Marketing Tips to Help Drive Profits and Stay CompetitiveAlthough we call them “small” businesses, running a small business is no small task. Compared to larger corporations, small business have a much smaller margin for error when it comes to marketing initiatives – when a marketing campaign fails, larger corporations shake their heads, make adjustments, and move on but for small businesses, a big failure could mean the end of the company. Here are some great marketing tips to help your marketing efforts stay effective and your business stay competitive.Better Use of DataData about your target audience is invaluable to small businesses. This kind of information allows business owners and marketers to identify the types of people who are most likely to do business with them and purchase their products and/or services. Knowing your target audience can also help you to better tailor and focus your marketing messages to those types of consumers. If it is in the budget, hiring a professional data team can really help a small business make the most out of this information.Use Email More EffectivelyEmail can be a powerful tool when it comes to communicating with your current customers. Emails are a great opportunity to connect with customers and provide them information on upgrades, cross-selling opportunities, and additional sales or deals your business may be offering. Using email is a great, non-evasive way to stay connected to those consumers who already know your business and your brand. You can even take email marketing a step further by breaking down your contact list into groups by segments such as purchase history, age group, geographical area, and other important data points.Use Shareable Content to Expand Your ReachConsumers love to share, and social media has made it easier than ever for consumers to share things they like or dislike online. Known as “content marketing,” creating online content that is informative and meaningful to your target audience is a great way to reach more consumers and raise more recognition around your business and your brand. This information is most effective when posted on your company’s website but can also be shared on sites like YouTube and Facebook for easier access.Consider Paid Search to Increase VisibilityDriving traffic to your website is always an important part of marketing your business. One way to do this is to use a paid search to ensure your business’ website will appear when consumers search the types of products or services you offer. For example, should a consumer search “pet groomers in Harrisburg, PA” and you own a pet grooming business in or around that area, your business’s website will appear at the very top of the search results. The closer your businesses website link appears to the top of the search results, the more likely it is that consumers will follow that link to your site.Use Your ResourcesAside from in-house marketing, there are a number of resources available to help small businesses. For example, the United States Small Business Administration can offer business owners loans, counseling sessions, contracts, and other forms of assistance to help cultivate and grow their business. Consider other resources as well including Google Tools for website assistance and online marketing, Kabbage for small business loans, and Free Stock Images for high quality images for your marketing materials.

Building a successful home based business empire will require analyzing five key factors. Once you get comfortable with these five factors you should have a very good idea of which home based business opportunity you’ll want to get involved in!A quick warning before we get into the meat of the article. If you are considering building a successful home based business empire you’ll obviously spend some time researching what opportunities are out there. Be very careful here, if anyone “guarantees” a certain amount of income or tells you that making money from home is easy, DON’T WALK, RUN from these offers. Let’s not forget that a home based business is just that, a BUSINESS.Nothing is guaranteed in business and it’s not easy. I’m not saying this to discourage you or scare you away because there are some great opportunities out there for you to build your home business empire, but understand that whatever you choose will be challenging and it will require a big effort from you to be successful. That being said I personally know home business entrepreneurs that have earned well into seven figures from home, but I also know that they put in the effort to get the return.OK, OK you get it so enough with the lectures, let’s get into the five factors you’ll need to consider when choosing the which home business opportunity is going to help you achieve the success you want!1) What’s the initial investment? When considering this keep in mind that less may not be more. In other words a larger investment may give you a better opportunity to earn a higher income quicker. Some opportunities may not even require an upfront investment, think affiliate marketing. Whatever the size of the investment you’ll want to do you due diligence on the company your signing on with prior to getting started.2) What are your ongoing expenses? Any business owner will tell you one of the most frustrating things to manage is overhead. It’s a moving target and take a business under quickly. In considering a home based business you”ll have a leg up almost immediately here because your overhead is going to be significantly lower than a traditional business. That being said different opportunities are going to have varying expenses. I would suggest staying away from anything that’s going to require purchasing inventory. In today’s Internet world even if you’re going to sell product you should be able to use a drop ship company to help with the storage and shipping of products.3) What type of opportunity will you choose? This is a tough one because we all have different interests and passions. I would suggest spending some time thinking about what your hobbies or passions are. It’s much easier to build a business around something you love than it is to just chase money. From this perspective network marketing can be a viable possibility for a home based business empire because there is a wide range of network marketing opportunities available and you will probably be able to identify one that ties in with your passion.4) How long will it take for you to be profitable? You’ll need to run some projections here, but I would suggest that for a home based business you need to be profitable within 2-4 months.5) What equipment is required? From my perspective I don’t want to get involved in something that requires me to load up on new equipment. For one thing it’s going to eat away at potential profits, but I also don’t want to learn how to use new equipment. You’re going to have enough on your hands learning how to run your business and I would argue that you need to limit your learning curve as much as is possible to your business and how to get it to profitability ASAP!Once you have worked through these five factors you should be able to zero in on a few opportunities that meet the criteria you’re looking for. Once you’ve decided on the opportunity you’re going to choose, roll up your sleeves and have fun building you a successful home based business empire!Feel free to check out my blog at http://www.askchrispatterson.blogspot.com.

On a sunny afternoon in Florida, an energetic crowd gathers on the lawn of a high end luxury estate. A loud and eager banter between an auctioneer, a group of bidders and bidder assistants fills the air. For several minutes the auctioneer asks for the next highest bid and the bidders respond. Suddenly the bidders grow silent. The high bidder holds his breath in anticipation of winning the auction. The auctioneer calls for one more bid. In a loud clear voice which rolls over the audience he says, “Fair warning, last chance” the auctioneer pauses, “SOLD!” And in less than 10 minutes another multimillion dollar estate has changed owners.

Successful real estate auctions like the one above are happening all over North America and the Caribbean. Recently real estate auctions have been on the rise, the increase in popularity is partly driven by growing inventories and fading buyer confidence. Properties that were selling in weeks using traditional methods are now languishing on the market unable to attract buyers even as seller’s lower prices. Many say the real estate boom is over but savvy buyers and sellers are profiting from real estate auctions.

Real Estate Auctions Work in Up or Down Markets.

Regardless of trends or market cycles, real estate auctions provide an open and transparent process for buyers and sellers. Properly conducted real estate auctions attract ready and willing buyers and motivate them to act now.

The auction method removes the “wait and see” attitude which serves to further depress real estate values. Buyers are always concerned about overpaying. Buyers gain confidence with their purchases at real estate auctions because they can see what others are willing to pay.

When market demand is high and inventories low, real estate auctions can deliver selling prices well above what a willing seller would have accepted in a negotiated private treaty sale. In good selling climates many property owners using traditional real estate methods; negotiating with one buyer at a time, leave thousands of dollars of equity on the table. During up markets real estate auctions are the best way to establish top market price.

Evaluating Your Real Estate for Auction

Not every property or seller for that matter makes a good candidate for auction. First of all sellers must be ready to sell now and for the current market value. Also a real estate auction will not fix problems caused by a downturn in market value of your property, if you owe more than a willing buyer will pay, be prepared to come to closing with your check book.

Properties that do well in real estate auctions have a high uniqueness factor. Ask your self, “What makes my property different from most others?” Maybe you own a resort property or high end luxury home, commercial properties and land do very well at auction. Real estate auctions thrive on uniqueness. If your property is like everyone else’s, the best thing you can do is offer the most competitive price.

Most importantly sellers must be reasonable about setting a minimum bid. A seller must look at the lowest, most current comps and price below that to generate the interest and urgency necessary for a successful real estate auction. Once the auction begins and qualified bidders start competing against one another you can watch the selling price increase.

Locate a Qualified Real Estate Auctioneer

Start by checking with the National Auctioneers Association, the best real estate auctioneers belong to this organization. These real estate auctioneers are well trained and adhere to a standard of practice and a code of ethics. Many attend the annual International Auctioneers Conference where the latest techniques and innovations in the real estate auction industry are presented.

Find out if the company you are interviewing is a full time real estate auction firm. Many real estate agents are getting auction licenses yet have no experience with the auction method of marketing. Conducting a successful real estate auction is nothing like (private treaty) traditional real estate sales. Go with a real estate auction pro.

You’re probably better of with an auction house that specializes in real estate auctions. There are many qualified auctioneers who have generations of experience selling personal property; furniture, dishes, lawn equipment and the occasional rare painting. Selling real estate at auction is a complex matter that should only be attempted by full time experienced real estate auction professionals.

Commissions and fees may vary, sellers must pay all marketing expenses up front and buyers typically pay 10% of the sales price to the auctioneer of which a share goes to participating real estate agents.

Types of Real Estate Auctions

Auctions are effective because they create a seller’s market. Professionally conducted real estate auctions create urgency, a reason to buy today and competition for the property. Terms and conditions of sale are established ahead of the auction. Real estate auctions will follow one of these three approaches:

Absolute Auction

The property is sold to the highest bidder regardless of price- using this process often returns the highest sale price.

Minimum Bid Auction

Seller agrees to sell at or above a published minimum bid price – this method is useful for internet auctions.

Seller Confirmation or Reserve Auction

With a reserve auction, the seller “reserves” the right to accept or decline any bids usually within 48 hours of the auction. Reserve auctions are used when there is a lien on the property from a lender or a court ordered sale with a minimum selling price.