E-Commerce & Streaming Media: A Marriage that Works

In the heavily populated world of E-Commerce, what determines whose site will be successful and whose won't?

Is it the layout and design of the basic site? No. We all know of sites where no expense was spared on design and the company still failed to produce a commercial success.

Is it the product offering? No. We all know of sites where the product offering was more than adequate, the pricing competitive, and service was acceptable, yet success was elusive.

Is it a traffic problem? No. We read letters everyday in forums and discussion groups from those whose sites generate a lot of traffic, but sales volume is only marginal.

What determines success is the ability to stand out in a crowded field! What determines success is making your site different from your competitors. What determines success is the way in which you present your offering so visitors will want to stay at your site and buy from you.

Purchasing decisions are not simple ones. It doesn't matter if you're targeting consumers or business buyers. People seek ways to make their buying decisions easier. It is up to you to:

? Learn what your customer wants

? Highlight the features and benefits that appeal to the customer.

? Present your product in a way that differentiates you from your competition and utilizes your product knowledge.

How do you accomplish this in a meaningful way that doesn't drain your marketing budget? Utilize streaming media to capture your audience's attention and to focus on the aspects of your product that will generate a sale.

Let's use an Internet store that specializes in southwestern pottery as a hypothetical example. We'll go on the assumption that the store has an attractive website with good navigation and a secure shopping cart system. The return policy is clearly stated, and there is specific contact information. On the site is a nicely laid out catalogue with good product descriptions, small, fast loading graphics (which can be enlarged for a closer inspection) and a well-designed price list. The products are grouped by type (urns, bowls, vases etc.) so that a visitor can browse easily. A perfect Internet shopping experience, right?

The answer is only a qualified "yes" because this store is no different than several hundred others selling the same merchandise.

What can this store owner do to make shopping at his site exciting, fun, and memorable?

? Use a short audio to introduce southwestern pottery to the visitor. What are its' special characteristics? Why is it different than pottery produced in other regions?

? Show visitors where the pottery originates with a slide show. Use pictures of the artisan's studio and the area that surrounds it. Coordinate the slides with a script that describes the geography and how it contributed to the style of pottery shown.

? Interview several of the artisans on videotape. Let them tell your visitors about themselves and their work.

? Have a pottery collector talk about the use of color as it relates to southwestern pottery.

? Do a video as a cross promotion with a local interior designer. Describe and show how to best use southwestern pottery as part of a complete decorating scheme.

? Use video to show the actual creation of some of your better pieces. Take your visitors inside the artist's studio for an "up close" look.

You might even be able to generate revenue with some of your original programming. Sell commercial spots within the presentation to other merchants who offer products that are complementary to yours. (This can be as simple as inserting a graphic.) Work with these same merchants to promote local events that highlight the products of your area. Your local Chamber of Commerce might even want to purchase a spot in one of your streaming presentations.

For an E-commerce site with affiliates, use streaming media to help your member sites. Put together a slide show that gives participating members a chance to briefly highlight their own sites for a small fee. Use two to three graphics from each member and have relevant text from each member scroll by as their store appears in the show. Not only do you recoup some of your production costs from the advertising, but you also get your sales commission when member sales increase!

Streaming media should not be used arbitrarily, however. Unless your material is relevant to your visitors and adds perceived value to their purchase, don't waste your time or theirs. When designing your streaming media presentation, ask yourself what it will accomplish that your current content doesn't. Will it complement your existing material? Will it be utilized to enhance your offering? Will it provide additional incentive to make your visitor buy?

If you can answer yes to those questions, streaming media should be a strong candidate for your marketing dollars. Use streaming media technology wisely, and it will go a long way to making your E-commerce site stand out in a very crowded field.

Ronni Rhodes is the owner of WBC Imaging, an Internet company that specializes in web site enhancement utilizing streaming media technology. With her husband, Don, a digital media engineer, they work with companies to incorporate streaming as part of successful and meaningful sales and marketing programs.

Please direct all questions and comments to:
Ronni@wbcimaging.com
520-742-5780
http://www.wbcimaging.com

Loving Your Neighbors

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1?2

One of our goals as lighthouses for Jesus Christ is to love people. One of the most important truths I've learned as a believer is that I must love-love God with all my heart, soul, and mind; my neighbors as myself; and even my enemies.

There was a time when reading 1 Corinthians 13, the Bible's "love chapter," frustrated me. I wondered how I could possibly reach such a high standard of spiritual maturity. I had learned that love is important, but no one ever explained to me how to love. One day, God opened my mind to understand that we love just as we receive the gift of salvation or do anything else in the Christian life-by faith.

Two very important words have helped me. Since God has commanded us to love, we know for certain that it is His will (John 15:12). With that command comes a wonderful promise, that if we ask anything according to His will, we know that He both hears us and will grant what we ask for (1 John 5:14?15).

I suggest that you reach out in love, faith, and obedience to every neighbor and acquaintance. Demonstrate to them the agape kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13. By faith claim God's love for all, including those from whom you may be alienated. By faith claim God's supernatural provision to lovingly meet the needs of your neighbors and others around you.

SPREAD THE WORD THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The most important thing I can do to shine my light for Christ before my neighbors is to love. I want my lighthouse to be a beacon of God's love. May all lighthouses for Christ do the same.

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Schedule Telemarketing Time For More Success

Telephone canvassing, or cold calling, is the practice of sitting down with a long list of potential prospects you've never met and telephoning them, one at a time, to learn which of them needs what you sell and then arranging to sell it to them.

Believe me, nobody likes telephone cold calling. Salesmen don't like it because they perceive that cold calls are to unfriendly, unkind strangers who would rather see you in a California kickboxing ring, going one-on-one with Governor Arnold, than see you in their offices. It's true. They are. They would.

Prospects don't always appreciate cold calls, because they are from people they don't know, asking questions they don't want to discuss. These calls are unscheduled, intrusive and sometimes can be a general pain in the South Forty.

At other times, however, prospects do respond well to cold calls. They open up freely and give us the chance to sell them what they need.

So, here's the dilemma: If we don't like doing it, and prospects don't always know when they like it done to them, why is it that we all MUST make cold phone calls part of our selling strategy? There are countless reasons. Here are just a few:

1. It's the fastest way to qualify prospects and maximize valuable selling time.

2. It's also the fastest way to them know what we do.

3. It's targeted. It's the best way to find the decision-maker.

4. It creates a quick personal relationship with the buyer.

5. It keeps us productive when store traffic is down.

6. It reaches prospects we'll never run across in our other selling activities.

Every time you sit down to make telephone-canvassing calls, can you clear your mind of self-doubt? Concentrate on the goal of the moment and you will find that each new day will bring you new business, will raise you to new heights in professional productivity, and will give you a great sense of personal satisfaction.

About The Author

Stan Rosenzweig is a sales trainer, marketing consultant and author. He creates customized corporate sales training and directs strategic marketing, product development and cost management consulting for large and middle sized companies and offers free selling advice at http://www.salestipwebsite.com.

This article is copyright 2004, Stan Rosenzweig. Reprint permitted only if in entirety with attribution and web address. For more articles go to his website.

Do-It-Yourself Public Relations

"Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you pray for."

What is a small business owner to do? You have dozens, hundreds or even thousands of competitors around the world. How do you make yourself known amid all the noise and confusion? One thing is for certain. You may or may not have a budget for marketing and promotion but you want to get the most bang for your buck.

Stretch your budget by developing a low cost public relations campaign that you can handle in house. Publicity is a much more powerful tool than advertising and a successful campaign lends credibility to you and your company.

Use the following tips to take advantage of the many opportunities to make yourself known in the on-line and off-line world. Think creatively and you'll come up with even more ideas to propel your public relations campaign ahead.

1) Write articles such as customer case studies, book reviews, how to advice, editorials, etc. and develop a snazzy by-line that drives readers to your web site. Submit your articles to directories, newsgroups, e-zines, web sites and off-line newsletters and magazines. You'll be astonished at how far one article can reach and how it can convert readers to loyal, long-term clients. If you need guidance with this technique consider signing up for the "Expert Articles" teleclass held by Dr. Rachna D. Jain. E-mail Dr. Jain at Coach6-46006@autocontactor.com for more information.

2) Speak for free at your local Chamber of Commerce, trade associations and clubs. Ask the sponsoring organization to hand out your business cards and brochures to all attendees prior to the event. Collect business cards and hold a prize drawing at the end of your speech. Use the business cards to send out "thank you for attending" e-mails after the event and ask for permission to add the recipient to your newsletter list. Build this list and communicate regularly.

3) Approach local and national radio shows covering your target audience and offer to appear as a guest. You will need to craft a pitch letter that can be sent via e-mail to the producer of the show. Make your pitch exciting and spend a great deal of time on the benefits listeners will derive from your segment. To find radio stations search the brs web-radio site at http://www.radio-directory.com/.

4) Write a free e-book on a topic of use to your potential clients. People have become accustomed to receiving free information that is nicely formatted and easy to read. You can advertise your products and services in your free e-book and sell or swap advertising with other related businesses. Tip e-books (101 ways to... ) and article compilations are very popular. Promote your free e-book at http://www.ebookdirectory.com/ and http://www.free-ebooks.net/. Make your e-book viral by authorizing readers to freely distribute copies.

5) A well written and intriguing press release can lead to stories in the press that increase sales, enhance credibility and give your company a competitive advantage. For free distribution use PR Web at http://www.prweb.com. PR Web maintains a database of over 60,000 media contacts who receive daily e-mail listings of press releases which match their topic criteria. If you need help creating and formatting your press releases consider purchasing software such as Press Release O-Matic at http://www.press-release-creator.com/.

6) Sponsor events and contests. Grand openings of shopping centers, businesses, car dealerships, etc. are some events you may want to sponsor along with fairs, festivals, open houses and community events. You can locate on-line contests to sponsor at About.com. They offer a very good searchable directory of contests at http://contests.about.com/. Be sure to publicize your sponsorship on your web site and mention it in your newsletter and in your press releases.

7) Solicit testimonials and use them. Request a testimonial from every past and current client. Offer sample testimonials or an outline to those clients who are reluctant writers. Send out testimonials to prospects, include them in your marketing materials, add them to your web site and e-mail signature block, add one to each press release and put them on the back of your business cards.

8) Frequent the newsgroups, topical lists and on-line boards that cater to your profession or your target audience. Offer free advice, URLs of helpful articles or web sites and your opinion. Don't overtly promote. Be wise and helpful while showing your expertise and your reputation as someone to be trusted will grow. Marcia Yudkin of http://www.yudkin.com has done this very successfully for years. Now she's known near and far for her marketing expertise and her opinion is very well respected.

Building your public relations presence is an ongoing process that is most effectively achieved when you employ multiple strategies. Develop a plan, think creatively, promote consistently and your business will stand out from the crowd!

(c) 2003, Davis Virtual Assistance. All rights reserved.

Permission to public is granted in all venues so long as the by-line remains intact.

About The Author

Bonnie Jo Davis is an experienced shoestring marketer who specializes in article submission for fun and for profit! Sign-up for her FREE "Solving The Article Submission Puzzle" e-course by visiting http://www.articlesthatsell.com/ecourse.htm.

Develop Your Childs Genius: One Step Farther

When is a person brilliant? When does a person show his genius? When he goes beyond the usual, beyond the obvious. When he goes one step farther in his thinking, understanding and creativity. For example, when you play chess, you plan ahead. You study the moves that are optional to you, and then the moves your opponent can make. You go a few steps deep. My son's chess teacher once said: "Usual players plan 2 to 3 moves ahead. A grandmaster can plan 6 to 7 moves deep, and that makes grandmasters - grandmasters". The teacher suggested to my son to look at the chess board, analyze the moves ahead, and then - put a conscious effort into analyzing one more move. Put conscious effort into going one step farther.

When applied to all areas of life - this habit alone can differentiate between the everyday smart person, and an unusually creative, brilliant genius.

How can we teach our children this exceptional practice - as early as possible? This truly takes only a few minutes at a time! Whenever you do an activity with your child, whenever you have a conversation with your child, whatever your child's age is, encourage him to go one step farther in his thinking and in his playing or working.

For example, a toddler comes to you and tells you about an experience that he had, or an observation. Ask questions that lead him to thinking and analyzing beyond the obvious. When your child builds with blocks, encourage him to go one step farther by asking questions. What is this? What can you use it for? What else? How can you improve it? Can you make it bigger? Can you make it smaller? Is it heavy? Is it light? Is it strong? How can you make it stronger?

When you play a board game with your child, you can ask questions like: Why did you decide on this move? What would happen if you would make a different move instead? What would happen if I would make a different move? What was your strategy?

When you have a conversation with your child, always encourage him to think one step farther by asking questions. Try to widen his horizons. Try to get him to think creatively. Ask about possible solutions - and keep asking.

A very known game that encourages creativity, is taking a very usual, mundane household object (the classical example is a paper clip, but you can do it with any object you choose) and try to come up with all the things you can use it for. Everybody first comes up with the obvious: clip papers together, hold papers in place... but after a while the creativity starts to flow, and people come up with amazing and fantastic uses for a paper clip. This is a great game to play with your child, to encourage creativity.

I recommend using this approach to everything that you do with your child: ask open questions that encourage thinking and problem solving, and then keep asking. When your child is done with the obvious, keep asking, so that your child will go one step farther, and start thinking creatively beyond the obvious.

You can do it with a very young child, during any activity. You can do it with a school aged child too. Do you help your child with homework? Encourage him to go one step farther. Ask your child about the topic he is studying, and get beyond the obvious. When your child writes a book report, or a research report of any kind. When your child is done with his work, encourage him to go one step farther, by finding some additional information about the topic, that provides a different point of view, or provides some additional information.

One technique that I used when my son was in elementary school, was asking "why" questions. For example, when he had to write a report, and he read to me what he had written, I asked "why", and used this to stimulate his thinking deeper into the subject. When he was done with the report, I always said - lets go one step farther and see if we can come up with additional information, explain one more fact, get to one more conclusion. What would make this paper brilliant, instead of just good?

When writing assays, after reading the assay, I always encouraged him to go one step farther, and analyze, compare or ask a question that he did not ask himself yet.

By doing this, we are achieving more than one goal. The first goal is to increase our child's learning, to deepen his understanding. By doing this, we encourage our child to grow. But we also get them into the habit of going one step farther constantly, with every project that they take on. This will prove to be more and more valuable as they go through life. It will teach them to be more thoughtful towards other people, as they deepen their understanding of their fellow man. It will teach them to go one step farther and discover the solution that was not yet discovered. It will teach them to go one step farther and think about a topic in a completely fresh approach nobody has ever thought about in this way before. It will make it possible for them to be a true genius, one who comes up with ideas that may change the face of our world.

For the last 26 years, Esther Andrews has studied, researched and practiced the ways to develop a child's intelligence. She also served as the principal of the School for Gifted Education. As a result of this experience, she developed her own method and philosophy, that proved to be extremely successful with her own 2 highly gifted children. In her web site, http://www.all-gifted-children.com , she helps parents develop their child's genius, and provide for their kids the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential.

UK Top 40 Singles: Should It Include Ringtones As Well?

I noticed two interesting stories today. The first one on the BBC stated that from Sunday the UK singles chart will include online downloads for the first time, which will have a major impact on the top 10. In the first three months of 2005, 4.5 million songs were downloaded legally in the UK - compared with 5.8 million bought over the counter, and also because downloaders tend to be mature males not teenage girls.

The second story I noticed was that Cingular had convinced bands to release their songs as ringtones before singles. Coldplay will be the first band, and their new song "Speed of Sound" will be available as a new ringtone six days before it gets played on the radio and a couple of months before their new album comes out in June.

I still can't get my head around why anyone would pay ?1.5-4 for a 30 second clip, but given that people are in their droves, and also given that the ringtones market is also bigger than the singles market, should ringtones also be included in the UK top 40?

One benefit would be that Top of the Pops would finish a lot quicker - imagine how many 30 second 'hits' they could play in 15 minutes!

The author runs a blog following developments in the internet and mobile internet sectors. With over 10 years experience in strategy consulting and business development, and has seen and lived through the highs, and the lows of the industry.

Based in London, the author can be contacted on admin@connectedinternet.co.uk and his blog can be found at http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk

Payday Loans or Cash Advance Loans - Useful After a Bankruptcy

Payday loans, also known as cash advance, are a useful tool after bankruptcy. By keeping current on your bills through a payday loan, you can rebuild your credit history. The key is to only use these cash advances for emergencies.

Using Payday Loans

Faced with a financial emergency, it is better to apply for a cash advance than skip a bill payment for two reasons. First, after bankruptcy the best thing you can do to rebuild credit is to pay your bills on time. If you are 30 days past due or longer, it will take three years for it to be removed from your credit history.

The second reason to use cash advances is to save money on late fees. Often a $30 late fee on an account will be more expensive than the financing fee of a payday loan. The same is often true with loan payments and bank charges.

Find The Right Payday Lender

Shop payday lenders just like you would shop for any type of service. Compare fees and interest rates, as well as, repayment options and customer service.

Consider looking online for a payday lender. Many of these online lenders offer instant approval with no faxing of paperwork required. It is also much faster to compare rates and fees of online.

Avoid High Costs

Cash advances are meant to be a short loan until payday. The high costs of payday loans come when people put off repaying these loans and the interest fees add up. Plan to pay back your cash advance on your next payday.

But if you can't pay your loan back, talk with your payday lender. You can pay just the interest charge for that period or make only a partial principal payment. Above all, you don't want to skip a payment, which will add up fees quickly.

Plan For Future Emergencies

Once you have gotten through your current financial emergency with a payday loan, start an emergency savings fund. By saving as little as $10 a week, you can have $520 in an account after a year's time.

Also consider applying for a credit card for emergencies after establishing six months of good credit history.

To view our recommended sources for payday or cash advance lenders online, visit this page: Recommended Payday Loan or Cash Advance Lenders Online.

Carrie Reeder is the owner ABC Loan Guide, an informational website about various types of loans.