OSI Affiliate Software launched their app store yesterday, Friday, June 7, 2013. The OSI Affiliate Software App Store has the best apps that affiliate marketers and affiliates need to increase sales and grow their businesses. The apps in the OSI Affiliate Software App Store are the best apps for running and growing a business. OSI Affiliate Software wants you to save time and grow your business effortlessly and that is why we launched this app store that has apps that all businesses need to run their companies efficiently.

Apps, Apps, and more Apps
In the OSI Affiliate Software App store, you will find e-commerce apps that make it easy to setup an online store, online form builders, email marketing apps, crm apps, and many more. As a business, you will need more than one of these apps to get to the next level, and fortunately for you, OSI Affiliate Software has them all in one area to make it easy for you to find the apps that you need the most. In the OSI Affiliate Software App Store you will find apps such as Shopify, 3dcart, Bigcommerce, PayPal, Wufoo, Batchbook, and many more great apps.

Increase Sales and Grow Your Business Today
Run your business the way most top companies are by using powerful apps that will make a difference in growing your business as immediately as today. Why wait to increase sales and grow your business when you can successfully get your business to the next level by using the apps in our app store? Save your time, increase sales, grow your business, communicate better with customers, setup attractive online stores, and most of all, use your time wisely by focusing on the most important aspects of growing your business instead of wasting time handling the mundane daily activities of running your business that powerful apps can do for you.

Visit and Install Apps from OSI Affiliate Software App Store
Visit the OSI Affiliate Software App Store to browse and install the top business apps that integrate with OSI Affiliate Software.

When it comes to growing your business using Affiliate Software and affiliate marketing, we highly recommend that you work with apps listed in our app store because they easily integrate with our affiliate software and we know that these apps are powerful and will help make it easy to grow your business. Visit our app store regularly to see what new apps have been added to help grow your business.

Tariehk Geter is the Marketing Director of OSI Affiliate Software. If you want to learn how you can grow your business using the best, latest, and advanced strategies in online marketing, listen to The Online Marketing Insider podcast.

Click the below link to listen to the podcast now.

Listen Now - The Online Marketing Insider 2: Using Autoresponders to Grow Your Business

Subscribe in iTunes to receive weekly downloads of new episodes.

Podcast Guide

What is an autoresponder
An Autoresponder is when you add someone to an email list and then they are automatically emailed after a set time without you having to do anything.

Example:
Affiliate Marketing Ebook Club

Why Use an Autoresponder

- Emails go out automatically – Saves Time
- People to know you, like you and trust you – Build a relationship

How to Use an Auto-responder the right way

- Focus on adding value and not selling
- Golf Professional with shop and potential client comes in
- Collect Email
- Send Video introduction of himself
- 1 week later, send golf tip for their short game
- 1 week later send golf tip for improving golf swing
- 1 week later, send video encouraging them as they are learning through his videos
- Then 1 week later offer them another golf tip video

Then after these 5 videos, you can say I hope these video are helping if you want I can help you more if you come to the shop and I will even offer you a discount.

Link Wistia with your Email Marketing
Review Links in your campaigns to see who to market to
Good Resource – Seth Godin – Permission Marketing

Businesses need advertising to grow. With the Internet opening doors to new ways of marketing and new ways to get customers, businesses are finding that they need to use this new medium to grow their potential. Social media marketing is one of the techniques that could potentially help a business grow. The best thing a business can do now is to implement and have an online marketing strategy so as to boost their brand’s visibility. A great tool that can help a company’s online visibility is Twitter. Here are just four of the most basic ways for a business to grow their market and be a bigger business using Twitter.

Connect
Perhaps the first thing that you need to keep in mind to grow your business via Twitter is to connect to as many friends, customers, and people as possible. It is ideal that you follow top leaders or people and companies in your industry. By doing this you will be able to attract your target audience and also have the opportunities to engage within the Twitter community. When following people, make sure to avoid spammy techniques like using automated systems to follow other Twitter members. To connect with your audience in Twitter you want to show that you are not a bot but that you are constantly present and you participate within the community.

Spammers who choose to use automated systems need to watch out because search engines are now looking into how they can filter and remove these spam Twitter members and also they will not rank them online. The clue to having the right connections is to make sure that you follow the right people. It is essential that you take the time to understand how the market is moving and how you can be able to use it to grow your business.

Build a Strong Community
Typically, the biggest mistake that most companies make is that when they connect, follow, or get followers, the relationship ends there. Just because you have followers or you follow others does not mean that you do not need to put in the work to develop a relationship. The fact is that you must be able to build a community that will maintain a good structure and will ensure the full potential for your business to succeed. Strong connections are often the result of your engagement with the community, so you need to participate and engage with your network. Otherwise, the people you are connected to will see you have no value and they will pay attention to other networks that are beneficial and offer them value.

Sharing
Twitter is a platform that is perfect for sharing. There are plenty of things that you can share online. For instance, if you are a business that sells clothes, then you might want to share tips on how to pick the correct size for your followers. Sharing in Twitter comes down to quality and beneficial ideas that you will be able to present to your readers and to your followers. Plus, the best thing about sharing is that it will allow people to spread what you might be offering in the market. When sharing in Twitter the golden rule to follow is to give quality to your connections.

Use SEO
Search Engine Optimization still works even in social networking sites. Most businesses often forget to use Twitter for SEO. Search engines today factor social networks in their algorithm when it comes to ranking websites. Hence, if you have the right keywords and terms on your Twitter profile and messages, then it would mean that you have this higher opportunity to get a better ranking in the results pages.

Twitter is now a very important tool when it comes to growing your business and you need to find out how you can best use Twitter to expand your market. Use these strategies to get your business closer to your marketing goals.

OSI Affiliate Software recently launched the latest version of their award winning and popular affiliate software, OSI Affiliate. In the new version, the affiliate control panel also known as the user area has been updated and has a new layout and design. We believe that this new layout and design will help you easily manage your affiliates and also attract more affiliates. When designing this new layout, the whole goal was to come up with a design that is attractive, very easy to customize, and easy to use for your affiliates. Here is the new front end of the OSI Affiliate Software.

This is what affiliates will see before they login.

This is the control panel once the affiliates have logged in.

Here is the new resources section for affiliates.

This is the new reports section where affiliates will get detailed reports of their affiliate marketing goals.

As you can see from the tour, the new front end for OSI Affiliate Software will help meet all your affiliate marketing goals. Here is why. First, it will help increase your sales because you will attract more affiliates and it is designed to be easy for affiliates. Second, it is a professional and attractive design that will help make your affiliate program standout from competitors and it will help build trust and loyalty from affiliates. Lastly, OSI Affiliate Software is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly for the affiliate manager(you) and your affiliates.

To get started using OSI Affiliate Software, you can sign up for the 15 day trial or you can demo OSI Affiliate Software to get yourself acquainted with the best in-house affiliate software.

Most organizations are making content marketing a top priority for their business. The majority of those organizations (60%) are planning on increasing their budgets. Content marketing is delivering information that is educational, informative and at times entertaining to your customers with the objective of driving profitable action from them.

Here are a few examples of some mind blowing Content Marketing examples:

The Conflict Kitchen’s Food wrappers

Company: Conflict Kitchen

A take-out restaurant in Pittsburg that serves food from countries that the U.S is in conflict with. The restaurant changes its theme depending on the chosen conflict. They serve their food in wrappers that contain educational information about the conflict. They even change the signage and the menu to match the theme.

Here is an example of the food wrapper

http://www.conflictkitchen.org/wp-content/uploads/wrapper_front1-590×590.jpg

“City One” Simulation

Company: IBM

“City One” is a business simulation game created by IBM. Players are required to solve problems in four key areas, namely banking, energy, water and retail. IBM used a Sim City style simulation to create scenarios that offer players an opportunity to understand real world implications of business decision making.

You can play along here:

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/solutions/soa/innov8/cityone/index.html

“The Message is a Messenger” Infographic

Company: Eloqua and JESS3

This Infographic shows how media transitioned from traditional to new media. It captures the continually growing list of personal brands, the new media figureheads that make up the marketing conversation.

See the Infographic here:http://blog.eloqua.com/message-is-messenger/

Nike Better World Microsite

Company: Nike

Nike created an attention grabbing “Better World” video 100% recycled advertising for their microsite. The content is presented in a story-board style that tells all the goodness of Nike brand. The information is delivered in a unusual scrolling format.

Visit the Nike microsite here:http://blog.eloqua.com/message-is-messenger/

LEGO Club Magazine

Company: LEGO

The LEGO Club Magazine is customized for its subscribers. It is customized by local markets and age. LEGO used a fun and portable format for kids of any age to receive content that is targeted and relevant to them.  LEGO Club, which is one of the world’s most popular children’s member clubs, added more cartoon stories of the LEGO bricks in action in order to improve its magazine product. They also improved the integration of customer photos.

You can see the LEGO Club Magazine here:

http://club.lego.com/en-us/behindthebricks/default.aspx

Youtique- French Connection’s YouTube Channel

Company: French Connection

This is every woman’s dream. Youtique is a snack-sized personal shopping video that is based on occasion. French Connection created a YouTube channel that answers women’s burning question of what to wear. It is a combination of Youtube mini video format and the Home Shopping Network.

Browse the Youtique here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGvdv8scy4s

The Future of Mobility Video Series

Company: BMW

BMW produce a four-film documentary about the future of mobility. Leading academics, pioneers and entrepreneurs were called on by BMW to share the insights of the past, present and future of technology, cities and automobile. Breaking up the documentary into a four easy-to-digest format allows viewers to stay engaged and interested in the documentary.

You can watch the documentary here:http://bmwactivatethefuture.com/index.php/documentary

Tatenda is working for the leading content marketing specialists in Cape Town, Karma Digital Media.

Social networking has become a global phenomenon since the introduction of sixdegrees.com back in 1997. 

This basic platform enabled users to build profiles and lists of friends. The model was built upon by popular social networks such as Myspace and Bebo. 

In recent years Facebook and Twitter have become the two major players in the social networking sphere. Facebook currently has over 1 billion users, while Twitter has more than 500 million. 

This article will highlight some of the key points that these networks can take from each others success.

What Facebook Would Post to Twitter

Take The Personal Approach

It is possible to interact in a wide variety of ways on Facebook. You can send pictures of memorable moments, issue event invitations and send lengthy messages to your friends and family. Facebook also allows users to create highly personal profiles, including lists of favourite films, music and brands.

People who use Twitter are restricted to 140 character messages. Unfortunately this isn’t really enough to detail your personal thoughts and feelings about the issues of the day. The Twitter profile is also fairly restrictive.

Allow The Users Some Privacy

Facebook doesn’t have the healthiest record when it comes to respecting user privacy. Indeed, the owners of this Social Network have made a number of changes which caused user dissatisfaction in recent years. However, Facebook do give you the option of which messages to make publicly available and which to send to close friends.

It is also possible to send Tweets to selected people within the Twitter community. However, the general Tweets are available for the whole world to see. As the American Judge Matthew Sciarrino said, If you post a tweet, just like if you scream it out the window, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.’

Create Engaging Apps & Games

Millions of people all across the world play Facebook games on a daily basis. Many also use helpful and highly interactive Facebook apps such as  Band Profile and Where I’ve Been. In recent times specialist game developers such as Zyngia and Rovio have started creating games especially for the platform.

People who use Twitter will tell you that Tweetdeck is the equal of any apps available on Facebook. However, there isn’t a great deal of interest beyond that. You know you’d rather spend your time playing Chefville or Bejewelled on Facebook than sending Chess game instructions via Twitter.

Focus On Business

Facebook has made it very easy for businesses to engage with their customers. It is possible to create specific fan pages, featuring news of competitions and discounts. Facebook also allows the inclusion of images, videos, which play a part in building brand interaction.

Twitter offers a more limited set of options to members of the business community. It is still a fairly simple process to set up specific brand pages. However, it can be difficult to promote products or services in 140 character tweets.

What Twitter Would Tweet to Facebook

Too Much Advertising Will Lose Core Fans

It is quite common for Twitter users to follow their brands of choice. They generally expect these brands to send out some advertisements in the form of Tweets. However, if they feel bombarded then there is always the option of pressing the Unfollow button.

Mark Zuckerberg and his Facebook team decided some time ago that it would be a good idea to incorporate advertisements in line with the user preferences. Unfortunately this has led to the loss of some loyal Facebook fans.

Speed Equals Success

The upcoming removal of the Google Reader can be seen as a direct response to the increasing popularity of Twitter Even the major news channels are unable to keep up with the spread of information on this social network.

Facebook was never designed as a place to catch up with the latest news. And it would be a mistake for them to challenge Twitter on this front now!

Enable Widespread Communication

It was mentioned previously that there is an issue over the privacy of Twitter. However, advocates of this social network would point out that open communication is Twitter’s greatest strength. It allows for the viral spread of posts that are of the utmost interest. It also allows us to gain an insight into the fascinating lives of celebrities.

Users of Facebook do not have the ability to disseminate information as widely. Even posts that are ‘liked’ will usually only be seen by a small number of additional users. However, those of us who like to keep updated on the celebrity gossip do have the option of accessing fan pages.

Keep The Interface Simple

One of the main reasons that many people favour Twitter is that the platform is incredibly easy to use. You can spend as much time as you like checking out the humourous tweets left by friends and family. It is also very simple to create your own tweets.

The Facebook interface is far more cluttered. There are timelines, applications and friend updates to skim through before you start creating your own messages. Perhaps Facebook will think about making their platform easier to navigate in the months to come.

This post was contributed by Datadial; an online marketing company based in the UK.

Wondering if you should hire a wikipedia expert? We have all heard about Wikipedia and have at some point used it too – may be for a class project, or to know about your favorite band or just for a random read. But wikipedia in today’s world has grown to be much more than that. It is a platform to showcase and build one’s brand; to make one’s presence felt in this competitive market. Today you too can have your own page on Wikipedia and be a top search result. All you need to do is meet the requirements of this online encyclopedia and you’ll be given your own space on it.

When you hire a wikipedia expert, it does not mean your work with regards to the page building are over. The page is crucial to you and thereby your inputs at each point are necessary. Also you should engage in timely monitoring to see if the page is turning out just the way you’d imagined it. Of course the writers are skilled and will keep in mind all that you want, but your interest will only drive him to work better. A good writer will engage in research, adhere to the requirements, make his suggestions and create crisp content for your desired wikipedia page. He will ensure he works to bring out the best points, making the page informative and note worthy. The ultimate idea of the entire drill is to catch the eye of the reader; the writer will mold the content in such a way that the reader would want to know more about you and your work. Here comes in the concept of connected internal and external links, masterfully infused in the text by the writer to lead the reader to your domain.

When you hire a wikipedia expert, you are hiring an external party to write in a good word about you. This works in your favor to a great extent. Firstly it is good content as it comes from seasoned writers who know the words best. Secondly it is a piece written in third person giving impetus to your credibility and market standing. Thirdly it is Wikipedia, so there’s good presence on the internet as well as great scope in profile building. Veteran writers can tell useful information from the not so important facts, and they work on hilighting the same, bringing out the positives in the write up. They then shadow the write ups under the guidelines set by Wikipedia so that the content comfortably makes it to the website. The toughest task is not getting the write up ready, but the anxiety of the period it is under the scrutiny of the Wikipedia review team. With an experienced writer, you’ll have nothing to worry about. The content will be in accordance to the expected.

Just because you have managed to hire a wikipedia expert to breathe life into your dream of having a wikipedia page, doesn’t mean its over there. The page will need regular updation and quality maintenance if it needs to survive on Wikipedia.

Mike Wood is a professional Wikipedia editor. As a Wikipedia and online marketing expert, he writes on the subject of brand managment on Wikipedia.

When looking to build an online presence, you may be surprised to learn that there is more than one way to get your site built. So which should you choose – a web content management system (WCM), a web editor, an online site builder or a blog?

If this is confusing you already, you’re not alone. But the good news is that all of these options are useful. Basically, the option you choose will largely depend on how much experience you have designing a web site, along with how much time you have to devote to building one. Perhaps the best place to start is to look at the functions of each of the available options for web site creation.

The Web Content Management System

The web content management system (WCM) is designed to make creating and publishing a web site as easy as possible. The features of a WCM include easy management of content, ability for the management of any media you want to include on your site, the option to swap out and/or modify your web site’s templates, and a user-friendly, usually non-technical interface.

The WCM should not be confused with the CMS, which is a content management system, and mainly used for collaboration among multiple users via a single and common interface.

The Web Editor

A web editor is simply an editor with the option of publishing instantly for the web. So if you have written an article that you want to turn into a web page, you simply save it as a web page from your computer, and then upload it to your web site. Doing this may also require you to go into the menu of your web site and alter your navigation menu to reflect your new addition. The editor can allow you to create content in plain text, such as Notepad or can be a more visual editor like DreamWeaver.

The Online Site Builder

A web site builder may be something that’s offered by the company who is hosting your web site. These types of tools are usually proprietary and WSYWIG, meaning that what you see is what you get. This allows for a web site to be created without having to have any knowledge about HTML or CSS code in order to do it.

A word about site builders: you may have heard about two different versions of the site builder. These are offline and online. And sometimes, the terms ‘editor’ and ‘builder’ are used interchangeably. A way to distinguish between them is to look at how they behave. If a program works like a word processing program to help you edit your pages, then what you most likely have is a web editor.  The same is true if the program you’re using acts like a desktop publishing program, i.e. it has similar functions to software that’s used for printed publications like newsletters or brochures.

The downside of some of these site builders is it may not give you enough flexibility when it comes to the optimization of your website to rank well with the search engines.

The Blog

A blog is actually a type of web site that is maintained by typing entries and publishing them on a regular basis. Although this may not be considered to be a full-blown web site per se, a blog can contain many of the same options. For example, you can enhance your posts with photos, video or music. You can also add additional pages to complement your blog. Depending on the site that is hosting it, you may be able to choose from a number of different templates.

No matter which option you choose for your web site, there are extensive online resources available to help you should you become stuck. As well, there’s always the option of placing the creation and publishing of your web site into the hands of a skilled professional. Although this will cost more at the outset, some site owners believe that the stress relief is worth it.

Guest author Jesse Schwarz writes on a variety of topics, particularly related to technology.  He is a frequent contributor at HostingAndBackup, a site dedicated to helping laypeople understand the ins and outs of web hosting and online backup services. You can also find Jesse on Google.

Although 2013 is well underway, it is never too late to take steps to improve your company and better business for the future. The economy is enjoying a slow and steady upturn, and consumers are coming out of their shells to make higher purchases and invest in services. This means that companies need to be prepared to tackle increased business and provide consumers everything they might want and need in order to maintain growth.

As a business owner, it is your responsibility to take strides in finding ways to improve your company. Below are ten steps to improving your company in 2013. Though you may not need to take all these steps, it is important to keep each in mind, as any good business needs maintenance from time to time.

1. Streamline Your Business

Clutter, clunky procedures, and disorganization within departments disrupt business growth. Streamlining your business will help your team meet deliverables and focus on improving operations. One of the most important aspects of streamlining is taking advantage of technology. Implement a variety of technological tools such as database systems, virtual project tracking and Cloud storage to facilitate smoother and more efficient operations.

Most importantly, sit down with each department at your company and ask how their jobs can be made easier. If projects involving different departments are slowing productivity, sit down with a representative from each department and work with them to find ways to smoothen operations.

2. Foresee Changes and Act Proactively

Change is a reality of business. Regardless of the market you are in, your company will encounter changes over the years; whether it is offering new products, adapting to changes in marketing or consolidating departments, make an effort to foresee these changes so you can respond proactively rather than reactively. By getting feedback from clients and holding employee evaluations, you can have a better understanding of how your business is developing and where you may be able to cut corners.

3. Analyze Strategically

Having insight into the financial elements of your business will help you understand how your business functions. Manage the inward and outward flow of fund so that you are able to make decisions and understand their impact more precisely. You can work with your IT department to determine how to tighten budgets for one of your company’s biggest expenses: electronics.

You may also want to consider outsourcing to call center companies or hire a telecommuter to cut costs.

4. Constantly Evaluate Suppliers and Affiliates

Never assume that you are always getting the best deal with your suppliers or the most out of your relationships with other businesses. Regularly evaluate the deals you are getting and how your affiliates are contributing to the growth of your company. By attending industry-related conventions you can meet new business partners who may better meet company demands at a lower cost. But if you have certain loyalties, it may be worth calling in and asking for a better deal.

5. Create Flexible Structures

While it may seem as though having a rigid bureaucratic structure is best for maintaining a well-managed company, rigidity can be extremely restrictive. This can make it difficult for your business to react to changes within the company and in the market. Maintaining flexibility will improve visibility and encourage growth.

6. Be a Better Time Manager

Time management is one of the most common downfalls of companies. Focus on improving your time management by identifying the two, four or six (depending on the complexity of your business) most important tasks each day and completing those rather than getting overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done.

7. Outsource Your Calls

Customer communication is critical, but it takes up a tremendous amount of time and energy. Outsourcing your calls to a high quality call center allows you to streamline the operations of the staff within your main office while feeling confident that your customer communication needs are being taken care of. Outsourcing to an inbound call center means your customers will get the information and assistance they need from qualified, knowledgeable professionals you can trust. Call centers can also handle outbound calls for marketing and follow-up with customers and other outreach efforts.

8. Get Started

Many people get bogged down “getting ready” for their day. Condense your day-preparation routine to 15 minutes or less. This should include getting your coffee, reading your email, organizing your desk and getting settled in for your day. This will get you off to your most productive start. Recognize that employees should get the same amount of time to settle in. It may seem like a waste of company time, but if your employees are starting the day off relaxed, then they are more liable to be more productive.

9. Use To Do Lists

Every day you should have two to do lists prepared. The first should be a master list of everything that needs to be done, including your short term and long term projects. The second list will be the goals that you will be completing that day. This works with the time management activity of identifying your most important tasks. Creating a list and having it prominently placed will help you visualize your work for the day and get it done without confusion.

10. Focus on Customer Service

Customer service should not be a minor concern for your company. Customer service is one of the most important elements of any company and the experience that your customers have with your company will have a tremendous impact on your growth potential. It is estimated that nearly $340 billion per year is lost by companies due to poor customer service. Focus on offering the best customer service that you can by responding to customer needs and being responsive when a customer is upset.

As you delve into these ten steps, you will learn the specific needs of your company. While you may not need to put a large emphasis on time management, you may need to consider outsourcing to a call center to manage inbound calls. Different companies have different needs, and it is important that you take time to evaluate how your company works from day-to-day in order to best learn how to streamline processes and maximize performance.

Michael is a social media specialist representing a contact center services provider.

2012 was a year of many changes. We saw both the penguin and panda update roll out destroying rankings of websites. This made SEO’s across the world look long and hard in the mirror at what they hope to achieve next year. We don’t know what 2013 holds for many SEO’s but one thing is certain, it will be different in a years’ time. This means you need to stay ahead of the game and make sure you’re doing the right things

Diversification

One of the first things SEO’s should be looking to implement in 2013 is a diversification strategy. With so many competitors popping up and such a low barrier to entry you should always stay on your toes. The unfilled niche you’re in today could be saturated by next year and it’s up to you to ensure that doesn’t happen.

One way around this is to ensure this, is to continually be targeting new keywords. The quest for good long tail keywords never ends and it shouldn’t. It gives you an advantage in the marketplace and allows you to get to grips before your competitors do. Due to this you should always be thinking of ways you can target new keywords within your content and then spread the word.

Increase Social Presence

Increased social presence can occur from having a lot of quality content on your website. Many people actually follow websites due to the content they produce. So if you’re producing content on a regular basis that is valuable to your audience, they will be more likely to subscribe.

One way to do this is to encourage people to share the post or to even follow you on social media for the future. You will be surprised how often people will listen to you, especially if they like what you produce.

Increase Inbound Links

Quality links is something that every SEO should be thinking about getting. It has been proven that the more content you have increases the chances that you’ll be linked to. This gives you an opportunity to increase your traffic and then revert back to getting an action from your audience such as a sign up or purchase.

You never know who may link to you next, so always be on the lookout for opportunities. If you write an especially good piece of content there could be a good chance of an authoritative figure picking it up and thus linking to you.

To Stand Out

Standing out is a big deal in the SEO space and if you’re not on the first page of the results you may as well be on the 100th page. You can stand out by offering a unique value proposition to your target audience by continually providing them with free content. Over time they will come to trust you and thus enable you to start promoting to them with products.

Standing out can be hard in a crowded niche so it would be advised to know exactly what your USP is and how it can help your users. By doing this you’re in a good position to gain ranking and get even more repeat traffic.

By Kev Massey from seo3D. Kev provides important SEO posts to keep your website one step ahead of your competition.