How Can the Integration of LinkedIn and Microsoft Outlook Affect Email Marketing?

written by; Gary San

Outlook, Microsoft's popular desktop email software for professionals, has become one of the latest tools to help bring email marketing and social networking under a single umbrella. This was all made possible through integration with LinkedIn, the increasingly popular business-oriented social network. Thanks to an add-on by the name of Outlook Social Connector, the mail program can now provide both professional and social context to enhance the everyday email experience. When users receive a message from a member of the LinkedIn community, Outlook automatically displays an expandable pane housing details on the contacts most recent activity on the social network. The partnership offers tremendous potential to email marketers who want to reap the benefits of LinkedIn using Outlook.

Features and Capabilities

The social connector tool comes with a host of interesting features, the most obvious and significant being the connection of the two platforms. Thanks to this integration, you can open the Outlook client and view important information about your LinkedIn contacts, which is pulled directly from their profile. This includes their profile photo and the people they have recently connected with on the network, as well as status updates. You can also view the latest professional details such as the contacts most recent job, and where they are located. Perhaps the most intriguing attribute is that even if you are not connected with someone on LinkedIn, the add-on allows you to easily connect with that person via Outlook.

Another added bonus is seamless synchronization of your Outlook and LinkedIn contacts. Outlook automatically consolidates the data for your existing contacts, and the people you connect with on LinkedIn. You also have the ability to email your social contacts directly from the mail client. When composing a message and tying in the name of one of your contacts, their information will be logged into the system and automatically appear just like anyone else in your address book. If that contact happens to change their information on LinkedIn, it will be automatically updated in Outlook as well. To make the deal even sweeter, the social connector add-on lets you invite people to join your LinkedIn network by simply clicking a button in your email program.

Although the Outlook Social Connector is included as part of the Microsoft 2010 Office Suite, email marketers do not have to purchase a new software bundle to enjoy the new social-friendly features. The add-on can be downloaded and installed to work with both Outlook 2003 and 2007.

The LinkedIn Outlook toolbar has been on the market for a while now, but this integration represents the first major partnership between the software maker and professional social network.

The Next Great Email Marketing Tool

Considering the dependency on email and social networking, the Microsoft-LinkedIn partnership will likely prove valuable for both parties. Outlook receives an instant boost with social networking features that put it light-years ahead of any webmail system, and LinkedIn finds itself in the inbox of millions of professionals that use Microsoft's email program. While Outlook may not be the tool of choice for large-scale campaigns, marketers who realize its value will be able to take full advantage of the integration.

Step by Step Affiliate Business Plan

By; Bernie Dozier

If you're looking for a good source of income that could turn into your main income stream, then the Internet is probably your best bet. Of course, you will have to know the basics about online businesses. In order to succeed, a step by step affiliate business plan will put you in the right direction.

To become an affiliate of any product, whether it is digital or physical, is very simple, and requires little or no investment at all. With that said, there are different ways to market said product.

With a no money down affiliate business plan, you can start earning money by finding a product you want to promote. These products can be found virtually anywhere on the Internet. However, there are specified companies that act as middlemen. Such companies enable affiliate marketers to pick from thousands of products. They assign you your own affiliate ID number that will be tracked each time a customer you send purchases something. This ID number guarantees that you receive compensation for your part in the transaction.

With that said, the most important part of your affiliate business plan would be to get customers. One way to do this without any charge to you or any investment on your part is by writing a few articles regarding the subject that it is related to. Once the articles are written, you can submit them to article directories which have a better page ranking than you do, therefore can reach more readers and buyers that are interested in that subject or product.

Each article directory enables you to "advertise" yourself in the resource or authors bio box. This box is usually at the end of each article that you submit. Ensure that you use this space wisely and placed a live link, where visitors can click to come to the page you decide to send them to, i. E., either your website or the the company's website of the product you are promoting. It's as easy as that.

Best Online Business Tactics to Make Your Online Business Flourish

By; Dean C Branwhite

There are plenty of people that have their own online business with some managing far more better and interesting online businesses than others. Your own online business may have some interesting aspects that should get all kinds of prospects and consumers excited. But the real success of your online business depends on the tactics that you as a webmaster practice. Consider trying these four online business tactics to make your online business stand out from the rest.

Unveiling a Brand Early

Your internet business should have an identity right after your site launch takes place. That identity should be consistent from the domain to the site logo and design so you have a name that you can spread around once you begin your serious marketing campaigns. This may not seem like much, but the results can be really uplifting in the long run for your business. Never launch your website without unveiling a brand early. You can even pay professional people for assistance because that investment will be well worth the money.

Keeping your Website Clean and Minimal

Combine that powerful brand with a clean and minimalistic website. While there are some websites that are high on graphics that work, minimal websites are a lot less riskier and if executed correctly drives more interest among visitors because of the site's quick loading and often easy navigation. Adding uniqueness to your website is always a plus and in designing, you are limited to your own creativity. Again you can let a professional assist you here.

Placing Appropriate Contact Forms and then Some

Content is also important in your online business website and one of the most important pieces of content is your own contact information. People need to know if your internet business stands out from the rest of the scam sites where contact forms are completely absent. If you have press material or testimonials to show, be sure to include those as well. Even videos and other multimedia content can help making your online business site more interesting.

Marketing in Areas that Matter

Marketing in areas that matter means going to all the marketing areas where you can reach out to groups of people. Social networking sites are a fantastic start because most likely you have accounts of your own in the most popular websites already. Large forums that share topics that are related to your website are good areas to market your site as well. The exact areas to market depend on what people are involved with these days so be sure to research every now and then so you know where to head to.

These are just the basic online business tactics that can apply to make your online business flourish no matter what it is all about. You can put your own creative techniques into the mix as long as you keep these four fundamentals in check. You can branch out from there once you master these areas. It is very important that you practice these with consistence especially if you want success early.