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I want to be liked. Do you want to be liked? It is often our human nature to want to be accepted and cherished by others. You may have heard of the phrase “It is not what you know but who you know” which is a statement meant to highlight the value of friends, networks and relationships. Personal interconnectedness is a part of the reason we exist. Many of the societal threads and ties we encounter are responsible for our successes, comforts and luxuries. Does the sound in the forest really matter if you are the only one to hear it? When it comes to network marketing for beginners you will learn and grow from your ability to thrive in social settings. This business is about how well you are able to leverage and utilize the woven webs of people and programs that exist both online and off. It is about selling your ideas, selling your products and most importantly selling yourself to those around you. You must believe in what you have to offer. To gain a better understanding of what it takes to start sharpening your networking skills you must first realize the two most important sides to the subject which are people and programs. The human aspect as well as the automated interfaces, of network marketing are both equally essential.There is no “I” in the words team, network or market and the point of this note is for you to realize that you are not alone. Recognition and approval does not come from patting yourself on the back and saying into the mirror well done. Your peers and potential partners will often signify and solidify the markets you seek to master. Network marketing for beginners really calls for those interested in the topic to start building all types of personal human relationships; this can involve you reaching out in a variety of ways. Social media networking is now almost mandatory to any marketing campaign. Services like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Skype and Craigslist are a part of almost every major companies marketing repertoire and there is no reason why they cannot be a part of your network arsenal as well. When it comes to finding new clients and other network marketing needs it is key to always think outside of the box.One example of this is something like crowd-sourcing or the idea that lots of people can come together to create a greater good. This is the essence of network marketing. Crowd-sourcing concepts and websites like Kickstarter, Innocentive, Kiva and Donors Choose are wonderful examples of what can happen when we work with others in regards to common interests. Remember human bonding is not always done on the computer. Joining and participating in neighborhood clubs and organizations in your community and visiting places like the local chamber of commerce, parks and recreation centers, the better business bureau and local libraries are also great ways for a beginning network marketer to spread their wings and message. When you get tired of shaking hands, pounding the pavement, handing out business cards and other in person sales shenanigans there are few ways we can begin to think about automating our network marketing movements, environments and momentum.Just as powerful as human persuasion and passion is computer automation when it comes to network marketing. Not only will you want as a network marketing beginner to try and use your human touch but you will want to also use the processing resources available to you. As almost all people need time to eat, drink, sleep and be merry there will be moments of our lives where computers are simply better suited to catering to our immediate networking marketing desires. Network marketing is about capitalizing on your relevance and the way to stay popular is by remaining in the spotlight of the gigabyte. A blog can showcase your thoughts without you being there. A website can collect data while you’re missing in action.An affiliate partnership could be working and promoting while you are not. A search engine optimization (SEO) exposure strategy or directory submission directive may thrust you into the limelight. The key here is to think about ways the computer can help you network market with minimal interference. Ideas such as article publishing through companies like the Yahoo Contributor Network, hiring a networking coordinator through businesses like oDesk or signing up to social grow rooms like FlickSwap are all ways to build a beginning marketing network while taking time away from your monitor. Regardless of which route you take, it is the marriage of both personal persistence and computer cooperation that will ultimately make you a beginning network marketing powerhouse.Networking marketing for beginners is as simple as reverting back to our basic instincts of wanting to be wanted. The better you are at building relationships and attracting people, the greater chance your marketing and advertising efforts have to succeed. Relate to the masses while genuinely showing your true colors and you have a recipe for success. Combine that with the speed and tenacity of the internet and the endless horizons of online computing and there will be no stopping your rise through the novice ranks of network marketing. Fortifying and marketing a network is no easy task. Leave yourself open to making connections any way possible. Even communicating and interacting at forums, news groups, message boards, network mixers, convention floors and group meet ups will only help you blossom as a network marketer. You will never know if you never try. Put yourself out there, make yourself available and watch as your marketing network goes from beginning to winning.

Wow, check out Ron Paul’s Internet Marketing campaign!Without doubt, Ron Paul’s success on the Internet is nothing short of amazing. His team’s approach has been ground breaking in the way they’ve applied Internet Marketing techniques, not only to reach potential supporters, but to attract a significant number of contributors.Although not currently one of the frontrunners, Ron Paul is now being called an “Internet Phenomenon” by many political strategists.While the Internet Marketing strategies being used by Ron Paul’s team are not necessarily unique, the dedication his team has shown in reaching potential supporters online has been outstanding. By deploying a very aggressive Internet Marketing campaign, Ron Paul’s team has attracted a flood of contributors and a huge number of avid supporters.In a very short period of time, Ron Paul’s team has developed an enormous Internet presence. In fact, anyone who’s been online in the past six months has certainly seen multiple references to Ron Paul on the news or social media sites.If you consider the raw numbers, Ron Paul’s Internet Marketing strategy leaves his competition in the dust – and it’s a big reason he’s still in the race:Consider the facts …· Last month, Ron Paul’s site had well over a MILLION visitors, more than all other Republican candidates combined!· In one day, Ron Paul’s team raised over $6 Million dollars on the internet.· They raised approximately $20 Million Dollars in the 4th quarter of 2007 alone.· On YouTube, there are 109,000 videos currently available about him.· And in the past month there have been over 89,000 blog posts about him, according to Google.The bottom line … Ron Paul’s focus on Internet Marketing is changing the face of political campaign strategies.Ron Paul is not the only candidate making use of the Internet … on the other side of the aisle, Barack Obama’s team has deployed a very well designed Internet Marketing strategy – over 728,00 visitors last month – and has been very effective in reaching potential supporters and contributors in his own right.An Objective ViewMy analysis of Ron Paul’s internet success is purely driven by curiosity; I have no political affiliation or opinion of Ron Paul’s political platform.What intrigues me about Ron Paul’s Internet strategy is not only the response he’s received (over a Million visitors last month), it’s the number of contributors he’s attracted and the dedicated constituency he’s built on the Internet. With a major part of his communications being conveyed via the Internet, Ron Paul’s campaign team has demonstrated beyond any doubt that Internet Marketing is a formidable tool in building a successful political campaign strategy.Perhaps the Ron Paul campaign chose to focus more on Internet strategies and less on other media simply due to budget constraints. Whatever the reason, their decision to use the Internet as an integral part of their campaign strategy is undoubtedly a big reason he’s still in the race.This is not the first time we’ve seen a candidate deploy an Internet Marketing strategy as a part of a political campaign strategy – but it may be the first major campaign that has used the Internet as a primary part of their campaign strategy.So, what does this say about future political campaigns and the tactics that will be developed to exploit the enormous potential of the Internet?Political campaign teams can be very creative in developing marketing methods and I have no doubt we will learn a great deal concerning Internet Marketing by watching the successful political campaigns.If ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, then the Internet Marketing strategies being developed by political campaign teams like Ron Paul’s will no doubt be leveraged by other organizations to help build their own visibility and success.Ron Paul’s Internet StrategySo, what does Ron Paul’s team do differently?The short answer lies not in what his team does, as much as it does with how his team ‘works’ their strategy.First, the Internet Marketing strategy Ron Paul’s team has implemented focuses on some very basic Search Engine Marketing tactics:· Website optimization,· Compelling content,· Intuitive site navigation,· Social Media,· Press Releases,· Videos,· Blogging,· RSS feeds· Email Marketing, Newsletters, & Breaking NewsPretty straight forward, right? No real surprises here with the exception that Ron Paul’s team does not really use of PPC strategies to any great extent.The real difference lies is the way Ron Paul’s team implements their tactics, especially when compared to other Presidential contenders’ strategies.The body of the site contains very compelling content that is easy to find and leads you to endless amounts of interesting information concerning Ron Paul.Maybe the most obvious difference is Ron Paul’s site is constantly being updated and changed; the team adds new information daily and continually works to improve their Search Engine visibility using well attended blogs, Press Releases, and Social Media.Web Site Optimization Overall, the Ron Paul team has deployed a very solid website in a short period of time. Not that every part of the site is perfect, but the good points far outweigh the bad. In fact, with just a few slight changes, the Ron Paul website could serve as a great model for other political candidates.One somewhat insignificant difference, but one that I personally like about Ron Paul’s website, is that his team does not use an annoying Splash page as many other candidates do.I know splash pages look good to the website owner, but they’re almost always a waste of time since most people just want to get to what they came to the site to see – in this case, information about Ron Paul!The ‘home’ page Ron Paul’s team has designed is very intuitive and easy to navigate. They’ve placed breaking news, volunteer sign up, Blog access, and an excellent menu of choices that covers everything from Ron Paul’s position on the major issues to videos and recordings of his major appearances.Looking at the foundation of the website, Meta Title tags are the same for all pages. Concerning the Meta Descriptions, they’re also identical across all the pages of the website, so the Search Engines choose their own descriptions to display with the Ron Paul listing. Not recommended, but it probably causes no real harm in this case.Looking deeper, the site could use some fine tuning, adding Alt tag descriptions that contain more keywords would help; as well as adding unique Meta Descriptions for each page.Links into the page are almost non-existent and I would recommend adding a number of related, quality inbound links to the site. It couldn’t hurt and would probably drive even more traffic to the website and/or Blog.The site could also use some additional keyword research to help Ron Paul key in on the potential voters who are not familiar with him, and to present his message to more of them.The Ron Paul interactive videos on top of the ‘Issues’ page are a great addition. It seems to me if more detail were added concerning Ron Paul’s stance on the issues, it would be a more valuable contribution to the site.Although there are some obvious opportunities for improvement; given the website’s presentation, the information available, and ease of use, I give Ron Paul’s team very good marks in the SEO category.Social Media StrategiesRon Paul’s team’s approach to social media marketing has made him a Republican powerhouse. His campaign team understands social media and knows how to use it.From photos and videos to networking, Ron Paul can be found across the Internet.Most candidates’ teams have begun to use social media sites but most of them don’t seem to be very active on them. Ron Paul’s team excelshere because they are very active – they make continuous updates on his social media profiles all hours of the day.Increasingly, as new generations enter the voting ranks, social media is becoming an indispensable part of successful political campaigns. The current generation of younger voters has grown up using the Internet as their primary means of communication. It’s second nature for them to use the Internet to gain and share information.Currently on MySpace, Ron Paul shows over 273,000 friends, Facebook shows over 205,000, and YouTube has over 109,000 videos under his name.On the Ron Paul Blog, links to submit posts to Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious and others are available. Also helpful, is the RSS feed button that’s displayed in the upper part of the left column. Having an RSS feed signup on the blog helps to promote the blog even further in the social media outlets.When you look at the popularity of Ron Paul on the social media sites and compare the other candidates to him, he is definitely using the social networks more than other candidates to promote his grassroots efforts.Blogging StrategiesRon Paul has a very active Blog [http://people.ronpaul2008.com/campaign-updates]. His team consistently posts new information and breaking news all hours of the day. The Ron Paul team knows they have a very active and captive audience on the blog and they actively cater to them.There’s an RSS button to easily subscribe to blog updates and links to YouTube and other social media are scattered throughout the page to promote Blog entries.Overall, Ron Paul’s campaign team has done an outstanding job developing and deploying a very effective Internet Marketing strategy.SummaryInternet Marketing is quickly becoming an integral part of nearly every political campaign.Increasingly, the Internet is becoming a news and recruiting source that is irreplaceable in major political campaigns.Pressed for campaign funds, both Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul have used the Internet as a very cost effective way to get their message across to potential contributors and voters.Without their efforts on the Internet, it could be argued that very few people would have ever heard of either candidate. While both candidates are underdogs, they probably would not even still be in the race without their well orchestrated Internet Marketing campaigns.How much of Ron Paul’s or Mike Huckabee’s success is due to their Internet Marketing efforts? There’s no doubt Internet viewers looking for information concerning these candidates have had no problem finding it on the Internet.The real question is how many potential voters will actually be affected by the Internet Marketing they come into contact with? Judging from over a Million visitors to Ron Paul’s website and the amount of contributors he’s been able to inspire, there can be no doubt many potential voters have been directly affected by the Internet Marketing strategy his team has deployed.It’s now clear Political Internet Marketing is a very effective campaign tool and will continue to be an increasingly important part of successful political campaigns well into the future.By Scott PorterMarketBuilders2008 All Rights ReservedRon Paul Page [http://www.ronpaul2008.com/]

Advances in computing and information technology are changing the way people meet and communicate. People can meet, talk, and work together outside traditional meeting and office spaces. For instance, with the introduction of software designed to help people schedule meetings and facilitate decision or learning processes, is weakening geographical constraints and changing interpersonal communication dynamics. Information technology is also dramatically affecting the way people teach and learn.As new information technologies infiltrate workplaces, home, and classrooms, research on user acceptance of new technologies has started to receive much attention from professionals as well as academic researchers. Developers and software industries are beginning to realize that lack of user acceptance of technology can lead to loss of money and resources.
In studying user acceptance and use of technology, the TAM is one of the most cited models. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was developed by Davis to explain computer-usage behavior. The theoretical basis of the model was Fishbein and Ajzen’s Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA).The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is an information systems (System consisting of the network of all communication channels used within an organization) theory that models how users come to accept and use a technology, The model suggests that when users are presented with a new software package, a number of factors influence their decision about how and when they will use it, notably:Perceived usefulness (PU) – This was defined by Fred Davis as “the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance”.Perceived ease-of-use (PEOU) Davis defined this as “the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free from effort” (Davis, 1989).The goal of TAM is “to provide an explanation of the determinants of computer acceptance that is general, capable of explaining user behavior across a broad range of end-user computing technologies and user populations, while at the same time being both parsimonious and theoretically justified”.According to the TAM, if a user perceives a specific technology as useful, she/he will believe in a positive use-performance relationship. Since effort is a finite resource, a user is likely to accept an application when she/he perceives it as easier to use than another .As a consequence, educational technology with a high level of PU and PEOU is more likely to induce positive perceptions. The relation between PU and PEOU is that PU mediates the effect of PEOU on attitude and intended use. In other words, while PU has direct impacts on attitude and use, PEOU influences attitude and use indirectly through PU.User acceptance is defined as “the demonstrable willingness within a user group to employ information technology for the tasks it is designed to support” (Dillon & Morris). Although this definition focuses on planned and intended uses of technology, studies report that individual perceptions of information technologies are likely to be influenced by the objective characteristics of technology, as well as interaction with other users. For example, the extent to which one evaluates new technology as useful, she/he is likely to use it. At the same time, her/his perception of the system is influenced by the way people around her/him evaluate and use the system.
Studies on information technology continuously report that user attitudes are important factors affecting the success of the system. For the past several decades, many definitions of attitude have been proposed. However, all theories consider attitude to be a relationship between a person and an object (Woelfel, 1995).In the context of information technologies, is an approach to the study of attitude – the technology acceptance model (TAM). TAM suggests users formulate a positive attitude toward the technology when they perceive the technology to be useful and easy to use (Davis, 1989).A review of scholarly research on IS acceptance and usage suggests that TAM has emerged as one of the most influential models in this stream of research The TAM represents an important theoretical contribution toward understanding IS usage and IS acceptance behaviors. However, this model — with its original emphasis on the design of system characteristics – does not account for social influence in the adoption and utilization of new information systems.

Marketing Communications are “all strategies, tactics, and activities involved in getting the desired marketing messages to intended target markets, regardless of the media used” (MarcommWise, 2006). Tony Yeshin (1999) defines marketing communications as “the process by which a marketer develops and presents stimuli to a defined target audience with a purpose of eliciting a desired set of responses” (Yeshin, 1999). Marketing communications are: adverting, sales promotions, personal selling, PR and direct and interactive marketing (Fill, 1999).
Consequently Marketing Communications Plan is the marketing plan which promotional plan incorporates two or more integrated marketing communications mediums aiming to reiterate the same goals and objectives. Marketing Communications Plans are considered by many professionals as an excellent way to effectively communicate with target audience.
Marketing Communications Plans are generally based on two different frameworks: Marketing Communications Planning Framework and SOSTAC (Fill, 1999).Marketing Communications Plans consist of the following vital elements:Context analysisPromotional objectivesMarketing communications strategyPromotional mix (methods and tools)Budget scheduleEvaluation and control (Fill, 1999).When writing marketing communications plan it is important to:1. Set corporate, marketing and marketing communications objectives, which would support and integrate with each other.2. Develop segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies3. Develop creative message with which Marketing Communications Plan with communicate with target audience4. Select and justify one or combination of marketing strategies (push, pull or profile)5. Develop well-rounded and creative set of promotional mediums and allocate appropriate budget for each medium.6. Create contingency planning strategy (in case something goes wrong)7. Set strict set of evaluation and control mediums which would include milestones and continuous evaluationReferencesFill C (1999) Marketing Communications, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall Europe
Yeshin T, (1999) Integrated Marketing Communications, The chartered institute of marketing, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford
http://www.marcommwise.com/glossary.phtml?a=m&s=0Please find below links to excellent Marketing Communications Plans:C/M/315. INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PLAN FOR ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTDS/M/162. Marketing communication plan: Philips SatinIce UK, and current marketing communications strategy analysisS/M/158. Marketing Communication Plan for British AirwaysS/M/158. Marketing Communication Plan for British AirwaysE/M/14. Marketing Communications Plan for Pizza HutC/M/180. Internet music search engine Promotion CampaignC/M/171. Analysis of the 50+ customer group for M&S and brief outline of a promotional campaignP/M/311. Marketing communication Plan for Direct Lines the breakdown serviceS/M/77. Project Management for Marketing Communications CampaignP/M/289. Marketing Communications Plan for ROYAL DUTCH/ SHELLS/M/69. Marketing Communications Plan for British Airways (BA)P/M/269. Marketing Communications Plan for ShellP/M/262. Marketing Communications Plan for North West Valley Sailing ClubC/M/117. Marketing Communications Plan for Hugo BossP/M/252. Marketing Communications Plan for the Introduction of New Product: SmoothieP/M/139. Marketing Communications Plan for Haagen-DazsP/M/130. Marketing Communications Plan for the new degree programmeP/M/133. Marketing Communications Plan for Marks and SpencerP/M/134. Analysis and development of Marketing Communications Plan for Adidas (US)http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprtmrk28.htm

Successful investing is smart investing. Investment is all about making the right choices, so that not only are you able to satisfy your immediate needs and requirements, but are also able to ensure the same for the medium and long term future. Just as no two individuals can be exactly the same, the financial needs and investment patterns vary from person to person. However one can follow certain definite markers to ensure that the path taken is the right one.Understand Your Needs: Investment goals come with different time frames and different objectives. One may invest for a short term goal like buying a car or even a holiday abroad. On the other hand, one could consider a long term investment plan to cater for the period when one has retired from work. How much one is able to commit to investment is dependent entirely upon one’s risk taking ability.When it comes to risk taking there is some truth in the adage that greater the risk, more the reward. That does not however mean that one should be reckless. Everyone possesses a risk threshold that they will not consider crossing. Factors like the level of a person’s income, one’s net worth, one’s ability to understand the investment scenario and the objectives behind investing drive how and how much a person invests.Early Bird Catches The Worm: The younger that one embarks on one’s investment journey, the better are the gains. The compound interest that you will make as a young man would fetch quite impressive gains by the time you started getting along in years. For instance if one started investing $93 every two weeks starting age 25 one would reach an amount of $500,000 when one hits sixty.This is a painless and easy way of building up a fine retirement fund. At age 25 if you are not married; you would hardly have any major expenses to worry about, and could afford to put away some money. As the years go by your responsibilities and expenses will increase, but so will your income, and you will not feel the pinch of the regular installment you committed to paying when you were so much younger.Invest Regularly: This definitely makes a lot of sense for most people considering that it is far easier to invest small sums regularly than investing a large sum at one go. Firstly one might not be able to afford the latter and secondly one does need money for things other than investment, which will get tied up in large investments. Also it gets you used to the idea of setting aside a certain sum of money regularly. Monthly and quarterly investment options, where a certain fixed sum gets debited from one’s account regularly is a fine approach to take.Spread your investment: That you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, applies to investment more than it applies anywhere else. Taking care to spread one’s investments over a diverse range of options will both reduce your exposure to risks and optimize your long term returns. You will be better inured against downturns in any specific sectors. So even if a part of your investments takes a temporary hit, there will be the other part still working well for you.Track your investments: Your investments come out of your hard earned money, and you should therefore track them with a hawk’s eye. An annual appraisal, either with the help of a finance industry professional or on one’s own is very much in order to see that one’s investment objectives remain on track. There is nothing that stops you from recasting your goals in light of the changes one goes through in life over a period of time. These may be on account of personal milestones like marriage, children’s education, impending retirements or even the prevailing market situation. The idea is to guard one’s money zealously and make every penny count.Make the right kind of investment: One needs to make different kinds of investments for the short term and the long term. Short term investments need to be less risk averse and easily encashable. The latter type of investment on the other hand need be of the late maturing growth oriented type.Sound investment may not be rocket science, but one would be amazed at how often people, who should know better make a hash of things. The above steps can be used as basic template for sound investment. As one goes along the path of planned and systematic investment one is better able to understand the finer nuances and nitty gritty of the process and obtain optimal results.