Small Business Products Get 'Sex and the City' Close-Up

The "Sex and the City" TV series made household names of brands like Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo – now a handful of small companies are hoping the film has a similar effect on their products.

Vintage apron company Jessie Steele had a big score: Its Audrey cupcake apron not only appeared in the film, it appeared in the trailer. Charlotte York (the brunette) wears the $32.95 full-length pinafore.

"Sales on that item have been huge since the release of the trailer," spokesman Tim Bayliss tells Inc.com. "We've gotten inquiries into the apron nationally and globally." The Berkeley, California-based company – started in 2002 by a collector of vintage aprons and her fashion-savvy daughter – says it had no idea the item would appear in the film until they saw the trailer. (The minute they did, though, they ramped up production. "We knew it would be huge," Bayliss said. The item currently is on backorder on their website.)

Colombian-born, Miami-based designer Adriana Castro also had a big score: Two handbags in the trailer alone, and five in the film. One bag, a $1,160 python clutch, racked up five minutes in screen time – no mean feat in a film where the characters changed clothes even in the desert. (See the bags Carrie Bradshaw & Co. carried.)

How did her luxe handbags land onscreen? "It was a surprise," Castro, who launched her collection in 2007, tells Inc.com. "They don't confirm product placement." Castro's exotic skin bags already have a celebrity following, which Castro says is thanks in part to her friend Loren Ridinger, senior vice president of internet retailing giant marketamerica.com. (Ridinger told her pal Eva Longoria about the bags, and the "Desperate Housewives" actress then toted the $1,145 lizard Annie clutch, a classic envelope bag. Other celebrities have since followed.)

more information :-http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/06/sex-and-the-city-small-business-cameos.html

Even great new products need marketing

I've been keeping a careful eye on my friends at Madécasse, the chocolate makers in the States.

And it looks like I'm not the only person who is keen to see the brand succeed. Seth Godin has also been writing about the company in his blog, contemplating the brand, the package and the story, and wondering what the owners should do to get the chocolate bars leaping off the shelves.

So here's my view:

The product itself is pretty good. And so thinks the New York Times: "These days my favorite chocolate isn’t certified by the US Department of Agriculture and it’s not Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance stamped. It’s Madécasse, made from cacao grown in Madagascar’s naturally organic forests. It’s traded fairly and is environmentally friendly."

One rave review, however, does not make a business.

So, does the packaging say "buy me, buy me"? Like Godin, I am not convinced they've got it quite right.

Here are a couple of one-liners that always come up fairly early on in my discussions about sales and marketing:

* Why should people buy from you if you're the same as the competition?

* What makes you different from the rest?

* Do you understand that marketing is not a battle for the product but a battle for the mind of the customer?

No-one disputes the quality of the product, at least not once they've tried it. But for Madécasse virgins, it is tricky – they will buy the product because it has either been recommended (in which case the packaging isn't so vital) or because the packaging entices them.

Currently the packaging doesn't make the chocolate leap off the shelves: it doesn't tell a story; and it doesn't scream "buy me".

I think Madécasse is being too modest and shy. For specific shoppers (green/organic/chocoholics/environmentalists/third worlders) this chocolate should be "the only one". Why would I want to put money in the hands of the global capitalist scum when I can give it direct to the workers via Madécasse?

So, here are two things Madécasse must do:

1. Identify a specific market niche. Get it sorted and sell specifically to them.

2. Work the word-of-mouth marketing systems. In this world of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and so on, you need to get your raving fans to help you sell your story.


more Information :-http://realbusiness.co.uk/sales_and_marketing/even_great_new_products_need_marketing

Apple passes Microsoft as world's most valuable tech firm

Remember that little company that needed Microsoft's financial help just to keep going in 1997? Well, today that company - Apple - just surpassed Microsoft in terms of market value.

At the close of trading in Wall Street last night, Apple had a market capitalisation of $222 billion, compared with Microsoft's $219 billion. The valuation makes Apple the world's most valuable technology firm.

It marks an extraordinary turnaround for Apple, which was on the brink of collapse before Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997. Indeed, Apple accepted a $150 million investment from Microsoft that year just to keep the company afloat.

A year later, Apple introduced the game-changing iMac, its iconic all-in-one computer, and the company has rarely put a foot wrong since.

It has subsequently launched two genre-defining products: the iPod and the iPhone, and many suspect it may be on the cusp of a third with the iPad, which goes on sale in the UK tomorrow.

Consequently, Apple's shares are now worth more than ten times what they were a decade ago, with the company now raking in $13.5 billion in revenue in the last quarter (still about $1 billion less than Microsoft).

for more information :-http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/358243/apple-passes-microsoft-as-worlds-most-valuable-tech-firm

GK: New niches for steady riches

Slough-based distributor GK Telecom has kept a low profile, but a pending airtime contract with T-Mobile,an expanding 3 sales base and a solid SIM-card business has turned heads

Slough SIM card distributor GK Telecom is not widely known in the industry beyond its core customer base and suppliers. It comprises just 23 staff, and has kept its head down and maintained a low profile.

However, that all changed in April when T-Mobile dropped airtime distributor Anglia Telecom Centres for missing volume targets in successive quarters, leaving HSC as T-Mobile’s only official airtime partner in the UK.

Anglia Telecom stockists were transferred to HSC to ensure continuity of business for T-Mobile, which at the time announced in tandem plans to put GK on a six-month trial period with a view to making it a fully fledged distributor for the network after that.

However due to the joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile in the UK, the trial could be delayed until July, when the merger takes fuller shape.

GK Telecom network director Debbie Young explains: “The trial has suffered a setback. The delay is a real shame but is unavoidable given the scale of disruption at both networks as they strive to achieve synergy in back office and sales functions. It would be crazy to think that the joint venture would have no impact.”

GK Telecom has been a 3 distributor for 18 months. GK Telecom chairman Gurminder Dulku and director Atul Patel (pictured) hired Young from HSC as network director to set up its back office for airtime sales and to recruit and train staff. GK Telecom now has full distribution with 3 for business sales, consumer retail connections, mobile broadband, prepay products and SIM cards.

Young has 11 years of experience in the airtime and dealer channel. She started at European Telecom where she was a dealer account manager for four years.

She then spent three years as a dealer manager at Hugh Symons (now HSC), and worked under the same job title for Unique Distribution between June 2005 and September 2007. Prior to joining GK Telecom, she was head of airtime at Advantage Cellular between September 2007 and March 2009.

more information :-http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/Features/489661/gk_new_niches_for_steady_riches.html

Can the Kobo eReader compete with the Apple iPad?

REDgroup Retail has finally released the Kobo eReader device and eBooks platform, with the gadget to sell for $199 in Borders bookstores and online in an attempt to challenge the Amazon Kindle's grip on the market.

But analysts question whether the gadget will actually achieve success in Australia, as the Apple iPad threatens to topple the dedicated eReader market with a more powerful offering.

REDgroup, which operates the Borders and Angus & Robertson book chains, launched the gadget in Sydney yesterday. It is one of the first eReaders to be launched towards a mass-market audience in Australia.

While Amazon has already offered the international Kindle model for some time, the device is not actually sold in stores – one advantage the Kobo has over the retail giant.

About two million eBooks are already available on the Borders eBook store, and are in a format that can be read on any device including the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and any Android-based mobile device. The company also hopes to push the availability of local authors as a key drawing card.

Setting the gadget's price at $199 will also provide an advantage over the Amazon Kindle, which costs $US259, and the iPad, which starts at $629. Books will sell for about $10-15, which is similar to the prices offered by Amazon and Apple.

But despite Kobo's first-mover advantage, some analysts are questioning whether the gadget will actually have any traction in the Australian market. While dedicated eReaders have been popular for some time, some analysts say they may be overridden by stronger, multi-purpose devices like the iPad.

Telsyte analyst Alvin Lee says while the Kobo has an attractive battery life, and the in-built books are a nice touch, it won't necessarily be able to compete against multipurpose devices.

"However, the fact that an eBook-store-app will also be made available across platforms including Blackberry, Android and iPad, might cause the device itself to be less attractive to consumers."

"Further comparing with Apple's iPad, it is missing the wow factor as a late comer to the market. Kobo eReader is now competing with Apple's iPad, who essentially offers not only eBooks, but a much wider range of applications and services."

But Ovum analyst Nathan Burley says the market is splintering into different types of niche products.

"If you look at what's happening in devices at the moment, you have a lot of different form factors which are emerging. We are at the point now where producing electronics is cheap, and cheap enough to create entirely new categories."

"If you look now, we are getting steps away from just a phone and a PC, we have tablets, eReaders, smartbooks as well as netbooks, which came on the scene about two or three years ago. There will be more and more devices like this, but the question is, do customers want one product that does something very well, or a multi-purpose product?"

Burley says the market will see both scenarios occur – while some users will choose single-use devices, others will opt for more complex gadgets.

"Look at cameras. Almost everyone has a camera in their phone now, but you still have people buying more complicated cameras to do more complicated things. Music players, eReaders all fall into that category as well."

One industry expert also expressed doubt the device would achieve much success in Australia, saying the local market is becoming used to more powerful gadgets such as the iPad, which will eventually overshadow single-use devices like the Amazon Kindle.

Nevertheless, demand for eReaders is set to grow. A new study from Boston Consulting Group revealed last week that 23% of Australians plan to buy an eReader or tablet within the next year, while 49% plan to buy one within the next three years.

more information :-http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/20100520-can-the-kobo-ereader-compete-with-the-apple-ipad.html

E-readers, tablet computers set to take off: BCG survey

Consumers worlwide are very interested in tablet computers like Apple's iPad and electronic readers such as Amazon's Kindle, and sales of the devices could take off when prices drop, according to a new survey.

"I think we're already at the starting point of mass adoption," said John Rose of The Boston Consulting Group, which conducted the survey of nearly 13,000 consumers in 14 countries.

"A million iPads in a month is a lot," Rose told AFP on Monday, refering to Apple's first month sales figures for the touchscreen device. Other companies such as Sony, Samsung and Google were expected to come out with similar products, he added.

Fifty-one percent of consumers surveyed who were familar with e-readers or tablet computers said they planned to purchase one within a year and 73 percent said they planned to buy one within three years.

"The survey suggests that e-readers and tablets are not a niche product for early adopters but could become the MP3 players of this decade," Rose said separately in a press release. "Grandmothers will soon be carrying them around."

The survey revealed prices will have to drop before e-readers and tablets become established consumer products alongside television sets, personal computers and mobile phones.

"As with other major mass market consumer devices the prices will come down," Rose told AFP. "They always do.

"I expect you'll see the prices come down in the next 12 to 18 months," he said. "The first iPod was a 400-dollar device so there's no reason why we won't see the same cycle."

US consumers said they were prepared to pay between 100 and 150 dollars for a single-usage device like the Kindle or 130 to 200 dollars for a multi-purpose device like the iPad, which can serve as an e-reader but also browse the Web or play video.

The Kindle, which was launched in 2007, costs 259 dollars while the iPad, which came out in the United States last month, costs between 499 dollars and 829 dollars.

The survey found most consumers would prefer a multi-purpose device. Sixty-six percent said they preferred a multi-purpose device while 24 percent said they wanted a single-purpose device for reading electronic books. The remainder were undecided.

"Consumers want to use these devices for a broad range of things, including Web surfing and email," Rose said. "These are easy and portable devices that'll make it easy to do such things."

In the United States, consumers are willing to pay between five and 10 dollars for digital books, five to 10 dollars for a monthly newspaper subscription and between two and four dollars for a single issue of an online magazine.

The BCG survey was conducted in March of 12,717 consumers in Australia, Austria, Britain, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Spain and the United States.

more information :-http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i1yUNfVY60wHNuXE50sf4kyaT9lQ

Nancy Barnes: New bylines in your paper

In the last few weeks, we've added three staffers to our business department, to fill positions created by departing reporters and to add some journalistic muscle to one of the most important sections in the paper. To fill these positions, we literally looked at applicants from all over the country, then invested in relocating those we hired to the Twin Cities.

You've seen some of their work already. Mike Hughlett, a veteran business reporter, is now covering the food and agriculture industry, and his byline has appeared frequently since he landed here last month. Hughlett was hired from the Chicago Tribune and previously had been a reporter at the Pioneer Press. Wendy Lee, formerly a business reporter at the Tennessean, has joined us to cover emerging technology companies, and Thom Kupper, a longtime business editor at the San Diego Union Tribune, arrived this week after driving four days cross-country (by way of Mount Rushmore) to be a senior editor in the business department.

Since fall, we have also hired two reporters for our political team and a veteran reporter to dig out in-depth stories, and we are interviewing for a data reporter for our investigative team.

These are just some of the investments we have made, and continue to make, to provide readers with strong, thoughtful and engaging content. Just last week, I heard someone in the community proclaim that newspapers were leaving beat after beat unfilled, failing to fulfill their core mission. That may be true at some newspapers in the country, but it's simply not the case at the Star Tribune. That perception may be born of a misunderstanding of what was happening at this company in the midst of a terrible recession that forced significant cutbacks, as it did at businesses around the country.

more information :-http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/93157394.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:U0ckkD:aEyKUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

UK journalists start entrepreneurial niche websites

Although entrepreneurial blog sites are old hat in the United States, they are just hitting the scene in the UK and are quickly gaining momentum, reports the Independent.

The trend towards professional online news sites unrelated to established print papers started in the US and has since seen the foundation of multimillion dollar sites like the Huffington Post or the Gawker media sites. The Independent's Ian Burrell calls the UK versions of sites like these "expertly written websites that cater for the specialist audiences that are arguably no longer being served as they once were by more traditional media organisations."

Burrell cites recently founded niche website The Arts Desk as an example of this trend. The Arts Desk offers readers professional arts criticism from journalists formerly or currently employed by well-established papers, and aims to have the site updated by 2 am after opening performances--much quicker than most newspapers publish.
One such journalist, Ismene Brown, was laid off from her job as dance critic at the Daily Telegraph and went on to help found the Arts Desk, recruiting a group of 30 like-minded journalists and finding private investment for the site. Almost six months in, it already draws 60,000 visitors each month and has ads from from the South Bank Center and the O2 and London theatres.

101 Holidays is a similar venture, founded by former Sunday Times travel writers Mark Hosdon and David Wickers. They aim to provide a resource for travelers that is unique from most travel websites because of their background knowledge.

"One of the core principles of our site is expert recommendation," Hodson said. " We are trying to say 'Believe us' because we have been to all these places."

more info :-http://www.editorsweblog.org/web_20/2010/04/uk_journalists_start_entrepreneurial_nic.php

Council wants ‘uniform, neat and clean’ niches for cremains

It wasn’t quite “Tales From the Crypt,” but things did get a bit macabre Wednesday during a city study session on how to proceed with a proposed columbarium at the Nogales City Cemetery.
Raymond Kory, who donated the engineering for the project now being constructed by city crews, was asked rather indiscreetly by local mortician Tomas Martinez whether he still kept the ashes of a relative who died some time ago inside a plastic box rather than a pricier, more elegant urn.

“Yes, I do,” responded Kory, who is emphatic the city proceed with plans for a one-size-fits-all columbarium, which is a public storage area for cinerary urns.

Kory said he had yet to find an appropriate urn for his relative.

But Martinez said he was trying to show that family members should have the option of larger, decorative spaces for their loved ones’ final resting place.

In a moment of levity, he said: “For example, if I want to bury my wife (while she’s still alive) I would want something better than a plastic box.”

He and Ron Adair, of Adair’s Carroon Mortuary Chapel, argued that the city should not impede or compete in their private enterprise by limiting the size and types of urns they can offer families. They suggested the columbarium be designed to accommodate “drawers” for varied urn dimensions instead of Kory’s proposed size of five inches by eight inches.

But Kory was unmoved, pushing for uniformity that would allow for 2,940 compartments rather than a mixed design.

“I strongly recommend you not do that; don’t differentiate between the millionaire and the pauper,” he told the council.

“I recommend the city not privatize it because it’s basically zero maintenance,” he said of the project, noting that it would generate substantial revenues if each is sold at a suggested $1,000.

Mayor Octavio Garcia-Von Borstel said he preferred the “uniform, neat and clean” niches Kory suggested. He polled the council, which unanimously agreed.

“No,” said Councilman Nubar Hanessian to Adair’s suggestion of a mixed–use design. “Then you’ll get into and east-side, west-side story” where the rich are in one section and the less wealthy on another.

Councilman Ramon Felix said families still have the option of purchasing more elaborate urns for wake or church viewing, and the cremains can then be transferred to the “box.”

Councilwoman Olga Valdez said, “Why do we want a gold box. It’s not like we’re going to be brought back.”

The matter was referred to staff to come up with a final recommendation.

more info :-http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2010/04/23/news/doc4bd1bda2e0d92807388256.txt

Why Not To Create Niche Websites With Blog Applications

There are many small niche websites on the internet that are created using a blogging platform like Blogger. While this can be very convenient, it isn't always the best option for a niche website unless you can modify your blog site heavily. Some of the disadvantages are that the site will be less static, and people recognize blogs much too well.

When creating a niche website, I find it very important that the website be static, with just a set of simple HTML scripts and no dynamic content. My strategy is to keep my sites very simple and somewhat ugly too. The less the website itself attracts my visitors the better, since then they may be more inclined to look at the ads instead of my header or navigation. If the whole point of your niche site is to make money with PPC or affiliate programs, then making it with a blogging platform can be bad since your website will automatically be dynamic. It has basically been proven that simple static sites will help you earn better when working with niches, and also let you rank higher in search engines. It is definitely possible to modify your blogging site to be completely static, but this may be more work than its worth.

Another reason that you shouldn't use blog sites for niches is that people are very familiar with blogs, and they are traditionally fairly bad for PPC advertising. When people view blog sites, they usually already know how to navigate them and where to find the content. You probably don't want this since you sort of want to push the ads directly into the users face right when they come to your page. You don't want them to know exactly how to navigate the site and how to use all its functions, or else they will initially already have no interest in clicking on the ads. If you insist on using a blogging platform though, just make sure to modify the template very well, to the point where it doesn't even look like a blog anymore. This can definitely help with conversions/CTR.

In my experience it is a bad idea to create niche sites on blogging platforms unless you want to modify the code and template a lot. I find it much more convenient to just create static HTML pages, mainly because the SEO will generally be better and my visitors won't know what to expect when visiting my site. Just consider this if you are planning on creating some new niche sites.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Not-To-Create-Niche-Websites-With-Blog-Applications&id=4120305

Affiliate Marketing - Popular Markets Or Niche Products?

Many people come across a confusing crossroad when they first decide to try their hand at making money online in affiliate marketing. There are two main camps, or factions, when it comes to online commission based sales.

Some claim it is better to look for popular markets such as health and fitness, insurance or internet marketing. Others advocate the careful of niche - or less-popular - markets and the choosing of products with little competition in order to earn cash online.

Both certainly, have their merits but which should you choose? Here is a brief summary of both to help you with your decision:

Popular Markets

In this method you look for a market that has a lot of interest. The easy way to do that is to enter the category into a search engine and look at the amount of competing sites. This will give you a good idea that this market is popular. If you want to confirm this you can go to your favourite keyword research tool and do the same search, you will be able to get a better indication of the monthly searches the category term gets.

The next thing is to choose a product that is selling well in that market. You can either look at the search engine results when you did your first search and click on a few example and see what they are selling or else go to your affiliate network and see what the top sellers are in that category.

The advantage to popular markets and products is obvious - there is a huge potential customer base. Another up-side is that your keywords will be simple.

The down-side is that those keywords will be fiercely competitive and very expensive if you are considering PPC advertising. But your biggest problem may lie in getting yourself noticed - this is not a problem if you intend to promote the product on your site or blog and you have a good customer base. The problem occurs when you try to promote via PPC or through SERPs.

Niche Products

This is the other side to the affiliate marketing coin. Sales will be smaller and keyword research more arduous and time-consuming but if you get it right you can run very prosperous PPC campaigns or find yourself with high SERPs in no time at all.

In this method you need to weed out very select markets such as building a chicken coop, puppy crate training or specific medical conditions. There is software to help you with this but it can be expensive. An easy method is to rely on your hobbies, or listen to friends and see if you can draw any inspiration.

Once you think you have a niche market, you should research it as per the popular market example. Make sure there is sufficient interest but not market saturation. You will need to find a decent product to promote - this should be easy enough, there is huge variety available these days and if not you can always create your own!

If you decide on a PPC campaign you will have to look for what is known as long-tail keyword phrases. These are simply a string of 3-4 words such as "build a chicken coop". You will need to make sure there are enough monthly searches to facilitate a campaign but ideally you are looking for low competition and low CPC.

The reason for this is that you want to keep your costs low as you probably won't make as many sales with niche targeting so you want to maximise your profit from every sale.

This method can be very profitable but you will need to run numerous projects at the same time. You may need 5 of these niche projects to match one popular market product. The advantage here is that you have a greater chance of success selling niche products if your get it right.

The disadvantage is the added research, extra work and hit and miss consistency of niche marketing, however, if you do it right you can stumble onto a potential affiliate marketing goldmine.

This technique is probably the best option for anyone breaking into affiliate marketing and trying to earn cash online that doesn't already have a website with a large audience or a massive budget to compete in the popular keyword PPC market.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Affiliate-Marketing---Popular-Markets-Or-Niche-Products?&id=4070273

Earn Money on The Internet With Micro Niche Finder

Possibilities of earning money on Internet with Micro Niche Finder are countless. Today I like to discuss just one of many possibilities of Micro Niche Finder but first a quick overview of what is Micro Niche Finder.

Micro Niche Finder is a paid tool to determine profitable keywords that would Earn Money on Internet. It pulls it's data from the Free Google AdWord tool, which is the most accurate searched based data tool available in the market.Micro Niche Finder would pull exactly same data from Google AdWord data source each time you type a provable keyword and hit find at Micro Niche Finder.

Addition to AdwWords Tool data, this tool will bring you some additional data for keywords in a short time. These data can be achieved manually by carrying out an extensive research online which painstakingly tedious and time consuming. But you must get these data to determine whether your targeted keywords would be profitable or not.

In addition to AdWords tool data MNF will give you domain name availability data on your keyword with search engine friendly extensions. Classify the competition in the market for your keywords, rating low competitive, moderately competitive and highly competitive. It also gives you measure commercial intention and the measure of backlinks needed to rank in search engine for your keyword. These three results gives you immediate impression about your keywords profitability within short time. Without spending countless hours with painstaking tedious research you can determine whether your targeted keyword would be profitable or not.

Other than optimizing your websites with the keywords uncovered by MNF there are so many ways to earn money on internet with Micro Niche Finder. Here is one way how you can earn money on Internet. Uncover a keyword which is fairly high searched, commercially viable and domain extension.com is available. Register the domain name. You can do that with GoDaddy, Namecheap or Name.com does not matter. Now go to your web browser and type "domain name brokers". Research some of the Brokerage companies terms and pick up one which suits you. Submit your newly registered domain name for sale. You can make considerable amount of money this way within short time. There are many marketers earn money on Internet this way.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Earn-Money-on-The-Internet-With-Micro-Niche-Finder&id=3950490

Flipping Websites - A Viable Business Model?

When you start an online business you are going to be on a steep learning curve. If you build and number of blogs or websites inevitably some of them will be failures and it can be a viable proposition to dispose of your failures by flipping them on a website such as flippa.com.

The websites or blogs that you are selling on Flippa.com may be just the thing that fit perfectly into somebody else's business model. For example if your business model is based around Adsense publishing the site that you are selling may not conform to your ideal but it may well be a perfect match for somebody wishing to set up an affiliate website in a particular niche market.

The revenue that you generate can then be ploughed back into your business into more appropriate sites which fit your business model. It is amazing how many new people to the Internet are looking to buy small sites to get started in Internet marketing. Even if you only get around $200 this is money that you can plough back into your particular business and continue to expand in your particular method of operating.

I recently sold two sites and even though they were not very profitable day each made around $200 which allowed me to reinvest in my more successful sites. By a constant process of weeding out sites that don't suit you or your business model, selling them and reinvesting the proceeds you can continue to be the your online business.

I have found it important to list the details of the site that you are selling very openly and very honestly and include plenty of screenshots of traffic figures, any sales figures and any other relevant details. If you do this and set your reserve at a low figure you may well be surprised by the amount of interest in your site.

I realise that there are many professional website sellers selling sites on the Internet and relying on this for their complete business model and this may well be a business that I will pursue in the future but for now I am happy to use flipping websites as an opportunity to weed out some of my mistakes and reinvest the proceeds in my business, for example, the outsourcing of article rating, back linking and so on.

If you are interested in flipping websites as your primary business model that there are many resources on the Internet, both free and paid, which will give you more detail on how to go about it in a more businesslike fashion. But for now you may be satisfied, let me, to simply dip your toe in the water and reinvest it more successful sites.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Flipping-Websites---A-Viable-Business-Model?&id=4031409

My Candid Review of the Micro Niche Finder Research Software

So, what exactly is Micro Niche Finder and why should be it be in your marketing arsenal? The following is a review that will answer all those questions and more, including all the benefits you gain for your online business. To start with, Micro Niche Finder is a software product that allows you to not only research keywords, but also allows you to comprehensively analyze your promotional efforts.

It was created and launched by James Jones. The software's name says it all - it's a smart way to easily find profitable niche markets that would normally be hard to discover. If you have had previous experience working as an Internet marketer and/or you know how a SEO works, then you understand the importance of keyword research. Every Internet marketer understand that you need to spend significant time researching your target market and you need to keep looking for new markets that haven't been tapped yet.

Another beneficial feature of Micro Niche Finder is that it makes it simple to begin and manage a search engine optimization campaign, saving the many hours that would be required to research by hand. They made this possible with a software program that contains incredible features which are simplistic yet play a significant role in determining how you should go about it. The SOC index that is provided with the program is what gives you the most help with your work. So what is this magic SOC and what does it have to do with your campaign?

For future reference, SOC represents the "strength of competition" for certain keywords. This value or indicator is quickly calculated with the use of multiple factors taken into consideration. The accuracy of this data is quite reliable, and will help you make informed decisions. SOC is color coded with green, orange and red signals that you will receive about just how competitive any particular keyword is. Time is of the essence for most people when doing SEO, which places this aspect as incredibly beneficial.

Finally, let me point out that Micro Niche Finder has a commodity rarely found today, a first-rate support team. In fact, you can contact the creator of the system, James, if you have any difficulties with the software. Micro Niche Finder has a well-organized support system working for you and responding to your queries and problems within 24 hours.

I'm sure this comes as a big relief for anyone who has ever tried to get in touch with a software company after buying and opening the software. All in all, I have found Micro Niche Finder to be a thorough and effective software tool that helps research and locate niche markets, and on top of all that, it has a money-back guarantee and provides free lifetime updates.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?My-Candid-Review-of-the-Micro-Niche-Finder-Research-Software&id=3787493

Auto Content Cash is Live-Auto Content Cash Review

Here's why you should be interested. Alex and his partners have figured out a dead-simple formula for automating the process of building of tiny niche websites. A simple 35 minute setup will leave you with a website that keeps growing in traffic, rankings, and best of all the amount of passive income it earns.

This is truly "set and forget" at its core, and like nothing I've ever seen released to the market before. Check it out here:

Here's the cool thing about how ACC works:

[+] It doesn't require you to write at all; in fact it uses other people's content to push your sites quality through the roof...

[+] You can start with little to no experience - everything is laid out in clear step by step in the training area...

[+] Even if you're super-strapped for time and can only put in a couple hours a week, then this will work for you...

[+] This is the ultimate "lazy marketers" system, but it's 10x as effective at grabbing top 10 rankings and sending you streams of red-hot f.ree traffic to your money sites.

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Auto Content Cash Exposes
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1. How to build sites lightning fast... spending less than an hour building a fully functional and SEO-optimized niche site where their proprietary automation tools do 95% of the work for you...

2. How to turn every 35-50 minutes of work into an average of $340 in pure profit...

3. The secret formula they use to skyrocket these automated niche sites to the top of Google rankings nearly without fail...

4. How to make a "quick cash grab" whenever you want, raking in $400-$1500 nearly on demand...

5. How to grow and attract even more traffic with these sites automatically without ever lifting another finger...

6. The secret Google shortcut that will blast your sites to the top of Google with little to no effort on your part - leveraging on the work of other people...

7. Where to get a full time employee that can build dozens of these profit streams for you monthly for just about $200-$300 a month.

8. A lot more than I can fit in this email...

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Building Niche Websites

Why is it that some people are able to build niche websites that generate a ton of cash while the rest of us settle for the scraps? What do they know that we mere mortals do not?

Well the reality is that there are no hidden secrets to niche marketing. It's just that the gurus know how to cash in on these niche products the way the rest of us don't. So what is it that they really know that we may learn from?

Firstly, they have plenty of knowledge about the art of niche marketing. They seek knowledge and the internet is full of knowledge on a multitude of subjects. There are heaps of free products available but most marketers just can't make a decision on what to market because of information overload. Consequently, the business goes nowhere and the money fails to flow.

So, take time out and think of what popular niches there are that you can sell products in and take action to generate some cash through a bit of hard work. If you put in the effort, it will eventually be rewarded.

Also, niche marketing gurus often outsource their work to a team of artists, writers, designers and so forth. Of course, you may not be able to do this because of the financial outlay. If this is the case then you need to learn how to do it yourself. There are many e-books available to help you.

While you are starting out and doing everything manually, you should gradually learn how to automate these things. If you do that, you may end up with hundreds of little niche websites all running automatically and generating income without much effort. It can be done and it is being done every day. People are making literally thousands of dollars simply by niche marketing.

As you can see, the more niche sites you create, the more money you will make. If you can make five to ten new niche sites a month, you will be reaping the benefits in a big way about six months down the track.

So to recap, start manual but look at putting all of the chores on autopilot. Whatever you can do through a program, you can automate. Try to find someone else to come into it with you so that the work load is divided.

The gurus make it big because they hire employees or partners and they use automation to churn out their websites and generate income. They plan their websites and are willing to put in the hard work. If they can do it so can you.

more :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Building-Niche-Websites&id=823338

Niche Finder -The 3 Crucial Characteristics of a Profitable Niche

Do you find it hard to make money from your online niche marketing efforts? Would you like to know how to become an expert niche finder? There are three essential elements to look for in a niche? When you find all three you know you've got a money making niche on your hands!

So with that said, there are three critical characteristics to look for in a niche as part of your potential profitability evaluation.

Characteristic One

Do the people in the niche have a desperate need for the product or service you are promoting? It's not about whether or not they will like your product, or whether they will want it either. If you want to make a lot of money, you have to identify a group of people with a desperate need. If they are desperate for a solution to a problem they are more likely to spend their last dollar on your product if it provides what they need. For example someone who is deep in debt and desperate to borrow money, or is desperate to save a relationship are great examples of desperate people.

So the expert niche finder golden rule number one is to identify a desperate market!

Characteristic Two

Do the people with the desperate need have any money to spend? There is no point marketing a product if your target market can't afford the product you are promoting! For example, someone who is desperate to borrow money won't have the cash to spend on a product that tells them how to make money or how to get a loan. They may be desperate, but they need a free solution. That said, if you are promoting a payday loan product to those people you may well have a lot of success, but promoting a product they have to pay for won't get you very far. Obviously the more money people in your target market have the better. As an example, people desperate to make a lot of money in the forex market typically have a lot of money to spend or speculate with.

So the expert niche finder golden rule number two is to ensure that the people in your desperate market have the cash to pay for it!

Characteristic Three

How many people are there in the niche actually searching for the solution your product offers? Marketing is a numbers game. The more people there are searching in your niche, the money there is to be had. If your target niche only has a few people searching online each month for your product, you're not going to convert many in to sales. You therefore need to do some keyword research on your niche to see how many people are entering "buying" keywords each month. A niche may get a lot of traffic, but if that traffic is people simply searching for free information on a hobby or interest, they're not going to make you any money. The keyword phrases that people type in must show that they are looking for a solution that they need so badly they'll part with cash for it!

So the expert niche finder golden rule number three is to ensure there are enough buyers searching for your solution in the niche to make it worth your time promoting!

Once you have identified a niche that meets all three criteria, you need to do your keyword research thoroughly and optimise your marketing around the common "buyer" keywords. Even in the most competitive niches there are some uncompetitive keywords to target, and the traffic they draw will convert well!

more :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Niche-Finder---The-3-Crucial-Characteristics-of-a-Profitable-Niche&id=3056386