Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Varicose Veins - Useful Herbal formula in Ayurvedic Treatments
Varicose veins refer to a condition in which the veins of the legs become varicosed, i.e. they appear swollen and bulging and can be made out from the outside. In these veins, the mechanism of carrying impure blood from the lower limb back to the heart gets deranged either due to effective valves of the vein or the absence of valves by birth. The function of these valves is to control the blood flow in the veins. Varicose veins cause permanent swelling and heaviness in the feet. Skin of the legs develops black or blue-colored patches. Thighs and legs, under the skin, develop snake or earthworm-like blue-colored veins, resulting in the distortion of the shape of the leg and foot.
Varicose veins are caused due to excessive pressure caused on the legs or the abdomen. These are brought on by advancing age, obesity, pregnancy, hormonal changes and a host of other factors. Some deficiencies in the diet may cause the loss of elasticity of the veins, which may make them varicose. Also, standing for a long time, engaging in physical activity that puts more strain on the legs, wearing constrictive clothing and total lack of exercise can make the veins varicose.
Varicose veins usually don't cause any pain.
Signs you may have varicose veins include:
• Veins that are dark purple or blue in color
• Veins that appear twisted and bulging; often like cords on your legs
• Varicose veins may also form in other places on your legs, from your groin to your ankle.
When painful signs and symptoms occur, they may include:
• An achy or heavy feeling in your legs
• Burning, throbbing, muscle cramping and swelling in your lower legs
• Worsened pain after sitting or standing for a long time
• Itching around one or more of your veins
Spider veins are similar to varicose veins, but they're smaller. Spider veins are found closer to the skin's surface and are often red or blue. They occur on the legs, but can also be found on the face. Spider veins vary in size and often look like a spider's web.
Arteries carry blood from your heart to the rest of your tissues. Veins return blood from the rest of your body to your heart, so the blood can be re-circulated. To return blood to your heart, the veins in your legs must work against gravity. Muscle contractions in your lower legs act as pumps, and elastic vein walls help blood return to your heart. Tiny valves in your veins open as blood flows toward your heart then close to stop blood from flowing backward.
Causes of varicose veins can include:
Ageing - As you get older, your veins can lose elasticity causing them to stretch. The valves in your veins may become weak, allowing blood that should be moving toward your heart to flow backward. Blood pools in your veins and your veins enlarge and become varicose. The veins appear blue because they contain deoxygenated blood, which is in the process of being re-circulated through the lungs.
Pregnancy - Some pregnant women develop varicose veins. Pregnancy increases the volume of blood in your body, but decreases the flow of blood from your legs to your pelvis. This circulatory change is designed to support the growing fetus, but it can produce an unfortunate side effect enlarged veins in your legs. Varicose veins may surface for the first time or may worsen during late pregnancy, when your uterus exerts greater pressure on the veins in your legs. Changes in your hormones during pregnancy also may play a role. Varicose veins that develop during pregnancy generally improve without medical treatment within three months after delivery.
In Ayurveda, this condition is more or less a “Vata” problem. People with a predominance of “Vata dosha” seem to suffer more from this problem.
Useful Herbal supplement for Varicose Veins - VASKO + VEINISH
Mechanism of Action: -
The food supplements VEINISH with VASKO, it helps Venous and arterial endothelial fatty deposits dissolved and the damaged valves in veins (failed to hold the blood leaking backwards) get repaired to regain the tensile strength. Fresh collagen fibers are laid down parallel to the old ones and new connective tissue is formed in the valves. The new endothelium grown will contribute the strength enough to have sufficient tensile strength to hold venous blood at compartments against the gravity. In arteries also repair of the endothelium after dissolving the fatty deposits is happening. The same way in lower limb arterial narrowing (Burger’s Disease) that ends in gangrene is also reversible with help of VEINISH with VASKO.
VEINISH and VASKO is a non-invasive and safer way compared to the surgical stripping off the varicose vein treatment or modern treatment of intravenous lacer therapy.
VASKO and VEINISH will also helps prevent and reverse other problems at the same time.
VEINISH also improves the blood perfusion to the brain as it regains the healthy endothelium of vessels to increase its nitric oxide output. This paves the way to increase neuronal metabolism and balanced neurotransmitter state. That helps reversal of brain degenerative diseases like dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
VEINISH helps to improvise the skin health by stimulating new Glycosaminoglycans and collagen in the layers. And also stimulates immunity with augmented blood perfusion to the skin layers. Once venous flow improves, dependant eczema reverses. This effect helps reversing chronic eczema and scleroderma. Moreover, it helps for wound healing with good quality scar formation in the varicose ulcer and eczematous ulcers.
Side effects: - There are no known side effects.
For more information visit - http://www.gurusgarden.com
Varicose veins are caused due to excessive pressure caused on the legs or the abdomen. These are brought on by advancing age, obesity, pregnancy, hormonal changes and a host of other factors. Some deficiencies in the diet may cause the loss of elasticity of the veins, which may make them varicose. Also, standing for a long time, engaging in physical activity that puts more strain on the legs, wearing constrictive clothing and total lack of exercise can make the veins varicose.
Varicose veins usually don't cause any pain.
Signs you may have varicose veins include:
• Veins that are dark purple or blue in color
• Veins that appear twisted and bulging; often like cords on your legs
• Varicose veins may also form in other places on your legs, from your groin to your ankle.
When painful signs and symptoms occur, they may include:
• An achy or heavy feeling in your legs
• Burning, throbbing, muscle cramping and swelling in your lower legs
• Worsened pain after sitting or standing for a long time
• Itching around one or more of your veins
Spider veins are similar to varicose veins, but they're smaller. Spider veins are found closer to the skin's surface and are often red or blue. They occur on the legs, but can also be found on the face. Spider veins vary in size and often look like a spider's web.
Arteries carry blood from your heart to the rest of your tissues. Veins return blood from the rest of your body to your heart, so the blood can be re-circulated. To return blood to your heart, the veins in your legs must work against gravity. Muscle contractions in your lower legs act as pumps, and elastic vein walls help blood return to your heart. Tiny valves in your veins open as blood flows toward your heart then close to stop blood from flowing backward.
Causes of varicose veins can include:
Ageing - As you get older, your veins can lose elasticity causing them to stretch. The valves in your veins may become weak, allowing blood that should be moving toward your heart to flow backward. Blood pools in your veins and your veins enlarge and become varicose. The veins appear blue because they contain deoxygenated blood, which is in the process of being re-circulated through the lungs.
Pregnancy - Some pregnant women develop varicose veins. Pregnancy increases the volume of blood in your body, but decreases the flow of blood from your legs to your pelvis. This circulatory change is designed to support the growing fetus, but it can produce an unfortunate side effect enlarged veins in your legs. Varicose veins may surface for the first time or may worsen during late pregnancy, when your uterus exerts greater pressure on the veins in your legs. Changes in your hormones during pregnancy also may play a role. Varicose veins that develop during pregnancy generally improve without medical treatment within three months after delivery.
In Ayurveda, this condition is more or less a “Vata” problem. People with a predominance of “Vata dosha” seem to suffer more from this problem.
Useful Herbal supplement for Varicose Veins - VASKO + VEINISH
Mechanism of Action: -
The food supplements VEINISH with VASKO, it helps Venous and arterial endothelial fatty deposits dissolved and the damaged valves in veins (failed to hold the blood leaking backwards) get repaired to regain the tensile strength. Fresh collagen fibers are laid down parallel to the old ones and new connective tissue is formed in the valves. The new endothelium grown will contribute the strength enough to have sufficient tensile strength to hold venous blood at compartments against the gravity. In arteries also repair of the endothelium after dissolving the fatty deposits is happening. The same way in lower limb arterial narrowing (Burger’s Disease) that ends in gangrene is also reversible with help of VEINISH with VASKO.
VEINISH and VASKO is a non-invasive and safer way compared to the surgical stripping off the varicose vein treatment or modern treatment of intravenous lacer therapy.
VASKO and VEINISH will also helps prevent and reverse other problems at the same time.
VEINISH also improves the blood perfusion to the brain as it regains the healthy endothelium of vessels to increase its nitric oxide output. This paves the way to increase neuronal metabolism and balanced neurotransmitter state. That helps reversal of brain degenerative diseases like dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
VEINISH helps to improvise the skin health by stimulating new Glycosaminoglycans and collagen in the layers. And also stimulates immunity with augmented blood perfusion to the skin layers. Once venous flow improves, dependant eczema reverses. This effect helps reversing chronic eczema and scleroderma. Moreover, it helps for wound healing with good quality scar formation in the varicose ulcer and eczematous ulcers.
Side effects: - There are no known side effects.
For more information visit - http://www.gurusgarden.com
A Brief Introduction of Ayurveda
A system of self-care that originated in India more than 6000 years ago, Ayurveda is becoming very popular all over the world, with hundreds of healers incorporating it into their practices and thousands of people using its well-tried principles and therapies to improve their well-being.
The main vehicle of the transmission of knowledge during that period was by oral method. The language used was Sanskrit — the vedic language of that period (3000–500 BC). The most authentic compilation of his teachings and work is presently available in a treatise called “Sushruta Samhita”. This contains 184 chapters and description of 1,120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources.
Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.” Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 6,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing”. It stems from the ancient Vedic culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an oral tradition from accomplished masters to their disciples. Some of this knowledge was set to print a few thousand years ago, but much of it is inaccessible. The principles of many of the natural healing systems now familiar in the West have their roots in Ayurveda, including Homeopathy and Polarity Therapy. Ayurveda provides both curative and preventive measures towards optimal physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Ayurveda places great emphasis on prevention and encourages the maintenance of health through close attention to balance in one’s life, right thinking, diet, lifestyle and the use of herbs. Knowledge of Ayurveda enables one to understand how to create this balance of body, mind and consciousness according to one’s own individual constitution and how to make lifestyle changes to bring about and maintain this balance.
Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, each person has a particular pattern of energy, an individual combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics which comprises their own constitution. This constitution is determined at conception by a number of factors and remains the same throughout one’s life.
Many factors, both internal and external, act upon us to disturb this balance and are reflected as a change in one’s constitution from the balanced state. Examples of these emotional and physical stresses include one’s emotional state, diet and food choices, seasons and weather, physical trauma, work and family relationships. Once these factors are understood, one can take appropriate actions to nullify or minimize their effects or eliminate the causes of imbalance and re-establish one’s original constitution. Balance is the natural order; imbalance is disorder. Health is order; disease is disorder. Within the body there is a constant interaction between order and disorder. When one understands the nature and structure of disorder, one can re-establish order.
Balancing the Three Principle Energies of the Body
Ayurveda identifies three basic types of energy or functional principles that are present in everyone and everything. Since there are no single words in English that convey these concepts, we use the original Sanskrit words “Vata”, “Pitta” and “Kapha”. These principles can be related to the basic biology of the body.
Energy is required to create movement so that fluids and nutrients get to the cells, enabling the body to function. Energy is also required to metabolize the nutrients in the cells, and is called for to lubricate and maintain the structure of the cell. Vata is the energy of movement; Pitta is the energy of digestion or metabolism and Kapha, the energy of lubrication and structure. All people have the qualities of Vata, Pitta and Kapha, but one is usually primary, one secondary and the third is usually least prominent. The cause of disease in Ayurveda is viewed as a lack of proper cellular function due to an excess or deficiency of Vata, Pitta or Kapha. Disease can also be caused by the presence of toxins.
In Ayurveda, body, mind and consciousness work together in maintaining balance. They are simply viewed as different facets of one’s being. To learn how to balance the body, mind and consciousness requires an understanding of how Vata, Pitta and Kapha work together. According to Ayurvedic philosophy the entire cosmos is interplay of the energies of the five great elements, Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Vata, Pitta and Kapha are combinations and permutations of these five elements that manifest as patterns present in all creation. In the physical body, Vata is the subtle energy of movement, Pitta the energy of digestion and metabolism, and Kapha the energy that forms the body’s structure.
Vata is the subtle energy associated with movement composed of Space and Air. It governs breathing, blinking, muscle and tissue movement, pulsation of the heart, and all movements in the cytoplasm and cell membranes. In balance, Vata promotes creativity and flexibility. Out of balance, Vata produces fear and anxiety.
Pitta expresses as the body’s metabolic system made up of Fire and Water. It governs digestion, absorption, assimilation, nutrition, metabolism and body temperature. In balance, Pitta promotes understanding and intelligence. Out of balance, Pitta arouses anger, hatred and jealousy.
Kapha is the energy that forms the body’s structure bones, muscles, tendons and provides the “glue” that holds the cells together, formed from Earth and Water. Kapha supplies the water for all bodily parts and systems. It lubricates joints, moisturizes the skin, and maintains immunity. In balance, Kapha is expressed as love, calmness and forgiveness. Out of balance, it leads to attachment, greed and envy.
Ayurveda also discusses the ways to pacify aggravated doshas or imbalances, the tools to create balance in the imbalanced body, mind, senses or spirit.
For more information visit -
http://www.gurusgarden.com
The main vehicle of the transmission of knowledge during that period was by oral method. The language used was Sanskrit — the vedic language of that period (3000–500 BC). The most authentic compilation of his teachings and work is presently available in a treatise called “Sushruta Samhita”. This contains 184 chapters and description of 1,120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources.
Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.” Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 6,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing”. It stems from the ancient Vedic culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an oral tradition from accomplished masters to their disciples. Some of this knowledge was set to print a few thousand years ago, but much of it is inaccessible. The principles of many of the natural healing systems now familiar in the West have their roots in Ayurveda, including Homeopathy and Polarity Therapy. Ayurveda provides both curative and preventive measures towards optimal physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Ayurveda places great emphasis on prevention and encourages the maintenance of health through close attention to balance in one’s life, right thinking, diet, lifestyle and the use of herbs. Knowledge of Ayurveda enables one to understand how to create this balance of body, mind and consciousness according to one’s own individual constitution and how to make lifestyle changes to bring about and maintain this balance.
Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, each person has a particular pattern of energy, an individual combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics which comprises their own constitution. This constitution is determined at conception by a number of factors and remains the same throughout one’s life.
Many factors, both internal and external, act upon us to disturb this balance and are reflected as a change in one’s constitution from the balanced state. Examples of these emotional and physical stresses include one’s emotional state, diet and food choices, seasons and weather, physical trauma, work and family relationships. Once these factors are understood, one can take appropriate actions to nullify or minimize their effects or eliminate the causes of imbalance and re-establish one’s original constitution. Balance is the natural order; imbalance is disorder. Health is order; disease is disorder. Within the body there is a constant interaction between order and disorder. When one understands the nature and structure of disorder, one can re-establish order.
Balancing the Three Principle Energies of the Body
Ayurveda identifies three basic types of energy or functional principles that are present in everyone and everything. Since there are no single words in English that convey these concepts, we use the original Sanskrit words “Vata”, “Pitta” and “Kapha”. These principles can be related to the basic biology of the body.
Energy is required to create movement so that fluids and nutrients get to the cells, enabling the body to function. Energy is also required to metabolize the nutrients in the cells, and is called for to lubricate and maintain the structure of the cell. Vata is the energy of movement; Pitta is the energy of digestion or metabolism and Kapha, the energy of lubrication and structure. All people have the qualities of Vata, Pitta and Kapha, but one is usually primary, one secondary and the third is usually least prominent. The cause of disease in Ayurveda is viewed as a lack of proper cellular function due to an excess or deficiency of Vata, Pitta or Kapha. Disease can also be caused by the presence of toxins.
In Ayurveda, body, mind and consciousness work together in maintaining balance. They are simply viewed as different facets of one’s being. To learn how to balance the body, mind and consciousness requires an understanding of how Vata, Pitta and Kapha work together. According to Ayurvedic philosophy the entire cosmos is interplay of the energies of the five great elements, Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Vata, Pitta and Kapha are combinations and permutations of these five elements that manifest as patterns present in all creation. In the physical body, Vata is the subtle energy of movement, Pitta the energy of digestion and metabolism, and Kapha the energy that forms the body’s structure.
Vata is the subtle energy associated with movement composed of Space and Air. It governs breathing, blinking, muscle and tissue movement, pulsation of the heart, and all movements in the cytoplasm and cell membranes. In balance, Vata promotes creativity and flexibility. Out of balance, Vata produces fear and anxiety.
Pitta expresses as the body’s metabolic system made up of Fire and Water. It governs digestion, absorption, assimilation, nutrition, metabolism and body temperature. In balance, Pitta promotes understanding and intelligence. Out of balance, Pitta arouses anger, hatred and jealousy.
Kapha is the energy that forms the body’s structure bones, muscles, tendons and provides the “glue” that holds the cells together, formed from Earth and Water. Kapha supplies the water for all bodily parts and systems. It lubricates joints, moisturizes the skin, and maintains immunity. In balance, Kapha is expressed as love, calmness and forgiveness. Out of balance, it leads to attachment, greed and envy.
Ayurveda also discusses the ways to pacify aggravated doshas or imbalances, the tools to create balance in the imbalanced body, mind, senses or spirit.
For more information visit -
http://www.gurusgarden.com
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The idea of SEPA
SEPA is the Single Euro Payments Area. SEPA harmonises the way we make and process payments in euro. SEPA enables customers to make cashless euro payments to anyone located anywhere in Europe, using a single payment account and a single set of payment instruments
If you travel from one euro area country to another, you can easily buy something with euro cash. But paying cashless outside your home country, for example with a card, is more difficult. This is due to technical, legal and market barriers stemming from the time before the single currency. SEPA aims to overcome these barriers. The result will be a single market for payments in euro. This single market will reach beyond the euro area and even the European Union.
If you travel from one euro area country to another, you can easily buy something with euro cash. But paying cashless outside your home country, for example with a card, is more difficult. This is due to technical, legal and market barriers stemming from the time before the single currency. SEPA aims to overcome these barriers. The result will be a single market for payments in euro. This single market will reach beyond the euro area and even the European Union.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Online and mobile advertising offers enormous potential
Online and mobile advertising offers enormous potential
written by Archana Singh, archanasi@cybermedia.co.in
http://voicendata.ciol.com/content/top_stories/110101201.asp
Advertising has become pivotal to a company's competitiveness and for making its place in the industry. Online and mobile advertisements are helping the enterprises save on time and gain popularity rates very rapidly.
According to a report released by the media analyst, Screen Digest-rich media advertising market on mobile will reach $2.79 bn by 2012, along with the global mobile TV advertising reaching $2.44 bn. Mobile advertising is becoming a new source of revenue and is expected to multiply in the post 3G deployments with video also becoming an added feature of the advertising world.
GSMA and ComScore released the first industry-standard metrics for mobile advertising this fiscal. Experts and analysts say that it may be recalled that mobile advertising has been around globally, but is yet to generate significant revenues. The fact remains unchallenged that the mobile advertising has a lot to offer to enterprises, brands remaining hinged to it. The global mobile advertising industry is expected to grow up to $24 bn by 2013.
The fact that mobile as a medium gives the advertiser the advantage of 'reach' is being cashed on. It reaches more than 500 mn individuals in India, and helps reach the right target audience at the right place and at the right time. Filters like geographic targeting, demographic targeting, gender targeting, etc, helps reach such audience and increase the attention of the consumers. Another opinion that has added to the promotional messaging is that people can tend to ignore a TV or radio ad, however the probability of reaching a consumer is more on a mobile platform.
However, to this growing industry there are impediments that have come on the way. Mobile advertising in India is still a learning game for many. No one knows what works and what not. Everyone is experimenting with various business models.
The biggest challenge will be making the consumer to engage with mobile advertising. Consumers are irritated by over usage of SMS as advertising media. Too many new players have wrongly positioned SMS advertising in the minds of the consumer. So, it may take more time for consumers to permit advertising on their mobiles.
Global Interest
When global companies like Pepsi, HUL, Warner brothers, Airtel, Tata, Dominos, Yatra.com use a platform, it surely tends to arouse the interest of rest of the industry. Last year saw the global biggie-wiggies using the SMS platforms to advertise.
Raju Vanapala, founder & CEO, Way2SMS says, “Mobile advertising is a win-win proposition for all the stakeholders including consumers, brands and telcos. Customers can avail of some great opportunities, discounts, offers, prizes and much more. The current mobile advertising channels such as WAP advertising or SMS advertising, would be enhanced by 3G networks soon. 3G allows more innovation to go beyond the traditional mobile advertising modes like SMS, WAP and USSD.”
Sharing the view that mobile advertising has a long way to go Satyakalyan Yerramsetti, CEO and founder, SMS Country says, “Enterprises are using online ad networks to generate leads. Most enterprises also do branding exercises and rely more on CPM based advertising campaigns. This helps them to make their presence felt all over the Internet by putting up banners, SMS campaigns and ads on mobile Internet.”
SMS GupShup announced that 150 advertisers which includes some of the major global brands ran campaigns on its networks.
Says Beerud Sheth, CEO, SMS GupShup, “Mobile communities are a powerful way for brands to engage their customers on an ongoing basis, as well as increase the customer base through viral growth. Engagement drives loyalty, converting customers into advocates, driving repeats & referrals-which can be far more effective than regular advertising. Brands can get direct feedback from their customers as well as inform, interact and transact with them.”
Brands have so far been running SMS campaigns and creating mobile communities. However, there is a new opportunity that has emerged in the form of SMS applications. These apps can be customized based on the brand's needs, and as the marketing fraternity recognizes the power of SMS in this country, the demand for customized apps and solutions will keep growing.
Vodafone recently created an app to increase engagement and loyalty amongst the low ARPU pre-paid subscribers in the slums of Mumbai. The mobile app was developed by SMS GupShup to conduct a bidding competition on SMS using a toll free number. Essential items like rice, wheat and sugar were up for auction and Vodafone pre-paid subscribers with a balance of over `20 were eligible to bid for these products using their mobile phones. The winning bids were announced on the spot. The results of this promotion were so encouraging that SMS GupShup and Vodafone plan to roll this activity across another twenty-five network circles in due course of time.
The company also along with Pepsi launched a large customer engagement program across India. SMS GupShup created a mobile community that quickly gained 60,000 members-making this one of the fastest customer acquisition programs on mobile in India.
Monitoring Spams
Spams for long have been a major obstruction for the subscribers. While there is a major issue about the DND operatibility, subscribers have been always complaining about the bulk messages which they receive. However, to monitor the problem of spamming, companies are taking some serious steps to deal with them and thereby monitor the anomalies. Says Satyakalyan Yerramsetti, “Before we send out messages, we filter them through this list. For 160by2.com, we also provide an online interface for users to unsubscribe from messages they do not want to receive.”
At SMS GupShup, advertisers can target specific communities that revolve around contextual content or build their own communities on the platform. But then this is all opt-in for the end user, and users on SMS GupShup are always just a single SMS away from opting out of any content that they do not wish to receive. Some advertisers also use our platform to reach out to their own or procured databases but the company has been refraining from sharing details of users on the platform with brands and advertisers.
Way2SMS also keeps in check these anomalies by having a mechanism in place to check spam. Subcribers will also be sent some cautions like the procedure that they should follow either through the IVR or they can send a message to stop receiving unwanted messages.
Other companies are also fast catching up with the idea of channelizing the SMS spams so as to maintain the credibility and usability for the subscribers.
Future Beckons
Satyakalyan Yerramsetti, CEO, 160by2 says, “Mobile advertising and social media put together has a huge potential. Advertising through mobile searches like Just Dial is one strategy. By advertising on Just Dial, any queries that customers have about SMS services are immediately directed to our company. We also advertise with online ad networks to reach out to consumers who are searching for some services provided by us.”
There are many changes that the SMS platforms are innovating to cater to the changing demands of the enterprises.
Raju Vanapala, Way2SMS says, “We could see replication of web advertising models such as CPC, CPM, CPL on mobile too. These advertising models will gain traction once people start adopting 3G services. Companies such as Way2SMS with over 300 mn SMS impressions a month, will leverage more via its footer ads.”
So while innovation is needed in every stage of advertising from content, medium to user targeting, the SMS platforms have a long way to cover given the kind of reach they have come to achieve in a short span of time.
While eBay has been using various other mobile platforms in India, SMS GupShup has been a partner to reach new consumers. Turner Imagine, a leading general entertainment channel, used SMS GupShup to increase TRPs of their reality shows by driving viewer engagement. UTI Mutual Fund has built a mobile community of over half a million users on SMS GupShup, where it provides general investment advice and selective financial market updates.
Other brand advertisers on the network include Microsoft, Cadbury, Nokia, Ford, Puma, Maybelline, Dell, Kingfisher, Sun Microsystems and ING Financial. Brands run SMS ads and create mobile communities, similar to fan sites that appear on traditional web based social networks.
Archana Singh
archanasi@cybermedia.co.in
written by Archana Singh, archanasi@cybermedia.co.in
http://voicendata.ciol.com/content/top_stories/110101201.asp
Advertising has become pivotal to a company's competitiveness and for making its place in the industry. Online and mobile advertisements are helping the enterprises save on time and gain popularity rates very rapidly.
According to a report released by the media analyst, Screen Digest-rich media advertising market on mobile will reach $2.79 bn by 2012, along with the global mobile TV advertising reaching $2.44 bn. Mobile advertising is becoming a new source of revenue and is expected to multiply in the post 3G deployments with video also becoming an added feature of the advertising world.
GSMA and ComScore released the first industry-standard metrics for mobile advertising this fiscal. Experts and analysts say that it may be recalled that mobile advertising has been around globally, but is yet to generate significant revenues. The fact remains unchallenged that the mobile advertising has a lot to offer to enterprises, brands remaining hinged to it. The global mobile advertising industry is expected to grow up to $24 bn by 2013.
The fact that mobile as a medium gives the advertiser the advantage of 'reach' is being cashed on. It reaches more than 500 mn individuals in India, and helps reach the right target audience at the right place and at the right time. Filters like geographic targeting, demographic targeting, gender targeting, etc, helps reach such audience and increase the attention of the consumers. Another opinion that has added to the promotional messaging is that people can tend to ignore a TV or radio ad, however the probability of reaching a consumer is more on a mobile platform.
However, to this growing industry there are impediments that have come on the way. Mobile advertising in India is still a learning game for many. No one knows what works and what not. Everyone is experimenting with various business models.
The biggest challenge will be making the consumer to engage with mobile advertising. Consumers are irritated by over usage of SMS as advertising media. Too many new players have wrongly positioned SMS advertising in the minds of the consumer. So, it may take more time for consumers to permit advertising on their mobiles.
Global Interest
When global companies like Pepsi, HUL, Warner brothers, Airtel, Tata, Dominos, Yatra.com use a platform, it surely tends to arouse the interest of rest of the industry. Last year saw the global biggie-wiggies using the SMS platforms to advertise.
Raju Vanapala, founder & CEO, Way2SMS says, “Mobile advertising is a win-win proposition for all the stakeholders including consumers, brands and telcos. Customers can avail of some great opportunities, discounts, offers, prizes and much more. The current mobile advertising channels such as WAP advertising or SMS advertising, would be enhanced by 3G networks soon. 3G allows more innovation to go beyond the traditional mobile advertising modes like SMS, WAP and USSD.”
Sharing the view that mobile advertising has a long way to go Satyakalyan Yerramsetti, CEO and founder, SMS Country says, “Enterprises are using online ad networks to generate leads. Most enterprises also do branding exercises and rely more on CPM based advertising campaigns. This helps them to make their presence felt all over the Internet by putting up banners, SMS campaigns and ads on mobile Internet.”
SMS GupShup announced that 150 advertisers which includes some of the major global brands ran campaigns on its networks.
Says Beerud Sheth, CEO, SMS GupShup, “Mobile communities are a powerful way for brands to engage their customers on an ongoing basis, as well as increase the customer base through viral growth. Engagement drives loyalty, converting customers into advocates, driving repeats & referrals-which can be far more effective than regular advertising. Brands can get direct feedback from their customers as well as inform, interact and transact with them.”
Brands have so far been running SMS campaigns and creating mobile communities. However, there is a new opportunity that has emerged in the form of SMS applications. These apps can be customized based on the brand's needs, and as the marketing fraternity recognizes the power of SMS in this country, the demand for customized apps and solutions will keep growing.
Vodafone recently created an app to increase engagement and loyalty amongst the low ARPU pre-paid subscribers in the slums of Mumbai. The mobile app was developed by SMS GupShup to conduct a bidding competition on SMS using a toll free number. Essential items like rice, wheat and sugar were up for auction and Vodafone pre-paid subscribers with a balance of over `20 were eligible to bid for these products using their mobile phones. The winning bids were announced on the spot. The results of this promotion were so encouraging that SMS GupShup and Vodafone plan to roll this activity across another twenty-five network circles in due course of time.
The company also along with Pepsi launched a large customer engagement program across India. SMS GupShup created a mobile community that quickly gained 60,000 members-making this one of the fastest customer acquisition programs on mobile in India.
Monitoring Spams
Spams for long have been a major obstruction for the subscribers. While there is a major issue about the DND operatibility, subscribers have been always complaining about the bulk messages which they receive. However, to monitor the problem of spamming, companies are taking some serious steps to deal with them and thereby monitor the anomalies. Says Satyakalyan Yerramsetti, “Before we send out messages, we filter them through this list. For 160by2.com, we also provide an online interface for users to unsubscribe from messages they do not want to receive.”
At SMS GupShup, advertisers can target specific communities that revolve around contextual content or build their own communities on the platform. But then this is all opt-in for the end user, and users on SMS GupShup are always just a single SMS away from opting out of any content that they do not wish to receive. Some advertisers also use our platform to reach out to their own or procured databases but the company has been refraining from sharing details of users on the platform with brands and advertisers.
Way2SMS also keeps in check these anomalies by having a mechanism in place to check spam. Subcribers will also be sent some cautions like the procedure that they should follow either through the IVR or they can send a message to stop receiving unwanted messages.
Other companies are also fast catching up with the idea of channelizing the SMS spams so as to maintain the credibility and usability for the subscribers.
Future Beckons
Satyakalyan Yerramsetti, CEO, 160by2 says, “Mobile advertising and social media put together has a huge potential. Advertising through mobile searches like Just Dial is one strategy. By advertising on Just Dial, any queries that customers have about SMS services are immediately directed to our company. We also advertise with online ad networks to reach out to consumers who are searching for some services provided by us.”
There are many changes that the SMS platforms are innovating to cater to the changing demands of the enterprises.
Raju Vanapala, Way2SMS says, “We could see replication of web advertising models such as CPC, CPM, CPL on mobile too. These advertising models will gain traction once people start adopting 3G services. Companies such as Way2SMS with over 300 mn SMS impressions a month, will leverage more via its footer ads.”
So while innovation is needed in every stage of advertising from content, medium to user targeting, the SMS platforms have a long way to cover given the kind of reach they have come to achieve in a short span of time.
While eBay has been using various other mobile platforms in India, SMS GupShup has been a partner to reach new consumers. Turner Imagine, a leading general entertainment channel, used SMS GupShup to increase TRPs of their reality shows by driving viewer engagement. UTI Mutual Fund has built a mobile community of over half a million users on SMS GupShup, where it provides general investment advice and selective financial market updates.
Other brand advertisers on the network include Microsoft, Cadbury, Nokia, Ford, Puma, Maybelline, Dell, Kingfisher, Sun Microsystems and ING Financial. Brands run SMS ads and create mobile communities, similar to fan sites that appear on traditional web based social networks.
Archana Singh
archanasi@cybermedia.co.in
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Make your payment with SmartPhone
Handsets will soon be able to connect to other gadgets or make payments with a tap.
No longer having to carry all of the cards you currently carry in your wallet for the services are provided via your mobile phone. You can securely pay your bills or make purchases at participating retail outlets using your mobile phone. Your mobile phone can be linked to your credit cards, bank accounts and/or your mobile phone bill. Loyalty cards, coupons, retail gift cards, all can be stored in your mobile phone. The mobile phone can even replace a key pass and membership card. You can also view your bank statements, checks or credit card slips, loyalty points, balance on gift cards, all on your mobile phone.
Several smart phone manufacturers are developing plans to launch U.S. handsets that can connect to other devices when tapped together, or act as electronic wallets by instantly paying for goods when waved over a reader.
The technology to make this possible- Near Field Communications (NFC)-is a step beyond the contactless radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology used in many transit systems or security access cards for buildings. NFC uses the same high-frequency radio waves as RFID and can make a connection over a distance of up to around 10 meters. It is also compatible with existing RFID systems. But NFC devices can both send and receive data-something that will enable many new applications when coupled with the computational power of a smart phone.
The new service, to be launched by the December 2010, will use technology developed by DigiMo to enable Israeli consumers to make payments at the point-of-sale with their mobile phone using their choice of an NFC phone, a sticker attached to their existing phone or a 2D barcode. Israeli mobile commerce, payments and marketing specialist DigiMo Group has announced it has added support for NFC phones and stickers to its barcode-based mobile payments system.
The system is believed to be the first in the world to allow payments to be made at the point-of-sale using either near field communication or mobile barcodes and has been developed at the request of one of Israel's largest banks.
Customers will need a 2.5G or 3G phone in order to make payments using the mobile barcode option, while other customers will be able to pick up an NFC sticker from their bank branch.
Merchants with an existing barcode reader will not need to install any new hardware in order to accept payments via mobile barcode while those without a barcode reader, and those wishing to support NFC payments will be able to install a simple NFC reader that connects directly to their electronic cash register. Some twenty retail chains and around fifty independent retailers will accept the new payments solution from day one.
The bank then plans to take the system national, once the first 30,000 stickers have been distributed and the system is fully up and running.
There are two major advantages to the solution. The first is that "full coverage can be achieved with minimum investment in infrastructure. In the barcoded market no investment is required at all. In other places, NFC readers will be installed to support the service launch as well as any future needs." The second advantage is that "customers with older phones that do not contain an integral NFC device can also be part of the target audience to use the new payment service and enjoy all the benefits of mobile payment, thanks to an add-on attached to their cell phone."
89% of young consumers willing to pay for mobile wallet services
A study conducted by mobile wallet solution provider Alcatel-Lucent with members of its Youth Lab, a group of teenagers and young adults from ten countries around the world, has found that 89% of the participants would be willing to pay a monthly fee to get a mobile wallet service.
226 members of the Youth Lab from Spain, Brazil, France, the US, the UK, China, Mexico, Germany, Italy and Japan took part in the study, which also found that:
The option to 'Buy a movie ticket without needing to wait in line' was the most appealing to respondents.
75% of respondents were interested in 'location based coupons' and 'profile based coupons'.
More than 85% of participants were interested in checking their wallet balance and transaction history in real time, paying for public transport with their mobile phone and receiving electronic tickets
No longer having to carry all of the cards you currently carry in your wallet for the services are provided via your mobile phone. You can securely pay your bills or make purchases at participating retail outlets using your mobile phone. Your mobile phone can be linked to your credit cards, bank accounts and/or your mobile phone bill. Loyalty cards, coupons, retail gift cards, all can be stored in your mobile phone. The mobile phone can even replace a key pass and membership card. You can also view your bank statements, checks or credit card slips, loyalty points, balance on gift cards, all on your mobile phone.
Several smart phone manufacturers are developing plans to launch U.S. handsets that can connect to other devices when tapped together, or act as electronic wallets by instantly paying for goods when waved over a reader.
The technology to make this possible- Near Field Communications (NFC)-is a step beyond the contactless radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology used in many transit systems or security access cards for buildings. NFC uses the same high-frequency radio waves as RFID and can make a connection over a distance of up to around 10 meters. It is also compatible with existing RFID systems. But NFC devices can both send and receive data-something that will enable many new applications when coupled with the computational power of a smart phone.
The new service, to be launched by the December 2010, will use technology developed by DigiMo to enable Israeli consumers to make payments at the point-of-sale with their mobile phone using their choice of an NFC phone, a sticker attached to their existing phone or a 2D barcode. Israeli mobile commerce, payments and marketing specialist DigiMo Group has announced it has added support for NFC phones and stickers to its barcode-based mobile payments system.
The system is believed to be the first in the world to allow payments to be made at the point-of-sale using either near field communication or mobile barcodes and has been developed at the request of one of Israel's largest banks.
Customers will need a 2.5G or 3G phone in order to make payments using the mobile barcode option, while other customers will be able to pick up an NFC sticker from their bank branch.
Merchants with an existing barcode reader will not need to install any new hardware in order to accept payments via mobile barcode while those without a barcode reader, and those wishing to support NFC payments will be able to install a simple NFC reader that connects directly to their electronic cash register. Some twenty retail chains and around fifty independent retailers will accept the new payments solution from day one.
The bank then plans to take the system national, once the first 30,000 stickers have been distributed and the system is fully up and running.
There are two major advantages to the solution. The first is that "full coverage can be achieved with minimum investment in infrastructure. In the barcoded market no investment is required at all. In other places, NFC readers will be installed to support the service launch as well as any future needs." The second advantage is that "customers with older phones that do not contain an integral NFC device can also be part of the target audience to use the new payment service and enjoy all the benefits of mobile payment, thanks to an add-on attached to their cell phone."
89% of young consumers willing to pay for mobile wallet services
A study conducted by mobile wallet solution provider Alcatel-Lucent with members of its Youth Lab, a group of teenagers and young adults from ten countries around the world, has found that 89% of the participants would be willing to pay a monthly fee to get a mobile wallet service.
226 members of the Youth Lab from Spain, Brazil, France, the US, the UK, China, Mexico, Germany, Italy and Japan took part in the study, which also found that:
The option to 'Buy a movie ticket without needing to wait in line' was the most appealing to respondents.
75% of respondents were interested in 'location based coupons' and 'profile based coupons'.
More than 85% of participants were interested in checking their wallet balance and transaction history in real time, paying for public transport with their mobile phone and receiving electronic tickets
$35 tablet computer designed in India
Sakshat is a tablet computer designed in India as a low cost device in order to attempt to bridge the digital divide. The original prototype unveiled in 2009 was a failure. However, a new prototype unveiled in 2010 has been met with enthusiasm. The device has been developed as part of the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology that aims to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities on the subcontinent in an e-learning program via an existing Sakshat portal. The tablet would cost $35 with HCL Technologies being chosen as the manufacturer.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Are Mobile Ads More Effective Than Online Ads?
We know mobile advertising is effective. The question is: how effective? Recent studies suggest pretty solid results for both direct response and branding metrics, better, in fact than some online ads.
The lead article in yesterday’s eMarketer newsletter, for example, reported low ad recall but high response rates for location-based service ads, based on results of a recent Luth/Mobile Marketing Association study. On the other hand, the same survey indicated fairly high recall rates (and correspondingly lower response rates) for display ads seen while browsing or using applications, particularly among mobile users ages 18 to 34.
The lead article in yesterday’s eMarketer newsletter, for example, reported low ad recall but high response rates for location-based service ads, based on results of a recent Luth/Mobile Marketing Association study. On the other hand, the same survey indicated fairly high recall rates (and correspondingly lower response rates) for display ads seen while browsing or using applications, particularly among mobile users ages 18 to 34.
What Social Media Can Do For Your Business
There are still a number of business people, executives, owners and more, that have doubts about social media as a business driver. Part of that skepticism has to do with the fact the medium is quite new and participating in it requires a different approach from traditional marketing efforts. Part of it has to do with the fact that social media thinkers and advocates have never been very good at illustrating a definitive tie to business success through their medium of choice.
Business.com‘s Social Media Best Practices: Question & Answer Forums report released two weeks ago talked about statistics around forums like LinkedIn Answers, Yahoo Answers and Business.com’s own Business.com Answers. The report had a hidden gem in it: The chart below which listed Social Media Success Metrics:
This might be the first quantified list of what social media can do for your business. It was taken from survey of over 1,400 individuals, 69 percent of whom work at business currently using social media and 59 percent of whom are business owners or C-Level executives.
If you run into someone who doubts what social media can do for business from now on, share this information with them. People just like them say it does the above.
Business.com‘s Social Media Best Practices: Question & Answer Forums report released two weeks ago talked about statistics around forums like LinkedIn Answers, Yahoo Answers and Business.com’s own Business.com Answers. The report had a hidden gem in it: The chart below which listed Social Media Success Metrics:
This might be the first quantified list of what social media can do for your business. It was taken from survey of over 1,400 individuals, 69 percent of whom work at business currently using social media and 59 percent of whom are business owners or C-Level executives.
If you run into someone who doubts what social media can do for business from now on, share this information with them. People just like them say it does the above.
6 Things Social Media Can’t Do for Your Business
Social media is occasionally hailed as a do-all solution for businesses – an indescribably brilliant marketing platform, a can-do-everything publishing option, and a complete tool for keeping in touch with clients, customers, and business contacts. There’s a lot of hype in the social media world, and unfortunately very little of that hype is backed up by any real results.
A lot of that hype is grounded in the lack of understanding that many have about social media. It’s not a do-all tool, and it’s certainly not something that can revolutionize every business. While a range of brands and businesses have had their successes in social media, many more have ended up with nothing to show for their efforts, except of course wasted time and money.
Image Source
These six social media “can’t-dos” are truths that almost every online business owner needs to absorb. Yes, social media can be a valuable tool, but no, it can’t do everything for your business. Take a realistic approach to your social media strategy, and let these six occasional impossibilities serve as limits for your social media marketing efforts.
1. Socia media can’t please everyone.
There’s an overwhelming belief that a presence in social media will quiet all negative discussion of your business or non-positive feedback. While some social media circles are paralyzed by echos of positivity and endless grating optimism, most attract just as much criticism as they do praise. If you enter social media with intentions to make all coverage of your business positive, you could be in for a big surprise.
The best strategy is to use social media for discussion and connection. If someone is speaking negatively about your business online, reach out to them and let them know what you can do. Don’t try to control conversation online – that tactic rarely succeeds – just offer an alternative to unanswered criticisms.
2. Social media won’t generate unlimited leads.
The assumption that social media is a lead generation machine is, quite honestly, a little laughable. Sure, some businesses have used social media to their advantage for lead generation, but very few premium businesses and large-scale service businesses have generated valuable leads from social media.
That said, there are ways to generate leads through social media. By running simple search terms for clients and prospective customers, you can find people who are looking for what you’ve got on offer. Monitor discussion carefully on Twitter, set up Google Alerts, and look for high-value clients, but don’t expect social media to give them to you.
3. Social media can’t help you complete projects.
It can’t help, but it can serve as an occasionally worthless distraction. There’s a point in every company’s marketing efforts where expenditure begins to outweigh positive returns. For some, it’s when mass advertising takes place, while for others it’s when social media marketing takes up too much time and results in too few results.
Just remember, time spent on unsuccessful social media efforts is time that could have been spent on high-value projects and client acquisition. By all means use social media as a long-term marketing and branding tool, but don’t confuse wasted time on social media with valuable time that could be spent working.
4. Social media rarely translates into high-value clients.
Social media can be a highly valuable marketing platform, but only for some businesses. Nine Inch nails frontman Trent Reznor experienced some great results through social media for his tours and merchandise sales, seeing rapid growth and huge sales targets beaten. However, that’s Nine Inch Nails. They’re exciting, entertaining, and they’ve already generated their massive fan-base through years of touring, a range of albums, and huge amounts of radio play.
For them, social media was a valuable marketing platform. For a new business without any fans, followers, or long-term clients, social media might not be. While the passing reader might be interested in a product or project that’s available, it’s rare to gain long-term clients and valuable contracts on social media without some dedicated efforts towards marketing elsewhere.
5. Social media can’t replace other marketing efforts.
It’s interesting the amount of discussion and attention that social media receives, especially when compared to other online marketing methods. It’s nearly impossible to go a day without seeing another online article touting the benefits of social media marketing and the downsides of “old fashioned” marketing methods like PPC and SEO, all without any real evidence behind it.
The problem is that the numbers don’t agree. Social media only makes up a tiny part of the pie, even amongst businesses that are known for being social media experts and mega-marketers. By all means, invest in social media tactics for your products, services, or solutions, but don’t let them get in the way of other, more profitable and successful, marketing methods.
6. Social media alone can’t make you an expert.
The number of self-proclaimed social media experts is only increasing, at least according to studies and scans of Twitter profiles. Most of these apparent “experts” engage in nothing but endless hot air discussions, ranting on about the value of social media for their industry while bringing nothing new to the table.
The thing is, social media can make you an expert, but only when you actually have the skills required. Don’t just set out with a Twitter profile, Facebook fan page, and Ning community with intentions of becoming an expert – put in the work required to get there. Social media is packed with hot air and empty conversations, but by bringing some real value to the table you can become a real expert, and an in-demand online presence
A lot of that hype is grounded in the lack of understanding that many have about social media. It’s not a do-all tool, and it’s certainly not something that can revolutionize every business. While a range of brands and businesses have had their successes in social media, many more have ended up with nothing to show for their efforts, except of course wasted time and money.
Image Source
These six social media “can’t-dos” are truths that almost every online business owner needs to absorb. Yes, social media can be a valuable tool, but no, it can’t do everything for your business. Take a realistic approach to your social media strategy, and let these six occasional impossibilities serve as limits for your social media marketing efforts.
1. Socia media can’t please everyone.
There’s an overwhelming belief that a presence in social media will quiet all negative discussion of your business or non-positive feedback. While some social media circles are paralyzed by echos of positivity and endless grating optimism, most attract just as much criticism as they do praise. If you enter social media with intentions to make all coverage of your business positive, you could be in for a big surprise.
The best strategy is to use social media for discussion and connection. If someone is speaking negatively about your business online, reach out to them and let them know what you can do. Don’t try to control conversation online – that tactic rarely succeeds – just offer an alternative to unanswered criticisms.
2. Social media won’t generate unlimited leads.
The assumption that social media is a lead generation machine is, quite honestly, a little laughable. Sure, some businesses have used social media to their advantage for lead generation, but very few premium businesses and large-scale service businesses have generated valuable leads from social media.
That said, there are ways to generate leads through social media. By running simple search terms for clients and prospective customers, you can find people who are looking for what you’ve got on offer. Monitor discussion carefully on Twitter, set up Google Alerts, and look for high-value clients, but don’t expect social media to give them to you.
3. Social media can’t help you complete projects.
It can’t help, but it can serve as an occasionally worthless distraction. There’s a point in every company’s marketing efforts where expenditure begins to outweigh positive returns. For some, it’s when mass advertising takes place, while for others it’s when social media marketing takes up too much time and results in too few results.
Just remember, time spent on unsuccessful social media efforts is time that could have been spent on high-value projects and client acquisition. By all means use social media as a long-term marketing and branding tool, but don’t confuse wasted time on social media with valuable time that could be spent working.
4. Social media rarely translates into high-value clients.
Social media can be a highly valuable marketing platform, but only for some businesses. Nine Inch nails frontman Trent Reznor experienced some great results through social media for his tours and merchandise sales, seeing rapid growth and huge sales targets beaten. However, that’s Nine Inch Nails. They’re exciting, entertaining, and they’ve already generated their massive fan-base through years of touring, a range of albums, and huge amounts of radio play.
For them, social media was a valuable marketing platform. For a new business without any fans, followers, or long-term clients, social media might not be. While the passing reader might be interested in a product or project that’s available, it’s rare to gain long-term clients and valuable contracts on social media without some dedicated efforts towards marketing elsewhere.
5. Social media can’t replace other marketing efforts.
It’s interesting the amount of discussion and attention that social media receives, especially when compared to other online marketing methods. It’s nearly impossible to go a day without seeing another online article touting the benefits of social media marketing and the downsides of “old fashioned” marketing methods like PPC and SEO, all without any real evidence behind it.
The problem is that the numbers don’t agree. Social media only makes up a tiny part of the pie, even amongst businesses that are known for being social media experts and mega-marketers. By all means, invest in social media tactics for your products, services, or solutions, but don’t let them get in the way of other, more profitable and successful, marketing methods.
6. Social media alone can’t make you an expert.
The number of self-proclaimed social media experts is only increasing, at least according to studies and scans of Twitter profiles. Most of these apparent “experts” engage in nothing but endless hot air discussions, ranting on about the value of social media for their industry while bringing nothing new to the table.
The thing is, social media can make you an expert, but only when you actually have the skills required. Don’t just set out with a Twitter profile, Facebook fan page, and Ning community with intentions of becoming an expert – put in the work required to get there. Social media is packed with hot air and empty conversations, but by bringing some real value to the table you can become a real expert, and an in-demand online presence
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Easy Money: Affiliate Marketing In 3 Steps
Affiliate marketing is a process where the merchant will pay a portion of their sales revenue to an affiliate if the sale is result of the affiliate’s promotion to the products and services offered by the merchant.
Now days, it's one of the fastest growing industries because it's cost efficient and quantifiable for both the affiliate and the merchant. Other players can profit as well, such as the affiliate network or the affiliate solutions provider.
The best benefit for the merchant is the fact that he will gain opportunities to advertise his products to a much larger market, therefore increasing his chances to earn. The more affiliates the merchant obtains, the more sales he can expect. With the merchant having affiliates market his products and services, he will save himself time, effort, and money in looking for markets as well as customers. The affiliate marketer will benefit from each customer that clinks on the link in his website and who actually purchases a product from the merchant.
If you have wanted to join the growing legion of affiliate marketers and have an unlimited potential or income, simply follow these 3 steps to start an effective affiliate marketing program.
1. Identify something that interests you or you feel very passionate about. Then, focus on a specific area you know a lot about, as this will help you bring out your best and give your visitors who are possible buyers a demonstration of your expert in this field. This way, you'll gain their trust and encourage them to buy the products that you endorse.
2. Search for merchants and products or services that are related to your interest then create a web site with top level domain names and very reliable hosting. When you choose the products for your web site, you need to consider the commission structure and the conversion rate.
There are many different affiliate networks and affiliate solution providers where you can obtain the information on most profitable products and which merchants pay the best. Take your time -and be sure you choose the right one.
3. Now, you are ready to promote. You've chosen everything you need and even created your very own website. You'll need to be creative, flexible, and willing to embrace new ideas. By this stage, you'll be well on your way to making more money than you ever imagined - and enjoying every minute of it.
Now days, it's one of the fastest growing industries because it's cost efficient and quantifiable for both the affiliate and the merchant. Other players can profit as well, such as the affiliate network or the affiliate solutions provider.
The best benefit for the merchant is the fact that he will gain opportunities to advertise his products to a much larger market, therefore increasing his chances to earn. The more affiliates the merchant obtains, the more sales he can expect. With the merchant having affiliates market his products and services, he will save himself time, effort, and money in looking for markets as well as customers. The affiliate marketer will benefit from each customer that clinks on the link in his website and who actually purchases a product from the merchant.
If you have wanted to join the growing legion of affiliate marketers and have an unlimited potential or income, simply follow these 3 steps to start an effective affiliate marketing program.
1. Identify something that interests you or you feel very passionate about. Then, focus on a specific area you know a lot about, as this will help you bring out your best and give your visitors who are possible buyers a demonstration of your expert in this field. This way, you'll gain their trust and encourage them to buy the products that you endorse.
2. Search for merchants and products or services that are related to your interest then create a web site with top level domain names and very reliable hosting. When you choose the products for your web site, you need to consider the commission structure and the conversion rate.
There are many different affiliate networks and affiliate solution providers where you can obtain the information on most profitable products and which merchants pay the best. Take your time -and be sure you choose the right one.
3. Now, you are ready to promote. You've chosen everything you need and even created your very own website. You'll need to be creative, flexible, and willing to embrace new ideas. By this stage, you'll be well on your way to making more money than you ever imagined - and enjoying every minute of it.
Affiliate Marketing Tactics - Successful Banner Advertising
Affiliate marketing is one of the most perspective businesses to make money online. Affiliate marketing mix includes own tools and methods as well as techniques of traditional online advertising – banner marketing, blog marketing, e-mail marketing, SEO, article marketing, etc.
Banner advertising is recognized as one of the most successful tools of affiliate marketing. The placement of advertising banner of the advertiser on the website of the affiliate is a part of Display Marketing. When clicking on the advertising banner, user is redirected to a promotional landing page, where he/ she is able to complete a specific action – could be a sale, a registration, etc. to receive commission for.
Banners most commonly consist of graphics and text, designed to attract visitor's attention and provoke to action. The customer must click on them to be directed towards the advertiser's website in order to proceed to buy a product. Banner advertising could provoke excellent conversion rates, if done right.
Experts from Lidango - one of the fastest developing global affiliate marketing networks, are revealing the most important issues of the successful banner campaign.
The first step is to define your objectives. Clearly outline the product/set of products you want to sell, the people/businesses you want to sell them to - the target audience, the volume of sales you project, as well as the budget you have to fit into.
Next, knowing all of the above, try to formulate a strategy that most efficiently will help you meet your objectives. Some of the questions that pend for an answer are: Where to place the banners, so that they reach the desired audience? What should the banner consist of, so that it generates sales? Lidango Display Advertising Planners and Designers help us adress these issues below:
Choosing the right Media
Planning your banner campaign, you have to first carefully choose the media to use. You have to choose the most appropriate websites to place your banners to achieve maximum conversions. Lidango marketers recommend to identify the most appropriate media according to the following criteria:
* Volume of incoming traffic – the higher, the better.
* Relevance of website users to target audience – you need to advertise on websites, your target group visits
* Advertising banner saturation – avoid websites, overcrowded by advertisement; aim at good balance between editorial content and advertisement as users
* CPC – the lower, the better – of course, met the rest of the criteria
* Competitive products advertisement – Lidango marketers advice to avoid placing banners on websites, advertising competitive products
Designing the Banner
When designing the right Banner for your campaign, an advertiser should aim to compose the right mixture of graphics and text, making sure that the result will both appeal to the desired audience, and promt it to act. The banner should:
* Attract attention, in order to divert visitors from the main content of the site
* Arouse interest, so that visitors would like to find out more about the product advertised
* Give sufficient information about the advertised product, so that customers are not misled
* Fit both the message that the advertiser wants to convey, and the atmosphere of the media it is in.
Banner advertising is recognized as one of the most successful tools of affiliate marketing. The placement of advertising banner of the advertiser on the website of the affiliate is a part of Display Marketing. When clicking on the advertising banner, user is redirected to a promotional landing page, where he/ she is able to complete a specific action – could be a sale, a registration, etc. to receive commission for.
Banners most commonly consist of graphics and text, designed to attract visitor's attention and provoke to action. The customer must click on them to be directed towards the advertiser's website in order to proceed to buy a product. Banner advertising could provoke excellent conversion rates, if done right.
Experts from Lidango - one of the fastest developing global affiliate marketing networks, are revealing the most important issues of the successful banner campaign.
The first step is to define your objectives. Clearly outline the product/set of products you want to sell, the people/businesses you want to sell them to - the target audience, the volume of sales you project, as well as the budget you have to fit into.
Next, knowing all of the above, try to formulate a strategy that most efficiently will help you meet your objectives. Some of the questions that pend for an answer are: Where to place the banners, so that they reach the desired audience? What should the banner consist of, so that it generates sales? Lidango Display Advertising Planners and Designers help us adress these issues below:
Choosing the right Media
Planning your banner campaign, you have to first carefully choose the media to use. You have to choose the most appropriate websites to place your banners to achieve maximum conversions. Lidango marketers recommend to identify the most appropriate media according to the following criteria:
* Volume of incoming traffic – the higher, the better.
* Relevance of website users to target audience – you need to advertise on websites, your target group visits
* Advertising banner saturation – avoid websites, overcrowded by advertisement; aim at good balance between editorial content and advertisement as users
* CPC – the lower, the better – of course, met the rest of the criteria
* Competitive products advertisement – Lidango marketers advice to avoid placing banners on websites, advertising competitive products
Designing the Banner
When designing the right Banner for your campaign, an advertiser should aim to compose the right mixture of graphics and text, making sure that the result will both appeal to the desired audience, and promt it to act. The banner should:
* Attract attention, in order to divert visitors from the main content of the site
* Arouse interest, so that visitors would like to find out more about the product advertised
* Give sufficient information about the advertised product, so that customers are not misled
* Fit both the message that the advertiser wants to convey, and the atmosphere of the media it is in.
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