Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend ....  3 day weekend, cook outs, fun with family and friends etc .......

Before everyone starts enjoying this long Holiday weekend, I wanted to take a minute to remind everyone of what it's about, and ask we all take a moment to bow out heads in remembrance, and gratitude for all those who've served, are serving, and especially those who gave their lives so that this great Nation may go on ...........

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day.

Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is clear – Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn't the anniversary of any particular battle.

On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war).

It is now celebrated in almost every state on the last Monday in May with Congressional passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363). This helped ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays, though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19th in Texas; April 26th in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10th in South Carolina; and June 3rd (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Enjoy your weekend everyone but again, let us never forget the price paid by others which allows us to do so ..

God Bless America and it's Armed Forces

Big Ed

Tips For Success Using Social Media Marketing

Hello again everyone ... EJ "Big Ed" Benko here again with more tips / strategies on how to make your online marketing more effective and successful! 

Tips For Success Using Social Media Marketing

Maintaining a strong social media presence can boost your Google rankings, business and reach more many more people on the internet. Social Media allows you to easily communicate with your friends, family, colleagues and prospects while also providing a platform for easy, mass distribution of your marketing materials / campaigns.

First and foremost ... If you are using social media to market, then do it correctly by inviting all the people you know to your pages. Don't leave anyone out! Even people who are not "organically" connected to you can be useful when it comes to spreading the word about your business. Word of mouth advertising is always the BEST!

Don't be intimidated and / or discouraged ... It can take a while for you to learn how to write with your own personality; just do your best and in time you will find "your voice." At first, you can simply do the same things you see your competition doing..Pay close attention and study them then carefully and replicate their techniques. Look at their content on social media, and focus on the promotions they offer. In other words "Fake it till you make it!" 

It’s EXTREMELY important that you ALWAYS respond to comments, complaints and reviews on social media sites as soon as possible! Keep your responses brief, professional and helpful, but respond as soon as you can so you’ll get a good reputation. This can easily be the difference of having a good campaign or a complete failure. It is very important to communicate regarding any reviews, especially if they are negative. If you do not, your reputation can become damaged. A quick and positive response could resolve the issue, and leave a positive feeling in the end.

Study your progress. Figure out if activity increased and how much it increased by. Figure out which actions gained you the most action, and then repeat those strategies. If you fail to take note of results, you may never know whether or not social media can work for you.

Review all posts to ensure that they are not offensive. Delete or tag posts that contain inaccurate and / or false information. Errors in social media can quickly become viral, causing embarrassment and damage to you, your business, and your online reputation. The word will get out about you and your business, but you need to make sure that the word getting out is good. Protect your reputation like it's your life! 

A great social media marketing strategy is to blog!  of Blogging is absolutely essential to online success especially if you're using a blogging (I recommend Google's FREE blogger highly!) platform that is SEO "friendly" and indexed by the major search engines. Don't be afraid to blog - It's easy and like the tips given previously about "finding your own voice" ..it will come with practice. Blogging on a regular basis gives the online community an inside look at you, your life, and your business and helps people build their trust in you and your products.

Social media marketing success takes time so be patient. It can take some time and patience to build up your social media / online presence. This can take a few months and even up to a year depending on how actively your involved. Stay active and consistent, and you'll be seen, Neglect your social media marketing, and you fail - Very simple. 

Demographics are a key factor in determining the success or failure of social media marketing. Research them thoroughly. If you discover a large part of your followers are part of a particular demographic / geographic group, you can adjust your campaigns accordingly for better response.

In closing ... Maintaining a strong social media presence will provide you, and your business with tremendous benefits. Never neglect it! 

I hope these tips were useful and helpful for you .. If you ever need additional help with your marketing, feel free to contact me directly. I'm always happy to help in anyway I can.

Until next time, this is your "Man in the Mountains"  reminding you to..

STAY POSITIVE - STAY MOTIVATED - STAY INSPIRED and ....

NEVER GIVE UP YOUR DREAMS!

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://BigEdz.com

http://bigedzblog.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BigEdzonline

Skype: Edward.Benko

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS / LIFE SERIOUSLY! STOP being a SUCKER!

Let the Haters hate and the crybabies cry!

Success is for those who EARN it through HARD WORK, Dedication, Ambition, Inspiration and MOTIVATION! Joining a business, doing nothing yet expecting to become successful is STUPID and a complete WASTE or your time, money and energy!

Get off your but, Develop a PLAN and execute that plan EVERY SINGLE DAY no matter what! STOP looking for free rides, instant, auto-pilot BS and TAKE YOUR BUSINESS / LIFE SERIOUSLY!  STOP being a SUCKER!

I’m serious!

Every day I see all these junk offers for “free” this and “instant / auto-pilot” that and honestly, it insults my intelligence and it should insult yours also!

Do you honestly believe there is any “free” anything out here or some miraculous $1.00 program that’s going to make you rich beyond your wildest dreams? If you do, you’re an idiot and just the type of sucker these so called “guru” con artists are looking for, and LOVE to find!

Sure … join for “free” or for some ridiculous amount like a $1.00 ..what a joke! You’d better know the upsells are coming and coming HARD!

Do you honestly believe you can buy some magical software or “system” that’s going to put your business on complete “auto-pilot” and make you wealthy for sitting on your rear end doing nothing?

If you do, you’re an IDIOT plain and simple, and if you get burned, it’s your own fault - Period!

I’ve been an online marketer since the internet went public (long time ago) and through hard work, dedication, motivation, innovation, and inspiration, I’ve made A LOT of money but again, I work at this every single day and every single day I HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION and a “To Do” list that I follow to achieve the goals I’ve set for myself!!

STOP BEING A SUCKER! Use your COMMON SENSE and the brains God gave!

Would you fall for these “to good to be true / get rich quick” sales pitches in the REAL WORLD? Of course you wouldn't … You’re SMARTER than that! So why would you fall for them / take them at face value online?

STOP! Do your due diligence! INVESTIGATE each and every system you’re thinking of joining BEFORE spending your hard earned money!

Don’t fall for the HYPE and / or just accept what you’re being told at face value!

Google search the business and people behind it - 

READ REAL reviews!

Go to YouTube and search out video (real ones, not disguised sales videos) testimonials and reviews!

I’ve been out here over 20 years! I’m not some wannabe that’sgiven myself some self-appointed title and / or authority! I’m the REAL DEAL!

I’ve seen and / or know about just about any “system” (mew or old) and can quickly tell you if it’s junk or has value – Reach out to me, I’ll be happy to offer any guidance, advice, etc. I can.

Again, don’t be a chump – Research everything / anything before opening your wallet and if you don’t, you only have YOURSELF to blame if you get screwed!

This is your “Man in the Mountains” reminding you to ..

STAY POSITIVE

STAY MOTIVATED

STAY INSPIRED

And …..

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://BigEdz.com

http://bigedzblog.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BigEdzonline

Skype: Edward.Benko

Online Sales Lesson #4 - More Sales with Promos & Discounts

Tip #1 - Use discount / promotional offers to introduce new products.

New products, especially those that are still unknown and those that still do not have an established market base, will need a lot of boost. 

One way to introduce such products to customers is to initially offer them with a discount or a promo. The discount and / or promo should only last for a limited time period.

Tip #2 - Use discount / offers to revive a declining product.

The use of discounts and promotional offers are not only effective on new products, they can also help you move “old stock” by reviving a product that is losing sales and / or not moving anymore. By offering discounted prices, you encourage customers to buy products that they normally would not buy. 

Tip #3 - Announce sale and promo dates through your online advertising 

Your advertisement channel includes your website, blog, social media pages (Facebook, Twitter) YouTube channel(s) etc., etc. Once your customers realize that you announce sale / promotional items using these channels, they will be more motivated to visit your sites on a regular basis which is GOOD because you get more traffic, better rankings, etc. and that’s what we are after right? MORE QUALIFIED TRAFFIC!! 

Tip #4 - Offer special discounts and promos to old customers.

This is one way to get more sales from existing customers and create good will, and new referrals!. And because you are offering them a discount, you are also making them happy. This is also one way to keep your customers loyal to you. 

Tip #5 - Inform the customer of the free item's value.

When giving away “freebies,” it’s always a good idea (and a way to improve customer satisfaction) if your customers know the value of the item you are giving them for free.  An example would be something like “If you buy a XYZ product today, you will also receive a bonus “gift” of ABC product valued at $50.00 free." Doing this simple thing tells your customer how much they are getting for free, and leave them feeling much more satisfied with their purchase. 

This concludes my "mini series" on Online marketing / sales tips ... I hope it helped you and you enjoyed it! 

Remember, if you need help with marketing, advertising or need an HONEST, Legitimate, AFFORDABLE mentor, visit my website BigEdz.com at http://BigEdz.com or contact me at BigEd80013@gmail.com

Until next time, this is you “Man in the Mountains” saying …

  

Stay Positive .. 

Stay Motivated .. 

Stay Inspired

and ...

NEVER GIVE UP YOUR DREAMS! 

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://BigEdz.com

http://bigedzblog.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BigEdzonline

Skype: Edward.Benko

Online Sales Lesson #3 - Never forget to Cross Sell

Cross-selling is too often overlooked, neglected and / or completely forgotten! Sending a customer to a 'thank you' page to grab their product is just a small part of the buying / selling process. There is so much more profit potential if you do this right...

ALWAYS send a personal follow up email to your prospects! Introduce yourself, thank them for opting in, and offer any advice / assistance you can AND ALWAYS include your contact info in your signature line!

Tip #1 - Offer the cross sell after the FIRST DEAL has been finalized.
Before you offer your prospect another product, make sure he / she already agreed to buy the first product. This will make it easier for you to explain why he / she (the customer) will need to buy the secondary product, opportunity or service you’re offering. 

Tip #2 - Be persuasive but not pushy.
To be persuasive means that you have the ability to make the customer feel that he/she really needs to buy the additional item that you are offering. Your customer will feel this way because you managed to make him/her realize the use and value of the secondary item that you are offering. Being pushy on the other hand is a different story. If you are pushy, customer satisfaction will drop. Also, your customer may no longer return to you. 

Tip #3 - Offer the extra item at a discount.
In a cross-sell, the extra item that you will offer is not related to the primary product. But this should not stop you from offering a discount. A discount always makes the secondary offer more enticing to the customer. 

Tip #4 - Explain why the item is important.
The secondary item may not be related to the primary product. However, you need to explain why it is useful. If you managed to make the customer realize its importance, he/she might just be persuaded to buy it. You should also expect that the customer will ask questions about the secondary product that you are offering. Show your expertise and knowledge of the item by answering every question. To do this, you will need to be familiar with the item that you are offering. 

Tip #5 - Make the option available a few days or weeks after the original purchase.
Just like in an upsell, the discount on the cross-sell item should also be made available to the customer even after a few days or a few weeks after the purchase of the primary item.

Tip #6 - Include warranty (if available) information on the cross-sell item.
Customers sometimes get the idea that cross-sell items are old stocks. This is because cross-sell items are often offered at a discount. Therefore, you will need to make them feel that what you are offering is brand new. You can do this by telling them that the item comes with a warranty. Also, the packaging of the cross-sell item must suggest that it is indeed brand new. 

Remember, if you need help with marketing, advertising or need an HONEST, Legitimate, AFFORDABLE mentor, visit my website BigEdz.com at http://BigEdz.com or contact me at BigEd80013@gmail.com

Stay tuned for Lesson # 4 on how to make more sales by offering discounts and promo offers!

Until then, this is you “Man in the Mountains” saying …

Stay Positive .. 

Stay Motivated .. 

Stay Inspired

and ...

NEVER GIVE UP YOUR DREAMS! 

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://BigEdz.com

http://bigedzblog.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BigEdzonline

Skype: Edward.Benko

Online Sales Lesson #2 - It's All In the Presentation

No matter how amazing your product, offer or opportunity is, NO ONE will care about it until you’ve convinced them it’s a viable offer that will absolutely provide them with a TANGIBLE Benefit and “worth its weight in Gold!” 

An excellent sales page / presentation of your product is what makes all your sales possible. Do this right and your business will stand the test of time... Do it wrong, and it will simply blend in with all the others people pass over.

Tip #1 - Make your offer / product packaging look enticing.

A brief product description commonly appears in front of a product's packaging. When making a product description, make sure that you include all the features that matter (benefit to buyer) the most to your customers. When buying a laptop for example, customers normally look for the following features: battery duration, processor, video card, RAM, hard drive capacity, connectivity options, and product dimension. Therefore, these are the things that you will need to list / emphasize when creating YOUR product description for a laptop, and what will make yours stand out from the millions of others out here!

Tip #2 - Avoid loooooooong product descriptions.

A product description should be brief, concise and to the point! NO ONE wants to read one of those long, drawn out “novel” style ads! NEVER make your ad to wordy / lengthy! If a product description is too lengthy (long sentences and/or long paragraphs), customers will quickly become BORED, and disinterested in reading it.

Guess what? If people end up not reading the product description, they WON’T buy your product!!

Tip #3 - Make a more detailed description at the back.

The brief product description that appears in front of a product's packaging only serves as a “teaser” which gives just enough information to “force” your buyer in to what’s called a “call to action” more commonly known as clicking your link for more information. If a customer finds your ad INTERESTING, he/she will look for, and WANT more information. This is why a more detailed description of your offer should always appear at the back end AKA: your products landing / opt in page.  

Have you ever noticed a shopper turning around a box after seeing the front looking for more information? The same principle applies online.

Tip #4 - Make a suitable packaging design.

Website, Splash page design is critical to your products success! The design can / should feature different moods / themes etc., BUT ALWAYS include some information about what you’re selling!

I don’t know about you but I HATE being directed to an opt in page that simply offers be some tropical background and  TELLS ME NOTHING about why they want me to give them my name, and email address!! To me, that’s nothing but LAZY and I WILL NEVER opt in to a page / offer like that! BE CREATIVE - NOT LAZY!

Tip #5 - Highlight main features / specifications.

Sometimes, the list of features your opportunity can be lengthy. This is especially true for technological products such as mobile phones, computers, media players, and such. Therefore, the product description ends up looking “crowded.”  So what do you do? The answer is easy, simply highlight the most important features and leave the rest for when your prospect opt’s in and / or goes to your landing page.  Keep it simple and don’t over complicate things!

Tip #6 - Avoid FALSE / exaggerated claims.

In an attempt to win customers, many people think it’s “OK” to use exaggerated, mis leading and outright FALSE claims. DO NOT DO THIS FOR ANY REASON!  People are NOT STUPID! They will quickly see through phony and deceptive claims and label you a spammer / scammer. 

REPUTATION IS EVERYTHING! IT TAKES MONTHS / YEARS TO BUILD, AND MINUTES TO DESTROY!

Note: Even if your claims are true, they will look faked if your ad / web design is written in a shoddy / shady way. Always make claims appear / sound natural instead of “hyped.”

Tip #7 - Use catchy pictures/photographs.

It’s always good to play around with words BUT, words alone don’t always cut it!

The words in your ad and / or on your opportunities website / landing page will ONLY serve as a sale's pitch. People are “visual” by nature … You should always try to include some photos and graphic designs for a more enticing look. 

That’s it for Lesson # 2 – I hope it was helpful!

Until next time, this is your “Man in the Mountains” reminding you to ….

STAY POSITIVE ... STAY MOTIVATED ... STAY INSPIRED

And …..

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://BigEdz.com

http://bigedzblog.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BigEdzonline

Skype: Edward.Benko

Remember, if you need help with marketing, advertising or need an HONEST, Legitimate, AFFORDABLE mentor, visit my website BigEdz.com at http://BigEdz.com or contact me at BigEd80013@gmail.com

Online Sales Lesson #1 – Effective Sales

Online Sales Lesson #1 – Effective Sales

Being an online marketer / entrepreneur requires that you to have a solid grasp of all the components / elements that make up your business. 

Up-selling, cross-selling, discounts, sales tweaks, etc. are all well and good but if you have no viable, effective methods of advertising, NO ONE is going to see or know your product / opportunity exists! This is why this lesson is so important!

Here’s the analogy I use for with my mentoring students ….  

Picture a massive traffic jam on the I-5 during rush hour … MILLIONS of cars bumper to bumper all trying to get somewhere but stuck in a sea of traffic, This is the internet -  Now, you’re out there advertising and trying to get people to notice you but so far, all you’re doing is shouting “I’m in the blue car” .. Really?  There are THOUSANDS of blue cars in this traffic jam! What makes YOUR blue car any different from all the others? How do I identify your blue car? Is there anything “unique” about it? Get my point?

Tip #1 - Create a Facebook account.
Facebook is without fail, the most successful, and popular social media site on the internet! Millions of people use it religiously each and every day and if you’re not using its power to advertise, you’re leaving a LOT of money on the table for others (like me) to pick up! Facebook provides many FREE options to advertise with. A Facebook fan page has many options that businesses can use. For example, it has advertisement options which can be used to reach target customers. Parameters such as age, gender, hobbies, and such can be set in order to reach a select group of people when advertising. Some of these advertisement tools are paid features while some can be used for free. 

Tip #2 – Create a Twitter account.
A Twitter account can also be used to advertise your products and/or services. An excellent technique is to get a lot of followers. This way, your tweets will be read by more users. 

Tip #3 - Link ALL of your web, blog, and social media sites together
Visualize a spider’s web … Each web is a unique marvel of engineering! individula strands of the web are unique to themselves but they are also connected to the whole. Tap one strand and it sends vibrations across the entire web network & allows the spider to locate its prey like a GPS system. The internet is no different than the spider’s web. All strands individual but also connected to another.

If you have several websites and social media accounts, it’s important to link them together. How do you do this? In your main website for example, you can provide a link to all your other websites. And in your Facebook page, you can also provide a link to your Twitter page. This way, you customers will be able to connect to you in more ways than one. 

Tip #4 - Focus on your Target / Niche Market.
DO NOT waste your time, energy, and resources on advertising (Free, Safelists, etc,) methods that attempt to reach everyone. If you only need to reach a select group of people, you only need to advertise with them inmind. Do your homework and STOP being LAZY!  If you are selling products for women for example, it may not be necessary to do extensive advertisement that would include male audiences and vise versa. Again, stop spinning your wheels on “free / junk” advertising – Trust me when I tell you money is not going to fall from the sky in exchange for doing NOTHING! Study, research, learn, experiment, etc. Most importantly, realize that you will eventually need to INVEST in your business, and yourself if you truly want success!

Tip #5 - Advertise Price Comparisons.
When advertising your product/service using different forms of media, it’s a good idea to include a market price comparison. For example, you may include in the description that your product is priced lower than you competition. Of course, you should NEVER name competitor brands specifically! If you do, you could be setting yourself up for a MAJOR lawsuit. 

Tip #6 - Advertise Specification Comparisons.
Other than the price comparison, you may also include a specification comparison in the product description. You only need to list any differences that favor your product / opportunity. Example: If the laptop that you are selling has a battery capacity of 10 hours and your competitor's product only has 5, you may include that information in the product description. Something like "Our battery will last 5 hours longer than XYZ’s laptop."

OK … that’s enough for today & concludes my first post in a series on generating more sales with simple advertising adjustments. Stay tuned for future posts as you and I have only just begun! I plan to bring you more valuable information in the days ahead!

Until then, this is your “Man in the Mountains” reminding you to ..

STAY POSITIVE..

STAY MOTIVATED...

STAY INSPIRED and …..

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://BigEdz.com

http://bigedzblog.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BigEdzonline

Skype: Edward.Benko

Remember, if you need help with marketing, advertising or need an HONEST, Legitimate, AFFORDABLE mentor, visit my ebsite BigEdz.com at http://BigEdz.com or contact me at BigEd80013@gmail.com