Latest Entrepreneur News Articles

How To Revive Dismal Mobile Phone App Sales

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:06:09 -0500

There’s many reasons why an app might suffer from a slump in downloads, from changes that Apple make within the iPhone App store through to increasing competition, but Russell Berry from AppCreatives.co.uk shares some successful methods that he’s deployed to help an app bounce back.

1. Every update brings in some additional visibility. Since your mobile phone app may be competing for attention with 200,000 iPhone apps, 50,000-odd Android apps, and others, promotion and marketing has never been so important. By making small feature changes to your app and then re-releasing it as a new version or even a “new” application, this is a sure fire way to bring some additional visibility to your app.

2. Add a “Lite” or “Premium” version. If you've got a price for downloading your iphone app, then why not consider releasing a "Lite" or "Premium" version of the app? We've found that not only are people more likely to buy an app if they've had a chance to try it, but having different versions of the same app enables you to place your app in several different categories in the app store. So by adding or removing a feature of your app and creating a new “lite” or “premium” version of it, you'll be able to maximise your reach and visibility across iTunes.

3. Change categories if you need to. If sales are low, we tend to move to another category and measure downloads over a few days. After all, the “most relevant” category is not always the best one, especially if it’s crowded.

4. Change the price and test different price points. If your mobile phone app is paid for, its worth adjusting the pricing and see what price point drives the most total revenue. It is crucial to test different price points so you can see the market response and adjust your strategy and pricing accordingly. There are also sites that list when the price drops or the app becomes free of charge, so if you are going to test different price points, be sure to set the price long enough for the sites to pick up the change.

5. Make it free. Obviously this should help revive downloads if you have been charging for your iphone app. But one thing to bear in mind when making your app free of charge to download, is that when you set an app to free for a long period of time, the rating goes down. So we tend to plan the free cycles shortly before we issue an update. Then we set the app back to paid, which stops the casual download rating of 1 star, and the rating gets reset for the new version.

6. Test, test, test. The more you learn now about what strategies work for reviving and prolonging sales for your app the better prepared you will be next time around. We use AppFigures to measure the different strategies we've tried so we can see what has worked and what hasn't. Its great to be able to see at a glimpse in graphic form what's been effective and its far easier than downloading stats everyday!

These are just a few of the components that have worked for us. I can assure you that if you only manage to do one or two of these, you'll still manage to create even some small type of change to your current app sales.

To Start A Postcard Business, This Is How You Do It

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:54:15 -0500

If you intend to start your postcard printing, this is the right article for you. But let me tell you; a postcard marketing strategy doesn’t come easy. Nor is it simple to have a cheap postcard printing project. It is quite a challenge indeed, but a rewarding one at most.

Indeed, you can have cheap postcard printing without having to sacrifice the quality of your print postcards. You can still have high quality marketing tools that get big profits without having to deplete your resources.

Here’s how.

Look for a postcard partner. Notice that I said “partner” and not just provider. My purpose is to instill the value of having a worthy printing partner that would help you to produce the best postcard printing that can generate the leads you need to grow your business.

Your printer would be handling your outputs; hence, it is just right to say that they should be able to work with you and assist you in coming up with the most appropriate marketing tool to suit your needs and your business. You can easily find one by browsing the internet. Scan through the offers and recognize those that would be efficient to give you the best quote for your needs. In addition, do mind the different options provided by your printing partner. Whether it’s cheap postcard printing or a very expensive one, you should never sacrifice the quality of your print postcards.

Design your postcards. Find out your competitive edge – what makes you unique? – and invest on the design appearance that would emphasize your stand out features. Is it your unique before-the-deadline delivery? Or is it your instant price quote according to the budget of your client? Your printer partner would be able to provide you with tips and suggestions on how to go about the design of your postcard. Or, you can also avail of ready-made templates online to make life easier for you. Although a generic design that is found online can make you look generic, the template can surely be customized to fit your particular needs and objective when printing postcards.

Work on your message. Don’t just rely on your design. After grabbing the attention of your target readers, the next step is to keep them interested with the message you have written in your postcard. It would usually be a one- or two-liner as the space provided in your postcard printing is quite limited. Just make sure that your message is also appropriate to your reader, as well as according to the theme you have when you print postcards.

You’re now ready to print your postcards. If you’re doing it online, check all the necessary arrangements before you upload your order. And if you’re doing it the traditional way, it won’t hurt to make sure you have the results you want by asking for sample prints of your marketing project.

Customer Segmentation for the Right Message

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 01:59:27 -0500

Customer migration is nothing new in the whole marketing process. If you have been marketing for quite some time now, you have at one time or another encountered this concept whether you’re newsletter printing or even printing flyers. Customer migration helps you as a business owner to attract as many clients and customers that would make your sales skyrocket.
Migration according to a dictionary is the movement of something or someone from one place to the next. In marketing, it’s the movement of customers from here to there – it is where the customer started and where he or she is right now. And the “here” and “there” is defined by the customer segments found in your database. It is the segments by which your customer or client is assigned to. This is what we call in marketing “customer segmentation.”
You can measure and define one segment from the next if you determine and analyze the purchase actions of your target market. By measuring the transactions made by each of your customer, you will be able to see and determine how much movement a customer makes for the duration that he or she is purchasing any product or service.
As a marketer, customer segmentation provides you with the purpose in your marketing campaign. It gives you the marketing goals that you can work with. And a new segment would also mean a marketing opportunity for you to increase your sales.
The most useful and easy-to-predict means of identifying customer segments is by looking at the buying behaviors of your customers. And you can even break it down to determining the recent purchase that your client has done – how many days since he or she last purchased a product or availed of a service.
For some companies, customer segments are identified by dividing customers into groups and looking at how much they spent over a period of time. For some, it’s the RFM that provides the metrics for the customer segments. RFM refers to Recency (how many days since the last purchase), Frequency of purchase, and Monetary value.
Of course, the metrics used by a company to segment their customers can affect two things: the segment where the customer can be found, and the pattern of migration and how it will look. Choosing the right segmentation process then would be an important decision to make for any marketer who wants to have an effective and distinct means of reaching out to their target clients.
By marketing with segments, any business owner will be able to create a marketing message that would make each target customer respond favorably to the offer in any marketing tool such as print newsletters or color flyers, which of course would ultimately mean an increase in revenue.

What Makes For Better Print Flyers

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:41:54 -0500

Even with the popularity of online advertising, we can’t help but notice the presence of flyers everywhere. Flyer printing is still one of most popular marketing tools in the business. Even with the advancement of the internet, printing flyers has never stopped with business owners and marketers.
So when you’re thinking of using print flyers to increase your sales possibilities, here are ways on how you can make better and effective flyer printing for your business.
Consider your target market. This is the most basic step you need not just for your flyer printing but for any marketing campaign you’re going to launch. Knowing who you would want to target can go a long way in making your marketing campaign more effective communicators of a message that would be responded to every time. Your design would also be determined by the target market you have. Are you targeting kids for example? Then your design should be bright and full of activity.
Targeting your customers is crucial because it not only gives you an idea of the most appropriate style to apply in your flyer printing, but more importantly, it helps you to determine the right message for the right people. No matter how great your design is if you’re handing your print flyers to those who don’t have a need for your products and services, it will just be a total waste of your time and resources.
Consider your marketing message. As I’ve said, you should also determine the right message that you’re going to say to the right audience. Make sure that you have in your copy: (1) not too many details to confuse your target clients; (2) error-free copy that is proofread thoroughly; (3) brief, concise yet complete information about your offer; (4) use of simple words to explain your message; and (5) a straight-to-the-point message that would make them want to sit up and read what you have to say.
Be creative. Creativity is something that you cannot do without if you want your flyers to grab attention. You cannot just give your target clients a generic design that everybody in your market niche have used. People are already used to the same style so it would just be another paper to throw away when they get the same look on your flyer. They won’t even bother to read what you have written. There goes your money and resources down the drain.
Be sure to have all your elements say one thing. Although you might infuse your flyers with different elements, make sure that all of them are saying one thing, and that is your message. Each and every one of these elements should complement each other so they could emphasize what you have to say in your marketing message. By getting all your elements coordinated and working together in harmony, you’ll have an effective print flyer that can convey an effective message that your target clients would respond to all the time.

Creating A Menu For Your Restaurant Or Bar

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:03:39 -0500

So you are ready to print menus for your business? If you are, then you have come to the right article. In this tutorial guide, I will teach you the five simple steps in menu printing. Menu printing itself is easy actually, what is a bit more challenging is the preparation for it. So read well and we shall go on step by step from preparing your designs to actual menu printing.

Check your content first – Before printing begins, it is a good idea to check your content first. Many people actually ignore this step and find out the hard way that all their color menus have one big error. So it is good practice to always check your content first before going with menu printing. Check your offerings or items if they are accurate. Check the prices, descriptions and even your headers and sub headers. Check for spelling and grammar errors as well as errors in images and logos. Do this three times so that you are sure that no error gets passed on to printing.
Check your layout – Afterwards, you will need to check your layout. Make sure that everything is aligned properly, and the dimensions used for your color menus are accurate. Make sure you have printing bleeds in your menu dimensions as well as that there is some leeway for cutting and folding the menus. Of course, also see if the images and text are balanced throughout the color menu so that no menu page is boring or cluttered.
Start looking for a printer – Once your color menu drafts are complete, it will then be time for finding a menu printing company. Do not worry, most publishers or printing companies can print color menus for you. The best way though to hire one would be to go online and find those online menu printing companies. This should give you a quicker way to get the menu printer that you need.
What to look for in a printer – Now, let me give you some tips on looking for a printer. You should try to look for a menu printing company that has a good balance between quality and price. So always look at the printing samples of the printing companies you are looking at and then compare that with the price. You should be amazed that some menu printers print better than others all for the same price. Of course, go for the menu printers that give you the best quality for the least price.
Printing your color menus – With the menu printing company chosen, the last step is just to print menus. Now, since you should have probably chosen an online printer, you should easily be able to start the menu printing process by just going to their site and placing an order for menu printing. Just set the dimensions, and other printing options in their order form, fill out your billing details and then just send up your designs for menu printing. Within a few days, you should get what you need.

Good! That was easy wasn’t it? You now know how to print menus easily.

Pent Up Demand Boosts Sales of Household Appliances Says The Maytag Store Ajax

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:15:13 -0600

The Bank of Canada has recently announced that an economic recovery is under way in Canada. Judging by the latest retail sales figures, it appears that many Canadian consumers feel that the recent economic troubles may be over. Despite high unemployment and lower wages, Canadian retail sales increased twice as fast as forecasted in August. This seems to indicate higher levels of optimism and confidence in the Canadian economy. According to Statistics Canada, sales were up in four of the eight major retail components tracked. While department stores and small specialty retailers, particularity those selling home electronics and automotive products, reported losses, major household appliance retailers realized a significant increase in sales. According to The Maytag Store Ajax (http://www.maytagclearance.com), falling prices and pent up demand are boosting household appliance sales.

Canadian retail sales of large appliances for the home, such as refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, washers and dryers, have risen faster than forecasted. Industry experts feel that there are a number of factors contributing to the increase in appliance sales and one of the main factors is price. Over the last year, prices for major home appliances have come down to the extent that consumers who had been putting off making expensive purchases are now willing to make the plunge. Attractive pricing, combined with consumer confidence that the worst of the recession is over, has freed up spending in this sector. Consumers, who have been sitting on the sidelines waiting to see how the recession would affect them, are shopping once again.

"Our volume has increased steadily as customers gain confidence in the economy," states Chase Almeida, manager of The Maytag Store Ajax (http://www.maytagclearance.com), a household appliance retailer selling Whirlpool brand products from their 6,000ft Ajax, Ontario showroom. "People have been putting off appliance purchases over the past year and now we have pent up demand ... along with the lowest prices we've seen in many years. Canadian consumers vote with their wallets. They tend to be more cautious with their money than American consumers. If they are worried about their jobs, they are not going to buy. If they are not happy with the price, they are going to shop elsewhere," observes Almeida.

By their actions, Canadian consumers are showing confidence in the nation's recovery from recession and a brighter long term economic outlook for the future. Increased sales of major consumer goods demonstrate that, for many Canadians, the lingering negative economic fundamentals are no longer a deterrent to spending on big ticket items. Although October's unemployment rate rose slightly, Canadian major household appliance retailers remain confident that sales will continue to hold firm.

Contact Information:
Chase Almeida - Manager
The Maytag Store Ajax
2-280 Kingston Road East
Ajax, Ontario
L1Z 1G1
(905) 426-6900
info@maytagstores.ca
www.maytagclearance.com

How Do You Make Money With Power Bar Club?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:20:09 -0600

Are you looking to make money on the internet today? What about making a whopping $40,000+ every month? You have probably heard this from hundreds of other internet marketing scams online, but the Power Bar Club is one opportunity that can truly provide you with these kinds of results.

Everything within this company relies on marketing and advertising. Companies of all sorts spend millions of dollars on advertising every year. In order to bring in business, companies must be willing to get their name out in the eye of the public. If you think about it, you see ads for companies like Geico, McDonalds, Ford and many more on a daily basis.

It has been found that a trillion dollars was spent on advertising and 60 million of that was on internet advertising alone. What is even more astonishing is the fact that these numbers are projected to double over the next 36 months. So what does this mean to you?

How you are going to make money with the Power Bar Club is simply by taking a look at various ads. While there are millions of dollars being spent on advertising, there are millions of ads just waiting to be seen. All you have to do is with this program is look at different ads for around 10 seconds.

Companies hope that their ads will be placed in front of the right people who will convert into a customer. For this reason, they are willing to pay you to look at their ads. When first starting out, it will seem like you are making next to nothing. However, you will be amazed at how quickly the numbers can increase.

You can easily look at 750 ads a month considering the fact that it takes no more than 10 seconds to look at a single ad. From there, you want to share this opportunity with at least 5 others and have them look at 750 ads a month. If you can do this, you will be making $2.25 per month. Big deal you are probably saying.

However, if each of them shares it to 5 other people you will make money off of those people as well. Little by little your income will begin to increase until you have over 75,000 people clicking on ads. This is where you can begin to make over $43,000 every month simply by clicking on ads.

The Power Bar Club is a simple yet efficient concept that can catapult your monthly income in no time. With no selling or tricky concepts to learn, it is only a matter of time before you can make over $43,000 a month just by clicking on ads.