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Cashing In On Technology Trends
By Shelley Lowery ©
2006
If you're marketing your products or services on the Internet,
keeping up with the latest Internet technology is an important part of
developing a successful Internet business. For this reason, this article will
focus on some of the latest technology trends and how you can use them to market
your products or services.
Blogs
If you've been on the
Internet for any time at all, you have most-likely heard about blogs. A blog,
which is short for web log, is a personal online journal that is open for public
viewing.
The author of a blog, referred to as a blogger (web logger),
usually makes entries to the blog on a very frequent basis. These entries
usually contain commentary on specific issues, helpful tips and/or instructions
with regard to the subject matter and recommended links to appropriate
resources.
Blogs have the potential to create a wealth of repeat traffic
to your web site, as if the subject is of interest to your target market, your
readers will return each day to read your latest post. What's more, Search
Engines love blogs, as they are loaded with content and updated
frequently.
Visit Blogger to learn more and set up a free blog: http://www.blogger.com
Vlog
A vlog, which
is short for video blog, is a personal online video journal that is open for
public viewing and/or downloading. Vlogging can refer to either streaming video
or downloadable videos within a web log.
To create a vlog, your first
step will be to record a video and save the file on your computer. The following
software programs will assist you in creating your video:
As there are many in-depth
steps to creating a vlog, you may want visit a site, such as www.freevlog.org for a complete
step by step tutorial.
Vlogs combine the power of text blogs with video
and can be a very effective sales
tool.
Podcasting
Podcasting is the distribution of audio
files over the Internet, such as a radio broadcast. It is one of the hottest
ideas to hit the Internet, as users can download the broadcast to their media
player, such as an iPod or MP3 player, and listen at their leisure.
To
create a Podcast, you will need to create an audio file and save it in MP3
format. You can then upload the file to your server, along with an RSS (Really
Simple Syndication) file. Your listeners can then download your program using a
special program that will enable them to retrieve your file
automatically.
Once you have created your podcast, you can then register
it at a podcast directory, such as www.podcast.net so that people can subscribe.
Although
the most popular form of podcasts are audio files, you can also create a podcast
that will transmit video, text, and image files to any capable media player.
Distributing your own podcast is a great way to market your products
and/or services.
You can find a step by step guide to creating your own
podcast here:
http://radio.about.com/od/podcastin1/a/aa030805a.htm
If
you need assistance creating your podcast, Rick Beneteau, of Mentor Audio, will
be happy to assist you: http://www.mentoraudio.com/podcast/
All of the above
technology utilizes RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is an
XML format specifically designed to share content. You can learn more about this
powerful technology here: http://www.web-source.net/syndicate.htm
All of the above
marketing tools provide a great way for you to reach your protential customers.
As with most marketing techniques, it is best to provide your readers with
quality information that teaches or informs with regard to the subject and
simply recommend products or services to assist them. These recommendations may
be your own products or services or those of an affiliate program you are
promoting. It's a win - win proposition no matter how you look at it. Your
reader is provided with the information they desire, and you make a
sale.
With all of the latest technology, it has never been any easier to
reach your potential customers. Use this technology to your fullest
advantage.
Copyright © 2006 Shelley Lowery
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