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5 Killer Marketing Strategies Every Budding Entrepreneur Needs

Not all people who want to enter the world of business possess a booming marketing skill. This brings fear to a small business owner who finds it difficult to start with just a little capital. However, there are several ways you can learn to acquire this certain skill to make an incredible income. Most entrepreneurs experienced the same feeling you have when they started their business so don’t be scared – you can be successful, too.

Highlight the benefits of your products or services

You do not have to compare your products to the competitors just to emphasize the values which make them different. Learn how to match the price based on the quality and value of your offers. In every feature of your product, associate it with its benefit. Most consumers value their money by purchasing goods which are useful and beneficial to them. Always remember the difference between buying a product because they need it or they want it.

Profile your potential customer

Base your offer on their gender, age, living status, household activities, and many other preferences, so you know how to position your product or service. You may feel dismayed every time a customer ignores your direct offer due to their personal reasons. To gain their attention, ask few things which may let them express what they need so you can discover the ideal product they want. Listen to them and analyze the things they need.

Use many types of marketing platform through the powerful influence of the internet

Nowadays, social media has affected its large number of users. In this way, your products can reach the awareness of millions of people which is the primary advantage provided by the internet. In addition, creating compelling content for your website can also attract more customers. Other forms of marketing strategy are crowdsourcing, affiliate marketing, and video marketing. Through your creativity and proper use of these tools, you can boost your sales in a short span of time.

Let customers provide their feedback or suggestions

The impression of clients is significant to help you produce a product that is efficient and valuable to many users. Use their feedback to help you meet their needs and resolve underlying issues before you spend a lot in producing products which you think will still be useful for them.

Track every single money you spent for your marketing campaign

This is very important because this will allow you to compare which of those marketing channels you use is more efficient. The records will also help you analyze the resolutions you can do to improve your techniques. You can pinpoint the areas of your product which customers need and which one needs improvement or changes. Through this guide, you can prevent the waste of money focusing on something that is not effective.

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5 Steps To Take in Your 20’s To Become A Millionaire In Your 30’s

Portrait of Successful African-American Businessman Standing in Office, Making Phone Call to Close the Deal, Looking out of Window. Successful Stock Market Investor Making e-Business. Outside Shot

Do you really want to know how to be rich and successful in life?

If so, then you need to get ready to change your daily routine. It goes without saying that even the slightest detail may determine if you’ll end up succeeding in life or not. There is huge competition out there hence the reason why you must be prepared to do whatever it takes to stand out from the rest.

So what does it take to be a millionaire?

Well, the answer is not simple. There are several steps you need to take to make sure that you gain the success that you’re aiming for. Let’s take a closer look at some of the tips that will help you in your path to success. Below are some surefire tips that will help you grow your revenue and eventually reach the milestone of a million.

1. First of all, you need to make use of your strongest points if you want to thrive in business. It is true that we all have our weaknesses, however, you need to concentrate on your strengths though if you truly want to succeed one day. Which areas are you great at? This is where you need to really focus on in order for you to make the most out of your business.

2. Another thing you must incorporate is the use of technology in business. With the latest advancements in technology, there is a whole new world unveiled before your eyes. A world filled with opportunities for you to grab and take full advantage of. Do not let them get away!

3. If you want to know how to be rich, you must be ready to invest prudently. Find opportunities that require minimal risk and maximum profit margin. There are a lot of options for you out there if you simply analyze the dangers and separate the wheat from the chaff.

4. Once you have found opportunities to invest, you need to be cautious and assess the dangers. You should not rush into any investment, which might be proven fragile. Instead, you ought to weigh all the pros and cons until you reach your decision as to the most viable investment opportunity.

5. Do not be afraid to make a statement and be innovative. Do things your way, so that you can benefit from the outcome. If you are certain about something, go ahead and show the world what you are made of!

Keeping these things in mind, you can spread your wings and reach your goals. Implementing these tips in your daily routine will help you become a millionaire in no time.

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The Simple Steps This Man Took To Become An Australian Multi-Millionaire

By Justin Wang

The lure of investing in property is strong and wide. There are more self-made millionaires through property than any other asset class. We live in a time of impetuousness and instant gratification – in many areas of our life we want to see quick results and change. This is becoming more prevalent with the advent of digital and social media. We’ve become a fast consumption society – we consume everything at a rapid rate – information, news, consumables, and food.

However, the path to success is not always achieved with the quickest route, just ask Justin Wang (Founder and CEO of PIA) “In the early 1990’s as a new migrant from China, to make ends meet I worked incredibly hard in a variety of different roles – from a restaurant waiter to a Chinese language teacher to a door-to-door salesperson…After ten years of hard work, I could not seem to get ahead….you work extremely hard, but just end up making ends meet. I needed to secure a better future for myself and my family. I found that this was not uncommon – people are continually concerned about their futures, struggling to navigate a path forward.”

Justin’s success came from valuable lessons learned when choosing the right pathway, a pathway that deviated from what the local market and competitors were doing. Justin’s personal experience led him to research the property industry as an investment strategy. 20 years ago the great Australian dream was to own your own home, work hard in the same job, raise your family, pay off your mortgage, retire and leave something for the children. 30 years later, the house was paid off, and you finally owned your house free-hold….and your pension and some superannuation would hopefully sustain you. Or would it?

20 years ago, Justin’s philosophy was slightly different – use your home as a powerful tool in your future plans and become self-determining and self-reliant. Use your largest asset and equity in your family home as a way to increase your personal wealth and derive a passive income that will sustain you and supplement your superannuation income well into the future, “I started looking at my own future and the strong record of property in Sydney market. I started to invest in properties (units) across Sydney, starting out small and begun to accumulate a small property portfolio of my own. Today, PIA turnover is between $1.2-1,6 billion in property each year”.

What’s the secret to success? Long-term investment

Start with your personal goals in mind. PIA’s business was founded on the principle of assisting people with modest income achieve a comfortable retirement through investing in property over the medium and long-term. As you build equity in your portfolio, you continue to invest to achieve your income and capital growth goals. To be a short-term speculator, for instant profit, you must have intimate knowledge and experience in the property market, investment strategies, and market cycles – plus have a strong asset backing or cash flow. Markets rise and fall, and short-term strategies to ‘make a quick profit’ are often short-sighted and risky. Not everyone can achieve this. Instead, we encourage you to focus, not on how much you’ll earn over the next 12-24 months, but how much wealth you can create over the next 10-20 years to achieve your retirement goals.

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Six Reasons Why Aussies Are Buying Sydney Apartments For Rent To Achieve Financial Freedom

Young busy successful beautiful Asian business woman, korean professional businesswoman holding cellphone using smartphone standing or walking on big city urban street outside.

Choosing between buying a house or an apartment depends on your financial situation, your lifestyle as well as your overall goals. While some people prefer the bigger space of living in a house, others prefer the practicality of inner-city living. From price to space and maintenance requirements, here are six good reasons the majority of Aussies prefer owning an apartment complex high up in the sky as opposed to owning a house and a piece of land.

1. Easier entry into the property market

Renting is widely recognized as being cheaper than purchasing a home, as you do not need to pay for the ongoing maintenance of the property, council rates, and strata fees or interest rates on a mortgage. Apartment living, in particular, is even cheaper than renting a house. If you’d like easier entry into the Sydney property market, looking at apartments for rent in Sydney would be a great start.

2. Convenience and community

Apartments for rent are typically located closer to city centers and offer the convenience of urban living and efficient transport. In addition, you’d be in a building shared by other residents, so there will be more of a community feel than what you’d get by renting a house. Many apartments for rent also come with shared outdoor spaces which are great for relaxing and socializing.

3. Security

Apartments for rent offer a lot of security compared to the average house. From CCTV cameras security doors and parking to keycards and concierge in newer developments, apartment living offers a lot of security and peace of mind. Importantly, if there’s ever an emergency, you’d be glad to know that help is only a door away.

4. Amenities and facilities

Apartments for rent will typically offer communal facilities and amenities such as communal gardens or rooftop terraces, pools, entertainment rooms and gyms. Some newer buildings also offer laundry, childcare, and car washing services.

5. No maintenance hassles

When it comes to maintenance, apartments for rent typically have little to no maintenance costs or expectations involved. Apartment complexes generally have smaller, simpler green areas that are usually looked after by professional gardeners and tradespeople.

6. High-rise views

Unlike a house at street level, apartments for rent offer high-rise living and the views associated with living in a taller building. Whether it be a district, city, parkland or water views, there’s plenty of choices. If you love balconies, rooftop terraces, and seeing a wider frame of the horizon, apartment living can give you just that.

*Please note information from this article was sourced from The Property Investors Alliance

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3 Simple Ways To Think Like A Self-Made Millionaire

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image via Shutterstock / Tom Kuest – Fotograf

A lot of people think that becoming a millionaire is simply a matter of coming up with a great business idea or working your way to the top of a fortune 500 company. What they don’t realize is that many people who earn upwards of 100k per year are still living pay check to pay check.

The road to financial independence is not based entirely on your income; it has more to do with how you think about money. This article lists three key components that are very necessary to the millionaire mindset. Mastering them isn’t guaranteed to make you rich, but it is certainly going to get you on the right path.

• Identify Avenues for Additional Income

The vast majority gain their living by working an occupation. This is a case of an active income. You need to go to work each weekday, on the off chance that you need to keep on earning. In case you decide to quit going to work, you quit the flow of income. Your wages are constrained by the amount you can work. For the vast majority, creating automated revenue is a basic matter of making some monetary ventures. Putting resources into the right stocks or bonds can gain you profit each month, without requiring any immediate association on your part. Numerous businessmen search for different avenues of easy revenue, for instance, venture properties that are leased through an administration organization.

• Don’t Fear

Fear can kill a person. No successful businessman ever became a millionaire or billionaire with fear in their minds. Risky investments and executive decisions have to be made in order to guarantee success. Yes, going over the board and making illogical decisions is absolutely not preferred but this does not mean one cannot think out of the box.

• Live Below Your Means

It doesn’t make a difference in the case that you make $20 thousand every year or $200 thousand, it’s vital that you live beneath your means. Individuals have a characteristic propensity to begin spending when their wage increments, however, you need to spare whatever cash you can. Begin today. Regardless of the possibility that you can just spare $10 every month, it will be a start. Next time your wage expands, whether it’s a raise or one of your ventures, attempt to add this cash to your reserve funds, rather than spending it updating your way of life.

To conclude, the following steps are not guaranteed to make one an instant millionaire but if followed consistently and with diligence, can become the basis or platform for success down the road.

One has to evaluate and identify their decisions in order to be successful and make the most of the knowledge and resources available to them.

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3 Easy Steps To Becoming A Millionaire By 30

millionaire

Being wealthy and successful are two completely different things. Money is temporary, but success is permanent. That’s why you need to make sure that you set the right goals and get them knocked out of the park with vigour and enthusiasm. Here’s how you can be successful – The following tips are going to help you achieve your goals and, yes, hopefully become a millionaire if that’s what you are up to. So, without any further ado, let’s take a quick look.

Think Like a Millionaire but Not Exactly

You are probably wondering what this means. Well, it’s simple, really. You want to be able to get into that mindset but not assume it entirely because you are not quite there yet. People with tons of cash are smart, but most importantly – they are ambitious. They are not afraid to chase what they want and go above and beyond to reach their goals. That’s the mindset that you want to assume. However, people with a lot of money act differently as they possess things that you are yet to obtain – reputation, power, connections, influence – these are all off limits until you earn them yourself.

Everything Matters

From hitting the gym every single day in order to keep your body in shape to not wasting a single minute of your day – all of it is important. You might think that there is no relation between being a millionaire and being fit? That’s where you are wrong. People with wealth and success appreciate the importance of impressions. And your body and your looks are without a doubt your way of making the most stellar first impression. You need to exude confidence and being in a proper shape is something that’s going to help you out.

Find Motivation

Finding motivation is something that’s going to keep you on the right track. If you wonder how to become rich, you need to start by prioritizing. Make sure you have something to work on every single day. There are no Saturdays, there are no Sundays – everyday is a hustle that you have to go through in order to get to the top. Winners do not make excuses, they don’t take days off – they do. There is nothing bad in getting up at 6 AM every single morning and getting through the day with energy and enthusiasm. In fact, you will start achieving the biggest results when you actually look forward to going to sleep only so that you can wake up in the morning and pursue your goal harder than the day before that.

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How To Start A New Business This New Year With No Money (Yes, You Read Right)

Let’s face it; one of the most crucial steps in starting a business is finding the capital.

Some people use their savings in the bank to start their dream bakery. Others borrow from a bank or other financial institutions that extend loan to finally start the automotive shop or store they’ve been imagining all their lives. But whichever business you want to do, it always begins with having enough money to start it with.

But what if you don’t have the financial resources to start the business? Do you just give up on your dreams? The answer is no. You can still open that business that you’ve always even without money.

I bet you have a lot of questions. I bet you’re puzzled as hell on how to make that happen.

How?

Well, the answer to this very trivial single-word question is simple – You.

Yes, you dummy.

I don’t mean you sell yourself to the mafia or become a man whore to get the money you need. What I mean is that you use your capabilities, your talents and your strengths as the means to start that business you’ve been dreaming of.

A business thrives because one puts not just money but also his heart and soul into it. But how do you make it work when money is out of the equation? You capitalize on your assets.

You may ask yourself the following questions. What are my strengths? What are my skills? Are these skills usable to other people? How can I make a business out of these skills?

If the answer to all these questions is a yes, then you got yourself capital for your business.

I know this woman who has a great voice and has amazing social skills. She started with a few hosting stints for family celebrations. She later tried accepting hosting events for her church which honed her skills. It then gave way to hosting special events for other church members where she was paid for.

Because she did great in those events, she was referred to friends of her clients and is often invited to weddings and company parties. She became so in demand that she would sometimes need to take time off her regular job to accommodate them!

Her continued success has now led her to seriously consider leaving her current job and start events coordinating business with the money she earned from her hosting engagements.

You too can do the same. Find out what you’re good at and bank on it. Don’t be a loser and stick around on a 24/7 job you hate. If you’re great at cooking, try working as an assistant chef and then, later on, open your own restaurant. If you’ve got the passion for dancing, you can give dance classes for people in your community and maybe open your own dance studio.

If you think you don’t have any, then develop one. Learn something new, and use it to make your life better.

According to Sophie Kinsella in her bestselling book ‘Shopaholic Takes Manhattan’, “There’s no luck in business. There’s only drive, determination, and more drive.”

And that’s true. Money is a roadblock not a dead end to business. You can reroute your business plans and still get to where you want your life to be – better.

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How This Man Made The Leap From Factory Worker To Multi-Millionaire

Confident businessman standing on the building rooftop while looking at the silhouette of cityscape at dusk time

Justin Wang is the CEO of The Property Investors Alliance (PIA) and is a wealthy individual in more ways than one. This is in terms of both his financial acumen and his deeply philosophical base of personal knowledge – gained as an offshoot of his Chinese heritage and cultural influences.

He built PIA at the time where he realized the profitability of the Sydney residential property. His considerable charisma would go on to spearhead a veritable empire of altruistic financial freedom. Now that he is on top of his game and sitting pretty, Wang takes a moment to share his story.

From his humble beginnings as a factory worker when he migrated to Australia to his ultimate prosperity as a property mogul, what follows are some gems on entrepreneurial endeavour – ‘the teachings of wealth’ – direct from the man behind the success.

The humble beginnings

Wang associates his accomplishments with always insisting upon his dream, despite his humble origins. “I always believe as a child that if you have a dream, that if you can keep it and be ambitious, that you will eventually achieve it,” he says.

He credits his grandmother with instilling the crucial discipline for fostering his innate abilities. His upbringing was greatly influenced by the Chinese tradition. Speaking about his grandmother he recalls “she always taught me how to be useful and to accumulate good karma”.

It was this fortuitous and fruitful approach – of understanding the process of giving and receiving – that would prove to be of great importance in Wang’s professional life. “My success is measured in two folds – one is financial freedom and the other is helping people,” he explains.

Finding a calling

When Wang became a teacher, he noticed his colleagues struggling with money concerns. It was here that he found a way to ‘give back’ and to ‘find his calling’ – all in the one serendipitous instance. He was able to align his spirit of collaboration with his skill for finance to ‘break the mould’.

Wang explains that only ‘a few people work for fun’ whilst most work ‘for the bread and butter – for survival’. Luckily, in his lifetime he was able to transcend a mediocre existence for one that met loftier goals – but, it was an experience that was not without its fair share of trials and tribulations.

He elaborates “I resigned from being a high school teacher, I wanted to try something else and eventually I came to Australia – because I wanted to find financial freedom. However, I found it very difficult at first to make money in this country, even though the income is higher here than in China I could only save a few dollars.”

Making the dream a reality

Even though Wang initially felt frustrated with his lot in Australia, he quickly found a way to remedy the situation. This was how PIA was born. ‘Ever since I created this concept it has been going well,” he says with an easy sense of confidence.

Wang, once more, credits the realization of his dreams to his two-fold approach to prosperity. “To illustrate my definition, I invest in a business and then I advise others to do so. If I didn’t do that, I probably would not have achieved so big a portfolio as I currently hold today,” he divulges.

He always tells his staff to “make an investment yourself and then share with other people”. In this way, Wang likens the process to a turbomachine, or to an ecosystem. “By doing this information will spread quickly and it will leverage the property,” he says.

The wheels in motion

Now a firmly established enterprise, Wang’s business is a thriving entity built on three symbiotic branches. The keyword here is ‘alliance.’ “What we’re doing is all related to property for the investors. In today’s language, this corresponds to the concept of a ‘platform.’ I believe that the whole industry must be integrated,” he attests.

The modern digital world and its propensity for networking is the perfect facilitator for a collaborative environment – one that works greatly in Wang’s favour. “The more and more that individuals use the PIA platform to start their own portfolio and business, the more everyone wins.”

Wang adds “my business partners don’t actually work for me, rather they engage in the platform and set up their individual businesses. The internet provides and connection for everyone and it makes the connections almost feel physical.”

Entrepreneurial advice

For Wang, the priority of a business owner always lies with the stakeholder/s. This includes all parties to the arrangement, as well as the interests of society as a whole. He gives an example: “in looking after my real estate agent, I also must consider the investors and their client’s interests, aka the purchaser. It goes beyond this, extending to the developer and the entire community.”

This holistic approach is the cornerstone of Wang’s success, and functions as a valuable lesson in entrepreneurial tactics. “If we consider all sides then the business won’t encounter any undue difficulties. If you are not taking care of all sides, you would think that this would jeopardize one parties’ interest – and, then you would most likely find this would cause trouble for your business,” he elucidates.

In engaging his customers, Wang is very focused on listening to his people. This comes down to transparency. “We deliver the truth about the Sydney property market through the thorough knowledge that is easily digestible. We provide the best strategy to assist them with investing,” he says.

It’s also about anticipating needs, saving customer’s valuable time and ‘going the extra mile.’ Wang explains “in hiring a PIA consultant, you are provided a flexible service. We are prepared to go to people’s homes after hours, and we always handle things in an efficient and hassle-free manner.”

Concluding thoughts

Justin Wang is the embodiment of the self-made businessperson. From unassuming beginnings to a life as a property magnate – he now personifies the paradigm for financial freedom. It always comes down to abundance as generated by collaboration. “Life is not about yourself, your wealth and your fame. Sharing and inspiring other people is more fun than being successful by yourself,” he says.

Wang’s favourite quote? A line from a book by Zig Ziglar. “If you can help other people achieve what they want, you can achieve everything you want.” It’s certainly a poignant ‘teaching of wealth’ with many applications – especially for those seeking out their own future as an entrepreneur.

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Top Five All-Too-Common Reasons Why Most Businesses Fail

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image via Shutterstock / Photographee.eu

Let’s face it; starting your new business is never easy because you’re investing time, money and resources on a ‘hunch’. In a nutshell you’re investing on something that may or may not actually work out in the end.

While most people would like to gladly work for themselves so that they can control their own their own time, not everyone has the will nor the patience to follow through with it though. Studies show that in average it actually takes around 5 years for any new business to just break even, basically you’re more likely to see any profits on your new venture after 5 years have passed which of course sounds like a bloody long time for any budding entrepreneur!

Of course, this is not always the case because a lot of entrepreneurs do reap profits almost immediately after they put up a new business – especially those entrepreneurs that provide service rather than a product. But typically, you are supposed to be looking at 3-5 yeas before you can start seeing any real profits so you really need patience if you want your business to stick around.

Now if you’re a budding entrepreneur who is interested in starting a new venture, then here are five crucial mistakes most people make that you should be aware of:

1. People don’t do their homework

The biggest reason most entrepreneurs fail is because they don’t do their homework.

The moment they come up with a good idea they want to get things going immediately without enough research or background work on this idea which of course is a big mistake! A good idea for a new business is a good start, but it is imperative that you do your homework though.

You should be asking yourself questions such as:

Who’s your target market?

Why would people buy your stuff?

What makes your business unique?

How will you market your new business?

What sort of capital and resources would you need to get things going?

How will you make the business grow?

There is no possible way any new business can succeed without proper research and background work. Keep in mind that Rome wasn’t built in a day; it takes time and perseverance for any business to grow. Just make sure you do your homework properly so that when hiccups start to show, you’re more than ready to tackle it head on!

2. People are afraid to take a risk

It’s quite simple really, no risk – no reward. The higher the risk – the higher the reward!

But in saying that though, keep in mind that you need to take “calculated risks”. Make sure you won’t get stuck at a point where you have zero dollars in your bank account because you have invested everything in the new business. Remember, it may take a while before you start seeing any profits from the new venture, -what if it takes years and years before you start seeing any profits? What then?? Are you going to live on virtually nothing until the new business “potentially” starts making any real money??

Don’t be afraid to take any risks, but in saying that, just make sure they are calculated.

3. People don’t stand their ground

If you’re starting a new business there will always be critics and detractors.

Some people will doubt your new venture because they actually care about you, they’re afraid because they don’t want to see you go down in flames. Some people will discourage you because they’re jealous that you’re actually doing something with your life and some people will discourage you because they’re just plain annoying!

The important thing here is that you stand your ground.

Take for example Darren Rowse the owner of Problogger.net. Most of his family and friends doubted him when he decided to resign from his fulltime job to become a fulltime blogger instead. Most people thought he was crazy to take this risk because he has a family to look after and blogging just doesn’t sound like an adult job! He still stuck to his guns though and eventually many years later he proved a lot of people wrong because he has become one of the most successful bloggers of all time!

Now tell me, was the risk worth it or not?

If you have an idea which you really believe in, sometimes, you just have to go with your gut and stand your ground despite what others say.

It is your life after all not theirs.

4. People don’t pay attention to detail

If you’re starting your new business you are obviously the head of this business therefore it is your job to look at the big picture – your focus is to determine how to make the business grow and expand. Now because most new entrepreneurs are so focused in the big picture, they tend to overlook the less important details. This is definitely not good because later on down the track these little bits and pieces will eventually haunt you and your business.

If you can’t look into the finer details of your business then at least make sure that you hire people that will look into it. Your business needs a solid and stable foundation before it can really grow into a money making venture. The little cracks that you ignore now will eventually build up and become big cracks and before you know it your business is going down and you don’t even know what hit you!

5. People don’t network

Your business will never succeed if you don’t know how to network and connect with others.

Start mingling with people who are actually successful in their businesses and learn from their experiences. Start going to functions and events and start connecting with potential sponsors and investors within your field. Networking is one of the key components in any new business, the more you network the bigger your database gets and the more people you attract to your business.

It’s simple really; you have to prioritise building relationships rather than making money because if you focus on building relationships first then money will eventually follow.

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5 Ways Your Brand Can Survive The 2018 “Facebook Apocalypse”

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It’s official: Facebook is changing the way you get information from the news feed. This will of course impact businesses and brands in a huge way moving forward. Basically, all business pages will see a significant drop in their standard reach and engagement. Business pages with posts that don’t generate much reactions or comments will see the most significant decrease because Facebook wants to increase “meaningful connections.”

Here’s how you can ensure that your brand maintains a strong presence on Facebook.

Build a Fan Community

One thing you want to do is to build up a community around your brand and message. You want meaningful interactions with people, and you can do this by building a sense of community. Think about local, personal, and stories that make people feel good. Your marketing strategy should make good use of this as you want to have content that matters as it will engage with your fans and build up a trusting community.

Content with Value

You need to have content that is of a high value. You don’t want to just go after numbers; you want content that will matter to the end user. Put a more significant focus on the customer and the client and build content that they will find useful and engaging. The content you create has to have a value as this is what will get people to recognize your brand and build your community.

More Videos

You should be creating more videos and look to make live videos, as well as these, can help your brand. This gives you an opportunity to engage with your customers, and they can ask you questions when you’re live. Video has been rising quickly on Facebook, so you need to make use of it. On the news feed, video content has priority so try to create regular video content to keep users engaged with your brand.

Use Messenger

Chat applications like Messenger are rising, and you should make use of them to boost your brand. You can provide a great customer experience if you use Messenger as you can engage with users and answer their question in a timely manner. The interaction is personal and allows you to provide customer service when needed. You can put a Messenger button at the top of your page to drive users to use it when they interact with you.

Use a Paid Strategy

You should consider paying to get people onto your page as the organic search may not provide you with the customer base that you need. This can help you grow your brand to its full potential so make use of it. You can do this through Facebook advertising, and it can bring you a good result.

The changes to Facebook news feed does not have to be the end of the word for your business. If you use these strategies, it will help you maintain your business and help you get new customers in the future. You need to think of ways to grow your brand and keep its presence on Facebook. Good content and user engagement is going to help you achieve this. Make sure you make use of videos and other pieces of quality content to drive users to your brand more often.

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How To Gain 300 Real Targeted Instagram Followers Per Day

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In 2010, when Instagram was launched, it was merely a photo-sharing app that held its own well against other photo apps that were in vogue. So much so that Facebook bought it for $1 billion in April 2012.

Seven years later, Instagram dons a new avatar- one that’s packed with photo editing, automation, live video features, and filters. Instagram is today regarded as the ‘king of social media’ with everyone wanting to taste success by jumping onto the Instagram bandwagon.

1. Why do you need an Instagram account?

That’s a no-brainer- after all, you need to know what you’re going to use it for- pleasure or business. Your marketing goal needs to be specific and measurable because that’s going to determine how you’re going to use your Instagram account. Any step you take is going to depend on what you’re working towards – be it enhancing audience engagement or creating income from affiliate marketing. Whatever it is, you need a blueprint.

2. Your Instagram profile matters

People are interested in profiles and check out your digital billboard on Instagram. An interesting bio, a warm photo, a distinctive username, social media badges, builds trust and credibility. Make your business visible by placing your account handle on everything connected with your business. Connect with your followers on other social media platforms apart from Instagram.

3. Content and context- crucial for Instagram success

Remember, you want customers and more customers, not just casual visitors. The customer is ‘king’ and can make or break your business. Good content in the form of text, visuals and videos ups the ante on brand value, while context ensures that the right information reaches the right people at the right time.

Always be on top of content, interact and engage consistently, listen to the people’s voices and adapt to changing trends. Share quotes from thought leaders and happy customers, post ‘How-to’ articles and also post content by other users and experts. User-generated content has tremendous value in the eyes of customers and has been known to drive sales.

4. Post eye-grabbing visuals

After all, this is the heart of Instagram and photos, images, and impressive posts are always going to be focal points. Make your visual elements consistent across your website and social media platforms- that helps to reinforce your brand, creates trust and people identify your brand easily. Build familiarity.

5. Don’t forget your hashtags

Hashtags help to grow audiences; they help people find you. Instagram users live on hashtags and hop from one to another. Relevant hashtags describing your content help users navigate better and improve their overall Instagram experience.

6. Become an active member of the Instagram community

Follow people who follow you, comment on user views, and interact with those that provide value, encourage feedback- in short, and participate as much as you can.

7. Go where your users are

By this time, you’ll probably have followers. Identify Instagram users in your particular niche that have a big following, and you follow all of them. Repeat this weekly and build new followers each time. Soon you’ll have enough followers and more on your Instagram site.

8. Partner with relevant users

Choose the right partners (those with a history of cross-promotion) by searching through the relevant databases of influencers. This makes it easier to increase brand awareness and ramp up sales. Set clear terms to the partnership and take full advantage of the cross-promotion.

9. Run challenges and contests

Freebies may not be enough to attract new followers- though challenges and contests if done right, will help you gain momentum and traction. Link to the contest on your blog and announce it to all those on your email list.

10. Use offline interactions to grow online presence

Make sure you add your Instagram handle to product packages and also place a hashtag on the product itself- this is a golden opportunity that many miss out on.

11. Optimize your performance continuously

With Instagram constantly evolving, new strategies have to come into play. Monitor results- keep an eye on follower growth, traffic and number of interactions for every post. Identify what tactics paid off and what didn’t and adapt and change accordingly.

There will be times when you’ll feel like giving up and giving in; you just need to keep in mind that patience is the key – as long as you work hard, you’ll reap the rewards.

chelsieT

Generational Marketing: How to Target Generation Z

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Any business or company will have their focus set for the future as the constant growth and development of the company matters a lot, especially in the long run. Efficiently strategizing, keeping in mind the current trends and styles plays an essential role in staying at the top of the list when it comes to effective marketing.

The word Generation Z is now being used to refer to the individuals born after the Millennials. Some other common names used to refer to this are terms such as post-millennials, iGeneration and homeland generation. This basically refers to anyone born after the 1900s.

The fact is, the Generation Z people are those who are working and have a steady income – which means that they have more independent power. This will further imply why marketing specialists and strategists have to target this group of people for maximum effectiveness.

At this point, let us understand the difference between Generation Z and Millennials. While there are many similarities on the surface, there are subtle differences as well. The individuals belonging to Generation Z got their first smartphone earlier than the individuals belonging to the Millennials. This will, in turn, imply that the Generation Z has easier access to the internet, media and other channels where marketing strategies work their best magic. Hence, the best way to make your marketing strategies work is by maximizing digital platforms to reach a wide range of audience.

Millennials, while they handle three screens or media at a time, the Generation Z handles up to five screens at a time. They have a broader spectrum or range in which they can access information.

More people use Snapchat, and according to the latest reports, it is one of the leading social media platforms. In fact, it is used on a daily basis which means, you too have to be active continuously and regularly to keep your existing customers and potential clients glued to your marketing campaigns.

Also, though trivial, it is extremely important that you use your company logo wherever possible and as frequently as possible. This will ensure that your customers and clients get familiar with it and it will be easier to showcase your presence more effectively.

Instagram stories are no less popular. They are one of the top and latest trends. They have the potential of gaining views and followers in a matter of minutes and hours. The advantage of followers is that when they “like” your story or post, all their followers will get a notification and they will inquisitively find out what your post is all about. Isn’t that a real simple way of grabbing eyeballs?

Incorporate young minds into your creative team. There are two major advantages of this. One is that they will be motivated to give their best by the desire of earning a little extra money working part-time or weekends. Secondly, you will get the opinions of the younger generation, and they can come up with more innovative, interesting and fresh ideas.

As the market is growing, it is important that you keep in mind which of the social media platforms is at the top of the charts and make sure that you give the most attention to it. This way, you will be focusing on channelling your resources and ideas where it matters the most.

Generation Z is conscious of the impression and ideas that they have. So, to gain more popularity, advertise factors that are on the terms of the planet, environment, and in general, the society. They will naturally stand in your support, and within no time, you will see a surge in the number of followers and supporters.

Try to make a difference in their lives and the people around them. Make a positive impact in the community. Plan missions and exercises that can contribute positively towards the growth of the society. Charity events are a good idea too. Remember that quality is more important to Generation Z than the brand loyalty. Make sure that you never compromise on the quality of your product or services. This way you can rule the charts.

Following these simple mantras can definitely make a huge difference to your product or service brand.

chelsieT

If You Want To Be A Millionaire Then You Need To Embrace These 3 Ways Of Thinking

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There is nothing worse than being trapped in a job that you just don’t like.

It’s a known fact that most of the people want to actually break free from the rut of a nine-to-five job and start their own businesses. Why? Because with most nine-to-five jobs the pay isn’t that good, the hours are long and for some, the work environment is not very friendly. Now if you are one of these people that want to finally resign from your jobs and start a new life as an entrepreneur or possibly a millionaire in the near future, then this article is for you.

Here’s what a lot of people don’t realize; crossing over from a typical day job to a full-time business is not just a physical move – it requires a complete change in your state of mind because you will be crossing over to a completely different world from what you were used to. You have to dump the old job mentality, and instead, you have to develop an entrepreneurial outlook. If you want to be a big shot millionaire one day then you have to THINK like one.

Now if you want to cross over to the entrepreneurial world, you need to embrace the following three ways of thinking:

1. Networking is essential

As an entrepreneur, you have to realize that most of the time ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.’ You have to interact and build relationships with like-minded individuals and business contacts that you can trust and whom you feel can help you grow your business. It’s a simple formula, people do business with people they like and trust, just as they are friends with those they like and trust. If you want your business to succeed then you have to realize that networking is not just about what others can do for you, it’s also about what you can also do for others. Being an entrepreneur actually means helping out others and providing value when you can, not taking others down. It means creating a mastermind group of individuals you can share and discuss ideas with. You shouldn’t be afraid of losing out and having others rise above you.

2. Learn from other successful people

As an entrepreneur, it’s second nature to be competitive because you want to be on top. But even though you have to think big and be the best at what you do, you don’t have to go as low as destroy other people in the process. You have to understand that we each have a unique outlook and value that we can offer. To get to the top you have to learn from others who are already sitting at the top. You don’t look at the person in their fancy house and feel envious of what that person has, instead, find out who this person is and tell them that you admire what they have achieved and want to learn from them – usually, that successful entrepreneur would agree to give some tips. Entrepreneurs understand the notion of profusion. They know what it takes to get to the top and most of them are more than happy to take the time to help someone get to the top as well.

3. You have to think BIG

As Donald Trump would say, ‘If you are going to be thinking anyway, you might as well be thinking big.’ It’s true, if you are thinking small time then you’ll always be small, if you can’t even think of doing something big then you will never do anything big in life. There is no cost in dreaming so you might as well dream big.

As an entrepreneur, you have to realize that that the road to eventual prosperity and success can be a very long and tough one. Many people start with big goals but then the moment they run into some unexpected hiccups, they get distracted and they lose sight of their goals. Keep in mind that you always have to focus on the ultimate vision. In saying that, you also have to be different from the rest of the pack – you have to think outside the square and find new and unique ways to make money and be successful. You always have to say to yourself, ‘How can I make this better? How can I be unique? How can I do this in a much bigger way?’

A typical nine-to-five job employee only focuses on the task provided to them by their boss, they follow what most people are doing so they are not used to looking at the bigger picture because that vision is for someone else to worry about. Bringing this limited mindset over to the entrepreneurial world is dangerous because it can restrain your creativity and hold back your ability to cope with and solve the many challenges that will come your way. When you think outside the square, you also create things that make you move above the rest of the pack.

If you currently have a business and you haven’t made much money yet, that is okay. As long as you keep your eye on the prize, focus on the bigger picture, build your brand, and network with the right people then, later on, you will reap the rewards. You also have to be HUNGRY for success. Hungry people are motivated people if you are currently satisfied with what you’re earning then what will motivate you to be wealthy and successful? To get to the top you should always set a higher goal for yourself.

chelsieT

10 Free Online Tools That Are Guaranteed To Help Your Website Grow

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The marketing over the internet has seen tremendous growth over the years. The organizations are undertaking all effort to pull the maximum number of customers, to sell their products and services successfully over the online platform. However, not all businesses have the funds to adopt costly tools to increase their customer count. This is where the free of cost internet marketing tools comes into being. These tools are highly useful when it comes to increasing your customer base. Let’s take a sneak peek at some of the best FREE internet marketing tools available.

1)Develop your scheme with Content Idea Generator

Devising an innovative idea is the key to achieving maximum visibility, and the idea generator tool will definitely help boost your business. This tool will actually provide you with various inventive ideas that’ll help amplify your content and increase your website’s traffic.

2) Balance with HootSuite

Having a social media presence is easy, but being active on all the social media platforms is tough. The HootSuite has been devised to cater to your social media movements from a single dashboard. The tools enable users to schedule their tweets, update their Facebook status and even undertake Google+ shares along with many other actions.

3) Know the status of competitors with Backlink checker

The work of backlinks is to identify the incoming links connected to a webpage. The tools like Moz and SemRush gives an opportunity to recognize the backlinks of other people in the business, thereby aids in determining the popularity of the company.

4) Maintain your speed matrix with GT Metrix

A website that takes a long time to load often loses the opportunity to appear on search engines like Google. The speed testing mechanism like Google page seed, GT Metrix helps in acknowledging the actual loading time of the blogs. This ensures that the flaws can be corrected and loading time gets reduced for better visibility.

5) Improve your blogs with Small SEO Tools

Blogging is an essential online marketing practice that requires due attention. However, a perfect blog needs to draft in a manner that it is free from plagiarism, grammatical error and also helps in improving your SEO. The Small SEO tools are a cost-free site that enables users to perform various tasks related to blogging, all under one roof. The site includes a mechanism like an article rewriter, plagiarism checker, Google PageRank Checker, keyword position, online ping tool, backlink checker, Alexa rank checker, Domain IP lookup, keyword suggestion tool and many more tools to provide flawless writing experience to the user.

6) Gain accessibility of write-ups with DropBox and Google Drive

You never know when there is an urgency to travel, in times as such, it becomes difficult to go on saving files in laptops and flash drives. The saving of a document or writing a document on Google docs ensures that the data gets saved automatically on the Google Drive. This helps in easy accessibility of the saved documents across the world. Moreover, Google Drives combats any kind of interruptions like an unexpected shutdown and keeps the document secured even when the working on the document is still progressing. The Dropbox tool is another revolutionary mechanism that provides 2GB free space on joining to keep the documents secure.

7) Get hold of free Email marketing mechanisms

In order to create a strong subscriber base for your blogs, you can adopt tools like Ininbox, Madmimi, and even MailChimp. These mechanisms provide many varieties of tools that are allowed to be personalized based on individual needs.

8) Highlight your blogs with images from Photopin

The Photopin tool enables users to select pictures for their blogs and make their blogs attractive. The tools include a search engine that makes use of Flickr API to find pictures.

9) Track the progress of your blog site with StatCounter

Analyzing the visitor count on your blogs is critical to its success and StatCounter helps you achieve the details. The Google Analytics alternative allows users to know the visitor history, location, recent keywords, length of visit and much more to make relevant changes for optimum visibility.

10) Manage your team with Asana

This teamwork administration software helps you remain connected with your team members and helps in assigning and tracking task completion. The software sends an alert mail after the task attains completion.

chelsieT

16 Guaranteed Ways to Gain More Followers On Facebook

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With over 200 billion active users, it’s safe to say that a presence in Facebook is an absolute must.

Hence the reason why Facebook remains ahead of other social media platforms when it comes to social media marketing. This is also the main reason why I highly recommend all entrepreneurs to get serious about promoting their businesses on Facebook by creating highly engaging Facebook business pages because that will translate to money in your pocket.

So how do you increase your Facebook following? Read on below:

Like your own page – sounds simple but you’d be amazed how easy it is to forget to ‘like’ your own business.

Invite your friends – use your existing social network to grow your business network. If you have friends who would be interested in your business then don’t be shy about inviting them.

Monitor, the interactions people have with your page – Make sure to check that the people who have interacted with your posts have liked your page. Every now and then go back and check your last few posts. If anyone has engaged with your post but hasn’t joined your page then invite them, you already know they are interested in what you must offer.

Post content – Make sure you update your page regularly. Pay attention to what gets the most response and keep on doing that. If you don’t keep updating your page, you will lose the followers you have, and you certainly won’t gain any more.

Link your personal profile to your business – This will give your business a personable link. People will be able to engage with you as a human being rather than just your business as an entity.

Log in to your business account – don’t forget to change your login. Make sure you are generating content as your business, not just on your personal account.

Go with the trends – there are lots of classic #. Join in with #ThrowbackThursday, #WednesdayWisdom and … #FollowFriday – share other people’s content, if it’s relevant to your niche then you will be building links within your community and reaching more people who will be interested in your business.

Fill everything in – Make sure that you have completed all the details on your page, don’t leave blanks in the About us section.

Link your webpage to your Facebook page – Whatever platform you use for your main website you will be able to add a Facebook widget. This will show the latest content from your Facebook page on your website.

Tag your photos – If you post any pictures make sure you add tags of relevant people or businesses. If you include locations as well, then this will help you to stay visible in your area.

Ask for Reviews – If you have previously satisfied customers then ask them to leave you a Facebook review. Ask all your new customers to do the same. Good reviews are like gold dust; they are the most valuable things on the internet to grow your business.

Check-in – Let people know that you are available.

Get ‘real people’ to like your Facebook page – When you are interacting with people in the real world, ask them to join your Facebook page as well.

Participate in Facebook Threads – Find posts you want to share and then post the URL on your page. This will increase the number and range of people you are able to reach. You will also find that other people will begin to reciprocate the gesture.

Share your page – If you have valuable content on your page then get out there and share it in as many relevant places as possible.

chelsieT

Want To Become A Multi-Millionaire?? Follow These Three Simple Steps

Building wealth is probably the most spoken about topic across the world and will be for years to come. How to make money is the 24th most Googled question in the world that’s 246,000 individuals per month hoping to find answers.

You can earn more and save for your future easily, but many people get caught up in the old saying “You have to have money to make money.” If you have this mindset, you have already set yourself up for failure. The truth is you have to be driven, be willing to work hard now and invest so you see a return on capital.

Property won’t make you wealthy overnight, but it is a great first step to financial freedom – a great form of income for you and your family in the future. The Sydney residential property market alone has increased by 74% since 2012[1]. Sydney offers promising returns for investors and the long-term outlook for this market is positive.

Follow our three simple steps to wealth and find out just how easy it can be to build your wealth.

1. Using the family home to build a property portfolio

If you have equity in your own home, do you know that you’ve already taken the important first step in your property journey? That’s because the family home can be more than a great place to raise your children. It can be a powerful tool for growing your wealth and setting up your financial future.

After all, a lender may let you use the equity you already have in your home to fund the purchase of an investment property. That means you may not need any further deposit. Meanwhile, the rent your tenant pays should help you meet the cost of taking out your new loan.

2. Renting and buying simultaneously

Think you can’t afford to buy where you want to live but still want to get a foot on the property ladder? Try the ‘Buy and Rent’, model. Under this strategy, which PIA pioneered back in 2005, you can rent where you’d prefer to be based on your lifestyle, study or work. If you earn $70,000 annually, you could buy an investment property worth $650,000 for as little as $42 a week, out of pocket.

3. Helping the children

Worried your children will never be able to afford to buy property? By using the equity in your own home, you may be able to get into a property without the need to save a deposit. If they’re not ready to leave home just yet, you can secure and manage a tenant who’ll help pay off your loan until they do.

It’s never to later or early to start thinking about the future and making a plan, invest in property to secure a comfortable, stress-free future for you and your family, build your property portfolio and build your wealth.

chelsieT

9 Killer Tips for Using Google+ to Boost Your Business

While Google Plus (Google+) is not as widely used as other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, it can still be a pretty powerful tool for small businesses. Besides the fact that it has an active social network comprised of 250 million users, it’s also owned by Google so using this social platform means long-term SEO value for your business. There’s also the impressive fact that Google Plus has a number of Google resources that you can use such as YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, Hangouts, and AdWords which are all intended to help you boost your marketing strategy.

If you’re thinking of using Google Plus for your business, here are nine ways you can do it:

1. Create your business Google+ page

Just like most social media platforms, you can set up a personal as well as a business page in Google+. If you’ve already got a personal Google+ page, then you might as well create a Google+ business page. All you have to do is go to “Google My Business,” choose the best business category that’s related to your business, then follow the rest of the prompts to create your business page. You just need a Google or Gmail account to link to, and you should be well on your way to creating a business page.

2. Upload a professional profile photo

As soon as you set up a Google+ page, your profile photo will always appear next to comments on Google+ and YouTube as well as on Google itself if you’re using Google Authorship. Therefore, you need to either upload a business logo or a professional photo. You’re better off uploading a photo of yourself rather than a business logo because you’ll be able to reach out to your customers on a more personal level.

3. Your about page needs to be on point

You need to make sure that your business description in Google+ is very thorough and descriptive because your about page is what Google indexes for its search engine, therefore you need to make it as detailed as possible to boost your search engine ranking. Google+ actually allows bullet points on your About page so that you can use it to your advantage and you can be as descriptive as possible. Make sure your description contains the relevant keywords and links so that anyone would know what your business is all about at a glance.

4. Post consistently

If you’re posting an article on your Google+ page, you have to make sure your focus keywords are contained in that blog post, and you also have to make sure you’re posting consistently. The best thing about Google+ is that it’s run by the biggest search engine on the planet so Google will give preference to search results found on Google+. The more you post, the better your chances are of getting indexed by Google.

5. Use hashtags strategically

Although hashtags are more widely used on Instagram and Twitter, it’s also a thing in Google+. You can link your content on Google+ to related subjects or trending topics using relevant hashtags, and the best thing is, any hashtags you use on Google+ will end up showing up in Google searches. Unlike Instagram where you can use up to 30 hashtags, you only need around a couple of relevant hashtags at the bottom of your content for it to be picked up by Google.

6. Add a variety of multimedia to your content

Content with more images will always rank better than those without in any social media platform, and the same goes for Google+. Try adding videos or even GIFs to make your business page much more attractive to generate more engagement from your readers.

7. Engage with other users

Similar to other social media platforms, if you want your business page to grow then you need to engage with other users to grow your network of connections. Friends on Google+ are organized in “circles,” and a business page can’t actually circle another Google+ user unless that user circles you first. If you want to grow your connection, then you need to interact with other Google+ users constantly. Engage with users and participate by clicking +1 or leaving comments to show others that you want to connect with them on a more personal level.

8. Join Google events and Google+ hangouts

Google+ actually allows its users to create virtual events just like in Facebook. Google’s events feature will enable you to send out custom invitations to anyone even if they don’t have a Google+ account. If you have a live event that you want to promote, you can always choose ‘Party Mode’ where your guests can upload photos immediately and even create a real-time group photo album. There’s also the option of inviting people to Google+ Hangouts which is a multi-person live chat feature wherein Google enables you to interact via text, images, voice call, and video chat. Majority of the businesses use Hangouts to set up conferences, hold meet-and-greet sessions, or keep up to date with their clients.

9. Google Authorship

Google Authorship is actually an SEO tool that makes Google+ users in Google search more prominent. It’s a great way to link the content that you’ve created with your Google+ profile. You can set up Google Authorship by adding a link to your blog or any website that you contribute to – you basically just need to include a link to your Google+ profile at the end of any blog post you publish.

chelsieT

A Step-by-Step Guide To Acquiring Your First Property Investment

Young busy successful beautiful Asian business woman, korean professional businesswoman holding cellphone using smartphone standing or walking on big city urban street outside.

Have you ever wanted to purchase an investment property but you just had no idea how? Well, you’re in luck because we’re about to outline the five-step process of selecting, buying and managing a property.

An investment property is a solid financial move for your future. Whether it’s to boost your retirement plan, retire early or set your family up, an investment property can be a step in the right direction.

You’re not just investing in property; you’re investing in a financial plan. Investing in real estate is a long-term plan, so you need to take the time to talk to your partner or your finance broker about your plan. By setting clear goals and timelines, you’ll have a better chance of achieving them.

Your journey to financial freedom begins here.

Step 1: Finance and Pre-approvals

It is important to consider your short and long-term goals and review your finances.

Check your credit rating – Start budgeting to ensure you can balance your income and expenses to plan for greater upcoming expenses. You should also consider reducing your credit card limit and minimizing your debt.

Find out if you qualify for a bank loan – Discover your potential borrowing power by speaking to your bank, credit union, broker or financial adviser. Otherwise, contact an OAK Lending consultant for obligation-free advice on your pre-approval status on 1300 006 625 or at info@oaklending.com.au. Pre-approval comes from your mortgage broker or directly through your lender.

Step 2: Select and Reserve your Property

Explore and research the properties available, then compare and choose the one that suits you.

Step 3: Review the Contract

Your solicitor or conveyancer will review the contract for sale independently and make sure you understand what you’re signing up to. They will also negotiate with the seller’s legal representative on contract conditions, making the process of documentation and settling easier.

Step 4: Sign the Contract for Sale

If you want to go ahead with the purchase, you’ll need to return the signed contract and pay the balance of the deposit.

Step 5: The Contract Exchange

Once you’ve exchanged signed contracts with the seller, you’ve secured the property. You’ll need to pay the balance of the 10% deposit. You won’t need to pay the balance of the purchase price until the property is settled.

Maximising your Investment

After the settlement, it’s time to take ownership and move in or sign up your first tenant.

For off-plan purchases, settled properties come with a 90-day warranty maintenance period. For any defect issues identified within the first 90-days after the handover, these are submitted by the purchaser to the Builder on a warranty claim form.

For more information, you can email our managing director via mike@starcentralmag.com to start your investment journey.

chelsieT

15 Killer Tips To Help Build Success For Your Brand On YouTube

 

If you’ve never heard of YouTube, then you must’ve been living under a rock for the past decade.

YouTube is an incredible source of every content imaginable, and with more than a billion active users, it’s definitely a crucial tool for online marketers. YouTube is so massive that it can be accessed in 76 different languages and has even launched local versions in more than 88 countries. YouTube is also the internet’s second largest search engine which means it can drastically help your overall brand presence.

Now if you want to do well on YouTube, here’s a list of killer tactics that will help you step your YouTube game up an upper notch.

1. Choose an optimized video title

While it has always been an effective tactic to create compelling headlines for any blog posts, the same goes for YouTube – you need to optimize your title. Make sure your focus keyword is included in your video title and try and see if your video title can solve a problem. For example, a title like “diet tips” is nowhere near as effective as a title like “How to lose 10 kilograms in 10 days.”

2. Encourage users to interact

You need to encourage users to comment on your video because the more comments you have on your video, the more popular your video looks. Video comments are actually one of the metrics YouTube uses to determine what should appear on the top of the search results so the more comments your videos have, the better its chances are on appearing at the top of the search results. Ending your video with a question is a great way to encourage engagement and discussion. For example, something like “what about you? Are you happy with your current situation?” can be a smart way of getting more video engagement.

3. Produce good quality videos

While it’s important to optimize your videos for YouTube, it’s also equally important to make sure you produce high-quality videos. Mobile phones are more than capable of recording high-resolution videos so you can start with that. However, if you’re really serious about making an impact with your videos, then it may be worth your time to buy a decent camera. There are some excellent ones out there that are priced at less than $500. That may seem like a large sum of money for some people, but you need to look at it as an investment if you want to make money from YouTube in the future.

4. Choose the right keywords

If you’re always doing Keyword research for Google, then you better start doing some more Keyword research on YouTube as well. Majority of YouTube keywords start with “how to,” but it’s always good practice to use Google Keyword Planner to check if your chosen keyword is actually getting any monthly searches. That should give you an indication of what keywords are already in use.

5. Tag effectively

Tagging is one of the most critical ways to rank your video in YouTube search results because it helps users find your video when they try to search for a topic related to your niche. Useful tagging means more video views that’s why you need only to use tags that are relevant to your niche. You don’t need too many tags, 10 to 12 should be more than enough.

6. Copy your competitor’s keywords

If one of your competitors is doing really well on their YouTube channel then why don’t you find out what they’re doing right? You’ll probably find that other businesses and YouTube channels are using similar keywords so might as well join the bandwagon.

7. Use YouTube to find your focus keyword

Did you know that you can use YouTube to help you determine the best keywords to use for your videos? All you have to do is use YouTube’s search bar to generate popular keywords. You can try it by typing in a word like “handbags,” you can see below that the search box will give you several suggestions. Awesome right?

8. Send an email to your mailing list

An email list is an effective form of marketing that never dies down. It’s pretty much like sending a mail to someone; the only difference is that it goes straight to your inbox. As soon as you release a new video, send an email blast to your mailing list and watch the views skyrocket.

9. Encourage people to subscribe

YouTube gives more priority to YouTube accounts with more subscribers so make sure you ask people to subscribe. Asking users to like and comment on your video is a must, but asking them to subscribe is a “double must” because if people subscribe to your videos, that means they’ll keep seeing your content over and over again.


10. Create an attention-grabbing thumbnail

Let’s face it; an eye-catching thumbnail is what grabs people’s attention when they’re trying to search for something. In fact, the majority of the people will click on a video just based on your thumbnail, so you have to make sure that your thumbnail stands out from the pack and that it specifically informs viewers what your video is really all about.

11. Use closed captions

You might not even know this option on YouTube, but if you click on this option the caption is going to appear – it’s actually meant for deaf people. But the thing is, these closed captions are search friendly, so it actually has an unexpected benefit.

12. Embed your own video

Once you’ve posted a new video, you need to embed your video everywhere. Why? Because embedding your video in various blogs and social media sites will result in more eyeballs and engagement in your video.

13. Begin your description with your focus keyword

If you know how to work SEO on your website, then you would know that adding a focus keyword in the first paragraph of your blog is a great way to make your post search engine friendly. Similarly, using your focus keyword in your video descriptions is a must because it’ll help YouTube’s bot to find your video and give it a higher ranking.

14. Review your video’s performance

If you want your subscribers to keep watching your videos again and again, then you need to have actionable stats that will help you figure out how your videos are performing. There’s what you call the watch time report, which helps you see determine how long people are spending on your videos. All you have to do is go to your channel icon and click on Creator Studio then go to “Analytics > Watch time” in the menu on the left side. There’s also the audience retention report which shows your average view duration and your top performing videos. You can view the report by going to “Analytics > Audience retention’ which is within your Creator Studio. There’s also the engagement reports where you can measure your overall performance; there’s the Subscribers report which lets you know how many subscribers you’ve gained or lost, and there’s the Share report which lets you know how much your videos have been shared.

15. Create playlists

It’s relatively easy to create a YouTube playlist once you’re logged on. First, you can start with your latest video then you click the “Add to” option underneath the video to add it to a playlist. Videos can be added to an existing playlist, or you can start a new one. Using playlists is an awesome technique that can definitely increase view time on your videos and retention.

16. Create compelling content

Let’s face it, no matter how well you optimize your videos or channel, if your content is rubbish then your efforts are useless. Content will always be king so make sure that you have content that is unique and that provides high value so that people would want to share it.

Editorial credit: Alexey Boldin / Shutterstock.com

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Top 5 Reasons Why Investing In Property Will Set You Up For Life

Retiring early can seem impossible for most people, but did you know you can retire long before your 50’s if you start investing now in property?

More and more Australians are finally understanding a new way of thinking – not just buying a home to live in, but actually buying properties to build wealth that’ll enable them to retire at an early age. The typical first homeowner now considers purchasing an investment home instead of a house to live in, rent it out and then either move in (when weekly expenses are less than rent), leverage to eventually buy their own home, or rent in their desired area.

That’s right, Australians are now investing in property to achieve their future financial goals. Their buying property in strategic locations and leveraging bank finance. More and more Australians are also becoming aware that rental income can pay down their mortgage which then leaves them with an asset(s) that delivers a passive income stream that can sustain them well into the future.

With every investment, there are inherent risks and rewards, particularly when it comes to borrowing funds or making off-plan purchases. That’s why it’s important to do your homework and consult independent legal and financial advice before making any property purchase or investment.

We’ve compiled the top 5 reasons why you should invest in an off-plan property, specifically in the Sydney market.

1. It’s actually easier than you think

We can make it really simple for you.

Let’s say you’ve done your suburb research, you know how much your budget is, and you understand the negative gearing benefits…so what’s stopping you??

Getting your finances sorted is the crucial step, so you know your borrowing capacity. Now you just need to find the right property. We can help you find the right property and in good faith assist you through the purchase process.

2. You use ‘other people’s’ money to pay off your off-plan investment

This is where the “Buy and Rent” model really pays off. Despite the initial deposit (i.e., you leverage current home equity or savings), you borrow funds from a financial institution. Interest rates are currently the lowest we’ve seen in over 50 years, meaning lower repayments, so now is definitely the right time to take advantage.

Tenants pay down your mortgage through weekly rent. For positively geared properties, rental income exceeds your borrowings. For negatively geared properties, your rental income will be slightly less than borrowings. All while you sit back and watch your investment grow. You can then use the equity in this property, from capital growth, to fund your next investment.

Which leads me to the next great reason to investing in property; The ATO (Australian Taxation Office) will allow you to claim a range of tax-deductible expenses through your investment property, including depreciation. The newer a property, the greater the depreciation levels. This serves to reduce your tax bill and improve your cash flow. Talk to your financial advisor or tax accountant about how you can reduce your tax bill through a property.

3. Property can offer greater predictability and certainty as an investment

Your investment choices are endless, and you should always discuss your circumstances and future financial goals with a financial advisor.

Bricks and mortar (houses) are generally long-term investments, and no matter what happens, you’ll still have a disposable asset at the end. Property is more predictable than other investment options, and the market cycles follow a fairly consistent trajectory – particularly in high demand Eastern states such as Sydney where property growth has been steadily growing over the past 50 plus years.

Given the current levels of demand for housing and rental accommodation, property with strong cash flow can weather you through uncertain times because it meets the basic need for housing. Rising population and drops in average household size mean that people will always need a place to live, even during difficult times.

4. Property can lead you to greater financial security and wealth

Will you have enough super to retire on?

How stable are my super investments?

Will your current employer contributions be enough to live out the retirement you’ve planned?

Will there be an aged pension when you retire?

What can I do to retire comfortably?

These are all questions to ask yourself in considering your future financial goals.

A balanced approach to your retirement and investment is a solid strategy. Property can lead to great wealth – we’re forever reading about property moguls and how simple it is to get started and make millions. Where property is concerned, capital growth can lead to great asset value, and rental income leads to a passive income stream once your investment is paid down.

5. You control the destiny of your portfolio

You control where you buy, how many properties you buy and when to sell. And to a certain degree, how much you can achieve for rental return.

Unlike other investment types, property affords you many options regarding growing the value, size, and income for your property. While market forces and economic conditions play a role in influencing property values and demand for properties, you are still the captain of your own ship – steering your portfolio in the direction of your future financial goals and life circumstances. And with our Investor Portal, you can monitor, reserve, purchase and make changes to your property portfolio – anywhere and anytime.

Once your finance is in order, you’ll need to do your due diligence (arrange bank valuation and undertake your property inspections), so there’s a very little risk that you’d find yourself with a property that you’ve overpaid for or doesn’t meet your expectations.

Buying an off-the-plan investment property can be an exciting and beneficial venture in your journey to financial freedom. Contact our managing director via mike@starcentralmag.com to find out how we can make your property investment journey simple and fruitful and put you back into the driving seat.