Paul Duxbury

Paul’s Weekly Ponderings

Hope that you are keeping well and that as we move into February your year is going well.

As I look back over these first few weeks of the year I cannot believe how busy we have been. We have already put in place an enormous range of things for the coming weeks and months and we have some great plans!

Included in those plans is a streamlining of my Blogs! Over the next few weeks I will be setting up a completely separate Internet Marketing Blog. I will also be pulling together many of our Niche blogs to ensure that people can access great information as easily as possible. So this will probably be one of the last “General Updates” posted on this particular blog but I will keep you posted as always. Hopefully you shouldn’t see any disruption to our normal service

So let’s move on to a round up of what we have been up to and what we have planned that I hope will be of interest to you! There are also a number of great offers:

If you are a Newsletter publisher in the “Home Business” environment or have been looking at doing something in that area you will want to take a look at the $7 offer at PLR Newsletter (that’s Private Label Rights to a whole Year of Newsletters!) What’s even better is that as soon as you have signed up you can also sell the rights to your own subscribers or members!

We have launched The Genealogy Search Center recently which is absolutely packed with helpful links for your Family History Research! Of course you will also want to take a look at our Free Genealogy Membership Site at GenMates which continues to go from strength to strength!

If you want to take advantage of the incredible discount I am offering on membership of Internet Marketing Outlined then you have only a short while left. Do take a look if you would like to really plough ahead in 2007 and make it your year to make a difference!

We have been talking with the team at one of the leading Genealogy Magazines and we have a really exciting opportunity coming up on 15th February 2007! If you are an amateur or professional genealogist who wants to start earning from their interest or improve their earnings you can find out more at Genealogy!

Finally in terms of offers! If you like writing reports about subjects you are interested in then you will want to take a look at how you can really benefit from them - have a look at 7 Dollar Reports and see how you can turn your reports Viral and earn money from them!

Now over the next few weeks we will also be launching a number of Article Directories and will be keeping you posted! In the meantime here’s a couple of article that we hope you will find of interest:

Setting Up A Money Making Website

Money can be made online without a Website. However, to significantly increase your earnings it is of the utmost importance that you have your own. Many of you may be thinking that this will be extremely complicated, difficult and time consuming. In the past it certainly was. Nowadays however, there have been so many improvements and innovations in Website technology that it has become much easier to create your own site quickly and simply even if you have no knowledge of HTML or JavaScript whatsoever. Another factor that many people think will be prohibiting is the cost of getting one up and running. Due to competition in the fields of Website creation software, hosting and domains the costs have fallen dramatically. This means that just about anyone with a few dollars in their back pocket can get in on the action. This wasn’t always the case. Only a few years ago it was very expensive to get all that was needed and this stopped many people from starting. Be thankful to be starting now where you can getting some of the most cutting edge technology for next to nothing. Heck, you can even get started out in Blogging for Free!

In order to really realise your potential on the Web you are going to have to have a good Website building software. You want one that will enable you to set-up sales pages quickly, easily put together content sites and add ADSense without any hassle. You will also want to be able to create an attractive looking site that will make your visitors want to stay on your site. It is also vital to have a Web builder that will allow you to make changes very quickly. Some of you may get daunted at the very thought of this, especially if you have no background with computers. However, there are software and services out there that makes this extremely easy even to the complete beginner. One of the most user friendly builders ever created is XSitePro. This software will enable you to get great-looking money making sites up and running with minimal effort. Another good option is to use a complete service like Site Build It! They will handle absolutely everything for you tailored to your exact requirements. However, with this option you will have an annual recurring fee which is something you may wish to avoid. You could also post your project on a freelance site such as Elance where programmers will bid on your project. After accepting a bid the programmer will carry it out to your specifications and will often help you make any updates in the future.

Another thing you will have to do is purchase a domain name and hosting package. These days many companies will throw in a free domain name with your hosting package when you sign up. There are many good hosting companies out there along with equally as many poor ones. The key things to pay attention to are uptime( aim for 99% plus), the ability to add new domains to the package for expansion and good customer service. The only hosting service I now recommend (and you know the challenges I have had!) is Hostgator

Planting a Genealogy Tree in Google’s Search Engine Garden

Whenever you create a family tree, you want to get as much input from other family members as possible. This is one time it’s good to have relatives sticking their nose into your business!

By choosing to build a family tree website, you’ve just boosted your ability to expand your roots even farther. Keeping records by pen and paper isn’t just tedious, but limiting as well.

Now that you’re planting your roots on the ‘net, you want to make sure your family history can be found by others. The more people who find your genealogy, the more hands who can help you discover unknown facts and revelations.

If you chose a family tree website that allows you to create blog entries, then you’ll want to post to that often to help search engine robots find it and index it for their results pages.

That way, whenever a distant relative goes online seeking information for their ancestry, Google or whatever search engine they’re using will return your blog as one of their choices.

Google and other search engines like to categorize websites based on keywords. So if your family name is “Brown,” then you want to create a list of words and phrases you can use within each blog entry that relate to the Brown Family Tree.

Devote each blog entry to a new keyword or phrase. The more you blog, the more often search engine robots will visit your site and post updates to search engine users when your page displays.

If your family tree website doesn’t include a blog feature, then you can create one for free at www.WordPress.com. Blogging is one of the best ways to get picked up by Google and broaden your horizons for genealogy research, but it’s not the only way.

The more family tree blogs and websites you have linking to your primary family tree page, the higher your site will raise in the search engine results. Hopefully, in time, you’ll be in a top 10 position on Google and your relatives and ancestors will be able to click on your link for a fast, easy, and effective virtual reunion.

Don’t waste hours trying to make sure you develop the perfect content for your blog. Write naturally about your quest to find information on your family name and Google will recognize your organic efforts and reward you with a spot in their search engine.

Add comment February 4th, 2007

Creating Online Customer Loyalty

One marketing secret that you should know is how to develop customer loyalty. This is especially challenging when running an online business, given the anonymity prevalent in the World Wide Web as well as the fears that have arose because of the many scams associated with its channels. But building customer loyalty is not impossible. In fact, it has become a necessity if you wish to sustain a high profit rate for a long period of time. After all, you cannot rely on new customers alone. Such will be too limiting.

So how can you develop customer loyalty, exactly? Here are 10 tips that will help you achieve this goal.

1. Be honest in everything that you do, especially in your dealings with your customers. Don’t call a spade a diamond. Tell your customers the advantages and disadvantages of certain options. This may make you lose some sales from time to time, but in the long run, your customers will learn how to trust you, and this will result in continuous sales in the future.

2. Assure your customers that you are a reliable and dependable businessman. Respect deadlines and provide excellent post-sales support. Try your best to entertain any and all queries that your customers will have about your product. Promise them that you’ll always be there to answer their concerns, and live up to such words.

3. Deliver what they have paid for. This is the most obvious step. People have trusted you with their hard earned money. Reciprocate such trust by actually, expediently and efficiently delivering your products in a manner that will be convenient for them.

4. Over-deliver. It pays to give your customers more than what they have paid for. Unannounced bonuses, for example, will build your reputation as a generous businessman. And if they’re given a choice between a generous provider and a conventional one, the former will always end up the victor.

5. Send them your sincerest appreciation. A Thank You email usually does the trick, but you can always do better than this. Perhaps you can consider giving them a discount coupon for succeeding purchases as a token of your gratitude. Such discounts can also pertain to the products of your JV partners.

6. Encourage your customers to leave some feedbacks. This will ensure them that you’re exerting some efforts to improve your service. Their voice counts and you should always remind them of that.

7. Offer incentives for customers who have purchased from you before. People love being made to feel special. Reward their fidelity in kind. Again, this may be in the form of discounts, freebies or extra service. Exclusivity can be one of your selling points as well. You can classify your loyal customers to a special group with special privileges.

8. Follow up. Your relationship with your customers does not end with the sale. On the contrary, it should be treated as the beginning. Capture their contact details and provide them with updates and some sprinkling of generosity from time to time. Building customer loyalty presupposes the fact that you’ll be able to stay in contact with them, after all.

9. Treat your customers as friends. Treat them as family, even, if such is possible. Always go beyond the buyer-seller relationship and try your best to establish a more personal dealing with your customers. A personal approach will result in a tighter bond, and this is critical in building their loyalty to your brand.

10. Show a genuine care for your customers. Let them know that they’re in good hands. This way, you’d be able to reassure them that they’ll be receiving more value for their buck if they’d choose your enterprise in the future.

Add comment August 13th, 2006

Do You Want To Be Able To Work From Home?

Are you like many people these days who are looking for ways in which to be able to work from home? Are you looking to be able to dictate the hours you work and spend time doing the things that you and your family or friends want to do?

If you are like me you will have seen hundreds (possibly even thousands!) of promotions that tell you that all you have to do is set up a website or answer a few emails and the money will come rolling in! The reality is that the only people the money “comes rolling in” for are those promoting that type of nonsense.

Setting up a home based business involves work! That may come as a shock to some but it’s the reality. No-one is just going to hand the money to you and say “go have a great life!”

Now I have been looking at something that Paula York has put together that strips away all the BS and offers you a solid solution to setting up your own home based business. Don’t think this is another “build it and they will come” type products. Paula is very upfront about what is involved and she strips away the BS that surrounds the Internet Marketing Industry, In fact I really like her refreshing honesty.

You can take a look at what I am talking about by clicking on this link: Paula York

Add comment July 30th, 2006