By now you’ve heard about the potential of social media marketing. This article has the numbers to prove how big the opportunities are.If your business operates in Toronto, you’ll want to pay close attention. A study in 2007 showed that this city had more Facebook members than any other North American city, with 13% of Torontonians signed up. With Facebook the most popular social networking site by far, it offers a captive audience too important for your Toronto business to ignore.Social Media – Exponential Growth Around the WorldNeilsen – the same company that determines the ratings of your favourite TV shows – has an online division that tracks Internet behaviour. Here are some of the findings from their most recent report. Released in March, 2009, the report summarizes global Internet activity from December, 2007 to December, 2008. Here’s what they found:o Visits to “member communities”, i.e. social networking sites, surpassed email in terms of Internet popularity. Using the measure of time on site, the Neilsen study shows that member communities have a global active reach of 66.8%, compared to 65.1% for email. In other words, two-thirds of global Internet users belong to a social networking site.o The study also notes that people are spending more time on social networking sites. In prior studies, the numbers showed that one of every 15 minutes online was spent on a social networking site. That number is now one in every 11 minutes. In the UK, it is one in every six minutes, and in Brazil, it is one in every 4 minutes.o The Neilsen report also shows the changing demographics of social networking, primarily on Facebook. The largest growth by age group was in the 35-49 demographic, which saw 24.1 million people join Facebook in the year of the study.These numbers make clear how valuable social media marketing has become. What’s more, another study from eMarketer shows that advertising-spending growth on social networks is dropping. The company’s original projection of 32% growth in spending was downgraded in March, 2009 to about half that – 17%. The drop indicates that companies are not interested in buying advertising on social networking sites but, rather, in building their own communities to attract attention and customers.Where to Start with Your Own Social Media Marketing PlanThere are many social media sites around, but the biggest one is (no surprise) Facebook. In 2008, the site saw an increase of 566% in time spent on the site, with an incredible total of 20.5 billion minutes logged over the course of the year.The Neilsen study shows Facebook’s dominance over one-time leader MySpace. Facebook had a change in active reach of 168% between 2007 and 2008, while MySpace’s active reach was -3%. Another site with an impressive increase in reach was LinkedIn, with 137% growth.If you are looking for a place to start, Facebook and LinkedIn are probably your best bet. Keep in mind that, as with any form of marketing, it is best to have a clear strategy for social media marketing. With the right planning and the right approach, you’ll be able to maximize the marketing potential of social media sites.
Social Media Marketing – Explosive Growth Means New Opportunities For Business
A 100% Financing Message to First Time Home Buyers – Seller Concessions, FHA & CalHFA
A couple of years ago you could get declined for a Discover card but you could qualify for a home loan. Think for a moment about the logic because I am not exaggerating. There were hundreds of thousands of people that got into loans that they were not qualified to handle, thus developing the onslaught of foreclosures and Short Sales that have come to pass. The rules of the game have changed and the difference now is that people will have to qualify and in some cases over qualify for financing. Lenders and consumers both have taken massive losses and new policy and laws have been set into motion to make sure that we never end up in a similar situation.There are numerous reasons to learn more about 100% financing besides that fact that about 90% of it completely disappeared. For instance, you could be a first time home buyer or know someone who is looking, that could benefit from this knowledge. You could be a realtor who needs to be kept up to date with the few remaining 100% programs so you can let your clientele know about them or, you could be a mortgage lender who wants to learn more about available products so you can serve your clients in a more effective manner.What ever your situation, I want to share some extremely valuable information that could keep you and the people you know, from wasting a ton of time and losing a large amount of money.100% financing in California is available through government sponsored programs. The two most common programs are called CalHFA and FHA. This article will dominantly focus on the CalHFA and FHA because they apply to the largest demographic. There are also other programs for educators and employees who work for a school district and receive salaries and if you are a U.S. Vet then the VA is a great option as well.For First Time Home Buyers, CalHFA offers down payment assistance programs which provide a helping hand of 3% of the sales price. This has to be paid back when you sell or refinance your home and is extremely beneficial because if there is a lack of funds to close, the 3% helps to absorb the closing costs and you don’t have to pay those “absorbed” out of pocket expenses. There are different down payment assistance programs and the parameters differ upon which of them you qualify for.Seller concessions are also important because they will absorb other closing costs as well. Seller concessions are common (especially in a buyers market) and CalHFA allows seller concessions designed as follows:o 3% of you are borrowing 90% of the property value or more.o 6% if you are borrowing 90% of the property value or lessAdd the Seller Concession to the Down Payment Assistance and you are looking at some major help to get into your home.FHA allows 6% Seller Concession and there are similar down payment assistance programs available (similar to that of CalHFA).Neither CalHFA nor FHA loans are subject to the California declining market decrease of 5% because CalHFA is its own entity (separate from mainstream housing lending) and FHA loans are federally insured.I highly suggest that if you are a First Time Home Buyer then you look at these opportunities and get a professional to pre-approve you, NOT pre-qualify you. The difference is a pre-qualification is a verbal go ahead and means nothing to a lender. A pre-Approval is a green light to go and get a house because under the approved information that you have submitted, you will be able to proceed into negotiations. A pre-approval is also a green light for an appraiser, a realtor, as well as buyers and sellers.Experienced real estate agents who know that they are doing will have you get pre-approved before they take you out to look at homes. This gives you a clear picture of how much money you can spend and it gives your realtor a chance to do some research on the available inventory of homes so they can show you exactly what fits your needs.For future information, there are many discussion boards, blogs, news sites, magazines and other sources of information that are available for you to review. It is always a good. My intent is to educate you so that you know that there are still opportunities out there and they are available to those who are willing to qualify for them.
How To Start Your Own Online Business And Find Fullfilment
It is quite easy to start your own online business today. This is because social media sites have provided a platform for online businesses to thrive.Online businesses are virtual stores that allow business owners to conduct their businesses via the web. These virtual stores help business owners to market their goods and services to the entire world.You can start your own online business without necessarily having a big office, shop, employees or even products. The internet has brought a revolution to the world of business in such a way that anyone who is willing to learn and apply the right techniques can make a fortune.Most of the richest people in the world have an internet based businesses. You should start your own internet business today, so that you can begin to work towards achieving your financial goals.Why Should You Start Your Own Online Business?If you want to know why you should start your own web-based business, here are a few of those reasons.It’s a great opportunityThe internet has opened a great door of opportunity for anyone who is interested in making money online. You do not need to have any special skill to start your own business on the internet. A passion to succeed and a willingness to learn is all you need to thrive in this area of business.The World has ChangedBusiness owners need to realize that the world has changed. Things are no longer done the way they used to be done. The internet has greatly influenced every activity including business.No matter how small or large your business is, if you want to make any headway in this new age of business, you need an internet presence. Any business owner who fails to establish an online presence will miss out on a great opportunity.Increase your Financial PotentialYou can increase your financial power exponentially if you start your own online business. If you have a day job, it is very difficult or almost impossible for you to increase your financial earnings.Regardless of no how many certificates you have, there is so little your employer or the system can offer you. However if you start your own business on the internet, your financial potential is limitless.How to StartYou should consider the online business opportunities available and choose the ones that you can do with the time you have at your disposal. You should consider your skills and training before you start your own web-based business.Below is a brief summary of the steps you should take to start your own business that’s based online.Choose the Type of Online Business you LikeThere are so many online business options to choose from. You can take time out to do some research to determine which ones are suitable for you. Affiliate marketing, blogging and network marketing are the popular businesses available today that can be started on the internet.Start ImmediatelyOnce you have chosen the business you like, you should learn as much as you can about it. It is important that you start immediately irrespective of the hurdles you might be facing. The earlier you start your own online business, the faster you can start paving your path to financial freedom.