In my many presentations to home stagers and other “main street’ businesses I stress the need to have an opt in device on their web sites to capture prospective customers information.

One of the biggest obstacles people seem to face is the idea that product creation is difficult.

I am starting a new series on Product Creation.  The bulk of the series will run on my http://MicroBusinessSpecialist.com/blog

But I will place pertinent articles here as well.

I encourage you to come back frequently or subscribe to my RSS feed to catch the series.

Technorati Tags: information product creation, product creation, information product, info product, info product creation, ethical bribes, opt in forms, email marketing

Technorati Tags: email marketing, ethical bribes, info product, info product creation, information product, information product creation, opt in forms, product creation

I have been preaching SEO for some time, in may various ebooks and tele-seminars. I have also posted a number of articles from my friend at Leads Leap.

This is link to the last episode of Lead Leaps  popular SEO tutorial series.

In this concluding chapter, they do a case study of a successful website that is doing very well in Google search results.

Read the case study now:

http://www.leadsleap.com/blog/seo-case-study-free-seo-tutorial-part-6/?r=earlnetwal

Technorati Tags: Case Study, leads leap, SEO

Hearing the word spyware tends to evoke an image of popups for most internet users. It would probably surprise most to learn that almost every internet user has at least some spyware or adware on their computer. The reason for this is that these parasites can hide in parts of the computer that you can’t normally access.

The biggest problem with these parasites is that most users don’t know just how dangerous they can actually be. Sure they cause your computer to slow down (a lot), install things you don’t want, and more, but they also do much worse things. Having spyware or adware on your computer compromises your privacy to a very dangerous level.

How often do you enter personal information on the internet? For most people, this will be very often. Many of these parasites will track everywhere that you go on the internet and report it back to it’s creator. It doesn’t stop at that though. Not only will it track everywhere you go, but it will track everything you type and click at these locations as well.

What this means is that if you enter sensitive data such as your social security number, credit card number, bank password, or anything else of that nature, a stranger also has that information. To make matters even worse, this information is often sold to even more people; this means that hundreds of people could have access to all of your personal information.

If you want to keep your privacy on the internet, you’ll need to rid yourself of any spyware and adware that inhabits your computer. There is a free report named “Adware Removal” which outlines everything that spyware and adware do, as well as how to get rid of it. Remember, the report is completely free and definitely worth a read.

Click Here To Dowload Your Free Spyware Removal Report

Technorati Tags: adware, adware removal, spyware, spyware removal

If you want to learn the fundamentals of internet marketing, but didn’t know where to look, you’re going to love this.

One of the internet’s best trainers of online marketing has redirected his business and rather than selling single courses has set up a “one-stop resource center.”

I have to tell you this is a great opportunity. I have taken well over a half dozen individual courses from Bob the Teacher, happily paying hundreds of dollars for some. Most of them are now available to you for just $47 a month as a member of the Internet Marketing Success Library.

Internet Marketing Success Library

As I said, I’ve personally learned from Bob The Teacher in the past, and I’m always impressed with how organized and methodical his training courses are.

They’re step-by-step video and audio courses that cover EVERYTHING you need to know about things like:

- website management
- traffic
- autoresponders
- list building
- technical know-how
- Twitter and Facebook
- information product creation
- affiliate marketing
- and a lot more.

And while not all of the courses are critical for a home staging business, many of them are. These are the fundamentals taught by a former high school science teacher who knows how to make everything clear and complete, even for newbies.

If you have ever thought about learning more in the way of internet basics this is your golden opportunity. Join and take one, two, three or more courses in your first month and quit if you want. Or continue on and take additional courses.

If you enjoy learning how the internet works and/or are interested in developing your personal or business skills online, this is a superb deal.

I specifically recommend you put discover cpanel and discover auto responders at the top of your list. But there is so much more that could benefit you and your business.

Now much of these courses are aimed at people who are looking to develop an online business. But don’t let that dissuade you.  While your primary business is hands on in your clients homes, you need to learn how to use the internet to maximize your marketing.

Click on the banner and check this out. You must keep learning if you are going to be successful in the long run. In today’s world, like it or not that means getting comfortable with the internet.  You won’t find a better teacher, not even me.

What’s a top listing on Google worth?

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Whether you are a home stager in Philadelphia or a shoe store in Omaha, or a Dentist in Los Angeles, getting your business to the top of local search engine results can make a significant difference to your profitability.

How much more traffic does the top listing get, compared to the number two listing? I don’t know. It varies. But I have seen estimates that claim the top listing can expect from 1.5 to 3 times as many visitors compared to the number 2 listing.  These same estimates suggest that the number three listing gets roughly the same drop off compared to the number two listing.

What’s that mean in numbers?

Say on a given day or week, 100 people search for “Chiropractors in Minneapolis,” the odds are that 95 of them will look at the top listing. (Count on 5% doing something else)

If the ratio of drop offs is one and a half – on the low end of  the above estimate, that means about 63 people would see the second listing and just 42 the third listing.

What’s that mean to your business?

Fewer eyes on your website results in fewer eventual conversions, which is marketing talk for sales. No matter how effective your web site is, it can’t create customers out of people that don’t see it.

Now some web sites convert better than others. And just getting a lot of traffic isn’t a substitute for having a web site that produces, but that is another topic. The first objective is to get eyes on the page. Then we will worry about getting those eyes to do something.

If that first website is a dog, the second one will see more traffic as a result. If it’s great, the second site may see even less traffic, as it scoops up all the business right then and there. This and many other factors may affect the actual drop off in your market, for your specific keywords.

The bottom line is that there is a drop off, and it matters to you and your business whether you are on top or not.

Now, what if you are no where near the top? Your web site can still be useful if your drive traffic to it by other advertising efforts. So don’t give up on your site. But there may be ways to climb from page 3 or 23 to the top in many markets, once you learn a few of the tricks to search engine optimization.

For many locally based businesses, getting on the first page of the search engine listings is very doable. The reason I say that is because the majority of your competitors don’t understand search engine optimization either.  If you follow me and this series, and apply what I will be sharing with you, most of you will be able to make some significant progress.

Just for the sport of it, pick one keyword you would like to rank for in your market.   In the example above I used, Chiropractor in Minneapolis. Find one appropriate to your business and market. Now go to Google or MSN or which ever search engine you use and figure out where you web site is.  Write it down.

At the end of this series, I’d love to hear from those of you who made the greatest progress.  If  you’re already number one, don’t get too comfortable, one of your competitors may be reading this and planning on overtaking you.

I published part 1 of this the other day, so I will follow up with part 2 today. Normally I would show case another home stager’s articles. Debra Gould doesn’t need a lot of extra promoting because she does it so well herself. But then again, this is one of the ways she does it. And that’s just one of the lessons I am trying to share with you.

—-

Home Staging Marketing Tactics That Will Put You Out of Business – Part 2

Many design-oriented individuals decide to become home stagers without any kind of business training or marketing knowledge. While they mean well, they often stumble into some terrible marketing tactics that will likely put them out of business faster than you can say, “What were they thinking?”

In part one of this article series, I discussed why using sex appeal and inappropriate humor are awful ideas for home stagers trying to build their businesses and be taken seriously.Today I’ll share another marketing tactic that will probably put your home staging business under:

Offering a guaranteed sale

It’s surprising how many ways home stagers can find to bankrupt their businesses. I recently heard that some home stagers are now guaranteeing the sales of their clients’ homes.

In a tough economy and slow real estate market, one can guess why a home seller would want a guarantee when they’re investing in home staging services, and one can see why a home stager would be tempted to provide it, knowing how effective staging is in getting a quicker sale and wanting to do anything to attract new business. But, if a stager is in business for the long run, they really have to explore the business rationale behind providing a sales guarantee.

I am against home stagers making any guarantee of a real estate sale from their staging because of the numerous factors involved that the stager has no control over. No matter how well a home is staged, there are several factors that will help determine whether a home sells or not.

For example:

* Is the house being listed in the right season? (Christmas and Spring Break are known for being poor times for real estate sales)
* Is the house priced correctly for its location, size and market conditions?
* Does the house have the features buyers are looking for in that area? If it’s a one bedroom home in a family neighborhood, it’s going to be a tough sell no matter how well it’s staged.
* Will the agent do an effective job of marketing the property?
* Will the home seller maintain the home in showing-ready condition 100% of the time?
* Is the home seller going to make it easy to show by not requiring lengthy notice, preventing showings during certain times, etc.?
* Will the home seller keep the house sparking clean and odor free during all showings?
* How are the agent and home seller going to handle offers they receive? Negotiations break down all the time for different reasons.
* Will the home seller accept any offer? More goes into an offer than the price.
* Will the home pass inspections?
* What if the buyer doesn’t get financing and the deal doesn’t close?
* What if there’s a natural disaster, political or economic event that interferes with the real estate market when the house is listed?

A home stager can guarantee that a house will show better when it’s staged, but they can’t guarantee a sale unless they’re prepared to buy the property themselves! It’s a much better business practice to gather statistics from past clients about the average amount of time properties remain on the market after you stage them and how that compares to similar properties in that price range at the time.

Collect testimonials and be prepared to share your track record and show off your knowledge of the local real estate market, but don’t guarantee a home sale.

In the third and final installment in this article series, I’ll discuss why giving away free advice can sink your home staging business.

Students of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program learn how to operate a profitable home staging business. Creator and expert home stager, Debra Gould, has been an entrepreneur for 20 years. She has taught more than 1000 people from across the world how to start and professionally market their home staging businesses

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debra_Gould

Technorati Tags: Article Marketing, eZine Articles

Below is another article from my series celebrating Home Stagers who write articles. Now many of you may still get the shivers remembering writing themes in high school. Not everyone is a Shakespeare after-all. But check out the article below. There is probably not a single one of you who couldn’t have written it. It’s all stuff you know inside and out. That’s not to take anything away from Julie Rieman who wrote it. She deserves praise for taking the time to jot out a quick list of tips and putting them on paper. You should do the same thing. And while you may be tempted to just post on Active Rain, posting articles on article directories will do you more good in the long run.

First you must emotionally detach yourself from your home. With any luck it will not be yours for very long! What you are living in is about to become just another piece of real estate available for sale. That being said, take inventory of your necessary possessions and begin packing away everything that you can live without.

Strive to create the most neutral environment possible. This will attract men and women alike. Prospective buyers will more easily visualize their own furnishings in the property if it is not cluttered with your belongings.

Remove excess furniture and instantly have a larger room! This is especially important for small spaces. If you have a sofa, love seat and chair consider removing one piece. Many rooms have just two upholstered pieces and look beautiful. The same rules apply to the bedroom. If you have access to a baby crib why not turn the smallest bedroom into a nursery? Add only a rocking chair and the space will appear enormous!

Wallpaper is typically a huge turnoff to home buyers. Everyone has different taste in decor and leaving paper on the walls will limit your buying audience. All they see is work as they will become responsible for removing it. Consider taking the paper down yourself or hire the job done. The small investment now will become a huge payoff later.

Color plays an important role in the home buying market. Stay away from bright colors when selling. That neon yellow bedroom MUST go! The hot trends today are the darker creams and taupes. A fresh coat of paint will go a long way in freshening your walls and buyers will feel your property is move-in ready!

Clear the counter tops of all small appliances but replace with living plants and a couple of strong scented candles. The benefit is twofold. The counter tops appear more spacious and the scented candles (I recommend apple pie or cookie dough) leave a nice aroma in the room.

These are general tips that apply to every home. You may want to contact a Staging professional to address your specific needs. Remember a small investment now could tremendously increase your property value!

Julie Rieman is an accomplished instructor in the arts faux painting and interior redesign. She offers two and four day classroom or online interior redesign training. If you live in the Twin Cities area, you can invite Julie into your home for a personalized consultation.

For more information about any of her decorating services and training opportunities please visit: http://www.allaboutredesign.com http://www.allabout-walls.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Rieman

Technorati Tags: Staging tips

It’s been a beautiful fall day today. The sun is shining and the temps are a very acceptable mid 40’s to lower 50’s. I managed to leave the computer and tend to my garden. I dug up the Dahlia Bulbs, now that we have had our first hard frost. I spent a moment enjoying frosty leaved somethings, ornamental endive and maroon mums that serve as the front corner of my garden on the street side. This is their time of year.

Today started out great for me despite it’s sad underpinnings. A friend of mine is dying, in all likelihood, from gall bladder cancel. I said in all likelihood, but he hasn’t succumbed and if anyone can beat it he will. He’s in his mid 40’s and a stalwart member of my Toastmaster’s Group

He is our club’s star, having won many a local contest and usually being a top performer at our weekly meetings. Ours is what you might call a mature club, we have people who have been there 30 and 40 + years. He was clearly one of the younger members and a major contributor in every way. We roasted him this morning, and I rose to the occasion and did a particularly good job, if I say so myself.

In my brief, less than 3 minute presentation, I indicted my friend for being a Trophy Hog, a Trouble Maker and a Rabble Rouser. A trophy hog because he always managed to rise to the occasion and give a great performance no matter what role he played in our weekly meetings or contests.  He won a lot of trophies. A trouble maker, because he always took the trouble to use our training manuals and to actually try to do better every week. And finally, I called him a Rabble Rouser because he was an excellent critic in a constructive sense.

One role at our meetings is to evaluate speakers, to praise them, give them a suggestion or two, and then to once again stress the positive.  We call it a sandwich. I accused him of preparing Hoagies stuffed with meat rather than the typical pettifore offered up by many, with cutoff crusts and chicken salad for filling.

In my conclusion I observed that Mike understood that the world does not reward average people very well, and that he just decided to be extraordinary. He is, and a model I can strive to emulate.

I understand that you don’t know Mike, and perhaps I shouldn’t post this on the blog, but at the same time, I’m up on my ability to poke fun and yet tell a story about Mike today. And I’m up on the idea of how much I appreciated having had a chance to learn and compete with him.

While he was in his wheel chair today, I fully count on seeing him again in an upcoming speech contest. I know I will have my work cut out for me. But next time, I’ll beat him.

Technorati Tags: Friends

Opening soon is the Halloween Giveaway, an internet marketing free for all that is literally free for all.

I just donated three items to the giveaway, a HTML Primer, the one I use to look up stuff when I need to play with more complicated HTML, 7 Questions you didn’t know to ask about web hosting, and my super affiliate marketing wizard.  These and many more products and software items will be made available for free.

Why, the donors like me are looking to build out lists of people interested in internet marketing tools and related topics. You will undoubtedly get follow on emails, read the ones you like, store them in a special folder, and if some bore you, just cut them off. Each of them will have an unsubscribe link at the bottom.

Check it out you may find more than one item worth checking out.  Halloween Giveaway