10 Super Reasons to Start Your Own Information Marketing Business

Here are 10 Super reasons why you should start your own information business. But before we begin, we need to clarify that Information products do NOT just cover online money making or business related niches. Any topic where you can teach people can be the basis of you very first information product and the cornerstone of your information empire.

Super Reason #10 : All your information products would be digital - ebooks, videos, newsletters - so you will have a business with a low, low production cost. As long as you can speak and write, you can create your own information product.

Super Reason #9 : Unlike a regular brick and mortar store, you don't need to invest in store renovations, warehousing and staff. All you do need is a computer and an Internet connection to start building your own information business empire.

Super Reason #8 : No need to go through the hassle of getting a business loan because your start up costs are really minimal. Like I said in Super Reason #9 - you only need a computer, an Internet connection, and a desire to make money.

Super Reason #7 : The Internet is overflowing with information and the lots of these resources are free. More importantly, lots of them are freely available to you to re-use commercial purposes. You just need to repackage, rebrand and rework this information to suit your product's niche and you will have your own hot-selling range of information products!

Super Reason #6 : Your production costs is low, you don't have any warehousing costs and you don't need to pay rental, so your profit margins are going to be a lot more than if you were selling a physical product. Profit margins can be based on perceived value - if you have a reputation for producing highly valuable information, or if you are savvy enough to GIVE that perception, then customers are not going to grumble about the price they're paying and your profit margin.

Super Reason #5 : The Internet marketplace is growing at an incredible rate. If your worried that the market will be saturated, don't. As long as people are looking for information, you will have a market. Your information doesn't have to be totally new inventions, but they should give your customers value - a fresh perspective on a niche, a new twist to performing a task, an updated list of top-ten way etc. And if you find yourself wondering what niche to go into, just look around you.Find a highly active niche in the information marketplace and copy what the successful leaders are doing. In some cases, being an affiliate and selling other people's information products can be just as rewarding as creating your own. As long as you don't steal other people's products, slap your own label on it and sell it word for word as your own, the information product business is quick, easy and profitable.

Super Reason #4 : There are more people buying online each year. With the advancement of technology and online security measures, making purchases online is become, easier, safer and faster. Add too that a continuosly growing and hungry market looking for information and you have a mind-boggling sized market. Stats revealed that over 150 million people spent well over $100 billion online for purchases last year alone. Imagine how great your business would be if you had a store where 150 milliion people with over $100 billion spending money were browsing everyday?

Super Reason #3 : You can work anywhere. You are not tied down to a brick and mortar store where you have to be there to keep an eye on staff, take delivery of products and cash in your daily takings. All you need is an Internet connection and you are connected to your office and your customers. You can sit in a Starbucks in downtown New York or in London or on a beach in Bali and you would still be connected to your money making information empire.

Super Reason #2 : You are your own boss. You set the rules. You decide when to work, where to work and how you should work. You are the big kahuna.

Super Reason #1 : Residual, passive income for the rest of your life. I don't mean to say that this is a hands-free plug and play business where you can just relax, turn on a switch and the money will roll in like crazy. That would be irresponsible of me. However, once you've done the main job of producing your information products and put in place a solid, reliable marketing, and sales system, your information product empire can potentially be a source of residual, passive income that works even when you sleep and lasts even after you're gone - for your family. Now if that's not good enough reason to start your own information business empire, I don't know what is.

Information Marketing and Short Reports

Selling information online is without any doubt one of the most lucrative forms of making money online, since day one I have been a huge fan of information marketing. However this isn't for everyone. But at some point most are very interested in creating their own information product online. Whether its to compliment an affiliate product, or be part of its own site, dedicated to that product.

Writing in general makes some very nervous, it certainly is for me to this day. I was intimidated at the thought of sitting down to write an ebook. tons of questions like how long should it be? and what if I make mistakes?? Well I'm here to tell you, if you don't write like a 3rd grader and have decent grasp of the Queens English, then your really not going to have a lot of trouble.

Part of making this an easy process, is being in a niche that you are very comfortable and knowledgeable in. One of the reasons why, it becomes very easy for you to come up with ideas for the chapter titles that you want to write about and once you have that, then the rest gets pretty close to writing itself. Another key to being able to write, is writing like your sitting and talking to a friend.

People don't want to read complicated vocabulary. There is no need for it. Remember you are not writing a scientific paper and your audience is a bit simpler about things then you may think. You also don't have to be overly entertaining. Ebooks are informational in nature, and you simply want to make sure have enough meat in it that makes the purchase a worth while investment.

One of the very best ways to get yourself into the the information marketing business model, is to start with writing short 12 to 20 page reports. And there is no better guy to listen to, than Jimmy Brown. This does a few things for you. First and foremost it makes it manageable. It takes the weight of writing 50 to 75 pages out of the equation. It also teaches you how to do it quickly, and still deliver valuable content.

When done right it is pretty easy to put together a number of successive reports that eventually become an ebook. It's fast, its easy, and pretty much can be done in a couple days. I had only wished this had been around when First got started. Life would have been a ton easier.

Important Ways To Keep Your Staff At Their Best While Manning Your Business Trade Show Stand

Every veteran convention participant recognizes that, when it comes to successfully working the trade show display circuit, there are two critical components that come into play. What's the first factor to consider when striving to achieve a positive return on investment? Unquestionably, this falls on the business' trade show stand itself.

It's no secret that garnering the attention of the wandering masses at these industry functions is of paramount importance. In order to effectively entice and inform the consuming crowds, each attending organization needs to have a trade show stand that delivers something distinctive that the competition just doesn't offer. Whether utilizing an elaborate stand replete with several attention grabbing features, or opting for simple banner stands that visually compel the wandering crowd, having a unique display is an important piece of the achievement equation.

Beyond The Trade Show Stand: Consider Your Most Valuable Asset

However, beyond the stand design, businesses truly looking to capitalize on the many opportunities presented at these events also need to consider what should be their most valuable asset: their employees. It is vital to never underestimate the importance of staff members manning the trade show display in the overall success of the event. Once visiting guests stop into the stand, it is completely up to your team to connect with and, hopefully, convert each person into a viable lead for your organization. Just like your business' stand, you need your staff to stand out from the competition. They not only need to consistently be dynamic as they engage with the attendees, they also need to embody a professional and polished representation of your organization.

Key Methods To Help Your Staff Shine At Every Trade show Display

Want to make sure your staff makes as big of an impact as your trade show display? Employing a few simple techniques can help ensure that your team is always the one to watch at every event. Always consider:

Trade show display training: Professional training can make a huge difference in your team's polish and performance. Even offering a few onsite sessions can make a major impact.

Customized stand flooring: Most events can stretch on for hours, leaving your staff on their feet all day long. Partner with a reputable design firm that offers customized (aka padded!) flooring. An experienced provider will offer various options that meet a range of price points to ensure you get an ideal complement to your already existing trade show display.

Wardrobe requirements: Beyond flooring options, always consider other ways to help keep your team feeling energized and comfortable. Wardrobe is a great way to help ensure that your employees are ready for the long day of standing they have ahead of them. While looking professional is always a must, always encourage them to wear their most comfortable shoes while manning the exhibits.

Scheduling needs: If you want your employees to always look refreshed, offer scheduled breaks throughout the event. The hours manning the stands can prove grueling. In order to keep their energy levels high, create a specific outline of breaks that allows staff members to get away from the stand, but still maintains adequate coverage at all times.

Social Media Is Here to Stay - Use It To Drive Traffic to Your Trade Show Exhibits

As soon as businesses started promoting Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, it became pretty obvious that social media was here to stay. It's easy to see why: social media is a phenomenal marketing tool when used correctly. Businesses can connect with their clients and receive feedback in ways they couldn't before. They can share new product information and announcements, conduct surveys or just get to know their customers a little better at little to no cost.

So how can you integrate this amazing marketing tool into your trade show exhibits?

Pre-Event Marketing

Just as you would any other marketing tool, start using your social media accounts to promote trade show exhibits and your presence at such. You can create Facebook posts asking who plans to attend the event and what they are most looking forward to. You can announce that a new product will be unveiled at the event or provide a teaser that doesn't quite give away all the details. This gets the conversation going and starts to generate buzz about the trade show exhibits and your business.

Don't forget that catching up with friends and colleagues is as important to many trade show attendees as seeing new products. Make it easy for them by creating an event on your Facebook page. This allows your Facebook friends to RSVP to the event. It is a quick and easy way for clients to see who's going to be at the exhibition and who isn't. In a similar fashion, you can send out invitations to your colleagues on LinkedIn and start to generate excitement there as well.

Best of all, these techniques don't cost anything other than the time it takes you to update your status or send out an email. You're still providing the same information that you typically provide with more traditional marketing methods, just in a new way.

Integration Into Trade Show Designs

Even when the event is going on you can use your accounts to keep customers apprised of what's going on. If you do unveil a new product, announce it and post pictures of it. If you've won an award, let all your followers know about it. It doesn't have to be a press release worthy announcement. A simple Tweet will get the news out and generate interest in your company.

Another idea is to provide running updates about the event on your social media pages. This can be done via status updates or even live feed. Providing these updates helps keep those customers who couldn't attend the event in the loop and keeps your business front and center.

If you plan a giveaway, Tweet about it! It'll remind attendees to swing by your booth. Make sure you "Check-in" at your booth and post it to your pages so your followers know where to find you. Or create a Foursquare location and let smartphone GPS apps guide attendees to your booth.

Modular trade show designs offer plenty of opportunity to welcome social media into your booth. Set up some seating or an open area when attendees can take a break and check their messages. A display for a trade show may contain a QR code that links to your website or Facebook page that visitors can quickly scan and then read later.

Use Informal Connections To Develop Formal Relationships

Social media is a fun and informal way to get your message out there and meet and understand your clients better. It allows you to shine through as a business full of people with personality rather than just a company to do business with. It can provide that people to people connection that exhibitors value so much. Get a head start on building those connections through social media then solidify the relationships in person at trade show exhibits.

Social media isn't going away. Used wisely, it can generate big results with little work.

4 Benefits to Buying Business Cards Online

It has become increasingly popular to buy nearly anything online. There are many advantages which can be gained from this shopping medium. Some of the most obvious advantages are:

Easier to Use

Nobody really wants to have to get into their car, drive somewhere, buy something and then have to drive all the way home. Driving to and from the store means dealing with all the traffic and then inevitably standing in long lines just to give a cashier your hard earned money. Online shopping lacks any of these problems. You shop in the convenience of your own home. There is no traffic to deal with and no long lines. You get on a site, pick what you want and buy it. Like all online shopping, buying business cards online is just plain easier than buying them in a traditional store.

Anonymity

Online you have the advantage of shopping anonymously. This can lead to your design team remaining confidential so your competitors can not easily mimic your most effective marketing designs by getting friendly with your local printer.

Shorter Turnaround Time

This definitely applies to buying business cards. Most stores which offer printing solutions work as middlemen often outsourcing the work to these very same companies which offer their services online. By going directly online you're cutting out the middleman so the overall time from request to creation can be significantly less.

Lower Cost

In most cases online businesses offer lower prices. Buying business cards online can save money because the companies offering it have lower overhead. Beyond this fact many of the companies offering business card services actually act as middle men between companies which actually design and manufacture business cards and are available online.

There is simply no doubt about it that buying online just plain makes sense. However, there are some things which need to be taken into account when buying online. Too many people make the mistake of simply looking for the best price when in reality they should be looking for the best value. The problem is that many people simply don't really appreciate what the best value really is when it comes to buying online.

The best value when buying business cards online is a combination of the cost and the quality of service. A high quality business card company should offer excellent design and printing capabilities. What this means for the consumer is they should be able to design a beautiful and brilliant business card which is going to catch the attention of your customers quickly and effectively. They need to put together a design that is not only going to catch your customer's attention but also improve your company's image. Well made business cards are not business cards built from a template.

Well made business cards are business cards which have been designed from the ground up by someone who understands how to catch someone's attention and do it in a professional and attractive fashion. They are designed by someone who takes the time to know your company so as to ensure that the design exemplifies what your company stands for. After this design has been made it needs to be able to be implemented. It can't be printed on low quality paper or in black and white. It needs to be done in full color with high quality paper.

The key to buying business cards online is simply about recognizing the good from the bad. It's an unfortunate truth that like most businesses there is more bad than good but getting truly unique, high quality, and well designed business cards online is an achievable goal.

Shop Online and Save Money

When we shop, we want the best product for the lowest price. One way to save money on your purchases is to look at online shops. Often, online shops can deliver your products at a very competitive price. But there are some things you should do before making your first online purchase.

Many online shops are cheap, because they can run a more efficient business online than offline. Therefore they can offer lower prices. But they are businesses, too. They want to get as high a price as possible. It is your job to find out if they are worth shopping with or if you have better options in another shop. You have to make a comparison of the price with different shops, to find out which one is really cheapest.

When you compare prices, there are especially two factors you have to focus on. First of all, you should pay attention to make sure you are comparing the same brand or quality. Some companies will make items that look or sound just like a well-respected brand. That way, they can take advantage of the good name of the brand company. If you shop on an international website, you should also be aware that some identical products will be slightly differently packed in various countries, making them seem like different products although they are the same. The only way to be absolutely certain if it is the genuine product is to contact the producer and ask if they do business with the shop you want to shop at.

Secondly, you should make sure you compare the offers for the same quantity of the product. If they are not sold in the same quantity you will have to calculate the price for the same quantity. It could be useful to calculate the unit cost of each product. When you do these calculations, remember to include shipping. Some companies will charge a high shipping expense while others deliver free of charge. Of course you should also consider if you can buy the number of units you need, or if you have to buy larger quantities.

Before you do your shopping, there is one more thing that is necessary to do when you shop online. You need to check the online shop to find out if they deliver on their promises. Today it is very easy to set up an online shop, so anybody can do it. This opens the door for some dishonest people. You can do this check by doing a search on them or by going to an independent review site and seeing what their customers think of their experiences with the shop.

Once you have found the shop with the best offer for you, you can make your purchases. But, just as in any other shop, you have to make sure you only buy what you need and don't fall for the temptation to buy more than you need, just because the products are cheap. If you do buy too much, you haven't really had any benefit from the good prices, but if you don't, you will soon experience how much extra money you suddenly have. Especially if you make sure to use these extra savings to pay back your loans or deposit them into a savings account.

Staying Private While Shopping Online

As a really busy person you do most of your shopping online. You can update your wardrobe for the season, find great deals on your kids' toys and even buy your groceries all before you go to work in the morning. You are such a discerning shopper it only make sense that you should be just as savvy about your security and privacy while online. Find a program that will change your IP address to hide your shopping and surfing habits. Your online activities are nobody's business, but criminals and marketers are dying to get their hands on it. Keep your personal information private with an IP changer.

If you've been shopping online without taking steps to hide your trail you've probably noticed a lot of highly targeted pop up and other kinds of ads. Marketing professionals have spent a lot of time and money developing ways to track your every click. They know what sites you visit and in what order. They know what you buy and what you look at. They know that you spend a lot of money looking at expensive shoes but buy a lot of children's clothes. It's as if someone put a GPS system in your purse while you shopped in a regular store. They do it using a unique number called an Internet Protocol (IP) Address. But you don't have to put up with that. Hiding your activity with an IP changer will keep your online movements hidden away from the prying eyes of the marketing spies.

This issue goes beyond privacy though. If someone watches your surfing and shopping habits they can learn a lot of personal information about you. If you buy diapers and formula online they know you have a small child. Criminals can determine where you live, your gender, your age and other information about you and your family just by tracking your online activity. When a criminal gets his hands on this information he can use it in all sorts of nefarious ways. Luckily you can thwart this when you change your IP address. After all, criminals can't use information they don't have.

When you conduct financial transactions online you want to make sure that your credit card and bank account details stay secure. Look for a padlock symbol whenever you make an online purchase. That tells you that the site developer has taken steps to ensure your security. Make sure you only do online banking with an institution that takes your privacy and safety as seriously as you do. Even with all these precautions you can take the easy extra step to change your IP address.

When you are shopping in your pajamas at your home it is easy to assume that your internet activities are private and secure. Unfortunately that just simply isn't the case. The simple act of using an IP changer is an easy way to ensure your personal security. By hiding your surfing and shopping activity you make it so much harder, if not impossible for marketers and criminals to track your habits. When you change your IP address you ensure that your private information remains just that, private.

Everyone Wants to Know How to Play Better Golf

Millions around the world play golf. It is a great sport that gets you outside and allows you to enjoy the company of friends. Many people also use golf in their business life by taking potential clients to the course so they have several hours to get to know them and try to sell whatever it is they sell for a living. And of course there are golfers who do so professionally, some of them making millions of dollars per year just to play a game. But all those people have one thing in common. They want to play better golf. But to they all know how to play better golf?

The best way to get better at anything is to practice. The act of repeating whatever it is you are doing over and over will help you improve a great deal. In this case, you are practicing the basic golf swing. The key to playing good golf is not having a perfect swing, but in being able to replicate the swing every single time you grab a club.

To that end, the best way to improve is to get out to the driving range as often as possible. Most professional golfers visit the driving range every day, even days they are playing in a tournament. Most working people can't afford to hit the range every day. There just isn't enough time in the day, but it can be very beneficially to hit balls before and after every round you play.

It is also important to go the driving range with a plan. You can't just go and smack a few balls and think that your scores are going to improve. You need to be organized and know what your strengths and weaknesses are. The range is the place to turn those weaknesses into strengths. If you can drive the ball well, but have trouble with the wedge in your hand (as is my case) you need to spend a little extra time with the wedge in your hand. If you can chip like Phil, then you should make sure that you are smacking a lot of balls with that driver. You cannot score well if your balls are going out of bounds or into lakes and rivers.

For some people, going out and hitting balls for hours on end will not produce results. This could be because they are complete beginners or it could be because they have reached a point where they are not able to understand what the problem with their swing really is. At this point, both types of players need to seek the help of a teaching professional. A teaching professional will be able to analyze your swing and see what needs to be corrected. This can really speed up the process of improving your game because it is far easier for an expert to see what part of your swing needs work and what part does not.

Most driving ranges and golf clubs will have a professional on staff to teach those who are interested. This can be an expense way to improve, but almost everyone can benefit from the time and expense. Even the best golfers like Tiger have a full time coach who sees to every part of their game.

Lastly, when it comes to ways to play better golf, we come to equipment. There are lots of products on the market that will help improve your game. The fact is that if you are playing with old outdated equipment, you are at a disadvantage. Let's say you have two golfers who hit the ball the exact same distance. Now put a brand new, state of the art club in one golfers hand and a hand me down, rusty out of date club in the other. I think we all know what will happen. The golfer with the new club will hit the ball much farther and will have a great advantage when it comes to hitting the next shot. There are many new clubs on the market that can lower your score by as much as 7 strokes in 2 rounds.

So if you want to know how to play better golf follow the advice above. Spend time practicing whenever you can, find a teaching professional to analyze your swing and make sure that your equipment is allowing you to keep up with your playing partners. You don't want to be the one in the foursome that has the nickname "Shorty".

Build a Strategic Plan For Business Growth - Connecting the Plan

Once your company's strategic plan has been completed and a "growth map" is in place, it is time to execute it. But unfortunately, the reality of business, with all its pressing concerns, can quickly cause plan execution to falter. The answer is not to try harder or make the plan an urgent priority. Instead, the solution is to integrate the plan into the company's ongoing activities so that execution takes place as part of the normal course of business.

The most common and deadliest enemy to strategic plan execution begins the moment that a company's long and involved planning process comes to an end. When executives finally turn their full attention back to running the company, there is often a pent-up demand for their time. Customers have issues, suppliers bring challenges and shareholders want immediate results. And that doesn't include regulatory demands, legal considerations, human resource needs, etc. The list goes on, and unfortunately the "dust gathering" process for the strategic plan often begins before the ink is dry.

Even when executives make time to execute their plan, initiatives can falter as part of the company's "project list". The problem is that when projects are prioritized, strategic plan initiatives are nearly always labeled "important" rather than "urgent". And urgent projects, like the ones that customers are waiting for and those that will increase cash flow, tend to be implemented first. So as the year progresses, strategic initiatives often fall behind and executives must be content to report the reasons. At year-end, it can become embarrassing for a company's executive team to realize how little of their strategic plan has actually been implemented.

Instead of attempting to keep the plan in better focus or placing its execution ahead of urgent matters facing the company, the permanent solution is to integrate the plan into the company's normal operations. This way, plan initiatives will not be seen merely as additional projects.

The first step to effective plan integration is to separate each plan initiative into "action plans". For example, let's assume that there is an initiative called "Build A Marketing Program That Targets Small Businesses". This initiative can be split into 5 separate action plans, as follows:

1. Identify the products and solutions that will be required.

2. Develop tailored presentation materials

3. Prepare advertising and promotion plans

4. Initiate relationships with appropriate trade organizations

5. Create a sales target list, with contact information

Once action plans have been established, the next step is to assign responsibility for each of them. Although the company's marketing executive would likely be responsible for the overall initiative in the above example, each of the 5 action plans should be assigned to an appropriate employee team. For instance, the Customer Service team can be responsible for action plan 1, the Promotion team can handle action plans 2 and 3, the Sales team can initiate the relationships with trade organizations in action plan 4 and the Sales Support team can create the target list in action plan 5.

At this point, the initiative has been pushed deep within the company. But an even further step towards integration is to make timely action plan completion a part of employee compensation. For example, when teams meet their goals for the quarter, which should include completion of assigned action plans, the members of those teams would receive performance pay in addition to their regular pay. Similarly, completion of the overall initiative can be one of the components of the executive team's compensation.

With this level of integration, it will likely be rare for initiatives not to be completed on time. And yet, execution is not forced or placed ahead of other pressing projects. Instead, it is spread throughout the company and connected to routine employee compensation. While development of a powerful and insightful strategic plan is essential, execution by the entire company can make all the difference!