Sunday, May 17, 2009

Reach More Customers with Web SMS

Reaching as many customers and potential customers as possible is a key concern for the majority of business out there. All businesses know that in order to keep getting repeat custom and new custom they need to be ‘out there’ and making contact with as many people as possible. Whilst there are plenty of different means of doing this it can often be difficult for many businesses, particularly small businesses with less revenue to spend on advertising, to utilise all of them. With this in mind it can sometimes be a hard decision for a business owner to know which methods of communication to use to get the most from them.

Letters can be useful, but more often than not people will see a letter as ‘junk mail’ and will not bother to look at it. Similarly sending out emails can also be fruitless as such emails are often delivered into a customers spam folder and not read. Trying to make contact via the telephone is also useful as speaking to the customer directly can get excellent results, but many people don’t like being bothered by businesses when they are at home.

Web SMS is a fantastic way for businesses to send out thousands of SMS messages to their customers in a matter of minutes which are delivered to their cell phones. Web SMS can be set up quickly and easily using one of the many web SMS providers that are available right now. As well as being easy to use, Web SMS also has plenty of features that businesses can benefit from which include:

• Message delivery alerts – this helps businesses to know when their web SMS message they sent has been delivered to recipients.
• Picture messaging – many businesses find that their customers respond well to web SMS messages that have pictures attached to them as they are more attractive to view. These can be added to an SMS package for a reasonable fee.
• Message tracking – this can help to track messages that have been sent so that anyone who replies to them will be logged.
• Auto reply functions which can help to work out how effective various campaigns are using web SMS.
• Pricing plans – businesses who want to keep a close eye on their outgoings will benefit from using a pricing plan as they can pay in advance of using a web SMS service. This keeps costs under control and as many of the web SMS providers offer different packages a business can choose the one that best meets their individual needs.
• Bounced or undelivered SMS messages will be shown, so any numbers which are not valid anymore can be quickly removed from the SMS database with absolute ease.

These are just a few of the features that using web SMS can offer a business and there are more that can be used if needed. Any business that wants to reach more customers than ever before at a reduced price need to use web SMS and see how it could be of use to them.

by;scott McClain

Friday, April 24, 2009

69-Year-Old First-time Author Turns Frustration Into Paperback Gold

A friend recently sent me a clipping from a small local paper that featured the story of a first time author who is enjoying runaway success with her book on shopping etiquette. Normally my first thought would be "Are you kidding? Why send me this?" but within a few seconds I realized why. It was written by Kathleen Small; a 69 year old grandmother who recently recovered from a stroke. Talk about the right attitude being crucial to success! Building on that winning attitude she took the most annoying things people do in stores and turned them into a paperback goldmine.

I was intrigued so I read the book and then called her for an interview for my newsletter. After a few minutes I realized this was one of those rare instances where the less you know about the writing business, the better. You see, Kathy had never even read a book on how to write let alone attended a workshop. Not surprisingly, she made some rookie mistakes. However quite surprisingly, they actually made her book better, which I can attest to after nearly choking on my Pepsi just two pages in. As it turns out, her book is very funny. Another pleasant surprise.

I started the interview by asking what made her think a book about shopping etiquette would sell? Her response? "I didn't. I just wrote it for fun and a when I showed it to some friends, they all asked where they could buy copies for friends and family. One of them commented that she thought it was a book just about anyone could relate to. And that got me thinking."

When asked where Kathy got her material I was surprised and impressed when she responded, "I did it like that old shampoo commercial. You know: And she told two friends, and she told two friends and so on..." It seems that, aside from solitaire, email is the only thing on her seven year old laptop she uses so she put it to good use by asking friends what bothered them most when shopping. And here's the part that made this magic. She added a small note that nobody could resist, and meant it sincerely "I know you've got a lot of friends. Do you think any of them would like to share a story?" Before she knew it, Kathy had enough material for two books. And it just keeps coming.

Having several close friends in the publishing business I know that even professional comedians have trouble getting humor books published. So when I asked Kathy how she pulled it off, the answer really floored me. "I didn't even bother talking to any publishers. I know a very talented writer who works her heart out then waits weeks or months just to get a rejection letter. I'm too old to play that game. I once heard that 'The Bridges of Madison County' was self published so I gave it a try. And I'm really glad I did. I'll never be famous and that's okay. To me, having my name on a book that some people really seem to enjoy is like winning the lottery."

I realized that Kathy struck gold with self publishing so I asked for details. Here's some info that can help you on your way to a bestseller:

Scott: "What publishing service did you use and why?"

Kathy: "I used one my son knew about called LuLu Press (http://www.LuLu.com) because it was free and looked easy to use. Money is tight so that was a big factor but I knew I made the right choice when the first copy was printed. It was beautiful and when I saw my name on it, it was all the sudden real. That was one of the most exciting things of my life."

Scott: "Now you said 'free.' Don't they charge for layout, typesetting and cover design?"

Kathy: "Yes. In fact, more than I could afford so my son did all that for me. He used MS Office to do it all. LuLu can accept Word documents but he converted it to PDF on his own and sent it in that way. Then he used their 'cover wizard' to make a beautiful cover."

Scott: "Your book has some great illustrations. Are you an artist?"

Kathy: "Not at all. Even stick figures are too much for me. I hired an artist through a website called Rent A Coder (http://www.RentACoder.com) that my son told me about. He hires computer programmers through it and told me I could probably find a talented artist who was trying to build his portfolio or earn extra money while in school. And he was right. The artist and I both ended up very happy."

Scott: "And finally, can you offer any selling tips to self published authors?"

Kathy: "I think the most important thing is to think of what's important to you and let that be your guide. For me that meant three things:

"First: Make it affordable... For me, on a fixed income, that meant under ten dollars."

"Second: Make it easy to purchase... For my book this involved my son buying the domain name http://www.KSSmall.com and then 'pointing' it to the sales page at LuLu.com."

"Third: Give people options... In this case I was able to make the book available for immediate download for half the price ($4.95 versus $9.95) because the printing costs were eliminated and, of course, there is no shipping fee to worry about. I recently found out that some people even went back and bought the download version after the print version, just so they could print as many of gag awards and game sheets as they wanted."

I make a living as a writer and I admit that I was humbled by the simplicity and common sense approach that works so well for Kathy. Each time I read her book I am amazed by how a first time author managed to spin her "everybody everyday" tales of frustration into gold, especially after overcoming so much just for the opportunity to try.

Copyright :Scott jason

All that You Wanted To Know About Freelance Writers Jobs

You have finally decided to give freelance writers jobs
or freelance writing a shot because you are confident about your writing abilities, you have arranged for the set up by putting in place your laptop, internet connection, anti plagiarism software etc and you have also read up a few articles on freelance writers’ jobs and freelance writing. You can also boast of having a few articles published here and there.

And deep down in your bosom you wish to leave your mark in the publishing world and want to earn a name for yourself as a freelance writer. But have you weighed up all the options before you? In this article I shall talk about a few avenues open for a freelance writer which will let you earn a decent living for yourself.

Freelance writers’ jobs - Magazines

Freelancers can find a good freelance writing job for themselves in magazines. There are many kinds of magazines nowadays on every imaginable kind of topic, be it sports, photography, fashion, women’s magazine, movie magazine, health and fitness or teen magazine etc. Try to get a freelance writing job with a magazine that fits your interest bill, for example, if you are more comfortable writing about sports issues, then go for reputed sports magazines.

Start off with a few niche topics which are close to your heart, say, lifestyle topics and try to stick to these and earn a name for yourself in that particular niche before thinking about working your way up. You will find it is far easier to write about something that pleases or interests you.

With time and practice, as your fields of interests and expertise will increase, try to expand your freelance writing horizons and try out your options with more magazines. When you start out you may have to concentrate on fillers, don’t expect your article to appear as the cover story. But they bring in good money and are fun to write.

Greetings cards freelance writing

You can also consider dipping your fingers in the greetings card segment where you have to write out the content for traditional paper cards and e cards while taking a break from regular writing. As a freelancer you can also try your hand at tee shirt or bumper sticker, magnet, doormats or ceramic mugs slogan writing.

Freelancers are appointed to write those cheeky one liners that you see on tee shirts or mugs. And the pay is pretty good, though there is no fame. But you may get paid for each word you write. As with any project, your skill is enhanced with each and every word that you write. So don't dismiss this type of work as being beneath you.

Posters freelance writing job

You can also consider the freelance writers jobs of poster writing where you can earn through royalties and a steady stream of money may trickle into your bank account for a poster content that you wrote perhaps 4 years back. It is a nice surprise to receive a payment when you are least expecting it. Of course you fully deserve that bonus whether it is a surprise or not.

Resume writing

Another viable freelance writing job for which freelancers are regularly appointed is resume writing which is different from funny anecdotes or flowery prose creation. You could advertize your services both online and offline. In resume writing, freelancers will have to use attention grabbing, crisp and professional language. It is encouraging when you find that your skills are being enhanced with more work.

A further source of interest for you to think about the general subject of freelancing is contained in my FREE REPORT which may be obtained from the link in the Bio Box below.

Copyright Geoff P Smith.

Women rule the blogosphere!

women are now ruling the blogging world!

The focus of the article is Mia Freeman, former editor of Cosmopolitan and her hugely successful blog Mumamia. Mumamia has over 300 000 monthly visits and Mia writes about fashion, celebrity, relationships and current affairs. She says the "mummy-blog" phenomenon in particular is booming in Australia, following the lead of the pioneering US mummy blog, dooce.com, which attracts more than 4 million hits a month - bigger than any magazine in the world.

Why are modern mums turning to blogging, like mothers in the past took to tennis lessons and frilly knickers? "Because we’ve lost that sense of community with our neighbours and with our extended families, people are finding it online. It can be quite isolating being a stay-at-home mother, or a mother working part-time or just a mother being up at three o’clock in the morning with a baby that won’t sleep," says Mia.

But it is not only mums who are finding blogging so liberating, many women now use their blogs as a basis to connect with other like-minded women and as a valuable tool for attracting customers to their websites, growing their businesses and raising their profiles.

Interesting statistics on women bloggers: (This research is from BlogHer and Compass Partners)

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35% of women aged 18 to 75 participate in the blogosphere weekly.
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Of women online 53% read blogs, 37% post comments to blogs and 28% write or update blogs.
* Of women bloggers 58% post entries at least weekly, and of those who actively read blogs, 80% do so at least once per week.

Why do women blog? (aside from business reasons)

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65% do it for fun
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60% to express themselves
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46% to get information
* 41% to stay up to date on family and friends

* 40% to connect with others

* 34% as a diary

* 28% participate in the blogosphere in order to connect with others.

My goal is to promote the breadth and variety of women’s writing and to get women writing more. A blog is a simple first step towards that. It is a wonderful tool because it is unfiltered contact with your audience and your readership will grow slowly (or sometimes very quickly) over time. For an inexperienced writer, blogging is a medium that allows you to develop your confidence along the way.

In talking to women through my journalistic work, many women love writing and have a goal of writing more. FEAR is the main reason that holds us back though. This fear is about not being a good enough writer, a fear no-one will read our work and a fear of being embarrassed. If you set up a blog and readers aren’t knocking on your door initially, no-one else will know so it doesn’t really matter. I have a friend who has a blog about her garden. She started the blog because of her passion for gardening and each week she is a little perplexed by her growing readership. You’ll be surprised how many people will also share your passion and be interested in what you have to say.

The reality is we all fear our writing will not be good enough and if we allow ourselves to always submit to this, then we’d never have the privilege of reading so much magnificant feminine literature. Watch the wonderful talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love on this website and you’ll see even the most successful writers still struggle with this notion.

Just think about where would we be today without the romance of Jane Austen to get us through the lonely nights, or the passion of Emily Bronte to remind us that there is a Healthcliffe out there for all of us?

Now seriously, in the aftermath of World War 2 our fabulous female writers started creating real change. Back in 1949 French Author Simone de Beauvoir, penned - The Second Sex, the first real exploration into gender inequity. How many frustrated housewives would not have broken free of miserable marriages and terrible sex lives if they hadn’t read Germain Greer’s – The Female Unick, in the second wave of feminism (70’s). And in the next wave (90’s), Noami Wolf as she exposed the beauty industry and it’s destructive judgements upon women with her book, The Beauty Myth.

If you’d like to create change in this world and help others, then writing is undeniably a powerful phenomenon. For some real female inspiration on the power of blogging take a look at NxE’s Fifty Most Influential ‘Female’ Bloggers and Top 100 Female Bloggers by Ensha Blog.

I believe one of the best things you can do for yourself personally and professionally is to write Setting up and writing a blog is a great first step. Who knows where this may lead!

by : Kylie welsh

Reasons to go for custom logo design

Logo is the initial trade mark of any organization. They reveal the identity and individuality of a company. So, when ever it comes to company logo design one should always be careful to choose a trade mark which should be simple yet should create an impact. Hence while going for your logo designing work or any other website development work just leave the task to the experts.

Though there are a lot many designing patterns available in the industry but the concept of custom logo deign stands above all other possible solutions. One such company that deals with logo design and all web development services is Eye for Web. They stand out impressively through their professional web design and apart from this they also endure the following amenities:

" Renders 100% copy write work by the experts
" Delivers quality and goal oriented work
" Provides all designing tactics from flash to animation
" Gives E- Commerce web development
" Executes perfect business web development
" Provides innovative designs and websites
" Offers ultimate customer satisfaction

They try to live above the expectations of their customers through their highly professional work. They offer a wide variety of services to deal the best way to their customer's demand. However, they do give their own input to grace the concerned work more prominently. They deliver astonishing designing work by using flash, animation, 3D affect and a lot more. Their expert designers create a whole new impact out of their given profile of work.

They try to use the latest technology to make their web development look trendy. They often groom their potential by keeping a constant record of the latest series of advancements in this relevant field. They have given stunning ideas and work performance under the limited budget of their customers. They have never compromised with the quality of their work irrespective of the budget they are getting from their clients. However, the designing pattern is based upon the budget mostly.

Eye for web has been in the industry for past many years and has gained a reputed place for them selves in the industry. They specialize in designing work and takes special interest in all sorts of web development procedures. They are a complete package of an expert web development company. They not only provide commercial web enhancement solutions but also deliver professional web designs for the same. Their unmatched potential and hard work makes them the first choice among all their clients form all over the globe.

by : jesica Thomson