Using the Auction Method for the Buying/Selling of Real Estate

Tips for Better Mobile Email Marketing

Smartphones have changed the way mobile marketing works. Typical smartphone users will use their device to tweet, change their social networking updates and of course read and handle email. With all of the things that one can do with a smartphone, it makes sense to consider that you are vying for valuable attention of your target. In fact, your primary goal is to get your target audience’s undivided attention. But how do you do that?

There are three things your target audience will see when it comes to your mobile message:

·         The Pre-header: Your reader will see the sender (you), the subject line (should be attention-grabbing) and the pre-header which is the first few lines of your email. If your subject doesn't make your reader want to open your message, your pre-header better do the trick or your message will be deleted without being opened.

·         Make it easy: If you are using images in your message, make sure they load properly and that your overall message is easy to navigate. Find a design that you like and experiment with it before turning it loose to your audience.

·         Remember your audience is on the go: Mobile marketing and mobile emailing – mobile being the keyword here. You have to remember that your audience is on the go and they don’t have time to read a book when they’re in a hurry.

Make the most of your mobile emailing efforts and follow these tips – you’re sure to see success. 

Bring statistics to life when you speak

Numbers don’t lie, but they don’t necessarily convince people on their own. When you’re giving a presentation, or just talking informally to co-workers or customers, keep these tips in mind to give your facts added heft:

• Supply some context. Tell your listener what the numbers mean. If 27 percent of consumers buy your product that may not mean much unless you explain that you’re the top-selling brand, or that your biggest competitor captures only 9 percent of the marketplace.

• Get specific—and general. Concrete figures, like $287,642, give your statistics credibility, but expressing them in round numbers (“over a quarter of a million dollars”) makes them memorable. Use both: Start with the specific number, and then later round up or down to drive home your point.

• Put it in print. When possible, give your audience something tangible. A one-page summary with hard facts can emphasize that you stand behind your words.

Commercial real estate: The big profits

Real estate is often termed as the safest investment avenue. In fact, real estate investments done with proper evaluation of the property (and its true value), can lead to good profits. This is one reason why some people pursue real estate investment as their full time job. The talks of real estate are generally focused towards residential real estate; commercial real estate seems to take a back seat. However, commercial real estate too is a good option for investing in real estate.

Commercial real estate includes a lot of different kinds of properties. Most people relate commercial real estate with only office complexes or factories/ industrial units. However, that is not all of commercial real estate. There is more to commercial real estate. Health care centers, retail structures and warehouse are all good examples of commercial real estate. Even residential properties like apartments (or any property that consists of more than four residential units) are considered commercial real estate. In fact, such commercial real estate is much in demand.

So, is commercial real estate really profitable? Well, if it were not profitable I would not have been writing about commercial real estate at all. So, commercial real estate is profitable for sure. The only thing with commercial real estate is that recognizing the opportunity is a bit difficult as compared to residential real estate. But commercial real estate profits can be real big (in fact, much bigger than you would expect from residential real estate of the same proportion). You could take up commercial real estate for either reselling after appreciation or for renting out to, say, retailers. The commercial real estate development is in fact treated as the first sign for growth of residential real estate. Once you know of the possibility of significant commercial growth in the region (either due to tax breaks or whatever), you should start evaluating the potential for appreciation in the prices of commercial real estate and then go for it quickly (as soon as you find a good deal). And you must really work towards getting a good deal. If you find that commercial real estate, e.g. land, is available in big chunks which are too expensive for you to buy, you could look at forming a small investor group (with your friends) and buy it together (and split the profits later). In some cases e.g. when a retail boom is expected in a region, you might find it profitable to buy a property that you can convert into a warehouse for the purpose of renting to small businesses.

So commercial real estate presents a whole plethora of investing opportunities, you just need to grab it.

3 Myths That Ruin Meetings

These myths have cost companies billions of dollars in wasted payroll money.

Myth #1) Structure spoils spontaneity.

I once attended a two-day long disaster that easily cost over $40,000. Thirty people spent the first hour seeking an issue to discuss, then spent the next 15 hours arguing over insolvable problems. When I asked the manager who called the meeting, "Where's the agenda?" the reply was, "I didn't want to spoil the spontaneity by imposing a structure."

Reality: If spontaneity were a universally sound business practice we would build buildings without blueprints. Of course, no smart business leader works without a plan.

The Fix: Set a goal and then prepare an agenda. Ideally, this agenda should be so clear, complete, and specific that someone else could use it to lead the meeting to obtain the accomplish the goal.

Myth #2: Since it's my meeting I should do all the talking.

Some meetings are run like a medieval court. The chairperson sits on a verbal throne while the subjects sit in respectful silence. The big talker justifies this by thinking: if the other people in the meeting knew anything worthwhile, they'd be leading the meeting.

Reality: If you're the only one talking, you're working too hard. In addition, realize that most people protect themselves from extended monologues by sending their thoughts off on a holiday. That is, no one is paying attention to you: they're busy daydreaming, doodling, or dreaming.

The Fix: Convey large amounts of information by a memo or email. Then call a meeting based on participant driven activities that test or reinforce comprehension.

Myth #3: Meetings are free.

Most meetings are paid for with soft money. That is, it's money that has already been spent for wages. In addition, no purchase request is necessary. No budget needs to be approved. All someone has to do is call a meeting.

Reality: Meetings are very expensive. They use people's time, and payroll is the largest part of running a business. When people hold bad meetings, they waste the most important resource in a business - the time people that spend working to earn a profit for the company.

The Fix: Design meetings to earn a profit. After all, a meeting is a business activity, not a company picnic.

Best Social Media Tools To Use

Whether you’re using social media to grow your business, look for a job or keep up with friends, there are certain tools that can be better to use than others. There are plenty of options out there when it comes to social media, but too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing. Rather than jumping from tool to tool, it’s better to find a handful of ones that are working well and stick with them. In order to help you decide which tools are right for you, we’ve outlined a few favorites below.  Please keep in mind, these are tools you should be using above and beyond Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Hootsuite is a definite must, if for no other reason than it combines your favorite social media tools in one place. This dashboard allows you to stay in front of your followers on all of your social media outlets at the same time. You have complete control over what messages you send out as well as customizable reports for you to see how well your social media efforts are working.

Bufferapp is another great tool that allows you to schedule your Twitter tweets to be delivered when you want them to be and in any order you choose. If you want to use Twitter but don’t want to be stuck to your phone or computer all day, this is a great social media tool to use.

Dlvr.it is a great tool to help spread all of your content across the Internet. This is a matter of simply linking your RSS feed to Dlvr.it and then your content is spread out across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Buzz and more. This handy little tool also provides statistical reports for you to see how others are responding to your content.

Finally, the best, most effective social media tool is…YOU. That’s right! All of these tools are great and can be effective, but unless you are using them and engaging your followers and practicing the basic fundamentals of social media, none of the tools we just mentioned will do you any good. 

Mobile Content Marketing Attracts New and Keeps Current Customers

I'm sure you know by now that the only real Internet marketing is content marketing, and now we have another way to market our content and that is via mobile content marketing. Mobile content marketing is one more platform in your overall content marketing strategy. Another way to market your content to your clients as well as a way to attract new clients who are too busy to sit down at a computer to look at your website.

In your ongoing effort to build a relationship with your potential clients and customers mobile content marketing is becoming an essential part of that mix. We have to remember that the quantity of users using mobile phones and other devices to access online content is growing by leaps and bounds, and by some reports even outgrowing personal computer adoption. Mobile content marketing cannot be ignored by the savvy Internet marketer who wants to remain relevant.

Mobile access to the net has increased social network use by over millions and is expected to continue to climb. You start by offering your current clients the ability to read, watch and listen to your content via the mobile device that most of your current readers use, or code the site to detect what device is reading. Then you make it easy for your current clients to pass on the information via texts.

The "Queen of the Internet" Mary Meeker stated in her "State of the Internet Report" that "Rapid Ramp of Mobile Internet Usage Will be a Boon to Consumers and Some Companies Will Likely Win Big (Potentially Very Big) While Many Will Wonder What Just Happened." Don't be one of those who just wonders what happened.)