iPhone Sales are Strong…What About Yours?
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Innovation and Quality Sells..Even in Recessionary Times
iPhone 3G S sales make me ask the question…is there really a recession? After all, who doesn’t already have a cell phone? According to The Times Online (as of June 23, 2009), “Apple Inc. sold more than a million units of its latest iPhone model in the first three days, making it the most successful debut for a smart phone yet”.
In September of 2007, the iPhone entered the market at $599 for the 8GB model and people stood in line for days to get one. I heard a report of one man, a pastor, who had a phone delivered to him and he commenced to break the phone open in order to see who the manufacturers of the component parts were. He wanted insight to know what stocks to invest in.
Apple reported that sales were up 88% in Q4 2008! Admittedly…people are losing jobs, but iPhone sales prove that opportunity yet abounds.
Two years later, the iPhone is exponentially faster, more flexible, and comes with 32GB for just $299. The 3GS model was released just a couple weeks ago and once again people were waiting in line to get their hands on one. Read More→
How to Grow Your Gross Profits 25 – 100% in 48-90 Days
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Are You Interesed in this Kind of Growth in Your Business?
Here are the eight steps that will position your company to see a dramatic increase in gross profits in 48 – 90 days. The first four steps work without you having to spend any additional money in advertising. Once the foundation is laid with the first four steps, then the second four, which often require additional resources, can be implemented out of the increased profits from phase one.
First, you must develop a well-rounded unique selling proposition. This is where many small-to-mid sized business owners fail. My years selling yellow page and internet advertising allowed me to learn that most small business owners do not have a well-rounded unique selling proposition (USP). The USP is the most foundational aspect to effective marketing. Why? It tells your market why they should do business with you instead of your competitors. If you don’t distinguish yourself from your competitors well, your prospects and customers will buy from whoever has the lowest price.
Second, you need to integrate your USP into all of your marketing efforts. This includes your business cards, email signatures, brochures, websites, stationary, sales scripts, and any other forms of communication. Read More→
Effective Marketing & Advertising Always Promotes Solutions to Your Prospects Problems
Here’s a topic that will deliver real nuts and bolts insight for coaches, consultants, and independent professionals on how to grow a business in any economy…sometimes on a shoestring budget.
I’ve sold yellow page advertising (both online and you traditional print directory), pay-per-click advertising, register receipt advertising (many many moons ago), and websites. One thing is for sure. ALL of those mediums CAN deliver a very targeted and ready to buy prospect to your business when you employ the right methodology. However, use the wrong marketing method, and you might as well be using your money to make paper airplanes, because it’s certain to fly away.
Traditional Advertising
Brand or image advertising carries with it the thought … ‘get you name out there’. It’s the kind you normally see on TV and in magazines. The company will typically show a picture designed to grab attention, and then come up with some sort of catchy slogan or phrase that either makes the person listening/watching laugh and (hopefully) remember the company favorably when they are in need.
This is the kind of advertising that big companies use when they have a lot of money to burn. I realize that 95% of those who are reading this blog are solo-preneurs like myself. We do not have thousands of dollars to experiment with. In many cases, the mortgage payment, car note, and possibly your children’s college tuition for the following semester is on the line. Therefore, my commitment is to provide you with insight that makes a real and measurable difference to your bottom line in the short run. Like in 48 days or less. Read More→
Website Traffic Troubles?
By · CommentsWhy let Website Marketing get you down? …Optimized Press Releases are the Lazy Man’s way to Targeted Traffic in 48 Hours or Less
Put an end to your website marketing stress
Getting targeted website traffic can be tough. In addition, these recessionary times are making many small business owners nervous. While studies show that online research being done by the consumer is driving offline sales at an increasing level, not everyone has figured out how to get targeted traffic to their website. Hard work is always a part of success, but today, I’m going to share with you a little known way to get targeted traffic to your website in just 48 hours or less. What’s even better is…this is the lazy man’s (or woman’s) approach…hands down. It’s called Web PR, or optimized press releases.
First off, press releases have been around since 1906. Ivy Lee, father of the modern press release, understood the need to tell his version of the story before a different and perhaps less favorable perspective got out. As a result, his company issued the first press release to journalists, and that was the beginning of fostering open communications with the media. Read More→
Yahoo News along with several other news search engines are changing the way that small business owners attract media and customer attention. Studies show that 98% of journalists go online daily. Ninety-two percent start their article research online, and 73% are going online to find press releases. Studies also show that content from PR is 70% more believable than traditional advertising because it’s ‘editorial content’.
SO…here’s the point. A well-developed online press release strategy will place your marketing message in front of TWO significant groups. One – your market as they are researching and making their buying decisions. Two – the editors, reporters, and bloggers who influence those who will or will not buy from you (or your competitors). In addition, the number of customers who shop online is constantly on the rise. Business owners who stay abreast of the times will look for creative ways to position themselves to be seen in the news search engines if they want to increase the targeted traffic coming to their websites.
Getting more targeted website traffic is everything –especially during this economic slowdown. With it being much more difficult to gain access to credit, the old saying is truer than ever…there are few problems that cannot be solved with additional sales. One key to more sales is increased traffic. However, many entrepreneurs who are marketing online are challenged by not being able to get enough quality traffic to their website. A few are learning the value of leveraging the existing traffic of top news sites like Yahoo News. Read More→
Of course it is. The real question is…how is it working? In other words, “What are you reaping today as a result of seeds sown yesterday?” Sometimes, we go through seasons in life where nothing seems to go the way we would like it. Business may be slow, therefore cash is tight, relationships may be a bit bumpy, and who knows what else. Things just aren’t going the way we would like them to go. These are some of the best times to look around and consider the question, “Who can I help to move their situation forward?”
I was inspired after reading a segment from Today God is First, a daily devotional by Os Hillman. In today’s segment, he talks about The Power of Serving Others. As I read it, the message resonated in my heart as something that we all need to remember…especially in difficult times. It’s one thing to be generous when times are good, but in reality…we really need to be generous when times are hard. Why do I say that? The scripture reads, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble“. (Psalm 46:1) Read More→
Want a Recession Proof Business?
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Steps to Thrive in a Recession
If you’ve got 8 minutes, this post will give you a quick read on the first steps of developing a recession proof business.
My last query on this keyword shows that approximately 27 people per day are searching for ‘recession proof business’. If you go to http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ you can simply type in the words ‘recession proof business’ or ‘recession proof’ and you will see what I’m talking about (take a moment and do this if you would). After doing that (assuming that may have been your first time using a tool like that), you now know how marketers like myself begin to get a pulse on the marketplace. Once you know what questions people are asking and what solutions they are looking for, you can begin determining what questions you need to answer in order to provide value. That, sir or ma’am, is one of the most important steps to developing a recession proof business. Read More→
Website Marketing Strategy Basics
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5 Steps of a Website Marketing Strategy
So…you’ve got a website and want to know how to increase it’s profitability? Here are the basics:
Identify Your Market – Who Do You Want to Reach?
The most ideal thing to do first is to identify your market. Who are you looking to do business with? The key here is to understand what they are looking for when they’re online, or reading magazines, newspapers, etc. Identifying your marketing is really about understanding the conversation that’s going on inside their head. What questions are they asking? What solutions are they looking for? What problems or pain do they most want to eliminate from their life? When you get the answer to those questions…you are well on your way to knowing what to sell. Read More→
- Search Engine Marketing can make a big difference in your bottom line…even in tough times.
Fact: There were 6.8 billion searches done in June 2006. Forty-three percent of search engine users are looking for a local merchant to make an in-person purchase. Fifty-four percent of internet searchers have substituted internet/search for the phone book according to the Kelsey Group. With the growing use of search engines by consumers for both shopping and researching before shopping, anyone looking to thrive during this time of economic transition would be wise to employ search engine marketing as a means to reach new customers. Read More→
Lead Generation: What are You Giving Away?
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One of the best ways to foster trust in your prospects is to give them something they value.
You might be surprised to see how much business you can develop if you will start off by giving something your market can benefit from. Now…I wouldn’t expect it to be cash money–like the lady on your left–but you have to admit, anyone walking up to you and offering you a gift would have your attention…at least for a moment. Well…that’s precisely the objective.
More than likely, you know exactly what it’s like to be hungry while shopping in the mall when someone working in an eatery in the food court extends their hand with a freshly cooked piece of chicken as an invitation to taste something from their menu. It doesn’t take a lot to tempt a hungry person. Anything which is halfway appetizing will do the trick. Read More→