Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Quinton Becker
There's absolutely no sense in paying for the same insurance coverage from multiple insurance companies. This is an area where a lot of consumers could eliminate some unnecessary spending from their family budget.
The two main areas to look for duplicate coverage is medical coverage and road assistance plans.
About Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance
Keep in mind that some states require residents to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance, with their automotive insurance. If your state requires PIP coverage, then this will be an item that you cannot eliminate from your automotive insurance.
PIP insurance is required in any state that utilizes "no-fault" automobile insurance laws. No-fault automotive insurance was developed in Canada in 1947, on the premise that it would result in quicker settlements of claims and that it would reduce premium costs because it lowered legal fees and court costs.
A few U.S. states began to adopt "no-fault" automotive insurance, as a result of spiraling insurance costs. Massachusetts was the first in the United States to adopt "no-fault" automotive insurance laws. Since then, the District of Columbia and 11 additional states have adopted "no-fault" insurance. Besides Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, "no-fault" states include: Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, Hawaii, Michigan, New Jersey, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah and North Dakota.
If you do not live in one of the "no-fault" insurance states, then you are not required to carry PIP insurance. If you have a good health, life and disability insurance policy, chances are that you already have PIP coverage with your health insurance policy. If your health insurance policy provides PIP coverage and you are carrying PIP insurance coverage on your automotive policy, then you are duplicating your PIP coverage, across two policies.
If you are duplicating your PIP insurance coverage, with your health and automotive insurance policies, and you are in a state that does not require PIP coverage, then you can save money by eliminating the duplicate coverage under your automotive insurance policy.
Avoid Duplication of Roadside Assistance Protection Plans
Another area where duplicate coverage is common is with a roadside assistance protection plan. Many drivers already have a roadside assistance plan, in conjunction with their credit card or in an automotive extended warranty package.
If you already have road assistance protection through another source, then you should definitely not purchase one through your automotive insurance carrier.
In fact, it is also recommended that you should never purchase a road assistance protection plan from your automotive insurance carrier, period!
Some insurance companies will consider a request for a tow truck, under your roadside assistance plan, to be the same as a claim against your primary auto insurance policy. In other words, the insurance company may consider a request for a tow truck, as a negative mark on your auto insurance policy, just as if you were involved in traffic accident.
Because it is so easy to find roadside assistance protection plans, from a multitude of sources, most consumer watchdog groups strongly recommend that you should purchase your roadside assistance plans from anyone, who is NOT your primary auto insurance provider.
GAP Coverage
One final possibility for overlapping coverage is if you already have GAP coverage through your credit union or other financial company. In essence, GAP coverage is a loan/lease payoff protection plan. If you already have GAP coverage through another source, then you definitely do not need the loan/lease payoff protection plan offered to you by your automotive insurance carrier.
In Closing...
During our current recession, consumers are on the lookout to find where they can cut unnecessary expenses from their family budgets. Duplicate insurance coverage, as described in this article, should provide a good starting point for eliminating unnecessary expenses.
But to be honest, even if we were not in the midst of a recession, you should take care not to pay for the same coverage through different insurance carriers...
About the Author:
When comparing car insurance quotes, be certain that you are always comparing apples-to-apples. When you understand what your auto insurance quote covers, you can make an educated decision about which auto insurance company is offering you the best value for your money. You can get auto insurance quotes from several local agents at: http://maxroo.com/updates/auto-insurance-quotes/ Oklahoma residents can get quotes and find insurance agent phone numbers at: http://CheapOklahomaAutoInsurance.com/ Written by Quinton Becker.
Read more of Quinton Becker's articles.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
How to Get Great Traffic to Your Website
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 David O Connell
In Internet marketing, there are essentially 2 major ways of building traffic on a website. There are the free methods which consume time and energy and offer a continuous stream of visitors with little or no upkeep, and there are paid methods such as cost per action and cost per click advertising that only offer ROI based on how much money you are willing to trade per visitor or per lead. Both methods can be profitable, but in general, they can be broken up into three major categories:
SEO Traffic
Search engine optimization traffic consists of traffic that comes to your site strictly by ranking high in the search engine results. What is the number one way to build your rankings in the search engines and guarantee that you will get visitors from Google Yahoo and MSN? Keyword targeted back links. Having your site linked by relevant websites within your niche, preferably with a high page rank or a higher page rank than your own website are essential in this process, but content also greatly improves your odds of getting ranked high as well.
This method is essentially the cheapest for people who can not pay for things like Adwords or CPA marketing. If you need visitors but can not afford to pay a whole lot to get them, you should really utilize SEO traffic as one of your primary resources.
Back link Traffic
Back links are essential for search engine rankings, but they also serve as their own source of quality traffic when utilized appropriately. Essentially what this means is building an image to visitors on other websites by building articles in directories and other websites or blogs. Videos on sites such as Youtube, and relevant and helpful posts on popular forums within your niche. This is another great free method of traffic generation you can utilize if you are trying to build traffic to a website, but do not have enough money to outsource it or go with pay per click methods.
Paid Traffic
For successful e-commerce and marketing websites that have a high conversion rate and are profitable enough to afford it, paid traffic is another excellent technique for building traffic to a website. Paid traffic consists of just about any form of traffic you can get by paying cash up front to the provider of this traffic. This covers pay per click, pay per action such as form fills and lead generation, and even alternative forms of paid traffic such as pay per tweet or pay per 1000 impressions types.
Paid traffic is usually the most expensive but highest quality traffic you can acquire. Targeted traffic converts better than not so targeted. Someone who clicks on a relevant ad in Google is probably going to be a hungry buyer, which is why Google often charges top dollar for each click in a competitive niche and screens the websites strictly for irrelevant and unwanted content.
If you are considering PCC you should learn a bit about it before you start.
About the Author:
120 Website Super Traffic Generating Strategies explores both online and offline high traffic techniques: http://www.websitetraffic-hitlist.com/ Written by: David O Connell
Read more of David O Connell's articles.
Copyright © 2010 David O Connell
In Internet marketing, there are essentially 2 major ways of building traffic on a website. There are the free methods which consume time and energy and offer a continuous stream of visitors with little or no upkeep, and there are paid methods such as cost per action and cost per click advertising that only offer ROI based on how much money you are willing to trade per visitor or per lead. Both methods can be profitable, but in general, they can be broken up into three major categories:
SEO Traffic
Search engine optimization traffic consists of traffic that comes to your site strictly by ranking high in the search engine results. What is the number one way to build your rankings in the search engines and guarantee that you will get visitors from Google Yahoo and MSN? Keyword targeted back links. Having your site linked by relevant websites within your niche, preferably with a high page rank or a higher page rank than your own website are essential in this process, but content also greatly improves your odds of getting ranked high as well.
This method is essentially the cheapest for people who can not pay for things like Adwords or CPA marketing. If you need visitors but can not afford to pay a whole lot to get them, you should really utilize SEO traffic as one of your primary resources.
Back link Traffic
Back links are essential for search engine rankings, but they also serve as their own source of quality traffic when utilized appropriately. Essentially what this means is building an image to visitors on other websites by building articles in directories and other websites or blogs. Videos on sites such as Youtube, and relevant and helpful posts on popular forums within your niche. This is another great free method of traffic generation you can utilize if you are trying to build traffic to a website, but do not have enough money to outsource it or go with pay per click methods.
Paid Traffic
For successful e-commerce and marketing websites that have a high conversion rate and are profitable enough to afford it, paid traffic is another excellent technique for building traffic to a website. Paid traffic consists of just about any form of traffic you can get by paying cash up front to the provider of this traffic. This covers pay per click, pay per action such as form fills and lead generation, and even alternative forms of paid traffic such as pay per tweet or pay per 1000 impressions types.
Paid traffic is usually the most expensive but highest quality traffic you can acquire. Targeted traffic converts better than not so targeted. Someone who clicks on a relevant ad in Google is probably going to be a hungry buyer, which is why Google often charges top dollar for each click in a competitive niche and screens the websites strictly for irrelevant and unwanted content.
If you are considering PCC you should learn a bit about it before you start.
About the Author:
120 Website Super Traffic Generating Strategies explores both online and offline high traffic techniques: http://www.websitetraffic-hitlist.com/ Written by: David O Connell
Read more of David O Connell's articles.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Keys to Attracting Win-Win Strategic Alliances
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Judy Murdoch
The most potent marketing strategy for any small business owner is not a great website, or lots of Facebook friends, or a killer networking plan.
The marketing strategy that will get you faster and farther than anything else put together is developing strategic alliances with other businesses so you can promote each others products and services.
Strategic alliances are powerful because:
you are exposing each other to your networks
you are endorsing another business' product or service which enhances or complements your own
And how do you find strategic partners? Well, you decide the qualities of an ideal strategic partner for your business; you begin to identify those businesses; and you get in touch to suggest a partnership.
===========================
Problems with Proposing Strategic Alliance
===========================
I was inspired to write this week's article because I've received several strategic alliance requests recently that were really, really off-target.
And I thought it might be helpful to share with you what I consider an effective way to propose a strategic alliance with another business.
To illustrate effective and ineffective approaches to strategic alliance proposals I'm going to use those heroes of doctor's office waiting rooms: Goofus and Gallant.
If you didn't spend much time in doctor's waiting rooms during the 60's and 70's here's a quick explanation: Goofus and Gallant was a feature in Highlights: a children's magazine which offered entertaining and educational information for school-aged kids.
Goofus and Gallant was a comic with two boys--Goofus was a jerk: inconsiderate and selfish. Gallant was, well, gallant: considerate and polite.
===========================
Strategic Alliance Proposal: Goofus-Style
===========================
When Goofus writes to a prospective strategic ally, his is interested in one thing and one thing only: what he, Goofus, will gain.
It's all about Goofus.
Things Goofus does when he writes his proposal to make sure there's no question who the proposal is all about:
Goofus doesn't know much about the company he's sending his proposal except the bare minimal to make contact. He doesn't look at the company's website, know what the company's products and services are, or who the company services.
Goofus' proposal is all about his accomplishments and work experiences. He assumes that the recipient will be able to figure out which qualities and accomplishments are relevant and which are not.
Goofus uses the shotgun approach. He gets as many prospective business contacts as he can and mass mails the same email to every contact. Goofus figures if he emails enough businesses, one or two will want to work with him.
Goofus sees business as a zero sum game. If someone else gets a customer, it's a customer Goofus didn't get. There can be only one winner and Goofus wants to make sure its him.
Now, confession time, I'm guilty of sending Goofus-style proposals. Why? Mostly because I didn't know how to write something more effective.
Fortunately, I've learned how to write a proposal that actually connects with prospective allies.
Read on for the Gallant-style proposal.
===========================
Strategic Alliance Proposal Gallant-style
===========================
To sum up Gallant's approach, Gallant assumes that the business owner he's approaching first needs to be able to trust that Gallant wants a win-win partnership before they'll take the next step.
Here is what Gallant does to make sure his proposal clearly communicates that he wants everyone to benefit.
Gallant takes the time to learn about the business he's approaching.
He knows who the key people are in the business, he knows what the business' products and services are, he's visited their website and perhaps he's even read a few articles written by the business owner.
From checking out the business, Gallant understands the complementary opportunities from a strategic alliance.
Gallant's proposal speaks clearly and specifically to how a joint venture will benefit his prospective strategic partner. For example, he can give examples of why his readers will appreciate and respond to an article written by this prospective partner.
Gallant uses a shotgun approach to identifying and getting in touch with strategic partners. He has thought through what qualities an ideal strategic partner has and knows how to find those partners. This is why he can approach these companies in such a personal way.
===========================
Why Companies Don't Use the Gallant-Style Approach
===========================
The biggest objection is "it takes too much time." And the Gallant-style approach for sure takes longer than the Goofus-style approach.
No argument from me.
But if you look at the time spent from the perspective of which hours produce the best results in terms of attracting profitable strategic partnerships, Gallant-proposals are a lot more effective.
===========================
Burning Bridges versus Opening Doors
===========================
Plus, a "no" to a Goofus proposal is usually a "no and don't come back." Goofus proposals result in slammed doors and burned bridges.
Gallant proposals that don't result in a "yes" or a "let's talk more" usually result in a "let's talk in six months" or "it doesn't fit what we need but here's someone who could use what you offer."
===========================
Bottom Line
===========================
If you approach other businesses to ask about strategic partnership opportunities and you're not much response, you may be sending Goofus-style proposals.
Gallant-style proposals require extra time and effort to personalize and speak to specific win-win benefits, but every hour you spend putting effort into a Gallant-style proposal is easily worth the effort of sending 100 Goofus proposals.
Not to mention the doors that open when the company you're approaching feels truly seen, heard, and appreciated.
About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
Follow Judy Murdoch on Twitter.
Copyright © 2010 Judy Murdoch
The most potent marketing strategy for any small business owner is not a great website, or lots of Facebook friends, or a killer networking plan.
The marketing strategy that will get you faster and farther than anything else put together is developing strategic alliances with other businesses so you can promote each others products and services.
Strategic alliances are powerful because:
And how do you find strategic partners? Well, you decide the qualities of an ideal strategic partner for your business; you begin to identify those businesses; and you get in touch to suggest a partnership.
===========================
Problems with Proposing Strategic Alliance
===========================
I was inspired to write this week's article because I've received several strategic alliance requests recently that were really, really off-target.
And I thought it might be helpful to share with you what I consider an effective way to propose a strategic alliance with another business.
To illustrate effective and ineffective approaches to strategic alliance proposals I'm going to use those heroes of doctor's office waiting rooms: Goofus and Gallant.
If you didn't spend much time in doctor's waiting rooms during the 60's and 70's here's a quick explanation: Goofus and Gallant was a feature in Highlights: a children's magazine which offered entertaining and educational information for school-aged kids.
Goofus and Gallant was a comic with two boys--Goofus was a jerk: inconsiderate and selfish. Gallant was, well, gallant: considerate and polite.
===========================
Strategic Alliance Proposal: Goofus-Style
===========================
When Goofus writes to a prospective strategic ally, his is interested in one thing and one thing only: what he, Goofus, will gain.
It's all about Goofus.
Things Goofus does when he writes his proposal to make sure there's no question who the proposal is all about:
Now, confession time, I'm guilty of sending Goofus-style proposals. Why? Mostly because I didn't know how to write something more effective.
Fortunately, I've learned how to write a proposal that actually connects with prospective allies.
Read on for the Gallant-style proposal.
===========================
Strategic Alliance Proposal Gallant-style
===========================
To sum up Gallant's approach, Gallant assumes that the business owner he's approaching first needs to be able to trust that Gallant wants a win-win partnership before they'll take the next step.
Here is what Gallant does to make sure his proposal clearly communicates that he wants everyone to benefit.
He knows who the key people are in the business, he knows what the business' products and services are, he's visited their website and perhaps he's even read a few articles written by the business owner.
===========================
Why Companies Don't Use the Gallant-Style Approach
===========================
The biggest objection is "it takes too much time." And the Gallant-style approach for sure takes longer than the Goofus-style approach.
No argument from me.
But if you look at the time spent from the perspective of which hours produce the best results in terms of attracting profitable strategic partnerships, Gallant-proposals are a lot more effective.
===========================
Burning Bridges versus Opening Doors
===========================
Plus, a "no" to a Goofus proposal is usually a "no and don't come back." Goofus proposals result in slammed doors and burned bridges.
Gallant proposals that don't result in a "yes" or a "let's talk more" usually result in a "let's talk in six months" or "it doesn't fit what we need but here's someone who could use what you offer."
===========================
Bottom Line
===========================
If you approach other businesses to ask about strategic partnership opportunities and you're not much response, you may be sending Goofus-style proposals.
Gallant-style proposals require extra time and effort to personalize and speak to specific win-win benefits, but every hour you spend putting effort into a Gallant-style proposal is easily worth the effort of sending 100 Goofus proposals.
Not to mention the doors that open when the company you're approaching feels truly seen, heard, and appreciated.
About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
Follow Judy Murdoch on Twitter.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Building Inroads: the Inclusive Path to Branding
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Enzo F. Cesario
The traditional model of brand building has been largely dictated by the technology available. When the means of communication was paper, the picture advertisement dominated, and gave rise to the clever slogan. The slogan developed into the jingle with the rise of radio, and the advent of television allowed the creation of the commercial.
All of these have one defining trait in common; they inform in a non-interactive sense. You can turn away or read as you wish, but that's the extent of your control over the content of the advertisement. This has left the power of brand building largely in the hands of the originators. The company creates its advertising, and people respond to it.
Most people and businesses don't have the money to create massive media blitzes or overarching TV-radio-print campaigns, which left this approach almost entirely to the big names or those small companies willing to take a chance.
This is all changing.
As we've discussed before, the landscape in branding has changed from the advertising model to the communicative one. Comments can be left, emails sent, blogs posted and disseminated in a matter of hours. We've established the increasing power the audience has over brands, and have learned how vital conversation is to the modern brand.
Brands can now be built quickly and on a shoestring budget. Webhosting is inexpensive, and in some cases completely free. A Facebook account and an eBay selling account can stand in for a webpage and a storefront, and are exponentially less expensive than a physical store and even a simple ad in the local newspaper.
Brand success is no longer the sole domain of those with the money to employ creative teams and retain advertising firms, but an open territory for any willing to seize the initiative and do the work.
Similarly, the direction of brand construction has changed. We've mentioned the conversation, the all-important dialog between brand and customer, and the power customers have in shaping the image of a brand. This has lead to the development of the inbound marketing technique. Rather than hurling information into the ether and hoping to find a target demographic, people are building ways for the audience to come to them, where a friendly chat can be had.
Consider the most important purchases you've made in the last five years. When is the last time a car advertisement on television spurred you to make a purchase, as opposed to the time you went into a dealership needing a car and sought one out on your own time? How often have your computer purchases been driven by an ad campaign as opposed to a personal desire to upgrade or seek one out?
This is the realm of in-bound marketing techniques. Yes, they still resort to the need to create an attraction in the customer's mind, but the focus is different. It's less a matter of 'look at what we have to show you,' and much more about 'come tell me what you have to say.'
Consider the success of the SomethingAwful forums. Similar to 4chan and other casual social sites, SA has indisputably developed a brand of its own on the Internet. Ask about SA on just about any site, and you don't need the full name, just the initials to get a response. And yet at the heart SA is just a forum, a place for people to come and talk, and to read entertaining articles lampooning various facets of pop culture. The whole message, consciously or not, is simply, 'come on in, and let's have a chat.'
Not every site can use the exact approach of SA of course, but that isn't the point. The point is that if you feel confident in your product, be it a physical item to sell or ideas you wish to promote, then you should focus less on throwing it out to the world at large and more on trying to find ways to get people to come in and have a closer look.
Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Dig, Reddit, Slashdot: There are social media networks and sites everywhere. People conveniently arrange themselves into groups based on interests and locations, and advertise these facts on profiles and group pages. A great deal of the research is already done for you, all you have to do is look for it. Put simply, these people WANT to talk about their interests. Don't simply shout your message at them; instead, give them a place they can come and share what they have to say, and give them a product that relates.
Yes, digital branding requires even more hard work than big-time traditional advertising, especially on a budget. You may not be able to hire a bigwig designer to put out slick posters and compose outstanding music. What you can do is tap into peoples' desire to talk, their wish to understand and be understood, and then give them both a place to visit and many roads to get to that place. Build the road and the inn, and travelers will find their way.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
Copyright © 2010 Enzo F. Cesario
The traditional model of brand building has been largely dictated by the technology available. When the means of communication was paper, the picture advertisement dominated, and gave rise to the clever slogan. The slogan developed into the jingle with the rise of radio, and the advent of television allowed the creation of the commercial.
All of these have one defining trait in common; they inform in a non-interactive sense. You can turn away or read as you wish, but that's the extent of your control over the content of the advertisement. This has left the power of brand building largely in the hands of the originators. The company creates its advertising, and people respond to it.
Most people and businesses don't have the money to create massive media blitzes or overarching TV-radio-print campaigns, which left this approach almost entirely to the big names or those small companies willing to take a chance.
This is all changing.
As we've discussed before, the landscape in branding has changed from the advertising model to the communicative one. Comments can be left, emails sent, blogs posted and disseminated in a matter of hours. We've established the increasing power the audience has over brands, and have learned how vital conversation is to the modern brand.
Brands can now be built quickly and on a shoestring budget. Webhosting is inexpensive, and in some cases completely free. A Facebook account and an eBay selling account can stand in for a webpage and a storefront, and are exponentially less expensive than a physical store and even a simple ad in the local newspaper.
Brand success is no longer the sole domain of those with the money to employ creative teams and retain advertising firms, but an open territory for any willing to seize the initiative and do the work.
Similarly, the direction of brand construction has changed. We've mentioned the conversation, the all-important dialog between brand and customer, and the power customers have in shaping the image of a brand. This has lead to the development of the inbound marketing technique. Rather than hurling information into the ether and hoping to find a target demographic, people are building ways for the audience to come to them, where a friendly chat can be had.
Consider the most important purchases you've made in the last five years. When is the last time a car advertisement on television spurred you to make a purchase, as opposed to the time you went into a dealership needing a car and sought one out on your own time? How often have your computer purchases been driven by an ad campaign as opposed to a personal desire to upgrade or seek one out?
This is the realm of in-bound marketing techniques. Yes, they still resort to the need to create an attraction in the customer's mind, but the focus is different. It's less a matter of 'look at what we have to show you,' and much more about 'come tell me what you have to say.'
Consider the success of the SomethingAwful forums. Similar to 4chan and other casual social sites, SA has indisputably developed a brand of its own on the Internet. Ask about SA on just about any site, and you don't need the full name, just the initials to get a response. And yet at the heart SA is just a forum, a place for people to come and talk, and to read entertaining articles lampooning various facets of pop culture. The whole message, consciously or not, is simply, 'come on in, and let's have a chat.'
Not every site can use the exact approach of SA of course, but that isn't the point. The point is that if you feel confident in your product, be it a physical item to sell or ideas you wish to promote, then you should focus less on throwing it out to the world at large and more on trying to find ways to get people to come in and have a closer look.
Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Dig, Reddit, Slashdot: There are social media networks and sites everywhere. People conveniently arrange themselves into groups based on interests and locations, and advertise these facts on profiles and group pages. A great deal of the research is already done for you, all you have to do is look for it. Put simply, these people WANT to talk about their interests. Don't simply shout your message at them; instead, give them a place they can come and share what they have to say, and give them a product that relates.
Yes, digital branding requires even more hard work than big-time traditional advertising, especially on a budget. You may not be able to hire a bigwig designer to put out slick posters and compose outstanding music. What you can do is tap into peoples' desire to talk, their wish to understand and be understood, and then give them both a place to visit and many roads to get to that place. Build the road and the inn, and travelers will find their way.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
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