How To Assess Resale Value For First Time Buyers By: Geoff McLean | - One of many factors that must be considered when first time home buyers are choosing which home to buy is the resale value of properties they are looking at. Inexperienced buyers can overlook this issue and an experienced realtor who specializes in helping first time buyers will know this and (if theyre worth their salt) point out the matter so that their clients dont make an unwise purchase.
Do You Have A Social Strategy For 2012? By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - 2012 is quickly approaching and I am astonished by how many large organizations I still encounter who:
1. Have no social media presence at all
2. Have social media but no social strategy
3. Have not prioritized social media as a top priority in their marketing plans
At this stage in the game there is no valid reason in my mind for an organization to not be engaging in Social Media. Here are our top 5 reasons why you should have a social strategy for 2012.
Sometimes people find themselves in a position where they know they are going to owe the "tax man" money but just can't figure out how they're going to pay it. So that you are prepared to pay the tax man, know how to file your taxes and save yourself the additional stress.
The Difference Between Luxury Consumers And Affluent Consumers By: Margaret Winfrey | - Luxury consumers and affluent consumers are not the same, but are different sets of the consumer market for two fundamental reasons. It is important for many businesses that they can distinguish the difference between the two, because the subtle differences involved can have a significant impact on your future manufacturing and marketing strategies, and even on the future success of your business.
Financing And Leasing Or Does It Make More Sense To Pay Cash For A Vehicle? By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - In recent years automotive manufacturers have made it easier and easier to buy a new vehicle. Offering no interest and low interest financing and leasing with no money down, IF you buy a new vehicle. Some will even offer new vehicle financing as long as 84 months (7 years) all to make the payment, one that you can afford to pay monthly, so that you buy.
Good Production And The Value Of A Good Production Shop By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - Many businesses make the fatal mistake when advertising of cutting corners to save money. Cutting corners could result in a cut to the quality and consistency of your image.
This often happens when companies allow radio and television stations to throw in complimentary production of their commercials. The development of a strong brand has a major creative component and each producer/artist/designer will apply their own skill and style to their production value.
Brand Identity - What Is A Brand? By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - By technical definition a brand is "a name, sign, symbol, slogan or anything that is used to identify and distinguish a specific product, service, or business".
This hardly describes what successful branding means to a business. Your Brand Identity should be a strong brand that is recognizable by the consumer and a stronger brand causes a consumer to have an emotional reaction or feel something, when they recognize the brand that they use and enjoy.
The US government is considering capping bank ATM fees and I believe the Canadian Government should do the same. You probably don't even notice, or have any idea how much you are paying in banking fees.
Web-video Not Streaming On Mobile Devices? No Problem! By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - You may or may not know this but often times when video code from services like YouTube is embedded into a webpage it does not stream on mobile devices.
Because video is such an important component to Social Media we often have clients ask us how they can stream their video on mobile devices or if there is an alternate to YouTube that produces code that can be easily embedded into a blog or other Social Media AND that will stream on mobile devices?
Advertising Programs - Discover The Right Formula For Business Growth By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - Many small business owners get nervous when committing to big ticket advertising. While Social Media is important, it does not replace traditional advertising, rather it supports it.
Building a business is like building a house. Think of your website and Social Media as the foundation of your house. The exterior of your home, landscape and gardening are the advertising inviting those passing by to come and take a look.
Canadian Credit Score By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - There are many misconceptions concerning Canadian Credit Scores. The average person who is employed and making payments on credit will believe that they have good credit. Some may have even pulled a credit report from one of three reporting agencies and are convinced because their score is average or above that they have good credit. This is not true.
Facebook Pay-per-click Advertising - Does It Work? By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - On Facebook you can promote your company, product, service and/or Fanpage a number of different ways. Facebook pay-per-click enables you to publish an ad on Facebook. There are different types of Facebook ads that are used for different purposes.
You can use a Facebook ad to directly promote a product or service so that when the user clicks on the ad, they go to your website or a landing page.
Cost Of Living Increases Dramatically In Ontario By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - Operating a business in Ontario and living here too; we are feeling the pain at the pump, grocery store and everywhere else for that matter, just as much as you are!
You would think that this would be the NUMBER ONE issue that our politicians would be discussing this election season.
After reviewing the recent Consumer price index, published by Statistics Canada, you will be shocked by some of the highlights:
Politics And Social Media Marketing By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - In the last U.S. presidential election, Barrack Obama proved how powerful Social Media can be in politics. Social Media sites have grown to have larger audiences than the mainstream television networks.
Facebook has over 600,000,000 users worldwide, Twitter has more than 180,000,000 and LinkedIn has over 140,000,000 users and boasts the largest network of affluent professionals worldwide.
Social Media Strategies For Law Enforcement By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - I was inspired to write this by a Law Enforcement executive who joined one of our LinkedIn Groups. Law Enforcement is one industry that stands to reap massive benefits from Social Media.
Law enforcement can use Social Media Marketing in human resources, communications, public relations, investigations, marketing, fundraising and more.
Average Gas Price Is Skyrocketing Leaving Canadians Strapped For Cash By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - With gas prices being so high it's amazing it hasn't become a major issue in this year's election. The fluctuating gas prices have been a major issue for Ontarians for decades with many Canadians calling for regulation in the oil industry.
Maximize Your Tweets - How To Make The Most Of Your Tweets By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - So many professionals are interested in Twitter but just aren't quite sure how to use it. I mean a Tweet is only up to 140 characters right? When you Tweet, who sees it anyways?
On Twitter you can do a lot with your 140 characters. Your Tweet is not like an optimized blog page that becomes an optimized webpage on the internet. A Tweet is a short burst of information.
Companies are using Social Media in many different facets of their organizations that include human resources, corporate communications, marketing, sales and business development.
How To Get Fans And Followers When Your Business Caters To Prospects In Crisis By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - If your business solves a problem (while your service may be great), you may have found it is harder to build a base of fans or followers on your Social Media than you may have initially thought. When an individual agrees to "like" or "follow" your page, their friends and family will be able to see it on their profile.
What Is A Gross Debt Service Ratio And Total Debt Service Ratio? By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - Anytime you apply to a Canadian bank for a mortgage you will be required to meet lending criteria. Most banks in Canada consider your:
-Stability
-Income and income type
-Debt service rations
-Credit
There are two types of Debt Service Ratios, Gross Debt Service Ratio and Total Debt Service Ratio. Let's first review how the debt service ratios are calculated.
Why Every Organization Should Set Up A Facebook Fanpage By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - One thing that we sometimes encounter is organizations that are apprehensive about creating a Facebook Fanpage. Facebook is often perceived as a consumer medium where individuals go to share with their friends and family, some businesses don"t see it as a platform that reflects or runs parallel to their brand.
If this is you, we hope that this article changes your mind!
What Is A Loan To Value? By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - If you have ever owned a home or are thinking of buying one you may have heard the term loan to value or "LTV" for short. This is a calculation that reflects the amount of debt you owe against your home as a percentage.
For example if you owned a home worth $200,000 and you had a $100,000 mortgage, your mortgage would represent 50% of the value of your home and so the loan to value would be 50%.
You can use your corporate video on Facebook, you can embed them in your blogs, upload them to YouTube, Flickr, Multiply, Bebo and more.
When it comes to video sharing sites, you will need video in order to stake your place there. While YouTube does allow microblogs, you get the most impact out of posting video.
President Obama Signs The Dodd Frank Reform Bill And A New Consumer Protection Agency Will Be Formed By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - The Dodd-Frank reform bill was recently signed by President Obama. The Dodd-Frank reform bill sets up a Federal Consumer Protection agency that oversees credit, credit/debit cards, consumer loans, payday loans and credit reporting agencies. It will regulate fees and lending practices.
American Financial Institutions will now be required to consider a borrowers income and job status in addition to their credit history.
How Do You Rate With Lenders? A True Assess Client Testimonial By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - Most people think of their credit report score when determining if they will qualify for a loan. While credit scores are considered by banks, they are not the only criteria that are used. Your income, debt load and financial stability are some of the areas that are considered. But how do banks rank this information? Have you ever received a rejection letter on a credit application and wondered why?
Linkedin Plays An Important Role In Professional Social Media Marketing By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - LinkedIn is the worlds largest professional network with over 80 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn is different from other Social Networking sites because it is used for professionals to network with other professionals. The LinkedIn profile is formatted like a resume and users post their professional experience, specialities, educational background, professional contact information and more.
What To Do When Sales Are Down By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - If sales are down the first thing you need to consider is why. Take a step back and consider the feedback of your staff and customers. Is business slow because of the economy or could it be that new competition has emerged?
You will notice that if sales are down, team morale may be down too. You have to turn things around. The first thing you should do is review your website, online presence, social media, and search engine rankings.
New Canadian Housing Rules "€" Cmhc Will Reduce The Amount You Can Borrow Against Your Home From 90% By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - The Canadian Government announced new housing rules today that further tighten the criteria for high ratio mortgage insurance financing. In the next three weeks we are going to write an article that covers each new change, its impact to you and what you can do to prepare for a continuing trend of financial belt tightening in Ottawa.
Social Media Marketing Tip "€" Improve Your Video Blog By Using Talent! By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - Social Media Marketing is where it is at! Social Media Marketing through articles and videos makes businesses more accessible to their clients and prospects. Some sites like YouTube, Flickr, Multiply and Bedo only allow you to share images and video.
Social Media Marketing Can Be Used For Many Different Purposes. By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - How you use your social media will be largely dependent on the type of business and industry you are in. Organizations use Social Media marketing for many different reasons. To enhance online exposure, to soft market to networks developed on social media sites, to increase rankings on Google and other search engines and more.
How To Use And Repurpose Your Content To Achieve The Maximum Results By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - The success of an organization is greatly dependent on its ability to convey their services in a manner that will appeal to prospects and customers. Positioning the strengths of your products and services in a way that your target market can relate to will grow your sales and return business.
Teach Your Children About How To Build Their Financial Profile By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - They dont teach our children how to manage money and the importance of credit in school, while children have their own money from a young age through allowances, part time jobs, bake and garage sales and more.
The moment your child begins to know what money is and begin coming into contact with it, is the moment educating them how to manage it begins. The first thing to teach them is the value of money and why it is important to save it.
To Provide The Best Service "€" You Must First Step Into The Shoes Of Your Customer By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - When you are inside a business, it is really easy to get into the habit of doing things one way. You understand your product and service better than anyone, especially the prospects that you are trying to attract to your service. You have to make your service easy for your prospect to find, understand, purchase and use.
The Top 5 Types Of Credit Not To Use For Your Christmas Shopping By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - The holidays are a beautiful time of year. If you have children, there is nothing more memorable that seeing your kids peer through shop windows with a twinkle in their eyes. Only now with IPODs, gaming systems, mobile devices and more; one Christmas gift could cost you $100 dollars or even more.
Canadian Software Companies Use Corporate Screen Casts To Train Their Clients By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - Traditionally both desk top based and web based service providers have used text based help tutorials to train and assist customers that are using their application. In the past five years more and more organizations have turned to corporate screen casts to achieve this task.
Financial Tips For Christmas Credit And Budgeting By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - The holiday season can be dangerous. It is really tempting to go crazy and buy your family what their hearts desire, on your credit cards. It's also easy to get drawn into sales promotions at the mall being offered free gifts and discounts in exchange for applying for credit or tempting no interest financing deals. You may be thinking I can finally afford to buy my husband that 40 flat screen TV.
The Conveyancer is the ultimate deal closing database for real-estate lawyers. It offers functionality that saves time and improves your administrative efficiency.
Find Out What Is On Your Credit Report By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - Your credit report is made up of 4 main sections. Here is a basic outline of each section and how they impact your credit score.
Personal Information - This is information like your first and last name, SIN, date of birth, last known addresses, the date your credit report was created etc Impacts: If you change residences often or use different addresses on your credit report, this will negatively impact your Beacon Score as it demonstrates instability.
The Huffington Post reported this past week that Queen Elizabeth is now on Facebook.
According to the release in the Huffington, the Queen has launched a series of official pages offering the website's 500 million users daily updates on her engagements.
Interest Rates Have Nowhere Else To Go But Up By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - 2010 has been a big year for interest rate increases in Canada. While we have enjoyed low interest rates for the past couple of years, rates have only been low as a result of the economic instability.
Can Social Networking Affect Your Credit Rating With The Bank? By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - How could Facebook, Twitter or other social networking sites affect your credit when they have nothing to do with how you pay your bills? We spend a lot of time educating the public about what banks look at when approving a credit application.
Ways To Assess Employee Competencies By: Silas Reed | - When you assess employee competencies, you can do so in a wide variety of ways. But then you need to find out a way which is going to suite your origination the best. Different approaches will provide you with different benefits. There are some guidelines which will help you decide on which one is the best for you.
Now first of all you need to decide on a rating scale which you are going to choose. You can either use a universal rating scale or you can decide on a rating scale your ... Tags:assess employee competencies, assess employees, ways to assess
What Makes More Sense, Financing, Leasing Or Paying Cash For A Vehicle? By: Courtney Jewell-McElroy | - As recently as 10 years ago automotive purchasers have made it easier and easier to buy a new vehicle. Offering no and low interest leases with $0 down and financing IF you buy new. Some will even extend new vehicle financing as long as 84 months (7 years) to be able to make the payment, one that you can afford to pay monthly.
How To Assess Condition And Value Of A Used Car By: David Parker II | - In the absence of a reliable valuation medium like Kelly Blue Book, most Pakistanis find it difficult to correctly assess the value of a used car.
AutosPak is currently working on a formula to enable its clients to assess their car value while selling, buying or trading. There are a number of factors which are relevant to Pakistan.
Road conditions in the country are not uniform.
How To Assess Your Marketing Efforts In 3 Simple Steps By: Donna-Marie Coggins | - Assessing small business marketing efforts is essential to the success of your campaigns. Once you have a formal marketing strategy in place, you will need to follow it and evaluate its effectiveness. In so doing, you'll determine whether your strategy is on-target, or how it needs to change.
There are just three basic steps involved in marketing assessment. To determine the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and increase your chances of success in small business, you'll need ... Tags:assess marketing, success in small business, small business marketing
