Marketing Ideas

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The Power of Masterminds and Partnerships

We had the most kick ass Unstoppable “Freedom-Preneur” Mastermind in Bali October 14-19. I LOVE doing these live events. The internet has given me the life of my dreams, but nothing can replace the human connection.

That is why we have chosen to align ourselves with other people that share our values and our interests. This is not only in those that we invite to join us at event, but it also includes the people we chose to partner with.

If you didn’t know, we take huge pride in our team. We want to make sure that those we partner with are uphold our same values. This allows us to provide you with top quality service and training.

Here are some of the people that worked our last Mastermind event.

Kim Barrett

We have just partnered with Kim Barrett from Your Social Voice marketing agency. If you have never met Kim Barrett you life and your business is missing out. He’s genuinely one of the kindest and most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to Facebook marketing. His company Your Social Voice runs marketing for Unstoppable Family, Gary Vaynerchuk, Reece Witherspoon …he’s kind of a big deal.

Kim was able to attend our Mastermind here in Bali to teach our attendees about social media. He also provides many done-for-you services with his company. Brian and I are so excited about this partnership. When join businesses happen, it allows both of our businesses to scale.

Mirza Nurman

Mirza Nurman is pure quality. He spent 10 hours shooting, if you are in bali and need a professional photographer he’s your guy! All of my high quality photos are from Mirza.

Samantha Essenhigh-Nicholson

Samantha Essenhigh-Nicholson CEO of Essenhigh Farrington Law Limited. One of the classiest ladies I’ve met. Lives in London and Spain. Her firm sets up the legal structures for all forms of businesses including freedompreneur’s.

Luke Lucky

Luke Lucky top stylist that turned our humid bali hair and faces into runway ready. You are one of a kind.

Dan Usher

If you have watched any of our films, you are watching Dan Ushers work. He is one of the most talented filmmakers I’ve ever seen.

Phil Wilson

PhiL Wilson can not only make you smile but get thousands of followers on Instagram. He taught our VIP’s strategies they can use now to build their following and leverage Instagram for business.

Victoria Murphy

I cannot say how grateful I am that Victoria Murphy came into our life! She is a freedompreneur and part of the backbone of making our events run so smoothly. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Not only did we have those amazing people helping us out, but we also had a great group of Freedom-Preneurs join us. In attendance was:

Starrwyn Tonkin

Starrwyn Tonkin mum of Barefoot Six has been a FreedomPreneur for over 8 years teaching and inspiring other family’s how to live free.

Roos Melchers

Roos Melchers founder of Homemade Home. She is committed to helping other families to create a home that they can feel comfortable in. What is so inspiring about her is the way she incorporates these tips and ideas into traveling. She has an uncanny ability to make herself at home wherever she goes.

Wayne McMurtrie

Wayne McMurtrie founder of The-Rogue-Adventurer inspires people through his love and dedication for running 100+ mile races, hang gliding and freedom-preneuring while he travels the world.

Mel Frye

Mel Frye is a creator by nature. She is passionate about spreading her message with others. She defines herself as a Wild Woman that dances with the tides of the moon. I say that is absolutely true.

Catheryn Wright

Catheryn Wright the founder of the Wright Property Group turns visions into victories for her clients. She’s a no B.S. Agent and her clients love her style!

Tom Moester

Tom Moester and Inge Hart Parents  of the Dutch Nomad Family believes in family values and building a legacy for his family. His family relocated to bali from the Netherlands to live a balanced life and inspire others to do the same. They own a beautiful villaVilla Bloom Bali – Lovina and serve organic, wholesome foods to provide the ultimate balanced experience.

Vladka Kadlec

Vladka Kadlec CEO of Find It. Hit It. Rock It has an incredible sense of know how and zest for life. This girl is a quiet powerhouse.

We Focus On Developing Your Brand

Attending Mastermind events are powerful for growing your business. When you get together with other like minded people, the energy that is created amongst you is contagious.

We have been hosting these events for years, because we see the huge value that comes from them.

Here’s what we focus on:

Deliverables

Authority Website or Blog

High Converting Sales Funnels

Funnel Hacking Training, Email Marketing

Professional Marketing Video’s

Photo shoot

Fame Banners

Developing Your Brand

During this 5 night, 6 day branding and business building journey, we weave in culture and mindset training. A healthy, open mind breeds creativity and success.

Our events are different, because we make it our mission to walk along side you and help you develop your brand. We want to give you actionable things that you can do from the moment you arrive to well after you leave.

Bali Mastermind Incorporates Culture

As part of incorporating culture into our Unstoppable Masterminds, we watch Balinese dancers on the first night. They tell beautiful stories through their interpretive dancing.

The second night we were together, we had a bonfire at the beach. We invited Shervin Boolarian to do a sound healing sessions with use. He took us through a journey of mindset and healing through sound and vibrations. This is the 2nd time we have invited Shervin to join our tribe. He is a true giver of peace and solidarity.

On the fourth night, we went to the Uluwatu temple to enjoy the sunset off the cliff. We ended the day with a Kecak Ceremony.

Join Us At The 2017 Events

The next Masterminds in first half of 2017 will be:

Whister, B.C. Canada on January 12th-16th

Bali, Indonesia April 6-11th

These private Exclusive events are limited to 18 VIP’s. You are welcome to sign up for the event below and we will get back to you about your application.

From this event, you will walk away with a full branding photo shoot, professional branded video for marketing, a high converting sales funnels, website/blogs and all the branded graphics you need to be an authority in your niche.

Be ready to learn about:

Mindset

Branding

Funnel Building

Email Marketing

Facebook Marketing

Instagram Marketing

If you are serious about attending our next event, apply below! Read more..

[merlywilkinson-blog]

Skills Are Cheap Passion is Priceless

I want to get very real with you and share my life’s story. I am going to take you on the journey from the very beginning of my childhood on up to the point of where I am today. The reason I am sharing the raw and honest details of my life is so that you can understand that success is not determined by your past.

Behind every successful person out there is a story filled with devastation, determination, pivotal moments and raw emotions. No matter who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, it is your passion. Skills are cheap, anyone can learn how to do something, but it is your passion that is simply priceless.

Devastating Things Happened in My Life

In my book, Skills Are Cheap, Passion is Priceless, I show you snippets of the devastation and tragedy that I dealt with as a child. I talk about my drug addict father, my amazing mother, my caring grandparents, and the dad that raised me.

Later on in the book, I share about my struggle with bulimia and self-esteem. For many years, I allowed the way I looked to dictate every choice I made.

I’m not the only one that had devastating things happen in my life. Brian shares about the death of his father and how that put him on the path he took in life. He talks about the way his dad lived in his final years, made a lasting impact on him.

I’ve Always Been Determined

For me, I always had to be the best. I would never allow myself to be less than the best. So I put a lot of pressure on myself. Many people fall into this rut. They either stay in the bottom because they feel as though they can never achieve, so they don’t try. Or they are at the very top, and you can never go any lower, you have to work super hard to stay at the top all of the time because anything less would be like losing.

My Pivotal Moment

You might have heard my story of how the pivotal moment I experienced in my corporate job. The day I decided that I would never put my children in daycare. From that moment on, I knew my why. I made a vow never to put my child in daycare, all I have to do is look into her eyes and my commitment to the WHY is stronger than ever. What is your WHY?

I Became an Online Marketer

Back when I started in online marketing, we didn’t have half of the resources that we have today. Social media wasn’t even a thing, blogs were just beginning, and people were just starting to tap into the power of internet sales.

I Googled how to work from home and found so many resources. It was then that I knew I had found the way to do what I set out to do. Although…I had a lot of learning to do.

Grab your copy of my book now- Skills Are Cheap Passion is Priceless.

Learning The Hard Way

As with anything that you put your focus to, good or bad, you start to see examples and signs of it everywhere. One call back list in particular caught my eye and I decided to leave my name and phone number on it to get more information.

I put in my email address and a woman called me to tell me about the business. She asked me why I wanted it, but she was a really poor prospector, I just wanted her to get to the point. There I was, my ego was so big that I didn’t even want to listen to her, I just wanted to bypass her and get to the information. When in reality I needed that woman so badly, I needed the movement that she made, I needed her energy, and that is exactly what people do in business, they want to skip over the important stuff, which is what I did.

If only I had known that mentors play such a huge role in success. It’s not enough to just read and learn. You need someone that is 4-5 steps ahead of you to help guide you.

Business Deals Gone Bad and Finding Mentors

Sure, Brian and I were super successful in our online ventures for a while. We were bringing in unbelievable amounts of money. But then…we lost it all. Since we hadn’t brought mentors into our lives, we made really poor business decisions.

The fallout from that choice wrecked us. We were hurt and struggling. This one interview with Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer radically changed our lives.

Here’s what they said-

No one can make you upset, depressed, hurt, anxious, or fearful without your consent. The worst things in life turn out to be the most important steps that you need to take, in order to get to the next place in your life. The highest place you can get to with this individual is to practice forgiveness, instead of revenge & anger”

My Mantra

Their words meant so much to me. From that day forward, I decided to change my mindset. I developed regained my confidence and developed a manta.

Every single day, I wake up with a mantra, and I talk to myself. I either look in the mirror, or I sit and say, “Rhonda, you are an incredible leader. You inspire people to do great things in their life. You show them that everything is possible. You help more families be free. You must show more families how to get to building a life that they love.” This is the essence of belief. When you have a mantra that you tell yourself, you are teaching your brain to believe in the life you want to create for yourself.

Remembering My Why Has Made Me Unstoppable

When I started my job and said I’ll never put my child in daycare, that I was going to live out this day, perfect day, every single day, that I was going to quit my job and replace my income, I wasn’t going back. There was no plan B. That was my vow and my commitment, and she, Hanalei, became my WHY. Everything I did fueled me to get me to that next step. Everything I did I did because she was my WHY and it was robust enough to keep me motivated and disciplined. I became Unstoppable!

When you wear the word unstoppable, you hold an armor that tells you that you can. It reminds you every day to be unstoppable. Being unstoppable needs a strong ‘WHY.’ Once you have worked out your WHY everything is possible.

If you want to hear more about Brian’s and my journey, snag a copy of my book, Skills Are Cheap, Passion is Priceless. I will take you through our life and share with you the practical tips you need to develop a successful business while you live out your perfect life. Read More..

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How To Convert Your Social Media Followers Into Buyers

It’s something to have a remarkable variety of social media sites fans, yet it’s one more to be able to transform them right into paying clients. You have to guarantee that you’re energetic or even more, compared to one social media system to be able to “cast your internet” over a vast number of viewers, offering on your own a much better possibility at making conversions.

Advertisement Week records that, “91 percent of retail brand names utilize 2 or even more social media sites networks to interact with their viewers.” This suggests companies, like your own, ought to alleviate social media sites interaction similarly as it supplies a chance to advertise as well as market your solution.

To aid you in transforming your fans right into devoted paying consumers, right here are a couple of points you ought to take into consideration:

See to it that you ask the best inquiries to construct a relationship with your leads. This will certainly persuade them that you’re really a “actual individual” behind the success tale. You could likewise address their inquiries and also worries straight as well as progressively market them your services and products.

Recognize the Type of Lead

Prior to your talk with your bait Messenger, bear in mind of both various kinds of fans you’ll be interacting with:

You ought to be the all-knowing expert that your fans desire to find out from, not educate. Your concerns need to suggest that you’re attempting to aid them or discuss your competence.

Blog post Inspirational Photos

Instagram, the premier photo-sharing application (you could cross-post to Facebook, also), is an excellent system to display the advantages of your company to your leads. You might submit motivating as well as pertinent pictures concerning being economically complementary.

Ask Relevant Questions

To keep trustworthiness as well as boost conversion prices, make certain you’re asking necessary concerns throughout your discussions. Never ever request info from your fans like, “How do you do this?

”New fans are typically simply interested concerning your company as well as need a whole lot even more job to transform. See to it that you persuade them by penetrating their demands as well as supplying the most effective details to magnify their passion.

Targeted fan: people that have actually currently involved with you or acquired a front-end deal.

New fan: fans that wonder regarding just what you could supply.

Targeted fans are much easier to involve with compared to brand-new fans considering that they’re acquainted with your solution and also are most likely planning to purchase from you. Making use of the correct amount of tact, you could conveniently transform these introduce sales.

It’s basically an issue of perpetuating your leads’ passion in your companies. Include material that will certainly lure them to get even more items or increase their commitment.

The more your leads seem like they could gain from you, the  more they’ll be encouraged to get.

If you’re attempting to market an item or solution that advertises a far better way of living as well as economic flexibility for those that get it, you ought to strengthen those cases via images or brief video clips.

Blog post on Your Fan Page Daily

Maintain advising your leads of your visibility daily. Post brand-new material to your follower web page to make sure that they understand you are energetic which you’re constantly enhancing your company.

Program your target market pictures of:

Verdict

If you do not have the moment to involve with social media sites individuals as long as you should, you could possibly work with an aide or social media sites supervisor to keep your social media sites systems. This will certainly make it less complicated for you to be a lot more socially energetic quicker considering that you will not need to find out all the systems and also exactly how points function.

Article Inspiring Messages

Occasionally, you must publish a quote or claim pertaining to just what you’re offering and also inspire your clients to acquire your companies or items.

Make certain you ask the appropriate concerns to create a connection with your leads. You could additionally address their inquiries as well as problems straight as well as slowly market them your items and also solutions.

Article equipping messages that could possibly inform fans regarding exactly how a lot far better it is to obtain a greater earnings after authorizing up with your firm than to stay in a less-rewarding task or way of life. You might additionally utilize your social media sites accounts to advertise your occasions or webinars by consisting of days of upcoming webinars to raise sales.

Stay clear of utilizing an information tab on your Facebook web page which individuals should click in order to browse to your site as well as identify the best ways to get your solutions or items. Rather, you ought to produce a tab on your Facebook web page that makes it possible for customers to buy quickly or visit your order web page, as opposed to writing them on an unrecognized quest.

Produce a Clear Path to Conversion

Social media site Examiner makes an exceptional factor regarding providing your fans a very easy method to browse to your services and products so you could possibly transform them right into customers: “It’s essential making certain it is super-easy for possible customers to acquire. We have the tendency to be relatively careless customers as well as if we need to seek how you can purchase from you, we are much less most likely to transform.

”You ought to be the all-knowing master that your fans desire to find out from, not show. Influenced leads could be much more persuaded to take benefit of your deals if they see exactly how great it is to be in the very same footwears as you. This will certainly guarantee your leads that they’re in excellent hands.

You are at a glamorous hotel resort.

You driving a new automobile.

You resting in your lovely residence, laptop computer open, functioning and also grinning.

If they see just how great it is to be in the very same footwear’s as you, motivated leads could be a lot more persuaded to take benefit of your deals. To highlight your experience and also encounter, you could submit photos of previous sector occasions or workshops you’ve performed. This will certainly guarantee your leads that they’re in great hands.

When you constantly advertise your items, involve with your leads, and also upload useful as well as interesting material daily, you must obtain a considerable quantity of conversions. You could after that take advantage of your outcomes by understanding just what subjects attached finest with your consumers to obtain much better conversions and also even more sales.

According to Brand Watch, Instagram material produces over 3.5 billion such as a day with over 80 million images posted daily. Which suggests the much more material you publish, the much better you’ll go to getting to certified leads.

Read More

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Why Video Marketing Is A Must

Video Brewery revealed that 100 million Internet users watch online video content daily. While most of them watch the latest viral video, other viewers want to learn about a certain topic or know more about a product or service before buying.

Creating video content should be a staple in your company’s marketing endeavours. It’s that important.

Benefits of Video Marketing

Apart from the fact that numerous people watch online videos, who can also be potential prospects, here’s a list of other advantages that come with using video marketing:

Authenticity

Using videos is a very authentic form of communication. Viewers get to see you and your mannerisms in actuality, rather than just reading your words (through copy or emails) or hearing your voice (via podcasts or webinars).

Essentially, video marketing allows you to do what copy alone does not– show your audience the person behind the words.

In the world of video marketing, there’s no room to be fake because people hear and see what you do. It’s only after you meet someone in person that you’ll get a clear indication of his or her intentions, and only then can you firmly shake on it and come to an agreement.

Cost Effective

You can spend a lot of money on creating good quality video content, but you can also create effective ones for almost nothing!

The important thing to remember is that you just need a camera phone coupled with some creativity, and you’re ready to shoot. For free!

All you need is your iPhone or any other good quality mobile phone and you’re ready to record. The iPhone, for example, has a good quality microphone that allows you to record high standard audio. You can seamlessly upload your finished piece to your YouTube account in under a minute once you’re done.

It’s an office studio with good filming equipment.

Anybody Can Do It

As mentioned above, it’s not expensive to shoot your own videos if you’re unable to afford high-end cameras at that moment. Additionally, it’s not difficult to do so either.

If you don’t consider yourself tech-savvy or only have a little experience in making videos, you can easily learn it online. Just go to YouTube and enter something like, “How to create video content using my phone,” and you’ll have a number of tutorials explaining how this can be done.

When Creating Videos, Tips

Now that you know the advantages of creating video content, here are a few things to keep in mind before you begin filming.

You can easily edit your videos using something like iMovie or Camtasia if you’re unable to hire a media team to handle your footage or editing requirements. Both software applications are easily accessible online.

Fight the Fear

If you’ve never done video marketing before, then, understandably, it can be quite daunting at first.The only way you can fight that fear is to appreciate the outcome. That means you need to understand the positive effects of video marketing to get over your fear and start recording.

That will motivate you to work hard at completing your first video.

Practice Makes Perfect

The more you practice, the better you’ll become. When I started out, talking to the camera used to feel “forced” and I found it difficult.

With enough practice, you can quickly become much better at making videos and feel more comfortable speaking in front of the camera. And when you’re relaxed, the audience will feel comfortable, too.

Think of it as watching a bad actor. His bad performance will make you feel uncomfortable. Not only does it feel unsettling, but it also spoils all credibility and the movie is pretty much thrown out of the window.

Like with most skills, only experience, repetition and practice will make you a better performer.

Grab your recording equipment and shoot a video of yourself within 5 minutes and then evaluate your performance. After 10 days, you’ll get over the fear of recording yourself.

Don’t Waffle

Whenever you are filming, look into the camera and imagine that you’re conversing with someone. It not only helps keep the conversation natural, but it also prevents me from waffling or going off-topic.

Conclusion

Don’t forget to include a clear call-to- action at the end of your video so that customers will know where to go to find out more. Video Brewery reports that 90 percent of online shoppers at a major retailer’s website find video helpful when it comes to buying decisions.

In the world of video marketing, there’s no room to be fake because people hear and see what you do. Just go to YouTube and enter something like, “How to create video content using my phone,” and you’ll have a number of tutorials explaining how this can be done. If you’ve never done video marketing before, then, understandably, it can be quite daunting at.

Again, after filming your first few videos, review your work and look out for any mistakes that you can avoid in the future. Keeping your content engaging and succinct will also work best for time-constrained audiences. Read More

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Turn Your Negative Mindset into a Positive Mindset

Turn Your Negative Mindset into a Positive MindsetTurn Your Negative Mindset into a Positive Mindset

Negative thinking seems to be easier than positive thinking. Many people seem to believe that positive thinking requires effort while negative thinking is easier because it’s something that seems to “naturally” occur.

Your predominant mental attitude is through what you view the world. Now, if your mental attitude is negative, you’ll be running into many problems because your life and the situations that are part of your life will be mirroring the attitude you carry around with you.

The negative mindset

Individuals with a negative outlook on life constantly repel positive things from them. Not because they want to, but because the human mind does not “judge” whether something is positive or negative, so what it sees, hears and feels is constantly negative. It just accepts this as the norm.

This is really evident when there is something new to try or a new way of doing something. Often times one would rather stay with the status-quo. Things are fine the way they are, so why improve them? This part summed things up for me.

Are things really fine the way they are? Of course not; but that is the negative mindset doing what it does best. It is like having a wall between the negative and positive mindset. As soon as the positive starts climbing the wall, the negative reinforcements arrive.

What if I fail?

What if it takes too much of my time?

What if others think I am crazy for trying this?

These are the first questions that came to mind when deciding whether or not to get into internet marketing.

Society has a way of contributing to the negative mindset. We feel safe when we do not have to change the daily routine. That old phrase “got to keep up with the Jones’”

Guess what I realized?

The Jones’ were in as bad of financial shape as the rest of us. They were not trying something new; they were settling for that negative…status-quo. And that my friend was the moment that the proverbial light went off in my head.

I thought here is a crazy concept: What if you actually try that something new? And what if you do really, really well at it? These were the next questions I asked myself right before I decided to try something new with internet marketing. For the first time in my entire career I let the positive mind break down that negative wall.

The positive or open mindset

Individuals with a positive outlook on life are aware that the mind has energy. It is not a good or bad type of energy, but our thoughts develop whether good or bad things will happen or not happen. If you have a negative mindset, you need to learn how to replace it with a positive one. If you don’t believe you can, you are still being a victim to your own mind. Believe that you will succeed at something new.

Don’t let your mind hold you back, because you’re using it wrong. The human mind has power, the power that you can control everything in your life. Will there be setbacks? Sure. But, your positive mindset prepares you with how to handle those moments. Internet marketing is a challenging place, to say the least. Think of it like this, for every three setbacks there is one really big success. And that success tastes very, very good my friend. Be positive.

What is even more powerful is that you can control that power within you. However negative of an outlook you have, if you actively work on it, you can change it. One surefire way to shift your negativity into positivity is by learning the art of replacement. Every time you think about failing, replace that thought with thinking about how you are succeeding.

Visualize success instead of failure. After all they are only thoughts, so why not make them fun ones that make you feel good instead of bad?

Start being your own best friend. Think about it, if you had a good friend of yours telling you the same things you tell yourself all the time, would the two of you still be friends? Probably not! Start thinking this way, start being kind to you. There really is no point in constantly criticizing yourself, or always telling yourself that you can’t do certain things. Always remember to ask yourself what you would think of your friend if they said the same thing. If you’d dump them, dump that thought!

Let those Jones’ go about their same ways, that’s fine. But, do not stay the same as they are. You deserve better. Why not try something new? After all you might even do very well and then before you know it people will be saying, “got to keep up with the (Insert your last name here)!” Your positive mindset is there, just let it start coming to the surface.

Let go of all that negativity because you really don’t need it! Read More

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How to Find Commercial Real Estate Foreclosures

Aside from investing in residential foreclosures, Commercial foreclosures can be a profitable venture when planning to invest on real estate.

Commercial Foreclosures: How & Why

When planning to venture into this type of investment you should be aware as to how and why Commercial Real Estate foreclosures work. So, we laid up some answers to commonly asked questions for anyone who’s interested in this type of investment.

How do you find commercial foreclosures?

During the economic downturn of 2009 where businesses experienced struggle and failure, many shop and store owners can’t afford to pay their rent and property taxes either. Thus, leading in defaults on mortgage payment by the property owner or borrower to the bank, this is the time were banks usually issue Notice of Default (NOD) to the borrower and files notice to the county records. Leaving the property in a “pre-foreclosure” status.

During the pre-foreclosure status the borrower or owner can either:

(1) Pay the default amount and get their loan reinstated, or

(2) Sell the property to a third party and pay off what they owe on the loan. In this scenario, the owner can often negotiate a “short sale,” in which the bank will accept less than what is owed on the property. This is more preferable to the bank since they can cut off the hassle and expense of foreclosure proceedings.

Another question will be;

Whydo you want to find commercial foreclosures?”

One of the main reasons why many investors are into foreclosed commercial real estate because it is the best way to buy valuable estate in a much lesser price than its market value and sell it later for a much higher price or earn profit through rental income.

You are in fact doing both the lender and the borrower a favor by investing in commercial foreclosures, by allowing the borrower to avoid bad credit rating and the lender hassle free.

Three Steps to Finding Properties

Aside from buying foreclosed commercial properties through an auction or directly from a bank, investors should also consider getting into a pre-foreclosure procedure as a chance to seal great deals. Here’s how to get there:

“Hot” Zone: First, try to identify strategic areas in your vicinity that you want to focus on, with this you can now start to list properties you’re interested on and check their status. Check for their mortgage and if taxes are paid you can do this by visiting the county tax assessor website, there you will be able to find out if any property were on default, if they’re  delayed it’s a sign of trouble and something you should follow up on.

Second, you can also access a list of foreclosed properties with contact information through checking with your county registrar office.

Start by getting the Notice of Default (NOD) and list down the contact numbers of property owner and borrower for you to communicate with.  Find out in what ways can help them and see if they are interested on selling the property to you. You can also contact the lender and follow up for any other ways the property might become available.

It is best to build relationship with people working on your county tax assessor and registrar office for easy access on readily available list of property in default. Real estate agent and estate title insurance can also help in providing property profile for you.

Get to work: Buying a foreclosed property whether commercial or not requires a lot of effort but acquiring an exceptional asset at a very reasonable price should be sufficient enough for you to continue on working hard.

Searching for commercial real estate foreclosures requires a lot of digging and bargaining, but once you get to know the basics of it you’ll definitely want to venture more in this path. Work things out and you will find yourself succeeding in venturing this kind of investment!

Source: the Online Alliance

[merlywilkinson-blog]

Your X-Factor: Building a Personal Brand

Have you ever heard or watched the X-Factor or American Idol? Have you noticed how many times Simon Cowell fussed over a contestant simply because he doesn’t know where to “fit” them? It has been the music-mogul’s signature to give them that daunting stare, “You know … I’m having difficulty putting you in a category. I don’t think you know the artist you want to be yet,” he preaches. And that is pretty much how he crushes the contestant’s hopes.  Essentially, what he’s talking about is the ‘image’ that is extremely important for music labels to sell, and recognizable enough for consumers to buy. That’s right. He is talking about the brand!

Apply it in business and it’s no different. In this world of constantly evolving digital age, you are leaving a footprint and people are talking about you. Whether you like it or not, you do have a personal brand,  and it’s up to you whether you capitalise on that.

What Is a Personal Brand?

First, you should know what a brand is. A brand refers to anything that sets one thing apart from another—even if some other two things do the same thing.

Take for example, Mac vs. PC. Basically, I’m a writer. So that said and established, all I really need to do in my job is something to type on and an internet connection. I could work equally well on a PC or a Mac. But then I am using a Mac. Why? Because of the Apple brand. I emotionally identify with Apple. I always feel a connection to Apple.  Their brand is so strong and so well-known that they’ve successfully persuaded me to spend a lot more money than I needed to, just so I can type on a pretty Mac keyboard which is one of Mac’s specs.  That is just the perfect example of the power of brand, and if you know how to leverage that can mean the difference between being a Mac or an obscure laptop that sits untapped on a PC World shelf.

How Much Time Do You Have?

When you build your personal brand, it means that you are also building a reputation, being consistent and credible in your space, and even leveraging the power of positive social proof so you can be seen as the leader amongst your competition.

Complex, isn’t it? But then it really is. In a so-called ideal world, you’d be a living example of multiple personalities all rolled into one body –a social media manager, a writer, a speaker, a conference-attender, a podcast maker and so on, as well as finding the time to go above and beyond in your job. But then this isn’t an ideal world and we certainly don’t know many people who have the time to do all of that.

Don’t let your fear get the better of you though. There is an easy shortcut:

Curate Content

Curating content is the easy solution if you don’t have the time, ability or inclination to research, write, publish, and market your own highly unique, useful, engaging content.

In short, you need to consistently find and share industry-relevant content that other people have written, this is without claiming to have penned each word yourself, of course.

Content curation is a powerful shortcut for building your personal brand.  Check out these benefits:

Positioning yourself as a thought-leader

You get increased reach

Building credibility

Can be seen as a trusted voice

Building authority

Taking almost zero time compared to actually creating content

You’re sold. Now. And of course, you should be. Whether you like it or not, you do have a personal brand, and content curation is the easiest shortcut to making that brand work for you.

Getting Started with Content Curation is Easy

Here’s a step-by-step procedure that can help you.

You should remember to set up keyword alerts so you don’t miss important updates

Follow industry influencers on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn and keep your finger on the pulse.

Sign up to Scoop.it to look for relevant content easily within topic streams

Make a schedule of ten minutes every morning to review new and trending articles

Pick 3+ and add a ‘takeaway’ thought to each (using Scoop.it or simply adding a comment when you post it)

Use Hootsuite or similar to schedule each at intervals throughout the day

Rinse and repeat.

Would you look at that? It really is simple! There are loads of content curation tools out there too that are designed to make your life easier by seamlessly integrating content curation into your day job.

You can’t say now that there’s an excuse because almost everyone shares content anyway—instead of tagging your mate in that video of a cat singing to a camel on Facebook, why don’t you share something that will effortlessly build a personal brand that hinges on professionalism and insight?

Something to Remember

As effective as curating content is, it’s also about what you share. The simple act of sharing itself doesn’t add value.

The reason that content curation is such a powerful shortcut to building a personal brand is because you can quickly add value to your network. That’s the key. When I’ve seen people fall down with content curation, the reason would be because they lose sight of their purpose: to provide useful, valuable, relevant insight.

With that bore in mind, always remember that quality is key. Obvious as it may sound, you should never share anything without reading it first, thoroughly. Only post things you’d be happy to put your name to because failing such would certainly put a bad light into your credibility.

Now that’s where adding a ‘takeaway’ thought comes in – you try and encapsulate what you think people will get out of the article by reading it. If you can’t get anything from it, maybe it’s something to avoid sharing.

What’s the Upshot?

Curating content is not a complex activity. It’s an easy shortcut for building your personal brand—something that traditionally takes a lot of commitment and time. It’s actually easy to do and only requires very little actual effort. Furthermore, it takes almost no time compared to creating content. Plus, it can have a huge impact in how you’re perceived by your target audience. There’s not really a downside, as long as you heed the brief word of warning above and make sure you’re always adding value, I am pretty sure that you’re good to go. Read More

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Why Video Marketing Is A Must

Video Brewery revealed that 100 million Internet users watch online video content daily. While most of them watch the latest viral video, other viewers want to learn about a certain topic or know more about a product or service before buying.

Creating video content should be a staple in your company’s marketing endeavours. It’s that important.

Benefits of Video Marketing

Apart from the fact that numerous people watch online videos, who can also be potential prospects, here’s a list of other advantages that come with using video marketing:

Authenticity

Using videos is a very authentic form of communication. Viewers get to see you and your mannerisms in actuality, rather than just reading your words (through copy or emails) or hearing your voice (via podcasts or webinars).

Essentially, video marketing allows you to do what copy alone does not– show your audience the person behind the words.

In the world of video marketing, there’s no room to be fake because people hear and see what you do. It’s only after you meet someone in person that you’ll get a clear indication of his or her intentions, and only then can you firmly shake on it and come to an agreement.

Cost Effective

You can spend a lot of money on creating good quality video content, but you can also create effective ones for almost nothing!

The important thing to remember is that you just need a camera phone coupled with some creativity, and you’re ready to shoot. For free!

All you need is your iPhone or any other good quality mobile phone and you’re ready to record. The iPhone, for example, has a good quality microphone that allows you to record high standard audio. You can seamlessly upload your finished piece to your YouTube account in under a minute once you’re done.

It’s an office studio with good filming equipment.

Anybody Can Do It

As mentioned above, it’s not expensive to shoot your own videos if you’re unable to afford high-end cameras at that moment. Additionally, it’s not difficult to do so either.

If you don’t consider yourself tech-savvy or only have a little experience in making videos, you can easily learn it online. Just go to YouTube and enter something like, “How to create video content using my phone,” and you’ll have a number of tutorials explaining how this can be done.

When Creating Videos, Tips

Now that you know the advantages of creating video content, here are a few things to keep in mind before you begin filming.

You can easily edit your videos using something like iMovie or Camtasia if you’re unable to hire a media team to handle your footage or editing requirements. Both software applications are easily accessible online.

Fight the Fear

If you’ve never done video marketing before, then, understandably, it can be quite daunting at first.The only way you can fight that fear is to appreciate the outcome. That means you need to understand the positive effects of video marketing to get over your fear and start recording.

That will motivate you to work hard at completing your first video.

Practice Makes Perfect

The more you practice, the better you’ll become. When I started out, talking to the camera used to feel “forced” and I found it difficult.

With enough practice, you can quickly become much better at making videos and feel more comfortable speaking in front of the camera. And when you’re relaxed, the audience will feel comfortable, too.

Think of it as watching a bad actor. His bad performance will make you feel uncomfortable. Not only does it feel unsettling, but it also spoils all credibility and the movie is pretty much thrown out of the window.

Like with most skills, only experience, repetition and practice will make you a better performer.

Grab your recording equipment and shoot a video of yourself within 5 minutes and then evaluate your performance. After 10 days, you’ll get over the fear of recording yourself.

Don’t Waffle

Whenever you are filming, look into the camera and imagine that you’re conversing with someone. It not only helps keep the conversation natural, but it also prevents me from waffling or going off-topic.

Conclusion

Don’t forget to include a clear call-to- action at the end of your video so that customers will know where to go to find out more. Video Brewery reports that 90 percent of online shoppers at a major retailer’s website find video helpful when it comes to buying decisions.

In the world of video marketing, there’s no room to be fake because people hear and see what you do. Just go to YouTube and enter something like, “How to create video content using my phone,” and you’ll have a number of tutorials explaining how this can be done. If you’ve never done video marketing before, then, understandably, it can be quite daunting at.

Again, after filming your first few videos, review your work and look out for any mistakes that you can avoid in the future. Keeping your content engaging and succinct will also work best for time-constrained audiences. Read More

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Saivian Magic Shows How Shopping Can Save Your Money

Saivian Magic Shows How Shopping Can Save Your Money visit our website at http://www.saivianmagic.saivian.net/ Saivian Magic is something that is so simple f...

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Outsourcing: An Absolute Necessity

You might have noticed that there are a lot of details to attend to when setting up an online business. You might be afraid of the amount of time and effort it will take to develop an online presence and get your sales funnels up and running.

It does require a fairly strenuous learning curve, but we have a secret that helps our students get online quickly and painlessly. It’s called outsourcing.

There are people offering to take on those tasks that you would find daunting: setting up a website, for example, or coordinating your email marketing with an offer, an autoresponder, and a tracking link.

You might be completely stumped about what to say in your blog. There are people who offer writing services so you don’t have to write each day, every day.

We recommend Need a VA. They provide Virtual Assistants who perform a plethora of services for a very reasonable cost and with the solid computer skills you might not have time to learn. Need a VA was founded by a 10-year veteran of online marketing, and she caters to helping new online entrepreneurs get up and running.

Website Development

It’s not all about design… it’s all about conversion! Click here to learn more of our web and creative design services.

VA Services

From SEO to your marketing campaigns, funnels and promotions… we can take care of that! Click here to learn more about our VA services we offer. Read More

[merlywilkinson-blog]

Outsourcing: An Absolute Necessity

You might have noticed that there are a lot of details to attend to when setting up an online business. You might be afraid of the amount of time and effort it will take to develop an online presence and get your sales funnels up and running.

It does require a fairly strenuous learning curve, but we have a secret that helps our students get online quickly and painlessly. It’s called outsourcing.

There are people offering to take on those tasks that you would find daunting: setting up a website, for example, or coordinating your email marketing with an offer, an autoresponder, and a tracking link.

You might be completely stumped about what to say in your blog. There are people who offer writing services so you don’t have to write each day, every day.

We recommend Need a VA. They provide Virtual Assistants who perform a plethora of services for a very reasonable cost and with the solid computer skills you might not have time to learn. Need a VA was founded by a 10-year veteran of online marketing, and she caters to helping new online entrepreneurs get up and running.

Website Development

It’s not all about design… it’s all about conversion! Click here to learn more of our web and creative design services.

VA Services

From SEO to your marketing campaigns, funnels and promotions… we can take care of that! Click here to learn more about our VA services we offer. Read More

[merlywilkinson-blog]

Is your organisation change set up for success… or failure?

Contact Change Enablement if you need help in equipping your employees or organisation so they can successfully manage change. We offer Prosci courses

[merlywilkinson-blog]

Outsourcing: An Absolute Necessity

You might have noticed that there are a lot of details to attend to when setting up an online business. You might be afraid of the amount of time and effort it will take to develop an online presence and get your sales funnels up and running.

It does require a fairly strenuous learning curve, but we have a secret that helps our students get online quickly and painlessly. It’s called outsourcing.

There are people offering to take on those tasks that you would find daunting: setting up a website, for example, or coordinating your email marketing with an offer, an autoresponder, and a tracking link.

You might be completely stumped about what to say in your blog. There are people who offer writing services so you don’t have to write each day, every day.

We recommend Need a VA. They provide Virtual Assistants who perform a plethora of services for a very reasonable cost and with the solid computer skills you might not have time to learn. Need a VA was founded by a 10-year veteran of online marketing, and she caters to helping new online entrepreneurs get up and running.

Website Development

It’s not all about design… it’s all about conversion! Click here to learn more of our web and creative design services.

VA Services

From SEO to your marketing campaigns, funnels and promotions… we can take care of that! Click here to learn more about our VA services we offer. Read More