A lot of people already know that there is a huge difference in the prices of airline tickets depending upon the day of the week that you shop.  Word has it that the best day to shop is on a Tuesday (oh today is Tuesday...be right back ... I have to buy a  return from spring break ticket for my daughter).

Well, I am back and that was not fun.  Although there were better prices than when I looked over the weekend, it seems that the day of the week you intend to travel is also highly relevant to the price and therefore maintains some of the weekend pricing.

However, all of this does support the Day of the Week theory.  The question now is whether this also holds true for PPC.

And the answer is... it depends on your particular market.  Sorry, I wish it could be more definitive than that.  But the good news is that you can monitor it and figure it out by the detailed reporting you get from your adwords campaign day to day reporting.  Just observe the impressions (search volume), click through rate and conversion rate for each day.    Once you have observed these for a couple of weeks, you will be able to more effectively pick the days that your ad has the biggest return. You may be surprised to see just how much variation there is (don't forget to split test it too to see if one version performs better than the other on your off and on days).

Many people treat MLM as if it is a dirty word...I don't see it that way.  Really it is pretty brilliant.  It is a marketing model that allows people to have their own business and be their own boss while being backed up with products and marketing materials that are well researched and well made.  It is a perfect model for the age of telecommuting and virtual offices.

Why the bad rap? 

Well, I think it is because many MLMers are inexperienced and are getting poor direction from their upline about recruiting practices and selling practices.  They do not treat it as a serious business (would a serious business hire just anyone who "fogs a mirror"? - no, of course not).  MLMers need to be more discriminating as to whom they present the business opportunity.  When this happens, there will be less attrition because the people selected will be serious about their businesses too.  There also needs to be  systems for training the downline and for acquiring leads.  It should involve contacting people who are eager for the information and who will make a serious commitment to the business.

MLM will shed its image of being a "joke" when those who participate put serious marketing strategies into play instead of hawking their wares to anyone who crosses their paths (clearly I do not mean those who are very successful and treat it as a business - these folks have to unfortunately put up with the bad image that is created by the unsuccesfful majority). This is not an easy task for any business owner, let alone any newbie who was brought on with lots of promises but no guidance or tools to accomplish an enduring downline.

Is there anything out there that can help?  And of course the answer is yes (why else am I writing this?).  I found this great resource that is perfect for MLMers of any level experience but it may also be very useful to any small business owner who wants to develop an affiliate program.  Check it out for yourself:

MLM resources

The world on line changes at an incredible rate.  It seems that one can spend  easily a half or more  of each day just reading about new trends and developments.

Very often the way you become aware of something is through your peripheral vision.  It sort of hovers there and eventually taps you on the shoulder and you wonder "just what is that?"  That is the way I was introduced to cloud computing.

Cloud computing has been around for a while but is taking more shape.  It  appears that a battleground (in the sky?) is developing between Google and Microsoft. Of course, everyone knows that Microsoft Office helps businesses communicate with the typical tools: email, spreadsheets, word etc.  Once you create a Word document that is saved on your hard drive, you need to attach it to your email in order to share it with those who will add to it or revise it etc. 

Google is doing this in the clouds i.e. with software as a service (SaaS) you can do all of the Microsoft stuff in real time and have others participate and contribute.  It is all accessible from anywhere on the web with no need for storage on your computer.

This is just one example of Saas.  Infusionsoft CRM is another example.  Sitemasher offers lots of different  different hosting and design tools using the SaaS model as well.

The advantages of SaaS are obvious:  no need for servers, storage and local data protection or expensive software that is only available on one computer and needs upgrades.

The disadvantages: in many cases ongoing monthly service fees, and then of course there is the question of data protection and security (some people think that it is more secure than a lot of small businesses are  able to provide locally).

Google Chrome is amazing and fast.  It has a nice clean look and makes it really easy to import the bookmarks you have in other browsers.

How to Sell High Priced Products 
Online and Offline

By Yanik Silver
www.SurefireMarketing.com

========================

During my presentation at my recent Underground Online
Marketing Seminar (www.UndergroundOnlineSeminar.com) - 
I talked about my own "Underground" secrets. One of the 
things I covered was how to sell super high-end products.

Personally, I've sold everything from $17 ebooks to
$14,500.00 "Apprentice Programs" and lots in-between. My
most recent high-end product is a $7,995/month program for
cosmetic surgeons. 

I really love high priced products and you'll see why in a
moment...

First off, if you want to make $1M this year - then you'd 
have to sell 20000 copies of my 'doohickey' at $50. Or it 
could be 2000 copies at $500. Or better still 200 copies at
$5000. 

It's a lot easier dealing with 200 customers than 20,000.
Think of all the customer service and infrastructure, etc.
Plus, as a general rule - the buyers of a high-priced
product or service are better buyers are easier to deal
with than someone who bought a $9.95 ebook and drives you
crazy. 

The other thing is these customers pay more attention and
revere the information or product/service more. I've
attended $500 seminars and I've attended $10,000.00
seminars. Which one do you think I was paying more
attention to? So having higher priced products is actually
better for your customers because they are more committed.
Think about the last time you gave free advice to someone -
what happen? That's right. Nothing. But if you had made
them pay you for consulting - they would have taken it to
heart. 

But there's still more on the economics side... 

With a higher priced product that means you have more money
to advertise. If I'm going against someone selling a $19
ebook and I'm selling a $199 home study course in the same
market - who can spend more? 

No contest, right? 

My competitor can only go up to $19 (unless they've got a
back-end product) but I can actually spend up to $199. But
what else does that let me do? I can come into a
marketplace and suck up a big part of the resellers because
I can give more commissions. Hey, that's the name of the
game for many affiliates. I can give them $100 to promote
my product instead of the measly $10 my competitor might
give them. 

And of course speaking of economics there's more money in
it for you. If you've got a high priced product there
should be a very high margin built in. If not, raise the
price. I'm serious most people are undercharging for what
they provide. My rule of thumb and one of my values I look
at it every morning in my planners says "I am rich by
enriching others 10x - 100x what they pay me in return". 

That's a big deal for me. If you pay me $1000 for a product
- I want to make sure it delivers $10,000 in value for my
customers. I suggest you consider something similar. If
your product isn't good enough for you to raise your price
on it - make it better! 

Here are just some of the high-end products you could sell
in the information marketing world (I've successfully sold
all of these and taught many of my students how to do the
same):

* Live events like workshops and seminars

* "Big" boxes of manuals, CDs, DVDs, CDroms, etc

* High end facilitated group masterminds

* eClasses

* "Done it for them" services

* Coaching

* Reprint rights and licenses and many more...

And don't think high-priced products can only sell if you
are selling 'how to make money' related products. I have
students and friends doing very well selling high priced
products to the fitness marketplace, the dating markets,
small niche obsessive-compulsive markets, self-help, career
marketplaces and many more.

Now a lot of people think selling high priced products are
a lot tougher than low-priced products. Not true. You
usually spend about the same effort trying to sell a high-
priced product as a lower priced product. 

Now when selling a high-priced product most people make the
mistake of just trying to "1-step" it. That means sending
people off to a webpage or sending them a sales letter and
then nothing more. Only a small percentage will buy this
way. I prefer lead generating where I get people to "raise
their hands" and say "yeah I'm interested". This way I can
now afford to spend more to chase those prospects. And it's
not enough to just email them follow-ups. I prefer to have
a whole arsenal at my fingertips if needed like direct
mail, voice broadcast, telephone calls, postcards, etc.

If over-delivering on value - hold your breath and add an
extra zero to your price. You'll thank me for it! 


(c) Surefire Marketing, Inc. 

==========================================================
Yanik Silver is recognized as the leading expert on 
creating automatic, moneymaking websites...and he still
doesn't know how to put up a website. 

He is the author, co-author or creator of several best-
selling online marketing books and tools, including this
updated course for selling high-end products onine: 
http://www.InstantInternetProfits.com
========================================================

Want an easy way to write emails for affluent prospects?

I like 1and1 services. I use them for a few other web projects so  I thought that would pass along a news item about them:

 

---

 

Web 1 and 1 launched a service today which enables its clients to find already registered domains names up for sale alongside unregistered names. The service is powered by Sedo, a marketplace for buying and selling domain names and a 1&1 sister company.

Easy is always nice; especially when easy looks nice too  So if you are wondering how to easily incorporate a store on your blog or website I have found something that makes me happy and it will make you happy too.

Warning:  you will need to have your affiliate relationships already set up.  This means that you will need to go to:
LinkShare Corporation, Commission Junction, Google Network, ShareaSale, LinkConnector, Amazon or the BettyMills networks to set up account and apply for the programs that you want to promote.  I have become very fond of Linkshare because it has a clean and easy to use interface.

After your affiliate relationships have been approved, set up an account at Goldencan.  They offer easy and free store "set up" - actually what this means is a few clicks on your mouse.  You simply decide what type of store is desired and check off the merchants that you want to include in it.  You will need to include your affiliate id so that you will get paid when visitors click on the links generated.  once this is done, you simply paste the code that has been generated on to your web or blog page and you will have an actively streaming store that always stays current and has search features.  Pretty cool. 

Here is a sample of a  computer store that I set up on my new  Update Small Business blog.  You can set up any number of stores too and you will because it is that easy.

I found a great way to track the clicks you get on any links that you want to scatter around cyberspace.  The service is free for up to 250 links .  You can use it to shrink affiliate link urls or any other lengthy url that you would like to have a neater look.  Simply go to:  www.budurl.com  They have very reasonable plans that allow you to create and track up to 50,000 URLs for $49 per month.  The free program (for 250 URLs) or a 21 day free trial is a great way to test it out.

Here are some Bud urls that I am using:

budurl.com/vaio

budurl.com/DellCR

budurl.com/venture

budurl.com/emachines


These lead to the online electronics store I created within my new blog that I just launced yesterday.  There are a lot of features that I still want to add to this blog which I call Update Small Business  updatesmallbusiness.com .  I have put together a virtual staff that can offer professional marketing services at great prices to small businesses, home businesses and solo entrepreneurs .  I am looking forward to your visits and comments.

In the meantime happy URL shrinking and Happy New Year to all.

See one article (below this post) from Website magazine that demonstrates the informative content that is provided for free.  Get your free subscription by clicking the box.

2009 Web Predictions - Website Magazine on Social Media, Ecommerce, Internet Advertising, Affiliate Marketing and SEO

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2008 has drawn to a close, and many Web professionals are wondering what next year will bring. It may seem arbitrary to make predictions, but Web business is not a static industry and forecasting often shines the light on our practical hopes for the future. Website Magazine's predictions for 2009 reveal that in spite of our current economy, the Web as a whole will continue to see strong growth and investment over the next year - a prediction that many industry analysts don't necessarily agree with. As companies large and small see the value in genuine participation, it will pave the way for even more adoption over the coming year.

Without further ado, here are Website Magazine's 2008 Web Predictions:
Please note: You are encouraged to comment below and share your thoughts on what 2009 will bring to your business and the Web as a whole. Just log in to comment.

A Major Social Media Shift
There will be a noticeable, albeit slight uptick in social media usage (using weblogs and leveraging online networking sites for instance) due to increased and continued layoffs across all business sectors. Few small enterprises, however, will effectively master social media, despite claims that it's possible. Genuine creativity and original thought will have its moment in the social spotlight for sure, but those instances will be few and far between and overshadowed by massive social media campaigns initiated by those with the biggest budgets and resources. A serious backlash at communities like Digg and other social media sites might occur as messages from the less connected are drowned out. This may create an opportunity for social micro-networks to establish more active communities move to where their voices can more clearly be heard. Should things get worse for the economy as a whole, many social sites will attempt - ultimately in vain - to charge their communities for participation. This will lead to major social media shifts such as more robust niche communities or participants abandoning social networking altogether.

E-commerce and Internet Retailers Get Smart
Once reserved for only the most elite Internet retailers, small and mid-tier merchants will embrace innovation in the form of recommendation technologies and alternative payments which both increase their margins and the profit of their enterprises. Those shopping cart providers that do not provide even the most basic merchandising and marketing tools will see an exodus from their platforms to more sophisticated offerings. Smaller start-up merchants will increasingly turn to open source e-commerce solutions who will be forced to provide support, creating an opportunity for the open source community as a whole to monetize development. Technologies will also become more openly available, which will enable Internet retailers to efficiently manage feedback across multiple networks with ease to help ensure the integrity of their brands and secure mindshare with their customers over the long term. While the record-breaking growth and profits of past years will not be met in 2009, gains in technology efficiency and will  force the e-commerce industry and Internet retailers to get smart and creative.

Internet Advertising Will Rebound - Big Time
While Internet advertising growth has slowed on the whole, an increase in spending is expected for 2009, thanks to advances in geo-targeting, greater local advertising opportunities and a general "me too" attitude among small local merchants who refuse to go down without a fight. This presents an opportunity for search marketing agencies (on both the SEO and SEM sides) to create new revenue streams and further drive growth in the future.

SEO (As You Know It) Will Change: Personalization and customization of search results will send the majority of SEOs into a tizzy, as Google makes major adjustments and tweaks to its search results to place more emphasis on how consumers use the search results. In the continual effort to play catch-up with Google, both Microsoft and Yahoo! will make notable in-roads with behavioral advertising. The behavioral insights gained will slowly begin to influence search results and steal market share from Google.

Affiliate Marketers Will Reap What They Sow
As Internet merchants find ways to reduce costs, a shakeout of massive proportions will negatively impact the opportunities of many affiliate marketers. Affiliates who develop their own active communities - not just a sales-driven message - will be the only ones left standing in the end. Others will be forced to innovate through the use of application development and the creation of vibrant content communities based on paid subscriptions and features. Affiliates will experience lower payouts overall in 2009. It's already started. Best Buy reduced their affiliate payout by 75% for two of its best-selling product lines (laptops and Nintendo Wii.) Expect others to follow suit. Marketers will also receive closer scrutiny from social communities where the opportunity to push messages has been open for far too long and open to abuse. Social networks will crack down through new assessment policies and remove participants which are not abiding by community-established guidelines.

Video Will Become Truly Viable for Marketers
Online video is continuing its explosive growth, thanks to everyone with a recording device and an idea. It's no different for marketers, except that promotional opportunities are set to boom. Video delivery is getting more sophisticated, evidenced by YouTube's ability to broadcast HD videos. Existing technologies allow for minor video customization, but new abilities will go even further. Companies like ZunaVision are taking product placement and custom in-video advertising to a new level - blurring the lines between ads and content, without impacting the viewer experience. And for now, it's free - leveling the playing field for advertisers of all sizes. It's up to marketers to get creative and have their videos sought-after, rather than eating up valuable hours forcing videos through social networking and bookmarking sites. User embeds are easier than ever - no social profile is complete without a good video. BlendTec is perhaps the best example out there.Website Magazine Article