Five Ways to Profit from Using Video Online

The newest media wave to hit the online shore is video. Individual emails abound with links to "the funniest video ever," or blurry clips of new babies or birthday parties.

Businesses, on the other hand, have largely been left standing on the shore, scratching their heads and wondering if there's any real value to be earned from diving into making their own live video broadcasts, video emails or video on demand infommercials. Here are just five of the many ways video adds to the bottom line of any company.

1. People remember more of your message.
While people generally remember 10% of what they read and 20% of what they hear. But, they'll remember as much as 50% of what they see and hear together. Before anyone can act on your message, they need to process and remember it.

2. Increase responses by up to 30%.
A call to action is much easier to follow if it is actively delivered. Sound and motion are powerful action drivers, especially when they are delivered by your sincere enthusiasm and passion for your topic. Companies who have made the switch to video email and on- demand broadcasts have reported response rates jump as much as 30% following a broadcast.

3. Build your credibility.
People do business with people they know, like and trust. When you cut through the technological barriers of the Internet and put yourself online, you put "your self on the line" as far as viewers are concerned. The time it would normally take you to build a relationship with a potential customer can be dramatically shortened as a result.

4. The cost savings are obvious.
Anytime you can avoid the high costs of sending someone on the road to meet with clients or attend a meeting, the bottom line savings are immediate and obvious. In addition to any costs associated with attending a meeting, you need to factor in travel costs covering airfares to taxis and tolls, hotel costs, meal expenses, and even your internal costs to process the expense paperwork.

5. Soft cost savings multiply returns.
Spare yourself the productivity drain and the physical and mental tolls travel takes on your company's road warriors and you could enjoy "soft" cost savings that dwarf your hard dollar travel costs. Want an example? Look at your own calendar for the past month and count up just the hours you spent traveling to and from meetings. Multiply that by your hourly wage, and then by the number of employees in your firm.

If reasons like these don't help you convince the reluctant decision makers in your company to add video to your communications mix, please be patient with them. Historically they are in good company.

There were many who claimed the smeary images on hard to handle rolls of paper called "faxes" could never function in place of an original document. And who, they asked, would ever want to spend more time typing an email message when they could so easily pick up a telephone and place a call?

Liz Micik has spent 25 years helping companies use the right market, right message, and right media to get the results they want. She turns your video learning curve into a fast and easy profit curve in her newest book, "Cue the Director: 10 Simple Steps to Online Video Success." Visit http://www.powerpresenters.com to learn more and have free weekly video tips emailed to you.

So None of Us Arrived With an Owners Manual! A Fresh Perspective on the Drive to Lead (part 1)

So, none of us arrived with an Owner's Manual, neatly referenced to enable us to look up our ails, appreciate where we are, and, understand what is next. We expected its indelible validation to enable us to navigate some of the more fearful and exhilarating moments in our lives.

Most of us have a deeply felt need for one to give us the courage to look into a few dark corners and understand what is really going on. A validated abbreviated version would do, anything that says, " I was intended to be made this way', and "This is what to do to get the best from me."

Most of us realize many years later that we have been searching to create and validate our Owner's Manual for Life. We want independently created and validated information on our 'model' and 'type' to confirm our life long struggle to prove who we are. It will enable us to finally acquire the peace of knowing we are meant to be this way. Who cares now how different, strange, wonderful or wacky that is! Now it is OK as someone else says so.

So we assumed we were meant to be made this way but couldn't convince anyone else it was OK.

So here we are this tiny little baby, brand new in a strange and wonderful place. There are big people who are our parents, maybe there are small people who are our siblings, maybe there are other people who are our care givers, adoptive parents, extended family and more.

Once we become aware of where we are we begin to explore. We want to learn how to make this place work for us, how to command it, how to master elements of it. We want to be great at something. Maybe it is something that will make us a household name or maybe it is something that will make a smaller but no less significant contribution. Our deepest desire is to be the best us we can be.

When we look around we find so much variation in all those other people here. They are of such various types that we have our first trepidation, how are we going to work it out. There isn't another us here so there must be an Owner's Manual, a dedicated book with detailed information on what to do when, where and how to achieve the opportunity we know is out there for us.

Imagine arriving with Ian Thorpe sized feet, a love of water and a powerful need to extend ourselves as far as is possible. No one else is in that league, there is no one to follow, a new path needs to be created. So it is with all of us for our own expression of greatness.

Every tangible item on this planet that is created in material form by man has an owner's manual. Look at your average stove, computer, CD diskman, mobile etc. Sometimes the language is convoluted being translated by dictionary into English, however the general meaning is usually clear and we can construct the item from its flat pack or learn how to program our 54 functions on the VCR. All unique features are explained.

Then, if this is obscure, there is the telephone help line with dedicated staff to answer the 20 most commonly asked questions about this model. Maybe there are 20 of us on the planet but just at different and remote locations. Hence we conclude there must be an Owner's Manual for our model and it should have arrived with us.

So here we are a creation of God, or at least that sparkle in our parent's eyes. Who was supposed to write the Owner's Manual? My sense is we actually want the one from God, initially one from the god-like people who are our parents might do, but often we recognize pretty early on we are different in some critical way. It would have more sustainable impact to have the highest source available.

Now where is it? Maybe we expect a book, a pamphlet or even video. Something to wave around to the outer world to prove who we really are and that we are designed this way to be a great 'something or other. Maybe it is a dedicated memory file. A file in our memory full of the richness of who we are and what we need to do to do our best this time around.

For those of us who are auditory it would have a wonderful sound track, full of all the intonation we expect to hear to understand. For those of us who are visual we would expect powerful symbolic videos of information showing us how it is and what to do. For those of us who are sensate we would expect a track to stimulate our feelings and enable us to associate what we are doing with the validation of knowing the truth. All in all it would be the most masterful, rich and wonderful file of information.

It would validate our souls, that deep something within us that craves to be told we are just fine and always have been and our job here is to learn and master some or many aspects of reality. It would be able to be shown to others so that they could appreciate that we are a refined, validated, fabulous model of our time and that they are meant to appreciate this rather than belittle or confuse us by asking why we aren't like them.

Surely a wonderful thing to have!

Unfortunately we can't find it. Not anywhere. No matter where we search, what we assume it should be, how it should appear, somehow it isn't here. Once we reach this conclusion our primary search is finished whether it was conducted internally, externally or both.

Now we need to decide why as the tension of not knowing is too much to handle.

This article may be reproduced in printed or web format, provided the resource box below is included.

Rosemary Johnston is a professional corporate and personal coach. Working with executives from some of Australia's largest and most successful companies for over 15 years.

Rosemary's new book, "How To Develop Your Leadership Style and Skills To Take Charge of Your Career and Life" is now available to download at her web site. Read about some of the success Rosemary has had coaching leaders in Australian blue chip companies. http://www.leadershipfirst.com.au

How Many Ways Do You Have To Justify Your Price?

If you were selling a mansion, and you were selling it for 25 cents, some wiseacre would inevitably respond, "It costs too much."

When that happens, are you prepared?

As an excercise, make a list of 20 "reasons why" your services are worth your fees.

Why is life better with your offer? Have you done extensive research or development? How many years of experience do you and your team bring to the table? What would happen if they DON'T take you up on your offer? (What would they "lose"?) What are things "You Get" by purchasing from us? How are your clients protected when they purchase from you? (Do you have a guarantee?)

What are the bonuses you include? How long do you support the sale?

Do you include "extras" that your competitors don't include?

Make up an extensive list, on paper, or into a tape recorder.

Brainstorm with your salespeople, your staff, your best customers, and your vendors to make this list complete.

Then, next time, when your prospect says, "It costs too much," you will be prepared to handle those price concerns smoothly.

When you can justify your price attractively, everybody wins.

You get the sale, and your client benefits from your offering.

Are you with me on this?

Joe Nicassio designs marketing campaigns, and coaches entrepreneurs to improve their bottom-line profits. To get your free CD "Joe Nicassio Reveals Marketing Philosophies And Secrets That Advertiser Don't Want You To Know" Send your snail mail address to FreeCD@RapidResultsMarketing.com

Underestimating the Power of In-House PR

Do small-business owners always have to rely on large PR agencies to get attention from the press? An entrepreneur recently asked me this question during a networking event for women business owners. Of course my answer was, "No," but not for the reasons one might expect.

Ultimately, I do believe the time comes when a company needs professional guidance from a PR agency -- be it a large or small one -- to secure media coverage. But I also believe that a really media savvy small-business owner, or a two-person marketing team can do a fantastic job in promoting an organization. Here's how I know it can work.

A few years ago during the dot.com boom, I worked for a small online publishing company. We had a terrific technical team and staff, two great products, but no one knew the company existed. As a start-up, it was crucial for the company to gain awareness through media exposure because advertising was too expensive.

Since our marketing department only consisted of two people -- the marketing director and myself, there was a bit of concern within the organization as to whether we had enough in-house resources available to successfully get the company much-needed ink. So the company's executive team hatched an interesting plan. They offered our in-house marketing team the chance to bid on the company's PR project as if we were an outside agency.

My experience had always been in public relations, rather than product marketing. My boss' experience had always been the opposite. We seized the opportunity to combine our knowledge, skills and research.

Our tiny two-person team matched PR wits squarely against four established pros - including one former White House aide. Guess what? Our ideas prevailed, and the company decided to ditch the notion of hiring a big PR firm in favor of keeping the in-house team.

Before long we were generating some memorable press for our company. Over a two-year period we placed stories on our company in more than 100 media outlets - from MSNBC and Forbes to the Wall Street Journal and Wired News online. We did it by studying what the big PR agencies did well, and also by using our department's "smallness" to our advantage. Here's how you can do it, too.

Research your company.

Forget that you own or work within the organization. Really invest the time in understanding your company's structure, the executives and their backgrounds, the products and technology, the industry in which your company belongs, competitors and experts, and most of all the target audience -- the people who stand to benefit most from your product or service. If you know all of this information, then you'll be in a better position to brainstorm ideas on how to get the media's attention. Doing this also helps in flushing out your overall marketing plan -- which PR is only a part.

Research the reporters who cover your company's industry and study the types of stories that they like to write.

Learn their deadlines and how they prefer to be contacted. Introduce yourself by phone and make it a point to speak with them regularly -- not just to talk about your company, but also about the industry in general. Use those conversations to offer up source materials that will help reporters write terrific stories. If you are able to do this successfully, you will become a trusted source that reporters return to repeatedly, and you will significantly increase your chances of gaining coverage for your company.

Always Return Media Phone Calls Immediately.

Keep yourself and your organization at the ready to receive phone calls from the press. Make sure that reporters know how to reach you in a 24-hour cycle. This means they should have your office, cell, home, and pager numbers, as well as a contact e-mail address. If you still happen to miss the call, return it ASAP. Always prepare yourself or members from your organization to conduct interviews from anywhere, at any time.

Conduct proper follow up after the interview.

This is not a call to find out when a story will be published, but rather a call to make sure that the reporters have everything they need in order to write a favorable story on your organization.

Whenever our company executives were interviewed by reporters, one team member would always accompany them to the interview to take careful notes. Alternately, the other team member would remain in the office on standby. If, during the interview, the reporter indicated a need for specific information, an urgent message would be relayed back to the office so that the team member had time to gather the information. Without fail, we always had the requested information waiting in the reporter's e-mail inbox before they arrived back to the office. This may seem like a small task, but getting it right could really decide whether or not a reporter selects your story, or moves on to a new one.

The important point to remember here is this. Never underestimate the power and dedication of your in-house staff. Before you make the investment in retaining a PR agency, look at your internal talent first. What you find just might surprise you, and their drive to succeed will become contagious throughout your entire organization. And when the time comes to hire a PR firm, you will have a ready-made collaborative team in place to work with your outside agency. Your in-house team knows your company better than anyone and that's where you, as a small-business owner, have an advantage over the "big boys" at the large PR agencies in getting the media's attention.

About The Author

Carolyn Davenport-Moncel is president and founder of Mondave Communications, a global marketing and communications firm based in Chicago and Paris, and a subsidiary of MotionTemps, LLC. Contact her at carolyn@motiontemps.com or by phone in the United States at 877.815.0167 or 011.331.4997.9059 in France.

Teaching Reading: Part One

One of the biggest milestones in our children's education is when they learn how to read. You've probably asked yourself, "When is the best time to teach my child to read?" You can research this until you are blue in the face, but the answer is really very simple. You've already started, because from the moment your child is born, you are teaching him. We talk to our babies. We read to them. We sing to them. We recite silly little verses while we change their diapers or put them in their car seat. We hug and cuddle our children. We play with them. We laugh with them. We read to them.

The key to becoming a good reader is an early and varied exposure to language. What does this mean? Basically, the more you can expose your child to language, the better. How can you do this?

Read aloud to your child every day. Probably the most important daily activity parents can do with their children is to read aloud. Reading to children increases their knowledge of the world, their vocabulary, their familiarity with written language ('book language'), and their interest in reading. From being read to repeatedly, children learn that reading is enjoyable, that pictures provide clues to the story, that books and print go from left to right, that print represents words and meaning, that stories have a beginning and an end. By listening, watching, and asking questions, they add to their vocabulary and increase their comprehension. Repeated reading not only helps children learn to read but also has an impact on school success. Lifelong enjoyment of reading is directly related to daily reading.

Reading aloud is not just for children who are too young to read on their own. In our next article we will give specific tips on how to read aloud, as well as suggestions as to what you can read aloud to children from birth to age 12.

Talk to your child in normal, everyday language. Communicating with your child, from infancy onward, is one of the most pleasurable and rewarding experiences for both parent and child. Children are avid learners at all ages, absorbing information through daily interactions and experiences with other children, adults, and the world. Your baby is listening to everything you say, and he's storing it away at an incredible rate. Instead of using "baby" words, teach him the correct names for people, places and things. Speak slowly and clearly, and keep it simple. By using "baby talk", children don't have a chance to broaden their vocabulary beyond the very basics, and they don't develop proper speech patterns.

The more interactive conversation and play a child is involved in, the more a child learns. Reading books, singing, playing word games, and simply talking to your child will increase his vocabulary while providing increased listening opportunities. Here are a few suggestions to help improve your child's communication skills:

? Talk to your toddler about what she did during the day or what she plans to do tomorrow. "I think it's going to rain this afternoon. What shall we do?" Or discuss the day's events at bedtime.

? Play make-believe games.

? Read your child's favorite books over and over and encourage her to join in with words she knows. Encourage "pretend" reading (let your child pretend she is reading the book to you).

Play rhyming games with your child. You can help your child improve auditory (listening) skills by teaching how to rhyme. Knowing how to rhyme will help your child read word "families" such as let, met, pet, wet, and get. Notice that rhyming words have same sound endings but different beginning sounds. Some words don't look the same: ache, cake, steak but they rhyme.

To summarize, learning how to read begins in children's ears. Parents lay a foundation for success in reading by talking to a child, reading books to him, and playing auditory games such as rhyming. The more books you read, the bigger your child's vocabulary becomes. A bigger vocabulary allows him to recognize lots of words while he reads. If you've read books to him about cheetahs and warthogs, it's more likely he can read those words when he comes across them as he reads on his own.

Tom & Shelley Cooper

Tom is a Director in a large humanitarian aid organization and Shelley left a successful career as a financial analyst to work in education because of her love and concern for children. They have two children who were the inspiration for their web site: http://educational-toys-4u.com

Limiting Cell Phone Use for Re-Allocation to First Responders

Judging from the 9-11 hearings and many reports by first responder organizations for increased needs during major catastrophic events or INTERNATIONAL Terrorism Attacks of communications, it appears that the average citizenry with personal needs will also need their personal communication available to contact family members, make arrangements for travel, etc. If First Responders soak up all available communication lines, methods, frequencies then the people effected will not have their needed communications.

Yet we must understand that if the citizens tie up all available civilian lines such as cell phone towers then the First Reponders once maxed out will have to take control of those communication systems for official use. This will cause immediate chaos as people become hysterical and ordinary people attempt to do things which they would never normally do, such as run a road block with their cars in order to get to loved ones. This is also a real problem if you need to isolate people who may have been exposed to biological weapons, becuase you need to keep them from spreading it until you can deliver the medicine.

In reading this report:

First Response Communications Are Critical to U.S. Terrorism Strategy.

http://fcw.bitpipe.com/data/detail?id=1086200723_388&type=RES&src=KA_RES_20040626

DESCRIPTION: In this article, the operations chief for all federal response assets at Ground Zero talks about the future of standards-based interoperable communications.

It explains the excessive needs for communication to repsonders as the size of the event is bigger. The larger the crisis the more communication which is needed. In the 9-11 attacks there were condemnation for the unprepared nature of the communication chain by loved ones who had lost family members.

A system could be put in place that limited cell phone calls to 2 minutes, by use of a recording that explained that the limit for phone call was 2 minutes and that there is a restriction to more than two phone calls every 10 minutes. Thus this might solve the issue of having to turn off public use of the cell phones system for use by only first responders, which could cause mass hysteria and worsen the problems.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Getting a Debt Consolidation Loan

Should you find yourself getting in over your head with debt, you might be a prime candidate for a debt consolidation loan. These loans are designed for those with a heavy burden of debt, and are used to consolidate a large number of debts into a single manageable payment. The debt consolidation loan is used to pay off the other debts, leaving only the loan itself in need of repayment.

How much should I borrow?

Considering that a debt consolidation loan is designed to replace other debts, the amount that you borrow should be as much as you need to pay off the total sum of your outstanding debt. If you're unable to get the total amount that you need to pay off all of your debts, then you should at least borrow enough with your debt consolidation loan so that you can pay off your largest debts (and hopefully make headway toward the others.)

How much debt do I need to have before consolidation?

There isn't a set amount of debt that you must have before considering a debt consolidation loan; the loan is simply a way of handling debt that is reasonably beyond your ability to pay it back. Many debt consolidation loan companies offer loans of ?50,000 or more, though a growing trend is to offer loans starting at ?5,000 as well so as to take care of outstanding debts before they climb as high as the larger loans. Lesser loans can also be used as a debt consolidation loan, though they occasionally have other criteria that must be met (especially in much smaller loans.)

What collateral do I need?

As the bank or finance company will obviously be aware of your debt problem when you apply for a debt consolidation loan, you'll need to be able to supply collateral for the loan (meaning that you'll have to be able to guarantee the loan with some property that the lender could sell should you not repay.) The collateral can vary depending upon the amount of the loan as well as the lender, with the most common forms of collateral being automobile titles and real estate property deeds. As these are usually higher-priced items, using them as collateral allows for a larger debt consolidation loan? not to mention giving a greater incentive for repayment.

A debt consolidation loan can give you a new start if you can't handle all of the various payments you're expected to make that you can't afford. It's also a great way to pay off old debts that may have been turned over to collection agencies, and should be looked at as a viable option before considering more serious actions such as bankruptcy.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author's biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.