Thursday, September 1, 2011

How to Get the Best Deals on Cyber Monday 2010?

After resting from an eventful Thanksgiving-filled weekend, what sounds better than waking up on Monday morning and logging on to your computer to do a little online shopping? Cyber Monday is the Monday following the Thanksgiving weekend, and it is the official kickoff to the online holiday shopping season. It is a convenient way for shoppers to get some or all of their holiday shopping completed without leaving the comfort of their home. It also caters to those shoppers who are too afraid to brave the craziness of Black Friday.

Cyber Monday came to be in 2005 by Shop.org. They released a press release stating, "Cyber Mondays' Quickly Becoming the Biggest Online Shopping Day of the Year." According to Shop.org, "77percent of online retailers said that their sales increased substantially last year on the Monday after Thanksgiving, a trend that is driving serious online discounts and promotions on Monday this year (2005)." Therefore, with the increase in the sales on that Monday, Cyber Monday was born. The United States have started a global awareness for Cyber Monday. The United Kingdom recognizes it as the first Monday in December, where as Portugal coined the term "Cyber Monday" as late as 2009. Even though this term is fairly new, many shoppers are taking advantage of all the amazing sales, coupons, and savings from shopping on Monday.

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From the advertising aspect of Cyber Monday, many websites will have coupon codes. A coupon code is a code that you type in whenever you are making your purchase online. It typically will save you anywhere from 10% to 20% off your purchases. Coupon codes are easy to retrieve. You can easily look through different websites and find the code that pertains to your desired purchase. Coupon codes range from all different types of stores. You can find them in the major department stores and smaller retail stores. In some cases, the coupon codes may offer free shipping instead of a certain percentage off. Every store is different, but in the end you're still saving in some way!

Not only can you save big on Cyber Monday but you can avoid the travel and hassle of going to malls to hunt for the latest deals. Everyone has seen the news reporting on savings eager shoppers bursting at the doors of major retailers. Why go through the hassle of waking up early, getting a parking sport, and standing in line only to have to fight for savings? Luckily many consumers over the years have recognized that it is much easier to shop online. Plus by shopping online you can hunt for the best deals and compare options like price, shipping and taxes, and get the best deals for what you're looking for specifically. And you don't even have to change out of your pajamas. If you have stuffed yourself with too much turkey and dressing, or you were too busy traveling on Black Friday, remember you can always log onto the internet and check out all the great savings on Cyber Monday.

How to Get the Best Deals on Cyber Monday 2010?

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Stay on the Cutting Edge - 4 Email Marketing Trends You Can't Ignore

The economy is shuddering. Marketing budgets are under pressure. Yet attracting and retaining customers has never been more vital. The perfect storm of financial pressures has growing businesses turning to permission-based email marketing in droves. And for good reason: it's trackable, testable, familiar, and relatively cheap. Moreover, consumers check their email religiously. A study by the Columbia, Md.-based database marketing agency Merkle found that 44 percent of consumers check their primary email account more than three times a day, up 38 percent from 2005, and 58 percent said email is a great way for companies to communicate with customers. What are the trends in opt-in email marketing right now? Experts point to these four:

1. It's all about interactivity. Smart marketers are tapping email not just to communicate, but also to converse with their customers. Bullhorn, a Boston-based seller of recruiting software, took a recent email marketing campaign interactive. Instead of just sending out information to its mailing list, Bullhorn developed Recruiter IQ, an online interactive test for recruiters to assess their own skills and industry knowledge. Embedding this interactive tool in the email gave recipients a reason to not just read, but respond. The email drew a 17 percent open rate, a 20 percent click-through rate, and a 2.2 percent conversion rate.

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2. It's a two-screen medium. Gone are the days when customers read email from just a desktop or even a laptop. Today, it's just as likely your target will access your email campaign via a mobile device. The most successful mobile marketing comes in the form of text messages. Users also respond to surveys and coupons sent to cell phones. To stand out in the mobile space, email marketers must not only design campaigns with the small screen in mind, but also emphasize the writing of the message itself.

3. Segmenting gets results. Most people go to the Brickery Grill and Bar in Atlanta for the all-American menu. But despite their shared tastes, owner Bruce Alterman decided to treat his customers differently. Working with email software provider Listrak, he segmented his email marketing efforts. To customers who generally came in for lunch, Brickery offered a free entrée if they brought the family in for dinner. Wine orderers were invited to special wine-tasting events. Surf-and-turf fans heard about specials on crab cakes and steaks. In addition to the segmented emails, the restaurant sent messages to its full list. Take, for example, a 20 percent off promotion last year for preferred customers during the traditionally slow Memorial Day weekend. Crab cake sales tripled and steak sales nearly quadrupled during the week of their respective email promotions.

4. It's not a solo tactic. Used by itself, email marketing can trigger what Eric Cosway, chief marketing officer at Austin, Texas-based QuantumDigital, calls in-box anxiety. "We all have had that moment when we get to our in-box and there's so much there and we're saying, 'How am I ever going to read all of these?'" he says. To combat in-box anxiety, pair email marketing with at east one other marketing tactic, and preferably more. For one client, QuantumDigital created a three-step campaign, beginning with three jumbo paper postcards, followed by a dedicated Web landing page, and then an email pitch.

For more tips on how to advertise your business online, download the FuelNet Smart Report [http://www.fuelnet.com/smart-reports/online-advertising-tips-for-growing-your-business/] Online Advertising Tips for Growing Your Business.

Stay on the Cutting Edge - 4 Email Marketing Trends You Can't Ignore

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Stretching Your Grocery Dollars

Shopping for groceries is an inevitable fact of our ever busy lives. We may imagine that we are saving time by dashing in, roaming the aisles and throwing whatever looks good into the cart. Most often, what we end up with is repetitive, nutritionally unbalanced meals and ballooning grocery bills. Or worse, frequent fast-food stops and pizza calls. Brighten your meals and save time and money by planning ahead – an added bonus you may even save a few calories.

Some money saving tips:

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• Before you visit the grocery store each week, check out the Sunday circulars. Clip coupons while you watch television or get your children to lend a hand. Organization is the key to the coupon game, so invest in an accordion coupon file. Trust me, it’s infinitely easier than rifling through small slips of paper or finding yourself without the coupon you need when you get to the store. You can find some very user friendly organizers for around $10.00 at sites such as http://www.galison.com.

• Look through the food section of your local newspaper. You’ll get some great ideas about bargains to look for as well as what produce, seafood, etc. is in season. The circulars and the food section are two places to begin building a weekly menu, that isn’t boring, on a budget. It’s also a good idea to comb the Internet. There are a wealth of sites offering ideas for budget menus.

• Consider joining a shopping club such as Sam’s or Costco. If you don’t have the storage space, but would like to benefit from the savings and convenience of buying in bulk share the bounty with a friend. You can each take a turn shopping from a list once a month or so.

• Keep your receipts for a month or so and notice the high, low and average prices on the items you buy most. When the price hits its low, buy a few so that you can skip it when it slides into the high range.

• Experiment with 5 ingredient meals. There are a number of books, videos and web sites that help you make great meals with only a few ingredients even on weeknights.

• Check out sites like [http://www.cutouthunger.org/get_coupons!.htm;] [http://www.refundsweepers.com;] [http://www.refundcents.com;] and [http://www.aplusfreestuff.com] for information on rebates, refunds, freebies and other savings. If you do take advantage of rebates, complete forms meticulously and keep copies of receipts, UPC, proof of purchase documentation and contact information for the vendor.

• Include your local grocer’s weekly circular in your savings plan. When store sales are coupled with the savings cards now offered by many grocer’s you can save hundreds of dollars each year.

• Pay attention to promotionals. Some grocer’s offer reward if you spend the target amount within a specified period. Rewards generally include a percentage off of your grocery bill at a later date or cash back.

• Curb impulse buying. Grocer’s have developed their floor plans with your dollars in mind; the object, get as many as possible with proper product placement. Learn the layout of your store and make a beeline to your destination. Temptation is especially tough in the check out aisles. Fight the urge to succumb to these powerful marketing practices by making, and sticking to, a list.

• Try not to shop when you are starved. It makes sense that you are more vulnerable to impulse buying when you are hungry.

• Make a budget and take a calculator to the store.

• Compare prices. Store brands are not necessarily least expensive. Take just a moment to scan the shelves for best prices on the items you buy. When comparison shopping, make sure to take note of per unit costs.

• Look below eye level. Bargain priced items are often shelved below eye level and out of your immediate view.

Grocery shopping can take a big chunk out of your budget if you are not careful. With just a small investment of time you will realize savings that you can take to the credit union.

Stretching Your Grocery Dollars

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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Reduce Your Electricity Bill by Following These 10 Simple Tips

Paying the bills at the end of every month can be an overwhelming and daunting task. Although the amount that must be paid is often non-negotiable, small changes can be made that can help reduce your overall electricity costs.

Here are ten easy ways that every home owner can use to reduce the amount of their monthly electricity bill:

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1. Switch it off. It is easy to leave multiple lights on around the house, but making a conscious effort to switch lights off upon leaving the room can be an effective way to cut electricity usage by up to ten percent, cutting the cost of the overall bill.

2. Compare the prices of competing companies. Using websites that compare the rates between utility companies to determine which company is offering the best rates, and making the switch to this company is an effective way to save each month.

3. Children, as much as we all love them, are often the culprits for using excess electricity in the home and therefore educating children in the home about power usage and the importance of switching off lights is an effective way to save money.

4. Unplug it. If you are not using it, unplug it, especially items that have standby lights. This couple of seconds can go a long way towards decreasing the electrical bill over a period of time. Common culprits are mobile phone chargers and laptops, as well as small household appliances.

5. Using programmable thermostats or making a conscious effort to reduce the temperature in the home a mere two degrees can be an effective way to save, month after month.

6. Switch light bulbs. Using CFL bulbs rather than traditional light bulbs can reduce the electricity consumption in the household by up to seventy five percent. Not only are electricity costs reduced, but these bulbs require replacement less often than traditional light bulbs.

7. Appliances in the home should be checked to ensure that they are energy efficient and old appliances should be swapped for energy efficient models.

8. Make use of energy consultant services to determine where the energy is being used in your home and receive electricity tips about how to use energy wisely in the home.

9. Manufacturers of electricity monitors reckon you can knock approximately 10% off your electricity bill by splashing out on an electricity monitoring gizmo to monitor all the other gizmos you have in your home.

10. I hate reading post. I rarely have the energy to trawl through the mountains of envelopes and bills after a hard day at work. I switched to online billing and I have made it part of my work routine to keep tabs on my bills. I can check in on a more regular basis of my costs and I make it a challenge to make week on week reductions. I then reward myself by buying a new Xbox game and playing it for 24 hours straight on my 50" TV with all the lights on (only kidding!).

Reduce Your Electricity Bill by Following These 10 Simple Tips

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Get Disney World Theme Park Tickets

Many families nowadays are presently looking to beginnings of Disney Theme Park Tickets. They are one and only of the almost called in theme parks every summertime, and they are no wonder for you'll be able to cool off on a different sea creatures, regular play on it, just in the last analysis adherence on your family more truthful whenever you are looking to beginnings from cheap tickets these summertime, here are about you will be able to check over.

Initially, as it has the high-season, you could always calculate their important internet site to accept an assortment of deals. The beneficial affair approximately imposing the site first comprises that you are able to have approach to aggregate promos and the most actual ones at that. Whenever you've a lot babies below 12 with you, you dismiss already acquire Sea World discount tickets since kids all of the time pay lower all year-around.

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Apart from the important sites are 3rd party sites naturally. Who terminate always leaves the attempt break in along the balance of the online profession in contributive and dealing on one another their leading breakthroughs online. In a lot of directions and a lot times, third party sites is regular more reliable than the primary sites. They listing altogether the origins for Sea World coupons that you are able to get and so you are able to deliver expectant on your entrance money tickets.

Just those is not the alone ones you are able to check out. Although these online origins as discount rate theme park tickets is identical democratic since from their appliance, you should not disregard offline sources also. In that location are in addition to jolly dependable sources similar the Sunday paper, coupon books, circulars, even travel magazines.

And so whenever you are anticipating discount Busch Gardens Tickets assure these origins retired because they've always established to comprise really helpful. Acquiring your tickets earlier accomplishing the gate assists you diagonal and restrained percent away the cost. Because a beginning, whenever you aim individual day authorizes online and impresses it at home, you will arrive 10% off for each one ticket (content to conditions). Had better you determine to become the multi-day tickets, two daytimes from amusing at the marine paradise leave entirely price you the damage of 1. Though you are about the site, browsing through and through the "specials" because whatever advancements which you are able to additional make the best of. Who experiences? You might bring through a good deal to a higher degree you believed.

Get Disney World Theme Park Tickets

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Overview: Doing Business on eBay - Part 2

As stated in Part 1, because eBay is an open marketplace -- meaning that anyone can go there (eBay.com), and buy or sell items, eBay has created a feedback system. The purpose of this system is for users to grade fellow-users, as individuals. You will grade other eBay users as either positive (good), or negative (bad) -- based on their personal business reputation. The more positive feedback that you receive, the more reputable you are, as a business owner. Your feedback score (designated as a number between 1 and 10, with 10 being the best) is your publicly, worldwide-viewed, report card. If users see that you have a high feedback score, they will be more trusting of you, when it comes to buying and selling products, which can lead to get rich fast.

What is the Feedback System?

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There are two important components to the feedback system. The first part is your feedback score; the second is your feedback rating. Your feedback score represents the number of different/separate eBay users, who have had a positive transaction while doing business with you. The second part is your feedback rating. Your feedback rating represents what percentage of your customers left you positive feedback, after you've bought or sold an item within the past twelve months. You want to first, reach 100%, positive, and then maintain that percentage.

Naturally, when you first get started working on eBay, your feedback score will be zero. But, it is critical that you build your feedback score as high, and as quickly as possible. By doing so, buyers will trust you as being a reputable dealer. The fastest way to build and maintain your feedback score, and to develop a positive reputation, is by purchasing items on eBay -- especially inexpensive, one-cent digital (downloadable) items.

What are one-cent digital items?

Examples of these one-cent digital items include: recipes, coupons, pictures, images, etc. Digital items are those products that can be shipped through email. These items are ideal because the seller is able to email the item for free, and all the buyer has to do is eBay download the product. My first product purchased was A Cajun Cookbook; I paid 16 cents.

Bidding on products

The bidding process is an online auction. The majority of these digital items cost less than 50 cents. Login to eBay.com and search for the above items. Preferably, you want to find an item that cost one cent, with free shipping, and no prior bids. If there are no bids, then you will be the first bidder. Since this shopping online involves cheap items, that you're probably aren't even interested in, you should bid less than 50 cents per item. The idea is to start creating your feedback system. After bidding and winning the cookbook, I subsequently purchased several more digital products: store coupons, pictures, wallpapers, etc. I was having fun! Using the bidding method, I purchased different products from different sellers, for a total price of less than five dollars. I watched my feedback score rise from 0 to 7; then I was off to doing something else. (I used my credit card.)

If you get outbid on an item -- that's not so important, because you are going to repeat this process several times, while building your feedback scores. After you submit your bid, you'll see the "Review and Confirm Bid" page. Make sure that these details are accurate; you wouldn't want to submit a bid for 50 dollars, when you intended 50 cents. After you've reviewed all the details on the "Review and Confirm Bid" page, then click on the "Confirm Bid" button. Next, you will be taken to a confirmation page that reads "Congrats, You're The First Bidder. Hope You Win". The main focus here is to repeat this bidding process until your feedback score reaches 10. This is very important: when you're bidding on additional items, make sure that you bid on items from different sellers. Your feedback score will increase only by one point, for every different user that you do business with on eBay. Stay tuned for Part 3.

Overview: Doing Business on eBay - Part 2

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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

20 Easy Offline Marketing Ideas

So often small and home-based business owners and work-at-home-moms (WAHMS) get so caught up in promoting our businesses online, we forget about the potential for marketing it offline. But begin now to focus some of your business promotion efforts offline and watch your business grow more quickly. Here are 20 marketing offline ideas to get you started:

1. Post flyers in grocery stores, post offices, libraries, banks and anywhere else that has a public bulletin board.

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2. Leave brochures or catalogues with order forms in medical buildings or offices, (doctors, dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, etc.), and in hospital waiting rooms and patient rooms.

3. Ask if you can post a flyer in the window of local businesses.

4. If you have a favorite hairdresser's, talk to the owner about setting up a table or leaving business cards there for his/her customers to take.

5. When you travel, leave behind a brochure or catalogue in your hotel room with order forms, or leave behind samples as a tip for the maids.

6. Create small care packages to give away at events and include a flyer, business card, catalogue, order form, or coupon.

7. Fill a small plastic bag with a few goodies like suckers, stickers or pencils and include a flyer and coupon. Staple your business card to the outside. Hand them out to people or leave them wherever you go.

8. Host an open house in your home to introduce people to your product. Offer free coffee and desserts. Give guests a discount coupon to use on their first order. Have a drawing for free products.

9. Cold call on people introducing your product. Offer a discount off their first order.

10. Talk to schools, day cares, nursery schools and other organizations about doing fundraisers. Offer them a percentage from each sale.

11. Make flyers with a tear-off discount coupon and have the Post Office put them in PO boxes and mailboxes.

12. Place an ad in local newspapers and newsletters.

13. Put an ad your local phone book under the appropriate category.

14. Set up a table at your county fair or other local event and show samples of your products. Provide brochures or catalogues. Hold a drawing for a free products or services. Hand out flyers with a discount coupon off the first order.

15. Run a local radio ad. Or take your local DJ a plate of brownies in appreciation. Let them know your business name. Often they'll mention you on air - at no cost.

16. Place an ad in a local city magazine.

17. Hire someone to do cold calling and selling for you. Pay them hourly or by commission only.

18. Hire a student to deliver flyers, brochures or catalogues door-to-door.

19. Promote your product/services by giving away items such as caps, fridge magnets, mugs, coupons, samples, frequent user cards, etc.

20. Be prepared for the unexpected and compile a marketing kit so that you always have business materials on hand. A good place to keep these kits is in your car so that you can easily distribute them while you are out, and you can avoid missing out on a new customer because you didn't have a catalogue or business card to give those who ask.

Include any or all of the following promotional materials:

o  Flyers

o  Brochures

o  Catalogues

o  Business Cards

o  Magnets

o  Stickers

o  Lollipops with tags

o  Balloons

o  Buttons

o  Pens/pencils

o  Goodie packs.

o  Bumper Stickers

o  Window Clings

o  Mugs

o  Newsletter

o  Press Release

Coupons

o  Fax Cover Pages

Using these and other offline marketing methods will help you kick start your business or bring added growth to an existing business. Pick the ones that will work for you and start promoting your business offline today!

Article © 2009 Darlene Bishop. All rights reserved worldwide.

20 Easy Offline Marketing Ideas

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