How To Generate Web Site Traffic For Free? |
by: Lil Waldner |
Traffic is essential for every ecommerce enterpreneur and website owner. The best way of getting traffic is by achieving a top 10 or top 20 position in a famous search engine as Google. There are more than 8 billion websites indexed by Google. Only a small fraction of them get a high ranking. It is not difficult to generate a lot of internet traffic with a high advertising budget. Big companies can afford millions of Dollars for advertising. Some brands only get traffic because of their famous name. Most of the website owners have to calculate with a few Dollars. How can they succeed in generating traffic? Some tips how to generate web site traffic for free: 1. Display your URL on everything The public has to know about your website. The first step is to spread out your websites URL everywhere: on your business cards, on your online and offline letters, on your mailbox, in the telephone directory etc. 2. Submission to search engines and directories You can submit your URL in most of the cases free of charge to search engines and directories. Important are directories that relate to the topic of your website. If your website deals with golf, submission to golf related directories or golf related pages in general directories might bring some traffic to your website. 3. Free classified ads Classified ads are free of charge. You can place as many ads as you want. You can get a better exposure through featured ads to moderate costs. If you decide to pay for featured ads, it’s recommendabe to give priority to classified ad websites with a high Alexa traffic rank. You find out the Alexa traffic rank of a website by typing in it’s URL at the alexa.com website. 4. Ads in ezines It is also worthwhile to place ads in ezines that are related to the topic of a website. This can be done with moderate expenses. 5. Expose your website in newsgroups, forums You may sign up in newsgroups and forums that relate to the topic of your website. You can give your advice to the audience and show solutions by your website. A lot of people surf on this kind of websites in order to find a solution for their problems. 6. Traffic Exchange You may sign up at the different traffic exchange websites. You earn credits by surfing on these websites. The more you surf, the more credits you earn. Your website receives traffic according to the credits that you achieve. Of course, you cannot sit surfing all the time. This programs offer you the opportunity to refer other surfers to their website. Your website can gain credit from all the surfers in your downline in this MLM-like system. Traffic to your website could explode, at least theoretically. About the author: Lil Waldner is a business economist. She is experienced in project management and marketing. She has worked as editor of newspapers and she has written booklets and essays with economic and public issues. Related web sites: http://affiliatechain.com/GetASite.asp?ID=51105or http://www.ts25.com/index.jsp?ref=lilianew |
by: Abe Cherian |
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as the byline is included and the article is included in it's entirety. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: support@multiplestreammktg.com 7 Tips for Product Enhancement to Increase your Sales By Abe Cherian Copyright ? 2005 Everyone needs to know what business they're in and they need to be able to express that purpose in a few sentences in their USA. Using product enhancement towards helping with your current mission statement, should help determine your business as a leading provider. For ex; if you're a plumber, you're not in the business of plumbing. If you're a carpet cleaner, you're not in the business of carpet cleaning. You're in the business of marketing plumbing or marketing carpet cleaning services. Your mission statement is what is best for you. You can constantly measure all of your activities then to the mission of your company. You can further measure the success by the success of your clients or customers. The more successful your customers are in getting the benefits from you, the more successful you will be in growing your business. If you're currently not generating the volume of business you want, your customers aren't purchasing as much as you want them to. Here's an exercise that you should go through periodically to evaluate ways you can make your product or service better, and thereby either increase sales or extend your product or service life cycle. Get out a piece of paper and answer the following questions. 1. Write down not what your product or service is, but the need or desire of your target market that you have perceived. 2. Brainstorm other ways to fulfill that need in ways other than through the use of your current product or service. 3. List all the obvious and not so-obvious features of your product or service. 4. Enhance your product or service with alternative ways to fulfill your customer's needs based on the ways you Brainstormed in #2. 5. Identify your USA versus your competitor's and any other alternative products or services. 6. Create five different front and back-end up sell scenarios for each product and service you intend to offer. You can encompass one of these attributes in each sale scenario that you come up with. 7. Determine how best to incorporate incentives for getting your prospects to buy. You want them to buy, buy now, and buy from you. Don't limit yourself to the list below, but here are some additional ways you can begin. These are reasons customers typically patronize a certain business. Identify major sales advantages that you have over your competition. Low price Top quality convenient location Friendly employees Knowledgeable employees Nice business surroundings Fair credit or return policy Good selection Convenient hours The important thing about running a small business is to know the direction in which you're heading; to know on a day-to-day basis your progress in that very direction; to be aware of what your competitors are doing and to practice good money management at all times. All this will prepare you to recognize potential problems before they arise. In order to survive with a small business, regardless of the economic climate, it is essential to surround yourself with smart people, and practice sound business management at all times. About the author: Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media, a company that helps online businesses find new leads and more customers without spending a fortune. http://www.multiplestreammktg.com |
7 Easy Ways to Make More Money in Network Marketing |
by: Daegan Smith |
Hit a snag lately? Haven’t been able to recruit any new agents? Is you network marketing job paying less and less because you can’t generate any sales? You don’t have to fret! With these easy network marketing tips, you can revitalize your sales pitch and methods in no time at all! 1. Contacts Remember that your contacts are your most valuable asset. Who are your contacts? The people you see on the streets? Your next door neighbor? When considering whom to invite, try those closest to you first. This is because they are most likely to be more open to your suggestions and will be willing to do you a few favors (such as buying that detergent you are hawking). The great thing about this is that they will really mind plunking a few bucks to help jumpstart your business. And when they see that you are doing well, they could very well join you as well. When you run through the whole list of you clan, what will that leave you with? You will of course have to go to those people that next in line with regards to closeness or affinity to you. And what if that gives out too? You can always adopt a friendlier stance and chat up that neighbor you never talked to. You could meet new people on the bus and on the train. But remember, you have to like them as people first. Don’t go about and look at them like walking piggy banks. People will know if they are being looked upon as ‘things.’ Always regard them highly and get to know them. Build their trust. The truth is, the friendships you build will be the true reward, and the sales will be just a side dish. Always ask for referrals from your contacts. This is another sure way to increase your prospects. 2. Believe If you yourself do not believe in your product, chances are you won’t be able to sell it to others. Remember, nothing promotes a product better that a satisfied customer. Let others see you using the product. Say glowing things about it. And most of all, let all that you say be true. If your customer finds out you weren’t being honest, you could ruin your business relationship. When you choose a network business, take into consideration their product. See if you can believe in it and pitch for it effectively. 3. Recruit the right people Don’t just recruit anybody. Make sure the people you recruit share an unbridled passion, and tireless work ethic with like you. If you don’t chances are, they will drop out of the networking business and you will not be able to build your downline. 4. Don’t force the issue When trying to close a sale, don’t force the issue. If you do, people will get suspicious as to why you are doing so. Are selling them counterfeit items? Are you only interested in your profit and not in your customer’s satisfaction? Always keep this in mind: the customer always comes first. Please them, and the profits and windfall from these relationships will follow. 5. Look the part When recruiting others, you can’t say, “You will get rich with network marketing,” and look shabby all the while. They’d say, “I thought you got rich from this thing, why do you look like you didn’t.” People will want to see a visible sign of success. You are their only reference point. If you are not convincing as a successful networking agent, 6. Hang in there Perseverance is a virtue. If money grew on trees, you’d still have to wait for them to grow. Remember the old adage: try and try, until you succeed. Remember that your goal is not to just to get money, but to build upon a good income generating business. 7. Evolve Don’t be satisfied thinking that your techniques at recruiting will forever be effective. Although there are basic principles that should be followed, you can forever improve on your techniques. Today’s society is constantly evolving. If you want to catch up with them, you have to evolve in your marketing strategies as well. Try ‘Em Try these tips. They are sure to give you more confidence in your network marketing strategy! About the author: Daegan Smith is the leader of the fastest growing team of successful home business enterpernuers on the net. Find out how we're creating financial freedom all across the globe and how to get in on the action FREE =>http://www.comlev.com Team Blog: http://www.turnkeyinternetbusiness.blogspot.com |
3 Essential Tools for Starting and Maintaining a Small Business |
by: Ryan Hough |
We believe that there are 3 factors that drive the success of small businesses. 1) Acquiring start-up capital 2) Finding customers 3) Accounting for, budgeting and controlling sales and expenses The following resources will help your small business achieve these success factors. Acquiring Start-Up Capital An adequate supply of capital is essential as many profitable businesses fail because they don’t have enough cash to pay their employees and suppliers. But what is an adequate supply of capital? The only way to tell is by doing a significant amount of research on your potential market and formally documenting this in a business plan. I’m sure you know that a business plan is a very important document that is crucial to convincing your banker to lend you money. There are two ways to obtain a business plan. 1) Do it yourself by amending a business plan template, or 2) Hire a professional to do it for you. Obviously obtain 1) will be a great deal cheaper. Our research led to a website that has over 60 high quality and free business plan templates. We also found a directory that you can use to easily find a business plan writer in your city – where ever you live in the world. Finding Customers Finding customers is a difficult and expensive task for service business owners such as accountants, lawyers and plumbers. We believe that a cost effective marketing strategy for service business owners is to simply give all their personal contacts a few business cards. Our research led to a few websites that have pre-designed business card templates. We felt that the diversity and quality of these designs was outstanding. In addition, we found that you can obtain a significant saving by finding a printing service on the Internet. We found that you could get 2,000 full color business cards for as little as US $150. Accounting For, Budgeting and Controlling Revenue and Expenses Accurate accounting is very important for small business owners. It’s essential that you have timely access to information that could make or break your business. If stocks are running low – you need to know about it. If a large proportion of your debtors haven’t paid – you need to know about it. If you do not react to these situations quickly you may have a situation where you don’t have enough money to pay your employees – or worse still someone is stealing cash out the till. Our research led to a website that compares and reviews top accounting software for small businesses. The cheapest software cost US $89.99 and the most expensive software cost US $1,499. It was interesting to note that the top 3 ranked websites were not the most expensive and cost between US $250 - US $300. Hopefully you now have an idea of some of the tools that you can use to grow and maintain your small business. If you would like to benefit from our research please visit our website. We do not charge for this research and offer the content freely on our website. About the author: http://www.best-quality-small-business-resources.com/ Ryan Hough is the webmaster of best quality small business resources.com, who's aim is to help you save time and money by finding reviews and case studies that will enable you to choose the best resources at the right price. |
7 Strategies for Writing Accounting Procedures |
by: Chris Anderson |
You have permission to publish this article free of charge, as long as the resource box is included with the article. If you do run my article, a courtesy reply to sean@bizmanualz.com would be greatly appreciated. This article is 909 words long including the resource box. Thanks for your interest. Part Two of Cash to Cash Cycle Series Part One: http://www.bizmanualz.com/articles/01-05-05_inventory_procedures.html/?ART78 Next Week: Sales We’ve already found $250,000…so let’s find another $250,000… Laying the Foundation Last week, we raised the question: what would your business do with $1,000,000? To lay the foundation we introduced inventory as the first of four areas that will lead toward our million dollar goal. And you saw exactly how to achieve the first $250,000 in cash savings by avoiding delays with an increase in velocity, as well as an increase in discipline and competency. But how exactly? With time – as you saw with inventory and as you’ll see this week. Tackling Accounting Procedures Let’s continue that crucial theme of time with another major source on your balance sheet – specifically, accounts receivable (A/R). If you have $500,000 or more in accounts receivable then STOP! We have found it again. Reducing Average Days Collection Why? Because if we focus on reducing your average days collection by 50%, then your accounts receivable balance will fall to $250,000 and the result will be an extra $250,000 in your bank account. And just like that, we’re halfway to our $1,000,000 goal. So now, let’s see how this actually works in a real-life business scenario. Accounting Procedures Service Business Example A service organization with $700,000 in average A/R balances needed assistance. So we examined their A/R function to understand and quantify the workflow and workload issues. Then we designed and implemented a process to improve the A/R performance. The metrics we developed reduced their “over 60” accounts receivables by 85% and their overall A/R balance by 50% within 90 days of implementing the new procedures. With these new processes and reports, the company now tracks Average Days Collection and past due rather than just Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) as the measure of their collection effectiveness. The result: an extra $350,000 in cash. And, again, we explicitly see the crucial role of time and how an increase in velocity and discipline directly yields an increase in efficiency and cash savings. So how can you use time to your advantage? Methods to Design the New Accounting Process Decrease collection cycle. Examine customer accounts that go beyond your terms. Do not wait until twice the net terms to take action. Tighten credit policy. Examine credit process for slippage. Do you have a credit approval process? Do you perform credit checks? What standards are used to extend credit? Reduce credit terms. Change the credit terms you offer your customers. If you offer terms of net 45, reduce it to net 30. You might offer a discount of 1% if paid within 10 days else net due in 30 days. This is equivalent to 18 % annual interest and most businesses will take those terms. Shorten the invoice process. Bill your customers immediately. This is a big one. Many service organizations wait until the end of the month to tally billable hours and determine customer charges. Do not wait until the end of the month. This could reduce your day’s receivable by as much as 15 days right there. Email or fax your invoices to save another day or two (e.g. QuickBooks accounting software contains this feature). Reduce billing errors. Most customers delay payments because of invoice errors. Customers won’t recognize the invoice until it is corrected and may not even notify you, the vendor, of the error until you call for collection. Again, avoiding this delay in error and time will amount to cash savings. Train Accounts Receivables personnel. Make sure that all personnel involved are training to understand the performance metrics for their jobs. For example, a company will manage $500,000 in monthly A/R balances (that’s $6 Million a year!) using an A/R clerk who makes $30,000. But then the supervisor uses nothing more than On-The-Job (OJT) training for the clerk. Then the CFO thinks that he or she (the CFO) is really managing the money. But, in reality, that’s not the case; the clerk is managing the money day-to-day. So shouldn’t the A/R clerk receive enough training to manage such a significant amount? After all, it only takes a 6% change in A/R in one month to equal the A/R clerk’s entire annual salary. Isn’t the A/R savings worth a little extra time in training? Maximize the Accounting Process. With the Accounts Receivable department you should use each element of the process to gain the most benefit for your business. And with time-saving procedures set in place, you will let your efficiency work for you. Grabbing Your Policy Goal With well-defined processes and procedures in place, you will increase efficiency by reducing your Average Days Collection. And of course a reduction in Average Days Collection means your Accounts Receivable balance will also fall, creating more cash in cash on hand. And just like that we’re halfway to our $1,000,000 goal. All you have to do is grab it. Next week, we will look at finding still another $250,000 in the Sales function – which will give us $750,000 toward our goal of 1 Million in cash savings. So, again, not only do you aim to reap the rewards of extra savings to your bottom line, but also see more cash in the bank - $1,000,000 cash to be exact. About the author: Chris Anderson is currently the managing director of Bizmanualz, Inc. and co-author of policies and procedures manuals, producing the layout, process design and implementation to increase performance. To learn how to increase your business performance, visit: http://www.bizmanualz.com?src=ART79 |
Things You Should Know Before You Bid On A Business |
by: Sandi Razmen |
Whatever your reason for going out on your own, you must keep your reason in the forefront of your mind. If you forget your reason for starting your own home business, you will not be working for yourself for long. Self-motivation is the key to success when you start a home-based business. You need to possess the ability to push yourself ahead. Your drive and determination will be reinforced with every new sale. Remember --- your own business is a lot like a real job. Some people go to work to play, some go to socialize, and others --- most often those who are paid in a commission or tip environment --- go to work to work and to make money. When you work for yourself, your salary is directly proportional to your productivity. In every home business, there are certain processes that we do over and again, please factor in the most important element concerning the cost of your promotions. What element is that? Your time! Value your time at a certain dollar amount, and figure in your time into the cost of your promotional accounting. Because too many promoters lose sight of this concept and spend 20 hours to generate one sale while using free advertising. The level of success that you will achieve greatly depends on the time and effort you are willing to plow into your new home business. Your organization, planning and marketing skills, will all be put into practice when you embark on your liberating journey. Most people have a misconception about having to spend lots of money in order to advertise their home business. When you start out, you honestly will not have much money available for advertising, and if you do, you should still spend it wisely. It is important to understand what you expect to gain from your advertising In order to make good decisions concerning how to spend your advertising budget, you must first have a good understanding of the different types of advertising and promotion available and what can be expected to be achieved by each. However you choose to spend your advertising dollars, you should always track the results of your promotional efforts. No business can survive the long run without some form of consistent advertising. |
