Detroit carmakers were trying to impress at a recent expo.
DETROIT – We're different, and our new stuff is really good. In a nutshell, that's what General Motors, Ford and Chrysler tried to tell consumers — and taxpayers — Sunday as they rolled out an array of new vehicles at the North American International Auto Show.
They told their stories in different ways, with Chrysler LLC making its senior executives available to assure people that it remains a viable company. General Motors Corp. held a pep rally with hundreds of cheering employees and supporters who watched a parade of 17 new and upcoming vehicles. Ford Motor Co. emphasized its plans for electric vehicles, joining the list of automakers that have promised one next year.
The fanfare, on opening day of the Detroit show's press preview, comes after a year of dismal sales that forced GM and Chrysler to get $17.4 billion in federal loans to stay alive. Ford doesn't need money now but says it might in 2010 if U.S. sales don't improve.
But industry analysts say the automakers could still be in trouble this year if U.S. auto sales don't recover. Several are predicting annual sales of around 10.5 million — almost 6 million below 2007 levels — as consumers delay major purchases due to economic uncertainty. In the third quarter of last year, GM and Ford each spent more than $1 billion per month above their income.
On Sunday, the U.S.-based automakers touted new products with a focus on fuel efficiency that they say will help return them to financial health and ensure that their cars and trucks will roll off assembly lines for years to come.
GM said it would build a 40-mile-per-gallon minicar for the U.S. market, and it unveiled an electric-powered Cadillac concept car.
Ford announced plans to put a battery-powered commercial van on the market in 2010, with an electric car coming a year later, followed by plug-in versions of its gas-electric hybrid vehicles in 2012.
Chrysler showed off a sleek new midsize electric concept car called the 200C, and one of its executives said it could be the inspiration for a new midsize car to compete with Toyota's top-selling Camry.
Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli told reporters that while its key new products won't show up in dealer showrooms until next year, the Auburn Hills automaker expects to survive 2009 and remain an independent company.
Yet many analysts say that because of Chrysler's 30 percent sales drop last year and 53 percent decline in December, and a model lineup that doesn't change significantly this year, the company will be forced to sell itself to another automaker or be sold off in pieces by majority owner Cerberus Capital Management LP, a New York private equity firm.
Chrysler Vice Chairman Jim Press said dealers are reporting they are losing 25 percent of sales in showrooms due to a lack of available credit, and says sales will improve if credit loosens. He also said the December sales drop was due to an intentional cut in low-profit sales to rental car companies and other fleet buyers.
Nardelli said the company came out with the new Dodge Ram pickup, Journey crossover and Challenger sports car in 2008, all excellent products that should sell in a better economic environment.
GM CEO Rick Wagoner said his company's restructuring plans submitted to Congress, which include concessions from the United Auto Workers union and other cost cuts, combined with GM's lineup of new products, will make the company prosper when the worldwide auto market recovers.
"We'll be in a position to run the business at break-even or profitable at a much, much smaller industry than frankly a year ago that we ever felt would be possible to deal with," Wagoner said.
The new vehicles GM introduced Sunday included the Chevrolet Spark subcompact, which was called the Beat when GM unveiled it as a concept car in 2007. The three-door hatchback with a 1.2-liter turbocharged engine is about the size of a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris and is set to go on sale in Europe next year and in the U.S. in 2011.
GM also announced that the Chevrolet Orlando seven-passenger crossover vehicle will go on sale in North America that same year.
But the surprise of the automaker's event was the unveiling of the Cadillac Converj concept car, which is designed to go 40 miles on electric power alone after being recharged from a standard wall outlet. A small gasoline engine would extend the range to hundreds of miles.
It's the same powertrain technology GM is using in the Chevrolet Volt, a much-anticipated extended range vehicle set to go on sale next year.
GM's Wagoner said the Detroit automaker's vehicles are smaller, smarter and more fuel efficient, with "enough towing capacity" to pull GM out of its current troubles.
Toyota Motor Corp. confirmed plans to have an all-electric vehicle on U.S. roads by 2012, introducing an ultra-compact battery-powered concept car at this year's Detroit show. It also unveiled the 2010 Lexus HS250h sedan that will go on sale this summer. It's the first standalone gas-electric vehicle for the Japanese company's luxury nameplate.
Honda Motor Co. unveiled its next-generation hybrid, the Insight, which will arrive in U.S. showrooms in April. The much-anticipated car is expected to compete head-on with the Toyota Prius, which remains the top-selling hybrid in the U.S.
BMW AG said it's ramping up its production of gas-electric hybrid vehicles, giving consumers hybrid options with the 7 Series and X6 crossover vehicle.
Volkswagen AG showed off a concept sports car — the Bluesport — that is expected to get 55 miles per gallon based on clean diesel technology, while Lamborghini showed off its new Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder, which sprints to 62 mph in four seconds and gets 20 mpg on the highway, respectable for such a high-end sports car.
The 2009 Mini Cooper convertible made its global debut. The four-seater has a powered soft-top roof that allows the driver to open and close it while going up to 20 mph.
___
AP Auto Writer Bree Fowler reported from New York. Associated Press Writers Kimberly S. Johnson, Ken Thomas and David Runk in Detroit and Dan Strumpf in New York contributed to this report.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Bazillion credit contest
Are you a blogger and wishes to get more audience for your blog , there is a contest going on right now at entrecard
Prizes I'll like to win:
Games, Downloads, Walkthroughs - 25,000ec
Google Stalking - 20,001ec
Fragile Heart - 20,000ec
Atlanta Realtors - 10,000ec
The Beauty Denominator - 5,000ec
Norwegian Programmer - 5,000ec
nuke it dot org - 5000ec
Lofty Matters - 3000ec
Random Detox - 3000ec
Guilty Pleasures - 3000ec
Freebies - 3000ec
Project Kickass - 3000ec
Total Web Review - 3000ec
Realm of Prosperity - 2000ec
Fantasy Baseball Rankings - 2000ec
Webbiestuffs - 2000ec
Tazdog - 1500ec
Niacin Flush - 1000ec
Reading Lounge - 1000ec
Fendi Bags For Sale - 1000ec
Michael Aulia - 1000ec
Fish Oil Benefits - 1000ec
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Total Web Review - 1 month text link ad, 1 month 125×125 ad and a Blog Review (that’s three separate prizes)
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Celebrity Pics - A mousepad.
HOW TO ENTER:
1. Write about this contest and just mention the one prize you want to win. Then leave a comment on this blog post with the link for us to see. 1 ENTRY
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This contest will end exactly at 12:01 AM on 1/31/09.Prizes I'll like to win:
- Bazillion entrecard credit
- 1 month text link ad
- 1 month 125×125 ad
- a Blog Review
- 1 month text link ad
- 1 Month 125×125 ad
- A mousepad.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Investment in Crude oil
Just before Christmas Eve 2008, oil prices fell to their lowest level in four-and-a-half years -- $33.87 per barrel of NYMEX Light Sweet Crude.
Bad Santa
So forgive petro-investors if they're looking a bit glum these days. Even after Santa's conciliatory post-holiday boost in oil prices, the fact remains that when Christmas arrived, all these guys and gals got was (if you'll forgive the inexorable mixed hydrocarbon metaphor) a lump of coal.
Now, it's worth pointing out at this point that, as far as prices have fallen, we're still a ways away from the lowest price in recent memory -- $10.72, a nadir hit on Dec. 10, 1998, or $13.97 in today-dollars.
Today, oil trades for $42.63. In other words, for it to regain the crest of its recent super-spike -- $145.29, reached on Independence Day Eve 2008 -- it must more than triple in price. To revisit its lows of the decade, it must fall only 60%. And so I submit to you that ...
We're closer to the bottom than the top
Now, I'm not necessarily saying we'll see $145 oil, but at least based on these historical prices there's about 70% downside versus 240% upside. On the face of it, that makes for an interesting proposition, yes? For those of us who missed Big Oil's last bull run, now looks like a pretty propitious moment to jump in and catch the rebound.
So let's take a moment to consider a few options for how we might accomplish that:
| Price on Dec. 5, 2003 | Recent Price | Return | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleo Brasileiro (NYSE: PBR) | $5.60 | $27.08 | 394% |
| ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) | $36.31 | $79.09 | 137% |
| Chevron (NYSE: CVX) | $33.46 | $74.24 | 122% |
| Transocean (NYSE: RIG) | $21.75 | $56.63 | 160% |
| Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) | $11.54 | $21.16 | 83% |
Data courtesy of Yahoo! Finance. Stock prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
As it turns out, oil stocks haven't been hit as hard as oil prices. To the contrary, despite oil barrels selling for little more than they fetched five years ago, oil stocks are sitting on sizable gains. Why might that be?
Super-spike me!
I suspect that investors' memories are still fixated on that super-spike price of six months ago. Years of watching oil go nowhere but up conditioned us all to believe that this was the normal, usual, natural state of affairs. All the evidence seemed to point this way, right? After all:
- We're not making any more dinosaurs, hence no new oil.
- The cheapest oil has already been extracted. What's left is going to cost us.
- Remember China and India? They're becoming richer than ever before and signing up for driver's ed.
- Two-thirds of petroleum in the U.S. is used in transportation, so even if green energy companies like Suntech (NYSE: STP) and SunPower (Nasdaq: SPWRA) achieve grid parity, that won't have too meaningful an impact on oil prices in the absence of plug-in hybrid use.
As so oil bulls say that oil prices naturally want to gush, and today's downturn is just a temporary loss of pressure -- easily fixed. Problem is, with the global economy in recession, and oil demand dropping like a stone, it may take longer than people think for revenues to resume pumping.
Manage your expectations
But here's the thing: By the time oil is finally ready to rebound, people's recent experience may well have shifted once again. The longer oil stays down, the more people will expect this new trend to continue, and undervalue oil companies accordingly. That's just the way the human brain works -- we tend to take the recent past, and project it into the future. Fortunately, clever Fools can take this built-in psychological glitch and turn it into an opportunity for profit. Here's how.
Fools must:
- Recognize that when the reversal comes, it will surprise all of us. No one can time the market, so spread your investments out over time.
- When you do invest, demand a margin of safety, and make sure to buy with a 3-to-5-year time horizon. This process will take time to play out.
- Meanwhile, make sure your stock pays you to be patient, in the form of regular, robust dividends.
Ready to get started? Then sign up today for a free trial of Motley Fool Income Investor, where we have eight active energy recommendations that we think will profit from this opportunity.
Fool contributor Rich Smith does not own shares of any company named above. Petroleo Brasileiro is a Motley Fool Income Investor recommendation. Suntech Power is a Motley Fool Rule Breakers selection. The Motley Fool's disclosure policy has been collecting dividends for 15 years, and is saving up to buy a Prius.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Under 1000 dollar homes
Like a blogger once commented on my post, Real estate prices are now going for bargains. Here is a post I got from yahoo
The real estate market is so awful that buyers are now scooping up homes for as little as $1,000.
There are 18 listings in Flint, Mich., for under $3,000, according to Realtor.com. There are 22 in Indianapolis, 46 in Cleveland and a whopping 709 in Detroit. All of these communities have been hit hard by foreclosures, and most of these homes are being sold by the lenders that repossessed them.
"Foreclosures have turned banks into property management companies," said Heather Fernandez, a spokeswoman for Trulia.com, the real estate Web site. "And it's often cheaper for them to give these homes away rather than try to get market value for them."
In Detroit for instance, Century 21 Villa owner Randy Eissa has a three-bedroom, one-bath bungalow of about 1,000 square feet listed at just $500. It's a nice place with lots of light, but it needs a total rehabilitation inside, which Eissa estimates will cost between $15,000 and $20,000. But that's not bad, considering that the home last sold for $72,000 in late 2007, according to Zillow.com.
With prices this low, lenders aren't looking to make any money on these deals. They just want to get these houses off their books, so they don't have to bear the cost of maintaining them and paying property taxes.
In fact, the $500, $1,000 or $3,000 that a buyer forks over often goes straight to the real estate brokers as a commission. And often the lenders have to kick in extra cash to make it worthwhile for a realtor even take the listings, according to Eissa.
"Usually these homes are bank repossessions that the lenders have already tried to sell on the market, perhaps then put up for auction without success and then re-listed," he said.
Fixer uppers
These houses are almost always small fixer-uppers. Wiring, plumbing and heating systems have to be replaced, walls and ceilings sheet-rocked, plumbing and light fixtures installed and new kitchen cabinets and counters put in. Few come with working appliances.
Often buyers are legally required to rehab these homes to bring them up to code. In Detroit, buyers are required to sign Affidavits of Compliance Responsibility, which obligates them to make repairs outlined in an inspection report. Only after that can a certificate of occupancy will be issued, which makes the house legal to live in.
But even factoring in these costs, they're still bargains.
And as the housing crisis drags on, there are more and more four-figure listings popping up, as lenders try to unload their repossessed properties.
Cleveland is another city with many incredibly inexpensive homes. On Ardenall Avenue, in East Cleveland, McMullen Realty has a listing for a four-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath house for $1,900. It's been vandalized inside, but the outside is in good shape.
It features a deep front porch with Doric columns, double dormer windows and a separate garage. It's an excellent opportunity, according to agent Tonya Stoudamire. The last time it sold was in March of 2008 when it went for $16,677, according to Zillow.
"East Cleveland has a beautiful housing stock," she said. "These houses just need someone to come in and love them a little."
Another property for sale in Birmingham Ala. is priced at $1,900. The one-bedroom, one bathroom home was built in 1923 and has major fire damage, according to its listing broker, Tom Murphy Realty. The listing states that "Rooms are hard to distinguish."
But it's on a nice-sized lot, about 0.38 acre, close to downtown and transportation and has all utilities. Nearby, comparable homes in good condition sell for about $100,000, according to Zillow.
Rehab money
Most of these $1,000 homes can be renovated relatively inexpensively, and buyers can actually get government help to finance these repairs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a special loan program for just such purchases.
Its rehabilitation mortgage insurance, available through FHA-approved lenders, was designed to encourage banks to issue a single, long-term loan to buyers that covers both the acquisition and rehabilitation of a property, according to HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan.
He adds that there may also be grant money available from the $4 billion Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which was a part of the massive housing rescue bill passed by Congress in July, to assist buyers with grants for down payments.
Buying homes like these is certainly a leap of faith; they're generally not in the best of neighborhoods and they're often surrounded by many other vacant and deteriorating homes. Still, some of these neighborhoods may turn around and provide residents with good, dirt-cheap housing.
"It's a sad time," said Stoudamire. "But it's also a time of opportunity, especially for low and moderate income people."
The real estate market is so awful that buyers are now scooping up homes for as little as $1,000.
There are 18 listings in Flint, Mich., for under $3,000, according to Realtor.com. There are 22 in Indianapolis, 46 in Cleveland and a whopping 709 in Detroit. All of these communities have been hit hard by foreclosures, and most of these homes are being sold by the lenders that repossessed them.
"Foreclosures have turned banks into property management companies," said Heather Fernandez, a spokeswoman for Trulia.com, the real estate Web site. "And it's often cheaper for them to give these homes away rather than try to get market value for them."
In Detroit for instance, Century 21 Villa owner Randy Eissa has a three-bedroom, one-bath bungalow of about 1,000 square feet listed at just $500. It's a nice place with lots of light, but it needs a total rehabilitation inside, which Eissa estimates will cost between $15,000 and $20,000. But that's not bad, considering that the home last sold for $72,000 in late 2007, according to Zillow.com.
With prices this low, lenders aren't looking to make any money on these deals. They just want to get these houses off their books, so they don't have to bear the cost of maintaining them and paying property taxes.
In fact, the $500, $1,000 or $3,000 that a buyer forks over often goes straight to the real estate brokers as a commission. And often the lenders have to kick in extra cash to make it worthwhile for a realtor even take the listings, according to Eissa.
"Usually these homes are bank repossessions that the lenders have already tried to sell on the market, perhaps then put up for auction without success and then re-listed," he said.
Fixer uppers
These houses are almost always small fixer-uppers. Wiring, plumbing and heating systems have to be replaced, walls and ceilings sheet-rocked, plumbing and light fixtures installed and new kitchen cabinets and counters put in. Few come with working appliances.
Often buyers are legally required to rehab these homes to bring them up to code. In Detroit, buyers are required to sign Affidavits of Compliance Responsibility, which obligates them to make repairs outlined in an inspection report. Only after that can a certificate of occupancy will be issued, which makes the house legal to live in.
But even factoring in these costs, they're still bargains.
And as the housing crisis drags on, there are more and more four-figure listings popping up, as lenders try to unload their repossessed properties.
Cleveland is another city with many incredibly inexpensive homes. On Ardenall Avenue, in East Cleveland, McMullen Realty has a listing for a four-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath house for $1,900. It's been vandalized inside, but the outside is in good shape.
It features a deep front porch with Doric columns, double dormer windows and a separate garage. It's an excellent opportunity, according to agent Tonya Stoudamire. The last time it sold was in March of 2008 when it went for $16,677, according to Zillow.
"East Cleveland has a beautiful housing stock," she said. "These houses just need someone to come in and love them a little."
Another property for sale in Birmingham Ala. is priced at $1,900. The one-bedroom, one bathroom home was built in 1923 and has major fire damage, according to its listing broker, Tom Murphy Realty. The listing states that "Rooms are hard to distinguish."
But it's on a nice-sized lot, about 0.38 acre, close to downtown and transportation and has all utilities. Nearby, comparable homes in good condition sell for about $100,000, according to Zillow.
Rehab money
Most of these $1,000 homes can be renovated relatively inexpensively, and buyers can actually get government help to finance these repairs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a special loan program for just such purchases.
Its rehabilitation mortgage insurance, available through FHA-approved lenders, was designed to encourage banks to issue a single, long-term loan to buyers that covers both the acquisition and rehabilitation of a property, according to HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan.
He adds that there may also be grant money available from the $4 billion Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which was a part of the massive housing rescue bill passed by Congress in July, to assist buyers with grants for down payments.
Buying homes like these is certainly a leap of faith; they're generally not in the best of neighborhoods and they're often surrounded by many other vacant and deteriorating homes. Still, some of these neighborhoods may turn around and provide residents with good, dirt-cheap housing.
"It's a sad time," said Stoudamire. "But it's also a time of opportunity, especially for low and moderate income people."
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Marketing summary
Staying up-to-date with online marketing
The key now is to apply what you’ve learned to your business and continue to learn more. The Internet is continually changing. Six months down the road, the most effective marketing strategies may be completely different; therefore, you must stay up-to-date with what is working and what is not.
The best way to do this is to stay close to different Internet marketing websites. Many of these websites have free monthly newsletters that you can subscribe to as well as tons of free content on their sites. Some of the best marketing sites online are the following:
www.marketingtips.com
www.wilsonweb.com
www.searchengines.com
www.searchenginewatch.com
www.mycomputer.com
www.payperclicksearchengines.com
www.jimtools.com
www.ts100.com
www.business2.com
www.trafficzilla.com
www.emarketer.com
www.websitegarage.com
www.webmarketingnow.com
www.webpromote.com
www.efuse.com
www.proboost.com
Converting traffic to sales
As you implement the marketing and continue to see the amount of traffic you get to the site increase, you will want to focus more and more on converting that traffic to actual sales. Much of that conversion comes in the marketing and the preparation for the marketing of your site. However, if you need additional ideas, read the following article: www.clickz.com/sales/traffic.
Marketing and conversion are a continuous, intertwined process. You'll find the strategies that work best for you, but there's always room for improvement. Make sure to stay close to your website tracking statistics. You may find that you are losing most of your visitors at the same place on your website. If this is the case, you will want to change around that page to keep people from leaving from it. Some great tracking programs are at www.webtrends.com and www.mycomputer.com.
Creating multiple streams of income
Understand that most people don't strike it rich on their first business start-up. It is a learning process. Therefore, utilize the information and knowledge you've gained to apply to other possible Internet start-ups to create multiple streams of income for yourself. If doesn't take much more time to market five Internet businesses as it does to market just one.
Internet Success Team
If you are interested in further information and guidance on marketing your online business, you can check our MyBusinessKit.com’s Internet Success Team. The Internet Success Team consists of a group of individuals who have been down the road of online success. They’ve been in the same place you are now, and they know how to help you become successful.
As part of the Internet Success Team, you will receive a personal coach to walk you through business topics such as business set-up principles, website design strategies, and online marketing tactics.
To learn more about the Internet Success Team, call 801-787-6597.
Online websites and resources
www.marketingtips.com
www.wilsonweb.com
www.searchengines.com
www.searchenginewatch.com
www.mycomputer.com
www.payperclicksearchengines.com
www.jimtools.com
www.ts100.com
www.business2.com
www.trafficzilla.com
www.emarketer.com
www.websitegarage.com
www.webmarketingnow.com
www.webpromote.com
www.efuse.com
www.proboost.com
www.clickz.com/sales/trafficwww.webtrends.com
The key now is to apply what you’ve learned to your business and continue to learn more. The Internet is continually changing. Six months down the road, the most effective marketing strategies may be completely different; therefore, you must stay up-to-date with what is working and what is not.
The best way to do this is to stay close to different Internet marketing websites. Many of these websites have free monthly newsletters that you can subscribe to as well as tons of free content on their sites. Some of the best marketing sites online are the following:
www.marketingtips.com
www.wilsonweb.com
www.searchengines.com
www.searchenginewatch.com
www.mycomputer.com
www.payperclicksearchengines.com
www.jimtools.com
www.ts100.com
www.business2.com
www.trafficzilla.com
www.emarketer.com
www.websitegarage.com
www.webmarketingnow.com
www.webpromote.com
www.efuse.com
www.proboost.com
Converting traffic to sales
As you implement the marketing and continue to see the amount of traffic you get to the site increase, you will want to focus more and more on converting that traffic to actual sales. Much of that conversion comes in the marketing and the preparation for the marketing of your site. However, if you need additional ideas, read the following article: www.clickz.com/sales/traffic.
Marketing and conversion are a continuous, intertwined process. You'll find the strategies that work best for you, but there's always room for improvement. Make sure to stay close to your website tracking statistics. You may find that you are losing most of your visitors at the same place on your website. If this is the case, you will want to change around that page to keep people from leaving from it. Some great tracking programs are at www.webtrends.com and www.mycomputer.com.
Creating multiple streams of income
Understand that most people don't strike it rich on their first business start-up. It is a learning process. Therefore, utilize the information and knowledge you've gained to apply to other possible Internet start-ups to create multiple streams of income for yourself. If doesn't take much more time to market five Internet businesses as it does to market just one.
Internet Success Team
If you are interested in further information and guidance on marketing your online business, you can check our MyBusinessKit.com’s Internet Success Team. The Internet Success Team consists of a group of individuals who have been down the road of online success. They’ve been in the same place you are now, and they know how to help you become successful.
As part of the Internet Success Team, you will receive a personal coach to walk you through business topics such as business set-up principles, website design strategies, and online marketing tactics.
To learn more about the Internet Success Team, call 801-787-6597.
Online websites and resources
www.marketingtips.com
www.wilsonweb.com
www.searchengines.com
www.searchenginewatch.com
www.mycomputer.com
www.payperclicksearchengines.com
www.jimtools.com
www.ts100.com
www.business2.com
www.trafficzilla.com
www.emarketer.com
www.websitegarage.com
www.webmarketingnow.com
www.webpromote.com
www.efuse.com
www.proboost.com
www.clickz.com/sales/trafficwww.webtrends.com
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Offline marketing
The importance of offline marketing
Many website owners will put together a site and then think that they can advertise to the whole world, which they can. However, many people fail to realize that there is a local market in their area that they will also want to market to. That is done through offline marketing strategies.
Examples of offline marketing strategies
There are hundreds of offline marketing strategies that you could apply to an online business. Here will be listed a few of them; however, your imagination is the limit.
You will want to be creative and apply as many offline marketing strategies as you can to your website. That doesn’t mean that you should be thinking about how to design a Superbowl commercial, but there are many offline marketing tactics that can be applied to you website at a very low cost that can bring is tremendous traffic. Some examples of offline marketing strategies are listed below:
§ Word-of-mouth advertising
§ Hand out business cards
§ Put a sticker or magnet with your website address on your car
§ Sponsor a little-league baseball team
§ Hand out flyers
§ Get a billboard ad
§ Post an ad in a newspaper or magazine
§ Create a radio ad
§ Speak at seminars or hold free conferences about the subject of your website
Keys to a successful offline marketing program
Get your website address on everything – every brochure, receipt, box, anything. Make sure your website address is on it all.
Be creative. The only limit is your imagination.
Start small and inexpensive. Don’t do a commercial for your first offline marketing strategy. Start with small, inexpensive tactics, like handing out flyers for your website or putting a sticker with your website address on your car.
Online websites and resources
www.allbusiness.com
www.inc.com
www.businessknowhow.com
www.americanexpress.com
www.nolo.com
www.gosmallbiz.com
Many website owners will put together a site and then think that they can advertise to the whole world, which they can. However, many people fail to realize that there is a local market in their area that they will also want to market to. That is done through offline marketing strategies.
Examples of offline marketing strategies
There are hundreds of offline marketing strategies that you could apply to an online business. Here will be listed a few of them; however, your imagination is the limit.
You will want to be creative and apply as many offline marketing strategies as you can to your website. That doesn’t mean that you should be thinking about how to design a Superbowl commercial, but there are many offline marketing tactics that can be applied to you website at a very low cost that can bring is tremendous traffic. Some examples of offline marketing strategies are listed below:
§ Word-of-mouth advertising
§ Hand out business cards
§ Put a sticker or magnet with your website address on your car
§ Sponsor a little-league baseball team
§ Hand out flyers
§ Get a billboard ad
§ Post an ad in a newspaper or magazine
§ Create a radio ad
§ Speak at seminars or hold free conferences about the subject of your website
Keys to a successful offline marketing program
Get your website address on everything – every brochure, receipt, box, anything. Make sure your website address is on it all.
Be creative. The only limit is your imagination.
Start small and inexpensive. Don’t do a commercial for your first offline marketing strategy. Start with small, inexpensive tactics, like handing out flyers for your website or putting a sticker with your website address on your car.
Online websites and resources
www.allbusiness.com
www.inc.com
www.businessknowhow.com
www.americanexpress.com
www.nolo.com
www.gosmallbiz.com
Offline marketing
The importance of offline marketing
Many website owners will put together a site and then think that they can advertise to the whole world, which they can. However, many people fail to realize that there is a local market in their area that they will also want to market to. That is done through offline marketing strategies.
Examples of offline marketing strategies
There are hundreds of offline marketing strategies that you could apply to an online business. Here will be listed a few of them; however, your imagination is the limit.
You will want to be creative and apply as many offline marketing strategies as you can to your website. That doesn’t mean that you should be thinking about how to design a Superbowl commercial, but there are many offline marketing tactics that can be applied to you website at a very low cost that can bring is tremendous traffic. Some examples of offline marketing strategies are listed below:
§ Word-of-mouth advertising
§ Hand out business cards
§ Put a sticker or magnet with your website address on your car
§ Sponsor a little-league baseball team
§ Hand out flyers
§ Get a billboard ad
§ Post an ad in a newspaper or magazine
§ Create a radio ad
§ Speak at seminars or hold free conferences about the subject of your website
Keys to a successful offline marketing program
Get your website address on everything – every brochure, receipt, box, anything. Make sure your website address is on it all.
Be creative. The only limit is your imagination.
Start small and inexpensive. Don’t do a commercial for your first offline marketing strategy. Start with small, inexpensive tactics, like handing out flyers for your website or putting a sticker with your website address on your car.
Online websites and resources
www.allbusiness.com
www.inc.com
www.businessknowhow.com
www.americanexpress.com
www.nolo.com
www.gosmallbiz.com
Many website owners will put together a site and then think that they can advertise to the whole world, which they can. However, many people fail to realize that there is a local market in their area that they will also want to market to. That is done through offline marketing strategies.
Examples of offline marketing strategies
There are hundreds of offline marketing strategies that you could apply to an online business. Here will be listed a few of them; however, your imagination is the limit.
You will want to be creative and apply as many offline marketing strategies as you can to your website. That doesn’t mean that you should be thinking about how to design a Superbowl commercial, but there are many offline marketing tactics that can be applied to you website at a very low cost that can bring is tremendous traffic. Some examples of offline marketing strategies are listed below:
§ Word-of-mouth advertising
§ Hand out business cards
§ Put a sticker or magnet with your website address on your car
§ Sponsor a little-league baseball team
§ Hand out flyers
§ Get a billboard ad
§ Post an ad in a newspaper or magazine
§ Create a radio ad
§ Speak at seminars or hold free conferences about the subject of your website
Keys to a successful offline marketing program
Get your website address on everything – every brochure, receipt, box, anything. Make sure your website address is on it all.
Be creative. The only limit is your imagination.
Start small and inexpensive. Don’t do a commercial for your first offline marketing strategy. Start with small, inexpensive tactics, like handing out flyers for your website or putting a sticker with your website address on your car.
Online websites and resources
www.allbusiness.com
www.inc.com
www.businessknowhow.com
www.americanexpress.com
www.nolo.com
www.gosmallbiz.com
Friday, January 02, 2009
Unique marketing sites
Why unique marketing sites
There are a lot of websites out there that offer great products and services that help with Internet marketing that don't fall under any of the categories we've covered. These sites we categorize at unique marketing websites. For example, Respond.com falls under this category.
Finding unique marketing sites
You can find these different unique marketing websites through Internet marketing newsletters. Within these different newsletters, you will find sponsoring companies with ads for their businesses. These companies usually offer some type of product or service that can help with Internet marketing campaigns. A list of good Internet marketing newsletter websites will be given in the Marketing Conclusion.
Free traffic sites
Many sites have offers for ways to generate "free" traffic to your site. Some are better than others. Most of these are not methods to center your marketing campaign around; however, they can help to generate additional traffic to your site. Some of the free traffic methods are listed below:
Browser Start Pages. When you set your home page on your browser to a Browser Start Page, you earn credits that translate into hits to your site. Some sites that offer this are www.startblaze.com, www.trafficg.com, and www.nomorehits.com.
Exit Exchanges. When a surfer accesses a page with an exit exchange code, a new window is opened in the background. The ad waits in the background for the user to close their current window. Once closed the ad in the background receives the full attention of the surfer. Some sites that offer this are www.exitexchange.com and www.exitblaze.com.
Surf for Traffic. For the most part these are not targeted and not worth your time unless you're focusing on giving freebies.
Classified Ad Multiplier Sites. Generally not very targeted or effective.
Pop-under Exchanges. Basically the same idea as with the exit exchanges.
Online websites and resources
www.startblaze.com
www.trafficg.com
www.nomorehits.com
www.exitexchange.com
www.exitblaze.com
There are a lot of websites out there that offer great products and services that help with Internet marketing that don't fall under any of the categories we've covered. These sites we categorize at unique marketing websites. For example, Respond.com falls under this category.
Finding unique marketing sites
You can find these different unique marketing websites through Internet marketing newsletters. Within these different newsletters, you will find sponsoring companies with ads for their businesses. These companies usually offer some type of product or service that can help with Internet marketing campaigns. A list of good Internet marketing newsletter websites will be given in the Marketing Conclusion.
Free traffic sites
Many sites have offers for ways to generate "free" traffic to your site. Some are better than others. Most of these are not methods to center your marketing campaign around; however, they can help to generate additional traffic to your site. Some of the free traffic methods are listed below:
Browser Start Pages. When you set your home page on your browser to a Browser Start Page, you earn credits that translate into hits to your site. Some sites that offer this are www.startblaze.com, www.trafficg.com, and www.nomorehits.com.
Exit Exchanges. When a surfer accesses a page with an exit exchange code, a new window is opened in the background. The ad waits in the background for the user to close their current window. Once closed the ad in the background receives the full attention of the surfer. Some sites that offer this are www.exitexchange.com and www.exitblaze.com.
Surf for Traffic. For the most part these are not targeted and not worth your time unless you're focusing on giving freebies.
Classified Ad Multiplier Sites. Generally not very targeted or effective.
Pop-under Exchanges. Basically the same idea as with the exit exchanges.
Online websites and resources
www.startblaze.com
www.trafficg.com
www.nomorehits.com
www.exitexchange.com
www.exitblaze.com
Usenet
What the usenet is
The Usenet consists of two areas: newsgroups and chat-rooms, or online conversation areas. Newsgroups are not live conversation areas. You can go into a newsgroup, ask a question, and then check back the next day for the answer to the question. Chat-rooms are live conversation areas. You can talk one-on-one with people about many different subjects.
Newsgroups can be very profitable because they are demographically targeted (broken up into different interest groups), easy to access, and read by millions of users each day. There are a lot more people that read along and follow conversations in newsgroups and chat-rooms than the number of people that are actually talking on them, so this can be a very powerful marketing tool.
However, you cannot blatantly advertise in some newsgroups or chat-rooms. If you do, you may get "flamed," which means that a bunch of people will send you hate email telling you not to advertise in their newsgroup or chat-room. If you get flamed, don't ever respond; it will only encourage and agitate them further.
Therefore, you have to apply schizophrenic marketing tactics. This is essentially having conversations with yourself as people follow along and read. You will be asking and answering questions that would guide people to your website.
Steps to using the usenet to advertise
There are four steps to applying schizophrenic marketing to the usenet:
Set up 2-3 free email accounts
Find newsgroups that consist of people from your target market
Register your different email accounts under different names
Apply schizophrenic marketing techniques
1. Set up 2-3 free email accounts
To talk on the newsgroups, you must have an email address and a name. To find free email accounts, go to the search engines and type in "free email" and hundreds of sites will come up that offer free email services. Many of the major search engines, like yahoo and msn, offer free email. Some free email sites are the following:
www.hotmail.com
www.yahoo.com
www.juno.com
2. Find newsgroups that consist of people from your target market
There are newsgroup categories for just about every subject under the sun. Think about the characteristics of your potential customers. Then choose some categories that would have people with these characteristics discussing things in them.
A good place to start would be to go to www.google.com. Google has a directory of online newsgroups. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will also have newsgroups to register and talk on.
You can also find newsgroups through searching the Internet with the different search engines. Go to the different search engines and search for newsgroups in the category of your target market. Focus on the newsgroups at the top of the searches. You don't want to waste time talking in newsgroups that don't have many people talking on them.
3. Register your different email accounts under different names
Again, in order to talk on the newsgroups, you must have an email address and a name. Don't use your own name, or they will know that you are advertising. Therefore, make up different names for each email account so it looks like completely different people.
4. Apply schizophrenic marketing techniques
Before you begin guiding people to your site in the newsgroups, you'll want to build a rapport with the people out there. Spend 2-3 weeks asking and answering questions without referring to your site at all.
When your site is completed, begin asking and answering your own questions in the different newsgroup areas guiding people to your site. Ask a question with one email address and name, and then answer that question with your different email address and name by referring to your website. For example:
Q: I’m looking for a website that offers a great budgeting spreadsheet to help with doing a family budget.
A: I was just at www.myfinancialsoftware.com and they have a great Excel spreadsheet that can help with family budgeting.
Remember, there are a lot more people that are following along and reading in the newsgroups than those that actually talk on them; therefore, as you get your website address in front of people through schizophrenic marketing, they will visit your site.
Chat-rooms essentially work the same way. You cannot blatantly advertise here either; therefore, you must apply the same schizophrenic marketing tactics.
Online websites and resources
www.hotmail.com
www.yahoo.com
www.juno.com
www.google.com
The Usenet consists of two areas: newsgroups and chat-rooms, or online conversation areas. Newsgroups are not live conversation areas. You can go into a newsgroup, ask a question, and then check back the next day for the answer to the question. Chat-rooms are live conversation areas. You can talk one-on-one with people about many different subjects.
Newsgroups can be very profitable because they are demographically targeted (broken up into different interest groups), easy to access, and read by millions of users each day. There are a lot more people that read along and follow conversations in newsgroups and chat-rooms than the number of people that are actually talking on them, so this can be a very powerful marketing tool.
However, you cannot blatantly advertise in some newsgroups or chat-rooms. If you do, you may get "flamed," which means that a bunch of people will send you hate email telling you not to advertise in their newsgroup or chat-room. If you get flamed, don't ever respond; it will only encourage and agitate them further.
Therefore, you have to apply schizophrenic marketing tactics. This is essentially having conversations with yourself as people follow along and read. You will be asking and answering questions that would guide people to your website.
Steps to using the usenet to advertise
There are four steps to applying schizophrenic marketing to the usenet:
Set up 2-3 free email accounts
Find newsgroups that consist of people from your target market
Register your different email accounts under different names
Apply schizophrenic marketing techniques
1. Set up 2-3 free email accounts
To talk on the newsgroups, you must have an email address and a name. To find free email accounts, go to the search engines and type in "free email" and hundreds of sites will come up that offer free email services. Many of the major search engines, like yahoo and msn, offer free email. Some free email sites are the following:
www.hotmail.com
www.yahoo.com
www.juno.com
2. Find newsgroups that consist of people from your target market
There are newsgroup categories for just about every subject under the sun. Think about the characteristics of your potential customers. Then choose some categories that would have people with these characteristics discussing things in them.
A good place to start would be to go to www.google.com. Google has a directory of online newsgroups. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will also have newsgroups to register and talk on.
You can also find newsgroups through searching the Internet with the different search engines. Go to the different search engines and search for newsgroups in the category of your target market. Focus on the newsgroups at the top of the searches. You don't want to waste time talking in newsgroups that don't have many people talking on them.
3. Register your different email accounts under different names
Again, in order to talk on the newsgroups, you must have an email address and a name. Don't use your own name, or they will know that you are advertising. Therefore, make up different names for each email account so it looks like completely different people.
4. Apply schizophrenic marketing techniques
Before you begin guiding people to your site in the newsgroups, you'll want to build a rapport with the people out there. Spend 2-3 weeks asking and answering questions without referring to your site at all.
When your site is completed, begin asking and answering your own questions in the different newsgroup areas guiding people to your site. Ask a question with one email address and name, and then answer that question with your different email address and name by referring to your website. For example:
Q: I’m looking for a website that offers a great budgeting spreadsheet to help with doing a family budget.
A: I was just at www.myfinancialsoftware.com and they have a great Excel spreadsheet that can help with family budgeting.
Remember, there are a lot more people that are following along and reading in the newsgroups than those that actually talk on them; therefore, as you get your website address in front of people through schizophrenic marketing, they will visit your site.
Chat-rooms essentially work the same way. You cannot blatantly advertise here either; therefore, you must apply the same schizophrenic marketing tactics.
Online websites and resources
www.hotmail.com
www.yahoo.com
www.juno.com
www.google.com
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