March 2023 - Page 5 of 13

Rethinking The Oil Change Business Venture

Annual quick lube survey, is it still viable?

I wish to comment on the Fast Lube Business and the annual survey done by Auto Laundry News, one of the few Industry Magazines for the car wash industry. In this 2001 survey, we see an increase on the number of locations out there. Yet the leader of the Industry is by far Jiffy Lube. We see variations on theme, but we can safely say that Jiffy Lube has adapted best to the American public and their desires when it comes to oil changes.

This survey showed the average customer would drive 5.7 miles to get an oil change. If 50% of the customers would drive 5.7 miles and 80% of the customers usually come from a three-mile radius to get a car wash, I see additional synergy. These car washes with oil lube centers are getting a further reach than the industry average. This is great news for those carwashes adding oil lube bays, but also it takes up space and if not marketed correctly it will not work. The survey was quick to show that oil change facilities do best in middle class areas, not high-end areas. They do poorly in low-income areas. This all makes sense. Free standing car washes were the most likely to have oil lube facilities on there properties. Interesting too is that minimum wage was not prevailing, normally the companies pay $8.00-10.00 per hour. Makes realistic sense and I believe good help starts in this country at $10.00 per hour in most metros and $8.00 hour in rural.

Only 23% of the fast lubes had a website. Only half had internet access in the locations. Average employees were 5 full time and 3 part timers. Luckily for the image of this industry 74% had specific uniforms. The average shop had 3 bays, not enough to do the volume if adequate blitz marketing and community based marketing were taking place. Average revenue was $32.00 per car. That is an awful lot of upselling since the average advertised price that I have noticed is around $19.99. Less than 30% were open on Sundays? Bad mistake since there is no time to change oil and wait in line for most Americans. Average monthly gross was $2,400.00 per month per bay?

This is shit, this is not even a viable business, these people are wasting their time. Think about it, you have cost of oil and filter too and labor? Forget that news. I question the viability of the entire oil change industry. The largest Jiffy Lube franchisee in the country with 180 units was de-listed from NASDAQ and so was another prominent auto care and lube company recently. I like the Kwik-Lube Company and feel they are doing it right, but also question the ROI of such an endeavor seeing these results and the cost to build the building and time to build it. One good thing that the oil lube bays have going for them is the up-sell, but as the consumer dollar gets tighter and the credit card debt gets higher and the fall out rates increase where will this extra impulse revenue and up-sell cash be coming form?

The Industry is still expanding and new entrants to the market place are hurting existing units and I question the saturation point, not on need, but on desire. No one wants to spend money on oil changes, they need to. People buy what they want, satellite TV and beer. Not what they need, so I see a frequency problem issue brewing and people waiting 5-6-7 thousand miles between changes. So I believe that if an oil lube bay is not already attached to another reason to frequent the facility it will soon be in desire straits. The survey also showed that 93% OF THE OIL LUBE BAYS USED ADVERTISING TO GET THEIR CUSTOEMRS? WHY? We do not advertise, word of mouth and happy customers advertise for us. There you go again more cost.

Also 60% of the surveyed said that competition was discounting. HMMM? You have labor costs that are high, frequency is down, new car technology on the horizon, cost of oil going to the big guys and throw in a price war? I see problem as the non-savvy operators leave facilities for sale and exit the market place. By eliminating the facility and going mobile with the existing customer base of let’s say a mobile truck repair business which can co-band and fleet services available you could beat these other companies since they running redline over saturations of mailer coupons and phone book ads and no web sites. Many companies are not watching the changing demographics at their locations and lease or property costs and unable to sell or borrow more due to their lousy profit margins. And what can you convert and Oil change bay into? Cover up the hole for a tire shop? What happens when Hydrogen cell comes and no one changes oil. Can you convert to filter type operation? Not really since often the tires and wheels are offset and will land the modular car into the lube bay hole. We have the solution and we can beat them in almost every aspect. Some consultants have said; “Bunch of dummies copying each other.”

Listen to this part of the survey, advertising dollars were spent on, here is where the respondents said they advertised; TV 15%, Direct Mail 51%, Radio 38%, Newspaper 35%, Bill Boards 18%, Yellow Pages 53%, other only 13%. Scary, all that costs money and everybody is running redline copying each other. This is what happens when people cannot think any longer and cannot adapt and do business at the speed of thought,

[http://www.speedofthought.com]

81% of respondents said they would honor competitor’s coupons? Whatever, why print them then. Let everyone else spend the money and take theirs? 80% said they have tried to use discounting to lure customers from other lube places to theirs. Boy this sounds like the carpet cleaning industry to me.

Breakdown in costs per job. 10% rent or property, 3% maintenance of facility, 26% labor, 30% materials, 4% utilities and many reported expecting that to double and some have already in the west experienced a tripling. Insurance 4% and that to expected to keep rising and some said 8%, Customer claims for damage 1%, this is in-excusable, Advertising 10%. Want to add those up for me. Why are they doing it?

Average new facility costs were; Land $206,000, Improvements $505,000, New equipment $36,000. WOW all that for little or no return? Average number of competitors within 10-mile radius? 36% said 3, 19% said two, 19% said 5, 7% said 5 or more. How can anyone invest this kind of money per location when we can build a couple of units for a total of $65,000 and nearly equal the number of potential vehicles to service? Also with AAA building oil change facilities and Wal-Mart getting into things, the competition will be bloody and that is a lot of money to invest in a business with an uncertain future. Not a good bet, if you were a betting man.

We are very much liking this Industry because we know things the Industry does not and we can slam them because they have missed the boat. We have seen a few companies which are looking into ways to change the oil on the water for yachts. What is even better is that they all missed the boat at the same time and are fighting on shore for a few little boats to get to the ship that is leaving the harbor. Who will survive this oil change war. The one who bests services the customer, they way the customer wishes to be serviced.

LinkedIn Traffic Secrets – 5 Simple Steps for High Quality Daily Buyer Traffic

Don’t chase after traffic. Discover where the traffic is already going and get in front of it. Then redirect the traffic where you want it to go, directly to your profit centers.

Get Your Wisdom Right Here

So many online entrepreneurs chase after traffic. Even veteran online entrepreneurs get caught up in this potential trap.

Chasing after traffic is especially dangerous for the beginning online entrepreneur. They throw money after traffic by buying traffic before they know what they are doing.

This can lead to lots of money going out with nothing to show for it.

Listen. I’m not against paid traffic. I use it.

I just strongly recommend that you create a proven system that takes a new person from prospect to customer before you pay for traffic.

Especially since there are so many great ways to get high quality buyer traffic for

Let’s Look at This the Right Way

Your mindset about traffic is critically important. When you view traffic the right way you are much more likely to do traffic the right way.

Before we talk about what the profitable traffic mindset is, let’s talk a bit about what it’s not.

Profitable traffic is not a one time event.

I hear this often as an excuse for not being successful with traffic online.

“Well, I tried to get traffic like they said. I create a (fill in the blank) to get traffic and nothing happened. This traffic stuff doesn’t work!”

This traffic stuff does work, it just might be you didn’t work it right.

Driving consistent, evergreen buyer traffic is a life long task. I’ve been at this full time for almost 10 years now. I still make creating new traffic one of my daily revenue generation rituals.

The correct view is for the long haul, getting immediate, long-term and evergreen buyer traffic.

While looking at traffic the wrong way is one of the common traffic mistakes, there are 3 other big profitable traffic mistakes you need to be aware of and avoid.

Mistake #1

As with lots of online success, there’s this myth about traffic. The myth goes something like this:

“Well really good traffic is for those people, and I’m not one of those people.”

On the surface it’s the magical thinking that profitable traffic and the success that comes with is just something that magically happens to a chosen few. And you are certain you are not one of the few.

This is at best a glorified excuse for failing, even for not trying at all.

At worst it’s a story some are committed to believing, because they are very committed, almost wed, to the notion that success is for other people, not them.

The reality is that every single one of those people who are enjoying successful traffic started with ZERO TRAFFIC.

Then they got the first person, then another, and then another and so on. They were willing to do the necessary things and work for the traffic they said they wanted.

Implement the correct and current strategies for building traffic, work at it, and you’ll enjoy lots of evergreen buyer traffic.

The bottom line is that building traffic works when you work, and when you work it right.

Mistake #2

Here’s another big profitable traffic mistake: relying on only one source of traffic.

Many entrepreneurs do this silly thing around many issues in business. This mistake is so prevalent in fact that master marketer Dan Kennedy has said:

“The worst number in business is 1.”

Back when I was a therapist in private practice I build many sources of referrals, which is the same as traffic offline.

When I started writing a weekly relationship column for the local newspaper that quickly became nationally syndicated my practice exploded with referrals. I was full with a waiting list and was filling up the practices of colleagues as well.

It was very, very tempting to stop nurturing other long term traffic sources and to not build any other sources of referrals.

Knowing the worst number in business is “1” I continued to nurture all my other traffic/referral sources and build new ones as well.

I wrote that weekly column for the local newspaper for 10 years. When that column, a major referral source, ended I was not panicked or affected at all because I had continued building additional sources of referral.

The bottom line online is you want to make building traffic a life long daily pursuit so that you have multiple streams of traffic coming in from multiple sources.

Mistake #3

Once you get good at generating consistent traffic it’s very easy to believe you can then go do the rest on your own.

And you will be able to do some.

The reality is that the profitable traffic game online is ever changing. It’s really too much to try to keep up with on your own.

For this reason and many more I will always have a coach and always be a part of a mastermind. I always want to have another set of trusted eyes on my business.

Other people whom you trust can always see the things you can’t see, simply because it’s your business and you can get too close to be able to see all your options.

The bottom line for you is to always have trusted eyes on the traffic generation part of your business.

The Power of Profitable Traffic

Remember when I said don’t chase after traffic, find out where the traffic is going, get in front of it, and then re-direct it exactly where you want it to go?

And where you want it to go is your profit centers like your blog, your opt in pages, your product resource pages as well.

The 3 types of traffic you want to build are:

1) Immediate traffic

2) Regular traffic

3) Long-term/evergreen traffic

Results Now Mini-Workshop

Now let’s get you some traffic with your content, shall we?

The steps are simple really:

Step 1 – Choose a specific topic in your niche – Interestingly enough, the more specific you can make the topic, the more buyer traffic you will pull.

Cast too wide a net and the less high quality traffic you get.

Cast a specific targeted net and the more high quality buyer traffic you get.

Step 2 – Come up with the 3 most common mistakes most beginners make around that specific topic. These can also be mistakes everyone makes, beginners and veterans alike.

Step 3 – For each mistake talk about how the mistake is made and what it looks like, how easy it is to make. You want to avoid making your prospect feel bad for making this common mistake.

Step 4 – For each mistake include what to do instead. You are not giving away the farm here, just offering one small tip.

Step 5 – Include a call to action to visit one of your profit pages and get your content out on Social Media, your blog and LinkedIn.

Major congrats! You’ve just created and shipped an Evergreen Traffic Machine that will bring your immediate, regular and long term evergreen traffic.

Profitable Genius Tip

“An evergreen traffic machine a day sends buyer traffic your way.”

I promised you a “traffic genius tip” and here it is:

You want to make creating your evergreen traffic machines something that you do daily. While that may sound like a lot, when you see the results it will feel much easier.

As you’ll see ETMs come in all forms – some as simple, quick and easy as an info-graphic, along with some that take a little more time such as blog posts, articles and videos.

Building ETMs is one of my DRGRs – how’s that for alphabet soup?

Said another way – creating evergreen traffic machine to build waves of highly qualified buyer traffic is one on my Daily Revenue Generating Rituals. I recommend it becomes one of yours too.

Security Job Motivation

David Cameron has launched a task force to help businesses motivate their staff which, considering the unemployment figures, might translate as misguided energy. How about some inspiration for the millions of jobseekers David? Here are a few tips to keep your grey matter stimulated.

Staying positive when you’re searching for jobs we know is easier said than done, keep your eyes firmly focused on your SIA Licence, it’s one positive and one you worked hard to earn. The major problem with on-line job applications is the lack of one-to-one communication, if you’re not short listed you’re unlikely to be told, unfortunately that’s the way the job market works right now. There is one tactic you can employ here though. If there is a contact number, and you haven’t heard anything for a few days, call to check your application has been received; if nothing else it shows your enthusiasm and opens up a dialogue.

Be sure your CV and cover letters are up-to-date. This might sound obvious to you, but if you use a standard cover letter for all your applications in a PDF format, chances are it’s dated the day you wrote it; PDFs don’t auto correct dates and times Microsoft Word will. Whether you’re applying for a job as a SIA Licence Door Supervisor, Security Guard or a CCTV Operator the standard of your communications is important, use a spell checker; you’d be surprised at the number of spelling errors that crop up in job applications. A good tip here is to get someone to read your cover letter out loud to you. This might sound crazy, but it will give you a good idea how you sound to the recipient.

So now you’ve fired off ten CVs and had two calls for interviews. Celebrate! It doesn’t have to be a slap-up meal at the Ritz, have a coffee or a drink with a friend. If you’re really enthusiastic, who knows they might even pay! Rewarding yourself is really important; it stimulates bits of your brain called the lateral hypothalamus known as brain stimulation reward (BSR). Don’t have too much stimulation though especially if your interview is the next day.

Don’t become a job search slave; spending hours glued to your email inbox constantly tapping the refresh key can have a negative effect on your BSR. Treat your job searching as a routine task, create a manageable schedule of say three hours a day and stick to it. For the rest of the time do something positive, see friends, take a walk, but don’t head for the TV remote control, daytime television is just as depressing as newspaper headlines about the recession.

Now you might think this next comment is really off the wall, eat well, being unemployed doesn’t mean you have to eat junk. We’re back to the BSR here, reward yourself with brain food, okay so you might not be the best chef, but remember fruit is the fastest food you can get your hands on and it’s cheap too. It’s important that when you do turn up for your interview that you look healthy and are alert. Snacking in front of the TV is great on a rainy Sunday afternoon, but too much of it can lead to depression which isn’t going to help your motivation.

See interview knock-backs as positive practice not negative as a de-motivator. It would be great if you did, but it’s unlikely you’re going to get the first job you apply for. Every time you interview its practice for the next time, even great actors constantly revise their stage rolls that’s how they perfect their skills in front of an audience. Do any of these sound familiar: Why bother I won’t get it? It’s a waste of time there’ll be too many applicants? The competition is too stiff I give up. Erase any or rather all of these from your vocabulary right now! You will get there eventually persevere and remember to concentrate on your SIA Licence its proof you’re worthy.

On a positive note, if you need help with your CV, Get Licensed has launched a brilliant app to help you build a polished and professional CV in minutes. CViZ enables you to create exactly the kind of CV recruiters are looking for, and it’s really easy to use too without any word processing skills needed. The CViZ app will provide you with a fully formatted PDF to store anywhere you like – you can even store your CV on your android phone to enable you to respond to job ads on the move within seconds.

The security industry is the fastest growing employer in the UK and is possibly the one and only sector that isn’t affected by the recession right now. By staying motivated you’ll soon find yourself in a rewarding job and remember your expert training with Get licensed is the one thing that will single you out from all the other applicants our reputation relies on your success.

28 Ways to Drive Traffic To Your Website

Generating traffic to a site is one of the biggest challenges most marketers and businesses face today. The internet has changed the way businesses market their products. Gone are the days when customers were local. The entire world has opened up in the search for customers. Today, Internet traffic means money and it is the lifeblood for every internet business. Every online business needs to know how to generate good traffic to be productive and competitive.

Suppose only 1 in 100 visitors buy, then to be successful you must focus on increasing your list and generating more traffic consistently. There are multiple ways to generate traffic. Some of the ideas may only work for a week or a month, so it is a good idea to search for traffic from every source available.

I have accumulated a variety of ways to build traffic for your site. Some may be familiar to you, some may be new. Take the time to research the topics so you can utilize each tool.

Drive Traffic from A to Z

1. Ad swapping

An advertisement swap is an agreement with another websites to exchange ads. It is a quick way to generate traffic to your site. There are pros and cons to ad swapping. The advantage is that you can build your lists quickly. A disadvantage is you don’t want to give away your best subscribers by ad swapping incorrectly. Ad swapping is a quick and simple way to generate traffic to your site. If it is done properly it can be a free way to generate traffic. Take the time to learn all you can about it before trying this technique.

2. Advertising

Advertising is necessary when building a business. The possibilities are endless. Business must buy customers with money and hard work, which is the bottom line to sales. Consider the following:

· Purchase advertising: There are a variety of ways you can purchase advertisement space such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo, T.V., newspaper, and magazine ads, as well as online local advertising. You can submit your site to every directory, to yellow pages both online and off. Submit your site to everything you can find.

· Employees, friends, and family: Encourage them to advertise your product as they surf the web. Ask them to make comments on forums, blogs, Facebook and the like.

· Your URL: Consider the power of your own URL. Put it on everything you do. Add it to letters, email signatures, flyers, phone books, brochures. Add it to company letterhead, business cards, put it on your building or door to your office, in newsletters, and on products.

3. Article Writing

Write articles for publication in e-zines and e-reports, and then submit them to as many websites as possible. Try to write a minimum of 2 short articles per week. If you are consistent, you can generate many readers to your site weekly.

You can also offer your articles to other website owners and article directories where other website owners can publish it. Make sure it has your author resource box at the end with your URL. They can publish them on their website, blogs, or in their newsletters. Then other website owners will consider you an expert in your field and may contact you for interviews or joint ventures. It also creates more search engine opportunities.

4. Awards

Posting awards you have earned gains customer trust. You can actually research and find organizations that offer awards. Apply for these awards and make the most of the publicity. If you are an affiliate, you can post the awards of the company you are selling for with their product.

5. Blogging

Don’t underestimate the power of blogging. In Wikipedia it said that as of 16 February 2011, there were over 156 million public blogs in existence and don’t discount the millions of personal blogs. Blogging is becoming a daily part of life for millions of people. That does not count the number of blog readers, but if only 10 people read those 156 million blogs in existence, imagine the number of readers. Be creative and find ways to tap into this incredible phenomenon. Create your own blog, and keep it up to date, add content consistently. Comment on other blogs in a professional way to establish yourself as an expert in your field but be careful about sounding like an advertisement for your product.

6. Business Cards and Coupons

Even though business cards and coupons were used way before the internet, they are still a good method of advertising. Use them to bring traffic to your website. Be sure they have all the important information on them particularly your website address. Give people a reason to keep your card. Add important information to your card such as schedules, calendars or personal notes.

7. Build Your Own List

Everyone has the ability to teach people something they have learned. Experience is marketable. Search the internet and find out what questions people are asking in your area of expertise. Write the answers down in a professional style, and then offer them in exchange for their email address.

8. Columnist for another website

Everyone is looking for content to add to their blog or website. Search the internet, find websites in your field and offer to write a column for them. This will get your name out there.

9. Coupons, Free Items, and Sales

Don’t underestimate the power of the word “free” to attract new customers. Businesses spent a lot of money on advertising to entice customers to their site. Use some of that budget to buy customers with a great deal. I don’t know of anything that works as well as a ‘real’ sale. Something a consumer can’t pass up. It can’t be a sale that will always be there, or procrastination sets in. “First time customer offers” is a great way to buy new customers.

10. Customer Relations

Never underestimate the power of word of mouth, for good or for bad. Treat your customers with the utmost respect and give them the best service you have available. Customers will be one of your biggest advertisement resources. One customer has multiple friends, and will often post their satisfaction or frustration on Facebook, blogs, or other social networking devices.

11. Donate Prizes to Contests

Find someone who is offering a contest and offer something free. You will have free advertising space to all who join the contest. Or host your own contest for a quick burst of traffic.

12. Ecourses

An ecourse can be anything from a simple educational series to yearlong in depth study. They can include how to videos, photos, or plain text. You write “How To” courses in step by step intervals and send them out to customers on a specified schedule.

13. Email Signature Files

At the end of all your emails, add a little advertisement with your URL. Also, everyone reads the P.S. at the end of an email so add a coupon or free merchandise.

14. Forums

Comment on forums. You can establish yourself as an expert in your field by answering questions and posting knowledgeable comments. Do your research; find the forums that will benefit from your expertise. Make sure you read the rules of each forum and follow them.

15. Invite Guest Bloggers

Compliment a well-known personality in your field by asking them to contribute a blog to your own blog.

16. Hub Pages

You can share your expertise and post them on hubs. Writers read and comment on each others work. This is another way to get search engines to find you and it’s free. With hubs you can use text, insert photos, maps, poles, videos, and links to your site.

17. Logo

Create a logo and post it on everything you do. People will begin to associate your business with your logo.

18. Newsletters

A regular newsletter is one of the best ways to get repeat traffic. Newsletters keep customers informed and bring them back for more. Make your newsletter more than just an advertisement. Offer valuable information. Include coupons and free offers.

19. Optimize Search Engines

This is the number one most important thing you can do for your website. Getting your site listed on the first page of search engines is an important goal. You can purchase a spot. But you should also work hard to use the correct keywords that will make it easy for search engines to find you. Many of the suggestions in this article will open new opportunities for search engines to find you and your work.

20. Radio, Podcast, News via Internet

These are becoming very popular on the web and they are always looking for guests. Go to these sites and you will usually see a link where you can register to become a guest. If you become a guest, many of these hosts will link to your website from the front page of their site.

21. PR Firm

You can always pay for professional advertising.

22. Social Networking

Almost everyone who uses a computer is connected to some type of social network. Get involved with Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

23. Sticky Website

After all the work you do to entice a visitor to your site, keep them. Make sure you have good information and a professional site that makes people stay and return.

24. TV Ads

TV time is actually less expensive than people think. With so many programs and channels now days there are more options for advertising space.

25. Video and Audio

This is a very powerful tool. Create a great “how to” video and post it on YouTube. Interview someone or vice versa. YouTube is the dictionary of video; use it for your benefit.

26. Webinars

Webinars are becoming very popular. You can sponsor a lecture, a workshop, or any type of training and transmit it over the Web.

27. Web Directories

Don’t forget to post your site in a Web directory. There are several available on line.

28. Word of Mouth

This cannot be over emphasized. Happy customers tell their friends and family. Provide excellent customer service and let your customers advertise for you. Make sure all your employees are kind and helpful to your customers. Poor customer service cannot sell the best product on the market. Awesome customer service can sell a poor product. Think about it.

As long as this list is, it is not complete. There are multiple ways to drive traffic to your site. Be creative and come up with your own ideas. The bottom line as always is hard work and determination. Good luck.

Different Ways Of Generating Traffic, Leads And Sales For Your Affiliate Or Own Offers

When it comes to running an offline or online businesses, the most critical things owners need – besides the necessary licence and equipment – are traffic, leads and sales. Yet in spite of knowing this, the underlying question in most of their minds – is how to get more while spending less or better still, for free?

Having said that, this is what my article going to address today.

Now regardless of what they are called, they still boil down to one common factor which is people. Because without them taking action the way you want be it seeing your offer, listening to and reading what you presented and taking up your free and paid offer, your business is not going to last. That is the brutal truth in traditional and internet marketing as well.

So the question is how do I get traffic?

To be honest, there is no right and wrong answer. But there are free and paid methods you can use.

However before even doing so, it is important to identify if there is a market for your offer and connecting with people within that. This is absolutely necessary in order to build an audience as in groups of people who know, like and trust you. Especially when you focused on free methods which I touched upon later.

It is the same way with how you got to know your friends, boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse and how politicians do to get more people to vote for them and formed the government. You might also see that in networking events and seminars.

Below are both free and paid strategies I know and learnt from more experienced marketers.

A. Free

1. Article Marketing

This is by far the oldest but still workable method. What you do is write and submit an article like what you see now into relevant sites like Ezine Articles.

2. Blogging

This is more of a long-term SEO and wealth building strategy.

You can write whatever you want in your blog – preferably WordPress into your own domain and hosting and then connect with other bloggers in your niche either through blog commenting or guest posting.

3. Classified Advertising

You might not believe this but this is how I got started making my first dollar in 2008.

This is a great alternative and test to paid ads.

What you need to do is to come up with a eye-catching headline and 2-3 lines ad with links before posting to relevant sites like Craiglist and Gumtree.

4. Directory Submissions

In the past this used to work very well.

But in the wake of Google’s relentless updates, many sites have come and go so apart from Dmoz, they are no longer variable today.

5. Email Marketing

This works provided you have a quality email list of subscribers who are eager to read from, trust and buy from you.

But for this to work effectively, you need a high converting landing page and reliable autoresponder to send unlimited emails.

6. Forum Posting

Forums are online discussion sites in which people congregrated and discussed about common issues and interests.

To get started, there are important rules you have to abide by in order not to get banned.

Such as do not spam but provide helpful information in answering what they need and want to know with your blog and landing page links in your signautre – which is the footer text below every post you make

7. Google SEO

If you provided good quality content in your blog in the form of articles and even videos with social media channel links – I will be talking about later, the major search engine will reward you with higher rankings on first page for maximum exposure and even leads and sales from your searchers.

This also helps if you have comments and questions below your posts.

8. PDF Submissions

You can also compile a set of 5-10 articles into MS Word or Open Office into a report or e-book with an attractive cover before publishing in sites like Calameo, Scribd and Slideshare.

9. Press Releases

They are basically online versions of newspaper reports in which you can submit to related sites.

There are both free and paid services in which you can submit.

10. Social Media And Networks

You can also participate in social networks like Facebook where you can post on your timeline, create fanpages, live events, videos and joined and share in groups like what you do in forums.

Others include LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Tumblr.

11. Video Marketing

This is where you create your videos from your own PC or iPhone camera, powerpoint slides or both with some music background and introduction or highlighted points text.

If you just want to show your face, you can use camera.

But if you want to share your PC screen, I will recommend Jing and Camtasia Studio – the latter gives you a free 30 day trial before you pay a one-time fee of $197.

12.. Web 2.0 Properties.

You can also post your content in other blogging platforms like Blogger, Hubpages, Webs, Weebly and Wix.

In the past these used to work like a charm in the form of Google Wonder Wheel.

But now you can only posted what you had not in your articles and blog posts.

This works best when you are doing e-commerce and your info products.

13. Webinars

They are online versions of seminars in which you can invite your subscribers and customers to attend before presenting your offer.

For this, I recommend Go-To-Webinar and Zoom.

B. Paid

For paid strategies, I will recommend 3 platorms in Bing, Facebook And Google Ads. At the time of writing this, mobile apps and YouTube Ads also came about.

With that said, these are both free and paid methods I know of getting traffic, leads and sales for your sites.

14 Top Lead Generation Tactics

According to former Harvard Business School professor David Maister, typical marketing practices are not only inapplicable for professional service firms, but they may be dangerously wrong.

Often professional service firm principals tell me they are frustrated with the quality of their marketing materials, they are concerned with their firm’s low profile or they feel pressure because their efforts are not generating enough new client leads. Are any of these issues for you?

Many professionals do not know there is a body of knowledge about what does and does not work in marketing professional services. A review of the marketing recommendations of Maister, Robert Bly, Alan Weiss and other experts reveals a recurring theme of what does and does not work in professional service firm marketing. My own 20 years of practical experience in marketing professional service firms supports these findings.
The best marketing for professional service firms is educational in nature. Here are the top 14 tactics that work, in order from the least to the most effective:

The inadequate seven

14. Cold calling — This should be done by a business development person, never a principal. Nothing says “trust me” like a cold call. A better approach is what I call warm calling, which is following up with seminar invitations.

13. CD-Rom or video brochures — These can be great lead conversion tools, but they cost too much for lead generation. Instead, stick the videos on your Web site.

12. Printed brochures — Again, don’t spend too much money up front to generate leads. Instead, create these as PDF files that Adobe Acrobat can read, and place them on your Web site.

11. Sponsorship of cultural/sports events — Being title sponsor of the right event can have an impact, but it is not the best use of lead generation dollars.

10. Advertising — Isn’t it ironic that none of the great advertising agencies built their clientele by advertising? However, if you specialize in an industry and they publish directories, it is always good to have your firm included.

9. Direct mail — This is the traditional direct mail of a letter and a printed piece, like a response card. Some accountants and financial planners have used this cost effectively, maybe offering a complimentary consultation (there is a much better form of direct mail; see tactic No. 1).

8. Publicity — While getting your name in the newspaper and trade journals is a cost-effective way to increase awareness about your firm, it doesn’t always translate into leads.

The magnificent seven

7. Paid ballroom seminars — Rent out the ballroom at the local Marriott or Hilton and charge for an all-day or half-day seminar. Participants should take away a substantial packet of good information from your firm (and a good meal, too).

6. E-Newsletters — This is the water drip torture school of marketing and the opposite of Spam. By signing up for your newsletter lists, prospects are telling you that they are interested in what you have to say but not ready for a relationship now. These people should receive valuable how-to information and event invitations from you on a monthly basis until they decide to opt-out of the list.

5. Networking and trade shows — An excellent way to gather business cards and ask for permission to include them on your e-newsletter list.

4. Community and association involvement — Everyone likes to do business with people they know, like and trust. You need to get involved and “circulate to percolate,” as one Ohio State University professor used to say.

3. How-to articles in client-oriented press — Better than any brochure is the how-to article that appears in a publication that your target clients read.

2. How-to speeches at client industry meetings — People want to hire experts, and an expert by definition is someone who is invited to speak. Actively seek out forums to speak and list past and future speaking dates on your Web site.

1. Free or low-cost small-scale seminars — The best proactive tactic you can employ is to regularly invite prospects by mail and e-mail to small seminars or group consultations. If your prospects are spread out geographically, you can do these briefings via the Internet (Webinars) or the telephone using a bridge line (teleseminars). These can’t be 90-minute commercials. You need to present valuable information about how to solve the problems that your prospects are facing, and then a little mention about your services.

Insurance Advertising – Discover How Independent Insurance Agents Generate Leads

Each day, more and more Insurance Agents are leaving the captive corporate world to venture into the realm of independent insurance agent. Rather than being locked into selling one major insurance carrier’s branded product line, they opt to offer a larger variety of policies, services and costs; coinciding with the demand of consumers wanting to have choices and options at competitive prices.

As we are well aware, this is no longer a “seller’s market”, but an “informed buyer’s”. People, in general, are armed with more information than ever before. So, how do you, the independent insurance agent, stand out from the other 100’s of agents in your city? What marketing avenues are available to you so that you capture the prospective buyer’s attention and convert them into a prospect and ultimately a long-term client? And which ones work?

Regardless of your target audience, whether you have niched your focus to be product specific, or if you are targeting a certain population segment; you need to investigate the various forms of advertising available to you, the costs of such programs and the pros and cons.

Below is a breakdown of the most commonly used forms of advertising for the independent insurance agency, and the pros and cons of each.

Television Advertising

As the average American spends more time in front of the television, it should be no surprise that this is one of the most sought after forms of marketing available.

Pros:

Ability to reach a larger and more diverse segment of the insurance seeking population

You can specify time of day and network, reaching your intended audience easier

Since most consumers are engaged by a combination of movement, color, what they see and what they hear, this gives most businesses a platform to achieve full sensory contact

Gives a business instant credibility and prestige

Cons:

Cost for the commercial air time and/or multiple runs

Cost for hiring a marketing agency to lay-out and film your insurance commercial

Consumer expectation – no longer are we impressed with someone reading off a teleprompt, they want to be entertained

Competition for the consumer’s attention

Popularity of digital recorders has increased, giving consumers the ability to fast-forward through commercials when watching their favorite shows

Many experts would agree that if you have the extra capital in your marketing budget to incorporate television into your advertising that you should. However, it is important that you research different advertising firms to help you explore your options with regards to creating your on-air advertisement, the best way to target your audience and keep within your planned budget.

Newspaper advertising and local weekly shoppers

With regards to print advertisements, some independent agents turn to local newspapers and weekly shoppers to advertise their agencies. Since many households either subscribe to at least one newspaper, or pick them up at their local newsstands, it is a fast and simple way to gain recognition by consumers.

Pros:

Ability to reach more than one target audience by placing various advertisements in the different sections of a newspaper

You have the choice of large or small circulation papers to advertise your insurance agency

Consumers who turn to the newspapers and weekly shoppers are looking for advertisers who offer deals or bargains

Multiple advertisement ad sizes to correspond with various budgets

Cons:

Newspapers and weekly shoppers are usually read once and discarded

Smaller advertisements have a more difficult time standing out when placed next to a larger ad

Quality of the print may distort images and photos in a way that can hurt your marketing rather than help

Ads, regardless of size, have to compete for the reader’s attention

Like television advertising, it would be prudent to consult with a professional marketing firm, preferably one that specializes in insurance marketing, to help you design an advertisement that best captures your targeted audience’s attention. The smaller the ad space the less detailed and complicated the ad should be.

Also keep in mind the days the most sought after papers and weekly shoppers are printed. The rates for a large advertisement over the weekend will be greater than the same sized ad featured all week long.

Billboards and Signs

While most forms of outdoor advertising are contained within billboards and large signage, some independent agencies have broadened the term to include park benches, posters and seat rails at public transit stops. This form of marketing has become a popular, less costly way, when compared with television and print advertising, to reach a larger audience in major metropolitan areas.

Pros:

Potential clients cannot simply discard or “turn off” outdoor advertising

Name recognition is higher with those consumers who walk or drive the same route each day

Billboards and signs vary in price due to size and location making it is easier to find one in your budget

Cons:

More often than not, outdoor advertisements do not fully engage a consumer’s attention for more than a few seconds

Advertisements have to be simple and interesting enough for the consumer to remember

Outdoor advertisements are usually contracted for a longer period of time than most independent agencies had anticipated securing them for

Posters and bench signs at public transit stops work well in major metropolitan areas where lower, middle and upper class alike share the same transportation systems, however, not as effective in areas where public transportation is not as common

If you feel various forms of outdoor advertising would be a compliment to your business and marketing plan, consider placement wisely. Consult many firms for input and advice on the best way to stretch your marketing dollar and how they can help you create eye-catching and simple designs for your sign.

Phone Book Directories

Since exposure to the advertisements in phone book directories is voluntary, meaning consumers actually turn to the phone book for its ads, this form of marketing for independent insurance agencies has become an industry standard.

Pros:

Certain targeted audiences utilize the phone book regularly to find businesses in their area

Many phone books also have an online directory giving agencies a more broad exposure

You can tailor your exposure to cover a large metropolitan area, or just the city you work in

Traditionally, consumers will keep a phone book versus discarding it like a newspaper

Cons:

Cost – as more consumers turn to the internet, the cost for print ads in the phone book has increased to cover profit loss

Marketing ineffectiveness – with so many insurance agencies buying ads, it becomes more difficult to capture the consumer’s attention, and once again, stand out from the 100’s of other agents in your market

There are so many phone books in which to advertise, which one do you choose to feature your agency

As with any form of advertising, be sure to read all the features and benefits that come with your paid advertisement. Does it include a featured ad online, or is that separate? What is the target area or audience of the phone book you are looking at? Is the cost monthly, quarterly or annual? Is there an automatic renewal clause or will you have the option of not renewing your contract? Where will your advertisement be placed in comparison to the other featured ads? Will someone employed by the phone book assist you with an eye catching advertisement, or do you have to hire a marketing agency to do that for you, and what is the cost?

Internet Advertising

Roughly 90% of all the households across the United States have access to the internet either at home, at work or at school; making advertising on the internet the fastest growing marketing medium for independent insurance agents. That household percentage goes even higher for those families with a combined income of $100k or more. However, internet advertising gaining its strength only in the last decade or so, there is still a lot an independent agent would need to research, as with any form of advertising, before making a financial commitment.

Pros:

Cost- you can spend much or as little as your budget allows

Levels the playing field – the internet gives the independent agent a chance to compete with the large insurance carriers with regards to search engine placement

Whether a web site, a PDF brochure, an affiliated network or a video; any and all forms of advertising can be featured and found on the internet

Advertisement exposure is voluntary. Only the websites relevant to a consumer’s online search will pull up for them to look at. Someone searching for insurance agents in their area are more often than not, looking for an agent to speak with

Cons:

People expect to be educated or informed by an agent’s personal website – having out-dated information or poor graphics can actually hurt your credibility

The ever changing internet – each of the major search engines change what they search for on websites constantly with regards to how well they rank. Staying on top of these changes can be very time consuming or expensive if you pay a firm to do this for you.

Fear of identity theft – consumers are becoming skeptical of entering their personal contact information online for fear they will have their personal information stolen or sold to telemarketing companies and be subject to unwanted emails or phone calls

There are so many options and services available to the independent insurance agent to effectively market themselves and attract more leads. The form of advertising you choose will depend largely on the audience you intend to target, the area in which you do business, and ultimately your budget. Be sure to ask questions. Know what you are getting and what you are not with whatever forms of marketing you decide to use.

5 Real Estate Marketing Options

Selling a house usually comes, as a result of a combination of curb appeal, location, pricing, marketing, negotiations, and a few other factors. This article will concentrate briefly, on some of the options, in terns of how houses might be marketed, why one might be better than another (in certain circumstances), cost factors, effectiveness, and usage. There is no such thing as only one way to market and sell a house. Years ago, real estate agents were heavily dependent upon newspaper advertising, and that’s where most prospective buyers looked for information. In today’s information – driven, digital society, much more data is readily available, and while there is still a place for newspaper advertising, it is not the premier way, most of the time. Let’s review 5 marketing options.

1. Direct verbal: This includes face – to – face, telephone calls, contacting a Realtor’s personal contacts, etc. The advantages include cost, and the ability to effectively communicate, articulate the home’s strengths and possibilities, and motivate individuals, to take a look. The disadvantage is, it’s time – consuming, and somewhat limiting!

2. Direct marketing: Some of these include using postcards, flyers, door hangers, for – sale signs, Open House signs, etc. Mailings have become somewhat costly, especially when you consider the relatively low transaction rate, but is often a good supplement, and a positive way to get the message out.

3. Print media: Print media includes newspapers, magazines, weekly circulars, and direct – to – home marketing pieces. These approaches may be somewhat expensive, and surveys indicate most of today’s buyers pay less and less attention to these, than in the past!

4. Digital (websites): When we ask attendees at Open Houses, how they heard about it, the predominant response is from some website. Many use MLS, Trulia, Zillow, realtor.com, or a larger agency’s own site. When listings are placed on Multiple Listing Service, many other Websites pick up the information, and include it on their sites, as well. There is a cost to this approach, but is probably the most bang – for – the – buck, in terms of marketing real estate, today!

5. Social Media: Social Media includes things like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. The advantage is low or no cost, but there is still quite a bit of uncertainty, as to their effectiveness as a marketing tool, to sell a particular house.

The bottom line is, a real estate agent must know, understand, and use the best marketing tools available, to sell a particular house. Dependent on type, price, niche, location, etc, the options often vary.

Information Velocity: Traveling at the Speed of Digital

Web Hosting, Online News, and Information

In case you haven’t noticed, your morning newspaper is shrinking. The publishing and information dissemination techniques employed for the last 300 years are giving way to new technology – digital technology or the world wide web.

Go ahead, check this morning’s newspaper. Not one piece of information is “today.” It’s yesterday’s news. Sure, for local stories, newspapers still provide broader, more detailed coverage. And you get the sports news, comics, a crossword puzzle and a bunch of coupons that more than pay for the cost of the newspaper subscription.

But it’s still yesterday’s news.

Today, you can flip on the 24-hour news channel of choice and watch a car chase in California (why is it always California?) as it’s happening. Information is delivered immediately – at the speed of digital.

Or, there are numerous blogs and web sites that post news events as they happen, again beating traditional media in many cases. Today, people expect information that’s up to the minute. And they want it NOW!

What’s New?

Now, not all web sites require hourly news updates. Maggiesknittingsupplies.com probably doesn’t need up to the minute reportage from the world of knitting. I mean, how much changes from one day to the next?

But that doesn’t mean that Maggie should hire a copy writer for her site text, set her sales pitch and hope for the best. If she’s a savvy business women (let’s assume she is) providing articles on types of yarn, on-line lessons for beginners, information on other handiwork, visitors will continue to visit Maggiesknittingsupplies.com for the information and, at some point, make a purchase.

Let’s call this slow speed news.

It changes.
It encourages repeat visitors and builds a site community
It creates good will among members who actually bookmark the site as members of the “family.”
It establishes the authority of the site owner. You’re the teacher, guru or mentor.
It delivers a useful service to the visitor by educating her.
It pre-qualifies visitors be delivering a better-educated prospect ready to convert from browser to buyer.
It makes search engines happy.

Search engine bots visit your site regularly. In fact, you can tell search engines how often to crawl your site. Google’s default is once every 30 days but that’s an outside number. Most sites are crawled within seven days.

When the site is crawled, a snapshot is taken. This is the cached view that appears on search engine results pages. The cached view is what the search engine saw the last time the site was crawled, which could be two or three weeks ago.

And for many web site owners, changing text isn’t a critical factor to site success. You can program your site code to tell bots that text will never change. This way, you don’t get penalized for the lack of fresh content.

You see, when a search engine bot happens by and crawls your site, it compares the latest information on site to the cached view – the snapshot that was taken the last time the site was crawled. If the text is identical and you haven’t told the search engine that your site text won’t change (part of the HTML or XML coding used to actually create the presentation layer that people actually see), the site will lose rank in SERPs for out-dated content.

The reason? Search engines are in the business of delivering the most relevant links to the most relevant web sites based on the keywords entered by search engine users. Well, if nothing has changed on your “up to the minute stock market analysis” in two weeks, search engine algorithms file that in the negative ranking category and your SERPs link remains on page 154.

When was the last time YOU drilled down to page 154 of search engine results pages? Like never. Search engine users rarely go beyond the second or third page during a web search. If they don’t find the information or product they’re looking for on one of the top ranked web sites they often initiate another search using different keywords – which may place you on page 876 of Google’s SERPs since the prospect didn’t enter a keyword for which your site is optimized.

Who Needs to Be Current?

Well, any site can increase the velocity of information if the site owner is cleaver. Want some examples?

Okay, a blog can be created with a few clicks and you have an immediate outlet to deliver current news, occasional news, enable site visitors to reply to blog posts and build a community of loyal followers and customers.

A local restaurant, optimized for local search can post, not only the full menu, but that day’s specials. News every day, and the kind of news site visitors will use over and over before deciding on where to go for eats that night.

A certified financial planner can run real time stock prices to keep visitors on line all day. Or, these CFPs can post market gainers and losers, sales volume of movers and shakers and other financial news of interest to the CFA’s local client base.

An oil and gas junior can post real-time video of activity in the field. It’s like watching a realty show and it builds trust and confidence in the fledgling company.

5 Ways To Increase Information Velocity On Your Web Site

Add an RSS feed.

RSS stands for remote site syndication and it simply delivers news on a specific topic at the speed of digital. Maggie (of Maggiesknittingsupplies.com) could add an RSS feed because she enters the keywords for the information she wants delivered to her site visitors. Maggie enters “knitting” and she gets the latest in knitting news (I can only assume there must be some news in the fast-paced world of handcrafts).

You’ll need a feed aggregator that collects RSS feeds from different sources like Google, Yahoo news or the New York Stock Exchange. Expect to pay for some feeds, but there are plenty of freebies and even the paid RSS feeds are dirt cheap.

Add a Blog.

Blogs are great because they’re simple, enabling the site owner to update site content without calling the programmer.

Blog posts can be as current as right now. Hear something or read something and you can write up a 400 word post and tell your site visitors the latest.

Add live video feeds.

Live video feeds of the space walk, the chess tourney, the sports news – whatever topics that draw visitors to your site. Search for “live video feeds” using a search engine and simply link up to the feed. Takes a couple of clicks and your site is current.

Do note that bots are unable to spider video or graphics content. However, add an
HTML tag explaining to the bot what’s in the video feed and you’ll get a little extra credit.

Add real time updates within the topicality of your site.

One smart site owner at confidenttrader.com sells a microcap stock picking service. He keeps a portfolio of stocks that any visitor can see. No “opt-in” required.

Each day, the stock prices in the portfolio are updated, providing the site owner’s subscribers and prospects immediate updates to their own portfolio of stocks that parallel the owner of confidenttrader.com.

This keeps site visitors coming back every day to check their own portfolios because all of the relevant information as been aggregated into a single page of a web site – a real time saver.

Now, this kind of information isn’t free to the micro-cap stock site owner. He pays for the service but he also delivers a valuable service to his subscribers and the cost of the latest information is built into the subscription price.

This daily update draws repeat visitors, provides complete transparency (a trust builder), creates good will and entices subscribers to sign up for the Confident Trader’s picks. Win-win.

Add new site text.

Add informational articles to your web site and create a site archive section. When a bot stops by and compares your current site information with the cached view and sees all that new, fresh, juicy, “green” content, you move up in rank because the search engine determines that you’re providing good information regularly.

If you can’t write, hire a copy writer to populate your web site and blog with new content a few times a week. You’ll quickly discover the cost versus benefits equation tips in your favor.

Or write a few lines on what’s going on in your industry – an upcoming seminar, symposium or trade show. In other words, keep your site visitors up to date with the latest news.

This establishes your credibility and the fact that you’re plugged in to the latest news. And guess what…

…thanks to you, so are your readers.

What You Never Knew About Resume Writing

In 2011, almost all resume writers have failed to understand that nearly all resumes are written online. Simply knowing this can give the job seeker an amazing advantage.

For instance, a mere 30% of website readers scroll down on any given web page. Therefore, the job applicant can have 2, 3 or even 100 pages, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t get the most important information to the top.

Moreover, the Western world reads left to right, obviously starting on the top left starting with the upper left corner.

Because of this, the resume writer must widen out the margins and make more room on the top and bottom of the document as well. They should covet the top left of their resume and make sure to fill it with quite compelling content that is aimed to hook the reader’s attention.

They should never put their name in fancy font.

If you look at any major news website, they always have a small logo on top. That’s because it’s very important advertising real estate to the company. Advertisers, regardless of size, want that ad.

When newspapers were printed years ago, they had very large, well-designed logos that had lines in them.

It used to be that half the newspaper homepage was a newspaper logo. Not any more. For the most part, the online news companies have been humbled, or lived to survive as a company another day.

Moreover, the resume writer never wants to put lines in their document. Studies have shown that lines cut off the website reader’s vision. It is almost like a stop sign.

With this knowledge, a resume should start with:

(.5 margin will typically still print)

Bob Smith                            bsmith@....

1234 Anyroad                      777-7777-7777

Anytown, USA

Objective:

After breaking my employer’s sales record two out of four years that I’ve been with the firm, I have decided that my strength truly lies in branding and advertising.

While I still want the consistent people interaction as I enjoy account management in sales but, I want to be able to take a product or service and help the company that I’m with tactically beat their competition through pristine marketing.

Strengths:

Branding, Advertising, Account Management, Web Marketing, Ezine Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Print Marketing

The job seeker got a lot in within 2 sentences. They are taking full advantage of the laws of website reading.

Just by glancing at these 50 or so words, the employer is probably relieved that the person has all the skills that they are looking for. There’s also a chance they will just take a quick glance down, be satisfied and contact the job seeker.

Another thing to notice regarding the above written sample resume is how nothing is too fancy with the format in the resume. The resume writer wants to keep things simplistic.

Conversely, if the job seeker doesn’t want to be questioned about a job on the phone interview, they should put a separating line in their resume. Lines cut the readers vision off. This is precisely why there are no virtually lines on the NYTimes homepage.

For example, let’s say the job seeker has had 3 jobs in their career, but they don’t like the 2nd job too much. Here is a good trick to nearly ensure that the resume reader will not focus on it:

______ (small line)

Job 1: XYZ Company

(here you want to pad with details, thus pushing the second job down the page and lowering the risk that potential employer will look at it)

Pad

Pad

Pad

Pad

Pad

__________________ (bigger line this time making it look simply like a design)

Job 2:

The moment you begin tweaking your resume for the web reader, is the moment you get in for the interviews that you want instead of the interviews that underpay and only want you.