Two years ago, blogging was something regular people indulged in… to tell the world their thoughts and nothing more. Now, it’s the hottest thing since 3G! Blogging has never been more sexy and more corporate figures are wising up to the fact that blogging is indeed a powerful tool. And just two weeks ago, there was even a job opening for a blogger, yes, right here in Malaysia.
Why has blogging caught on? Why is blogging so important these days? Continue reading »
by Nic Sim
One of the ways to earn money online is to run your own online store. An online store is also known as an e-commerce website because it can handle online commerce.
An online store lets your customers browse your products, order the products they want and pay for their purchases all in the comfort of their own home. All they do next is to wait for their products to arrive via post or courier. Continue reading »
by Nic Sim
How effective is your ad?
Yes, the ad you run in the local newspaper, the ad you put in the local magazine.
Do you even know?
The reason I’m asking is, most people I meet tell me that they run ads in newspapers and don’t see any results. Therefore, their conclusion is: ads don’t work. At least, not for them. Maybe it works for big companies with big advertising budgets.
I’ve been running the same ad in every printed issue of a local magazine. EVERY ISSUE. Granted, there are only four issues in a year but that’s not the point. And I don’t have a big advertising budget either (remember, I run a website design/web hosting/web marketing business from home). But I believe in spending money effectively and my ad, believe it or not, has generated enough interest and income for me to continue supporting the magazine every issue. Continue reading »
I cannot stress this enough. Great content on your website is always the number one attraction why people come around to your website.
It’s not the graphics. It’s not the Flash introduction which everyone skips (admit it, we all despise having to wait will the darn Flash intro loads and we always look for the ‘Skip Intro’ button on the bottom right of the screen).
It’s content.
Information, tips, articles, ezines, webinars, good reads, how-to’s, info sheets. Whatever you call it, at the end of the day, it is information that we’re all looking for. And darn, we hope to find it too!
That’s why I was quite happy to read Hunter Waterhouse’s article which says it well and says it with panache. Consider it a timely wake-up call for everyone to put great content on their website.
Hunter Waterhouse says that the success of any website is good, sticky, exclusive content. Continue reading »
In business, it is all about branding.
Branding is basically defined as (in my own lingo anyway), a way to keep your business memorable and fresh in consumers’ minds. Branding also communicates to consumers in one second what your business is about. You don’t have to hem and haw because your business is instantly recognisable.
Think Nike. Think Apple. Think Dell.
Think of all the positive attributes you associate with these powerful brands.
Aside being easily recognisable, having a good and well-known brand gives you an added edge over your competitors.
Price is never an issue when you’re confronted with established brands. Price is often secondary when one talks about brands. That’s why you’ll win if you have a brand that stands out - it’s easier and more profitable to sell and you’ll never need to pay the price game if you don’t want to.
But it always seems easier for the big boys to build their brands and keep growing them right? After all, they’ve got the big budgets to spend on advertising.
Well, just so you know, having a big budget is not the only way to build a brand.
You can very well build a brand even if you’re a work-at-home business or a small business. Continue reading »