Seeing Value

I wear glasses and sit a computer all day. Glasses have become a fact of life for me, but are warranted – without them, life would be too blurry.

So being a savvy/frugal shopper, I look for deals on things, including glasses.  Eyeglasses are expensives.  And just because you can buy cheap eyeglasses, it doesn’t mean they are cheap. So ZenniOptical.com gets my vote.  They use the latest modern materials, manufacturing and marketing systems to bring me, the average Joe, a factory direct product.  These aren’t name brand glasses, but so what? Their frames are modern and stylish and their prices are hard to beat.

Which brings me to my point. In 2012, marketers need to continue to provide value to their prospective customers. Give customers what they want.  If you know what they want, you’ve built a relationship (and what do most people want? Usually it’s a great product, with great service, and hopefully at a better price). Having these relationships not only brings in clients, but happy brand advocates, which will continue to tell your story long after the sale was consumated.  Ask yourself, would you buy your own product? Does it deliver quality and value?

If you see legitimate value in it, chances are, your prospects will too…

Make Your Money Grow

We can all earn a paycheck, but how do you earn a living? The affiliate space has enabled that very thing for countless individuals.  But during these tough economic times, how can you make your hard earned money go farther, or make it grow, as it were? For instance, where can you find a low-risk, interest earning investment vehicle?

I don’t give legal, tax or investment advice, as I am not a professional in any of these areas.  However, I perused the FDIC website, and what I can say is that a certificate of deposit or CD, makes financial sense. I’m all for making more money, and a CD basically is  a special type of deposit account with a bank or thrift institution that typically offers a higher rate of interest than a regular savings account. Unlike other investments, CD’s feature federal deposit insurance up to $250,000, which provides you a safety net.

Additionally CD’s provide an effective means of obtaining a safe ROI because, unlike market-based investments, such as mutual funds or annuities, you aren’t directly tied to fluctuations in the stock market. When you buy a CD, you make an investment in a bank. The bank will use that money to invest in profitable ventures such as issuing mortgages and corporate loans. As an investor, you earn a return in the form of  interest when your CD matures.

The maturity term can range from three months to five years or more. The longer the duration, the higher the CD interest rates you should receive. Once  the CD matures, you can cash out or renew.

Money savvy individuals say that “The more you make, the more you should save”. So visit your local bank and inquire about this unique way to save.  Compare rates and then go online.  There are a few online banks that are FDIC insured that offer savings rates that may exceed the national average. Make sure the one you choose is ranked among Bankrate.com’s Top Tier for high yields on all types of savings.

Educate yourself and make your money grow…

Top Of Mind

In this day and age, competition is fierce and is everywhere.  Differentiation is what gets you noticed and keeps you top of mind.  One way of staying top of  mind is by providing gifts of appreciation to clients and vendors.

One elegant way to express congratulations to clients and employees is with the traditional gift basket. These attractive offerings come in different sizes to fit your gift giving needs (and budget), and can also be the centerpiece of any special event, including company parties, grand opening celebrations, trade shows, table favors, promotions, retirement parties, etc.

These baskets can be decorated with poinsettias, pine cones and berries and/or scrumptious gourmet See’s candy, including milk/dark chocolate, brittles & toffees, truffles, candy bars and old school but delicious lollypops.

Craving baked goods? Your business contacts may too. Convey your warm regards by sending them a muffin gift pack that includes 6  fresh muffins, some flavorful coffee eggnog, and some powdered instant hot chocolate packets.

The gift of cheese is one not to be overlooked for your lactose tolerant business contacts. Gift packs may include roasted garlic, cheddar cheese, cranberry, apple, tomato and basil cheese, gourmet mustard, Bavarian Halle sausage, beef salami, cheddar cheese spread.

Coffee connoisseurs would appreciate a java pack.  Many times these contain special mugs, and all sorts of coffee  goodies including: chocolate cookies, stuffed pastry cream puffs, chocolate caramel cappuccino, Irish coffee syrup, vanilla hazelnut coffee, some cream and more.

It’s been said that there is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.  So go ahead – reap the emotional rewards, but enjoy the continued flow of business…

Gift Of Time

Looking to splurge on your beautiful significant other? How about giving the gift the stands the test of time?

If you want to go super elegant, Chopard has introduced a new collection of ladies watches, the Imperiale. Imperiale stands out for its elegance and refinement right out of the box. The handles have been redesigned with a elegant hinged strap attached connecting to the case and comes in two sizes: 36 mm. and 40 mm. in diameter. Available in steel, pink gold and white gold , there are also versions with diamonds, set into the bezel or on the case.

The face is very distinctive, one that mimics cushion tapestry Imperial time. As you can see, nothing has been left to chance. The refinement of Roman numerals and hands completes the design of the face.

As for the movement, you have options: The smallest model , 36 mm. with a steel case, offers a quartz movement. In contrast, models of larger size , with a 40 mm. case has an automatic movement, along with hour and minutes functions with a chronograph function.

As you can see, there is also the possibility of finishing the watch with leather strap or bracelet , either steel or gold, but I suppose that this last option skyrockets the price.

 

Scrub-ulous

Priests wear them.  Doctors and nurses too.  So do pilots, police and fireman.  Some children do too if they go to a private school. What is it? A uniform.  And they can make you money.

Different types of daily life activities require the use uniforms.  Some serve as a protection, others as a means of distinguishing a specific group of people within an institution, setting or activity. The diferences in normal day-to-day dress compared to a uniform could be as simple as a shirt with a logo, or a whole outfit that includes pants and a top with a pattern, such as medical scrubs.  Long gone are the days of white lab coat only doctors. Todays scrubs come in a plethora of different color and pattern combos.

And lets not forget accessories.  Some uniforms require special footwear, such as boots, and/or a vest or jacket, such as in the military.  Some require headgear  such as a beret, helmets, or a cap (police and sports oriented uniforms). Sometimes gloves tie into the  mix too.

Uniforms are a way of life.    So why not get on the bandwagon? This is a good niche to explore, and it’s recurring one, as they need to be replaced often.

Connecting To The InterWebs

As online marketers, all of us need internet access.  But this in itself is a niche that can be quite profitable for affiliates, as satellite and dial up services are still being sold to people who live so remotely that no local company exists to accomodate their needs.  What are the different options out there?

Like cable internet service, ADSL provides much faster speeds than those available with dial-up modems. However, there is a wide range of ADSL offerings available, with connections speeds that range up to 3 Mbps (3000 Kbps).

The downside of ADSL is that its shared with your landline.  This means that Internet access and phone calls can not occur simultaneously.

Satellite internet service is another way to get Internet connection.  This uses satellites to get you connected to the interwebs and is a popular solution for those who live in areas where cable and DSL are not available. However, satellite connections are generally slower than cable and DSL connections.

A newer offering for people in metropolitan ares who want fast speeds than dial-up Internet access is one that uses no wires of any kind. This can be achieved through public Wi-Fi, cellular, and WiMAX (one of the latest wireless services available.) These technologies vary in terms of connectivity, reliability and cost, but they allow users to connect to the web at home, school, work, or while on the road if you are within the coverage area.

So there you have it.  These are the main types of internet connections that are available and that we as affiliates can resell.  The internet connection type is dependent on availability, desired speed and budget. But almost anyone can have internet access today, regardless of where they live.

And thats good business for us…

PPC Explained

In recent years, pay per click (PPC) advertising has become a popular marketing strategy for online retailers. What ever niche you as an affiliate are promoting, PPC advertising can help you achieve your online marketing goals. Thanks to the diversity of advertising companies that offer pay per click (from the main search engines Google, and Bing to many smaller options) you can use PPC advertising regardless of your budget. To help you understand the true potential of pay per click advertising, here are some benefits PPC advertising can provide:

Traffic - Obviously, this is the number one benefit of PPC advertising. Due to the low cost of bidding on keywords, PPC can help drive a large amount of traffic for a relatively low price. The other PPC traffic advantage is the fact that it is instantaneous. Unlike organic traffic (which can take many months or even a year to start to get especially for the new websites), with PPC advertising you can start driving traffic to your website now!

Many online marketers are under the misconception that once you have a high organic rankings in search, running a PPC campaign is not necessary. On the contrary, the creation and operation of a pay per click campaign is very important, even if your site draws a quality organic traffic. The reason that a PPC campaign can complement the organic ranking is that it can help enhance your branding efforts. When potential visitors see that your website appears twice in search results, brand recognition and trust increases. This will result in more leads and/or more sales for you.

If creating your PPC campaign seems daunting, work with a Pay Per Click agency, such as BizzClick LLP. They provide a 24/7 support team, personal managers for each client, a great variety of tools for the creation of your advertising campaign and one of the fastest XML feeds in industry. They also have their own FiSoAp traffic ranking system which helps you get they right type of traffic by traffic sorting and filtering (which means you minimize chargebacks and reduce your chances of getting stuck with high click costs bids).

With the right tools, an optimized PPC campaign not only gives you  insight as to how much money your website is generating, but also how  much to spend. You monitor site visitors, see what they are looking for and what they are buying.

With some creativity on your search phrase choices, you can target the right people who are willing to do business with you. And that’s what marketing is all about…

Sell, Sell, Sell

Since the 90′s, we’ve gradually stopped going to the store, the store comes to us.

Affiliate Marketing is like direct selling.  Direct Selling carries the potential of awesome financial rewards for individuals who learn to maximize this kind of distribution channel. Why do major corporations such as MCI, U.S. Sprint, Coca Cola, Colgate Palmolive, Gillette, Avon and Fuller Brush, among many others, take part in direct marketing?  Because it works! It’s a cheap and effective way to garner market penetration.

According to the Direct Selling Association, this selling approach sets in motion some 12 billion dollars annually on products in the U.S. alone, from vitamins to rain chains. Within its membership, the DSA has recognized 200 companies and about 16 million sellers. Total sales for 2010 $16 billion. 

The trend is clear, the most renowned economist of the past few years, Paul Zane Pilzer, predicts that the next trillion dollar industry is the health and welfare and its distribution through network marketing or direct sales.

Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor estimates that 20 percent of the workforce in the United States is already working on their own. If forecasters are right, that number can approach 100 percent in the coming years.

Experts have long predicted that the twenty-first century is an era of luxury, Internet, health and welfare, a world of abundance designed specifically to accommodate the expectations of consumers. And it will. But this opportunity is only available to those who make smart decisions. 

In the coming years, our survival is primarily determined by the decisions we make today,  and on the strategies we choose to build our businesses in this Information. Those who choose to work in network marketing today are taking a giant step in the right direction.

 

The Basics

Affiliate Marketing has become one of the most effective online advertising methods. It is also a great vehicle for anyone with a website to earn money online. There a ton of big-wig affiliates in Canada.  Could a move to Canada be warranted? International movers, anyone?

But seriously, lets review what the Affiliate Marketing space is: it’s basically an agreement between a merchant and owner of a website. The web site owner uses his website to promote the  merchant’s products. In exchange, the merchant pays a commission on all sales generated by the affiliate. When someone clicks on the link on the affiliate website and proceeds to make a purchase, the affiliate gets a commission. The merchant pays the affiliate only when a customer clicks on the product link and makes a purchase.

Benefits?  The merchant gets a t0n of exposure on the affiliates dime. The more affiliates a brand has, the more traffic it gets that can be converted into sales. Affiliate marketing is the equivalent of having an army of sales people doing advertising, who only gets paid if the customer buys. For the affiliate the benefits are:  no upfront cost of joining an affiliate program, a healthy revenue stream, with no inventory to buy and stock, since all order fulfillment is done by the merchant. 

There are thousands of products and services you can choose to market. And many are back my reputable affiliate managers that are there to help you to become successful. And if you do not make money promoting a product, simply choose another

So there you have it, and easy high-level overview of the affiliate spacen and no international moving required. In a future post, we’ll discuss some strategies on how to become a super affiliate.

 

 

Let It Shine

This year I became a homeowner (again). I purchased a property on a short sale (a misnomer as the time to close was 6 months, not a short while by any means).  In any case, the house needed some work.  Baths had to be redone and the kitchen too. The homeowners market is full of good niches for the Internet Marketer.  For instance, on things we needed to address in the home, we started with changing the look and feel of the counters.

A popular material today is granite. It’s been said that granite is the most durable of all stones, second only to diamonds. Granite, created from molten rock, can withstand the heat of a hot pot without problems. The hardness of the surface is excellent for handling dough while baking. So, its a long lasting/low maintenance product, and usually impervious to damage.

Granite is an interesting niche. But its not cheap. Properly installed, granite should last a lifetime, which is the justification for its high cost.  Caring for a polished finish begins with daily care of what is placed on the surface. Never use the granite as a cutting surface, always use a cutting board. Avoid acidic foods like lemon juice, vinegar and soda remain on the surface to, since they can damage it. And never harsh cleaning products. To clean the surface without leaving streaks, use only a small amount of warm water with a pH balanced dishwashing soap.

Although granite is very hard, some of the minerals it contains are not. Thats why they can be cut along the grain.  Even a small grain of sugar, when drag along the surface, can scratch it. Scratches later on invite stains.  So avoid dragging pots, pans or appliances across the stone. 

Once a year, a penetrating sealer should be applied. Regular polishing will keep the shiny finish . Use a penetrating sealer recommended by the supplier or manufacturer.  Avoid using a stone sealer that penetrates the granite, as it will create a cloudy surface that will have to be removed using solvents. The sheen is caused by a layer on the surface, put on there by expert polishing tools used in the polishing of diamonds.

If there is minor damage to a granite countertop, these could be fixed. If a pot or pan leaves a gray or black on the surface can be removed using fine steel wool. If a substance is stuck like glue, you can scrape it with a credit card or a simple razor blade. Small marks made ​​during removal can be polished with fine steel wool. If the granite is cut or cracked, a professional should be called to make repairs invisible.

In addition to its strength, granite is a very beautiful stone that adds color and warmth to any kitchen. With a little care to protect its beauty and utility, granite countertops will last a lifetime.

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