigns is Metro Trains with "Dumb ways to die" with catchy music and cartoon characters getting in the top 10 on iTunes in 24 hours.

9. BE HONEST.

And this is a little related of why influencer marketing is so successful now, the truth is that you will obtain your customer's loyalty and retain them with honesty and transparency; if they trust you, you are a winner. Put yourself in a scenario where you are really hungry and there is a new restaurant that someone told you about it, but you're not 100% sure of how healthy it is, then, you realized they cook your meal in front of you; that will make you feel confident about how they prepare the food, what type of ingredients and if it's fresh. The same happens with your company, the more transparent your product or service is, the better your audience will accept it.

One company with a lot of negative comments about their quality food is McDonald's. To attack this, the company creates a transparent marketing campaign called "Our Food. Your Questions" Where McDonald's answer all your concerns about their food.

10. BE A FRIEND.

This is my favorite part, to see the importance of these channels. Back in the days, we wouldn't think about Facebook to a way of communication of resolving inquiries or issues with a brand. Today you can take Customer Service to a whole experience making it so personal like you're in the store, providing that, you are saving time, energy and effort to the customer having a satisfied customer or just changing their perception if they had an inconvenience.

The best example is a lovely response from Lego, who could just reply with a "standard message" but it was so personalized and unexpected that went viral to all channels.

Check out your current campaign strategy and think about the above information and try to implement it to your own business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Lorena_Grijalva/2538712
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Freelancers: We Are the Future

Presented here are relevant statistics and observations gleaned from the fourth annual "Freelancing in America" survey, conducted by the Freelancer's Union. According to the organization, "Freelancing in America" is the largest and most comprehensive measure of independent workers conducted in the U.S. The online survey queried 6002 U.S. adults who had engaged in full or part-time freelance work between August 2016 and July 2017. Freelancing was defined as temporary, project-based, or contract work performed at a for-profit or not-for-profit organization or government agency.

Who we are

In 2017, 57.3 million of our fellow citizens, representing 36% of the nation's workforce, participated in the freelance economy and contributed $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy. The survey found that 63% freelance by choice, rather than by necessity, and enjoy this way of working. Freelancers reported feeling positive about our work and 79% preferred freelancing to traditional employment. We're more likely than traditionally employed workers to feel respected, empowered and engaged in our working environment. The survey designated the following freelance categories:

Independent contractors (35%, 19.1 million) -- Full-time freelance consultants whose only income is derived from client work
Diversified workers (28%, 15.2 million)-- Freelancers who regularly do client work, but also perform other part-time work
Moonlighters (25%, 13.5 million)-- Those who periodically take on freelance projects in addition to their traditional employment
Freelance business owners (7%, 3.6 million)-- Full-time freelancers who assemble ad hoc teams of freelancing specialists to form a consulting firm, so that more complex and lucrative client work can be performed
Temporary workers (7%, 3.6 million)

What we like

Time and money impact the decision to freelance. Flexibility is considered a significant benefit and is favored by 60% of freelancers. Additionally, more than 50% of workers who left full-time employment to freelance were able to earn more money within the first year of freelancing than was earned in traditional employment. Forty-six percent raised their project fees and hourly rates in 2017 and 54% said they planned to do so in 2018.

Serious challenges

Sill, money is an issue for freelancers. Survey respondents reported that adequate billable hours, negotiating fair project fees or hourly rates and receiving timely payment of invoices (or receiving full payment) could be problematic.

On average, full-time freelancers log 36 billable hours/week. When the billable hourly rate or project fee is considered inadequate, cash-flow is impacted and there can be a struggle to meet financial obligations. Not surprisingly, the survey found that debt is also a worrisome matter.

Access to health insurance and saving for retirement are a challenge. Full-time freelancers rank medical and dental insurance as primary concerns; 20% have no health insurance savings.

Shaping the future

As traditional full-time, middle class paying employment continues to disappear, the ranks of freelance consultants can only increase, making us a fast-growing segment of the American workforce. Sadly, our government leaders are not attentive to the freelance community's unique circumstances or our voting-bloc potential.

Eighty-five percent of survey respondents said they planned to vote in the 2018 mid-term elections. If that statistic is accurate, it would represent nearly 49 million freelancer voters, more than enough to influence congressional and gubernatorial elections. Seventy percent of survey respondents would prefer that candidates and political representatives would address the needs of freelance professionals, because no matter how lovely things may be for the chosen few who command lucrative project fees, we are nevertheless quite vulnerable.

Freelancers receive no paid sick, vacation, or holiday time. We do not receive co-sponsored health insurance or retirement benefits. Billable hours can have feast or famine fluctuations that wreak havoc on our cash-flow and ability to meet important financial obligations. The 57.3 million freelance consulting professionals in the U. S. desperately need political representation, advocates and activism.

Thanks for reading,
Kim

Kim L. Clark is an external strategy and marketing consultant who brings agile skills to the for-profit and not-for-profit organization leaders with whom she works. Ensure that your organization achieves its mission-critical goals when you contact Kim at http://polishedprofessionalsboston.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kim_L._Clark/647250
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Start Your Home-Based Online Business With These eCommerce Platforms

Starting an online venture these days is super easy. There are many inexpensive or free open source platforms for eCommerce store development.And, with the right development team, you are just one step away from getting your own website. Starting a home-based shop to trade your handicraft items, or other locally sourced products is a great idea as a startup. Starting an online business is trouble-free with ample of flexible open source and inexpensive eCommerce platforms available. The only secret of success is not to stop halfway but go on expanding product categories and store's features to convert from a small startup to a leading online business.

While we know that for any individual who is not much aware of the functioning of the eCommerce world and how things go live overnight, selecting a platform rightly to set their own online shop is a backbreaking job. So, here's a list of most powerful and easy-to-use platforms which can help owners to successfully transform their startup idea into a vibrant reality.

#1 Magento

Acclaimed as the leading and fastest evolving platform, Magento is the benchmark platform. It supports all trades and can accommodate up to 500,000 products and 80,000 orders an hour. With a number of advanced features, easy integration, SEO oriented and versatile content management, it stands to the best solution available within the budget.

Further, it is modular and customisable, means you can gradually expand your store and add new features over time.

#2 OpenCart

If there is one simple platform for startups, then it is OpenCart! This is the reason it is exceptionally popular amongst small retailers or the home-based ventures. Easy backend functionality, extensive feature plugins, unlimited products capacity and less server load are few of the perks bestowed by OpenCart.

#3 Shopify

It comes as a befitting platform for eCommerce stores that simultaneously wants focus on mobile shopping and also social shopping. Easy integrations, lightning-fast loading speed, versatile payment gateway integrations, SEO features, direct social selling are the key features Shopify offers.

#4 WooCommerce

Those who are at ease with WordPress, then WooCommerce is the right platform for them. Based on the WordPress, it is easy to install and start and hence developers will charge you less. Further, there's a large number of additional plugins or templates and themes of WooCommerce, which will help owners to deck up their stores as per the business category.

#5 ZenCart

The whole reason for putting ZenCart in this list is its user-friendly approach and easy store management. It bears a set of far-reaching tools that offer full-scale customisation options to the owners. Moreover, it focuses on the store security features to safe keep all customers and products information.

For a household person who is new to the eCommerce world with zero technical knowledge, selecting a platform that serves their business interests fully is tough. So, the wisest decision lies in choosing the one that offers best user-experience and inherent SEO features that will help the store outshine on the Google results.

Rob Stephen is one of professed Magento developers in Melbourne, who works at PHPProgrammers, a pioneered company for eCommerce solutions development. It houses a pool of talented eCommerce experts, not only in Magento but other platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify and ZenCart. Follow the Facebook page to have more insights on our services, markets we cover and solutions we offer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Rob_Stephen/2369700
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Work From Home And Make Money With Your Own Online Business

Start Your Own Online Business- Top Reasons Why You Should
It isn't easy to start an online business. Some people may lie to you and say it is the easiest thing they have ever done, but they are being at best unrealistic. Running an online business is as the name implies, "a business that is online". So there are certain rules you must follow in order to earn cash online (and do it the right way).

Even though there are challenges to running a business online there are benefits to it as well. In my view it is better to start a business online. Below I have listed some of the top reasons I believe this to be true.

The Traditional Way To Get Cash Is Becoming Outdated
There are a lot of people who have great ideas, but can never seem to the get them off of the ground. Many times this is due to lack of resources or the ability to properly fund their business. With the traditional business model there is normally a substantial investment. An internet business does not require this major investment (though there could be a small one).

Using the example of a brick and mortar store an owner must invest in their business only to have their money at times locked in the business itself for years. Many times it takes years for the store owner to recuperate their entire investment. With an online business model you would have less overhead and other means to store your inventory (such as drop shipping or as an affiliate). This means that inventory is not a requirement allowing you to ship product upon demand versus investing in the goods upfront.

Each Industry Dictates It's Threshold To Make Money
Certain industries require you to invest money to make money. Depending upon the industry itself starting small may be out of the question. The reason? In order to compete you must be competitive. To be competitive in the traditional sense may require a significant investment of funds from the beginning. This is not even mentioning physical location(s), staff and security issues.

However, a home based business that exists on the internet can grow as you grow. We all want to grow. With a smaller investment you can leverage your advantage for greater profits. If staff is required, the positions are minimal and physical security becomes one less thing for you to worry about (especially if you are an affiliate or you don't house your products in-house).

The Internet Is Becoming The Standard For Communicating A Business
The day is coming where if you're not online you don't exist. Even traditional brick and mortar organizations are now vying for a presence on the web.

The level of innovation new technologies are providing the entrepreneur online are endless. You are limited by your imagination and ambition.

With the internet you can make as much or as little as you want. This is determined by your willingness and effort to take your business to the next level. Will you press forward the wheel of innovation a success and become the next internet millionaire (or billionaire)? Or maybe you're not as ambitious and are only looking to take care of your needs (and maybe your families too)? An online business can provide you with this ability.

If you are serious about taking the next step and take the quick path to getting your online business off the ground (and making you money), get my new quick start guide here now!

I am serious about my internet business, and thankful for the time you have taken to read this article. If you are serious about beginning an online business then I recommend my Internet Business Quick Start Guide. Get your kit here now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Eugene_Barber/939610
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This Year, Transform Your Time With the Stories You Tell Yourself

When you pause and listen, you may be surprised at how much 'chatter' is going on in your head. You're actually conversing with yourself almost constantly. And this isn't just idle chatter.

Indeed, the stories you tell yourself, to a surprising extent, define your reality.

So, when it comes to meaningful conversations, the silent ones you have with yourself may be the most important ones to pay attention to.

And what better time than the start of a New Year to think about that? Maybe it's time to consider telling yourself some new stories.

What you tell yourself is your choice...
Here's a scenario that a client told me about not long ago:

Joan had invited a few of her friends to join her family for their holiday meal. She was really looking forward to it, had cooked up a storm, and had created a centerpiece that she was really proud of. Just before the guests started arriving, her cat jumped up on the table and started tearing the centerpiece apart.

Upset, Joan sprang into action to shoo the cat away. In the process, she knocked over a pitcher of water. It soaked the tablecloth and was starting to puddle on the floor as the doorbell rang.

Telling the story, Joan smiled proudly and said that in that moment she made a really important choice. She decided to laugh as she opened the door to her first guests. And that decision powerfully defined her present reality and had a ripple effect that changed the shape of her day.

What our stories tell us...
So Joan told herself quite a bit with her laughter. She indicated that there was no need to feel ashamed or to panic. Her laughter meant that what had just happened was something she accepted. It became part of the unfolding story of her day and was a source of humor, not horror.

And I'm sure you can imagine how differently this would all have felt had she chosen differently. Picture her face as she opens the door. How does it look if she is furious with the cat or self-critical about knocking over the pitcher?

Choose your stories well.
So, as we move into a new year, I invite you to consider the power of the choices you make. And especially, think about the stories you tell yourself about your life. You can make such a big difference for yourself.

You'll find expert guidance quickly with our free Finding Time Success Kit, so check out our video at http://thetimefinder.com/ and then sign up for your Kit!

You'll receive our Finding Time Boundary Template, our popular Weekly Tips, and our monthly, award-winning E-zine -- all free and all right to your in-box!

For even more time tips, tools and techniques, visit our blog at http://thetimefinder.com/blog/

Offered by Paula Eder, Ph.D. The Time Finder Expert

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Paula_Eder/40911
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Why Do People Procrastinate?

Procrastination is the number one dream killer ever known to mankind. Many people think that interruptions have something to do with procrastination. This would be the furthest thing from the truth. Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something of great importance for something of less importance. Let's face it, we all have procrastinated at one point in our lives. I get it, no one is perfect, but when procrastination begins to have a major impact on your life it may be time to do some soul searching to correct the problem.

So why do people procrastinate? This is a great question. Let's see if we can find out why and find out how to overcome it. First, let's identify the two variations of procrastination. For many years I have been fascinated by people who consistently procrastinate. You know the kind of people I am talking about. People that put everything off. These types of people will be late for their funeral.

In my line of work, I have come to the conclusion that procrastination stems from two areas of the human mind. The first area in question would be the conscious mind. This is the part of the mind that is active when you are awake and aware of what you are doing. The second area would be the unconscious mind. This would be the area of your mind where you are totally unaware of what you are doing. Conscious procrastination is the easiest to identify and also the easiest to negate. Unconscious procrastination is not that easy to recognize due to it having something to do with deep formed mental habits. We have to catch ourselves doing it before we actually know that we are doing.

Putting things off has destroyed so many dreams since the beginning of time. It has also caused more heartache and failure than all other time management issues combined. The procrastinator does not understand that the winds of opportunity blow upon us all, but the procrastinator never seems to notice due to not taking care of the things they should have taken care of.

Now, getting back to why people procrastinate. Why do people allow things that matter most to fall by the waste side to address things of lesser importance? Conceivably it could be due to the task being unpleasant. Some people unquestionably dislike washing their clothes, while other people dislike taking out the trash. Whatever the case, being productive and successful often requires people to get out of their comfort zones. The natural response to unpleasant tasks is to put them off. In short, we let events control us and our productivity. The only way to escape this vicious cycle is to become cognizant of our thoughts and behaviors.

Discipline is the key to negating procrastination. You will want to create urgency by setting deadlines for everything you do. This can be accomplished by setting goals and breaking those goals down into smaller tasks to be completed. You may want to address the unpleasant parts of those tasks first leaving the more enjoyable tasks for last. You may want to turn your tasks into a game, this will turn the drudgery into fun. You will also want to reward yourself for meeting your deadlines no matter how large or small they are.

Another reason we procrastinate would be due to over-committing, pursuing non-obtainable goals, fear of failure, being disorganized, and plain bad timing. The last reason I can come up with would be that we just don't care about if it gets done or not. The bottom line would be, we cannot do anything personally about procrastination until we are cognizant of its' existence.

If you are interested in learning how to crush procrastination in its' tracks drop by http://www.drmarkhuddleston.com and pick up a copy of "Eluding The Toxic Enemy Within." This book has inspired so many people to change the way they live and see the world.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mark_Huddleston/2499373
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Entrepreneurs Need ONE Thing To Succeed - Survivability

The idea of being an "entrepreneur" is the new "rock star" - millions of young people going off the beaten track in order to try and secure a better future for themselves or their families.

Fuelled partly by the Internet and partly by a changing economic landscape, the young of today are more focused on themselves than ever, unwilling to take "menial" jobs at the likes of McDonald's; instead taking on large amounts of student debt in order to secure as lucrative career as possible.

It's in the midst of this tectonic shift (where barriers-to-entry have been eroded massively, and the world opened up for business) that many have placed "entrepreneurship"... the idea of "working for yourself". Unfortunately, it's most a lie.

If you're interested in this type of thing, the first thing you need to realize is that entrepreneurship is a lifestyle, not a vocation. Most people are not "entrepreneurs", they're merchants (buy and sell products).

REAL entrepreneurship is about doing / building something that's NEVER been done before. This might be something simple (a new flavour of soft drink), or something as difficult as getting humanity to Mars. It is NOT about "selling" products for the sake of it.

What many see as a "choice" between a Dystopic future of student debt, mortgages, auto loans and 40+ years of 9-5, is in fact fraught with the utmost danger and risk. The biggest problem is that no one will help you. You're 100% on your own.

In other words, don't become an "entrepreneur"... you have to either be "born" one (which isn't strictly true), or be so utterly determined to see your ideas come to fruition that you're willing to risk your life on making it work.

This is what most people don't see. They see the accolades, cars, success - they don't see what goes on behind the scenes. It's because of this that I wanted to write this article.

Angela Lee Duckworth called it "grit", Elon Musk called it "chewing glass and looking into the abyss of death"... the one thing that anyone looking to bring their ideas to life is survivability - the ability to persist even when everyone else has either quit or been killed.

Every time you look back through history, at the *true* entrepreneurs... the Galileo's of the world; Magellan's; Sir Francis Drakes... we see the same pattern every time. A world-defining event that THEY survived. This was then brought to the market in some form or another, transforming the way that people live and are able to operate.

What most people think of as "entrepreneurship"... starting a "blog", running a "social media" account or some other menial achievement... is nothing worthy of note.

It doesn't *do* anything. It's paper pushing.

To "become" an entrepreneur is very simple.

Shut up and get to work. Most make the error of telling everybody what they're doing. Not only is this a mistake, but kills and chances of actually completing the task you set out to perform. Move in silence.

In terms of what you "do", this is also simple - focus on completing a task that pays you money. Don't worry about changing the world or anything up front, that comes later. Just get your head down and focus on making more money than the other guy, by producing the *best quality work* you can.

Imbue EVERYTHING you do with excellence - reaching to your highest possible potential to pull it off. This is what it takes to become successful.

What's interesting is if you do this, you end up finding opportunities that come out of the blue. They just appear without actually being forced in any way, allowing you to then develop "systems" which can be used to elevate your work to a new level.

It's these systems which end up being the hallmark of an entrepreneur - having the insight to create *new* systems gives you the ability to continue on your upwards spiral. It's also where the "best" entrepreneurs begin to shine - they typically are dogged enough to understand that putting a "system" out into the world is - by far - the most important aspect to achieving growth in life. This is where the "grit" element comes from.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Richard_Peck/2344303
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9913214

Why Entrepreneurs Starting at 50+ Have a High Success Rate

It may seem like starting young is the best way to build a successful business, today more than ever. After all, when you're young you have nothing to lose and a lot of energy to spend, and since your whole life is ahead of you, you can afford to make mistakes and learn from them. But starting older isn't bad either. In fact, it turns out that for many people, starting at 50+ years is even better than starting young. Yep, you read that correctly.

A Few Illustrious Examples

Some of the world's best-known and most profitable businesses were started by entrepreneurs past 50. Raymond Kroc was 52 and driving around the US selling milkshake machines when he started McDonald's. Pharmacist and physician John Pemberton was 55 when, in an effort to create an alternative to morphine, removed the "French Wine" from his French Wine Coca recipe and founded the famous Cola company. Colonel Harland David Sanders was 65 when he opened a small service station and started working with franchises, establishing what would later become one of the world's best-known brands: KFC.

You could say "that was then, but things have changed." To some extent things have changed, in that it's now easier than ever for anyone to become an entrepreneur and start a business, which is why so many entrepreneurs are starting young. But here are some present-day facts that can inspire anyone past 50 to start a business.

Entrepreneurs over 55 are almost twice as likely to build successful businesses than entrepreneurs aged 20 to 34. This is true even for the highly competitive tech industry, where young entrepreneurs are thought to have a head start because they grew up with the Internet and 21st century technology.

The highest rate of entrepreneurial activity in the United States in the last 10 years was dominated by entrepreneurs aged 55 to 64. There are many reasons for this, including a new approach to retirement that technology and modern life makes possible, strong professional connections, and the ease with each almost anyone can start a business.

Startups that survive are more likely to be led by owners over 45 years of age, according to a 2004 to 2008 study based on 5,000 startups carried out by the Kauffman Ewing Institute. No less than 64% of the surviving startups were headed by older entrepreneurs.

People over 50 years of age have a greater potential to create innovative companies, products, and solutions. This may sound a bit surprising, but innovators do get better with age. Whether you want to create a startup in an industry you've worked in before or start afresh pursuing a passion in a new industry, the experience that comes with being 50+ can be a big advantage.

People over 55 years are more likely to launch a high-growth startup than those under 35. What's more, this doesn't seem to be localized to specific industries, but can be noticed across the board. Older entrepreneurs have the experience, skills, and insight necessary for them to guide their venture to success. They can better manage fears and expectations and have the balance and determinate to persist in spite of obstacles.

When 50 Is Just Right

Put together all these interesting findings and the message is simple: age is not only not an obstacle to becoming an entrepreneur, but being 50 or older increases your chances of meeting with success. While this insight won't make the creation of your startup any less easy, nor will it eliminate challenges, it can be a wonderful incentive for you to finally create the business you always wanted to have.

Pamela Wigglesworth CSP, is an International Speaker, entrepreneurship & marketing consultant and Managing Director of Experiential Hands-on Learning. She is the author of The 50-60 Something Start-up Entrepreneur: How to Quickly Start and Run a Successful Small Business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/P_Lorraine_Wigglesworth/969794
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9917423

How Can Online Marketing Become So Powerful?

This is why online marketing is becoming so popular. By marketing online you have the potential to reach the entire world and it offers you a number of avenues that you can choose from. Through online marketing, you can use social media, make online videos, and create blogs, and that is just the tip of the iceberg on the many different kinds of things you can do with marketing through the internet.

Social Media: One of the most popular online marketing options is social media. Just about everyone on the planet has a social media account and there are a number of different social media websites you can choose from for maximum reach. These websites are great because they store valuable information you can use for the benefit of your company. You can easily find the analytic data you need to determine where and who you need to market to in order to have the most exposure.

Social media also gives you the chance to reach out to your clients and customers. You can interact with them, talk to them, and make the business more personalized to your support base.

Online Videos: There are a number of good video streaming websites out there that frequently see billions of visitors on a regular basis. These websites are a great way to market your website. By making creative videos that relate to your clients, you can effectively market your business. And if your videos are well-received, they may even go viral and reach millions if not billions of people within a very short amount of time.

Clients who enjoy your videos can even subscribe to you and follow your uploads over time. This way you can generate a following that enjoys the videos you release while also generating interest in the services and products that you are offering.

Blogs: Another way you can use the internet to market your products, services, or business is through blogs. Creating blogs is a great way to get the information you want out to your clients. Your blogs can be anything you want but make sure they are related to your business. By using blogs, you can do a number of things. You can create informational posts, posts about your products and services, and you can also create tips that can help your clients.

Through blogs, you are able to communicate what your business is about while being informative and helpful. Blogs can also be used to make it easier to find your website through means such as SEO which is a tool used by professional web designers to help direct traffic to your site.

Websites: Having your own website is like uploading your store or business onto the internet. Here you can provide your services and products at the convenience of your client. A great custom designed website can be a huge benefit for your company as this allows you to reach potential customers across the world. Without the internet or websites, other you would only have access to local clients.

However, it is important to make sure that you create a well optimized website that is easy to browse and use for your clients. Having a great custom website design company help you during this process can make it easier for you to create the digital storefront you need for the success of your company.

There is no doubt that online marketing is changing not only how we do business but also the world. We have the ability to connect with people across the world through our finger tips. We can communicate, do business, and help each other through the internet. This is why online marketing is so powerful, because it has the potential to reach everyone.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Louise_Savoie/2456673
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Revolution of Digital Marketing

What is digital marketing?

Today nearly 80% of all the media that we consume come through digital channels. Massive internet usage and digital media has given rise to a new marketing concept called Digital Marketing. It is a broad area and considered to be the future of business development.

Digital Marketing is the most commonly used term for online marketing and it has several advantages over traditional offline marketing. With the help internet and mobile devices customer these days have access to information from anywhere in the world. Marketers these days use digital tactics to attract and convert audiences online.

This new age marketing methods helps to gain good reputation which is essential for a business to survive. It is the best way to reach out to your targeted audience. With the help of digital marketing one can reach many customers at a very little marketing budget. Unlike traditional methods you can measure the success of digital marketing campaigns with the help of analytical tools. Ever year more and more marketers put aside traditional marketing and focus on this approach. Successful marketing campaigns can be accomplished by integrating traditional methods with the digital marketing techniques.

Common methods of digital marketing

Email Marketing

This is one of the commonly used methods of online marketing. Email marketing enhances business communication, cost effective and Eco-friendly. By this method a message could be sent to a group of people by the use of electronic mail.

It is an efficient way to stay connected with your audience while promoting your business and also one of the easiest ways to reach your target audience.

Search Engine Optimization

It is an organic way of optimizing your online content to improve the ranking of your website on the search engine.

There are a lot of factors involved in ranking of a website such as title, keywords, relevance etc. SEO helps to ensure that your site is accessible and improve the chances of being found by the search engine. It is classified into two types on page and off page optimization. On page optimization is achieved through careful distribution of keywords and the quality of content on your site. Off page optimization involves factors that are beyond the control of your website. The primary goal of link building is to get other websites links to yours to improve SEO.

Search Engine Marketing

When someone searches for information or a keyword, SEM makes sure that your site appears at the top of search engine results. It uses a variety of techniques which helps the search engine to deliver your site to the web searchers.

One must clearly understand SEO before using SEM. It is one of the most efficient ways to spread your business across in this competitive world. Some of the components of SEM are ad auction, bid and quality score. Your maximum bid for a keyword with a great quality score determines your ad position.

Pay Per Click

The fastest way to reach your target audience can be achieved through P P C campaigns. You pay each time when someone clicks on your ad. For example, if you pay 1 rupee per click and when 1000 people click your ad it will cost you 1000 rupees. Based on the CTR (click through rate) the performance of you ad campaign is determined. It generates faster results by targeting the right people at the right time and at the right place. Since it costs money it is suitable for businesses that sell product/services.

Social Media Marketing

The process of marketing through various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is known as Social Media Marketing. The primary objective of SMM is to produce content on social media that help an organization to increase brand awareness and customer reach. In social media companies can share content to achieve marketing goals.

Display Advertising

It is a form of conveying a message with elements like images, logos, graphics, audio or video to communicate to the target audience. Also known as banner ads, it gives a unique opportunity to re-target the ideal audience. You can also display ads to people based on their search behavior. Generally, display ads are seen alongside on search engines such as yahoo, Bing and Google.

Content Marketing

This type of marketing is done by creating and sharing free content to attract new prospects and retain existing customers. Informative content is shared in the form of articles, videos, info graphics etc. It helps in building strong relationships with your audience by providing them with relevant high quality contents. Your business goal should be aligned with content strategy to gain critical success.

How a fresher would benefit from digital marketing?

In digital world, online marketing is essential for running a successful business. Marketers these days are adapting from traditional to digital approach.

Digital marketing provide small businesses with resources to perform sales and marketing that were previously available only for large companies. It ensures the survival of online businesses. Today, brands are putting more focus on digital marketing than ever before. Digital marketing skills are in serious demand and provide a unique competitive edge for one's career. It offers great opportunities around the world. There is a wide range of digital marketing roles which include jobs related to social media as well. It also provides a variety of opportunities to start your own career as an Entrepreneur.

There are lots of benefits that digital marketing professionals can look forward in upcoming years. More companies embrace digital marketing as their primary marketing strategy which creates a plenty of job opportunities for freshers. The future of digital marketing seems to be very bright at the moment.

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How to Get More Traffic Today

Web analytics software should tell you where people are clicking from to get to you. Are there ads you should do more of? Website traffic is essential no matter what your online goals are. For this reason it is very important to learn the best, and highest-yield tactics for getting traffic.

Webmasters would in days of old pile keywords at the top of their web page and some even tried to mask them at the bottom. Search engines have since gotten clever and they can spot keyword spamming a mile off. However professional Webmasters get unlimited, targeted search engine traffic free of charge by playing by the rules and implementing white hat and ethical traffic tactics!

Social marketing is the current new wave added to most webmasters traffic tactics arsenal and is a fantastic resource if it is done properly.Posting in Guestbooks on lenses is a privilege if you abuse that privilege (by posting self-promotional links, spamming the guestbook, being rude, or posting otherwise irrelevant or offensive stuff), then the lensmasters have the ability to flag your actions. Post good quality articles at sites that are related to your blog content or to the sites that simply need someone to post articles to them. Try searching them in Google then Post a free classified ad on Flugpo about your blog.By Giving a teaser from your post as the headline to your classified ad you should see a result based obviously on quality of post.If you are lucky enough to have produced some great content that people love then the page will get voted up and up and up and could eventually send you hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Link to those posts from your blog that's right, link to them! Links are one thing, but straight links are a dime a dozen, they're just not worth what they used to be. Sure, you can get some page rank but when it comes down to it, the power of return visitors is invaluable.

Start with the problem, add actions to resolve the problem, and conclude with results. Finally you need a biography box to seal the article. Start a blog for your business and update it on a regular basis as a business blog is an excellent tool to toot your own horn, let the world know about your new products, and tell your target customers why they should do business with you, rather than your competitor.Start article marketing today, and your results will grow quickly over time. Imagine what you could do if you combined this approach with some other traffic generating techniques? Also pay careful consideration to what your content is about as Traffic matters a lot on what content you are selecting to write on.

Google (like the other search engines) favour content that is new (therefore deemed more relevant) so if you update the website infrequently then you can expect to see fluctuations in your Google traffic. Writing new content on a regular basis ensures that they index your website on a regular basis (Seopher.com has new posts indexed within hours of posting). Google XML Sitemaps this plugin automatically generates and updates a sitemaps.org compliant sitemap for your blog. Search engines like Google, Yahoo and Ask.com use that sitemap format to aid their spidering robots' efforts to index sites more completely.Search engines absolutely LOVE keyword rich domains and will usually index them far faster. Google also says the best way to ensure that pages in your site are indexed is to build links to them.

Choosing a keyword rich domain name will also improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine listing thus increasing the number of visitors to your site.Search engines actually pay closer attention to what is included on a home page than what might be included elsewhere on a website.An important point to understand is that Searchers are looking for information they don't want to be sold to. Search engines want searchers to have a good experience when they search and that means finding good information easily.

Submit sites about feeds only as Submitting your site to directories does not only give you more hits, it also increases your link popularity.Ultimately the number of web pages linking to your site is considered an important factor by many search engines to achieve a high ranking.

Article submission is generally free, though software is available to speed up the process but can be expensive. Whilst there is free software available, the range of directories the free submission services submit to is very small, and does not generally cover the best sites.However I can assure you that Article writing is no where near as hard as it seems, it is a skill that you can learn, and once you learn the basics just keep writing and you will get better.

Sending traffic to other sites is fun to do especially when someone usually only gets 20 visitors on the average day, and a casual mention might send them hundreds or thousands. Everybody's always asking me how to get more traffic to their site. Send out an all-points bulletin to your affiliates recognize their efforts in a big way and you will find that more of your affiliates will start to come up with great ideas of their own.



Targeted traffic helps you achieve your goal and that goal could be anything selling a product or a service, generating ad revenue or encouraging people to subscribe to your newsletter or RSS feeds.So my advice to you in closing is if you look after your traffic then your traffic will look after you.If you do as i suggest then you will be well on your way to Starting your Internet empire and the final leg of your journey to total financial freedom.

To Your Success As Always

Douglas Stuart

Author: Douglas Stuart of: [http://douglas-stuart.com]

Douglas Stuart is an active internet marketeer.

Who provides "Practical Advice" and "instruction"

On Internet and Affiliate Marketing.

Find out how "You" can "Quickly" expand your horizons

And achieve real "Success" on the Internet

At [http://www.douglas-stuart.com]

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Innovative Promotional Tools You Probably Haven't Considered

Blogging has become one of the most popular ways for people to share ideas, engage in dialogue, and interact with others who share a common interest. They usually are short essays published online according to a regular schedule, such as daily or weekly, revolving around a particular subject, such as food, sports, raising children or any other topic.

Currently, there are an estimated 450 million blogs being published on the internet. Blogs are free to create on blog hosting sites such as WordPress and Blogger, most of which also provide easy-to-use free tools and pre-made "themes" to make your blog look professional.

Blogs can include photos, videos, audio recordings, slideshows and many other forms of rich text. Bloggers sometimes make their blogs more interactive and entertaining by including polls and contests, and by encouraging their readers to leave comments and interact with them online.

Free and Effective Way to Connect with Passion Markets

Creating your own blog can be an effective way to promote your webpage because it's an easy way to attract people who already are interested in your topic niche. By providing them with valuable information and rich content in your blog, you can build a relationship with your readers, ultimately directing them back to your website.
Plus, blogging is fun and interesting and you can quickly become immersed in a community of people who are friendly and knowledgeable about your niche subject

Growing Power of Audio

Podcasting is a form of digital media consisting of a series of audio or video files usually all devoted to a certain topic. They can be created for free using the audio and video tools that are included with most newer computers, laptops, tablets and even smartphones and can be distributed for free on iTunes, YouTube and other free distribution networks.

You can also send your podcast to a list of subscribers or post links to your podcasts on your web page or blog.

Like blogs, podcasts are an effective way to target people who share your passion for your niche subject, and can therefore be a great way to promote your website. Although some podcasts feature elaborate production - including professional-quality editing, musical scores and other production values - most are simply people talking into a microphone or video camera about a topic that interests them.

Unlike blogs, podcasts give you the opportunity to speak directly to your listeners or viewers. This can make it easier to engage them emotionally and show your personality, which can be an effective way of branding your website. Podcasts usually are played back later by users on iPods or portable viewing devices.

Video Blogging

During the early years of the internet, audio podcasts were the podcasting method of choice, but now with the near universality of video playback capabilities, video podcasts are becoming more popular.

Join Online Communities

Join the Party

Creating a reputation for your online business is no different than building a brand for a brick and mortar business. As the business owner, you need to get out into your community and meet people. Look for organizations that are relevant to your business' niche and become involved in their online communities.

Introduce yourself to as many people as necessary and be prepared to "sell" your website to them in a few short sentences. One of the best ways to make friends online - or in the real world, for that matter - is to offer to help the other person, instead of asking for something all the time.

If you offer to write a testimonial for their website, for example, or to provide a free sample of some of your products, they probably will be open to the idea of helping you in return.

Be Nice, Get Paid

It's also important to always be friendly and helpful to everybody that you encounter online because you never know who is going to be a potential customer. In most cases, the only point of contact people will have with you will be your online persona, so make sure you are consistently outgoing and always offer to assist people in whatever way you can.

Once you join online communities, find out what you need to do to get into positions of leadership. Not only will this help build your reputation and add to your resume, but it will put you in a position to make policy decisions that can be beneficial to your website and business in the future.

Blog: http://www.evergreendollar.org

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Let's Play The Marketing Game

Marketers, like most professionals, find their work a mental challenge - not unlike playing chess or other games of strategy and tactics. A favorite mental game that marketers play is called "How would I do it?" Want to play?

The rules are simple. Just observe how others are marketing and ask yourself, "How would I do it better?" Okay, ready to play?

On your way home from work this evening, I'll bet that you need to stop at the grocery, the drug store, or the cleaners. As you approach, start playing the Marketing Game by judging the store's appearance and the images you see. Observe as you zoom through the aisles; is the entrance inviting, clean, and well organized? Are you welcomed or ignored by staff? Is the signage clear? How's the housekeeping? Ask yourself how your customer experience could be improved.

Open your mail; look at the catalogs and brochures. Judge what catches your eye and what specifically captures your attention - graphics, message, or offer? Consider what would help make both your eye and your thought process linger, leaving you to ponder and perhaps make a purchase.

At lunch, read the menu critically - how do they attempt to entice you with mouth-watering extras like appetizers and that crave-able piece of "Mom's Famous Apple Pie" with a scoop of ice cream?

Look at the ads in the newspaper, those that pop up in your cell phone, and the ones you see on TV. Read the messages and look at the graphics. Each time, attempt to understand their strategy, check if their message is communicated effectively, and ask yourself, "How would I do it better?"

Play the game every chance you get. Think through the marketing challenges for each. How would you improve the strategy? What do you think the message should be? How could you improve the word usage, graphics, attitude, or media usage?

Of course, it's very easy to play the Marketing Game at a business you are not involved in because you don't need to deal with the constraints of time, money, and projects competing for your attention and effort. You are just being the critic.

As you continue to play the game, transfer the thought process to your business. Think about your overall strategy and ask the same questions about message, media, attitude, words, graphics, etc. The longer you play the game, the more you think like a marketer. Over time, you will become better at it. Better marketers win!

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler". For a free coaching session, email Larry for an appointment - Larry@larrygaller.com. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com.

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