September 2022 - Page 2 of 9 - BOLLYWOOD SURKHIYAN

HOA Property Managers Take Advantage of Outsourcing

I just returned from a great trip visiting some wonderful HOA management companies in the South Eastern US. These companies have experienced explosive growth and have smart people leading their firms.

Unfortunately, all the growth and constant focus on superior customer service has left the executives of these firms exhausted as they continue to try and keep juggling the demands of running a ‘successful’ company.

The sad news is that I hear this story repeated again and again as I talk with management companies throughout our industry. You see in other industries a concept of specialization is the norm and companies quickly determine their ‘core competency’ and outsource the rest. This model is now a tried and true approach to efficient operations in nearly every Fortune 500 company.

These big successful Fortune 500 firms outsource things like human resources (e.g., Hewitt & Associates), payroll processing (e.g., ADP), entire IT operations (e.g., Accenture), even manufacturing. Not surprisingly, these firms analyze what they do that is really valuable and difficult for competitors to replicate, then they start outsourcing the rest!

Take Nike, a global brand with amazing brand awareness. Did you know that they don’t manufacture ANY of their shoes! How about American Express, they spotted having an IT department over a decade ago!

You see, when you are great at winning HOA management contracts and providing superior customer service, you need to dump the other work you do that isn’t helping you differentiate yourself.

Take HOA accounting. I have yet to see an HOA management firm that is great because of it has superior HOA accounting. In truth, it’s just accounting. Either you do it right or you don’t. No one can differentiate on this piece of the business.

If you can’t differentiate yourself from your competitors with accounting, then you need to ensure you 1) do it correctly and 2) do it at the lowest possible cost. You can trim costs by outsourcing.

If you’re successful in HOA management but haven’t started analyzing what really makes you great, I suggest you start doing so now (tip: ask your clients why the do business with you to get the answer!). Then, start outsourcing the rest.

The lower cost and less work will make you more profitable and give you more time to enjoy all your well deserved success!

Affects of Service Oriented Architectures and Web2.0 Phenomenon: Evolution or Disruptive Innovation

Wikipedia / O’Reiley defines Web 2.0 as the “second generation of Internet-based services” and while it is technically correct, it does little to communicate the significance of said advances. As used by its proponents, the phrase “Web 2.0” refers to one or more of the following:

The transition of web-sites from isolated information silos to sources of content and functionality, thus becoming computing platforms serving web applications to end-users
A social phenomenon embracing an approach to generating and distributing Web content itself, characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to share and re-use, and “the market as a conversation”
A more organized and categorized content
A shift in economic value of the Web, possibly surpassing that of the dot com boom of the late 1990s
A marketing-term used to differentiate new web-based firms from those of the dot-com boom, which (due to the bust) subsequently appeared discredited
The resurgence of excitement around the implications of innovative web-applications and services that gained a lot of momentum around mid-2005

In the opening talk of the first Web 2.0 conference, Tim O’Reilly and John Battelle summarized key principles they believed characterized Web 2.0 applications

the Web as a platform
data as the driving force
network effects created by an architecture of participation
innovation in assembly of systems and sites composed by pulling together features from distributed, independent developers (a kind of “open source” development)
lightweight business models enabled by content and service syndication
the end of the software adoption cycle (“the perpetual beta”)
software above the level of a single device, leveraging the power of The Long Tail.

Let’s take a quick look at one of the representatives of Web2.0 applications, LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a professional (social) networking platform that allows professionals to connect with each other in search of common connections, joint projects, business opportunities, etc. LinkedIn is a web-based application. The value of the service is extremely dependent on participation and the service is powered by the data that its members provide about themselves and their services. The business model is subscriptions, advertising and marketplace driven and the company provides only one product. Other applications representative of Web 2.0 include:

Google AdSense – Monetization of content

MySpace, LinkedIn – social and professional networking
BitTorrent – peer-to-peear content distribution
WIKI – user driven content management
del.icio.us – bookmark sharing
Blogger, Typepad, WordPress – content generation
Digg – content syndication
SalesForce.com – move of enterprise applications to the web
Writely and Online Spreadsheets – web-based office applications

Innovations Service Oriented Architecture Service Oriented Architecture is one of the principal components of Web2.0 world and is the thinking behind some of the most innovative Web2.0 applications. In computing, the term service-oriented architecture (SOA) expresses a perspective of software architecture that defines the use of loosely coupled software services to support the requirements of the business processes and software users. In an SOA environment, resources on a network are made available as independent services that can be accessed without knowledge of their underlying platform implementation.( Barry, Douglas K., 2003. Web Services and Service-Oriented Architectures)

The convergence of SOA and Web 2.0, two highly interrelated trends that are very focused on:

connecting people and systems together easily,
making software and data available for reuse via services, and
building new value upon the foundation of existing information resources and IT assets.

At the core of Service Oriented Architecture is the ability of one application to be built on the top of another application (service) and possesses the following characteristics:

– interface abstraction
– leverage of the existing systems in building new ones
– ease of extending the functionality through “mashups”
– an elegant implementation of data, logic and interface independence

Situational Software

Situational Software is a term for Rapid Software Development by non-programmers solving a particular business problem. Situational software allows for building such components/application as registration interface, task list, workflow and other functions without knowing any computer language syntax. This is a powerful new development as it exponentially extends the number of users who can develop their own application logic thus lowering the need for IT resources every and providing business functions with a much quicker way to accomplish their goals.

Mashups

One of the most consistent trends on the Internet is the rise of open APIs and the applications built on top of them, known as mashups. Programmable Web currently lists over 300 APIs that can be used for everything from building Web sites on top of Google Maps to using Amazon’s powerful infrastructure APIs for storage and cluster computing. The underlying trend: The desire to easily remix the vast pool of high value data and services on the Web today into useful new solutions, at home and in the enterprise.

Mashups provide a way to combine several existing services with a new User Interface and possibly new logic to create a new application. Examples of mashups are services build on Google Maps, RSS news feeds, Stock information, etc.

RSS

Real Simple Syndication (RSS) exposes the data behind a particular news or data source in order to be syndicated by other applications or services. RSS has become incredibly popular in the last few years with nearly every news or information source exposing their content as RSS. This type of content packaging allows the content provider to easily get their wares outside of the immediate readership group and provides an inexpensive marketing mechanism.

Social Networks

Social Networking represents a modern trend in maintaining and developing personal and business relationships. Internet services like MySpace, Classmates.com, LinkedIn, Ecademy are redefining how people go about staying connected and looking for new connections. Proliferation of the social networking sites with increasing specialization tells a story about the acceptance of the concept.

Collaboration

Practically all the applications in the Web2.0 category are taking advantage of collaborative properties offered by the centralized data storage. Some of the most notable implications of this trend is the ability to “associate on the fly” instead of having rigid, pre-determined groups, ability to share and version control documents accessible to groups of people, and finally, ability to assign tasks to the group members related to projects or documents.

Asynchronous Communication (AJAX)

One thing that characterizes Web2.0 class of applications is the fact that they are easier to use then previous generation of applications and start behaving in ways similar to desktop software. One of the difficulties that web-based applications had to face was the “stateful” nature of internet applications. In other words, the page had to be reloaded every time there was a new query to the database. This experience fit well with transactional applications that didn’t require a lot of user interaction, but prevented introduction of more complex applications where user interaction was key.

This is now changes with a new paradigm in web-based development, known as AJAX. AJAX is a methodology and technology to enable asynchronous data exchange with the server without requiring page reloads. This approach results in significant speed and usability improvements found in a lot of Web 2.0 applications.

Office 2.0

Office 2.0 applications represent the well known class of applications for word processing, spreadsheets, calendaring, email and collaboration shifted to the instead or in addition to being installed on the personal computers.

Office 2.0 represents freedom from the tyranny of installing software and updates, remembering where you keep your data and your programs (it’s all in the cloud with Office 2.0), and dealing with pesky things like admin rights, software versions, virus scanning, and more. Though browser-based software still has its limitations (like what happens when the server is down or you don’t have a connection), it’s increasingly clear that the network is going to become the pre-eminent location for most meaningful business software, if it hasn’t happened already. (Dion Hinchcliffe, Blog)

Web 2.0 in the Enterprise Enterprise computing is far more complex than personal computing. It includes legacy environments, innumerable vendors, mismatched data sources, stringent regulations and far flung users. While Web 2.0 can deliver genuine advantages for both business users and consumers, the real “Enterprise 2.0” will encompass a far broader and more complex vision. (M.R. Rangaswami, The Birth of Enterprise 2.0)

One company that’s leveraging the SOA in the enterprise to the fullest is San Francisco based Salesforce.com. Salesforce.com has recently announced it’s Apex platform basically providing IT departments with ready to use platform for building logic and tying to legacy systems with seamless integration with it’s Customer Relationship Management functionality as well as any other partner driven applications.

Impact of Web 2.0 and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

The impact of Web2.0 and SOA is going to be very significant on a variety of industries.

With the advent of Service Oriented Architecture, Situational Software and Mashups, creation of applications is becoming faster, cheaper and available to a much wider audience. This phenomenon has a potential to reduce the specialized IT workforce required to churn out often redundant, lower-level code and bring the emphasis on creating business logic by those who possess immediate domain expertise.

Acceptance of Service Oriented Architecture inside the enterprise is allowing said enterprise to deploy software solutions much quicker, thus providing a competitive and productivity advantage. With this come shorter IT development cycles and more creativity in developing and utilizing applications. It’s likely that the days of huge, monolithic ERP software applications are counted as each department is striving to deploy what’s best for its needs without being stuck with a global roll-out which can take years to accomplish.

New web-based office applications such as Google Calendar, Writely, on-line spreadsheets and on-line Wiki’s are making it possible for the user to enjoy much the same benefits brought to them by current Microsoft Office applications, for free or at a much lesser price, while providing an extra layer of functionality through collaboration. This trend will allow more and more underprivileged societies to participate in digital economies and will provide an extension to the office application for those wishing to collaborate.

Blogs (RSS) are providing a way for everyday people, specialists and companies to distribute information without needing to be associated with a news source. Whether done for marketing, public relations or fun, blogs are becoming a great mechanism for knowledge management and dissemination changing the way people go about getting information to improve their lives, careers, businesses, etc…

Because of the shift of access control and storage to the network, the services provided by the client operating system are going to become less relevant. With the advent of SOA applications, the client operating system is being reduced to supporting the browser and networking functions. The browser on the other hand is going to undergo continuous enhancement process improving its support for browser-based programming, asynchronous communications and Javascript processing.

This brings us back to the main question of this paper, namely “is Software Oriented Architecture a natural continuation of the existing technologies with minimal effect on the underlying industries or does it represent a disruptive innovation”.

Disruptive Innovation

Clayton Christensen defines disruptive innovation or disruptive technology as a technological innovation, product, or service that eventually overturns the existing dominant technology or product in the market. A new-market disruptive innovation is often aimed at non-consumption, whereas a lower-end disruptive innovation is aimed at mainstream customers who were ignored by established companies. Sometimes, a disruptive technology comes to dominate an existing market by either filling a role in a new market that the older technology could not fill, or by successively moving up-market through performance improvements until finally displacing the market incumbents”

If we were to look at the innovations that Web2.0 and Service Oriented Architectures are introducing and apply the definition above to gauge the disruptiveness factor, we would find that most of the innovations listed here indeed qualify as disruptive:

New Technology/Product

Old Technology/Product

Disruptive?

On what basis?

Wikipedia

Traditional or Software Encyclopedias

Yes

Cost, Easier to use, universally accessible

Online Word Processors & Spreadsheets

Microsoft Office

Yes

Cost, adds new area of functionality (collaboration)

Wikis

Microsoft SharePoint; Web sites

Yes

Cost, adds new area of functionality (content management)

Online CRMs

Oracle, SAP

Yes

Cost, available to users who weren’t served before

Blogs

Newspapers

Yes

Cost, fill role old technology couldn’t fill

Social and Business Networking Applications

New market

Yes

New, fills the role old technology couldn’t fill

Situational Software

IT departments, small consultants

Yes

Cost, fills the role old technology couldn’t fill

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Traditional Software Applications

Yes

Fills the role old technology couldn’t fill

Peer-to-peer Lending

Banks and Credit Cards

Yes

Cheaper, more convenient

Examples:

With Wikipedia is rapidly gaining popularity, and while the opponents argue about the accuracy of information on this open source information resource, it’s definitely eating fast into traditional and software encyclopedia market.

(Traffic statistics in reach per million internet users, Alexa)

Online calendars, word processors and spreadsheets eliminate the cost of having to purchase Microsoft Office applications, while providing collaboration capability not found in lower-end office applications.

(Online Calendar Application from Google)

Salesforce.com, a web-based CRM/ERP solution offering quick deployment options to corporations in addition to a much palatable pricing when compared to the traditional stalwarts like Oracle and SAP, has signed up over 100,000 corporate customers in less then 5 years on the market.

Conclusion Web2.0 and Service Oriented Architectures are having a tremendous effect on the world around us, specifically how we collaborate, how we communicate and how we innovate.

Web2.0 is changing the way software is designed and developed. Gone are the carefully planned software cycles. After the first version of the software is opened to public, the functionality grows continually in short incremental updates and the value grows proportionately to the usage.

What’s even more important, however, is that they are becoming a threat to a lot of established firms and technologies. The largest end-user operating system vendor Microsoft is under a threat as a lot of its Windows system services become unnecessary due to the tasks being transferred to the network layer. Media reporting has to reinvent itself to compete with a cheaper albeit less dependable source of news, the bloggers. Software development organizations are facing a threat from new breed of service based applications. Large software powerhouses, like Oracle and SAP, are under siege from the new entrants into the ERP space with the most well-known of them, Salesforce.com, reinventing the business models and proving to be extremely effective at winning the market share away from the traditional ERP vendors.

SOA applications in general have a tremendous capacity to change the landscape of many industries through changes in the product development lifecycles, harnessing innovation and introduction of the new business models.

The large incumbent software companies and media conglomerates are understanding the threats and opportunities provided by the SAO/Web2.0 generation of products and services as evidenced by a few high-profile acquisitions (Siebel by Oracle, MySpace by Newscorp, JotSpot by Google) and in-house development of competing SAO applications (Microsoft Office Live, SAP hosted services) The question remains whether the incumbents are flexible enough in their business models to be able to embrace the SAO movement or will the new entrants be able to capture large markets with the new SAO/Web2.0 technologies. Bibliography:

Leveraging the convergence of IT and the next generation of the Web, Dion Hinchcliffe

The Birth of Enterprise 2.0, M.R. Rangaswami

Paul Graham (November 2005). Web 2.0. Retrieved on 2006-08-02.

Tim O’Reilly (2006-07-17). Levels of the Game: The Hierarchy of Web 2.0 Applications. O’Reilly radar. Retrieved on 2006-08-08.

Jürgen Schiller García (2006-09-21). Web 2.0 Buzz Time bar. Retrieved on 2006-10-29.

Jeffrey Zeldman (2006-01-16). Web 3.0. A List Apart. Retrieved on 2006-05-27.

Tim O’Reilly (2005-09-30). What Is Web 2.0. O’Reilly Network. Retrieved on 2006-08-06.

Dion Hinchcliffe (2006-04-02). The State of Web 2.0. Web Services Journal. Retrieved on 2006-08-06.

Tim O’Reilly (2002-06-18). Amazon Web Services API. O’Reilly Network. Retrieved on 2006-05-27.

O’Reilly and CMP Exercise Trademark on ‘Web 2.0’. Slashdot (2006-05-26). Retrieved on 2006-05-27.

Nathan Torkington (2006-05-26). O’Reilly’s coverage of Web 2.0 as a service mark. O’Reilly Radar. Retrieved on 2006-06-01.

Tim O”Reilly. 9-30-2005. Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software.

Barry, Douglas K. (2003). Web Services and Service-Oriented Architectures: The Savvy Manager’s Guide

RSS (Real Simple Syndication) Explained in Plain English

RSS(Real Simple Syndication) is the talk around the net these days because of its many benefits.

I’m sure you’ve received several emails(like I have) telling you to jump on the “RSS” band wagon and that it’s the answer to all your Internet and Email marketing woe’s because of its syndication capabilities.

With RSS Directories and Search Engines coming into the mix as well these days for RSS feeds you really have to decide whether or not you really want it get in on the “RSS” craze.

Now, before I get to far ahead of myself here I want to make sure you know exactly what RSS “IS” and WHY it’s becoming such an essential tool for Your online business and other businesses around the world.

I’ve received a lot of feedback from people just starting out online and/or other webmasters who are not quite sure asking… “what is “RSS” in Plain English and do I need it for my online business?”.

I wrote an article earlier this year stating the “10 MOST Powerful Reasons WHY You Should Be Using RSS”, but I guess I clearly didn’t explain what “RSS” IS which left the readers kind of stumped.

If you wish to read that article as well I’ve provided the link below.

[http://www.internetwondersezine.com/article_15.html]

With that said, lets ‘Now’ define what RSS(Real Simple Syndication) “IS” in plain english for those of you who are NEW to it and for those of you who are still a little bit confused about it and its uses.

RSS is by definition — an acronym for “Really Simple Syndication” or “Rich Site Summary”, and the .XML extension is the format used for distributing YOUR news headlines via the Web, which is known as “Syndication”.

“Syndication” is where the TRUE power of RSS is unleashed, getting your message or information across the web in an INSTANT to websites, your subscribers and/or readers.

Now, to put this in plain english, “RSS” is simply a technology that distributes YOUR information(whatever it might be — ex. Articles, Special Offers, Product Reviews, Resource Announcements) by syndicating it across the net.

It’s that simple.

It doesn’t have to get any more complex then that.

The more websites, subscribers and/or readers that opt-in to your RSS feeds, the more FREE targeted TRAFFIC you’ll receive from their websites.

How can you take advantage of this NEW technology… Starting Today?

Set up a BLOG!

Blog’s are great because they are “RSS” ready.

If you don’t know what a “BLOG” is here’s a link to another earlier article I wrote that explains BLOGS in full detail since the nature of this article is to make sure you understand what “RSS” IS.

Here’s the link:

[http://www.internetwondersezine.com/article_12.html]

You can set-up a Free BLOG account through Blogger.com — http://www.blogger.com — and begin posting to it within minutes.

All you have to supply is the ‘Content’.

Well, there you have it, “RSS(Real Simple Syndication)– EXPLAINED In Plain English”.

I truly hope this article cleared up any confusion you might of had about “RSS” and will help you take that next step to deciding whether or not “RSS” is for You and your business.

My final thoughts are, don’t be afraid to do a little research, you’ll be amazed at what you might find if you spend a little looking for it on the net.

Your Seven Step Plan for Email Marketing Mastery

Email marketing hits your prospects right where it counts – right in their inbox. With an effective email marketing campaign you can accomplish several different goals all at once. You can:

Find new prospects

Show off your expertise.

Develop trust.

Introduce them to new resources.

Become a friendly expert in their corner.

And of course… sell products and services.

Although most marketers are focused on the last bullet point, all of the other goals of email marketing feed into your ultimate level of sales. It’s important to use email marketing in the right way so you can reach all of these goals and more.

Here are seven steps you can follow to master email marketing and make it an essential tool for your business.

Choose the right autoresponder program.

Your email marketing is only as strong as the technology that supports it. I highly recommend GetResponse for their reliable service and outstanding results. With GetResponse you can use a number of professional looking templates, training and other resources to help you make the most of email marketing.

Identify who you are.

People are more likely to open emails from names that they recognize, so it’s important to use the right identification in your messages. Even if you’ve established your business with a name like “USA Sports Equipment” your messages should be coming from an individual person and use a unique voice. People want to receive email from other people – not faceless businesses.

Use a valuable freebie.

You won’t get any opt ins to your list unless you have something to give away. Make sure that your giveaway is something that your audience will take interest in – and something that they’ll be willing to give their email addresses away for. You can give away an information rich white paper, a demo of the software you’re selling or an ecourse that covers topics that are important to your audience.

Engage your audience with a follow up sequence.

The biggest mistake that entrepreneurs make when they build a list is getting people to sign up and then disappearing until they have something to sell. It’s important that you keep engaged with your audience regularly. Send them a sequence of five to seven messages in order to stay involved, educate them further and be a regular part of their inbox.

Send a monthly newsletter.

Once you’ve sent out a follow up sequence, you can stay in touch with your list members regularly by sending out a newsletter. The newsletter should highlight the latest news from your blog, share insider tips that you want your list members to know and remind them of special offers that are coming up.

Sell only after you’ve offered value.

Your sales offers are going to be more well received when you have established a relationship with your list members and they know that you offer quality. You should hold off on “hard selling” your list members until they’ve at least been through your follow up sequence. You’ll see much higher conversion rates this way.

Create a follow up sequence after the sale.

People who have made a purchase from you should be segmented into a different list so you can approach them in a different way. This follow up sequence can go over some of the benefits of your list, can upsell them on similar products and make them feel comfortable with their purchase so they are more likely to buy from you in the future.

What is an Ezine? A Brief Introduction

Although it can be defined in many ways, an ezine is basically an electronic magazine publication distributed via the internet. The term is often used interchangeably with “newsletter” due to their similar methods of delivery and overall purpose. Generally speaking, it can be centered around any topic the publisher chooses and obtains readers through consensual subscriptions. It is estimated that thousands of ezines are currently circulating throughout the internet everyday.

Benefits of Ezine Publishing

An ezine can help you establish an online presence and maintain continuous communication with your audience. More importantly, it can be a key revenue driver that enables you to enjoy a profitable and successful business. It makes a great way to build a quality list of subscribers and keep them informed about your offerings or whatever is happening in your field. Because you have complete control over your publication, you have the power to customize an ezine with the styles and features that give your content the maximum impact. You also have the option to offer advertising space to interested marketers, a factor that could provide you with a consistent stream of revenue should your publication become a success.

Ezine Topics

As we mentioned above, an ezine can be centered around any topic you prefer. Keep in mind, however, that it is best to focus on your area of expertise. For example, there are publications based on day cares, Information Technology, and simply general topics. While this should go without saying, it just would not make sense for a publication to offer tips on web design when your business involves selling mortgages. Creating an ezine based on a topic you specialize in or enjoy tends to make writing the content much easier. Several markers choose to create publications that coincide with their website since it is where the bulk of their subscribers are obtained.

Ezine Publication Releases

Just as you have control of the content, you also have the freedom to publish your ezine as frequently as you would like. Of course the frequency depends on various factors, but if you only have a small number of subscribers, you may want to consider only publishing once a month. This way, you do not come off as over aggressive and scare away the few readers you have. As your list of subscribers grows, you may feel comfortable publishing on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule. The most important of aspect of ezine publishing is consistency. Do not get your subscribers hooked with a few good issues and then hang them out to dry when they are craving for more.

An ezine can be a powerful marketing tool that supports your entire business. While promoting one takes a lot of dedication and hard work, the rewards of building a successful publication is worth every bit of it. Because you are provided with consent from your subscribers, you can send out company news, announcements, advertisements, discounts, or what ever works best for your audience. With the right approach, you can make an ezine a viable solution for your business.

Getting Started With Your Online Store

How to Get Online?

The first thing you must ask your self when deciding to sell online is how do I get my store online?

This may seem like an obvious question with a potentially simple answer “I will get a website” but with so many options available with varying degrees of difficulty and cost in setting up and maintaining your store you have to decide what is right for your business. You can choose between popular out of the box platforms such as ‘Shopify’ and ‘Squarespace’ which offers a seemingly easier setup at a price or open source platforms such as ‘Magento’ that can deliver excellent platforms with the freedom of choosing your own hosting services but may require the services of a developer to get you up and running.

Whichever system you choose you need to know which one is right for your business.

Receiving Payments

Once your store is designed, built and ready for customers you need to decide on ways of receiving payments from customers. One of the greatest hurdles online retailer face is trying to reduce the amount of abandoned carts. There are many reasons why this could occur but it is worth spending time and effort to give your customers comfort and choice when using your store. The obvious initial payment method for most stores is ‘PayPal’ as it is has a global reach and is a household name for being a secure method of making and receiving payments, However a second option might reduce an abandoned checkout due to offering choice. There are many payment processing plugins available that are compatible with most shopping engines such as ‘Shopify’ and ‘Magento’ and these can run in tandem with ‘PayPal’ to increase your range of accepting payments.

Getting Started

Even if you are fortunate enough to have an established customer base you still need to let your customers and prospective customers know that you have set up shop online. It is foolish to think that simply by setting up an online store customers will simply find you and start purchasing without any effort. If you already have a customer base from a bricks and mortar store then you will want to promote it via an email promotion and / or via your stores social media pages. Consider offering an online only promotion to start accepting traffic and growing momentum to transfer occasional customers to becoming regular customers online.

If your business doesn’t have the luxury of an existing customer base then the work is harder but will be extremely rewarding once the sales start trickling through. To generate customers create a buzz, ensure that you are active on all forms of social media and consider publishing an online PR blast to send to all the relevant news agencies to tell the world or at least your community that you have opened up shop and ready for business.

Keeping up the Momentum

Hopefully the initial hard work is now complete and your store is live and you are generating sales. To keep buyers coming back time and time again keep your range fresh and up to date. Keep engaging with your existing customers with regular email blasts informing them of new items and great deals and generate new customers by building subscriber lists with the lure of a first time purchase discount or gift with purchase.

Spreading the Word

Once satisfied that the store is starting to gain momentum and loyal customers then it would be natural to think about expansion as it is probably one of the reasons you went online in the first place to potentially grab a larger slice of the pie. Before deciding on marketing options it is essential that a proper budget is put in place that ensures that profitability is still maintained within the business. For online retailers the key mediums to advertise which are able to accurately measure success include social media ads such as Facebook and PPC search campaigns such as Google and Bing. These sources of traffic can be an excellent source of customers but it comes at a cost so monitor your campaigns carefully to make sure you are targeting the right people and not wasting your budget on irrelevant clicks.

Grow Grow Grow

Now that your business is selling and expanding it is important to not lose sight of the core business values and to keep your ideas fresh and simple. Spend more time working on the business rather than in the business which means delegating day-to-day areas to free up time on more important decisions. Surround yourself with positive people who are prepared to roll up their sleeves and get dirty with growing your business.

Changing the Economy With the Buying Power of African-Americans

In an article earlier this year in Brand Week, Pepper Miller, founder of the Hunter-Miller Group, a research and consulting firm specializing in marketing to African-Americans, stated that self-segregation exists in the social media space, and has a huge impact on advertisers. “You really have to understand who you are talking to,” she told Brand week in a recent interview. Miller also discussed why engagement is a huge part of reaching black consumers, and she offered examples of some successful [and not so successful] ads targeting African-Americans.

The buying power of African-Americans is huge and powerful indeed. For example, African-Americans will command $1.1 trillion in buying power by 2011, according to the Packaged Facts reports, “The African American market in the US.” Moreover, affluent African-Americans control a disproportionate share of spending. There are currently 2.4 million African-American homes with annual incomes of $75,000 or more. Though they comprise only 17% of the African-American population, they account for 45% of total African-American spending power.

Affluent African-Americans have a greater propensity than other affluent to buy expensive luxury items. The African-American cohort continues to be a significant consumer segment that in some ways exercises more economic clout than the ever – popular Hispanic one, comments Tatjana Meerman, Publisher of Packaged Facts.

An article published by Multi-channel News echoed the same thoughts and stated that African-Americans purchasing behaviors differ in various ways, and ranges from what they buy at the grocery store to clothing style and magazine preferences. A study by BET (Black Entertainment Television) found that theU.S. African American population is expanding both in pure numbers and in buying power and has major influence on technological and media trends.

Moreover, according to “African Americans Revealed” – a study of more than 80,000 African-American consumers over 18-month span broken down into several individual research reports — African Americans in 2008 accounted for a 10% increase in population from 2008 versus 2000, while African-American buying power increased more than 55% during the same period to $913 billion. Perhaps the most exciting news, for those serial entrepreneurs researching products and the markets to focus on, this news should be exciting indeed, because by the year 2013 black buying power will reach $1.2 trillion dollars, a whopping 35% increase versus 2008, according to survey and study conducted by Black Entertainment Television Network, better known as BET.

As the economy has ruin dreams of many, and hopes have dashed for others, I fully contend with you that it might be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps you have dreamed of owning your own business for some time now, but never had the guts to leave your day job, for fear of the unknown. This is a normal reaction for many people, and certainly understandable, especially now in this uncertain economic climate. But that is precisely why it’s the best time, and the right time for you to start that new business, and or create that product idea you’ve had for many years, the same idea that friends and family have told you would do well on the market.

As you read this article, I’m in hopes you will gain new insight, and find new hope, joy and fulfillment of that dream that you had, and or have, and step out on your faith, armed in knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and insight as to how you’re going to make your dream a reality.

My articles, and all that I bring forth is to encourage and enlighten those who are seeking ideas for new products, starting a new business, building and enhancing a brand, or for those who prefer, find the perfect job.

For my parting words allow me to leave you with this amazing thought that if embraced can help turn our economy around once again.

Succeeding in any business one must first be a cheerful giver, but not everyone is so cheerful when giving unto to others. While the real foundation to any good business is hidden in their giving, more people will give with regret in their heart. Because of this attitude, economies all over the world are suffering. Givers can be divided into three types: the flint, the sponge and the honeycomb. Some givers are like a piece of flint – to get anything out of it you must hammer it, and even then you only get chips and sparks. Others are like a sponge – to get anything out of a sponge you must squeeze it and squeeze it hard, because the more you squeeze a sponge, the more you get. But others are like a honeycomb – which just overflows with its own sweetness.

As described in the above paragraph, I’ve tried to point out the three types of consumers and entrepreneurs we have in today’s economy. Some people are flints; others are like a sponge, and other people are like the honeycomb. Which one are you?

Martial Arts Marketing for The Back to School Season

Making the most of the back to school season to grow your martial arts business is critically important.

Here a few Martial Arts Marketing ideas…

1- Get your school some publicity it can be amazing for your reputation.

Back to school time is a perfect chance for to get some media coverage for your defeat the bully workshops.

Newspapers and TV Morning News Shows are open to your suggestions for a good story.

2- Get in with teachers and principles by being relevant.

We’ve found the “Goal Setting for Good Grades” talk really strikes a nerve during this time.

In the beginning of the school year teachers are receptive to anything that will help “ensure a successful school year for their students.”

3- Call, email and direct mail those old leads.

Most Martial Arts Business owners have of leads sitting there even if they don’t know it yet.

We all have prospects that have come in but for whatever reason did not join.

If you’ve been savvy about it– now’s the time to use some good email and direct mail marketing to those targeted lists.

You can also link your direct mail to Mobile Landing pages using QR Codes

4- Creative Events

We are looking to do something around “Do It” day to inspire our families and friends to take action on their goals.

We’ll also do something around “Women of Achievement Month.”

With special events you need to give them a “good reason” to attend and invite friends.

5- Adult Fitness

Targeted direct mail and savvy internet marketing to bring some adult members in is a must for back to school marketing.

Get out a piece of paper and let the ideas flow the more you do the more students you will get and better your martial arts business will be.

Once you list your ideas start right away on implementation. Some back to school marketing strategies will have long lead times. For example, if you want to work with a pre-school, daycare of after school program you need to contact the director at least a month in advance of when you want to teach a class for them.

The sooner you put your plan in motion, the sooner you’ll begin to see students come in to your school.

The key is to spend a little time each day planning your marketing. That’s what the most successful Martial Arts Business owners do.

News Media Vs Internet Media

National and local newspapers across the world are facing their most radical restructuring in history; scores are folding as advertisers migrate to online advertising. Cutbacks have led to hundreds of journalists being invited to clear their desks. Falling circulation and higher production costs are making matters worse whilst increasing numbers of readers save time and money by reading their favourite newspaper online.

Very little news content today is gathered by reporters; most of what we read is downloaded free from court and local authority reports. Much is editorial-advertising and product reviews. Why pay a journalist when you can charge an advertiser? Another threat to traditional reporting is posed by citizen journalists; freelances who offer their services in return for lead gathering opportunities.

Few doubt the superiority of online newspapers compared to hard copy. The online edition of the average daily newspaper carries so much information and advertising; a builder’s labourer could not hope to carry it in a wheelbarrow if it went to print. It is not the Internet that threatens journalists’ careers; it is the nature of the change. They too are learning to adapt.

The Internet News Revolution

News organisations are still profitable but their proprietors have seen the writing on the wall. As High Street retailers morph into Internet shopping the newspaper industry knows that street vendor and newsagent distributed newspapers, subsidised by online profits, will follow typewriters into obscurity. The dilemma facing the industry is how best to profit by charging browsers who access their online editions.

Print and distribution costs are crippling news print editions; costs for online copy are comparatively low. Online newspapers do not have a space problem and deadlines are not an issue. The news is almost immediate and rolled out 24/7. However, in a click-driven competitive market online news media increasingly rely on challenging and investigative journalists, columnists and event analysts.

Rupert Murdoch

If a charge is imposed the trick will be to prevent each newspaper’s readership migrating to free online editions. Under the radar discussions are already taking place. Heading the agenda is the quest to discover the most practical means of getting readers to pay for their PC screen content without losing them. News magnate Rupert Murdoch already charges a subscription to access the Wall Street Journal’s insider information copy. He says: “People reading news for free on the web; that’s got to change.”

Recently it was announced that the tycoon has won a concession from Google to limit access to free news reports. It is called slamming the stable door before the horse bolts. Head of Associated Press, Tom Curley agrees: “The readers and viewers are going to have to pay more.” Others argue that viewers will simple not pay. The truth is no one knows as no one has been there before.

A Spanish Journalist Shows the Way

One online media hopeful is Arcadi Espada, a Catalan journalist. He is certain that print journalism does not have a future. His online Factual will be accessed by a 50EUR annual subscription. With characteristic forthrightness Espada says: “A journalist’s work is not free; nothing in life is free. We have to re-invent the business.”

According to one poll 60 percent of newspaper proprietors are considering ways to charge for online access. A quarter of them are ready to take the plunge. Those who gather their daily news and information from online newspapers now stand at 30 percent.

Hot off the Press

Of the UK Times and Sunday Times 20 million plus users, 500,000 are now dependent upon their online edition and the gap will close further. Plans are already in place to charge for the privilege of reading the Times online editions. Freelance journalist, Sandy Collins, doesn’t see a problem or fear for his job. “Some of my best stories have been blue pencilled out by hard copy newspapers because with limited space available the advertiser is king. Online publishing is a no-brainer. Everyone wins.”

He adds: “Newspaper proprietors’ costs are cut and their readership reaches a worldwide audience potential. As a journalist I now send my stuff to my online editors, knowing that if it is not published, it was not a space problem. If work is accepted according to merit then of course this must improve news quality. It must also improve opportunities for writers.”

Collins says his online newspaper proprietor has an insatiable appetite for fast turnover of quality and originality. “He wants my take on breaking news now, not next week or next month. What I produce in the morning is being read by the public hours later. You don’t get much fresher than that. A recent report of mine had 7,000 readers within hours of my blotting it.” Hard copy has gone the way of typewriters. Typewriters! What are typewriters? ©

Factors Affecting Forex Trading

Forex Currency Trading is affected by several factors which are mostly external to an individual. Most important of these are GDP, trade reports, unemployment and interest reports.

One beauty of FX trading is that there is no lag in the dissemination of information across the globe. It is released simultaneously and becomes available to everyone equally online or offline.

This is unlike online stock trading where one remains ignorant for a considerable period of time about the news affecting the volatility of a stock.

Most of the times in the stock market, an investor is in the dark regarding the causes of movement in a particular stock. Investors come to know about the causes like insider trading, law suits, revision in earnings etc. much after the market has reacted and absorbed the news.

Only few people have the right information at the right time in stock trading. As a result, most of the investors are at the receiving end in this market.

This is not the case in currency trading. Here all the information that affects a particular currency becomes known to everyone instantaneously in the whole world. There is hardly any role for insider trading or behind the scene news in a forex market. So information is more open.

Almost every online forex trading platform maintains a global economic calendar. This calendar indicates the major forthcoming economic, financial and business related events all over the world and which can have important bearing on foreign exchange market.

All one has to do is to keep a tab on these important events and their positive affects. If one can analyze them properly, it is possible to benefit considerably overtime.

Aforesaid factors which are having a major bearing on currency exchange are fundamental in nature. Coupled with technical analysis, these are of substantial aid to any forex exchange player.

Of course it is not easy to watch or keep a tab on all the factors that affect foreign exchange trading sentiment. They change in importance over time and condition. But the information is available to anyone and for use to one’s benefit. One can react immediately to any new information.

In stock markets, one is always faced with trading hours restrictions, closing and opening bells and unknown information. Forex markets are credited with 24 hours availability, open information and ease of use. One is not faced with restricted trading hours and one can trade from a few minutes to long hours.

In North America or Western Europe, people know a lot about stocks and bonds. But the rest of the world deals in currency. As there is more of globalization, online currency trading will get a further boost.

Most important GDP figures that affect forex trading are those of USA, Japan, Canada, Australia and Britain. China is also expected to be a major force in online paper trading in not that distant future.

One can do forex currency trading from anywhere in the world. All one needs is a computer and a forex trading platform. As soon as one gets some important economic or financial news, one can react accordingly in real time.

For more information and for a Free Forex Report, please follow the following link:

http://www.businesses-jobs-careers.com/Forex/ForexSystems.html