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    Using Google Alert to Carry Out Research
    Among the many useful free tools that Google provides is the Google Alert tool. As the name suggests, you use it to obtain "alerts" when a specific topic, name or search term appears somewhere in the news, on the web, or in discussion groups. This is invaluable for research or just watching a particular activity.Say for example I was a medical practitioner doing research about high blood pressure and wanted alerts when anything about "high blood pressure" appeared in the news (this might eg, relate to someone else's research). Rather than searching the web myself, I can let Google do it for me and send me an email with relevant links.First I would load the standard Google.com screen and select the link News from the horizontal menu. Then I'd look d
    w your own horn, and should, but when it comes from someone else then people start to truly believe it.

    Testimonials may have a long history, but they are essentially the basis of the hottest and most recent strategies for doing business on the Web: word-of-mouth, social networking, viral marketing. [Nicholls 2006b]

    You Can't Fake It

    Testimonials work

    Marketing is Simple in Theory but Complex in the Real World
    People think that marketing is difficult. In theory it’s really quite simple because you only need to know how to do four things:1. Attract new customers (or clients)2. Retain the customers you have attracted3. Maximize the number of purchases they make and the value of each purchase4. Win back those customers you have lostThat’s it, just four marketing activities. It’s simple, but there is a big challenge that adds complexity.The challenge is to discover ways to make those four activities work for you and that is where it gets difficult because there are so many options and details associated with making them work. Dealing with those options and details requires creativity, decisiveness, discipline, and courage.It ta
    You mean you really aren't? Lots of experts have noticed that there are too few e-commerce sites using testimonials. In the brick-and-mortar world, testimonials have been used for decades. They provide a very low-cost and effective tool for adding credibility to your promotional message.

    And credibility is what you need in order to convert prospects to sales. The majority of consumers say that knowing and trusting the sender is the key factor in determining whether they would open an email. With email open rates declining, trust becomes more and important in getting your message across effectively:

    "Hey, don't just take our word for it—listen to what our customers are saying! You don't trust us? Then trust our customers. Folks like you." Here's the mystery. Creating trust online is a big, big thing. So why don't we see more sites using testimonials? [Usborne 1999]

    Testimonials Work

    As marketing experts have shown time and again, testimonials work: "I'm a big advocate of testimonials on websites, even though some people call them hokey. Why? Because Web visitors read them and are influenced by them.

    In some tests, Web users spend 85% more time on Web pages with testimonials, and transactions have increased by as much as 300%." [White 2006]

    Your visitors naturally don't want to lose money and, just as important, they don't want to feel foolish. Eliminating their natural fear and skepticism is exactly the job that testimonials do best.

    You can blow your own horn, and should, but when it comes from someone else then people start to truly believe it.

    Testimonials may have a long history, but they are essentially the basis of the hottest and most recent strategies for doing business on the Web: word-of-mouth, social networking, viral marketing. [Nicholls 2006b]

    You Can't Fake It

    Testimonials work

    10 Years in Internet Time
    2005 marked approximately 10 years since what many consider the dawning of the commercial internet and World Wide Web with the newly-formed WWW Consortium (W3C) and the availability to purchase domains by the public. It’s been quite a ride for some and a yawn for others, but one thing is for certain: the internet has changed the world forever.For starters, as of last year, more people in the US are using broadband access as opposed to a dial-up connection providing many times the download speed. From news to sports to business and online shopping, internet users find it difficult to remember the days of plain text and waiting for sometimes hours to download pictures, videos, music and other media-rich content. Today the use of such interactive content is main-s
    y of consumers say that knowing and trusting the sender is the key factor in determining whether they would open an email. With email open rates declining, trust becomes more and important in getting your message across effectively:

    "Hey, don't just take our word for it—listen to what our customers are saying! You don't trust us? Then trust our customers. Folks like you." Here's the mystery. Creating trust online is a big, big thing. So why don't we see more sites using testimonials? [Usborne 1999]

    Testimonials Work

    As marketing experts have shown time and again, testimonials work: "I'm a big advocate of testimonials on websites, even though some people call them hokey. Why? Because Web visitors read them and are influenced by them.

    In some tests, Web users spend 85% more time on Web pages with testimonials, and transactions have increased by as much as 300%." [White 2006]

    Your visitors naturally don't want to lose money and, just as important, they don't want to feel foolish. Eliminating their natural fear and skepticism is exactly the job that testimonials do best.

    You can blow your own horn, and should, but when it comes from someone else then people start to truly believe it.

    Testimonials may have a long history, but they are essentially the basis of the hottest and most recent strategies for doing business on the Web: word-of-mouth, social networking, viral marketing. [Nicholls 2006b]

    You Can't Fake It

    Testimonials work

    Affiliate Marketing: Experience The Vision
    What is affiliate marketing? It is the promotion of products by third parties (The Affiliates) in exchange for a commission / cut of the sale. It is a method that thousands of small and large companies are increasingly using to generate traffic and promotion of their product, and the statistics certainly show that it is a very effective method of marketing. In fact affiliate marketing is truly the ultimate business model that everyone is turning to in today’s society. So how does affiliate marketing really work?It all starts out with a company that has a product to sell and has a thirsty market for the product. It then designs an affiliate program for advertisers or affiliates to promote the product and sets up a compromising commission for the affiliates. The a
    " Here's the mystery. Creating trust online is a big, big thing. So why don't we see more sites using testimonials? [Usborne 1999]

    Testimonials Work

    As marketing experts have shown time and again, testimonials work: "I'm a big advocate of testimonials on websites, even though some people call them hokey. Why? Because Web visitors read them and are influenced by them.

    In some tests, Web users spend 85% more time on Web pages with testimonials, and transactions have increased by as much as 300%." [White 2006]

    Your visitors naturally don't want to lose money and, just as important, they don't want to feel foolish. Eliminating their natural fear and skepticism is exactly the job that testimonials do best.

    You can blow your own horn, and should, but when it comes from someone else then people start to truly believe it.

    Testimonials may have a long history, but they are essentially the basis of the hottest and most recent strategies for doing business on the Web: word-of-mouth, social networking, viral marketing. [Nicholls 2006b]

    You Can't Fake It

    Testimonials work

    Understanding The True Cost Of Corporate Office Space
    How do I assess my true office accommodation costs?We have been asked by a number of clients to help them identify the true cost of an office or location. Here is a guide to the factors you should consider to assess total accommodation costs.The UK Department of Trade and Industry commissioned a report into remote working in 2005 and found that a significant operational cost reduction was achieved.In a recent report the following figures were published from a study of 13 large corporations, spanning some 30 teams (1.0)• 86% of managers and 74% of staff spend time out of the office during any month.• An average office worker spends 10-20% of time away from their desk.Taking the above we can calculate, in rough terms, the expecte
    by them.

    In some tests, Web users spend 85% more time on Web pages with testimonials, and transactions have increased by as much as 300%." [White 2006]

    Your visitors naturally don't want to lose money and, just as important, they don't want to feel foolish. Eliminating their natural fear and skepticism is exactly the job that testimonials do best.

    You can blow your own horn, and should, but when it comes from someone else then people start to truly believe it.

    Testimonials may have a long history, but they are essentially the basis of the hottest and most recent strategies for doing business on the Web: word-of-mouth, social networking, viral marketing. [Nicholls 2006b]

    You Can't Fake It

    Testimonials work

    Freelancing As A Career
    Freelancing symbolizes a profession in which an employee who sells his services to different employers without entering into any long-term contract with anyone of them. It’s an enticing career that carries a certain kind of allure. It can add spice to one’s dull life and offers a chance to earn extra money. However, for many people it can be a way of life. One can enjoy the luxury of being one’s own boss.There is a kind of freedom in freelancing that allows the person to work on its own terms. It appears to be very attractive, as the person can decide about the work schedule. They often have a choice to travel to a client’s worksite to do a job or work from home and send across the completed project to their clients. With the major technological advances over th
    w your own horn, and should, but when it comes from someone else then people start to truly believe it.

    Testimonials may have a long history, but they are essentially the basis of the hottest and most recent strategies for doing business on the Web: word-of-mouth, social networking, viral marketing. [Nicholls 2006b]

    You Can't Fake It

    Testimonials work but if you don't handle them properly they can, and will, work against you. A botched testimonial can easily backfire and do you more harm than good. Faking it will not work; authenticity is certainly the most important factor:

    "Resist the urge to turn your testimonials into marketing-speak. It is important that you retain the voice and style of real people. Don't make up your testimonials, because unless you are very clever, the effort will be transparent. And put full attribution on your testimonials." [White 2006]

    Generic, questionable or obviously phony testimonials will do you no good, and may actually harm your reputation. On the other hand, succinct, believable, benefit-specific testimonials from real people, properly placed on your Web pages, can enhance your website's credibility and boost your conversion rate.

    A Web page of endorsements by itself is not enough. The effectiveness of endorsements and user feedback depends on leveraging some specific strategies. The basic steps are:

    • Specify your goals and objectives
    • Gather the testimonials
    • Choose the best ones
    • Use the testimony verbatim
    • Identify the source completely
    • Position your testimonials effectively
    • Let the viral process do its stuff.

    There is one potential downside to testimonials, too, that you must keep in mind along with the many benefits. And that is the danger of obtaining a great testimonial but later wishin

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