become a pro!

If you service the Real Estate Industry, you need to check this out: forsalebyowner.com created the find a pro network for their customers who demanded a reliable source of Pros to assist them during the FSBO process. Join their network of Pros and get connected to buyers and sellers who need your expertise. Their basic listing is free, but you can always upgrade to add additional features.

Why Join the pro network? (from their website)

~We are the largest "by owner" real estate marketplace with over 50,000 active daily visitors. Our customers come to us as a trusted source for all their real estate needs.

~Unrepresented FSBO buyers and sellers make up almost 25% of the real estate market. Tap into a lucrative market that is missed when marketing only through agents.

~Consumers spend tremendous amounts of money on goods and services surrounding a move. A Harvard study found that relocating households spend 20-25% more on home improvements than those that do not move.

~Get maximum exposure by promoting your services online. Our flat-fee plans provide a cost effective way to advertise online, without costly pay-per-click fees. Plus, the cost is most likely tax deductible.

sign-up to become a Pro today or call 888-367-7253 to get started.

Check out Real Vision Studio’s ad here!

Are You Blogging?

 

Blogging is arguably the simplest (& cheapest) way to start generating traffic to your website. It is extremely powerful and very easy to do. Whether you have a blog already, or aren’t yet familiar with them, understand that they are a key factor in your online marketing.

 

Blogging is not only a great way to drive traffic to your site but is incredibly important in building your credibility and brand.

 

Some Benefits of Blogging:

 

Boost Traffic: Blogs and RSS feeds can make a positive change in your web traffic. By adding new content to your site on a regular basis, you ensure that the search engine’s spider crawls your site more often.

 

Back Links: Through blogging, you can find a number of business partners together because people having different interests and thoughts are closely knit with each other.

 

Lower Costs: Blogging is a low-cost alternative to having a web site. Small business owners that don’t have the time to learn web html or the money to hire a designer/developer, blogging offers an economical method to get your company's name out on the Internet.

 

Cheap Marketing: By Blogging you can raise your website profile and increase visits to your site.

 

So, are you blogging yet?  If not, you should be!

In the current economy, push selling seems to be a major turn off for potential customers. The philosophy today is to do business the way the prospect wants to be treated, so it is very different than traditional selling. Classic tactics and methods that that used to work are long out of date in today’s competitive, Internet, direct buying environment. In addition, more and more people want to work through referrals. Even old timers in sales are moving towards networking tools and social media.

What kind of sales tools do you use? Which one has been the most effective? Please be as detailed as possible.

Any and all thoughts welcome!

http://www.realvisionstudio.com
http://www.webwizardcreations.net
http://frugalmarketingu.blogspot.com/

When is Blogging Credible?

When do you think blogging credible? Are you more likely to believe a blogger writing on an independent site versus one writing about a product on a product sponsored site? Does the URL make a difference or do the credentials of the author/blogger take precedence?

I think credibility comes from a consistent voice for the blogger.  I think ultimately credentials are much more important.

http://frugalmarketingu.blogspot.com/
http://www.webwizardcreations.net
http://www.realvisionstudio.com

Interesting data on the cost analysis of promotional products versus other advertising media.

ASI 2008 Survey - Issued November 11th 2008

http://www.asicentral.com/html/open/educationandevents/powersummit08/impressions_study.pdf

Summary of Conclusions:

Instant recall: More than 8 out of 10 (84%) respondents remembered the advertisers of the promotional products they're received.

Very impressionable: 42% of respondents had a MORE favorable impression of an advertiser after receiving the item. And nearly a quarter (24%) said they are MORE likely to do business with the advertiser on the items they receive.

It's all business: Most respondents (62%) have done business with the advertiser on a promotional product after receiving the item.

Pens are in: Writing instruments are the most-recalled advertising specialty items (54% of respondents recall owning them), followed by shirts, caps and bags.

User-friendly: The majority (81%) of promotional products were kept because they were considered useful.

Staying power: More than three-quarters of respondents have had their items for more than 6 months.

Bag it!: Among wearables, bags were reported to be used most frequently with respondents indicating that they used their bags an average of 9 times per month. They also deliver the most impressions: Each bag averages 1,038 impressions per month.

Most impressive: The average CPI of an advertising specialty item is $0.004; as a result, marketers get a more favorable return on investment.

http://frugalmarketingu.blogspot.com/
http://www.webwizardcreations.net
http://www.realvisionstudio.com

score informs and assists small business owners with national workshops, counseling and more. score is America's premier source of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has more than 1,100 branches nationwide, their small business development centers help new and existing entrepreneurs with marketing, finances, legal issues, free regular workshops and much more.

For those businesswomen out there, check this out: make mine a million $ business race.

vistaprint offers small businesses everything they need to market their business. They offer high-quality printed marketing materials, promotional products and marketing services such as copywriting, design, websites and postcard mailing. Every month vistaprint offers a choice of FREE business cards, rubber stamps, calendars, postcards, tote bags, t-shirts and business stationary. Yes, I said FREE! Ok, so the weekly e-mails can be a bit annoying but who cares, it’s FREE!! This week I ordered a free tote bag and all I paid was $4.41 shipping. The retail value of the tote is $12.99! On top of the free products they also offer free Webinars, On Demand Marketing Tips, Expert Advice and More. Check it out in their marketing learning center. So, what are you waiting for, get your free stuff now!

O.K. so, your expense account has taken a big hit in this rough economy, but your clients don't need to know that. You can still afford to treat them, a deserving employee or two or even a co-worker to a nice meal. Your secret, you savvy frugalist, you? It’s FREE websites that offer discounts to your favorite local and chain restaurants, including some high quality ones that are sure to impress your hungry guests.

At restaurant.com, purchase $10-$25 gift certificates for your favorite restaurants for just $4-$10 – you can even print them for same-day use. Sign up for their free newsletter and get exclusive savings that is at least two to four deep discount offers a month. (Be aware of the fine print, some of the restaurant offers require a minimum purchase – be sure you are going to spend that before purchasing the certificate).

opentable.com provides a fast, efficient way to find available tables that meet desired criteria for cuisine, price and location at a specified time. When you make reservations through opentable.com, you earn at least 100 points toward the 2,000 you need to get a free $20 off coupon at any participating restaurant.

dinnerbroker's mission is to use technology and the Internet to make the fine-dining experience more enjoyable, accessible and affordable. You’ll get an instant 10 to 30 percent discount on off-peak hours when you make your reservations through their system. In addition, you’ll earn points towards free gift certificates and have the ability to purchase discounted gift cards.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the dining reward programs offered by many credit cards, airlines and hotels. Purchases, hotel stays and air travel can gain you points towards your favorite dining destinations. Check out the rewards network, they offer dining and hotel programs in partnership with major airline frequent flyer programs, several of the nation’s largest bankcard issuers, numerous key players in the loyalty marketing industry, and dozens of national corporations.

Marketing is a critical step to any business plan. Many companies focus there marketing efforts on seeking new customers, but forget to go after the referral. Getting referrals is easier and can be less expensive than marketing to new customers.  In addition, referrals are often more loyal customers. If you ask for a referral you are likely to get one. Here are some tips to help get more referrals for your business.

~When handing out your business cards, hand them an extra to give to a friend or co-worker that may your services. Do this with your brochures as well.

~After completing a job well done communicate a thank you personally or via e-mail. Say something like this: Thank you for your business, please tell your friends about us.

~When sending out mailings to your clients attach two coupons for your business, one to print for your customer and a second to print for a friend.

~Provide follow-up via several methods. Do not just send an email, Spam filters often re-route these. Send email, make follow-up calls, and send traditional greeting cards through the Mail. Many times more traditional forms of follow-up are sometimes the most effective way to connect with a client. Sending a sincere thank you note is a great way to follow-up with a customer. Do not fill your message full of advertisements, coupons, and sales offers. Share how much you value your customers business and how you will be supportive of his or her future needs. Personal contacts are a great way to keep your name in front of your customer, hence yielding more referrals.

~Offer a small incentive if possible if a client refers others. You may also ask your client if they know of any friends, co-workers or business acquaintances that would like to be sent discount coupons. Always send a thank you note when you receive a referral.

Are you looking to grow your business with e-mail marketing? Do you need help keeping track of clients?

Here are some easy, effective, and affordable ways to reach your customers using professional, email-based communications. The best part is they all have FREE trials! Even when the free trial is over you will find them very affordable and effective!

Recommended: aweber - "Creating an Email Marketing Campaign? We Can Help. aweber Creates Lasting Customer Relationships For You With Email Newsletters, Autoresponders, RSS to Email and Other Email Marketing Tools."

constant contact - "We've helped more than 275,000 customers use Email Marketing and Online Surveys to grow their businesses."

vertical response - "The easiest way to build, target, send and track email marketing newsletters, online surveys and direct mail postcards."

resultsmail - "Allows you to quickly and easily design attractive, attention-getting email newsletters, promotions, advertisements, press releases, and other mass email messages."

Do you know that you could save hundreds of dollars just by getting organized. Organization is easy to learn, staying organized maybe hard to do. But once you get used to it, you won't be able to live without it.

Calendar for jobs to complete? Check. To-do list for home? Check. List of clients that owe you money? Wait. Where is it? You're a smart, successful entrepenuer so you're a multitasking genius. But even geniuses can drop the ball when there are too many up in the air. So below we've found the best online organizers – to help you get your many to-do lists (and your sanity) under some sort of control.

zoho.com helps you organize your life with loads of handy applications – like an easy-to-use calendar, an online word processor, server space, and an invoice-making application so you can bill clients from anywhere.

Having problems keeping up with your family's extremely busy schedule? With Microsoft Outlook-sync and customizable lists, cozi.com gathers up appointments and color codes them by family member so you know where everyone is in just a glance.

The things application for Macs and iPhone consolidates and prioritizes lists and tasks and e-mails you reminders. It's like a virtual assistant who doesn't require a paycheck.

Your intuition is sharp. You pick up on undertones most people miss. But when will all this economic turmoil end? All the different predictions in the air would cause Nostradamus to scratch his visionary head.

According to the National Association for Business Economics, seventy-four percent of economic forecasters predict that the recession might be over by the end of the third quarter. But you've heard that before.

In these market conditions you need to be on top of your game and in the know. The following sites will help you stay up to date on key economic indicators:

While the number of job losses dropped in May, the unemployment rate rose again – to 9.4 percent. Visit the bureau of labor statistics's editor's desk to follow current conditions.

marketwatch keeps track of the bankruptcies and profit gains.

The twenty, still-unsold homes in your market area aren't the best way to gauge the market's current condition. housingpredictor.com provides housing news and statistics per state and per city, as well as info on current booming markets.

Imagine your customer seeing an embarrassing photo of you. How would you feel? Do you ever want a business client to read your comments about a bad day at work? How about your personal problems?

If you use Social Media for both your professional and personal life, you need to be careful! Here at real vision studio, a detroit virtual tour company in SouthEast Michigan, a full service virtual tour provider for rtv, we need not only maintain a level of business decorum for ourselves, but for the reputation of rtv. rtv is a global company and maintains several national accounts that we are affiliated with, hence the need for professionalism.

Below are some excellent articles that provide examples of how (not) to use social media appropriately, while maintaining your reputation.

~how to tweet your way out of a job

~social media can get you in trouble! be careful what you tweet!

~how not to embarass yourself when using facebook as a business tool.

~be careful what you post

courtesy of frugal marketing u

Check out our blog at:  http://southeastmichiganhomesforsale.blogspot.com/

This service is provided by real vision studio, Southeast Michigan's largest virtual tour company. We provide real estate agents with high quality virtual tours and the latest marketing strategies.

http://frugalmarketingu.blogspot.com/

Do you need help finding low-cost ways to market yourself and your business? Are you brand new to e-commerce and want to figure out how to market your business? Or are you a seasoned veteran, but need new cost-effective ideas. If any of these describe you, this is the place for you. Blog Sponsored By: www.realvisionstudio.com

It is so funny that I ran across this little tag generator... Mike (from real vision studio) worked on a tag for his web site for numerous hours using Adobe Photoshop and it has been repeatedly "stolen" for use on other web sites. So, now you no longer need to spend hours looking for a tag graphic to modify for your web site and then spend more hours trying to get it the way you want it! Check out tinytags. tinytags will generate a tag graphic with the words of your choice and then you can download it to your computer for use on your web site, newsletter or e-mail marketing. Easy, cheap and time-saving!