1. Set goals. Goals are absolutely necessary when you do internet marketing. That is because without goals, you are much more likely to waste money and time doing things that do not get you any closer to what you want, which is to have a better business. By setting goals, you illuminate pathways to those goals, which saves you both time and money.

2. Think about the content on your website. You have to make sure that it interests the reader, above all. If you are trying to optimize your site for the search engines, or SEO, you can use some keywords, but do not stuff your entire site full of unnatural keyword phrases. The entire reason to optimize your site for search engines is that you want people to visit your site, and if the content isn’t interesting and relevant they won’t stay. You also have to make sure that your content is frequently updated, so that visitors have fresh information to take a look at.

3. Monitor your site performance. Use Google Analytics or the analytics software provided by your webhost and use feedback from your visitors. Find out what is working and what should work better, and look for ways to further improve your visitor experience. Your website should never be fully “finished” and monitoring site performance is a great way to make sure that you never let down your guard and that you are always looking for ways to make your site all that it can be. You never when or from where your next big customer(s) will come and what they see and read on your website will make the email or call you. Your website is most faithful sales agent working for your 24×7. Keep investing and updating in this faithful internet sales agent of your company.

4. Write articles and spread them with business directories and article directories. If you write articles that can be shared with others and have a link to your site in the author section, you can get a lot of site visitors that can ultimately turn into buyers. Your articles can establish you as a resource or an expert on your chosen subject, and if your article is impressive people will visit your site. Your articles can also provide splendid SEO for you, as the links will attract the search engines to your site as well.

5. Use a blog to keep a good relationship with your customers, as well as to showcase your knowledge about your products and subject areas. Use WordPress to create your blog — its the best software for a blog and has many useful plugins available free. Respond to comments as professionally as possible, and please consider doing video blogs, as video can often be more exciting than text. You can host your video on Youtube and embed them on your blog. Youtube and WordPress have made it very easy to embed videos in your blog posts.

As a small business, you have to take active role in your online marketing, and  the time and effort on internet marketing can start showing positive results within 6-8 weeks in most cases, and it is not difficult to do if you use the Internet Marketing Strategies described above. If you need any specific help, you can contact us, and we can help you with our affordable internet marketing services.

1. Communicate with your current customers with the internet. Think about it: if you are using the internet for all kinds of things, so are your customers. The internet is a great way for you to build a lasting relationship with the people who have already bought your products. You can do this by offering them a mailing list with coupons inside, or by starting a blog that takes questions from consumers.

2. Find new people who want what you are selling. If you are just making your internet presence known, it’s important to reach out to prospective customers who may need your product but don’t know you exist yet. A great way to do this is to do some search engine optimization, or some SEO, to get the search engines to provide your site as a search result. You can also write articles for others in your industry and include a link back to your site.

3. Link your internet marketing strategies with your other marketing materials. Internet marketing can only be one aspect of a grander picture. By putting your website address on your offline marketing materials, you provide people with a way to look you up and investigate what you’re all about.

4. Provide relevant, interesting content often. You don’t have to post new articles or blog posts every day, but it’s a good idea to do it regularly so that people can start to look forward to what you have to say. It’s also a great way for you to show yourself to be an expert in your field, which will only lead to more sales.

5. Don’t rely on your website alone. Your website is almost like your company’s home on the internet. But you’ve got to venture out into cyberspace to find customers. A great way to do that is to use a newsletter, emailed to your customers, or by getting involved in social networks.

6. Attract customers through different methods. You are probably aware that people are viewing the internet in more different ways than ever before. You have to make sure your website can be seen on tablets, smartphones, laptops and computers of all different types. If you can show that you can handle different platforms, you are likely to attract new buyers who use all different devices.

Once you have an Internet marketing plan along with a streamlined website to convert visitor inquiries into business leads, you can reach thousands of potential customers. If you implement the above ideas, you should be able to see a clear increase in sales within 6-12 weeks in most cases.

Answer:  Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a technology used to place limitations like, access to or copying of, onto digital content (eBooks, music, etc.). You as the publisher or author of the ebook can determines the level of restrictions applied to an eBook. This includes how many times an eBook can be downloaded for a single purchase, and the number of devices (computers, eBook readers, etc.) to which the eBook can be transferred.

Encrypted or copy-protected eBooks can only be read on authorized computers or hand-held devices a limited number of times. An unencrypted or not copy-protected eBook can be transferred to personal computers or reading devices an unlimited number of times.

Lulu.com offers Digital Rights Management for eBook publishing, however you have to agree to their revenue sharing scheme. And e-junkie.com offers an easier but less stronger solution where you can limit the number of downloads of the ebook.

If your ebook is high value, then you can even send it to the buyer by email attachment after purchase. You can set the expecation on the order/payment page that its not an instant download but it will come by email within 12 hours. You must give your phone number in such cases to give confidence/credibility to your message.

Before looking for your dream job, learn how to market your skills, experience, and talent. This will help you assess the possibility of landing your dream job. First, skills and interests should be evaluated personally. Write a list of your capabilities; then list your limitations or skills not available at present. Jobs that are too demanding, like night shifts, might not work, or jobs that you may be overly qualified for (it happens); and third, planning the time as soon as there is an inner instinct that tells you that you are ready and qualified. Once this has been done, go to companies and prospective employers early in the morning for this will give them a good impression and for the applicant, a time to complete the process the application if lucky. Remember, the early bird catches the worm.

Next task is to prepare a good resume that will address the expected requirements of the employer. You should not lie on the resume because you can lose your job later on. However you can surely create a resume that describes more of the skills that are relevant to a particular job, and reduce the words for non-relevant experiences. Resume should not be more than 2 pages, and the exact resume structure will depend on the type of job you are applying for. Some employers also ask for a cover letter or letter of intent or statement of purpose (SOP). Every professional job you apply for expects to receive a well written resume. Make 100% sure that no spelling/ grammar mistakes are present in your resume and cover letter.

After preparing the documents needed for application, the next thing that should follow is finding vacancies for new hires. Searching using the Internet will be very helpful for this activity. Some websites provide this assistance like HotJobs and Monster.com — but don’t depend on the job search websites because everyone is using them, and the amount of replies are immense for each job posting.

Where else to look for job openings? The initial step is to look at local newspapers for this provides information just by looking at the Classified Ads section and the lists of wanted personnel and employment opportunities will be read. Applying at several companies initially in a local area can save an applicant more time and money. If it so happens a job was found late in the day, call immediately for inquiries. Never let a day pass when opportunities come.

How to look for jobs that are not announced? Sometimes companies and other employers do not really advertise any job openings in their organization. The best thing for an applicant is to weigh things if it will be possible to be hired by a certain company by just submitting an application form or resume.

Start by telling people in your personal and professional network about your desire/need/plan to take a new job. Relatives and previous offices or company co-workers will be able to give hints on job vacancies in their current companies. Professors or teachers will also be helpful in recommending schools and institutions that are now looking for new instructors. These people might not have any vacant position in their company in mind but they certainly know someone who knows or needs a new employee — that’s the power of networking.

Sometime, Yellow Pages can provide information on how and where to call to look for a job. This gives an accurate list of companies and prospective employers in a chosen area. Visiting the library is also a tool than can be useful when looking for a job. There are libraries that have a list of local employers, just asks the librarian for more information. Contact these employers personally, even if they did not advertise any vacant positions that needed to be filled.

Lastly, be observant of signs posted on doors and windows of shops and stalls being passed by. If lucky, just walk in and ask for information about the job and how to apply.

After submitting application forms and resumes to the respective companies, keep track of the progress by creating a chart where you can jot down the name of the company and when the application was submitted.

Following is a job search checklist to help you along your way:
1. List your capabilities and potential weaknesses/limitations that you want to overcome
2. List your prospective employers — no job is too small; if you do well, you will rise
3. Prepare resume and other documents — include 1-2 references that can be contacted
4. Plan a schedule for your job search — so that you can immediately accept a date for an interview
5. Contact companies and/or employers — and offer your services
6. Get ready for an interview — go for job interviews even if the job is less interesting — practice is important and helps
7. Evaluate how interview went along — after every interview, think how it could be done better; success will come if you prepare this way.

PayPal is the undisputed leader in online payment service providers. Google has tried to build market share for its Google Checkout over the last two years but feedback from my customers and business partners is that Google Checkout is still not their preferred online payment mechanism.

Most other online payment service providers are limited in their appeal, and are used by specific niches of customers. For example, there are some payment providers for online pharmacy transactions and online betting transactions. These are large industries however as the legalities are not the same or favorable in all countries, therefore such payment providers are able to offer a solution that is needed by the companies in these industries.

Escrow.com deserves a mention. It is a very useful site for business transactions, and their fee is very nominal for the value of the service that enables totally unknown parties to conduct business transactions.

Overall, there is no serious competition to PayPal today. PayPal has built a large market share due to its easy payment sending and receiving options. On October 3, 2002, PayPal became a wholly owned subsidiary of EBay. Over the last 7 years, EBay has acted as the perfect growth platform for PayPal creating about 10 million of PayPal users worldwide.

PayPal’s total payment volume, the total value of transactions, was US$ 60 billion in 2008, an increase of 27 percent over the previous year. This $60 billion of 2008 represented nearly 9 percent of global e-commerce and 15 percent of US e-commerce. In fact, at an analyst day on March 11, 2009, eBay CEO, John Donahoe announced that PayPal could be a larger driver of revenue than EBay marketplaces business. So clearly, there is a huge demand for safe and easy online payment systems like PayPal, which has become the market leader with a big lead over the competition.

The economics of owning a popular online payment system are very attractive.

Online payment sites don’t pay interest on money held in the user accounts. A majority of active user maintain some working capital for day to day transactions. While the numbers are not available in public domain, we can do some rough math. PayPal has about 10 million users, and assuming an average money balance of 100 USD per user, that’s a billion dollars of interest free capital or float that PayPal maybe enjoying at any given time. Good acquisition by Ebay!

It is surprising that over the years, Amazon has not taken any major step in this direction to grow or acquire a payment system like PayPal. So where can competition come from? From social networking sites.

One of the major changes in the Internet landscape since 2002 is the rise of giant social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Each of these sites has millions of regular users. And a site like Facebook can develop its own payment system and virtual currency, which makes it possible for a marketplace to grow. We already see hundreds of third party applications on Facebook, and many of them sell low cost items. A virtual currency can be a powerful solution. I believe Facebook is already working along these lines.

There is also value is trying to solve one specific problem of international trade – the problem of varying currency conversion rates. If a large payment site can create some form of protection against currency rate changes, by using its own virtual currency in the marketplace that could be a powerful innovation that can nurture and grow a wide variety of international trade. On this front, PayPal and EBay are best placed to make something possible. A virtual currency in a global marketplace is the next big milestone for online payments. It will take extensive collaboration with banks and financial institutions, and we will have to wait and see who will take up this big challenge.

About the Author:  Shankar AVSB is the Director of MyOrbit Online, a London based Internet business with over 100 websites in different industries. He closely follows Internet business and online payment systems for conducting international trade and has advised numerous companies in improving their online business. Shankar is also the CEO of 7Avenues Private Equity, which runs ventures in Retail, Supply Chain, Services and E-Business. He can be contacted from here.

For people exposed to infectious viruses like influenza (swine flu virus or avian flu virus) anywhere in the world,  the US CDC (Center of Disease Control) recommends an N95 face mask with a good tight fit around the edge where it contacts the face.

The N95 Face Mask offers the best respiratory protection, even though it can be difficult to wear for long periods because it makes breathing harder, but its does offer real protection. It is fluid resistant and at least 95% efficient against solid and liquid particles that are larger than .03 microns, excluding those containing oil. In fact, the “N” stands for “Not oil proof”.

Therefore, very clearly, the N-95 Face Mask is the best choice if you expect to be exposed to influenza  (swine flu or avian flu).  Ordinary masks can’t prevent the flu virus.

The fit of the face mask is important so that there are no leaks between the mask and face. The “Duck-Billed” shape variation of the N-95 face mask allows extra breathing room for the face and nose.

Recommended Specification for N95 Face Mask to be used as Swine Flu Masks:

*N95 NIOSH approved particulate respirators
*Lightweight construction includes an adjustable nose piece and foam seal to reduce the potential for eye wear fogging.
*Round masks fits over mouth and nose
*Two durable, latex-free head straps
*Compliant with 42 CFR Part 84
*Provides a minimum of 95% filter efficiency against certain solid and non-oil based particles for excellent worker protection.
*Can be used in labs, for painting, for doing household projects, and for general protection against respiratory viruses

You can consider smaller sizes for children, if they are available, otherwise a regular N95 mask is still the best alternative.

If you don’t have N95 Face Mask at your local pharmacy store, please contact us, and we will try to arrange it for you.

What we have seen in our experience of advising over 100 businesses is that almost 95% of them do not use their website an effective Sales & Marketing tool, and that’s why they are unknowingly leaving a lot of money on the table.

For example, today, many prospects come to our websites when they hear about our services or products, and our website has to be ready to engage any visitor, and also provide answers to all the common questions that any visitor/prospect would be expecting, to increase the interest in the products and services that you are offering.  Now this may look very logical, but the fact is that 95% of the websites that we have come across are not able to do this, and so chances are high that your own business website may be lagging in this aspect.

Some of the things that you should really consider to check if your website is really interesting and effective in Sales & Marketing are the following:

First and most important input for your website is the navigation – keep it simple and intuitive.  Navigation is one of the places where most websites falter.  The navigation seems to become very complex in most B2C and B2B services and visitors don’t have a clue how to trace back a particular URL or how to save a given URL because when you have complex navigation, people do not follow the path or are unable to retrace a given page.

So please make navigation very simple and my advice is that any business site should not have more than three levels of navigation.  So if you have the ‘Home’ page or ‘About us’ or ‘Contact us’ page as level 1, just think of one more level and another level, so maximum three levels.  Anything more than that means an ineffective website.

My personal preference is two levels only where you have an ‘About us’ page, a ‘Contact us’, an ‘FAQ’ page and ‘Services’ page as Level-1. If you are looking for investors, then that deserves a separate page of its own at Level-1.

‘Services’ or ‘About us’ page can go one level deeper, into Level-2, to share the specific products and services on their specific pages.  But that’s where it stops and not too many levels of pages.

The second input is that the top-level pages should not be too many in number; keep it between 5 and 10 – that’s something which most users can understand and navigate easily.  So keep the top-level pages, which could be like ‘Home’, ‘About us’, ‘Product/Services’, ‘FAQs’, ‘Blog’, ‘Contact’ etc.

Third input is that if you are offering any product or service, there must be an FAQ page – a separate page dedicated to answering various questions and answers that you have faced from partners, customers, prospects. So an FAQ page is a very important.

Fourth input is applicable if you are selling a product or service that can be bought or ordered online or by phone, then there must be a very visible ‘Order’ page at the top level.  We have found that the ‘Order’ page is often hidden at some second or third level and the website is losing sales. We have observed that by moving the Order page at the level-1 and making it prominently visible across the site, it has improved sales by anywhere from 25 to 100%.  So there’s a big benefit from a small improvement.

Fifth input is about Testimonials. if you are a business that has been live for some time, then you must surely have customer testimonials and that is another top-level page because it can really help in talking to your prospects about the benefits of your services and no other page does it better than a ‘Testimonials’ page.  So it’s a highly recommended top-level page that you must have.

That’s how some of the best performing websites are structured and what we have shared here is essentially the summary of website improvement and online business improvements that we do for our sites (we have 50+ of them), and for our business partners and clients, who are seeing results in terms of improved sales.

Now, there are many Internet consultants out there who will charge a fair amount for such inputs. So we thought we will save you some money by sharing these inputs, which are based on real-life successful websites under us.

Please remember that you can constantly reduce your cost of customer acquisition by having an effective website that converts your prospects by engaging them well and showing them the key benefits.  Please also remember that a detailed one page website, if done properly, can beat a 25 page website that plays hide-and-seek with the visitors.

If you have already followed the above suggestions, and still your website is not proving to be effective in your sales & marketing work, something else is creating a problem. If you want our help in diagnosis, please leave a comment in this post (it will not be published) and we will get back to you.

Thanks for visiting,
Shankar on behalf of MyOrbit Team

Its a real problem once your email id goes this way, because the hackers get access to your email id and change the password, and use your address book to send lots of spam mail from your id, and you will be forced to spend lot of time in damage control.

So to protect your email ids, please change your password ASAP if you have not changed it in the last 2-3 weeks, and keep it cryptic. This is the best protection.

And to protect against any key-logging script that may have come on your computer from somewhere, please regularly delete all cookies and Internet temp files, and run anti-virus once every week. Let us know if you want any help.

We have helped a few local businesses to use Google in this way, and its a very simple process. So if you have a physical business, you must take this step asap.