Internet Marketing – Steve Pohlit

On Line Marketing: The Formula I Recommend And Why

Question: What Is The Goal of Business Growth Marketing?

Answer: Traffic and Conversion!

What this means is that in order to grow your business with new customers, there needs to be a stream of relevant traffic interested in what it is you offer. Your job is to move this traffic from interested to “I’ll Take It” !

Question: How do you move people from being interested to buyers?

Answer: In my experience, people become buyers when a relationship and trust is established. Also, for professional services and many physical products, people want to talk to a person before making a final decision. Contact information including an email address and phone number is very important.

Building A Relationship On Line

The process that has worked for me has at it’s foundation a blog. The blog has a contact capture form with a reason for people to give you that information. Their name goes into a autoresponder system for follow- up messages with value added content. Value added content can be tips, a link to another blog article, examples of what is working and direct educational material. Each follow on email should have a signature with a link for more information and contact information.

The blog is the home for valuable content or articles that offer valuable information. This can be current news and relevant “how to” information. Offering examples of what is working is another terrific way of offering value. Marketing messages can be in the signature and the article itself can be structured so the reader understands how your offer is a solution for their interests.

In summary, the blog and the autoresponder sequence is key to building trust and establishing a relationship. Links in the blog and emails can direct the reader to a direct sales page or a contact page.

With this foundation in place and continually growing, you now have the source of material for valuable updates using social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Social Media is a major tool for helping you build your business. I recommend you look at your social media network as an asset for your business that will continually become more valuable if it is properly managed.

Twitter

I always recommend using at least two accounts, one personal and one business. Twitter seems to regularly modify how it is enforcing its terms of service. Having multiple accounts reduces the risk of going completely off of Twitter because of an account suspension. However, if you post quality messages to valuable content plus use tweets that have no URL in them that demonstrate you are interacting, they you should not have any problems with account suspension.

Building a Twitter following and managing tweets through that network can be a significant commitment of time. I highly recommend leveraging or outsourcing a lot of this work. My company New Digital Media, Inc. has been established specifically to help you with this.

Facebook

There are three primary channels on Facebook that should be used that do not cost money. One channel is pay per click advertising does cost money. Regarding pay per click on Facebook, my initial tests are positive. It appears advertising on Facebook is cost effective. More on this in a future article.

The first area that should be built on Facebook is your profile. There are many exceptions to the rule that profiles are to be personal. Currently I do not advise spending time building a business profile as there is a high risk of being deactivated. Your personal profile can and should have clear links to your business.

My focus has been on building my profile and my friends list is primarily for business purposes. As I approached the 5,000 friends limit on Facebook I created a fan page. While I am not a fan of the label fan page, it is channel for expanding your network and there are no limits to the number of fans. If your goal is to build a fan page for a business (Facebook encourages business fan pages) then I recommend a build strategy that invites friends to a fan page, uses Twitter to promote your profile and fan page and test Facebook ads to build your fan page. I have seen very effective ad campaigns that have built fan pages fast so I know this works. If you build a fan page then you should have a communication strategy for developing the interest of your fans.

Facebook Groups are one of my favorites for building business since once a person joins your group, generally they are very interested in messages related to the topic of the group. For example, I have the group Build Business Profits on Facebook which ties into the theme of this blog as well as my social media blogs. The feedback I receive from messages sent to this group as well as several other targeted groups I have built is consistently positive.

Other Social Media Sites

I highly recommend using YouTube and I have done a lot of YouTube work in the past and will be stepping up my YouTube activity again this year. I also recommend LinkedIn There are many other social media sites and I have some work being done on a handful of other sites. However, with the growth in Facebook and Twitter I continue to concentrate on those two. Up and coming and closely being watched is Google Buzz.

The Number One Key Success Factor

While I am always building my social media network and the network for clients of New Digital Media, Inc. the most valuable asset in social media is the quality of information offered in articles and personal communication. With my own accounts and those of clients there is always a focus of adding value and blending with personal messages. I have no automated messages flowing through Facebook and I am paying increasing attention to the balance of non automated messages on Twitter.

My focus is having people connect with me on my offers. This is what I always advise clients as well. Consistently there is contact information with articles, contact name and email forms feeding an autoresponder with an email message sequence and published phone information. This is fundamental internet marketing. There is always more including search engine optimization, search engine pay per click, squeeze pages and more. However with a consistent focus on building a relationship with people who are interested in your products and services, you will be able to stay focused on those on line tools most effective for your business.

Then there is off line marketing which is a topic for another article.

Steve Pohlit

Business Consulting, Executive Coach
Turnaround/Crisis Management
Temporary CEO, CFO, Controller Services
International Business Resources

Social Media Services
New Digital Media, Inc.

Twitter

Facebook

Linked in

MySpace

727-587-7871

Email

About: Steve Pohlit is a CPA,MBA and has been the CFO of several major domestic and international companies. Steve is a business owner and an expert business consultant focused on building profits and net asset value. He is very experienced with Internet marketing and social media marketing. All articles published by Steve unless specifically restricted may be freely published with this resource information.

Profits Are Proof of Concept

Proof of Concept

The phrase Proof of Concept is one I learned from my friend Russell Brumfield, a successful business builder and entrepreneur. Proof of Concept means the business model is viable. Viable means it is making or will be making a profit.

If you are not making a profit you are not in business. Does this mean that any business idea that is not instantly profitable is not viable? No it does not. Twitter is not profitable. Twitter has attracted over $100 million in investment funding. Does this mean Twitter is viable as a business? No it does not mean that either. Ultimately Twitter must be profitable or all the interest and investment funding dries up. That is true for any “for profit business”.

Note: People interested in paying you money for what you are offering is key and having enough people pay you so you are able to make a profit is Proof of Concept. You don’t have to have a business model of a Google or a Twitter. You have to have a business where your revenue exceeds your costs. Once you are in profit then you can focus on strategies that will help you further increase the profit percentage for your business. Increasing the percentage of profit being earned by your business is part of the scope of what is covered in the Build Profits Group on Facebook.

Video Version

Now if this all seems obvious I can assure you I have consulted with some very large companies that no longer had Proof of Concept. They once may have profitable, but part of my work was to help them regain their viability as a business. Key point: you may be profitable today but there are no guarantees you will be profitable tomorrow. Managing change is key.

If you are in business, take a hard look as to whether you have proof of concept. If you do not now, you need to have that soon. I have not kept track of the number of ideas that seemed great but failed. Does failure mean the idea was not a good one? It does not. It may mean the timing was not right, a rapid change in the competitive landscape or decisions by owners that were not good for the business.

If you are thinking about getting into business be sure there sufficient evidence as to proof of concept. This applies to starting a company, buying a business, joining a network marketing company, it also applies to considering a job with a company. I encourage you to be particularly careful with new start-ups. As this is written there is a major buzz surrounding a business opportunity backed by several well known celebrities. This could be great and maybe not. If it is great, there will be Proof of Concept and there will be plenty of time to become involved and make money.

Finally on this topic it does not matter what other people are experiencing with a business, Proof of Concept applies to you and your experience. In the next article, we will review the primary key success factors for most business that evidence Proof of Concept.

Sending you energy of health, happiness, prosperity

Steve Pohlit

Business Consulting, Executive Coach
Turnaround/Crisis Management
Temporary CEO, CFO, Controller Services
International Business Resources

Social Media Services
New Digital Media, Inc.

727-587-7871
Email

A Great Example Marketing Example From Spam …Swipe This Idea

The subject matter just said Test …This Is Not Spam. Take a minute to read this and then my comments.

Here is the rest of the message :

This is not spam! You signed up from ____________ See end of e-mail for more CANSPAM compliance rules.
Please ignore this message, as it is only a test to see if this autoresponder is back up and running.
We need to notify you that this e-mail may contain advice on money-making methods and other subjects plus may include links to available products and/or from third parties in return for appropriate recompense.

If you cannot unsubscribe, you can always send a letter asking to be unsubscribed to:

P O Box 1078
Stanley, ND 58784

Don’t Know Why, But If You Wish To Leave:
http://amazingautoresponse.com/cgi-bin/r.cgi?s=10438&a=117&k=mEYboFVf9JM

To report sp*m by this member:
Please forward this email to abuse@amazingautoresponse.com or follow the above link for immediate removal.

—————————————————————-

Lessons:

I am not advocating doing this at all even though this email did get through to my main address. Notice the reverse psychology here. …Please ignore. Come on that always works (Note to Self) Then the warning “This may contain advice on making money…” I mean.. how cool is that?

Then there is the humor:

Unsubscribe – Send a Letter. …

Don’t know why, but if you wish to leave

My view is I learn a lot from paying attention to spam. First spam mail may have some of the best subject lines. Then there is formatting and other hooks spam uses.

There is another thing I have learned and that is there a lot of people who use blogs like this to teach, who sell programs that teach you how. Have you ever noticed how few promote “do it for you”? Do you know why that is? Well I have my views but what is important is that one of my new services does “do it for you” What is it?

Click over to New Digital Media You will understand what this is doing in about 3 minutes.

Sharing with all my readers the energy of peace, happiness and abundance

Steve Pohlit, Expert Business Consulting

Email Me, Steve Pohlit to schedule A No Obligation Consultation On Building Your Business Profits.Need more customers? Let’s discuss how to use cutting edge Social Media Marketing in the revenue building cycle of your business to drive your profits sky high. If your company is not growing revenue and profits, if your company is not cash flow positive Click Here for more information about Turnaround Consulting Services for Business In Crisis

Announcing The Services of New Digital Media Click Here

Follow Me and I Follow You http://Twitter.com/BuildProfits

FREE Report:
How To Increase Business Profits by 30% or More in 90 Days or Less

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About: Steve Pohlit is a CPA,MBA and has been the CFO of several major domestic and international companies. Steve is business owner and an expert business consultant, direct response and social media marketing and social networking security expert . Steve is focused on helping companies improve their business performance. All articles published by Steve unless specifically restricted may be freely published with this resource information.

Social Media Blueprint

A panel discussion of Social Media experts formed at a recent JV Alert conference addressed a question on the business of Social Media. A key point made is that Social Media is a tool.

That excellent reminder serves as the starting point for this summary on How To Use Social Media to Start and Grow a Business. Social Media is a general term for community based Internet sites with the biggest ones being Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, and very fast growing ones like Twitter and LinkedIn.

Generally, my first response with a question like “how should I use Social Media?” is “what is it that you want”. My business Manifest Mastermind guides everyone in our free course as well as paying members to begin with a clear definition of what it is that you want and then they are asked why.

Applying this to Social Media and using my own experience as an example, my initial goal was to understand the primary options for Social Media sites. My conclusion was that I could spend my time for entertainment or for developing business. Very soon I further clarified Social Media for me which was that I wanted to know if Social Media was a valid tool for building a profitable business.

Social proof that Social Media is an effective tool for building a business is Manifest Mastermind. The time line from business idea to business launch was four months. This actually could have been shorter if we would have been able to allocate more financial resources to it. We spent a lot of professional time and very little cash in developing this business.

When possible I would advise others to outsource more but we proved that a business could be successfuly launced with very little money.

Social Media Blueprint:

This is a top level summary of the Social Media Blueprint I recommend. This is based on my actual experience with Manifest Mastermind:

1. Have a clear definition of what you want and why. Are you using Social Media for business or pleasure? If you intend to use Social Media sites for developing business there will and should be pleasure because Social Media is about developing relationships with people interested in who you are and what you are doing.

2. Identify what Social Media sites are best for your business. Actually this is fairly easy with the top three sites for business being Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. There are an ever increasing list of social media sites. Start with the ones that have the market. LinkedIn is growing fast and can be another one that is important for you going forward.

3. Form relationships with those most likely interested in that what you are doing. I am sure you have heard the advice to define your target market. This is no different. How do you find your market on Social Media sites? There are several ways. A primary one is doing research on: who is talking about your business topic (Twitter); who is joining groups related to your business (Facebook); and, who is adding video content related to your business (YouTube). I advise a filtering approach. Invite people into your world and then invite them into a network focused on your niche business.

4. Ultimately you must capture those with an interest into your own list. We use traditional Internet Marketing guidance on bringing people to our list and then offering value to demonstate why they benefit from spending money with us.

Next Steps:

Manifest Mastermind’s business purpose is to help others create their own success stories. Success stories happen in the areas where people are clearly focused on a prioritized list of their own dreams. Dreams fall into three main categories: financial, health and relationships. They are never mutually exclusive. Our guidance is based on The Law of Attraction and the Mastermind Principle. Guidance is developed with experts advising us on particular topics.

We are expanding our reach in Social Media and we are soon launching our small group mastermind program. Every business model on line and off is based on one foundation principle: traffic and conversion. We are extending our traffic building model beyond Social Media. However, Social Media remains an integral part of our business development strategy.

Sharing with all my readers the energy of peace, happiness and abundance

Steve Pohlit
The Profit Expert

Steve is the Co-Founder of Manifest Mastermind and President of International Business Consulting Resources. His firm specializes in guiding companies to rapid increases in revenue and profits with a sustainable growth rate. FREE Reports:

How To Make More Money With Your Business Now and Long Term

7 Steps To Manifesting Your Dreams

Network with me on Facebook: LinkedIn: Follow me on Twitter

WordPress Blogging Is A Foundation Marketing Tool: Backup Your Content

There are four foundation tools every business should be using as part of their marketeing strategy. These are listed on my site www.stevepohlit.com I have also written detailed articles about these foundation tools. For example Click Here for an article on how blogs and video help your internet site search engine ranking. You sould be subscribed to Steve Reports for tons of information I publish that will help your business grow profitable revenue.

For your convenience the foundation tools are:

A currently updated website, keyword optimized and with contact information capture script with linked to an autoresponder.
A blog that is regularly updated with relevant information and links to your website. You blog should also have contact information capture script linked to your autoresponder. Register at http://bloggingforprofits.biz for free instuctional videos on how to do this. Here is my introductory video on Blogging For Profits again for your convenience
Use short videos that you produce, topic and keyword specific that you post to your blog. Select ones should be posted to your website. Register at http://youtubemastery.net for more than 20 videos that teach you how to do this for free.
Enhance the relationships with your customers and prospect list with email communication. Use off line actions including; meetings, phone calls, post cards and letters. This is why you want to capture the contact information of visitors to your website and blog.

Of course there is more and that is covered in the marketing module of my business consulting practice. My contact information follows this article.

BACKUP YOUR CONTENT

By now most people are aware of how to backup websites and most autoresponder companies provide an easy to use download feature for you customer database. My preferred autoresponder service is Aweber Click Here

It seems most people are not thinking about all the content they add to their blogs and the backup of a blog is differenet than a website. WordPress Blogs, and I believe most other formats, run by adding your content to a database. WordPress based blogs all use MySQL database technology. Sounds “Twilight Zone” but it isn’t except for you are not able to simply backup your files like you are able to do with a website. You must backup the database.

Sounds scary? It isn’t. Watch the video I prepared on this topic and I suggest you believe me when I say: “if I can do this …you can do this”. Of couse if you don’t want to do any of this and have someone do it for you, I am ready to help. For the video on how to back up you WordPress Blog Please Click Here.

Sending all my readers the energy of wellness, peace and abundance

Steve Pohlit,
The Profit Expert
www.StevePohlit.com

Network with me on Facebook: LinkedIn: Follow me on Twitter

This report may be freely distributed without restrictions with the original content including this resource box remaining unchanged. Author: Steve Pohlit, Business Consulting Services, Executive Coaching, please visit www.stevepohlit.com

PS. My doors are open for new clients and referrals are well compensated.

How Is Your Business: Read The Amazing Answers

During a trip to my hometown Johnstown, Pa I had the opportunity to ask quite a few people how they were doing economically. I was anticipating more than a few doom and gloom stories.

I learned about a company that makes specialized lighting systems for coal mines that has doubled in size from 40 employees to 80 in less than four years. Plus they are still hiring. New lighting technology has created a new market: coal mines that have closed. Really cool!

I met an engineer for bridge systems in the Pittsburgh market whose main concern was being so busy. He was actually hoping for to be able to take some time off soon. Then there was the guy who couldn’t say much about his work. In fact he couldn’t say anything because he works under an oath of silence in a place near Washington D.C.

Nearly everyone I talked to was upbeat and busy with their jobs. Consistently I meet business owners who tell me their business is bad. This trip was no exception. In every case except one, what is really bad is their mindset or attitude. Each doom and gloom story is attached to a business that has huge opportunities for profitable growth. But the owners don’t think so. When the owners don’t think so the results reflect what the owners think. I encourage every business owner I meet to get started with easy to implement, economical marketing. My recommendation is a four step:

1. Install or update the business website with visitor contact capture on every page.
2. Activate a blog with relevant content fed to syndication sites. Each item of information has back links and contact information capture form tied to an auto responder.
3. Use video for topical content structured with benefits and a call to action. Syndicate the videos, add them to the blog and select ones to the web site.
4.Using email marketing, and other action steps, get closer to existing customers and develop relationships with prospects.

While my marketing module is comprehensive the above 4 steps are integral to the module and will result in noticeable improvements to your business. Implementing most of these four steps takes very little cash but does require some time. The choice is spend your time on rational marketing or you can sit around and complain.

Sending all my readers the energy of wellness, peace and abundance

Steve Pohlit,
The Profit Expert
www.StevePohlit.com

Network with me on Facebook: LinkedIn: Follow me on Twitter

PS. My doors are open for new clients and referrals are well compensated.

DubLi Auctions, DubLi Auction Network Shows SEO Value of Video and Blogs

Please see the content below this video for each of the links mentioned.

The report mentioned in this video was published on Steve Reports on 9-15-08 here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/5fk85s The article shows how video took my site http://dublian.com to number one on Google. This video now shows how the report published on my blog is in the top ranking on Google. The key to that ranking are the keywords in the title and in how I have permalink set in the WordPress settings.

This is an example of what you learn when you join my Facebook Groups teaching video, blogging and building business profits. Those groups are:

YouTube Mastery
Blogging For Profits
Build Business Profits

Remember I have a do it for you package that is awesome. It will save you a ton of time. As an example, I am experienced in setting up each of the features and it will take me nearly 10 hours to set this up for you. So this is a great value.

Do It For You Package ..Read Carefully…The Fine Print Contains A Gold Mine!!!

My highest recommendation is a four pronged attack designed to generate immediate results for you business. These are:

Contact Information Capture and Email Marketing
Video Marketing
Blog Marketing
Integration of Video and Blog With Your Web Site Foundation…SEO on steroids.
The following is how we will work together for immediate results for your business:

Hosting One Year
Full Cpanel Access Your Log-In and Password
Your Domain Hosted on My Server
Setup a Website Template on Your Domain
Wordpress Blog Set-Up In A Subdomain
10-15 Plugins Loaded
Up To Three Graphical Blog Templates Loaded That You Pick
Your Own Email Autoresponder Account With Three Getting Started Messages
Three 4-8 Minute Videos Optimized for Video Syndication and Integrated With Your Website and Blog. This feature alone is worth more than the price of this package.
Up To 10 hours of consultation focused on guiding you to making more money with your business starting now. The value of this feature exceeds the price of this package. If you don’t agree after we work together, I will refund all your money and the products we developed plus the hosting is still yours.
Is this a great deal? Well it could be worth many millions. You tell me. What is your business and what is your idea?

Pricing: 2000.00 If you prefer a payment plan, $1,200 to start and $1,200 upon completion.

Sending all my readers the energy of wellness, peace and abundance

Steve Pohlit, www.StevePohlit.com

Network with me on Facebook: LinkedIn: Follow me on Twitter

Elite Business Leader Group Leaks Marketing As The One Action That Makes More Money Now

On October 8, 2008 a very select group of highly successful business owners met for 90 minutes to explore what strategies are working the best in today’s economy for growing their business. These business owners represent companies with current revenue and gross marging growth rates (this year vs. last year) of at least 10 %.

With no close second choice, each person said that an aggressive marketing plan, rationalized and implemented each day was solely responsible for the growth in their business. The only difference in the individual representations was the methods used. The marketing tools used to bring targeted companies through the sales funnel, varied in their application depending on the type of business. For example, while all companies had a business website, a number of the owners clearly used personal connection as the primary marketing tool.

I estimate about half of the nearly 30 in attendance use email marketing and direct mail. All have traditional media including business cards and other print collateral. 10% were experimenting with video and close to the same were experiencing with blogs.

Can you imagine what could happen with your business if you consistently focused on and implemented all of the following:

Email capture and marketing with the assistance of an autoresponder

Video and blog messages integrated with your website and business theme (message going out at a rate of not less once week.)

Selective use of press releases

Direct response mail

Google Adwords

Networking events

Monthly newsletter

Radio Show Interviews

Select print and electronic ad placement

Ebay store (if applicable)

Other depending on your business

My marketing module is tailored for each business. Nearly in all cases I am recommending the use of video and blogs to support a foundation website for the online marketing component. Of course customer contact management using email, phone calls, meetings and direct mail is critical.

I have prepared an introductory package that will help most companies jump start their revenue growth. This package is particularly attractive as it does not involve much time on the part of management. Here is the summary:

Do It For You Package:

Up To 10 hours of consultation focused on guiding you to making money. Is this a great deal? Well it could be worth many millions. You tell me. What is your business and what is your idea?

Price $2,000 flat or $1,200 up front and$1,200 upon completion.

Sending all my readers the energy of wellness, peace and abundance

Steve Pohlit, www.StevePohlit.com

Network with me on Facebook: LinkedIn: Follow me on Twitter

How To Use Social Media Video (YouTube) To Grow Your Business

Does 200 million page views a month catch your attention? How about knowing 41% of the members between the ages of 34 and 55 and all groups are divided nearly evenly between male and female? If that isn’t enough to get your attention consider these:

1. Members look for content by areas of interest.
2. All content is video and each video can be described using text that is rich with targeted keywords for your product or service.

Just a Couple More Things

1. The information above is about YouTube.. the 6th highest volume site on the Internet. The demographic data is for the US only and yet YouTube is International. The real number are larger but not quantified.
2. There are more than 150 social media sites on line and growing. Each one is attempting to carve out a niche of the huge general market. Of the 150, approximately one third are video sites. Once a person masters YouTube alll the skills are generally transferable to other niche market video sites.

The Action Plan Tracker

I have a business consulting firm. I teach companies how to build revenues and profits using proven principles and processes. Part of the business consulting work plan is to help the client implement an improved and more effective marketing strategy. Social media is now a required component of my updated business marketing strategy model. The numbers of people joining social media sites and becoming very active are very significant and should not be ignored.

There are a huge number of businesses that do not have websites, use blogs, test on line promotion campaigns, execute effective email campaign which are all very proven and effective marketing tools. Social media sites generally completely ignored by most companies. The exceptions are wisely building brand and loyalty.

Very recently I developed the groups YouTube Mastery on Facebook and MySpace as well as the the site www.youtubemastery.net These resources are just being developed and the website is very underdeveloped. However, I have a very clear plan and once I reach that point I take action and sacrifice some perfection. People need to know about these opportunities now and begin using all the Internet tools plus traditional marketing tools in their business now. I currently advise business owners that they need to be devoting nearly 80% of their time on marketing. Part of that 80% includes working with staff and others accountable for marketing. Marketing and developing people are the two most important areas where a business owner needs to spend their time. All other responsibilities should be delegated. What if your are an entrepreneur of one. The point is still the same.

Right Now Action Steps:

1. Join the group YouTube Mastery on Facebook
2. Visit and register at www.youtubemastery.net

These two actions will result in you getting up to speed on using social media and social media video to market your business.

Sending all my readers the energy of wellness, happiness and peace.

Steve Pohlit
http://www.stevereports.com

Don’t Miss These Free Reports from my new business consulting site:

The Top 10 Action Stops That Will Make Your Business At Least 50% More Money in 90 Days or Less While You Spending Less Time Working

The Key Issues That Must Be Addressed Before You Buy Any Business of Any Size.

Click Here For The Free Report

Steve is the President of International Business Consulting Resources. His firm specializes in guiding companies to rapid increases in revenue and profits with a sustainable growth rate. Don’t miss my FREE Report: How To Make More Money With Your Business Now and Long Term I am building my practice and welcome new client inquiries. Call me for a fee consultation at 727-587-7871 Remember many of my business building articles can be found at Steve Reports and my prosperity building tool (best tool ever for helping you manifest your goals and dreams) is The Prosperity Tool Chest and guiding articles posted very often at Prosperity Tip

Gasoline Prices and Marketing Snake Oil

25% of a $4.00 cost per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is due to the devaluation of the US dollar in the past 24 months. Restated: if the US dollar was at the same value in the currency markets as it was this time in 2006, the price of a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline would be $3.00.

Do you remember fuel at $3.00 per gallon? Of course you do. It wasn’t that long ago. Did you adjust your lifestyle? Let’s look at statistics for spending during the Christmas season of 2007 when the price per gallon was just about $3.00. Spending increased year to year by about 3.6% . So even though gas prices were up from December of the previous year people were still spending money.

The Ripple Effect of $4.00 per Gallon Gas Is Uge and Everyone Should Be Really Pissed Because….

Let’s look at the impact: airlines are have to raise prices to cover fuel costs. Of course people have less money to spend on airline tickets because of what it costs to fill their gas tank. So fewer people fly, airlines cut flights and airlines cut jobs. Guess what …take the cruise industry – not as many people fly so they are not taking as many cruises and they are not scheduling time at resorts.

So you say you don’t care that much about the airlines and cruise ships and resorts. OK what about the price of lettuce. In a matter of one month at the place I shop the package of mixed greens I like increased by more than 15%. Why do you think you see an increase in food prices? What delivers food to the stores? Rights..trucks. What fuels trucks? Right gasoline and diesel fuel.

So now we have more people losing their jobs, prices increasing and an increase in the number of people blaming Saudi Arabia and the oil companies for the increases. Ladies and gentlemen our own federal government created this mess. Wait…we create our government. I don’t recommend looking to an outside source to blame. Look in the mirror first then move forward from there.

What is the solution? There doesn’t appear to be one action to restore the confidence in the US Dollar or is there? Could linking the value of the dollar to the price of gold be a solution? It seemed to work before. The weakness of the dollar is a big deal and it seems to be getting very little attention buy our current or pending leaders. They pay attention to what people want to hear and in this country people seem to be looking for increasingly larger government with more programs to “help” the citizenry. I don’t like it and suggest you examine your belief system on these points. I wonder what would happen if everyone who has a blog would start ranting about these issues? Do you think the leadership would pay attention? Of course they would. This all starts within.

Caution: Solutions From Snake Oil Salespeople:

What really takes off in an economic situation like we are dealing with is the classic image of the snake oil salesperson. But rather finding them on the back of a covered wagon, we find them in email messages, job boards, Craigs List, Facebook, MySpace , You Tube and an increasing volume of direct mail offers.

Get rich quick or get out of debt marketing capitalizes on people’s pain of losing jobs and the increasing number of people having difficulty keeping their homes. Objectivity in evaluating these offers can easily be lost and the valuable “rule of thumb…if it looks to good to be true, it probably is” fades into the background.

Now are there credible opportunities out there for making very good money? Absolutely but they involve you doing something to earn it. I recently been advertising for virtual assistants. I know there is very good income to be made with this work. I have this position posted in several prominent locations where I know there are qualified candidates. The response is very slim with one exception: I have a very interested company from an international country wanting to help me and I am seeing if that will work. Why is it that the aggressive labor pool seems to be available internationally but not in my own back yard? I have no idea.

There are jobs in the economy, there are credible business opportunities and if you have any questions about a business you are looking at or a business opportunity you are considering, just shoot me an email at StevePohlit@gmail.com and I will try to help you.

Sending all my readers the energy of vibrant health, happiness and prosperity.

Steve Pohlit
http://www.stevereports.com

Steve is the President of International Business Consulting Resources. His firm specializes in guiding companies to rapid increases in revenue and profits with a sustainable growth rate. I am building my practice and welcome new client inquiries. Call me for a fee consultation at 727-587-7871 Remember many of my business building articles can be found at Steve Reports and my prosperity building tool (best tool ever for helping you manifest your goals and dreams) is The Prosperity Tool Chest and guiding articles posted very often at Prosperity Tip

Social Media Marketing – Advice on Using Twitter From John Reese

You probably know John Reese is a very experienced credible and successful Internet marketer. I have benefited a great deal from John’s courses and newsletters. This message from John came to me by email and I am posting it here. Like John I have been skeptical about Social Media marketing including Twitter. One thing about John is that he tests everything and you will see he has been accumulating data on driving traffic to his sites and particularly his blog using Twitter. After you read John’s message come back and take these action steps:

1. set up your account at www.twitter.com
2. look up www.twitter.com/stevepohlit and follow me
3. look up www.twitter.com/johnreese and follow him
4. follow John’s guidance in adding people to follow
5. notice how people post to Twitter and start posting regularly.
(I use Ping.fm to post to Twitter and Facebook. It is supposed to update my accounts at LinkedIn and MySpace but I don’t see that working well. Maybe you will have more luck.)

Two final points from me:

1. this is part of my signature on my outgoing emails:

Network with me on

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/4yyhf2

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevepohlit

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/stevepohlit

Follow me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/stevepohlit

2. Notice how I discovered valuable content written by an authority on a topic where I have some experience added comments and now publish it on my blog – with no changes to the original message. This is another way of generating valuable content for your blog (hint, hint)

————————————————-

Email from John Reese starts now:

If you haven’t yet created a Twitter account
you’re really missing out.

This service has exploded in growth
in the past few months and I don’t see
it slowing down anytime soon. There
are now MILLIONS of users and it’s
becoming mainstream.

I’ve been running some interesting
tests and I’m already seeing some
great traffic results — far greater than
the traffic from Facebook or any
other “Web 2.0” service.

Facebook and the others certainly
have their place, but Twitter is more
powerful. At first I didn’t really “get it”
but now I do and my traffic stats
don’t lie. IT WORKS.

As a communications tool, Twitter is
probably only 2nd to Email right now.
It’s a great way to network with people
as well as to drive visitors to any of
your sites, blog posts, etc.

BUT DON’T WAIT…

Create a Twitter account NOW and
start ‘following’ people you want.
Others will eventually follow you in
return. Observe how others post
and you’ll quickly learn the culture,
etiquette, and uses for Twitter.

It’s not rocket science. In fact,
it’s a lot of fun.

You really need to start today because
the sooner you start the sooner your
followers list will start growing and more
people will see your posts — which will
then virally grow from there.

*******VERY IMPORTANT********

MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW ME!

(I’m actively posting all the time.)

Create an account then go here:
http://twitter.com/johnreese

Click the “Follow” link that shows
under my photo.

That’s it. Everytime I post you’ll
see it in your main “timeline”
area.

* After you click to “Follow” me
look at the right-hand side of
my profile page. Click the blue
“Followers” link and you can see
all the people currently following
my posts. Follow some of these
other marketers so you can get
involved.

Twitter is extremely VIRAL.
When you make posts (called
“tweets”) they can be exposed
to all the friends (followers)
of others. Then they can choose
to follow you.

I think Twitter is going to really
evolve into a “must use”
marketing tool. It’s a great way
to announce you’ve just made
a new blog post, released a
new product, or anything else
you’re up to.

I’m already seeing 400+ visitors
each time I make a tweet that
I’ve made a new blog post.

So trust me, this is no flash in
the pan. In fact, this may be
one of the most powerful marketing
tools ever — it just depends how
it evolves.

But so far you’d be crazy not to
use it. It’s producing great results.

Take 2 minutes to create an
account — heck you’ll want to
do it now so you can at least
get your name before someone
else takes it. Or your company
or product name, etc.

Just go to http://www.Twitter.com

Then visit my page at:
http://twitter.com/johnreese

———————————————

Info courtesy of Steve Pohlit

Sending all my readers the energy of vibrant health, happiness and prosperity.

Steve Pohlit
http://www.stevereports.com

Marketing To My Target Audience Using The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, Traffic Jam

This morning The Wall Street Journal asked if the recently announced iPhone to be released July 11 would be accepted by business. The answer influences the volume of iPhone sales and of course Apple’s earnings. This is my response which may give insight as to how business owners should consider many options that are presented:

“One path to answering this question is to consider the different functions within a business. For example, a typical accounts payable function currently is not enhanced by an iPhone. Account payable staff have the resources to do their job. Alternatively a technical field representative who is mobile could very well benefit from continually developing iPhone technology.

I appreciate this question as the use of cell phones and technology devices including the Blackberry and iPhones is a very topical question with business owners who I guide to making more money with their business.

In summary I am not an advocate of a universal policy allowing or prohibiting such devices. My advice is to decide at the functional level.”

Recently Entrepreneur.com Published An Article On Squeezing Out Profits In Tough Times actually titled “Less is More” This is an area where I have considerable experience and expertise. Today, I submitted my comments which followed the logic of my FREE Report offered at IR Consulting, Inc. and mentioned for the readers of Entrepreneur the availability of this report.

Last night I was reviewing the update to Traffic Jam which is John Reese’s site and it really is marvelous so I encourage you to look at my Blog Rush widget on the right side of this page and click through and sign up for an account for your blog. Then your blog entries feed Traffic Jam. A word of caution: if your blog is new I would wait until you have a reasonable volume of posts before applying for an account, as that is one of the criteria for acceptance. One of the values of Traffic Jam is for you to quickly see blog content published in your area of interest. When you do I recommend commenting on the blog posts and including your site links which is a great way to get back links to your site.

In summary, published content is one of the actions that add credibility to your business. I am more focused on publishing certain of my content in areas most likely visited by my target audience. The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Entrepreneur Magazine are examples of where I have published content recently.

With the increasing volumes of information being published primarily as a result of more blogs coming on line daily, it is in your best interest to identify where your target customer is most likely to be visiting. Then focus on attracting their attention with content that delivers value and demonstrates you know what you are talking about.

Sending all my readers the energy of vibrant health, happiness and prosperity.

Steve Pohlit
http://www.stevereports.com

Eben Pagan and Frank Kern Two Hour Conference Call and Why You Should Listen

This call is in connection with a product promotion. I am not an affiliate. I paid attention to this call because I know Frank Kern and Eben Pagan are both very successful people who both overcame a number of difficult life situations.

I particularly enjoyed listening to Eben described the techniques he used for moving to a mindset of prosperity. In that regard, I have developed a tool for myself to help me consistently stay in an prosperity mindset. I named it The Prosperity Tool Chest and it is free for you to use.

Here is a portion of the email I received from Eben”

“The Frank Kern Interview was SUPER fun. If you want
to listen to the replay, and learn more about how I
built the Guru MasterMind, and what you can expect as
a member, just click here:”

http://www.gurumastermind.com/teleclass/080528_replay_kern.asp

Sending all my readers the energy of vibrant health, happiness and prosperity.

Steve Pohlit
http://www.stevereports.com

Be Honest ..What Is Your Instant Reaction To An Ad For A $64,950 Bed?

I instantly wanted to study the placement, the presentation and the copy. So the follow on question is did this presentation sell beds?

The company is not a client so there is no way for me to know for sure. My guess is that it is a very successful campaign even thought the copy is not very good and the graphics are just OK. So what makes me think the ad was very successful?

A two page foldout in a magazine published to appeal to wealthy people with the catch that $64,950 is for one bed is in itself intriguing. I am guessing those who have $100,000 in petty cash become very interested in this bed.

This article is not about a bed. The lesson is to appeal to your target audience. The company handcrafting this bed is not running the ad in ValPak. The placement is in a prestigious publication consistent with the quality and pricing of the product.

Valuable lesson. Pay close attention to ads and junk mail.

Sending all my readers the energy of vibrant health, happiness and prosperity.

Steve
http://irconsultinginc.com

Steve is the President of International Business Consulting Resources. His firm specializes in guiding companies to rapid increases in revenue and profits with a sustainable growth rate. Many of Steve’s business building articles can be found at Steve Reports and his prosperity building tool is The Prosperity Tool Chest

Email Steve or call him directly at 727-587-7871

How To Use Multi Media For Lead Generation

It is unusual for me to watch TV. However for those of you that follow me on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace adn LinkedIn you know that I love the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While watching the most recent game I noticed an add during a commercial break that appeared to be an promotion for a home furnishings retailer. I quickly realized the promotion was for lead generation. This ad was designed specifically for viewers to request a resource on how to buy direct from over 700 manufacturers.

The promotion focused on the mark-up that retailers charge and asked “why should you pay their bills?” So this was clearly an emotionally engaging campaign. It was also targeted at anyone remodeling or building new. It also appealed to people intending on replacing home furnishings.

The focus of this ad was to motivate people to call or go to the web site to request their informational booklet. Clearly a squeeze page strategy using electronic media which in this case was TV. This was all very well done except showing home furnishing ads during a hockey game begs the question of whether this was the right program to be presenting the campaign.

While the ad was running I went over to my nearly always on computer and typed in their URL. Again – squeeze page only. The home page was there for one purpose which was to capture contact information. I was intrigued as to what they were really promoting. Is it a buying club with a monthly membership fee or something else?

I was very surprised to discover that I received a pass for an appointment to visit a physical place not more that one mile from my home and they were very specific as to the time. What is more interesting they now know my household (me) since their follow up survey wanted to confirm there was no problem having a baby sitter so I can could make the appointment. (The only baby sitter I need is for me.) They also know I am planning on at least some home furnishing replacements in the next 3-6 months. They asked and I told them.

I am likely to go to this appointment because I am very intrigued by what it is they want me to do. The location is not large enough for a showroom so my number one bet is that is is a buying club promotion. I will disclose the website with a follow up report in a few days.

In summary this is an excellent case study in lead generation. I certainly don’t know but it would not surprise me if Dan Kennedy was hired for this since he is one of the best marketers with TV media, copy and lead generation. Dan is the one who taught me how to pay attention to ads including infomercials. The effective ones on TV are effective sales letter in action. If you are interested in marketing you really should be getting Dan’s monthly newsletter. Click Here if you are interested.

This example is a great lesson in using multi-media for lead generation. TV, Phone, and the Internet are the primary tools being used and there is a mail in option presented but not emphasized. They did a good job and served as an example of why it is important to pay attention to well designed campaigns. And on that note I will ad there is no such thing as junk mail. Every piece is an opportunity to learn something even if it is what not to do.

Sending all my readers the energy of vibrant health, happiness and prosperity.

Steve
http://irconsultinginc.com

Steve is the President of International Business Consulting Resources. His firm specializes in guiding companies and their employees to achieve their highest potential. Many of Steve’s business building articles can be found at Steve Reports and his prosperity building tool is The Prosperity Tool Chest

Email Steve or call him directly at 727-587-7871

PS Don’t pass the valuable information on Blogging for Profits and How To Increase Revenue and Profits by 30% or More In 90 Days or Less.