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In today's Brain Storm! business podcast, we will discuss the different ways to find the business contacts you need - via online social networking sites. There are different ways to build your network and find valid contacts, and this Inc. article from the December 2006 issue has some great information to offer. Some of the sites you can check out are: - Jigsaw, Ziggs, ZoomInfo, Spoke
- LinkedIn, Ryze, BranchIt, CompanyClick
- Leads.com, Ingenio, eStara
- Eloqua, ExactTarget, VerticalResponse
- Before the Call
- Landslide, ShareMethods
- Silverpop, Epsilon Interactive, Constant Contact
- Vontoo, VoiceShot
Some of these sites offer an "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" approach. You upload so many contacts, so you can download so many contacts. Or you can pay about $1/contact at one site, which I don't think is bad at all. The social networking sites, like LinkedIn, help you contact the people that you need to meet.However, it has to be done via introductions from people that you know first hand. You can't just contact anyone, like you can at Ryze. So if you want to make the most of your new year, find out who are the go-to people in your target market, or possible collaborators for joint ventures.Let me know if what you think of them, and which, if any you prefer. In the meanwhile, the Business Podcasting Expo (BizPodExpo.com) is getting ready to crank up.You can join us for a great group of business seminars on a huge range of topics. If you are interested in learning how to start your own podcast, you can find out introductory information for that as well. I hope to meet with you during the Expo - all attendees get a data DVD of all of the recorded sessions as well! Lastly, if you are interested in owning your own niche market Podcast Directory, check out http://www.PodcastDirectories4Sale.com.You can find out how the Directories make passive income via advertising and network memberships. - Only one directory is sold per niche market, so there is no competition between Directories.
- That allows us to cross promote each other on the Directories.
- The Directories also come with a simple one-step branded podcatcher to match your Directory.
I'd love to have you as a part of our family of Podcast Directories. I have a list of other Podcast Directory domain names I have already purchased, and will transfer with each Directory. Happy New Year to all of you, and may your brainstorms become reality in 2007!
Penny Haynes, 1st Podcast Publishing
Click here to listen to the podcast.
In today's Brain Storm! Business Podcast, I will be sharing with you free business software featured in the November issue of Inc. magazine. Thanks to Michael Fitzgerald for his great article. I've also added business software of my own choosing as well... Managing Projects software: Basecamp http://www.basecamphq.com. Free for managing one project at a time. I also suggested phpCollab, which comes free with 1st Pod Hosting. Making Presentations software: Zoho Show http://www.zohoshow.com. Totally free tool like PowerPoint. Managing Customers software: SugarCRM http://www.sugarcrm.com/crm/download/sugar-suite.htmlFree for un-hosted version. Instant Messaging software: Jabberhttp://www.jabber.org/userEmail software: Zimbra Collaboration Suite http://www.zimbra.com/community/downloads.html
Also want to remind you about the January 19-21, 2007 Business Podcasting Expo (BizPodExpo.com)
Scheduled seminar speakers and subjects include:
In today's business podcast, we will review the meteoric rise to fame and fortune that Flickr creators have enjoyed, and why Smart Homes won't ever really take hold.
The reason behind the success of the first idea in a way contributes to the doom of the second one. One plays on heart strings, while the other one ignores them - hence explaining why Flickr has become an icon, and the Smart Home is just a technological dream. I love the Flickr story, because it's real, and they never intended it to happen this way!Their original plan was to create a neverending game, not a photo site. But thanks to an epiphany while vomiting (yes, vomiting), they changed business directions, taking the best of their creation thus far, and decided to make their site a place where people share pictures. It was so popular, that Yahoo bought them out for $30 million dollars within 4 years of starting their venture from scratch. What do we learn from this business adventure? Lots of stuff. We learn that flexibility can make a huge difference, especially when you see things NOT going as planned. We learn that technology doesn't sell nearly as well as heart-strings and passion. We learn that even though you've been turned down for a loan once, that same company may give you money the second time around. And what about the business of Smart Homes, and their inevitable doom?We find out that the Smart Home concept is founded on very faulty ideas - that the home is a place where people want to be efficient. Well, they don't want to be efficient there. And more importantly, every culture has their own idea of what a home should be (and interestingly enough, none of them have to do with efficiency either). If you are looking for more information about business, and how you can grow and build your own, I invite you to come to the online Business Podcasting Expo (BizPodExpo.com). This will offer around 40 online seminars - mostly about business, with an introduction to podcasting added in. You can check out the present speaker schedule at http://www.BizPodExpo.com. Penny Haynes, 1st Podcast Publishing & PodcastDirectories4Sale.com
Click here to listen to the podcast.
Click here to listen to the podcast. In today's business podcast, we will take a look at inexpensive, targeted offline marketing via mini billboards. If you know who your clients are, and where they hang out, you have it made. You are also ready to implement today's brainstorm ideas, if you can reach your target in your own backyard. We will talk about putting advertising directly in the path of your desired clientele. Fat juicy hamburgers and french fries at a fitness club?That's what KnowFat, the advertising client in today's article, advertises in fitness clubs. No, they are not trying to derail workouts - they are trying to complement them. These are bison burgers and air baked fries, my friend - no threat to those sculped muscles emerging from the gym. He advertises his low-fat, high-protein food at fitness centers near his restaurants. Mini-Billboards are inexpensive and targeted - and work better than tv and radio ads!Well, that's what they say. That's because you can't turn off the advertising, like you can on the tv. In addition, the image tends to stick with you longer than if it was sandwiched in between a river of audio/visual images, as one receives on the tv. Think about it - if you are in the bathroom stall with nothing to do or look at, and there's something to read in front of you, you ARE pretty much a captive audience. So delve with me into the arena of mini-billboards, and think about how and where you could test market the business idea in your backyard.Penny Haynes, 1st Podcast Publishing & BizPodExpo.com January 19-21, 2007 - ONLINE.
Click here to listen to the podcast. In today's business podcast, we will see the result of commercial brainstorms - in other words, cool inventions! These are my favorite types of brainstorm shows - admiring the creative work of others and giving them their due. They inspire me to find niches that have needs to yet be met. We'll talk about electric cars and sneakers, among other things. By the way, we have one winner so far in the No Excuses giveaway. Here's a shout out to Philena for sending in her brainstorm commitment for 2007! I discuss the drawbacks of being a practical designer and inventor. People are obviously willing to spend lot of money on what some of us would consider frivolous and overpriced. So maybe we need to let our minds go a little wild and create something that only the elite, rich can purchase. Tiered Products can open up new avenuesStart with your lower level products, "pimp" them up at different levels, and see who bites. Or start really grand, and then create smaller, less glamorous versions of them. But don't forget the people with the big bucks (like I normally do) - don't get tunnel vision, think BIG. Find out what people are PASSIONATE about, and create things they will buy.Some people will be extremely cheap about some things, and extremely extravagant at other times. It depends how passionate about the purchase they are. My husband is very cheap when it comes to everyday objects, but his 65 inch tv betrays the fact that, when it's really important to him, he'll pay top dollar. Pimp my SneakersThis would be truly hysterical to me if it weren't so profitable and commercial. We discuss pimped sneakers, with built in mp3 players and heart rate monitors and more. We also discuss spacers for shoes that will help them fit perfectly, as men's feet can be 1/2 to 1 size different from each other. How about a sport kit that goes with Nike sneakers, that then allows you to upload information to Nike's site. Pimping your employees for ideas...
Best Buy (not my favorite store, I'm a Circuit City girl all the way) is pumping their employees for ideas on how to increase their customer satisfaction. One of them came up with a "taco" to help protect big screen tvs. Although it wasn't a perfect idea at first, they continued to work with it until it did the trick. I hope he at least got a bonus for it! Again, here's a reminder about the January 19-21, 2007 Business Podcasting Expo (BizPodExpo.com). This is not solely a podcasting expo - we will have business seminars as well. So this is one Expo I know all of you who listen will be interested in. 20 sessions are nailed down, and the other 20 coming together. So set that weekend apart to spend with me online! Penny Haynes, 1st Podcast Publishing
P.S. I start a new contest today. If 10 people participate, one of you will win $100 for the holidays!!!
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Brain Storm! Business Podcast: News, Technology & Marketing
