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What Makes a Good Service Business Web Site?

The Web has become a very important marketing and commercial tool in recent years. Though there are still many small business owners whose businesses are offline — e.g. landscape designer, house cleaners, etc. — that still need convincing with regards to having a presence on the Web. Since their businesses do not involve the Internet, they don’t see the point of spending resources creating their own websites. They couldn’t be more wrong. The Web can help boost the ability of businesses, even those operating offline, to reach their target customers. If you are a service business owner and looking to

The Makings of a Viral Video

With YouTube all the rage these days, you can’t help but be impressed and a little bit jealous of videos designed to promote products getting watched by over 1 million people. Marketers talk of the “viral” success of these videos. That’s free advertising that cannot be ignored! But how exactly do you create a “viral” video to market a product? Well, apparently through clever strategizing and hard work, according to Josh Warner, president of The Feed Company who has been responsible for the video hits Ray-Ban’s “Catch” (in which sunglasses are tossed at a man who catches them on his

Thinking of a Freebie Giveaway? Consider a Guidebook

Half of the year is almost over, and it is that time again to think of giveaways and freebies for your customers, subscribers and visitors. Instead of giving them a tshirt, keychain or pens (again), why don’t you prepare a short guidebook or booklet that offers tips? This is the advice of Jonathan Kranz in his brief article in the newest edition of Direct Magazine. According to Kranz, a “reader-friendly 14-to-24-page booklets offering advice and recommendations — can turn the freebie into another channel for your company’s integrated marketing effort.” For this to work and you to come up with

Resource for Inventors: How to Avoid Invention Scams

The United Inventors Association , a non-profit formed in 1990 to educate new inventors, has a great section on Red Flag Warnings that new inventors must heed to avoid being scammed. I’ve heard of so many horror stories of inventors taken for a ride, some even losing significant amounts of money and even their creation, because of these scam artists. UIA has articles on: Must readings for novice inventors How does the invention scam work Articles on invention promotion company

How to Get Your Products to the Market: Dealing with Buyers

Whether you are an inventor or a clothing designer, you need an outlet for your products whether it is the retail store across the street or Bloomingdale’s. Of course, the bigger the store, the greater the chances for success. But the problem is: how do you get your products into the shelves of these retailers? You basically have two options: get the know the CORRECT buyer for each store you want your products to be sold; or hire a distributor or manufacturer’s representative to do the pitching job for you. A sales rep is often the easiest route because they

Internet Marketing Glossary of Terms

OneUpWeb.com has published two guides that provide a comprehensive glossary of terms to two aspects of internet marketing — search engine optimization and social marketing. They compiled and defined all the terms used, and the reports can be very illuminating if you want to learn more about these internet marketing components. The two reports are: SEO Survival Guide (26 pages) Social Media Survival Guide (14 pages)

How to Use Videos to Boost Your Ecommerce Sales

There’s no doubt that online videos are growing in popularity, led by the video sharing site YouTube. The key question for website owners and marketers, particularly those selling online, is: how do we use videos to boost sales of our website? I suggest you read our newest article “How to Use Video and Rich Media to Drive Online Sales and Loyalty” for ideas on how online videos can be used to improve conversion and sales. The article also discusses how other sites, mostly the big boys, use these videos on their websites. The article also provides some tips on how

Money Saving Tip: Sell or Upgrade Your Office Equipment

If you need to dispose some of your office equipment items and don’t want the hassle of selling these items in Craigslist.com or eBay.com, check out NextWorth.com http://www.nextworth.com . NextWorth.com accepts various items such as Ipods (they’re actually very big on Ipod and focuses mostly on this item), cameras, laptops, computer, networking equipment, PDAs and blackberrys, audio and video equipment even art items. The site has an online calculator that can help you assess the value of your items. You can use the calculator, or contact them directly. Once your items are approved, the company will send you a prepaid

How to Earn from Your E-Newsletters

Newsletters are a popular and profitable way of increasing your advertising revenues. Aside from your main website, newsletters offer advertisers a different opportunity of reaching your target audience. To create a profitable newsletter, you need to think through three important elements: What is the editorial content of your newsletter? Who is your target audience and what is your target circulation? Who are your potential advertisers? The first step is to think of your audience — who they are, what do they need, and how you can engage them. You need to think of what type of content they would most

Borrowing Startup Capital from the Bank: What to Ask Your Banker

If you are thinking of getting a business loan from a bank, it is always best to request for an appointment with the loan officer or bank manager and ask about their criteria for giving loans. The more informed you are of what they want and what they are looking for in a loan application, you can boost your chances in getting that much needed loan. Here are some questions you need to ask your banker: What do you need to see and what do you want me to give you to increase my chances of getting the loan? What

How to Succeed in Network Marketing

We have never really focused on network marketing here at PowerHomeBiz. But according to the Direct Selling Association, 54 million entrepreneurs worldwide are involved in network marketing, otherwise known as direct selling and multi-level marketing. In the US alone, about 175,000 people start a network marketing business every week. If you are involved in network marketing or thinking of going to this route, I suggest you get a copy of the newly released book “Be a Network Marketing Superstar” by Mary Christensen. It is is full of tips on how you can succeed in this increasingly competitive space. According to

How Small Businesses Can Succeed in the Catalog Business

Catalog Success Magazine has an interesting post on how a small business can play with the big boys — and win — in the catalog business. Here are some of their tips: The key to success is “unique product, unique product, unique product.” Protect your unique products via copyrights, trademarks and patents. Develop efficient operations, even considering outsourcing if you cannot efficiently handle manufacturing in-house Test at least one thing — lists, covers, even trim size — on every mailing. Set high goals and act like a big guy, to become one. Start by assembling a talented, competitive team that