Where Are Internet Advertising Trends Headed? by: Custom Toll Free, March 18, 2011 Everyone who does business online can benefit from Internet advertising, but for someone who has a very limited budget, it is critical to understand where the money should be allocated to get maximum impact. In this article, we’ll talk about the latest Internet advertising trends. Social Media Marketing – the popularity and influence of social media can no longer be denied. Advertising in these mediums may provide a high return on investment if you segment your market property. Video Content – videos have become big in 2010 and they will continue to be important in the foreseeable future. Aside from YouTube, there are also a number of video sharing sites that are rising to prominence. Online Reputation – it is not enough to have an Internet advertising campaign these days, right now, more people are keen to do research. Companies need to have a good reputation because consumers are heavily influenced by comments and reviews of their peers. Hyper Niches – the market is more cluttered than ever. In addition, the top spots are already dominated by big brands. The solution for most companies is to identify “hyper niches” that are passionate about very specific things. The Internet advertising trends mentioned above are just some of the developments in the industry today. Some trends that are not noticeable at this point might suddenly shoot to prominence so it is important to keep your eyes and ears open to changes. Read More
Finding the Cheapest Domain Names by: Custom Toll Free, March 17, 2011 For Internet startups, it is important to make every penny count. That means that when it comes to domain names, finding the cheapest one may be beneficial. There are many domain name registrars on the market. These providers are based from all parts of the world. In essence, there is no significant difference if you buy from one company or another because the domain name remains the same. The distinction lies in the customer support you receive, whether the seller also offers web hosting, and follow-ups when your registration is about to expire. Below are some tips that will help you find the cheapest domain names: Join domain reseller clubs A great way to find cheap deals is to sign up for domain reseller clubs. Once you become a member, you can get one piece of domain at bulk rates. As a new webmaster, this resource will also give you a better inkling about the Internet industry in general. Take note that some reseller clubs may ask for sign-up fees; try to find a club that doesn’t require payment. Get cheap top level domain (TLD) TLD simply means domain name extensions. For example, instead of getting a .com extension for your site name, you can consider .info, .tv, or .cc among others. Some TLDs can cost as little as $1/yr or even less. Consider country-specific domain names as well. Read More
What Makes A Good Internet Domain Name For A New Company? by: Custom Toll Free, March 16, 2011 Along with choosing a winning vanity number, reserving a great Internet domain name for your business is one of the most important things you can do to ensure the success of your new venture. What makes a good Internet domain name? There are two ways to select an excellent Internet domain name for your business. The first is to opt for a catchy web domain name that stands out, grabs attention and is easy to remember. While this method has worked extremely well for many others, it does unfortunately generally mean more work and will be harder and more expensive to promote. The second and preferred way to choose a great Internet domain name in terms of SEO and ease of being found is to choose a website name that tells prospects what you do and includes your main keyword. This will make is easier for new traffic to find you when they are looking for your product or service. Ideally this will also include your business name in order to unify your branding and make it easier to receive referrals and for those have heard of you offline to find you on the web. If your business name is available as an Internet domain name then you really must reserve it even if you don’t want it as your main one in order to prevent the competition from grabbing it. If the second method of choosing an Internet domain name is not an option either because it is already in use or because it is too complicated to remember quickly or will be misspelled too often then consider this third option that has been producing great results for others. Some companies have found that using their vanity number as their web domain name is helping to dramatically improve response rate and increase closing ratios. For example "www.1800-YOUR-INDUSTRY.com". This makes your Internet domain name and website instantly stand out in search results and online advertising campaigns. Why? Because it offers instant credibility and helps your stand out and appear as an expert. Read More
Phone Number Searches…Building Prospect Lists by: Custom Toll Free, March 15, 2011 Can you use phone number searches to build targeted lead lists? Getting your hands on a quality prospect list today can be a lot more difficult than it was a few years ago. It used to be easy to acquire large lead lists of business phone numbers or email addresses from data compilers and lead generation companies. However since so many companies have gone out of business in the past few years many of the names in these databases are no longer valid, while those that are left have often been resold again and again. However there is another, more creative way to build your own B2B prospect list. Using phone number searches and reverse lookup tools for toll free numbers you can quickly build a targeted list of active numbers. Utilizing the most advanced toll free number search tools you can hone in on specific niche markets using keywords and phrases that are used in vanity phone numbers. There are a number of additional benefits to this. Firstly, it won’t cost you anything to call them. Secondly the best reverse phone number lookup tools also instantly provide provide a range of data all in one place about a given company. This often includes alternate contact information, the company’s web domain name and a description of their services as well as how long they have had the number. This gives your call center agents access to significant information in an instant which can be used to tweak pitches, sound more knowledgeable about the client’s business when you can and be able to hone in better on their needs. This may sound a little tedious to do yourself. However when you consider that you can outsource the harvesting of these phone numbers to a virtual assistant for as little as $1 an hour it is also one of the least expensive ways to build a prospecting list. By using the leading phone number search tools you will also find that your results include a list of other related toll free numbers which should you join a toll free number affiliate program you could offer as an add on service or bundle with your current offering to increase your revenues. Or perhaps you can even host phone number search tools on your own website that will not only provide an extra income stream but help you capture more incoming prospects from the web. Read More
Sources Of Marketing Information by: Custom Toll Free, March 14, 2011 Whether you are launching a new venture or already have an established and successful business it is essential to constantly be in touch with sources of marketing information to stay on top of trends and maximize your marketing ROI. There are endless Internet marketing companies providing marketing information on their websites today. However you have to be able to see through the pitches on many of these websites that only promote one or two advertising methods and will tell you anything to get you to acquire their products or services. So where else should you be looking for quality marketing information? Organizations like the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) who compile data and reports and act as unbiased third parties are a great source of marketing information where you can get the real facts on what is working for others both in and out of your industry. Seminars, conventions and conferences like SXSW that is running this month in Austin, Texas are also great sources of marketing information where you can hear from live speakers, mingle with other business owners and see where marketing is headed in the future. Business coaches are actually one of the best sources of up to the minute marketing information. While they may also be promoting themselves, they have the advantage of intimate inside knowledge of which marketing channels and methods are truly working and producing the maximum results for others and do not promote any one type of advertising, but rather are motivated to make sure that you really excel. Finally you should also subscribe to a few cutting edge blogs to get a regular feed of brand new marketing information. This will give you constant inspiration and alert you to new trends as they emerge. Nothing stays the same forever and if you want to continue to grow your business you must constantly be embracing new technology and marketing tools. Read More
How to Start Your Own Money Making Website by: Custom Toll Free, You've probably heard countless stories about how some people were able to successfully make a living on the Internet. Well, it's your turn now. But first, you need to know how to create a powerful money making website. Basically, it is not difficult to create an aesthetically-pleasing site and write content for it. Most people struggle with the promotional aspect. In this guide though, we’ll just give you the basics on how to start your own money making website: Develop a concept and get a domain name – nowadays, the Internet is already crowded. You will get elbowed out if you are just one of the thousands out there. So focus on a niche, corner it, and make sure that your visitors are getting value by visiting. The domain name should ideally relate to your concept as well. Web hosting – go with a reliable web hosting company. They may tend to charge more than startups but consider it as an investment for your website’s future. Keyword research – to create a money making website, it is important to integrate the right keywords into it. There are a lot of keyword research tools that enable you to identify the right terms to use for your industry. Lastly, conduct more search engine optimization strategies. Keyword research is just one aspect of optimization. You also need to conduct link building, tagging, and submit to directories in order to stay relevant. Read More
Thinking of Becoming a Clickbank Affiliate? by: blog-editor2, March 11, 2011 If you’re thinking about entering the affiliate marketing business, chances are, you’ve heard about Clickbank already. Clickbank is one of the largest marketplaces that allow merchants and affiliates to connect. The company has already generated several billion dollars in sales. Indeed, from this figure alone, it is easy to imagine that it has made more than a few people rich. So if you’re interested in becoming a Clickbank affiliate, where do you start? Having a website is obviously important. In this regard, it is important to choose a domain name wisely and create interesting/useful content that benefits readers. At the end of the day, profitability all comes down to having sufficient traffic. Aside from the quantity of visitors you receive, the quality of your traffic also matters. It is better to have 1,000 readers a day with a conversion rate of 10 percent than 5,000 readers a day with a 1 percent conversion rate. You will receive a commission for every referral sale that is generated from your website. Basically, Clickbank controls the amount of commission that is paid. So select products that provide a decent commission. Becoming a Clickbank affiliate will pay off in the long-term. If you are interested, you should sign up now. Read More
Are Independent RespOrgs Really Better? by: blog-editor2, March 10, 2011 Are Independent RespOrgs really a better choice for handling your toll free number management? Well, Independent RespOrgs are really only a better choice if you want better protection for your business phone lines, you want to ensure business continuity, you desire the fastest possible service, and you want finally to have a phone company that will treat you as a valued customer and that you are confident has your best interests in mind. Of course, if none of those things are important to you, then doing business with an Independent RespOrg really may not matter. However, if you want to win in your business and ensure continued success, then you could say it is essential to select an Independent RespOrg to handle your toll free number management. Compared to Independent RespOrgs, phone-carrier affiliated RespOrgs have long been notorious for their poor customer service and the many conflicts of interest that often lead to their substandard management and delays in requests. Believe it or not, there really are phone companies out there that want to help you succeed and that will work hard to help you get the most out of your toll free numbers while actually making you feel like a valued customer for a change. Try out an Independent RespOrg and you will see the difference immediately. Speed is everything in business today. Changes are happening at an unbelievably rapid rate, and unless your phone lines can keep up and your organization is nimble enough to maximize new opportunities as they arise, you will soon be left behind. Once you switch to an Independent RespOrg, however, you will be amazed by how your change requests are fulfilled in just hours instead of weeks, allowing you to make business decisions on the fly with confidence your business phone lines will be able to keep up. Then, of course, Independent RespOrgs also offer the advantage of multi-carrier arrangements that provide protection in case of technical or service issues with a single carrier and will ensure your business phone lines are always running. The choice is up to you, but in choosing between a carrier-affiliated RespOrg and an Independent RespOrg, it's pretty apparent the choice shouldn't be too difficult. Read More
Six Things You Should Be Demanding From Your Toll Free Service Provider by: blog-editor2, March 9, 2011 1. Shared Usage You should only have to put out money for exactly what you need. If you want the best premium toll free vanity phone numbers, but you don’t need them for the whole country, you should be able to get them just for the areas where you provide service. Shared usage with another provider, so you can use that toll free number just for your area, will enable you to get a better number, increase advertising effectiveness, and reduce expenses. 2. Toll Free Fax Included You should be demanding free fax service from your toll free service provider. Free fax service makes it easier for your customers, saves them money, and makes them more likely to do business with you. It also saves you money by not needing an extra line, and provides an easily traceable record for the future. 3. Access to Call Details Online You shouldn’t have to wait for your phone bill to know what is going on with your toll free numbers. Online access enables you instantly to track marketing campaigns and make adjustments on the fly to maximize your marketing ROI as well as identify problems immediately. Of course, it also makes it easier to measure employ performance daily and weekly and keep up production. 4. Voicemail to Email Voicemail to email and call notification by email services instantly alert you to business opportunities as well as enable staffing on demand, which can dramatically reduce overhead and rocket your profit margins. 5. Call Blocking Call blocking ability is essential for businesses today. It not only saves you big on your phone bill, but it will also save your staff an incredible amount of time, making sure they are maximizing production at all times. The best toll free providers should also enable you to block calls by area code and prefix. 6. Non-Blockable Caller ID Non-blockable caller ID means you will always know who is calling your business phone lines, enabling you effectively to block problem callers as well as capturing a prospect's number 100 percent of the time so no business opportunities are ever missed even if the original call is. Read More
Using Business Phone Lines To Grab Market Share From Your Competitors by: blog-editor2, March 8, 2011 Whether you are launching a new start-up or are expanding your already successful business, the name of the game is grabbing up as much market share from your competition as possible. The more market share you own, the less expensively you can market and operate fueling further expansion and growth. Using toll free numbers for your business phone lines can enable you easily and inexpensively to swipe chunks of the market from your competitors and take your business to the next level. How? Become the #1 Brand In many industries, there is still plenty of room to get your hands on a dominating vanity number for your business phone lines to position your company as the number one choice. Think 1-800-FLOWERS and 1-800-CONTACTS. Holding this title in your industry will make you stand out as the first and best choice to do business with, and it will make marketing and closing deals easy. Mirror the Competition In some industries, you may find the most generic versions of vanity numbers for your business phone lines are already being used, but that shouldn’t stop you from pulling in plenty of new customers. If this situation is the case in your business, you have two options. The first is to grab up toll free numbers that are very similar to your competition or are common incorrect dials by those trying to reach your competition. Doing so will also help you to piggy back off of their success and marketing budgets and gain new clients. The second option is to take advantage of shared usage for your business phone lines. Shared usage allows you to get control of a premium vanity number for your industry specifically for certain geographic areas, even if others are using it somewhere else. It is extremely affordable and the positioning benefits are obvious. Take Out One Niche at a Time The wisest and most affordable way to take over your industry is to avoid going head to head for the pole position right away, and instead, use your business phone lines to take out and control one niche at a time. This niche could be a certain demographic group in your business or you could excel at one area like being faster or easier to deal with. This goal is easily accomplished by using targeted vanity numbers and forwarding them to your business phone lines. Read More