Blogger vs. Wordpress: Which one is better?

A lot of bloggers have this discussion. Which one is actually better? Which platform do you use to build your blog on, and is there any other blogging sites? We will answer all these questions and more in this article.
With social networking sites rapidly gaining momentum, let’s not forget that there’s not a whole lot you can express in a status box or better yet 140 characters. A blog is an essential piece of real estate for any online business or simply those who’d like to express themselves without any constraints. Blogs are a great way to position yourself as an expert in your niche, and promote your products and services. Until a few years ago, blogs were regarded as online journals, but have evolved into marketing and advertising powerhouses that substantially boost your online presence.

There are a number of blogging platforms to choose from today so which one is right for you? Two of the distinguished names are Blogger (www.blogger.com)  and Wordpress (www.wordpress.org), and each of them has its own unique features to boast and maybe a handful of drawbacks as well. These blogging services are widely accepted and used, but if you’re just getting started with blogging, then choosing one or the other may seem overwhelming. For starters, both these platforms eradicate the need for any complex coding, and any intense backend modifications.

This type of complete blogging solution allows you focus on the most critical aspect of running a blog, and that is creating remarkable content. They come pre-installed with all the features needed to write, edit and manage your posts, with the help of WYSIWYG editors. For coders or those who possess some level of coding skills, there’s always the option to switch back and forth and insert the code yourself. Using hosted services such as Blogger or Wordpress doesn’t mean that you can’t make use of powerful features, but they let you do much more from creating customized forms and polls to integrating efficiently with social networking sites.

Brought to you by Google, Blogger was one of the first blogging platforms to be introduced, and was initially launched by Pyra Labs in 2009. Over the years it has been considerably revamped and is now more powerful than ever. Wordpress may have been a little late walking into the show in 2003, but has wasted no time in becoming the blogging platform of choice for even the most seasoned bloggers. According to statistics of 2011, Wordpress is a proffered blogging engine for more than 20% of blogs on the web, and this surge of appeal doesn’t seem to be coming to a halt anytime soon.

There are many things to consider when choosing between Wordpress and Bloggers, but regardless of your pick, you can’t go wrong with either. Both platforms offer a smooth setup process, but this may not be the case for all levels of users. Starting with blogger, it offers a streamlined setup process to the point where one may feel that it was designed exclusively to introduce blogging to the masses. You will however require a Google account to get started just like all their products, and then it’s just the matter of choosing your domain name and theme. Just like Blogger, setting up Wordpress is also pretty straightforward, but the only hiccup you may experience is if you’re adding plugins and other enhancements.

Blogger is free to use as well as Wordpress, but you will need a paid domain name and hosting for the latter. If you pick a free blogging platform such as blogger, your domain name would look something like this; yourwebsite.blogger.com. However, when you go with a self hosted blogging solution such as Wordpress, your domain name will read something like this; yourwebsite.com or myblog.com. This doesn’t mean that Blogger is not a good option, but you get limited flexibility in terms of features and control.

Applications such as Mailchimp and AWeber that help you build email lists, which contribute significantly to your blogs performance and can only be added to Wordpress and other self hosted blogging platforms. Blogger is a good option for those who are on a tight budget or just getting their feet wet with blogging, and overall provides a pleasant experience. It also offers an excellent choice of themes and designs to improve the aesthetic appeal of your blog.

As mentioned before, content is the most crucial component of a blog regardless of whether it is sub-domain or self hosted. Generating content is not an easy task neither is it cheap, which brings us to the often neglected topic of ownership. For a moment, imagine that the content on your blog is a prized possession, which technically should be. Due to limited space, you are not able to accommodate this showpiece in your home so you decide to store it at your friend’s home.

Check out this video by Vana Chupp in which she compares the three most popular blogging platforms; Blogger, Wordpress and Tumblr:

Your friend has 3 dogs, 2 cats and 4 unruly kids so although she is willing to take care of your showpiece for free, she can’t guarantee it safety. Given this, you still agree to store your possession with her, but as you drive away another thought strikes you. Your friend is not well to do, and may get rid of your stuff while you’re away for some cash so now you’re in a different bind altogether. If you haven’t caught on yet, Blogger is your friend’s house and where you’re content is not safe.

Fact is that you have complete ownership of your content, and can publish or redistribute it as you see fit, but so can Google. Here’s an excerpt from the Blogger terms and service:

“When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing you have added to Google Maps). Some Services may offer you ways to access and remove content that has been provided to that Service. Also, in some of our Services, there are terms or settings that narrow the scope of our use of the content submitted in those Services. Make sure you have the necessary rights to grant us this license for any content that you submit to our Services.

We are constantly changing and improving our Services. We may add or remove functionalities or features, and we may suspend or stop a Service altogether.

You can stop using our Services at any time, although we’ll be sorry to see you go. Google may also stop providing Services to you, or add or create new limits to our Services at any time.

We believe that you own your data and preserving your access to such data is important. If we discontinue a Service, where reasonably possible, we will give you reasonable advance notice and a chance to get information out of that Service.”

Considering the above analogy and the terms above, if you simply spent more money for private storage for your possession, you would have peace of mind knowing that it is safe regardless of the weather. If you’re looking to get into professional blogging or earn handsomely, Wordpress gives you the freedom to do so. Contrariwise, if you’re on a tight budget or are just a beginner, Blogger is a great way to get started.  

Conculsion

Both of these blogging platforms are very good. Both are free to use however for Wordpress (www.wordpress.org) you would need a hosting plan, a good hosting plan is WordPress Hosting. However with blogger you would not need to buy a host because it is already hosted on Google's servers. You would need a domain name for both of them. I would recommend Go Daddy. If you follow this link you get 25% off: 25% off your first purchase! New Customers only!

Thanks for reading this article. Which blogging platform do you use? Which one do you think is better? Leave a comment below. If you enjoyed this article, then please share it. Also remember to subscribe to our RSS Feed for all our latest updates. Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter.

The Marketing Guy App - Now Available on Google Play

We are proud to announce the release of our new official app for The Marketing Guy. Currently it is only available on the Google Play Store so it is only supported by Android devices. However we are working on ways to bring the app to the iPhone/App Store and the Windows Phone. We are also working on ways of bringing the app on other devices as we want to make this app easily accessible.

The Marketing Guy is a free to download app that gives you free advice, tips, articles and resources on Internet Marketing/Marketing and how to make money online. It helps you improve your business and market your business properly.
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How to write a Killer Article That Will Get You Traffic

26 alphabets are the best and the worst things to play with. These alphabets are treacherous and friendly as well. Though there are many people and psychologists as well, who are of the view that most of the time we, human beings, use more and more nonverbal communication. They believe that more or less seventy per cent of our total communication is based on nonverbal communication. However, no one ever denied the power of written words; no one ever dared to challenge the significance of written words. Everyone is acquainted with the reality that it is the written word that created history. May be the early men were aware of its importance that is why they invent the art of writing. Indeed writing is the integral part of communication. Certainly the art of writing is transferable, however the art of effective writing is not transferable, and one get the mastery over writing with the passage of time, only practice can make a person perfect in this particular field. There is just one possibility, either someone can write effectively or he cannot write at all. There is no other way by any mean.

Writing is not important at all, in my opinion, how beautifully one can write this thing matters a lot. There hundreds of thousands people who are writing articles on World Wide Web and newspapers and so forth. However most of the time we do not give one look to those writings. What is the reason? Even they are talking about some recent happenings, product or services and the like. You must be aware of a term X Factor. X factor is basically a worth mentioning unusual and exceptional quality or talent. Whenever a writing piece is missing that X Factor, readers will not show their interest. Grabbing attention of the readers is not everyone’s cup of tea. There are many writers who want to write killer articles. Most of the time writers and more specifically new writers struggle a lot to make their articles worth reading.



There some people who hire the services of professional writers to write their articles for them. Writing maybe a different and difficult field; however it is not impossible to write at all. There is, certainly, nothing that cannot be done with practice and more practice. There is, indeed, nothing to worry about it. In fact, in my own opinion, ever person can write, if a person wants to write an article, he can write it and can attract the readers to his article. Writers do not need any specific degree at all. Writing a killing content does not need any rocket science of any kind. In the following lines I would like to share some tips to improve the quality of writing for any level and genre.

Selection of Killer Subject

Subject is the most important thing. It is the subject that catches the attention of the readers. Therefore if the subject is not catchy, no one will read that. Time is really precious and people have no time to waste on worthless readings. Selection of subject is the most crucial and decisive factor that play really important role on the rest of article. Subjects of the article grab the attention of people who are interested in that topic. For instance any article about the government shut down in United States of America had got the attention of government employees especially and people living within the territorial boundaries of United States of America, because they were affected by that shut down. In the same way articles about the legalization of marijuana may seize the sight of readers. Subjects act like magnet. It’s the subject that can attract the readers and again it’s the subject that can repel the readers.

Research of topic

Research is really important. It is research that gives the writer an authority to write about any topic. Without prior research, it will be impossible to write anything informative and killer article. Writer should have complete knowledge before writing any article. Mere thoughts and words can never clutch readers’ attention.
Use of Expressions

Proper use of expression is really indispensable for a killer article. Writing is, no doubt, one of the most imperative techniques and modes of expressing the thoughts, feelings, sentiments, and share philosophies and opinions of the writers to the readers. Certainly, some people have the inborn capability or talent to put their feelings and point of view into words. There is a perception that article writing is much more advantageous, especially for such people who are more expressive. Expression is the basic tool that can get the attention of the reader and later no one can resist that article.

People like surprises

At times surprises are good, especially when we read any article we like shocks. However, writers should take care that surprise is not turning into a shock. Surprises in any article keep the interest of the reader in the article and provoke him to read it completely.

Cohesiveness is must to write a killing Article

Cohesive and interconnected articles maintain the interest of the readers till the end. It is the cohesiveness that can grip the eye of the readers and can compel the reader to keep reading till the end. Lack of cohesiveness will result in jumbling of thoughts and eventually will lose the interest of readers. Killer article should have a cohesive content. Fragmented and disjointed thoughts in writing give rise to confusion, bewilderment and panic.

Do not drag your article

Dragging of article will result in boredom and tediousness. The prime aim of any writer should be development of interesting article. In fact interesting articles are the real killer articles. Writers should pay more attention to their writing style; it should be precised and condensed, only then readers will keep reading article.

Use of interesting vocabulary

Vocabulary plays an important role in gripping readers’ attention to any article. Writers should be acquainted with state of the art vocabulary, but at the same time they should not use difficult words too much, to facilitate non English readers as well.

Writing an article that receives a good amount of engagement, views and interest is a hard thing to achieve however it is not impossible. You have to deeply research the subject or topic you are writing about and make sure the article keeps the readers interest. You also have to make sure you do not digress too much and go off topic. Make sure you write good interesting, funny content.

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Learn How to Earn A Million Dollars from Your Blog

Money is certainly not everything, but then again nothing is possible without money. Writing is simply an art, and the best thing about the artist of 21st century is that they can earn as much as they can. Money and cash are the two most important things that have some exceptional influence over people around the globe. We have different languages, diverse cultures, and varied norms and mixed values, but the love for money is same. There is just one question that is hammering the minds of people “how to make money?” with the emergence of World Wide Web and then the advent of social networking, technology got a new turn. It seems as the pace of this technology will accelerate with every passing day. With the passage of time people started blaming computers and internet. Internet and computers were to blame for increasing the unemployment rate around the globe. However, blogs proved all such people and their assumption. What a great way to make money. Blogging is a great addition in modern fields of businesses.

Making money through blogging. Is it a dream or reality?

What is the myth of blogging? Post few of the successful blogs, grab the attention of as much traffic as you can. Consider a reader worth a penny, it means that with every single new reader you can accumulate more and more pennies, these pennies would turn into pounds and at the end of the day, you will be a millionaire. It is as simple as that. Jokes apart but then again blogging can be used as the best source to make money. You might be thinking of me as a day dreamer. Dreaming is not bad at all, rather somehow or the other these are the dreams that motivate people to attain impossible missions; it is the power of dream that provoke the person to attain what seems to be an impossible. For that reason, I would love to be a dreamer.

Do not follow rules. Break the rules and bring something extra ordinary

How many of you are being cursed by the family members, owing to excessive use of computer? Hey you are spoiling yourself . . . you will feel sorrow in future. . . and so forth There many dialogues that we listen every day when we logon to our computers. But now even some of the parents have the idea that their kids earn more than their annual salary by making use of their computer. In 2003 the idea of making online money was not reliable; however things are changed now and people around the world are working for online business and they are getting handsome salaries. Indeed blogging is an art that need some special talents. There are thousands of people who are managing their blogs, out of millions you have to make yourself prominent. What does make a blog successful and thriving? This is what I want to discuss with you. There are hundreds of people talking about the technicalities and difficult procedures to make money from blogs. I am surprized, why people are making things complicated, we are not talking with the laws of motion by Newton. There is just one simple rule behind a successful blog that can make billions of pounds and American dollars, and the rule is that there is no rule of any kind. Ok let me explain in simpler and pain words. Two and two makes four. Will you read any blog about why two and two makes four? I do not know about you but I would not read that at all. However if I had to write about this topic, I would rephrase the line as, “two and two do not make four any longer” or something like “two and two make five now.” This will seize the sight of the reader.

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do”

Proper research is needed before starting any blog. Research is the basic need of any sort of business around the globe, whether you are eying to start a manufacturing firm or financial analysts. In the same way even blogging needs some proper research. If you really want to make money with the help of your blog, then you should know what type of article grasp more and more trafficking. 1st thing a blogger ought to comprehend is that he is not writing for his own self; rather his aim is making money. When a blogger has a clear vision about his prime aim he would escort his writings in the right direction. Successful bloggers are the people who have a complete hold on the nerves of the people, they know what are the expectations of their readers and what they really want read. If you want to make money then you have to get the complete knowhow what is going on other successful blogs.

Dramatic blogs may earn more traffic!

People do not want to read your views. The fact is that you are not a celebrity, what makes your blog worth reading is your style of writing. Make it more dramatic and just feel the difference. People want to read simple things in more dramatic way. Create drama and grip the attention of readers and blog lovers. Interesting readings catch the attentions of the readers with no trouble to a certain extent.

Follow your Passion

If you have a passion for something, you should write about that. Your passion can be anything including football, bodybuilding, boxing, cats, cars, dogs the list could go on forever. If you start writing about something you like and are passionate about, you will enjoy it as well as make money. Take a look at some examples:

• Gardening
• Food
• Fitness
• Football

Insert some fun into blogging

Insurgencies and riots are taking place around the globe; people are fed up and depressed. More so, they wanted to get rid of depression, your blog can win the love and attraction of the readers if you feel that your comedy, wittiness or humour is simple state of the art. Humour can earn more traffic and can make your blog more successful.

What is going on around you? Keep your eyes and ears open

The more you post about the recent happening the more traffic you will get. Bloggers should know about all recent activities and happening. General knowledge is the key of success in most of departments and blog is one of such fields.

I hope you have enjoyed the article and hope you have learnt from it. If it helped you, please comment and share the content. Remember to subscribe to our RSS Feed.

                                                                                                                                               

How to Make Money on Facebook

The idea of making money on Facebook has received a surge of appeal in recent times, but can you really earn a passive income from a social networking site? Facebook is one of or probably the biggest social networking platforms around, and with over a billion active users, there are definitely several ways to capitalize on this potential. Given this undue attention, there are also a number of unscrupulous tips, tricks, sugar coated lies and strategies that aren’t worth exploring, but the ways listed below could bring in some serious cash. In this article you will find out the different ways you can use to earn money on Facebook.

Before you get started, you will need an active Facebook account, and if you don’t have one, it’s simply a matter of filling out a few fields, and then the standard email verification.

Facebook Fan Page

Every business on Facebook has a Facebook Fan Page or should have one in this social frenzy era. Creating a fan page is not limited to businesses, but anyone looking to promote their products can get started. Speaking of products, you will need to choose them wisely, and this may include affiliate links, eBooks, etc. Once you’ve chose a product, you can promote it through your personal Facebook page and other social media channels and even search engines. Key is to promote products that users feel will help them in some way or the other, and encourage them to click on the affiliate link where you get your commission or visit your official website to complete the buying process.

By going this route, you can also promote your own products such as eBooks and other forms of digital marketing. Regardless of the product or affiliate website you choose to promote, ensure that it will have your fans begging for more and not be a reason for disappointment, which may be detrimental to your future online endeavors. Check out our article on how to increase Facebook likes.

Affiliate Marketing

This is probably the most lucrative opportunity on Facebook, but is also one of the toughest to crack. Affiliate marketing on Facebook may be free to a certain extent, but you can also use Facebook ad space to enhance your efforts. You can use platforms such as Amazon, ClickBank and Commission Junction to source your products. Signing up with any one or all of them is extremely easy and free.

These websites provide you with a unique affiliate code that is embedded into the link, which potential buyers click on. Using this specific link and code ensures that you are paid for your efforts and have a hassle free affiliate experience. Although there’s not much to lose with affiliate marketing, you need to understand that your reputation is tied to any business you dabble into so it is important that you refrain from any activities that will taint it.  

Developing Facebook Apps

If you have some type of software experience and a tad bit of marketing skills, you can always develop and sell your own apps on Facebook and other social media platforms. Creating a single app that receives a fair amount of attention could open a world of opportunities for you starting with building a pronounced online reputation. Once you get your feet wet, you can help others transform their ideas by creating apps for them and for a handsome fee of course. Another way to capitalize on this is by marketing other relevant products through your developer fan page.

If you love Facebook, why not share your Experience?

Facebook is undoubtedly one of the biggest social media networking platforms today, and although it boasts over a billion users, there are a number of them who haven’t explored it to the fullest. This is where you can help by creating eBooks and blogs that highlight tips and strategies on using the platform. Facebook also releases regular updates that sadly sometimes go unheard due to busy daily routines, etc, and this is where you can be of assistance.

Creating a blog or an eBook is free most of the time, and should take no more than a few hours to populate them with useful content. You can either sell these guides and monetize your blogs by renting out ad space or simply use them to direct traffic to your other high value products.

Promote Existing Applications on Facebook

If you have excellent marketing skills, but lack what it takes to develop applications, then why not promote others creations for some extra cash. Promoting apps is easy, and can be done through your personal profile page. However, it is recommended that you confirm whether the specific app does have an active affiliate program, before lending your efforts. Speaking of making money from apps, there are a number of them that pay you in points that can be later redeemed for things such as mobile recharges, etc. Some great examples of these apps include LiveStock, AppBank and Embeepay.

With a billion plus users spending over a 10 billion minutes of interaction time, Facebook definitely offers great potential for anyone looking to make a bit of extra cash and the techniques above will definitely prove useful.

If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you to open a Facebook account and start implementing these money making tips. If you enjoyed this article please consider leaving a comment and make sure to share the article and like us on Facebook and Twitter. Also subscribe to our RSS Feed

How to earn a five figure income from Affiliate Marketing easily

If I had a penny for every time I heard 'money cannot buy happiness', I would be a rich man. These few words always raised the altitude of curiosity, because I always found happiness in it. And as I grew up I realized that perhaps my elders were making fun of their scarcity or they were trying to satisfy their so called ego by saying that they had no regrets owing the poverty or lack of financial resources. My every new day made me obvious that if the people are saying that they do not need money or cash or any other form of capital either they are not speaking truth or they are making fun, there is, in my opinion, no other reason of such philosophies. Now I wish they all were with me to answer a simple question that why should we pretend that what we do not need money to be happy, in spite of making money. Fortunately, the people who are living in this century and more specifically the internet users and have no reason to make such lame excuses. There are many ways to make money. We can make money, who says money is not easy to earn, it is as easy playing a game. Yes, affiliate marketing is offering the internet users with the most excellent opportunities to make money and to earn a five figure income quite easily.

It is an unquestionable reality that money or currency cannot ensure the happiness; however it is the sole guarantee of quality life. Affiliated marketing is an exceptional sort of marketing. It is based on the performance. This means that it is a business that rewards the affiliates for every single person that is transported by the marketing tactics and methods of affiliate. The game is played by 4 players that include network, retailers, vendors and affiliate. In simple words, affiliated marketing is a name of persuasion or stimulation for online buying. It is the technique of making money out of the trade between two different parties, purchaser and vender.


How can we make money with the help of affiliate marketing? It has scores of different forms such as PPC which is known as Pay Per Click, PPS and Pay Per Sale and PPL that refers to Pay Per Lead. In PPS the owner of the World Wide Web is compensated or rewarded on the basis of total numbers of transactions that are openly generated via an online promotional campaign by the person. The simplest and easiest way to make money is PPC. This is a form of promotional campaign in which the person behind the campaign remunerated on the basis of number of click on any advertisement. On the other hand Pay Per Lead is another sort of affiliate marketing in which the promoter recompenses the affiliate that is rooted in the conversion of the numbers of leads.

What is the basic requirement to make money via Affiliate marketing?

It seems as if we are talking about a miracle. How we can make money by selling a manufactured goods or service that does not belong to us? Neither we are producers of that product or service, nor are we the actual buyer, then how it can work for us. What are some basic roles to make money by making use of affiliate marketing? Yes there are some rules that can make our effort more effective and successful. For affiliate marketing all you need is your own blog/website and join affiliate networks like Clickbank, Share-a-sale and Commission Junction, once you have these your own your way to making your millions!  Let’s discuss those requisite of this business;

Grab the attention of the user:

The core aim of this business is grabbing the attention of internet users that are millions in numbers around the globe. The best thing of this form of business is the presence of a wide range of target audience that are available twenty four hours a day. The simple task of online and affiliate is to get the hold on the nerves of the buyers. It is the art of persuasion and influencing the people in a way that he or she should enthusiastically and freely act in the same way you want him to do.

Test some innovations:

Innovations are the best way to get rid of monotonous of life. No one likes to see the same thing again and again and, especially in case of promotional activities monotonous assassinate the attention of the users. If any affiliate wants to make a five figure income, he or she should pay attention to make use of innovative ideas for their promotional activities. Innovations are more or less like a backbone of this format of advertising, it is as necessary as oxygen indispensable for the survival of living things.

Be regular:

Your absence will create a gap and gaps create opportunities for others and new comers. Regularity will ensure the success and more income.

Use Some Bold Images

It is fact that images can do what words cannot do, especially in the field of advertisement. Popping up of a new window will create more profound impact if that window will be containing a picture or image. Images or pictures can easily grab the attention and if promoters are using bold images it will have more enduring impacts.

Never Drag You Promotional Message

Precise note is must for excellent promotion. Your aim is to take hold of entire attention of the internet users, and a dragged message can never catch the attention of would be customers. Simple and short message of promoters can have some enduring effects on the customers.

Play with Mind Set:

This is the most important game to play and most difficult one too. Promoters are supposed to play with the minds and psyche of the people. Make them realize that your product is the only thing that can worth purchasing.

Research can make or ruin your effort

Last, but not the least, research is the most important thing that can help the promoters a lot. They should know the previous and the current trends of marketing around the globe, so they can make their strategy accordingly. Proper research is a must for strong promotional strategy.

Affiliate Marketing is a very lucrative market with a huge earning potential. Internet Entrepreneur Tyler Cruz earns thousands of dollars a month just from affiliate marketing. To create a web empire like he has all you have to do is put the work in that is required.

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How to Run Your Blog Off of Outsourced Content Creators?

Publishing new content consistently is critical for the success of your personal or business blog. It is the most proven and effective way of marketing your business, but unfortunately writing new content is not as easy as it is seems. Just like running your blog, writing content requires time, tremendous efforts and patience, which most blog owners do not have or lack in some area or another. Outsourcing content is a smart solution to meet your content creation goals, but this route is often blighted by reports of language divides and quality. In this article you will learn how to outsource your article and content creation completely so you don't have to worry about it ever again. First check out this video about billionaire investor Warren Buffet and his views on outsourcing.

Cost is an important aspect to consider for any business, and in terms of creating content; there are two options – In-House Content Creators or Outsourced Content Creators. Using in house copywriters is often the expensive route to explore for many reasons including cost of living, experience, etc. However, outsourcing your content writing tasks is also highly recommended, and in fact 40% of blog owners in the United States alone rely on this stream of content creation.  

In fact, there are a number of content writing firms across the globe that compose content at a fraction of the price of In-House content creators for many reasons, particularly cost of living.  For example, a meal for two at a mid-range restaurant in the United States costs no less than $50, but that amount can also feed a family of four in a mid range restaurant in a foreign country, and that’s including a cab ride to and fro. 

That said, there are a few things to keep in mind when running your blog off outsourced content creators, and the tips below will help you avoid the chances of receiving botched content. When looking to outsource your content, you will be spoilt for choice, but there are few things you can do to get the best source. Before you outsource your content, you as a blog owner must be sure about the style, tone and voice you’d like to display on your blog. Once you’re affirmative with respect to the quality of content, you will be more comfortable and clear in conveying it to your content writing agency. There are a number of content writing agencies that you can outsource your article writing and content creation to. Some of the content creation firms include:

• www.whitehorsedigital.co.uk
• www.mediablaze.co.uk
• www.writemysite.co.uk
• http://www.snack-media.com/2012/01/article-writing-why-use-a-professional-copywriting-agency/

Next up is cost, which is probably the most important reason you’re considering outsourcing your content writing tasks to begin with. Regardless of the country you outsource to or price you pay for the content, quality is one element that cannot be toyed with no matter how pleasing the price may be. Your blog is your voice online, and saving a few dollars in a tradeoff for low quality content is absolutely detrimental to your reputation. Quality comes with a price, and even though you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg, you need to set a benchmark for what is acceptable and at what cost! To save money you could use freelancers that you find from online job sites. Some sites include:

• www.elance.com
• www.odesk.com
• www.fiverr.com
• www.seoclerks.com

The most important asset of any content writer or company whether big or small is their portfolio, and is what you need to peruse combined with their references to make a profound choice. Although references are a great way to gauge the reputation of the outsourced content agency, some may not be able to produce them as most of their work is catered to several clients rather than a single one. However, a healthy portfolio speaks volumes about the company in terms of quality and their language proficiency. A portfolio will contain samples on various niches, but it is important to focus on those that are relevant to your subject especially if you’re topic requires a fair amount of research. Content companies often claim that they are able to write on virtually any subject, but if Einstein could write on farming, hybrid farming would have been conceived decades ago.

The primary goal of looking at a portfolio is to judge whether the content company is able to deliver articulate content in a professional manner, and words that will surpass your expectations. After you’re satisfied with the portfolio, the next aspect to address is originality. Content that is not exclusively written for you or not unique is no good for SEO value or for your blog. To avoid getting refurbished or duplicate content, it is best to have the content agency provide you with a plagiarism report, which is rather standard practice these days. This report must be generated from a reputed plagiarism detection program and not one that is open source and or inaccurate.

Although it has become the norm for most content companies to provide a NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement), it is you who needs to ask for it before making a commitment. A standard NDA will highlight most of what is mentioned above, but will also include timescales and the fact that your content will not be used or reproduced in any form even in personal portfolios.

To further streamline your content writing tasks, many outsourced content providers will offer to publish them as well, but again this is something that you need to agree upon before the job commences. There may be a nominal fee involved for posting the content to your desired blog platform, but is definitely worth the price for most blog owners. Generating content is a time consuming task that can be used to focus on other revenue generating areas of your blog. This is why outsourcing your content may be a good idea, but it is important to get meaningful vocabulary at the right price.

Moreover, you need to establish a content strategy or what you want to accomplish with the content. Are you looking for mediocre content to simply fluff up your blog or content to boost your SEO presence and eventually increase your brand awareness? Simply put, the outsourced content agency must be able to provide you with content that translates your blogs mission and goals into revenue. 

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Case Study - Apple Marketing Strategy

Wrong kind of Apple

Apple is an American company that makes and designs computers and electronics such as the iPhone, iPod, iPad and Mac. They are regarded as immensely successful in a number of different areas including both as a hardware and software company. The company was founded on April 1, 1976, and incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. on January 3, 1977. In this article we will evaluate and critique the different techniques and strategies that Apple use as a company. You will learn a lot of strategies that Apple implement into their company and you will be able to use these for yourself.

Apple use many different strategies to implement a successful become a successful company. Apple is a unique company that utilizes many strategies. Apple’s main strategy is to scale all operations from the manufacturing process to retail, to meet global demand. Apple had revenue greater than $46 Billion. The iPhone and iPad have plenty of room left for growth as does the retail market for Apple.

Meeting demand for hundreds of millions of annual units requires flawless execution across the supply chain, distribution and with their manufacturing partners. We've become so accustomed to high tech products that it’s easy to forget what a shortage of a single component can do. When floods struck Thailand last fall, it disrupted disk drive supplies for nearly six months.

One of the current strategies of Apple’s is to rapidly expand in China and developing economies. Apple currently sells its iPhone’s exclusively through China Unicom which is over 190 million subscribers. Apple’s Asia Pacific sales (minus Japan) grew approximately 200% last year and account for 20% of Apple’s total revenue. Apple innovation has been very important for the developed world as well as the developing world. According to the SAF analysis this is one of the main strategies and would help Apple grow as a company.

As important as Apple’s innovation machine has been for the developed world, 2012 success in China and emerging economies will be fed by incremental product improvements. They may be combined with creative cost and/or pricing strategies that subsidize purchasing much like Verizon and AT&T has for U.S. iPhone customers. With rapidly growing middle classes, one might consider market access more important in the developing world than ground-breaking innovation.

Apple competes in the current market by differentiating their product and identifying the different needs of their customers. They do this by investing in Research and Development and Product development. According to the company's annual report, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple spent $3.4 billion on research and development during its fiscal year in 2012; this was up by 39% from the previous year. Investing in R&D is very important for Apple as they want continuous growth and a competitive position in the marketplace which is directly related to the development of new and enhanced products that are central to Apple’s core business strategy.

Market Penetration

Over the past years Apple has been successful thanks to their fresh, innovative and imaginative way to do business. The sales of the iPhone have equaled to 47.8 Million from the first quarter of 2013, this is due to the combination of innovative style and design, great strategy and excellent marketing.

Apple and the iPhone can owe its success to its exceptional marketing. The iPhone can be seen as fashion icons and they are seen as ‘fashion accessories’.

Another reason for success is that there are multiple locations to purchase the product from. Customers can purchase the iPhone from the Apple online store as well as the Apple retail store. They can also purchase the iPhone from many different outlets such as supermarkets, electronic stores and other retail outlets. The iPhone is sold at many different outlets and this enables Apple to profit from customers by having their products sold at many different outlets. This allows Apple to have a large market share for their product.

Shoppers sleep outside of the Apple stores to be one of the first to buy an iPhone, Apple is a company that enjoys fanatical brand loyalty and its users are very committed to the brand. This brand success is part of Apple’s well thought out plan to deliver strong products and create an Apple culture. This is part of Apple’s strategy to dominate the market and create a bigger profit for the company.

Market Development

A company follows a market development strategy for a current brand when it expands the potential market through new users or new uses. To improve their market share and develop their product Apple does many things to stay market leaders. Apple has deals with many different network providers to provide cheaper phone offers and contracts. For example if they strike up a deal with operator such as O2, O2 will then be able to sell the iPhone for a monthly fee which Apple also receive a percentage of. They do this so they can stay ahead of their competitors and make more profit for their company and continually grow. They also provide a loyalty scheme, and users who have continually purchased Apples products including the iPhone get discounts.

Apple understands, better perhaps than any company on the planet, the significance of being not only perpetually innovative but with a vast and loyal army of Apple fanatics behind it to regularly take category-busting risks. The amazing run, beginning over a decade ago, of the iMac, MacBook, iPod and iPhone. These landmark products not only were ambitious in their goals and beautifully designed, but they also exhibited multiple features that were so innovative that they forced the competition to spend years catching up and by then, Apple had already moved on to the next breakthrough.

The Apple iPhone is a classic example of that. It took nearly two years for Apple’s competitors to field products that are even close to the very first iPhone; to identify weaknesses in the device and respond. Apple, meanwhile, has used that time to continuously improve the iPhone the result being that the company now dominates the smartphone world to a degree Apple hasn’t enjoyed since the early years of the Macintosh.

Another selling point and key to the iPhone’s success is the vast number of apps available through the Apple App Store. Apple has had 40 Billion downloaded apps which is a massive figure and huge milestone for Apple. There are many different apps available for the iPhone, from guitar tuners to restaurant ratings to burp generators, and everything else.

Product Development

The iPhone is one of Apple’s biggest sellers and they have to keep improving this revolutionary product because the life cycle of the phone is typically very short. Updates for the iPhone are released almost yearly, as is a new version of an iPhone. They have to keep updating their products to stay ahead of their competitors. They offer free updates on their website to update the consumer’s old iPhone to the latest software. They have to carry on updating their products because if they didn’t then their products would go into decline.

The Mobile Phone market is mature and saturated and therefore Apple has to stay ahead of its competition. Apple has many different competitors including; Samsung, HTC, Nokia and Sony. When the iPhone was first released it dominated the smartphone market with its innovative design and graphical prowess but over time it has lost control of the market and allowed Samsung to capitalize and become market leaders. The iPhone has only 29% of the market share while Google/Android has 36.3%. They should carry on investing in the iPhone because it is one of Apple’s cash cows and it is making a substantial amount of money according the Boston Matrix.



The product lifecycle of the iPhone is very different to as compared to an average product. During the Introduction and Maturity stage Apple intensively market the iPhone so they gain maximum sales and make more profit. Their products last longer on the product lifecycle because they invest heavily into their products.

Apple are continually developing their products and investing money into R&D and marketing to further improve their products and better their brand. Apple’s marketing budget for the whole company is an astronomical $1 billion. They do this because it is imperative for Apple to remain market leaders of the market and get rid of their competitors. In their marketing campaigns Apple’s communication is sober, intriguing, simple, clear, minimalist and clever. It has a style of its own whether it is a TV ad, print ad or an online ad.

Apple also donates money to fund AIDS programs in Africa. Apple works alongside GlobalFund and has raised more than $50 million. This is a substantial figure and it is continually growing, and reducing diseases year by year. I think this is a great strategic decision for Apple and the iPhone as this enables them to give back and consumers will see this as the company being generous which in turn would be a very profitable and great tactic.

Diversification

For continuous growth as a company I think Apple would have to diversify into a different market and launch a new product. I think Apple should diversify into the video games market and launch their own video games console, as this would be they would be going into a different market and also they would have a different product. The video games market is estimated to be worth in the region of $25 billion. Today, the video game industry is a juggernaut of development; profit still drives technological advancement which is then used by other industry sectors. Though maturing, the video game industry is still very volatile, with third-party video game developers quickly cropping up, and just as quickly, going out of business. The latest consoles have an average lifespan of 10 years, which would mean that if Apple were to produce a games console, they would not need to design another one. A costly expense of going into a different market would be the Research and Development costs and the marketing costs. This is a market that they have never been in before and is relatively new for them therefore they would have to research the market to make their product better than their competitors.

Apple would have many competitors including the Sony PlayStation, Microsoft XBOX and Nintendo’s Wii Console. They would also have competition in the form of tablets and smartphones as well as online based computer games.

Apple already has experience in the games market as their devices can play popular games such as Angry Birds and Fifa without a problem. This would mean that if Apple were to design a games console it would not be hard for them to shift from the mobile and tablet platform to the games console market.

Apple website - Advertising the iPad. So simple, yet so elegant.

Boston Matrix

A Boston matrix analyses a company’s product portfolio and classes its products into four strategic business units: Stars, Question Marks, Cash Cows and Dogs. For each SBU, there are four more potential strategies to take: build market share, hold market share, harvest (reduce investment) and divest (phase-out).



Star: The iPad is the star because it has a high market share and is rapidly growing in the tablet market. The iPad is in its growth phase of the product life cycle however it is starting to lose its advantage as competitors plan to launch their own tablet devices. To prevent this from happening Apple should invest heavily into marketing the iPad to a larger audience in order to grow sales to maintain their market share. But then again in the future, when sales are consistent, Apple should harvest the product to turn it into a Cash Cow to fund other SBUs.



Question Mark: In a market dominated by Microsoft, Apple would always struggle to dominate in this market. The PC market continues to become lead by Microsoft despite Apple’s attempts with the Mac. Much of Microsoft’s dominance is down to strong business to business marketing and high switching costs for business and consumers. Apple could potentially use three strategies for the Mac:

1) Divest – If they were to divest the Mac it would mean they could devote more time on other more profitable products, however this is very unlikely as the Mac is part of their brand identity.

2) Build – Apple could invest a heavy amount of resources into the Mac however even with Apple’s huge cash flow, it would still be very difficult to beat Microsoft.

3) Hold – Another strategy they could use is to hold it. Apple will probably develop new mac and continue to support existing customers so this is the most likely strategy that Apple would implement.

Another one of Apple's successful promotions

Cash Cow: Apple’s main consistent sources of income are the iPhone and the iPod, both have reached the saturation point of their respected markets and Apple has a share of both these markets.

The iPod is reaching the decline stage of the product lifecycle and Apple is beginning to harvest the product. They are slowly reducing investments in marketing the iPod to increase their profitability; by generating more cash, further investments can be turned into question marks or even stars.

Dog: Apple TV is a device which allows media files in iTunes to be played wireless on TV through an iPhone, iPad or other compatible devices. The device has not been as popular as Apple were expecting it to be however Apple have launched a second and third generation of the product. They have showed they are committed to building sales of Apple TV although it seems they should divest the Apple TV and invest into something more profitable such as the iPad.

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Case Study: Tesco Marketing Strategy

Tesco is a large British multinational organisation which mainly sells grocery but over the recent years has expanded its product range to mobile phones, clothing and many other things that you can think of. They are the second largest retailer in the world behind Wal-mart. Tesco have many stores, spread over 14 countries and is the market leader in the UK. In this article we will take a look at Tesco and how they increase their market share to become one of the biggest retailers in the world. 

Tesco have a very marketing strategy in place. Tesco have introduced loyalty programs such as the club card, air miles and collect vouchers for kids club, these are designed to keep interacting with customers to strengthen loyalty with customers and create a better relationship with them.

In reference to sales and marketing, the Tesco Sales team have to select the correct channel to deliver products to the market place, in Tesco’s circumstances they directly supply their stores and use personal distribution resources from storage facilities to stores which indicate they decrease costs and waste management.

Tesco tend to use the club card as their main form of marketing on TV, online, leaflets, billboards and other methods that are available. Tesco due to their market size and power are able to introduce promotional offers cheaper than competitors and with the club card they are able to reward customers with points that are available in different forms for example air-miles, kids school vouchers, Tesco fuel, Tesco finance and other rewards that are available to its customers who use the Tesco club card. The club card has been a successful form of attracting custom and increasing sales also customers are able to use the club card for Tesco’s online sales which have seen an increase according for a source which brought in an extra £136m. Compared to Sainsbury’s nectar card Tesco’s marketing and the simplicity of the club card has been highly successful and continues to strive into improvements to its Sales team which continues to target customers to sell and with the club card have been able to aim at all market segments, using this resource they are primarily aiming at all socio economic groups.

Tesco Price Promise - One of Tesco's marketing campaign

As Tesco’s marketing campaigns are increased during Christmas and summer periods to attract more custom for the festive seasons they are able to introduce new promotional deals for customers such as alcoholic drinks, foods and other products. The marketing team are able to use the insurance, mobile, fuel and broadband to directly approach customers about any promotional offers and deals that are available to them which gives customers the feel of importance.

Once the products reach the stores management within the stores have merchandise the products into their allotments and suitable places for them to be purchased, the sales team interact with the marketing team to ensure customers are aware of products being available at the Tesco stores for example Tesco introduced Asian continental foods and products in stores that are situated in areas which have an Asian community living in the reach of a Tesco store but these products are only available in some Tesco stores where there is a market for them. All the products that Tesco have on sale have to be priced accordingly to ensure that they are if not cheaper at a competitive price against competitors. Tesco’s marketing campaigns have helped them achieving an increase of sales for the Tesco.com webpage and are again increasing its promotional offers to keep up competition.

Tesco seem to promote brands that are available at their stores more than their personal brands which again is a good way of attracting customers from all target markets with campaigns which include top brands from all markets being made available Tesco’s marketing team have to always advertise their products in the correct channels to achieve maximum sales of that particular product or range of products.

Tesco’s marketing teams objectives are to interact with local and national customers to conduct research to help find improvement to Tesco’s services and keeping up to date with the new trends, this process is difficult due to the introduction of new technology and marketing Tesco have been able to constantly adapt to the new trends and habits. Customers have unique tastes which Tesco’s marketing team try to attract customers with various methods of advertisement which could be via all of its services and E-mails.

Tesco's marketing campaign for Blinkbox, their on demand movie service

Sales team is set up to design the prices, reductions and other financial obstacles that occur which could affect Tesco’s capability on the market. Since the introduction of the Tesco price reductions on multi buy options, promotional offers and pricing of many items they have to ensure customers that they are getting value for money and the best customer service.

Without the assistance of the Sales and Marketing, Tesco would be missing a critical component in its effort to become number one in the market. Now that they have market control & are a large organisation they can introduce the best prices with the best channels of marketing to attract the custom. Without the correct pricing and marketing Tesco would not have been able to achieve as much as it has now without the efforts of the sales and marketing teams.

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