Archive for June 18th, 2009

The Benefits Of Video Marketing

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

online presenter

Marketing on websites over the last few years has become more powerful and effective than on television. Use of website video makes the audience stay on the website for longer than they usually would. Having a moving image on a website rather than text is much more effective and the company will get their products noticed. In 2008 the Internet went past TV in terms of advertising revenue. Marketers where seeing that more people were using the Internet for information, and they wanted to get their products on these popular websites. Websites are mostly using web presenter, to keep the audience interested so that they would not click straight off the website. The videos may only last about a minute but it is a minute longer than they usually would and ore time for browsers to notice products. 

The Internet has grown rapidly over the years because you can get instant information about any topic. Sites like Wikipedia allow browsers to look up anything and pages come through about the topic. Advertisers target these kinds of websites because they n users will spend a greater amount of time on the website. They put their adverts down the side of the page hopefully trying to catch the attention of the person. Also the adverts would relate to the topic the users are reading about, for example if I searched football adverts to do with football like tickets and equipment could be shown. E-mail is a way of direct marketing where advertisers send E-mails to you regarding their product hoping it might interest you. 

Also trafficking is common on the Web where you click one website, and it takes you to another site. Things like this get annoying on the Internet but this is what it is becoming, just a massive way for revenues to get their products out there to the people.

Face Book has become one of the most popular social networking websites out there, and is making a lot of money from advertisers. The marketers know the majority of people that use Face Book are teenagers and young adults so they know the kind of stuff to advertise on there. Also on people’s home page they advertise products that relate to people interest and personality.

It is the same with the website video production sharing website You Tube. When people are viewing videos on You Tube, ads are on the side of the screen so advertisers now that people spend a bit of time on videos so there is more time for their products to get noticed. Also again the advert would relate to the video the person is watching.

The internet has become the main source for advertising and it is predicted to stay that way in the future. 

Could Video Classified Ads

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Video classifieds are the new future to online advertising. Huge traffic sites such as craigslist havent caught on to the power of video ads, yet.

Video classified ads offer something that the world has never seen before; a potential buyer can watch a brief video, submitted by the seller, about a service or product. These videos are oftentimes accompanied by the sellers voice in the background while a boat, for example, is being video-taped.

So, if a car is what is being sold, the seller can record the inside and outside of the car. It provides a three-dimensional, realistic view of a product. The seller can even say something like, As you can see, there are no scratches on the paint of the car. The interior is clean and well-taken care of, while he zooms the camera on the paint and then on the interior of the car.

The advantages with video are endless. Not only can the seller now show all angles of their product but, the buyer can see and hear the product befor buying. Why waste time going to look at something in person till you have a good idea it is what you really want.

Recent reports have found that video classified ads are selling more products faster than online print ads because the buyers feel more comfortable purchasing a product that they can actually see; they are able to view it inside and out. The buyer also feels that they are less likely to be scammed by the seller when they can view a video. In all, video classified ads are the new way to advertise your product or service. It provides a much better selling outcome than regular classified ads. You should try free video classifieds.

About the Author:

Is Independent Profit Center (IPC) A Scam? Or Can It Really Build Automated Income

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

There are many programs that claim to help make you an automated income online, including Independent Profit Center (IPC). But does this program really do what it says, or is it just another scam?

I am here to tell you that this is a legitimate, residual business opportunity for those who really want it.

What Is Independent Profit Center?

This program provides an opportunity for both newbies and more experienced online marketers to earn an automatic income. It was started by Dan Miller who wanted to show everyone that making a residual business really is possible - even when you sleep!

The program is simply based on selling some great value products (thousands of dollars worth) - and they provide you with all the training you need to do so!

How Much Money Will You Earn?

This program claims to help you build an automated income and there is no doubt that it can. But like with any other online program you are going to need to put in what you want to get out. Over time this is a strong, automated business - and Independent Profit Center will be holding your hand the whole way!

The cost to join is just $200 and this is for thousands of dollars worth of software. For this money you will be guided through the whole process of setting up your website, marketing your products and so on - including through extensive video guides.

There are many other programs online that may promise the same, but here are three reasons why Independent Profit Center beats the competition:

1) They make payments from your sales each and every day.

2) Your commissions are all yours - you do not need to share any of your sales with other members.

3) This is extremely easy to follow. It provides you with all the steps you need to setup your online business.

Conclusion

With most money-making programs, the premise is the same: to make an automated income online through selling top-value products and services.

With Independent Profit Center, it’s a cut above the rest simply because of its training. Many marketers will fail simply because they aren’t taught how to properly succeed. By joining IPC you can avoid making this mistake, and start earning money online!

About the Author:

Why Be An Affiliate Marketer

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Affiliate marketing has turned out to be one of the most cost-efficient means to advertise over the Internet and it is additionally one of the easiest ways for somebody that has a site to make a profit utilizing the World Wide Web. Affiliate Marketing is an agreement between a merchant and the Internet site proprietor, where the website owner, or the affiliate, allows the use of their website for the marketing of that merchant’s items by linking to the merchant’s website.

In exchange, that merchant sends out a commission on all sales generated by the affiliate, therefore each time that a person clicks on the link on the affiliate site and proceeds to make an order, they’ll receive a commission. Nonetheless, a merchant would pay the affiliate just when a buyer orders the product.

Affiliate marketing programs are referred to as a win-win situation for the merchant and the affiliate due to the performance related layout. Both the merchant as well as that affiliate enjoy some benefits in affiliate marketing, although there are lots of benefits on the merchant’s side. For instance, it gives that merchant a larger marketplace with which to market their product or their service.

Affiliate marketing would give the product or service the maximum exposure that it may not get with other normally promotional methods, therefore the more websites a merchant has, the higher the traffic, which can convert to sales. It is basically the equivalent of possessing a huge force of salesmen that would perform that advertising and will just get a commission if a customer purchases.

Affiliate marketing is an excellent way to earn cash when at your house since there’s basically no manufacturing fees. The product is currently developed and proven by the trader, and all you have to do to find, as many prospects as you can that will provide that profit for the merchant as well as the affiliate.

Affiliate programs are usually free to sign up, therefore affiliates don’t need to fret over starting up fees, and there’s many goods as well as services which you could choose among. You can locate programs for every product around so without a doubt, there’s a product or service available which will work for your site.

Also, no sales experience is necessary and many affiliate programs offer great help in the are of giving advertising material. The simplicity of affiliate marketing allows you to be an affiliate marketer at the least cost and the most comfort. You can even create a successful affiliate marketing job right in your very own house.

As a mater of fact, your responsibility is simply to find prospects for the merchandiser - you don’t need to concern yourself with inventory, order processing, or product sending. Those, alongside customer service are the jobs of the merchant and remember, there are no long-term binding contracts tying you to products or services which are not making you enough cash flow.

No matter what, the greatest advantage to becoming an affiliate marketer is the prospect to increase your earnings - and you could earn a profit even if this is only a side venture. With your own affiliate business, you can earn easily earn extra cash, though you do need to exert effort and use your mind to max out the earning potential. Indeed, affiliate marketing is among the the easiest and more effective business opportunities on the web now.

About the Author:

Writing Customer Satisfaction Surveys that are Effective

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Why bother?

The life blood of any business is good customer service. Although new customers are important good customer service will help generate customer loyalty and repeat business. With every satisfied customer your business is likely to go on and secure many more customers through recommendations and if you do not take proper care of your customers there is probably a competitor waiting in the wings that will.

A customer satisfaction survey will demonstrate to your customers that you care and are proactive in looking for ways to improve the service that you provide.

 

Where do you start?

Objective - Before you start compiling your survey you should first consider what the objectives of the survey are, in that way you will remain focused and find it easier to decide what questions to ask.

Analysis - Once the survey has been completed consider how you will analyze the answers.

Bare in mind that ‘closed’ questions (where the respondents are asked to choose from a limited number of responses) are easier to analyse than questions that are ‘open’ (where the respondent can reply in anyway they want).

Much will depend on the predicted volume of respondents, the higher the volume the more important it is to have an easy method of analysing the results.

Opportunity – Keep in mind that as well as obtaining valuable market research data customer surveys are also a good way to advertise aspects of your service that your customers may not be aware of.

After you have drafted your survey read through the survey from a market research view point and check that you are asking the right questions in the right way and that with the feedback information you will be able to properly analyze the data allowing you to make informed decisions.

Next, read through the survey from a marketing view point, check that you have phrased each question so that every opportunity has been taken to promote your business?

The ideal question will perform the following three functions:-

  • Market research - provide valuable feedback to help you improve your customer satisfaction levels and in turn your business
  • Marketing - promote aspects of your business
  • Information/Education - advertise a service that you provide that your customers may not have been unaware of

For example:- Do you find the in-store baby changing facilities useful?

By asking this question not only will the store receive good market research feedback on the facility they provide but they will also promote their facilities and advertise themselves as a family friendly store, even beyond those customers who have a specific need for the baby changing facility that has been provided.

Warts and all – to benefit most from a customer survey you need to be prepared to dig deep and accept the worst.

A customer satisfaction survey should be designed to identify any problem areas so that they can be fixed; conducting regular customer satisfaction will help prevent complacency and will also give early warning on where you may be losing business to your competitors initiatives.

 

What should you ask?

Depending on their own particular size and makeup each business is likely to have unique factors in relation to providing good customer services however there are common areas relevant to all businesses be they a physical store, online store or a service industry. The following are key areas to providing good customer service.

Communication - Are you confident that you make it easy for your customers to contact you?

When a customer telephones is their call answered promptly; are enquiries about products or services handled properly? Good businesses will make every effort to ensure that whatever the customers query it is resolved by the right person, quickly, politely and fairly.

If there are reported problems that cannot be resolvable immediately do you promise to respond in a given time period and do you deliver on your promise?

Use a customer satisfaction survey to ensure that all your staff are considered by your customers to be knowledgeable, courteous and helpful.

Location – Are you doing everything you can to ensure that your customers find it easy to visit you, if a physical store, does it have good access and is it conveniently located?

Making it pleasant, making it easy - For a virtual business it is important to ensure that your website is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.

Regardless of the store being a bricks and mortar or purely online web based store, is the store properly laid out and can your customers find what they need and is there sufficient detailed information and help on hand to explain how a particular product works?

The right quality products – Not only should you measure the quality of the service that you provide but you should check that the products and services that you market are what the customer wants and closely match their expectations.

Value for money – Cheap or expensive is not always a good measure, value for money is.

Are the products you sell or the services you provide considered by your customers to be value for money, if not, why not?

Speed and attention – Customers want their enquiries or queries to be dealt with quickly but attentively.

Are you doing everything you can to avoid delays?

Good businesses will try to treat each customer as an individual, does yours? Attention is appreciated but it needs to be followed up with a quick and satisfactory resolution to the query.

Demographics and Specific issues – Take the opportunity to profile your customers, for example what is their age group and where do they live?

Understand your customers more and you will be able to better target your business.

As part of the survey allow your customers the opportunity to highlight any problems that they may have and provide you with contact details so that their problems might be later addressed and their concerns followed up.

 

What is next?

Having completed the survey analyze the results.

Trends – Identify specific and common areas where the customer service is failing.

Ask yourself if any criticism is valid, be honest to yourself, is there anything that can be done to properly resolve, or at the very least, minimise the problem?

Training – Are the staff properly trained and do they have sufficient knowledge?

Where employee training programmes have been implemented have they had a positive impact on the business?

Follow-up – If a customer has raised a specific issue through completing a survey ensure that they are contacted and that their complaint is properly addressed.

Don’t squander the opportunity to resolve a problem and keep a customer.

Continuously Monitor - Based on the survey results make changes and then re-measure by issuing further surveys.

If you are concerned about customer satisfaction and would like to see a sample survey for a store that demonstrates some of the above advice please view the Sample Customer Survey