Made Moon Blog

“Virtual Real Estate Investing” is a relatively new concept. There are many variations on what this term means, encompassing everything from using the internet to aid in real estate investing efforts to participating in online games such as SecondLife.

To separate fact from fiction, I asked Bryan Ellis of BryanEllis.com for comments. He’s the man many consider to be the father of this new form of investing.

“I began using the term ‘virtual real estate investing’ in the late 1990’s when I realized the clear similiarities in profit strategies, regardless of whether the “real estate” is “virtual” or “physical” said Ellis.

One example of the parallels between virtual and physical real estate Bryan Ellis cites is the similarity between the monetization of domain names versus physical property. “There’s a huge difference between a website and a piece of real estate, but the ways you can profit from them are similar: ‘flipping’, rental/leasing, advertising sales, etc…all of these apply to both markets” he states.

I must admit: Its easy to see the parallels. Consider this: If you own a piece of real estate in a desirable neighborhood, your real estate has value because other people are interested in that location. Similarly, ownership of a desirable domain name is valuable for the same reasons. So it doesn’t matter if you own physical real estate or virtual real estate - you’ll likely use similar strategies to turn them into money in your pocket.

In our next installment of this series on virtual real estate investing, Bryan Ellis will share the internet analogies to the physical concept of real estate development.

Wouldn’t it be great if every prospective customer you had came right out and said, ‘Here’s what is most important to my company; and here’s what I need your product to do for me?’ That would definitely increase your closing ratio.

Usually, however, discovering a customer’s hot buttons is not quite that simple. You have to create an enticement before you can get through it and push that button.

One way to do this is through the use of banners. Banners are flag-like pieces of cloth bearing an emblem, badge, catchphrase, or other types of message. These banners are commonly geared into catching the audience’s attention.

Banners come in different sizes and form. Some of the types of banners are heraldic, church, advertising, protest, and trade show banners.

Among them, the trade show banners are the type that is more dominant nowadays, aside from the advertising banners which is also one of the main advertising materials.

Trade show banners are gradually increasing its function because a lot of businesses had found out that it has an awe-inspiring effect to their audience. Trade show banners create such visual phenomenon in the event that people can’t help but notice.

Usually, a trade show banner, as its name implies, are used in trade shows. These trade shows are presentations coordinated by a company or group of companies in a particular trade. Normally, the event is focused on showing off and exhibiting their services. It is also used when launching the new products of the company.

In order to have marvellous visual aid of the event, companies utilize trade show banners. Creatively made, these one type of display serve as an emblem for their products.

Moreover, in order to fully maximize its function, there are accessories that should tag along with trade show banners. These things are “must-haves’ for every trade show so as to ensure the protection of trade show banner. These are:

1. Trade show banner stands.

Stands are utilized for ease in assembling the trade show banners. It can be displayed in any place with a snap. And because trade show banner stands are manageable, they can be easily tagged along. It is also convertible. It can adapt in many instances whenever the trade show calls for it. It can be displayed as a “tabletop display” or placed alongside two banners so as to reflect a larger agnostic trade show exhibit.

With a perfect combination of trade show banners and stands creatively made with lively graphic images, these items can display your products in such an extraordinary way. Trade show banners and stand can alone speak for itself.

2. Trade show banner graphic cases.

Because trade show banners are usually carried along and are not permanent displays, it has to be protected from wear and tear by using graphic cases. These graphic cases are specifically designed to safeguard the trade show banners from any cuts and scratches.

With these excellent graphic cases, you are guaranteed that your trade show banners will always be on top condition, before and after the show.

However, before you start with your trade show, you should decide whether you would display your trade show banner as a table-top, or panel display.

For trade shows that have limited space, you may utilize the table-top trade show banners. It can be displayed on top of a table or in any place where it can stand. Table-top type of banners is very convenient to use because they are manageable and easy to travel with.

For quick assemblies and set-ups, you can also use the pop-up trade show banner display. These pop-up displays are effective when you want to quickly but precisely exhibit your trade show banners.

Or, if you want to have a more customized look, you may use the panel displays. Because it is made up of “unfolding panels” it can be easily converted from table-top to a full height trade show banner. It is ideal for bigger displays and exhibits.

Indeed, these different ways in exhibiting trade show banners are a must for every company who wish to conduct a trade show. These items are great in adding more zest to the event.

With all of these things incorporated in your company’s trade show, you are right on target.

For more great trade show info and advice check out: http://www.tradeshow-direct.com and
http://www.tradeshowstop.com

In the Good Old Days of direct mail, which is to say, before 1997 and the advent of the Internet, I and other direct mail marketers agonized over what to put “above the fold.”

Maybe you did as well.

That tiny top panel on a sales letter or self-mailer had to grab attention and stimulate interest or the whole package was likely to end up in the file that is emptied daily.

Your landing page faces a similar challenge today. In an age where the landing page has replaced the business reply card as the reply mechanism of choice among folks who market by mail, what you say “above the fold” is vital.

The fold is the bottom of your website visitor’s monitor. Everything they can read without scrolling is above the fold. Which means you have around 140 square inches of real estate upon which to make your pitch. Use it wisely.

Above the fold is where you put your selling promise or offer. Here is the place to remind visitors why they are herebecause you invited them here with a compelling offer in your direct mail package.

Above the fold is where you put a beauty shot of your product. A shot that matches the one from your sales letter or print catalog.

Above the fold on your landing page is where you remove navigation bars, links to privacy statements, links to your homepage and every other hotlink likely to lure visitors away from the purpose at handconversion.

Think of your landing page as your retail store. Think of your above-the-fold navigation bar as someone standing at the door of your store, inviting your brand new visitor to immediately leave your store and browse elsewhere in the mall. Now you see the value of removing all links on your landing page that lead your visitor away from your intended purpose.

All that your visitor should see and read above the fold should motivate the visitor to stay on the page, continue reading, and take the action you desire (buy, order a free trial, subscribe for your newsletter, download a report, watch your online demo).

If you’re reading this on a computer monitor, and if you’ve had to scroll a few times to get this far, you’ve proved my point. You should now be converted.

© 2006 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the “About the Author” message).

About the author
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com.

©2006 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the “About the author” message).

Almost everyone has a bath rug in their home today. It’s exceedingly rare for a home to have a fully carpeted bathroom. Tile and linoleum are easier to clean and wipe up, and are simply better at managing the potential water hazards presented by the shower, sink and toilet.

While leaving the carpet out of the bathroom has several practical advantages, there are some downsides as well. This is where bath rugs can play a huge role in not only the look of your bathroom, but its safety as well.

One of the biggest reasons for placing bath rugs in the bathroom is the danger inherent when stepping out of the shower with wet feet onto a smooth, slippery surface like linoleum. With one of these rugs in place, you can confidently step out of the shower, even with wet feet, and not have to worry about slipping.

Make sure you get a bath rug with an anti-skid surface on the bottom though! If you purchase one (or a set) with a smooth surface, you’re going to run into the same problems you had with the slippery tile floor - perhaps more so.

Another advantage to stepping onto a rug from the shower is the ability to step onto something soft. Those with back or foot problems can appreciate this seemingly otherwise tiny advantage.

Many people like to use a number of bath rugs to ensure that they can move about the bathroom and stay on a soft, warm surface whether its coming out of the shower, or moving to the sink to brush your teeth, shave, put on makeup, etc.

But perhaps the two biggest advantages to bath rugs are the cost, and the wide variety of sizes and styles available. Most of the rugs are rather inexpensive compared to the cost of fully carpeting your bathroom, so you can have the luxury of changing hem out when you get bored with them, and want something different in there. This also makes them cheaper to replace if they get soaked from a broken pipe or a toilet overflow.

The wide variety of styles and colors means that you can match almost any decor imaginable. Thanks to inumerable colors, sizes, styles and textures, you can design your bathroom almost any way you like.

The lowly bath rug - what it lacks in standing, it more then returns in practicality and usefullness.

Mike Long is the author of SeagrassRugs.net

Inside, you will find informative, up-to-date articles on topics such as zebra rugs, rug runners, and seagrass rugs.

I chose a group of artsy snow flake designs from my net page website design professional, who created a whole plethora of Christmas designs for my new site launch in December.

We feature cloth doll patterns for snow men, snow women & snow children, along with a few patterns for some whimsical reindeer & a few elves, as well.

We needed an entirely new look & font for our web pages with the wintry theme, & our designer did a beautiful job in creating all of these things for us.

Our sales for our Christmas line of patterns has gone up by over 30% since last year. If you want your web design to be impressive, you will need to ask your website design professional to create a unique & artsy look & font to go with your theme & colors.

Your sales will then increase, because the traffic to your site will increase, due to the cool new eye candy provided you by your site designer.

We used this strategy for our new net site & got such a strong response back for the look & feel of the web site. Many people emailed us complimenting us on our site’s new look & wished to know who the designer was, & we referred them to our designer.

Have You Considered The Power Of Email Marketing

Old vs. New

If we consider that not so many years ago when we were selling products or services it was usual to make the phone call, engage the prospect in conversation then send a brochure. Even today most telesales people will tell you that they make approximately 100 calls per day. It varies form company to company but only a small subset of these people are spoken to. At least when they are an appropriate email can be sent to them and they will be directed to the online brochure - vis–vis their website. The immediate communication is amazing and email takes immediate advantage as it can arrive even whilst the conversation is happening. No longer do you have to wait for the ’snail mail’ approach which will take on a good day 24hours but in reality up to 36 hours then arrange a follow-up.

Email Marketing

So what are the benefits of email marketing?

Email marketing is rapidly becoming the primary leader for contacting prospects and clients.

Here are the main reasons why email marketing is a high priority for many organisations:

1. It’s immediate - from idea to delivery can take less than 12 hours. Gone are the days when you had to get your creative agency to prototype a campaign, coming up with visuals that needed amending. These amendments alone took days to prepare. Once the artwork was completed you then had to wait for the finished item to go to the printers to be printed and then the finished mailer would then arrive some days afterwards. Once you had engaged the willing hands of people inside the companies they would then put all of the mailshot together and someone would be nominated to take it to the Post Office for the bulk discount. (I didn’t like the taste of the envelopes that had to be stuck down!) Not surprisingly the old way has now become - no way.

2. Cost - with the noted absence of production and postal costs email campaigns are sought after as they are just so cost effective. It is possible to email up to 2500 emails for a s little as $30 per month. Simply put being this cost effective method available to large and small companies has become a ‘no brainer’.

3. Personalisation - for every email campaign having a personalised mailshot means that you will get more attention. No longer is the Dear Sir/Madam or Dear Client an acceptable way to carry on. You can easily change and personalize mail shots either using titles or first name if appropriate.

4. Metrics - This is possibly the most powerful weapon that today’s marketer has. Understanding basics that would be impossible in the old days has proven to be very successful and appealing. Imagine that you can now establish:

a. who opened the mail,
b. what time they opened it,

c. if they clicked through to a web site and if so
d. which links were used.

Given all of these metrics you can now establish the ‘warm’ clients and where their interests lie. Additionally you could take a view that if a certain email marketing offer was opened up on a regular basis or several times during the day then this would indicate specific interest. Armed with this knowledge you could then easily target those people who were active.

5. Testing - Imagine that you can now test new ideas rapidly. Fortunately the feedback and open rate for each campaign can be understood and then adjusted easily before sending out a larger campaign.

6. Remain in touch - communication is vital and building brand loyalty is essential. Sending out a email campaign t inform (a newsletter), a press release or an offer will help you to remain in touch with your market.

7. No need to understand HTML - HTML is complex for most people, learning how to code before sending a campaign is not really going to grab the attention of most managers or marketers. Fortunately some highly customisable email templates can be used. Although there is a learning curve and it will take time becoming proficient in the technology should not be an inhibitor. Given that most people will pick up new skills quickly it shouldn’t be long before you can change the colour, layout and import logos and styles that your recipients will recognise and also look forward to

Given that it’s not about if you decide that email marketing is for you it’s about when you decide. The rapid growth that email marketing is enjoying is perfectly understandable - don’t get caught out and wait forever you could be enjoying a new way to market. We can show you how to create a campaign and maximize results allowing you to benefit from more business and generate happy clients.

Mike Palman http://www.thesalesacademy.com

Web directories have numerous benefits. Informative decisions must be made when choosing between submitting a site to a paid or free web directory. Whatever your choice, ensure that your website conforms to all required norms: complete, detailed, user friendly, and distinctive.
The options are many and stem from two main categories: free directories and paid directories.

A free directory is a great way of getting back links. Your site will probably get listed on a PR3 or PR4 page. Sometimes, your site will get listed within a few days otherwise it may even take a month. But it can also happen that the free site never gets around to listing your site. The options in the free category are numerous and one can opt for an open directory project such as DMOZ or a free directory like JoeAnt. Apart from main directories there are niche directors that are specific to one segment only like health, alternative medicine, and so on. Remember, every listing will add to the website’s Google PageRank and free directories of standing do provide a steady rate of referral traffic.

Many free directories have editors who do the vetting for no remuneration; this allows the directory to include hundreds of sites at little or no cost. Directories like DMOZ are used by Google and other search engines as databases; this means that your web site will automatically be listed in several major search engines and directories.

A paid directory is one that offers premium service which includes faster approvals. Most paid directories deliver high quality traffic or a good PageRank. Less crowded than free directories, your site stands a good chance of being listed on a higher PR page. Some directories like Yahoo charge a fee for considering a site for inclusion. This is towards costs of reviewing your site and the fee is a recurring expense to be paid yearly. However, there are exceptions where non-profit sites are reviewed free but there is a special path for submission of such sites. Other sites charge a one-time inclusion fee. The costs of paid directories can vary from US $ 25.00 (one time fee) to US$ 299 (annual recurring fee).

Whether you should opt for a paid or free inclusion depends on your needs.

• Consider what is your goal?

• Determine how much immediate exposure your website needs?

• Is there time to wait for a free inclusion or would you benefit from a quick paid inclusion?

• Is there budget provision for paid inclusion: pay per click or recurring yearly expenses?

• Do you have time to assume the role of a reviewer and vet your directory before a free inclusion?

• Or, would it be more feasible to pay for a professional editor to review the web site?

• Learn how each directory is organized and what its guidelines are.

• Surf the net and find out where your competitors are listed.

Make a working plan and choose wisely what will benefit your business plan the most.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1866WebDirectory.com the premier website directory provides human edited categorized website listings including business websites, news websites, gaming websites, shopping websites, travel websites and more. He also freelances for http://www.1888PressRelease.com.

So you have a website but your traffic counters are not exactly burning? Maybe it’s not even turning! You may have tried reciprocal linking to gain search engine rankings. It’s boring isn’t it! Reciprocal linking with other on-theme websites will slowly help increase your website’s rankings in the search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. However, it takes a long time and each time someone links to you, you get one link back to your site. I’d like to introduce you to a much more effective method.

This method is very easy and not nearly as boring. Simply write an article about a topic that is relevant to your site; please make sure you include a link back to your site in the author’s by-lines. Then submit it to a submission service such as Isnare. They will then distribute your article and other websites will pick it up. So instead of your one measly backlink for a reciprocal link you could get one hundred, two hundred or even a thousand backlinks.

Several things will determine how many people will pick up your article:

1.) How many different sites you submit it to
2.) How interesting and well written your article is
3.) How catchy the headline is
4.) How much public interest there is in the topic

With the above considered, you can make your website very successful by submitting articles. I recommend submitting 3 articles in a week, and then continue submitting one or two articles a week for a month. This should get you a nice amount of traffic for a long period of time. Obviously the more articles you write, the more traffic you receive. This traffic is not only from people reading your articles but from the search engines, as your ranking will improve as you gain more links back to your site. So go on, get writing, the world’s your oyster!

For more information please see www.articlesnet.co.uk

The consumer of today is increasingly bombarded by marketing messages from various media channels. For those that tire of the constant onslaught of ads, they have the option to “opt-out”. They may choose not to open up your email ads or simply “mute” their remote control so that they don’t listen to your audio message.

So, how do you, as a online marketer, ensure that your marketing messages reach your customer? What steps can you take so that your marketing campaign is “read”, “seen” or “heard”?

The answer: Provide opt-in email marketing.

Opt-in email marketing provides a reasonable, go-to-the-market model that will ensure that your messages are “read”, “seen” or “heard”.

What is email opt-in marketing all about?

Opt-in marketing is not merely a one-time process about asking your customer to opt-in or opt-out of a specified medium (in this case, your autoresponder emails).

It involves the customer giving you the permission to send your marketing materials and giving you private information on where to send them to. The customer is more likely to “read”, “hear” or “see” your marketing message if he/she has already given you the prior permission to do so.

In the highest form, opt-in email marketing involves an ongoing, evolving relationship between you and the customer. The relationship is one that becomes increasingly focused, with the relevant exchange of information and value.

The steps to an online opt-in email marketing principally involves:

1) Placing your ad in websites that your prospect are likely to visit.

2) Providing an opt-in box to collect mailing information from your prospect and getting his/ her permission for you to start a possible email relationship.

3) Giving a freebie to your prospect to “opt-in”. The freebie has to be relevant in theme to what you are selling.

4) Offering an email course, teaching the consumer about the product or service.

5) Continually reinforcing the incentive for your prospect to remain on your subscriber list. This can be by offering him/her quality content on a related topic of interest, etc.

6) Providing more incentives to get to know more about your customer. You may at this point, conduct surveys to build your database of information on customer preferences. You can then easily match your products to the customer needs.

Opt-in email marketing has lots of benefits for you and your customer:

* Increased customer loyalty due to constant contact.

* Customer needs and preferences are met.

* Increased “word of mouth” referral for your products or services as the customer becomes more satisfied.

* Increased sales for your other products and services.

* Lower cost per order because marketing waste is minimized.

Note that, in order to retain your customers, what you must continually offer is value. Otherwise, your subscriber can easily “opt-out” and you would have lost a prospect.

The burden is on you to build and nurture the relationship. Customer loyalty cannot be taken for granted, it has to be earned. Turning the loyalty into trust will surely propel your profits.

Evelyn Lim is an online business entrepreneur. She publishes a free weekly newsletter “Mapping You to Success” for aspiring e-biz owners. The aim of her publication is to equip readers with skills to acquire multiple sources of online income. To subscribe, please visit http://www.e-BizMap.com.

If a visitor comes to your web site looking for information and doesn’t sign up to receive your e-mails, you have missed an opportunity to turn that browser into a customer. This month we will be concentrating on how to build your subscriber list using the tips and techniques below. Increasing your newsletter subscription list with new subscribers will therefore increase your potential new customer database.

More detailed information about how to establish yourself and your business as an expert in your field, including how to set up and maintain an electronic newsletter, can be found in our downloadable guide “Building Online Relationships” which can be found here: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/book_4.html

If you would like help with how to write content for your newsletter, why not read last months article on “Newsletters - Keeping Your Customers Informed” which can be found in our newsletter archives here: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/internet_marketing_newsletter_.html

For more detailed information on how to write an effective sales proposition you need a copy of our guide “Writing Text That Sells” available for download here: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/book_3.html

1. Streamline subscriber registration. Streamline the sign up process by asking for as little information upfront as possible. You can always give customers an incentive to provide more information after they have experienced your newsletter. A simple sign up box that requests only an email address works best as it’s quick and not off putting to potential subscribers who often have the perception that companies are just trying to extract personal information from them.

For a simple sign up process, I would recommend Vertical Response whom we have used for several years to manage our lists. They can be found here: http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=EavljUFQjXk&offerid=52409.10000007&type=1&subid=0

2. Giveaways. Put together a genuinely useful giveaway item that you know your audience wants and needs. For instance, you could give away discount vouchers for your products or services or you could offer a free downloadable report or guide related to the products or services you offer. Downloadable information products like these work very well for most businesses, as once written, delivery costs are minimal. The practical freebie really works for your potential customers too, provided that it is relevant and useful to them.

3. Put a subscribe box on every page of the site. If possible add a simple sign up box in the top left hand corner of every page of your web site, as that’s where the eye naturally travels first. Don’t bury the registration form on a page deep within your site and make it is as obvious and easy as possible for your potential customers to see it and sign up. Don’t forget to mention the giveaway you are offering here too.

4. Advert swaps. Exchange adverts for your newsletter with other newsletter writers and web site owners and run them in each other’s newsletters and on your web sites. Don’t forget to mention those free giveaways! Doing this on a regular basis with a wide selection of web partners will keep your subscription page busy.

5. Cross-registration. Subscribers can also be found by having an advert for my newsletter on the thank you page of a comparable (but not directly competitive) website. This offer is made to subscribers who have just signed up for another newsletter and are therefore deemed ‘in the mood for more.’ Offer a swap with an advert on your sites thank you page, but try not to list no more than one or two other newsletters and make sure they are quality, reliable publications that interest your target market.

Keep the copy brief and simple, i.e.: “If you like our newsletter, you may be interested in one on a similar topic provided by our partner….”

6. Create a bonus product for other web sites to use. Similar to the giveaway point above, why not put together a selection of your previous newsletter articles and package them as a free ebook. Let other web sites give this ebook away as a bonus with sales of their products or services. Make sure you include sensational descriptive copy about your newsletter, and a subscribe link at the end of your ebook.

7. Allow reprints. Allow any newsletter that wants to reprint your articles do so. You can end each article with the line: You may reprint this article in your own magazine or website provided that it is reproduced in its entirety and all links are left intact. You may want to keep track of who is reproducing your newsletter so that you can email them future issues for publication. In this case, simply ask them to email you for permission. Alternatively, you can submit your newsletters to syndication agents and let anyone who wants to use it pick it up from there.

8. Add a registration button or link to all e-mail correspondence. Make sure you add an advert for your newsletter to your email signature. Don’t forget to include it on all responses to enquiries, customer service correspondence, confirmations, and invoices, etc. More broadly, request e-mail addresses at every customer touch point. The aim is to broaden customers’ view of your firm. Integrating e-mail addresses acquired offline may be a manual process, but research shows customer purchases increase with the number of channels used.

9. Include a “forward to a friend” button. Put a forward option on every newsletter. This way your current subscribers, often trusted sources that wouldn’t steer friends wrong, act as your spokespeople.

10. Add a registration box or link to all e-newsletters. Add the box or link to the top and bottom of the newsletter. Although this may sound redundant as the recipient is already receiving your e-mail, consider the pass-along effect.

Building an e-mail list is an ongoing process and the possibilities for expansion are endless. Always try new initiatives to improve results, and if you try even half of these techniques on a regular basis you should find your subscriber rates improve dramatically.

Don’t forget, as your list grows you will find it easier to outsource the management of it. I would recommend Vertical Response whom we have used for several years to manage our lists. Using your browser you can build your opt-in mailing lists, publish your online newsletters and manage your direct email advertising campaigns.

Click the link for a free trail: http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=EavljUFQjXk&offerid=52409.10000007&type=1&subid=0

For a complete guide to marketing on the Internet, including:

The General Principles of Internet Marketing
Start at the Beginning
Writing Text that Sells
Building Online Relationships
Maximising Your Pay Per Click Campaign
Measuring Success

Why not purchase the whole series of downloadable guides for the discounted price of £64.95. Click for more information:
http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/promo_ebooks.html

To catch up with previous issues of this newsletter, visit: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/internet_marketing_newsletter_.html

Coming up next month, “How to Write Your Newsletter”.

If you have any questions about any of the topics raised or any other Internet Marketing issues, feel free to email me at Justine@enable-uk.co.uk. I do my best to answer all emails or to cover the issues in future editions of this newsletter.

Justine Curtis
Enable UK
Internet Marketing Information and Resources
Make your web site work smarter!
Web: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk
Email: info@enable-uk.co.uk

Feel free to forward this newsletter provided that it is sent in its entirety with all links intact. To use this newsletter in any other format, please email for permission to Justine@enable-uk.co.uk

Internet Marketing Tips Newsletter is a monthly publication of Enable-UK

Copyright © 2004 Enable-UK