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Business resource: Business related podcasts

Written by admin on February 20, 2010.

Business resource: Business related podcasts

Among the many genres or types of podcasts there are some that are have moved beyond the entertainment or plain informational aspect of podcasting (which was very prevalent during its very early years). These new genres have a far more loftier aim – to inform AND help people. There is a whole new wave of podcasts that have adopted this goal and they run the gamut of topics from technology, science, economics, even home improvement. But by far, the podcast type that is seems to be experiencing a massive push in popularity among podcast fans are business podcasts.

Business podcasts are still in its infancy but when it comes to popularity it is considered as one of the most popular on the internet. There may be many reasons why business podcasts have achieved such a high level of popularity in such a short time. One very important reason is that most people (be it “casual” podcast listeners or more experienced businessmen) have a fascination on how to handle a business correctly. Most people have a belief that operating a business is a very hard task and they need all the help they can get in order to make their business run smoothly and successfully. And if they can get that information from business experts then all the better.

Another reason why business podcasts are quite popular is because of the need for self-improvement. There are people who think that since they will be investing some time listening to podcasts then it may as well be about something that will improve themselves personally or professionally.

Business podcasts are also entering the marketing mix of most companies and online businesses. Business owners and marketing professionals have realized that business podcasts are a great way to drum up attention for a business. A podcast about a business’ core market gives the impression that the business is a prime mover in the industry and a source of credible information. This will definitely increase the corporate equity of the business.

Some of the most popular business related podcasts on the internet right now include:

B-EYE-Network - Solution Spotlights – This podcast are all about one on one interviews conducted with some of the top software company executives in different sectors of the industry. The interviews usually revolve around the insights these executives give with regards to products, business and industry trends. The interviewees are considered as some of the most recognized experts and leaders in the industry.

Knowledge@Wharton – this podcast is actually the online research and business analysis journal of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This program was launched in order to help bring out the knowledge and information that the school possesses to a wider audience.

Manager Tool – this is a very helpful weekly podcast that aims to give listeners the information, tips and advice in order for them to become more effective leaders and managers. Every week, a new tool or technique is discussed in depth so that listeners can be aided in achieving their management objectives.

Benefits of Business Podcasting

Written by admin on February 20, 2010.

Benefits of Business Podcasting

Mention podcasting and the image of someone sitting in their basement with a computer and microphone, dreaming of becoming a professional DJ, is what comes to mind for many.  It may surprise you to learn that this emerging technology is actually becoming a mainstream marketing and communication tool for businesses, with the potential to make significant contributions to the bottom line.

Podcasting is simply the act of making radio-quality audio programs available for download through an RSS feed to a computer, MP3 player or other portable media device.  Listeners need only subscribe to a podcast once; afterwards, new content is automatically delivered to them as soon as it becomes available. With computers and portable media devices being everywhere, podcasting is a powerful tool for businesses to extend their brand, improve “customer stickiness” and increase sales and their online visibility.

Small to mid-sized businesses are known for being early adopters of cutting-edge technology because they are generally more willing to try new things that can help them gain a competitive advantage.  Business podcasting is an inexpensive, effective means for these companies to get their messages in front of potential customers, globally.  And because listeners have a vested interest – otherwise they wouldn’t subscribe to the show – delivering specific information so precisely to target audiences yields a higher ROI than any direct marketing or advertising campaign.  This unique ability has even large companies like IBM, Disney and General Motors either exploring or already experiencing the benefits of business podcasting.

Companies are also using podcasting to streamline business processes and enhance their internal communications.  Instead of sending out monthly newsletters or conducting group training sessions, business podcasting is a more effective method for distributing and sharing information.  Simply create a podcast and your target audience can listen to the information whenever and wherever they want by simply downloading it into their portable media device. Not only does this create a more enjoyable listening experience, it’s more cost-effective and less time-consuming than the old traditional methods.

The benefits of business podcasting are still emerging; but, it’s only a matter of time before businesses leveraging this new medium become commonplace.  Inexpensive, easy to implement and greater ROI, podcasting is one of the most effective tools a company can use to communicate with potential customers and grow its business.

Avoiding the Pitfalls - Common Podcasting Mistakes

Written by admin on February 20, 2010.

Avoiding the Pitfalls - Common Podcasting Mistakes

In learning anything new there is always a sharp learning curve, and you’re sure to make a few mistakes a long the way, we all do. However in an effort to save you some grief and embarrassment along the way I’ve compiled a short list of some common mistakes and how to avoid them. So read on, and enter the podcasting arena a few steps ahead of the competition.

Number One – Reading from a script. While I strongly recommend writing out an outline of what you want to cover in your podcast it isn’t necessary to read verbatim from a script. When most people try reading directly from a script they wind up sounding like Ben Stein. “Bueller?” It isn’t entertaining and you’ll lose your audience before you even have a chance to get started. So unless you have a background in acting or extemporaneous reading it’s probably a good idea to forgo the script.

An easy solution is to make a list of talking points, note cards, or even a more detailed outline of what you intend to say in your podcast. So long as the format leaves room for improvisation it will come across as more friendly and conversational. It may take a few tries to get used to “winging it,” but you’ll sound much better. It’s still advisable to rehearse and edit your podcast whenever possible you not to the point where it sounds too scripted or contrived.

Number Two – Sound. While not everyone can afford really slick production values it is important to appear at least somewhat professional. This means investing in a good quality microphone, some headphones, and an editing program of some sort.

This doesn’t necessarily involve a large investment though. The mic and headphones can be obtained for a reasonable amount, and you can download a free program like Audacity which will allow you to edit your show. Audacity will allow you lay down tracks of music, edit out coughs, “ums”, or even portions of the podcast that you aren’t happy with. It’s also worthwhile to do a sound check before spending 15 to 30 minutes recording a podcast that is unintelligible. Check that the mic volume is properly adjusted and that there isn’t any background interference.

Number Three – Infrequent episodes. No one wants to subscribe to a show if it only airs sporadically. Why? Mainly because it’s hard to get into and maintain interest in a show if it isn’t on enough to keep you engaged in the content. At the very least try to have shows broadcast ever other week if not weekly. It’s true that some shows are only released monthly but generally the more frequent the show airs the higher its ratings are.

Number Four – No call to action. It’s rare that a listener will come to find your podcast in the context of your site. Most people will probably stumble across your podcast via podcast directory that’s why it’s important to make sure you include a call to action at the end of your podcast. The fact is that if you don’t provide a clear way for people to interact with you then they won’t.

Number Five – No album art. This really only applies when submitting your podcasts to the various podcast directories and podcatchers. iTunes, for example, allows album art and more often than not people don’t even take a second look at the podcasts without it. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, and you can even use your logo as the album art so long as it communicates something about the podcast.

Potential customers are looking for you through search engines, directories and forums. We help them find your website. How? Check out our marketing techniques at http://www.itsontarget.com and sign up for our podcast and we’ll let you in on some interesting internet traffic solutions.

A Brief History of Podcasting

Written by admin on February 20, 2010.

A Brief History of Podcasting

Ever wonder about the evolution of the podcast? While podcasting is a comparatively young technology it still has a rather fascinating albeit brief history.  The background of the word, “podcast” is quite fascinating and is reflective of the dynamic nature of the Internet community.

Podcasting is a term that was only coined in 2004, combining two words: iPod and broadcasting.   Ironically, this definition is somewhat of a misnomer since neither component is completely accurate.  Neither podcasting nor listening to podcasts requires an iPod or other portable player.   In fact, podcasts can be listened to on any mp3 enabled device including a desktop computer.  The name association came about simply because Apple Computer’s iPod was the best-selling portable digital audio player when podcasting began.   What’s more, no over-the-air broadcasting is required either.

Even the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary jumped on the podcasting bandwagon by declaring “podcasting” word of the year for 2005.   The term was defined as “a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player.”   The word will be added to the online version of the dictionary during their next update.

The term, podcasting was coined by journalist, Ben Hammersley, and then popularized by former MTV VJ and media entrepreneur, Adam Curry.   Mr. Curry created an Applescript application that automated the process of downloading and syncing audio files to iPods.

Other names or alternative interpretations of the letters, “P-O-D” were proposed, the most popular of which was “Personal On Demand”.   Technology writer, Doc Searls came up with this phrase back in September, 2004.  Terms such as “audio-blogging”, audio magazines” and “web-casting” have also been offered to describe this unique form of media distribution.

Other “pod”-derived phrases include “podcasters” (those who create podcasts) and “podcatchers” – the special RSS aggregators which periodically check for and download new content automatically. Podcatching software enables the user to copy podcasts to portable music & video players.

The popularity of podcasting is spreading like wildfire because of the rapid adoption of MP3 players and the desire of consumers to have fresh content.   Podcasting has flourished because it gives people more control over what they listen to, and the freedom to take their programs with them with them.

Not since blogging has a technology seemed so unexpected and been so quickly and widely adopted as podcasting. Growth in this nascent industry is expected to accelerate quickly due to the rapid acceptance of the technology by the radio broadcast industry in 2005 and Apple’s iTunes distribution.    The rising popularity of podcasts is challenging conventional radio’s broadcasting model.

While iTunes is less than two years old, roughly 4.8 million people downloaded a podcast in 2005, as compared with just over 800,000 in 2004.  And 11.4 million listeners are expected this year, according to research from The Diffusion Group.  Already the Apple iTunes service offers 15,000 podcasts and listeners have signed up for more than 7 million subscriptions.

A study by Bridge Ratings in November 2005 with radio listeners in ten national markets showed that approximately 20% of users who have ever downloaded and listened to a podcast do soon a weekly basis. This group downloads an average of six podcasts per week and spends approximately four hours a month listening to the podcasts they download.

This study projected even more dramatic growth in the industry in the future. According to Bridge Ratings, by 2010, podcast audience growth is expected to reach a conservative 45 million users who will have ever listened to a podcast.   Aggressive estimates place this number closer to 75 million by this date.

How does this affect you?

With podcast listening rising exponentially, podcasts offer you a very powerful tool for promoting your products or services.   The great thing about podcasts is that they are relatively easy and inexpensive to create. Podcasting can help ensure a closer relationship with your target audiences by providing them with engaging, informative and frequent updates about the goings on in your industry. If you have a website then there’s no reason you shouldn’t have a podcast available as it’s not difficult to set up and can bring a significant increase in traffic to your site. So in short podcasting should be a vital component of any online marketing campaign.

10 Tips for Podcasting Success

Written by admin on February 20, 2010.

10 Tips for Podcasting Success

As podcasts increase in popularity, listeners have more choices. So while you might be ahead of the competition, you should still be thinking about ways that you can make your podcast unique and stand out from similarly themed podcasts.

1. Plan Accordingly.

When making the decision and commitment to podcast, it is important to think beyond the moment. Before starting, think about the time the podcast production will take. How will podcasting fit into a current schedule? How frequently will you podcast? How will hosting of podcasting files be handled? If the podcast is excessively popular, how will fees be generated to pay for hosting? What is the common theme that threads all podcasts in a series together? Think not only of a broad theme, but also various episodic themes that fit into a broader theme. What will make you distinct or different from others podcasting about similar content? By approaching podcasting with a little forethought, you will set yourself up for success.

2. Original Content.

Just like any media company, in order to attract and maintain an audience, you will need to provide original content, or at the very least, present the content in an original way. Think about a long term strategy that will help your show distinguish itself from others.

3. Get to The Point.

Jibber Jabber is fun, but not to the point of excluding quality content. Listeners in today’s society don’t have time for incessant rambling. If you have a point to make, make it in a reasonable amount of time. Minimize the fluff and focus on quality content.

4. Do Your Homework.

Not only is faulty information a liability, but incorrect information will hurt a broadcasters long term reputation–just like a journalist’s credibility is paramount to their success. It is important that the information that you provide is accurate. While being a shock jock might have short-term appeal to listeners, most will remain loyal to a source that has properly vetted all of their information.

5. Consistency.

The best content is consistent content. Podcasts should contain compelling content with episodic titles, that are united in common broad theme. The format of the podcast should be consistent, persistent and stable. Each show should be about the same length and contain a common format.

6. Timeless Content.

Content that is timeless has a long shelf life. Broadcasters will benefit more from content that is timeless and can be effectively archived. “How to” content that solves problems will often have long term appeal and listening life. When choosing topics, consider the long term effects of a specific piece and determine whether it will fit with the broad theme of the show.

7. Articulate Words.

The quality of the audio content does matter. Think of the last time you heard a good song, on a poorly tuned radio station; regardless of how much you like the song, most of us would move the dial along. Listeners will not want to strain to hear a podcast; pay particular attention to articulation. Another important item worth noting is that Podcasts have global reach and often global appeal. Minimizing an accent will often extend the podcast’s listening audience.

8. Optimize Podcasts.

Podcast titles should be optimized to incorporate data that relates to the contents of the podcast. Think about the themes when selecting a podcast channel title and description. Use critical and related keywords and phrases that relate to a common theme. The text in the feed is important for both feed optimization and for attracting listeners. Many of the podcast directories index the contents of podcasts using the information contained in the channel and item’s, titles and descriptions. Use these text fields to effectively capture the interest of listeners.

9. Listener Expectations.

Invariably listeners will come to expect certain things from broadcasters. In order to maintain a listening audience, it is important that broadcasts are consistent and satisfy the expectations of listeners. While it is okay to experiment, straying to far from what a listener expects will often disappoint.

10. Archive.

Many new listeners will want to review previous broadcasts. Consider ways to make older shows available through archives. Archives allow broadcasters another channel to benefit from the content. Maintaining archives of older podcasts might bring in new listeners and satisfy listeners who just can’t get enough. Podcasts require effort, but by following basic guidelines and thinking things through, podcasts can be instrumental in increasing web traffic and communications within a community.

3 Most Popular Ways of Making Money on the Internet

Written by admin on February 20, 2010.

3 Most Popular Ways of Making Money on the Internet

Do you know that 95% of the people starting out in their internet businesses fail? In the middle of all the noise and hype on the internet today, not many people realize that all the ideas and techniques you can find are useless if you don’t first understand what your business model is or how are you going to make money on the internet. Even the most remarkable internet marketing technique will not work if you don’t understand how to apply it to your business.

The 3 most popular business models are:

1) Affiliate Marketing

Perhaps the most popular one out there, affiliate marketing provides a good start for newbies. Almost anyone can sign-up for an affiliate program for free and start promoting the chosen product or service. Commissions start coming in if someone will buy or participate in the programs promoted. Affiliate marketers don’t carry any risk, since they do not pay for the creation of the product, they do not handle customer service, they need not know the innards of internet transactions, like merchant accounts, autoresponder (what is that?), reciprocal linking, etc. It’s also possible to be an affiliate even without a website.

Some affiliate marketing programs you may participate in require little up-front investment. Some are free. It’s no surprise therefore that almost everyone and their neighbor promotes an affiliate program or another. In fact, if there is a single reason why the Internet today is so proliferated with ads and banners, it’s because of affiliate programs.

With the millions out there involve in affiliate marketing, only 5% ever make any money and only 1% makes really big money. The “Super Affiliates,” so they are called, do it very differently from the rest, therefore they earn the big checks.

2) Writing an eBook or other type of information product, recording an information CD.

This is a great strategy because there are thousands of possibilities for the type of product that you can create. There are so many niche markets that you can write about. It could be a course on Japanese gardens, how to start your own babysitting business, how to sell your artwork, taking care of your dog’s ears … there are endless topics and still many that have not yet been explored by online marketers. You don’t have to write the information yourself, you can get a ghost writer or hire someone to produce the CD.

EBook authors need to invest more than affiliates do. While affiliates can get something for nothing, the same is not true for the eBook type of business. EBook authors need to learn a lot more than affiliates are required to. They need to spend some amount of money getting the business up and running. However, when done right, the payoff in this online business model is much more rewarding.

These marketers make more money because they have very, very low production and maintenance costs. Once the product is produced, it doesn’t cost a cent to reproduce thousands of copies. Start-up costs can be covered by selling just a few copies of very high-margin eBooks. You can even recruit hordes of affiliates to do the selling for you.

3) Adsense

This has taken the internet by storm. There are tons of testimonials from people making outrageous income from adsense.

Adsense is Google’s advertising program wherein webmasters display ads from Google’s extensive list of advertisers. Unobtrusive text-based ads are served in member sites, who then earn a commission every time someone clicks on the advertisers’ links.

Google Adsense uses a technology to deliver ads that are highly relevant to the content of a page. Google’s engine will scan through the content of the page to determine its topic, and will then serve ads that are relevant to the page’s content. Running Google Adsense is quite simple. First build a website full of content of your desired niche or topic, and then register in Google’s adsense program. Once approved, you then paste a code in your page, and the ads start appearing immediately after you upload the changes to your server.

Google is silent on how it shares the revenue per click with their partners, but how much you will earn per click depends on the topic and the product being advertised. Products with profit margins of $10 for the advertiser will most likely give you a smaller pay per click than a product with a $100 margin. Similarly, ads with high conversion rates will normally give you higher payouts than less effective ads, since they can afford to pay more dollars per click, with a portion of that money going to you.

These are the top 3 most popular online business models today. No matter which model you choose, make sure you understand the basics. Stop buying courses or information not applicable to your business. Information overload can stop you before you even get started.

3 Marketing Myths that are Stopping you Succeed!

Written by admin on February 20, 2010.

3 Marketing Myths that are Stopping you Succeed!

These 3 marketing myths can cause you to lose sales if you base your marketing decisions on them. We’ve given you some marketing tips to blast each myth and boost your sales.

Myth 1: People buy a product at the cheapest price they can find.

That is not true - if it was then companies like Rolex and would not exist - Timex would have put them out of business a long time ago.  Despite the ease of research that the internet affords - buyers are generally lazy and don’t undertake full research.  Even on eBay where it is far easier to check the relative prices of a product - people often buy a product at a higher price than they could.  So what causes people to buy?  These are called buying triggers - the most common are:

Confidence in the seller

A high perceived value

Recommendations

Ease of purchase

Blasting Myth 1:

Establish your credentials - for example we have over 20 years of business consultancy experience - so we know what works and what does not work in a business.

Find ways of enhancing the perceived value of your product or service by adding extras or clearly demonstrating the value of it’s purchase.

Ensure that you include some actual recommendations within your sales letter.

Make it easy to purchase and receive your product by not introducing any barriers to purchase such as extra forms, obscure or complex payment methods.

Myth 2: Offering your customers numerous different options will boost your sales

When confronted with several options, most customers have difficulty making a decision. They often react by procrastinating - and going to a seller who offers a clearer product.  Now by this we don’t say add extras or up sells, just clearly state what is included in the product and don’t offer options that not only confuse but making your selling and processing more difficult.

The human mind works better when offered the two options “buy”, “don’t buy”.

Blasting Myth 2:

Only offer one product - or product package per page.  You can have a clear (and short) menu on each page to encourage multiple purchases.

If you have more than one option for a product or service - then give them different names and present them each separately.  For example you can call them “silver service”, “gold service”, “opal service” etc.  This is what we did with our various marketing services and it works quite well.

You should always aim at a small, easily understood product or service range.  You should be able to explain each of your products in one or two sentences.  If you can’t do this - how do you expect your potential buyers to understand what they are buying?

Myth 3: Everybody Needs My Product or Service

Unfortunately, most people don’t believe that they do need a particular service of product.  Obviously with items such as Ipods - your teenager will try and tell you they really, really, really need one, but this is peer pressure that has been built up with millions of dollars.  Much of this was spent on research into what there market wanted - and they got it right!

If you believe this myth then you also believe that you can succeed without doing much marketing or selling.  Unfortunately, despite what some marketers tell you - it does not happen that way.  Undoubtedly there some very successful marketers around, but they will all admit that a great deal of market research, testing and reviewing of their offerings - happened before they became successful.

Building a successful business is hard work - most of it devoted to finding potential customers and then matching them with your products and services.  Even if most people can use your product or service, you still need a marketing strategy to reach them and a persuasive sales message to close sales - because you can bet your last dollar - that where there a lots of potential customers – there are just as many sellers.

Blasting Myth 3:

Do your homework - find out where your potential customers are, what particular needs and desires they have and what they are seeking to solve these.

Look for a narrowly defined niche market where your product or service will solve a unique need of the customers.

Design your product or service to meet these needs.

Test, Change, Test, Refine, Test and obtain customer feedback.

Unless you are one of the millionaire marketers around - you will find many myths that you follow and potentially lose money on.  Hopefully the ones above have helped you.

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3 Key Questions To Ask About Internet Marketing

Written by admin on February 20, 2010.

3 Key Questions To Ask About Internet Marketing

Internet marketing is exciting, challenging, and confusing. It can make or break your internet business career and yet many people who depend on internet marketing don’t have a full grasp of the essentials involved in internet marketing.

In fact, many internet entrepreneurs waste a great deal of time, energy, and momentum because they do not fully understand internet marketing. Don’t let this lack of understanding undermine your income potential.

In order for you to better understand internet marketing and its impact on your internet business you must know the answers to these three key questions:

1. What Is Internet Marketing?

2. What Is The Cost Of Internet Marketing?

3. What Is The Benefit of Internet Marketing?

What Is Internet Marketing?

Marketing is actually rather simple. Marketing is communication about an idea, product, service, or organization. Marketing therefore encompasses advertising, promotion and sales as well as the various techniques and forms of communication used to advertise, promote and sell.

Marketing is broader than simple advertising or promotion in that it includes researching the market to learn what consumers want and then setting out to meet their needs with the appropriate product, price, and distribution method. Marketing includes market research, deciding on products and prices, advertising promoting distributing and selling.

Marketing also covers all the activities involved in moving products and services from the source to the end user including making customers aware of products and services, attracting new customers to a product or service, keeping existing customers interested in a product or service, and building and maintaining a customer base for a product or service.

Internet marketing includes these same activities but also pulls in various internet tools including web sites, email, ezines, banner advertising, blogging, RSS, text links, search engine optimization, affiliates, autoresponders, and other ecommerce applications.

What Is The Cost Of Internet Marketing?

The range of expenses for internet marketing is huge. There are a number of promotional and marketing ventures that can cost you nothing or only pennies a day while other advertising efforts can cost you thousands a day.

It is important to consider your goals — both long-term and short-term — as well as how much each prospective customer is worth to you. This will help you determine a workable budget for your internet marketing campaign.

Many internet promotions are free, you can set up a web site and/or blog for $250 a year, and you can buy text links for $10 a month. You could easily spend $25-50 a day for advertising but there are many cheaper ad options available.

The best program is to start small and cheap and slowly build as you test and learn what is successful for your market and product. There is no perfect acvertising solution that works wonders for everyone. Each marketer and each product has a different formula.

What Is The Benefit of Internet Marketing?

Internet marketing offers more benefits than many traditional marketing mediums. The very nature of web sites and blogs is that they continue working to promote and market your product long after your initial marketing effort is over. Similarly many advertising efforts, such as ezines, newsletters, banners, and text links also continue to increase in power over time.

Email marketing can be a tremendous surge in contacts and sales and offers the ability to personalize your message as well as reach a targeted audience so your chance for sales goes up exponentially.

The other tremendous benefit of internet marketing is that it offers convenience and immediate satisfaction. Your potential customer sees your marketing message when it is convenient for them — and often when they are seeking information about your specific topic. Then you offer them the ability to act on that interest right then. They can locate your product and buy in the time it would take to watch a commercial on television or turn a page in the newspaper. That is the power of internet marketing.

Now that you have the answers to these three key questions, you are ready to begin your own internet marketing campaign — and succeed with your internet venture.

3 Good Online Business Situations When It Makes Sense To Use Paypal.

Every day, a growing number of people venture into the world of online commerce, or ecommerce, in order to sell their goods and services online.  When merchants first venture into the online realm, they can get in over their heads by using solutions that are too costly, too complex, or just have way too many features than what the merchants truly need.

The good news is that there are solutions that allow the first time online ecommerce merchant the opportunity to sell their products and services with much less committment and cost on the part of the merchant.  Solutions such as Paypal offer the first time ecommerce merchant the opportunity to go into the online realm and get their feet wet without drowning.  One must follow the standard safety precautions associated with solutions such as Paypal and they can be on their way to earning an online income.

The next section will go over what you the merchant, will need to consider if you think a payment processing system like Paypal will be work for you or not.

1. Low monthly business volume on your ecommerce website

If you don’t have a lot of sales on your ecommerce site, and especially if they are low ticket items, then you may want to consider using a pay-as-you go type of merchant account system such as Paypal.   Usually these types of payment processing solutions have a higher percentage rate that they charge the merchant.  Sometimes it can be as high as 15% of the price of the item being sold by the online merchant.

Typical merchant accounts usually have a monthly charge associated with the account, whether you sell anything online or not.  They also have a lower percentage rate they charge the merchant, so for higher volumes, the merchant will end up saving money with this solution.

When deciding what type of merchant account you should get, you will want to determine the costs associated with merchant processing based on estimated monthly sales volumes.  For instance, if you expect to sell 15 items that cost $25 each on average, then determine how much a third party processor like Paypal would charge you for that, and then how much a standard merchant account processor would charge you for the month based upon the same volume.  You will find that in going through this excercise, you will discover a break-even point at which you will pay less using a standard merchant account as opposed to the third party processor such as Paypal.

2. You are new to the whole ecommerce concept

If you are new to selling your product or service online  (ecommerce), then it may make sense to use a 3rd party processor, such as Paypal to handle your online payments.  This way, you aren’t forced into any long term contracts, and can discontinue using it if your business isn’t working.  In most cases you can do this without having to continue to pay additional fees, such as a monthly service charge, to the this type of merchant account processor.  With Paypal, it is easy to start up the online processing again without any additional costs, if you choose to give your online business another try.

3. You sell your items on Ebay

Ebay is one of the largest selling platforms on the Internet today.  Ebay became so successful, they even purchased Paypal.   Ebay does accept payments through other means besides Paypal, but they set it up so that it is easier to perform your transactions through Paypal than other methods.

If you are doing a huge number of transactions through Ebay,  it may make more sense to use your own merchant processing account as you will save a lot of money.  However the average Ebay seller usually doesn’t have the volume to justify using their own online merchant account unless they are already using it for another online business.

Different needs for the ecommerce merchant require different solutions.  By no means is there a “one size fits all” type of solution.  Merchant processing solutions that work well for one online merchant, may spell disaster for another.  The best thing an online merchant can do is to determine their expected  sales volume, and their needs, and then find a solution that best serves them.  For merchants who are new to ecommerce, and don’t expect to generate a lot of volume, Paypal can be a good solution to get them started.

2 Ways To Make Money Online

Written by admin on February 20, 2010.

2 Ways To Make Money Online

There are 2 types of approaches you can choose when it comes to creating an info-product.

It’s either you be creative or innovative.

Creative means, you observe the market and come up with a good solution. Basically, using your brain to think of how your info- product can solve the existing problem of what the market is having.

Like, if you see there are a lot of people having a problem to write a salesletter, you come up with a salesletter generator software. Or, if you see that a lot of people are trying to organized their joint venture’s details, you can create a joint venture profile software. Basically, you’ll be the first person to hit the market. Make sense?

But if you want to minimize your risk of failure and make money fast, I’ll prefer to be an innovator.

Observe the existing products created to fulfill the demand of a market.

See how good the sales volume is.

Then, I’ll be an innovator to provide better Solution or tap on the existing opportunity.

Not sure what this means?

Let me explain …

If you happen to see in the market, there are a lot of salesletter generator software right now because there are a lot of innovative marketers.

Another example of an innovator marketer — A relatively new company call PayDotCom that provides similar service like Clickbank.com.

It was launched successfully following the creative company called Clickbank.com.

Clickbank.com was the first (That I know of) website that provides credit card processing service with built-in affiliate tracking program for internet marketers to use.

Now, there are more innovative marketers that have created affiliate tracking tool that can be integrated with other credit card processors like Paypal.com, 2checkout, authorize.net, etc.

Innovative marketing doesn’t limit to copying what is successful and trying to be better, bigger or cheaper.

That’s a very narrow observation on how to be profitable and it’ll normally fails.

Just by adding these 2 extra ingredients in it, you’ll change the whole profit model:

1. Finding an angle

Finding an angle means how you can position yourself unique from the originator. Example, Clickbank.com was a success. But other affiliate tracking tools that did not have a built-in credit card processor were very successful as well by integrating with third party credit card company. Paydotcom is also another good example of this. They solve the core problem.

2. Complimenting to the pioneer

Create an info-product that can ride on the existing successful market. Let’s take Clickbank.com as an example for discussion purpose. There are many new tools created to enhance the convenience of using Clickbank.

Examples are:

Software to manage your Clickbank.com affiliates;

Software to extract your Clickbank sales report into a Microsoft Excel file;

Software to create Clickbank.com search engine Tool that is integrated with Clickbank ID;

Video tutorials how to setup Clickbank.com account;

and many more.

Observe what’s happening on the internet. Then, decide whether becoming a creative or innovative marketer will give you more profit and yet can reduce your workload. Then, TAKE ACTION.