Information and Advice on Freelance Careers. Building Business ...

Ever wonder why your competitors get featured in the local paper or magazines and you don't? It's not just luck that brings the reporters to their door - chances are it's a press release.

When you or your business is featured in a publication, unless the article's there to highlight something you've done wrong, it's a very good thing. That article is free advertising, and even the short one-paragraph blurbs can lead to a nice increase in business. Such articles help build credibility and educate the public about your philosophies, commitment, and the business itself.

Should you put out a press release?

Naturally, you'd like to benefit from such free advertising. But is this the right time to send a press release? Generally speaking, your release will be ignored if it's not newsworthy enough to interest the publication's readership. Grand openings, awards, major client contracts (really big ones!), seminars you're hosting, important policy changes, and other events that interest the business community or the public may qualify.

If you can't think of a reason to issue a release, consider doing something newsworthy just for that purpose. Hold a contest, launch a frequent buyer program, or host a seminar on a topic related to your business.

Goals of a press release

A press release has two main goals:

1. To be published as written, OR

2. To interest a staff writer in contacting you for further coverage.

The temptation to "just let them do it" is strong, especially if you're not a particularly strong writer. Even if your goal is to bring a reporter to your door, a professional writer can help you state things in a way that will hook the editor's interest and separate your release from the many - possibly hundreds - that hit his desk each day. A well-written press release also gives the reporter an easy structure to follow, copy points, and phrases he can use. This isn't plagiarism - it's teamwork.

There's an advantage to getting it published as written, though, and many publications will do just this if they're short on time or space...or if it's perfect as is. When you do this, you have control over the words. No need to worry about being misquoted, misunderstood, or having key elements omitted.

The key is having it perfect, as is, or as close to perfect as possible. A professional writer, with experience in writing press releases, can do this. It's not always easy to craft a piece that covers everything you need while still appearing objective. If the article is too much like an advertisement, the publication will reject it and instead suggest that you purchase ad space. But if the press release reads like "news", is in the publication's standard news article format and adheres to editorial policies, you've got a good chance of seeing it as submitted, or at least close.

Anatomy of a press release

A press release consists of five main parts: Contact information, Release Date, Title, Body, and Call to Action. Depending on the situation, a sixth part may also be included - the boilerplate.

Contact information states who the publication's editor - not the reader - should contact if additional information is needed. Release date is usually "for immediate release" but if a later date is specified, perhaps to tie in with a holiday or a specific event, the publication will honor it.

Title is important, because obviously it's the first thing the editor will read, but also because it may very well end up as the title of the published article - even if the reporter re-writes the body. The body itself delivers the information, and the call to action is the part that tells your reader what you want them to do after reading the article. Should the call you? Come in on a certain day? Don't leave that out.

A boilerplate is background information, and is crucial if you or your business isn't already well known in the community. This isn't part of the release and won't get printed; it just gives the editor and staff writers a bit more information about why your release is important.

What to do with a press release Your press release's destination depends on which segment of the population you wish to reach, and which publications are most likely to use such a release. Generally the larger the publication, the less likely it will use your release as written - it may use part, or may use the release as a launching point for something entirely different.

You can send your release directly to the publications via e-mail or regular mail, and as with any submission to an editor, it helps to know the correct person's name and title. A professional writer can help you there, too.

Also, services such as PR Newswire (http://www.prnewswire.com) or EWorldWire (http://www.eworldwire.com) can help, for a fee.

Many professionals also advocate purchasing advertising space in the publication for the issue that will run your press release, if it's possible to find that date out in advance.

When your press release has been distributed and published, the benefits don't stop there. You can often use the press release itself for other marketing purposes, such as assisting with copy for brochures, the wording for smaller print ads, sales letters, etc.

About the author: Pamela Kock is a freelance commerical copywriter. She can be reached at (513) 284-7124. Visit her website to find out more about her services: http://www.wayswriter.com.

Author: Pamela Kock

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Oil near $81 amid signs of improving US economy

SINGAPORE (AP) ? Oil rose slightly to near $81 a barrel Thursday in Asia amid signs the U.S. economy, the world's largest crude consumer, may be improving.

Benchmark oil for August delivery was up 30 cents at $80.51 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 85 cents to settle at $80.21 in New York on Wednesday.

In London, Brent crude for August delivery was up 1 cent at $93.51 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

On Wednesday, the U.S. said durable goods orders rose by 1.1 percent in May, reversing a two-month drop. Pending home sales also jumped in May.

Crude has plummeted from $106 early last month on expectations weak global economic growth will drag down oil demand. Some analysts expect crude to hover near $80 until U.S. demand picks up.

"This is the longest and slowest recovery from double digit unemployment ever" for the U.S., said Carl Larry of Oil Outlooks and Opinions. "Prices are going to be a fair value for producers and consumers around $80."

Investors will be eyeing a two-day European Union summit scheduled to start later Thursday. While most analysts don't expect E.U. leaders to announce a major policy initiative, traders will be closely watching for signs of progress toward a solution to the region's debt and economic woes.

Signs of a weakening Chinese economy have also dragged oil prices lower. Citigroup estimates China will account for about half of global oil consumption growth this year.

"While Europe concerns impact all asset markets, the slowdown in China is particularly daunting for commodities," Citigroup said in a report.

However, the recent drop in fuel costs should help Asian economies by easing inflation pressures and giving policymakers more room for fiscal and monetary stimulus measures.

"In general, cheaper oil is in itself a good thing for Asia," Capital Economics said in a report. "The trouble is that oil prices are falling because the global economy is getting weaker. This means that instead of pushing up Asian growth, lower oil prices will only cushion the downside."

In other energy trading, heating oil was up 0.3 cent at $2.59 per gallon while gasoline futures gained 0.1 cent at $2.50 per gallon. Natural gas added 0.6 cent at $2.80 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Associated Press

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User:ElsinoreLovett101 - My Wiki

From My Wiki

Once upon a time folks had to check out a retail store to purchase products they needed or maybe wanted. Eventually the online world came along and presented people a different way to find the points they wanted with out leaving your home. It was great and individuals loved the theory. The following thing you understand internet shops became popular and changed greatly the way persons did internet business. Purchasing by auction but not only allowed individuals to get items they needed or even wanted without leaving home, in addition, they had the power obtain a excellent deal with some items and also have Work From Home carrying it out.

Currently enter in one more chapter within the history of how to obtain goods: penny deals or reverse auctions. Reverse deals or penny online auctions are shaking things up a lot more because people could possibly get what exactly needed or would like, without leaving their properties, while sporting fascinating they receive beyond a tremendous amount! Putting in a bid in a any amount of money auction is exclusive for the reason that lowest exclusive bid wins! No more strategy on how to find discounted products while not paying too much when you would not pay too much. Inside a reverse auction there exists a predetermined Penny Auction the bids ought to fall between and also the cost is always a new fraction of the actual item would cost. Picture getting a brand new car to the tariff of a bag of chips.

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Payment Gateway Developers Are In High Demand - New York Web ...

Written by: openwavebestservices | June 26, 2012 11:14 PM in Web Designers & Computer Services | 129 views | Tags: Web Application Development , Online Payment engine Development , Payment Gateway Developer , Payment Engine Development , Payment Gateway Development , Develop Online Payment Processing Solutions , Payment Engine Development , Online Payment Processing Development , Payment Gateway Developer , Payment Portal Development , Payment Engine , Online Payment Portals , Payment Systems , Payment Processing Systems , Develop Payment Processing Solutions , Financial Product Development , Online Payment Processing , Payment Gateway Development

In today?s world of Internet, E-commerce is becoming a highly developed business. Everyone who is now online business dealer needs a website as well as payment gateways. Payment gateways are almost a necessity for online stores that allow credit card/ debit card payment. A Payment Gateway Development is an essential component of any online business to take things forward.

Shopping Online Is Safe Now

Payment Processing Systems automatically process the payment transaction between the shopper and merchant. It is usually a third-party service that is actually a system of computer processes that process, verify, and accept or decline credit card transactions on behalf of the merchant through secure Internet connections. Payment engine is a software application designed to manage the processing of a transaction from card swipe to authorization.

Just Hire Payment Gateways Developers For A Successful Business

If you wish to grow your business without really expanding and spending on infrastructure, you don?t need to hire a roll of employees. Just hire payment gateway developers. They can build powerful and reliable applications including websites and other portals and boost your online business

Payment Gateway developers can create dynamic and interactive website for your online business according to your requirements. They are masters in developing online payment portals, content management system (CMS), collaborative networking systems, shopping carts, API Integration and numerous web applications. You can hire Payment Gateway developer to create professional application architecture and develop websites which are fully optimized, efficient and scalable. They are experts in improving the volume, quality of traffic to websites from Search Engine by optimizing your website.

These Are The Most Commonly Used Payment Gateways

1. Manual Payment Gateway: This type of payment gateway takes the customers' credit card details and stores them for you to access and process manually through a facility such as an eftpos machine which are inexpensive but they require manual processing for each payment.

?2. PayPal: This is one of the most professional payment gateways around. It processes the transaction real time thus when a customer provides the details, the funds are automatically transferred to you in no time.

3. Real time payment gateway: This is also very professional and an efficient gateway solution. In this, payments are processed at the point of the sale on your website

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Making Instant Approval Credit Card Applications Online | Finance ...

Instant approval credit cards are convenient ways in which to get you some instant credit. Apply for an instant approval credit card online and you can find out, within a few minutes if you are eligible for one or not. So an instant approval credit card is fast, its simple, and really a boon if you want some instant credit extensions. The key for getting an approval lies in making your application correctly and wisely. Here are tips that will help you get an instant approval credit card online.

Find the Right Instant Approval Credit Card

You will be spoilt for choice when you go shopping for an instant approval credit card online. It is easy to advice you to research each one of them thoroughly, but you need to know the precise factors to consider during your research. In order to give you immediate credit, the credit card company will take its pound of flesh with the following ? annual fees, interest rates, and other miscellaneous fees. A simple Google search will show you a quick comparison of the best rates of interest, annual fees, etc in your local area. If you have good credit, negotiate for a lesser interest rate or for zero annual fees. If you have a less than perfect credit history, find cards that offer a lower interest, less annual fees, etc

Secured Instant Approval Credit Cards

However, in case your credit history is really bad, find an instant approval credit card which offers a secured advance. You need to pay cash upfront in order to get credit. Ensure that the card reports this to the credit bureaus so that it helps you build a better credit history. Clear this point even before you apply for the card or you will have wasted your cash and your time.

Online Formalities for Instant Approval Credit Cards

You will see the online form you are required to fill out is pretty much the same as a regular credit card application form. Generally, the higher your household income, the better your chances of getting an approval. Avoid lying, as this information is useful for avoiding bankruptcy. If you inflate your household expenses, then the credit company will offer a higher credit limit. Anyone will be tempted to use up that credit limit. And if your income does not allow you to pay back your debts, you will find yourself falling quickly into the debt quicksand.

Applications for a secured instant approval credit card does not requires such details ? as long as you have the money and the facility to transfer the amount from your bank account, you will be able to get yourself an secured instant approval credit card. Just ensure the site is secure ? you can see a small lock appearing on the bottom right side of your browser window. This prevents hackers from accessing and misusing your credit card details.

Status of Instant Approval Credit Card Online

Generally, you will know the status of your application within a minute or two. If your application has been approved, then you can immediately start spending a limited amount. However, if the company needs to have a closer look at your accounts, they may defer their decision for a few days.

However, an instant approval credit card online is still the fastest way for getting a credit card or at least, some credit extension. Instant approval credit cards have their pros and cons and if you are aware the basic formalities of getting such a card, then there is no reason why your application should be rejected. But remember, an instant approval credit card may give you increased credit and may gratify your needs immediately, but they are double edged swords ? ensure that your credit history is not wounded in the process of acquiring too many credit cards.

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Landing Pages for Online and Offline Businesses

?I have a website; isn?t that enough??

?Landing pages are something only those Internet businesses use.?

?My customers don?t look for my services and products online.?

Fortunately most businesses have realized those are false beliefs. Or maybe it?s that businesses that didn?t change their beliefs have died away.

Either way businesses that know how to use online marketing to their advantage are thriving.

Email marketing has the highest response rate out of all marketing methods, PPC advertising can create huge returns, and affiliates can reach audiences you wouldn?t otherwise even know of.

Landing pages make all that success possible; without them, online marketing is useless to you.

Without effective landing pages your email list will stay limited to your mom. You?ll waste thousands of dollars into AdWords. And affiliates won?t touch your product ? not even by accident.

In other words, landing pages enable you to sell more, regardless of what it is that you offer.

So, how should offline businesses use landing pages and what are the most important landing pages to have?

And oh, the same principles apply just as much to online businesses?

Your Home Page

Have you ever visited a website, only to turn away when you saw the home page?

At least I do that quite often and for several different reasons:

1. The design is so poor that I can?t expect much of the other content.
2. I don?t really know what I?d get if I stayed.
3. All the blinking ads, product pictures, and other clutter gives me a panic attack.

Your home page is the most important landing page you?ll ever build.

It will get more views than any other page, or even more than all other pages combined.

Should it say, ?Come closer. Take a look at all the great content we can offer. Here?s what you wanted, right??

Or should it say, ?Check out me awesome blinking navigation bar with 49 links!?

Should it say, ?This is what I offer and I?m sure you?d benefit from having it.?

Or should it say, ??ber-cool-life-changing-ideas-by-ME! Subscribe, Subscribe, Subscribe!?

Should it say, ?Choose what you?re most interested in and get quality content related to that topic.?

Or should it say, ?OMG! I just broke some record of how many product ads I can fit into just one page!?

Your home page needs to do four things?

1. Say Hello

Many of the people who come to your home page have never before visited your site, nor know who you are.

What would you do if you had houseguests like that?

You?d welcome them and tell them they came to the right place.

What if those guests are some celebrities that all of your neighbors would love to have as guests too; you?d have to convince you?re a better host than your neighbors.

That?s the situation online; your visitors are potential customers that your competitors would love to have. And many visitors are inclined to check out your competition before even contacting you.

The next three things help keep your visitors from leaving, and at least from forgetting who you are in case they do leave.

2. Be Very Clear about What You Offer

If you run a real estate business, you?d say you sell houses. Right?

No! All your competitors can say that too. You need to tell your story in a way that?s best for your potential customers.

You have to be specific: ?I sell affordable family homes in the lovely west-region of Antarctica for people who value beautiful nature and peacefulness, and I have 245 years of experience doing it.?

But don?t say it like that. Break the idea into pieces; tell it with pictures and videos, testimonials and bullet-points.

But what if you sell houses at the North Pole too?

3. Self-Selection

So, what if you offer more than just one thing? For example houses on the Antarctica and on the North Pole.

Your home page can no longer serve all of your potential customers perfectly, since you can?t know what exactly they?re looking for.

Fortunately they know what they?re looking for and your home page?s job is to make sure they get closer to it.

Many huge multinational companies force you to choose your country before anything else. That?s probably not a good idea for your site, but the principle works; you force visitors to pick the content that best suits them.

If you had the real estate company, your home page could have two huge buttons (a certain type of call to action), one for each location or buttons for each type of house you offer. The next pages would then be optimized for the selection the visitor made.

4. Call to Action

Call to action is the small difference between a page that informs and a page that converts.

What the call to action should be on your home page then? It can be just a ?self-selection? button, email list sign up form, contact form, or even a ?buy now? button.

Example of a front page that has clear self-selection options and also asks for an opt in.

What?s the best call to action on a home page depends on several things.

• Your goals
• Your products
• Your visitors
• Other elements on the page
• Etc.

Unfortunately I can?t give you a simple answer. The only rule I can offer is this: ask for the biggest commitment that your potential customers are willing to make at that point. And offer smaller commitments for those who aren?t quite there yet.

That ?large? commitment could be contacting you for a quote. And the smaller commitment could be watching a video about what you offer, or just clicking a link.

Check out this crazy example that hopefully explains some of the last ideas?

What Else Should Be on Your Home Page?

Nothing. It?s that simple.

Always make your home page as simple as possible; tell and show enough to keep visitors from leaving, but nothing more.

Have you ever stood in front of the ice cream shelf feeling as confused as after reading this sentence, ?The hamburger, ?Hamburg hamburger?, in Hamburg at, ?Hamburgers of Hamburg?, is the Hamburgers? favorite hamburger??

The confusion with ice creams comes from having too many choices. The same happens on many home pages; as well as other landing pages.

Even the best home page should only be the first in a series of pages meant to drive visitors to action. Next up: the most usual type of landing page, which is also the one people most often do a poor job with.

Product Pages

?But I don?t sell anything online??

You do sell something, right? That something needs a landing page.

80% of Americans use the Internet. That?s including infants, elderly, the blind, and those who believe using electricity is a sin.

In other words, your audience uses the Internet. Should they find you and your products there too?

Lets say you sell bricks in your, ?Quality Bricks for Builders?, store. And you refuse to see that many people would probably like to order your bricks online.

Well, you should still create landing pages for your bricks.

If you don?t sell the product online, then your landing pages? function is to make decision-making easy.

Good product pages help your potential customers find what they want and encourage making the purchase.

Some offline companies are ? quite successfully ? using shopping lists on their web sites. They let you browse their catalog and make a shopping list that you can print out and take with you to the actual store.

Product pages are also ideal for PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising (like AdWords). They?re highly focused, they tell the visitor all they need to know to make a decision, and they?re easily customizable for different ads.

But product pages aren?t just about PPC advertising, search engine optimization, and customer service; you need product landing pages for effective email marketing.

Email Marketing

As mentioned before email marketing has the highest response rate out of any direct marketing method.

And it works just as well for offline businesses as it does for online businesses.

The first step is always building a list; without one, there?s no email marketing.

And when you have the list, you can drive your business with it.

But you can do neither ? effectively ? without good landing pages for both steps.

Opt In Landing Page

To get people to subscribe to your list, you need a landing page that accomplishes that. Sure, you can just add an opt in form to your sidebar, but a dedicated landing page will have a much higher conversion rate.

There are several things most businesses do wrong with opt in landing pages.

1. They don?t give a good reason for subscribing.
2. They don?t directly ask you to subscribe.
3. They make subscribing too difficult.
4. They mess up the design.
5. They attract the wrong people.

Here?s a video that explains these ideas and shows you how to build an opt in landing page that works:

More about landing page optimization.

Check out the example that works.

But building the list is only the first step. Sending the emails and creating results is a different thing completely. But again landing pages make that easier?

The Email Landing Page

First of all, What the hell is an ?email landing page??

Have you ever received an email that has a link to a web page?

What about an email that gets you to click the link, but you leave the page where it lead without taking any action?

Most email marketing needs landing pages to be the conversion point, regardless of which of the three email marketing strategies you use. And most companies don?t know how to build landing pages that ?seal the deal?.

If you don?t sell the product online then your goal with the product page is either to inform (which will hopefully lead to sales) or to get the visitor to make the purchase decision and contact you.

So, how do you build an effective email landing page?

Here are a few guidelines to help you get started:

1. The landing page has to continue from where the email left the reader.
2. Stay focused on the message and your goal.
3. Add value (information, promises, proof) to the email.
4. Make the offer simple, clear, and easy to act on.
5. Too simple is always better than too complicated.

What to Do Right Now?

Okay, you know you need landing pages to promote your offline (or online) business effectively. And you probably have some ideas about how you can use them or make them better.

But before you start writing code, A/B-testing, and obsessing over conversion statistics, do this very short thought exercise:

1. Think what you want new visitors to do when they come to your site. Do you want them to contact you? Do you want them to find the best products for them? Do you want them to opt in to your email list? Something else?
2. Open your home page.
3. Look at each element on the page and think do they direct the visitor to your goals?
4. Now imagine removing every element that doesn?t help your goals.
5. And finally make the remaining elements more powerful with the extra space you now have.

Are you serious about making your landing pages better? What would happen to your business if your conversion rate would increase?

If you want to better your landing pages? conversion, here?s what I can do to help:

1. Leave a link to your landing page in the comments below. I promise to check it out and reply to you. Can you think of a reason why you wouldn?t use this opportunity? If you don?t have dedicated landing pages then use your home page.
2. Download my FREE Landing Page Checklist. It explains the 11 most important keys to high conversion. Once you read it, you?ll know more about landing pages than 90% of other business owners.
3. Get a Full Landing Page Evaluation that tells you clearly how you can increase your conversion. This is what I do and know. If you don?t agree, you pay absolutely nothing for it

Peter Sandeen is a marketing consultant specializing in landing pages. If you?ll only read one thing he?s written, then check out his FREE 46-page ?101 Headline Formulas? eBook. If you want more, go to Affect Selling.

Tagged as: Guest Appearances, Peter Sandeen

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