How to Open a Bank Account in Nigeria As a Foreigner

Nigeria is the largest country in Africa in terms of population and nominal Gross Domestic Product, GDP; hence it is unassuming that Nigeria host some of the most formidable financial institutions in Africa. The new generation of Nigerian banks led by Access, GTB and Zenith, are emerging as dynamic players in regional markets.

The Nigerian financial system has indeed metamorphosed and revolutionized due to the increasing use of digital technology. Some of the latest trends in this sector include digitization, mobile and SMS banking, payment services, artificial intelligence or chatbots for customer services, fintech companies and digital-only banks. These have ensured that these banks continually be on their toes in terms of competition and of course more efficient.

In a publication by African Business – “Africa’s Top 100 Banks 2020: West Africa and Central Africa”, Nigeria’s Zenith Bank stays as a top performer; Access Bank won Banker of the Year at the African Banker Awards; and First Bank remaining ever strong in terms of capital base. Of the top 20 banks on this list, 13 Nigerian commercial banks were featured.

The primary legislation that regulates and directs the affairs and operations of banks in Nigeria is the Banks and other Financial Institution Act which empowers the Central Bank of Nigeria the power and authority to supervise and regulate the affairs of all banks and financial institutions. The Central Bank of Nigeria is the central bank and apex monetary authority of Nigeria established by the CBN Act of 1958.

As at 2021, there are a minimum of 41 Nigerian banks including commercial banks, non-interest banks, microfinance banks, online-only banks and merchant banks. These banks are classified according to their respective authorization. Of these numbers, just a few commercial banks have international license. These include: Access Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, First City Monument Bank Limited, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, CitiBank Nigeria Limited, and EcoBank Plc; while others are either regional or national.

Opening a business bank account in Nigeria as foreigner is easy as long as all the compliance requirements are met. Although each of these banks have their individual policies with respect to bank account opening applications, however, basic to them all includes the following:

1. Duly incorporated Nigerian company with evidence of registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). This perhaps is the single most important document and first requirement in the bank account opening process. The incorporation documents must show among other information, the company name, incorporation number and date, registered or operating business address, tax identification number, bio-data of directors and shareholders or beneficial owners, and nature of the business.

2. Notarization of Documents. Banks will require that non-Nigerian Directors and Shareholders or beneficial owners provide a notarized copy of external documents submitted to them such as identification documents e.g., data page of national passport, and incorporation document of a foreign company listed as a shareholder or beneficial owner.

3. Bank Verification Number (BVN). The BVN is an 11-digit unique identity for each individual across the Nigerian banking industry. As a statutory requirement, every director (and sometimes, shareholders and beneficial owners) listed on the incorporation documents will be required to be enrolled for BVN. There are BVN enrollment centers around the world that non-Nigerian residents can visit to apply for BVN.

4. Proof of Registered or Operating Business Address. Businesses are required to submit a copy of proof of the company’s place of business. Acceptable documents include utility bill (not more than 3 months old) of the business address, or lease/rent agreements.

5. Board Resolution and Letter of Set-off. The bank will request a board resolution signed by at least two Directors or a Director and the Company Secretary. This is an extract of your board meeting stating that an account be opened in the bank and certain level of controls be given to certain people, director or signatories.

6. Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC). Foreigners listed as bank account signatories must possess a valid Nigerian resident permit. CERPAC are valid for at least one year and renewable. Some foreigners would rather appoint a local director as bank signatory subject to certain resolutions while the foreigner take control of internet banking.

7. References from two Nigerian companies with existing bank accounts. You will be required to be introduced by two Nigerian companies who operate a business bank account in any of the Nigerian banks. It is assumed that your introducers are well-known to you and can attest to your capability and good standing.

8. Registration with the Standard Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML). The agency is charged with the responsibility of monitoring, supervising and regulating the activities of Designated Non-Financial Institutions (DNFIs) in line with the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act ML(P) Act 2011 and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) 2011.

9. Initial Bank Deposit. Most banks have a minimum account opening deposit; i.e. the minimum amount of funds that should be deposited into the account at the time of opening to ensure the account is active. Usually, some portion of these funds will be debited to take care of verification search and issuance of bank cheques and tokens, if applicable.

How long does it take to open a business bank account in Nigeria?

Once all required documentation is completed, and depending on how fast the bank can verify all submitted information, some banks may proceed to open your bank account within 24 to 72 hours while the bank account remains inactive pending when verifications are concluded. Verifications could last two weeks or more depending on the complexity of the process. You can open a local currency (Nigerian Naira) account and accounts in other international currencies such as British Pound or United States Dollar. Opening a foreign currency account will make it possible to transfer funds across borders.

It is also a standard practice to be assigned an Account Manager, an Account Officer or a Relationship Manager who will be responsible for following up with the account opening process, managing your accounts with the bank and attending to you anytime you have need for assistance with the bank while your bank account is in use.

Can you have a business bank account opened in Nigeria without travel or being resident?

Yes, talk to your consultant about your next Nigerian company set up and bank account opening.

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Taking Your Marketing To The Next Level With an SMS Solution

People are now fully embracing mobile communications far beyond their use for voice contact. What this means is that more people are happy and willing to receive and review marketing message via their mobile. Mobile devices have become a primary tool for communication so much so that you can now see that most people can’t seem to live without their mobiles. They always carry it with them at all times.

From this simple fact, it’s proven that business has to start to take on utilising SMS as part of any essential marketing strategy because of its great potential for instant access to consumers at any time. The greatest benefit of SMS is that it is an easy to use & cost-effective communication tool.

At a glance, how can SMS be used with high impact to optimise your marketing budget?

1. SMS CAMPAIGNS

To increase your responses rates of marketing campaign you have to run your campaign constantly and rapidly. Through SMS you are able to send repeated SMS promotions in regards to new arrivals, special offers, new product launches to your consumers at a certain time.

Case study – one of the largest hotels on an international scale has adopted SMS to increase guest numbers and build customer loyalty. The hotel sent out important marketing messages such as specials and promotions directly to its member’s mobiles. The use of SMS as a direct marketing tool resulted in a 10-25% uptake of offers sent out by the hotel.

2. SMS ALERTS/REMINDERS

Simple things like reminding or alerting your customers will help you in building a strong relationship with your customers. Through SMS, you can directly remind people about things such as the status of their ordered product, haircut appointments, overdue bills, or when their car is due for a service.

Case study – a well-known pharmacy in Victoria has been sending SMS reminders to their customers when refills are due on repeat scripts and when their medications are ready to be picked up. This has increased their volume of scripts and improved customer loyalty.

3. SMS VOUCHERS/COUPONS

Keep your customers loyal and attract new customers by giving away vouchers that entitle them to discounts or free products.

Case Study – One of the largest food franchises in Australia provided its first SMS voucher campaign. They ran a competition through a radio station and asked listeners to respond by sending an SMS with their name. In reply, they received a confirmation of their entry with an SMS voucher attached. They could redeem it at one of the participating franchises where the voucher directed them.

Above are only a few ways of utilising SMS. There are many ways to utilise SMS to benefit your marketing activities, including auctions, greeting messages, voting, competitions/quizzes, invitations, and payments. As you can see, the possibilities are endless.

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Reasons For Personal Development As It Relates To Your Network Marketing Career

Network marketers need to constantly engage in personal development training, if they want to be successful in their careers.

Many direct sellers continue to work their businesses with out taking seriously the needed personal development training needed to take their businesses to another level. The most successful network marketer’s continue to seek out training to enhance their MLM businesses. Professional development seeking, is a sign that you as a direct seller is humble and realize that you need further development with your skills.

Example of personal development plan:

1. Listen to and contribute to your network marketing calls. These calls could be a motivation call or a training call. Sometimes,they are a combination of both. I find that by me participating in these calls, my personal skills development is really enhanced. Sometimes you receive a jolt of motivation by listen to these calls. Also you are able many times to learn new information or old information that reinforces your commitment to your MLM career.

2.Go to company seminars and conventions. These seminars will create synergy for your business. Seminars and company conventions, allows you to get more training and to connect with like minded people in the network marketing industry.

3. Engage in training that is in your MLM field, yet is conducted by an “out-sourced” party. There are several “out-sources” that you can get involved with in your direct sales field. I will not name those sources here, but suffice to say, I have benefited greatly by going to these trainings.They enhance my confidence and my skill level is taken to a new level.

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Insurance Agency Lead Generation – Webinars, Websites, SEO and Social Media Marketing

New agency leads are derived, or at least should result from a wide variety of sources. Some sources are more traditional, such as word of mouth, canvassing, old fashioned “snail mail” flyers, or telesales. Taking advantage of the new internet offerings opens up many new lead generation sources. Leveraging an insurance agency website to sell is one obvious lead generation tool, but other avenues include insurance agency webinars and insurance SEO to drive traffic, and utilizing insurance agency social media marketing, an important new frontier for any agent. These tools are available to any agency willing to make the commitment to use them effectively. Since insurance agency web marketing and lead generation will continue to grow in importance, it is important to examine these strategies thoroughly.

Webinars often go hand in hand with eMarketing. A common tactic is to send out a targeted email blast to a prospect list inviting them to an educational webinar, with a link in the email directing the prospect to a customized registration page, sometimes referred to as a custom landing page. There the prospect would input selected contact information and receive a link to the webinar. Of course, to properly run a webinar there are quite literally one hundred or more steps that need to be reviewed, including effective use of webinar registration, software and presentation tools. There are several key factors that apply to any webinar. One is to know your audience – agents must tailor their message to the people who will be listening to it. This also applies to the length of your webinar. An hour or longer web seminar must offer truly compelling content to be interesting to attendees. As a general rule, shorter is better.

Taking a direct sales approach, that is, trying to sell insurance products to the attendees will often alienate the target audience. Offering an educational topic will make an insurance webinar series an anticipated event, resulting in a more satisfied audience. Finally, make sure your agency has the proper tools in place to run the webinar smoothly, and know how to use those tools correctly. It takes experience to run an effective webinar, and even then problems can arise. If your agency or broker based business does not have the right mix of software, hardware, and expertise in house to run a webinar series, consider outsourcing to a quality insurance agency marketing firm.

Using an insurance agency website for lead generation is not really a new strategy, but few agencies actually do a good job in this area. Many websites haven’t been updated in years – and it shows. Poor coding, browser incompatibility, and outdated content are just a few of the numerous problems seen with a majority of agency websites. It’s important to note that Internet Explorer continues to lose browser market share monthly, and website coding must support Firefox, Chrome, Opera and other browsers. Without this crucial support, a potential client may be completely unable to correctly view your website. Updating your website’s code is only one piece of the puzzle. Another critical item to remember is that a website is the new storefront window – it is probably the first thing a prospect will see when attempting to find information about your business, and certainly one of the most important things a prospect will see. Insurance agency websites should convey agent and broker messages concisely and clearly to visitors, and do so in a professional and attractive manner. The best performing websites are clean, uncluttered, and free of overt virtual agents or overly flashy components. Branding should be integrated with insurance websites. This means that logos, colors, images and other key identifiers are consistent including the insurance agency website, brochures, business cards, promotional items and other marketing materials.

SEO, or search engine optimization, should be an integral part of all websites. Good SEO starts with on-page optimization, header tags, meta tags, keyword descriptions and other coding elements. Few people outside of a small number of insurance agency SEO experts truly understand on-page SEO. The important thing is that your website is on-page optimized, whether your coding is done internally or by a quality external SEO vendor. Of course, on-page optimization is only half of the SEO story – off-page optimization is equally, if not more important. Off-page optimization includes any content that is not actually on, or coded into, your website. Backlinks, external blogs, directory submissions and other external elements will increase traffic and visibility, and establish your internet presence. The main purpose of SEO is to drive quality traffic to your website and help prospects find your agency. After all, 90% of all searches stop at page one – if your business is on page one, people will find you. If not, they’ll find your competition.

A lead generation strategy that is increasingly important is social media marketing. Already, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are some of the most highly trafficked sites on the internet, and posts made to those sites are at or near the top of many search results. Getting involved in social media marketing is not simply a good idea, or something to consider for the future – it is absolutely vital that your business establishes a strong social media presence today. Getting started is fairly easy – establishing a Facebook page, Twitter account or LinkedIn profile takes only a few minutes. The more important aspect is committing both time and resources to grow your social media presence. For example, it is not enough to simply create a LinkedIn profile – you must connect with others in your industry, engage in dialogue, join groups relevant to your business, start your own groups, post thought provoking discussions, and reach out to potential prospects. This may sound like a fair amount of work – and it does take time to accomplish this. However, social media marketing should be given the same priority within your agency as any other aspect of a comprehensive marketing program – it must be established, nurtured, monitored, and most especially tracked and quantified. It is absolutely possible to validate a direct ROI for insurance agency social media marketing programs. Agents should prepare a simple report quantifying hours invested, prospects yielded, and business closed from the respective social media marketing program.

Of course, social media marketing has value beyond simply yielding new prospects and new business. It also establishes these agencies and brokers as understanding the changes taking place in the market, inferring that these agents are progressive and ready to help with new changes and trends in the insurance market too. Social media marketing also impacts SEO. For example, agents should not be surprised to see properly generated posts on Twitter listed on the first page of a given long tail SERP (Search Engine Results Page). Effective social media marketing takes time, effort and expertise, but the results are well worth the investment. If the time and resources don’t exist internally at your agency, a partnership with a quality insurance agency marketing provider can help establish a comprehensive social media marketing program at your agency.

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Which MLM / Network Marketing Company to Choose? – 20 Aspects You Should Look Into Before Joining

As the reputed author Robert T. Kiyosaki (“Rich Dad Poor Dad” fame) mentions in his book “CASHFLOW Quadrant”, one of the avenues to accumulate wealth and become rich, (particularly meant for the middle-class people), is to join a good MLM / Network Marketing Company.

There are thousands of MLM / Network Marketing (NWM) Companies, operating in many countries. Hundreds of such companies came and vanished. If you are a newcomer, without prior experience in NWM industry, it is difficult to know which company you should be associated with.

Here are the 20 aspects you should look into, before joining a NWM Company:

1. Industry Growth Prospects:
You should know in what industry the NWM Company is operating. If the Company is operating in brick & mortar industry, the growth prospects may be limited, say less than 15% per annum. But if the Company operates on Internet Ecommerce, then the growth will be faster, as Internet growth is over 30% per annum worldwide. That is, any business done through internet has got the potential to grow twice or three times faster than the business done through brick & mortar industry. In fact, a majority of NWM companies are operating in the slow growth brick & mortar industry.

2. Promoters – Experience in NWM industry:
Find out about the main background of the Promoters of the NWM Company. NWM industry is a unique industry, where there are no well documented management literature are readily available for the Promoters. If the Promoters are well experienced in NWM industry, then the chances are that they may know the nitty-gritty of successfully managing and operating the Company in NWM industry. If the Promoters have come from the traditional manufacturing or other services industry and have no substantial experience in NWM industry, then the chances are that they may be going through a learning curve and may not have gained proficiency in successfully managing and operating their NWM Company.

3. Whether the NWM Coy is Debt-Free?:
If the Company is debt-free, the chances are that it may stay longer in the business. Most of the companies have accumulated debt while going in for expansion and if there is a slowdown in the business growth, many of such companies may not survive.

4. Physical vs. Virtual Products:
Find out if the products being promoted by the NWM Company are physical products or virtual products. The selling of physical products encounters additional problems of logistics and delivery. Many people do not want to carry the physical products for door to door selling. Further, the NWM Company also may face problems in logistics and timely delivery of the products in new markets / geographies. These logistics problems may slow down the growth rate and expansion plans of the Company. But if they are virtual products, say internet products or services, then there are neither logistics nor delivery problems. As internet e-commerce is growing faster, there are better chances of higher growth for virtual products or services, provided they are need based and reasonably priced.

5. Value for Money Products / Services:
The price of the products offered to the networkers by the NWM Company should be far less than the normal market price. Suppose, the price offered through NWM is higher than the market price. (This is the case with majority of NWM companies, as they have to factor in the large amount of compensation payable to all the eligible uplines and downlines). If this being the case, then how you can persuade a new prospect to buy your Company’s product? Your prospect may prefer to buy the product in the open market that through NWM. The critical aspect for the success of NWM is the product pricing – it should be the value for money product.

6. Monthly Purchases vs. One-Time Purchase:
Many of the NWM companies make it mandatory for its distributors (networkers) to buy their products every month (particularly FMCG products). In some companies, a new member can join by purchasing the products / services only once in their lifetime (and pay a nominal renewal fee at the end of every year). You have to calculate the total cost of membership on per annum basis. It is always preferable to pay one-time cost, rather than paying every month.

7. Geographical Limitations vs. Global Markets:
Most of the NWM companies operate in the brick & mortar industry, dealing in physical products. Because of the logistics and delivery problems, there are geographical limitations by which you will be required to promote the products only in certain areas / states. As these are physical products, you can not seek prospects outside your country, as any sales outside your country are subject to your Government laws and regulations and on many occasions, you may be required to obtain a regular Export – Import Code from Govt. agencies. But if they are virtual products or services, they can be sold through Internet ecommerce, where most of such Govt. controls are relaxed. So, the entire world would become your market, instead of confining yourself within your local area / state.

8. Timing – Momentum vs. Stability Stage:
Every industry / Company goes through at least 4 Stages – Formulation, Concentration, Momentum and Stability. Anybody entering the industry / Company, before the onset of Momentum, stands to gain a huge advantage. Once the company gets into Momentum, the growth becomes exponential. However, once the company reaches the Stability stage, then the growth rate tapers down.

9. Future Trends – Saturated or Emerging Markets?:
If the NWM Company is operating in the traditional brick & mortar industry and where the market is already saturated, then the growth prospects may not be attractive. But if the Company is operating in an Emerging market, where say, the market penetration is less than 5% and if it is a mass consumption based market, then the future growth prospects will be phenomenal. For example, when mobile phones were introduced in India about 12 years ago, only a few people could afford them, due to steep tariffs (say at Rs. 16 / minute for outgoing calls and Rs. 8 / minute for incoming calls). But with the market opening up to competition, the tariffs fell drastically and millions of people started using the mobile phones. Currently, India is ranked 2nd in the world (after China), in terms of number of mobile phones. Those who entered the mobile phone industry about ten years ago have largely benefited and amassed huge income and wealth. But now there is intense competition, and it is difficult to make huge money in this industry now. Hence, any communication product or service, which has future potential for mass consumption, will have exponential growth.

10. Quality of Leadership Teams – Good Mentors:
It is popularly known that in the NWM industry, people join people. Find out the Profiles and the Quality of your Leadership Team. In reputed NWM companies, many of the top leaders have high academic qualifications and held top / senior management positions in big corporates (traditional companies). Once they build sizeable teams in the NWM Company, they would resign from the corporate sector and become full time networkers. Because of their experience in the corporate sector, they would have been exposed to the corporate discipline & commitment, the well laid out systems & procedures and the leadership skills. Such high profile leaders will naturally become good mentors in the NWM industry.

11. Training & Support Systems:
Look at the Training & Support systems that the NWM Company has. Timely and proper training of new members are absolutely essential for achieving success. Only a very few NWM Companies have established well laid out Online Live Learning / Training Systems in the world. The topics covered in the training should not only be on network marketing, but also aimed at imparting Personality Development, Communication and Leadership Skills.

12. Network Structure – Sunflower vs. Binary Models:
About 50 years ago when the network marketing industry was started, the Network Structure mainly comprised of Sunflower Model. In Sunflower Model, the upline leader can have over 100 members directly under him. Many a times, it is difficult for a leader to look after and mentor 100 plus members. Over a period of time, as the NWM Industry expanded, new Network Structures were introduced. The recent structure is the Binary Model. In Binary, the leader will have two teams – one on his Left and the other on his Right. The Binary Model is preferable as it is one of the fastest growing structures and also easier to mentor the team members, as each side will have adequate no. of emerging leaders, who can take care of their immediate downlines.

13. Pairs vs. Asymmetric Cycles:
In Binary plans, there are different methods of determining the Commission Cycles. Some NWM Companies stipulate a Pair as the Cycle – that is one person on the Left-side and another on the Right-side. As soon as a networker recruits a Pair, he will be eligible for the Cycle commission. But in reality, in most of the networks under Binary Plan, one side will grow faster than the other. Generally the faster growing side is called the Powerline. As an upline leader cannot place more than 2 persons immediately under him directly (one on Left-side and another on Right-side), he keeps on placing additional recruits on his one-side (either Left-side or Right-side), one below another. This is called Powerline. In actual practice, it is difficult for a new member to match the Pairs, as his one-side will be growing faster than the other. Hence some NWM Companies stipulate a ratio of, say 1:2, 2:4, 3:6 or some other asymmetric ratio, for determining a Cycle. Such an asymmetric ratio is preferable for the new members, as it will ensure that even if he can match only half the numbers of his Powerline, he can get his Cycle commissions.

14. Differential vs. Uniform Compensation Plan:
Some NWM Companies have Differential Compensation Plans, particularly under Sunflower Models. The commission payable is the maximum for the First Level and as the downline levels keep on increasing, the commission rates keep on decreasing. Under such a differential compensation plan, the upline leaders are prone to be self-centered – as more direct recruits placed under them in the First level, the more commissions they earn. There is no incentive for the upline leaders to place their own prospects under their downlines, as it will reduce their commission rate. In Binary Models, many companies have Uniform Compensation Plans, wherein all the upline leaders are entitled for uniform commission rate for every new member joining the team, irrespective of at which level he is placed. The Uniform Compensation Plan promotes team spirit, as the upline leaders go on placing their own prospects under their downlines (which is sometimes called the Powerline). This model motivates the new members, as they are confident of active support of their upline leaders.

15. Monthly vs. Weekly Payouts:
Some companies pay the commissions on Monthly basis, based upon the Monthly targets achieved by the respective members. Nowadays, many companies have adopted the Weekly Payouts system. It is always preferable to receive the eligible commissions on weekly basis, instead of waiting for the whole month.

16. High Compensation Package & Prompt Payment Record:
The foremost aspect to be considered is the amount / rate of compensation the distributor gets per sale. Higher the compensation, better it is. It is also critical to look into the compensation payment records of the NWM Company. If the company has a good track record of atleast Five years of prompt payment of commissions to all the eligible distributors without undue delays, it is worth considering.

17. Ceiling Amount of Commission:
All the NWM Companies have fixed a ceiling on the amount / rate of commission payable per cycle per member ID. Many companies have fixed the ceiling amount in the range of US$ 2,200 to 5,000 (INR 100,000 to 200,000) per Week per member ID. Only a very few companies have got substantially higher ceiling of US$ 35,000 to US$ 36,000 (INR 1,400,000 to 1,700,000) per Week per member ID. Higher the ceiling amount, better it is.

18. Targets vs. No Targets:
Some of the companies set upon Monthly / Weekly sales targets for their distributors. In some companies, if the distributor fails to achieve a minimum cut-off percentage (say 75%) of the sales target, he will not earn any commission. Such a target oriented system is particularly harsh on the new members, as most of them struggle to achieve the targets in the initial months.

19. Flush Outs vs. Carry Forward:
In some companies, (particularly where the system of monthly / weekly sales targets are in force), all the sales a distributor has done below the minimum cut-off percentage of the target, are flushed out and not carried forward to the next month / week. Imagine the plight of a new distributor! Many new distributors get depressed by such a target oriented system and quit the company within a few months. In some companies, there are no monthly / weekly targets and none of the sales is washed off, but carried forward indefinitely till the member achieves the commission cycle. It is always beneficial for the new members if there are not sales targets and no-flush-outs.

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Network Marketing Advertising Secrets Revealed

Network marketing advertising costs money yes, but how else are you going to get a business network going, or promote a product without it? Lots of network marketers fail to grasp this at the beginning and miss many opportunities to make a substantial income. Advertising is an investment and the means of advertising should be chosen wisely and monitored for effectiveness regularly. It is easy to lose a lot of money with ineffective advertising!

Just like any bricks and mortar business, network marketing advertising is essential to success, and on the internet it is difficult to make the correct choice, knowing that there are millions of websites, billions of ads for products and, unless you have a product that is totally unique, plenty of competition with more money than you.

First you must calculate your budget, assess how much can you afford on a monthly basis, and then if your targeted advertising brings success and increased profits, the budget can always be increased later.

If you are new to network marketing and have a small budget, there are many ways of advertising for free on the internet, some of these are totally useless and others may bring you good results, when you find that a method you are using doesn’t bring results, drop it and move on. Advertising in the wrong places may actually hurt your business.

These are the results you will be looking for from your network marketing advertising:

1. Finding leads
2. Promoting your product or service
3. Branding your company
4. Closing sales

The very best free advertising is of course word of mouth, so creating a buzz about your product or service depends on you. Blogs, forums and social networking sites are excellent places for gaining exposure for your company but although that method is free, it has to be done carefully and consistently.

Don’t expect to go on Twitter and make a few posts saying your brand is the best, or buy one of these, because you will be un-Tweeted and ignored. Neither should you post on Twitter every few minutes; you should build up a following before even mentioning what you are offering. You wouldn’t do it at a cocktail party, so don’t do it on social media sites, blogs or forums either. Just like a party where nearly everyone is a stranger to you, you must build relationships and trust before you try and pitch your product.

You may also have to rely on others to offer you referrals, and again, this comes through social interaction, both online and offline. It is essential you build a relationship with that person first. Leads are valuable, and nobody is going to reach in his pocket if he doesn’t know anything about you!

Direct mail campaigns are pretty much old hat these days, but still work well if you are a local bricks and mortar business or service, then direct mail is very effective. What a lot of small business owners don’t understand though, is list building; a lot of information can be gathered from direct mailing, although it has a very poor response rate and is expensive.

Still, if you can get people to return a card, or leave an email address when they come into your shop, you can build a list and use that list for future email marketing campaigns, and if you give people an incentive to join up like offering a free drink with a pizza for example, you will be amazed how many people will give their email addresses and you can reward them with coupons and special offers in future campaigns.

However you start your network marketing advertising campaign it is best to understand the whole concept of network marketing first. There is a lot of psychology in selling and if you don’t know the basics of network marketing, perhaps you like to learn more about it?

MLM Lead System Pro is one of the most well-received marketing systems to come on the market recently. It covers network marketing advertising and lead generation, and is written for new and struggling network marketers and and is packed with information and helpful ideas.

Proven Network Marketing Advertising System

Perhaps the most powerful way to promote your new business is to use proven online attraction marketing methods.

In a nutshell, this means you target a specific group of people who have a need or want for your product or service. They are already in the market and/or are looking for a way to make some additional money working from home. Then you simply POSITION your network marketing advertising campaigns in front of them.

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Internet Marketing Components – Basics

Components of the Internet/web marketing (or online marketing) may include:

• Build up a good website, consisting of rich text, relevant images and if possible Audiovisual (AV), basically used to communicate the company’s details online, to inform the existing and prospective clientele. This is adding butter on bread and directly helps in the promotion on company’s products and/or services. Point to remember that each page of your website is a separate entity. Choose correct keywords or phrases for each page. Be sure while chosen keywords or phrase are repeated thoughtfully during the content writing on a page. Don’t exceed it, otherwise your page may be discarded as spam, but you need to repeat it enough times as search engine suggested.

• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is just one tool for Internet Marketing. However, SEM is very important when it comes to online marketing. It is a tool of promoting a website online via search engines, either through SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or buying a PPC (Pay per Click) to improve the site’s ranking. For the most effective and genuine internet marketing result, your website will be surely listed in search engines and web directories.

• Email marketing, which is a technique of sharing information about a product or service or request for feedback from clientele about a product or service through Email. Various methods are used in email marketing, such as the daily circulation of newsletters or mass mailing related to new/hot offers for the company’s product or services. Email marketing is essentially the online equivalent of direct mail marketing. E-mail marketing is most likely well known approach of all to put on the market your services, products or associated recommends. You can e-mail people who have signed up to your register list; you have a very great advertising tool.

• Banner advertising is a form of advertising online, which is the placement of ads on a website/portal for a fee or paid also. The offline correspondent of this type of marketing would be long-established ads in newspapers or in magazines. Banner is displayed when a web page that locations the banner are loaded into a browser. When the visitor clicks on the banner ads, the visitor is directed to the website advertised in the banner.

• Online press releases/statements, which involve insertion a remarkable communication which is in the written form or recorded about a company, its website, its people, and/or its products/services, should be online.

• Blog Submission, which is the act of expressing good/bad views, posting comments or declarations in a discussion forum and can be accomplished either by hosting your own blog or by posting comments and/or URLs in other blogs related to your product or service online and any other details.

• Article Submission, which involves writing articles related to your business and having them available online on syndicated article sites like EzineArticles.com. In an article submission, an idea is must about the topic of article. Content is important in writing. Idea and good valuable points are key points in writing.

• Social Media Marketing, which can involve social networks like a Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and social book marking sites like StumbleUpon, Digg. SMM is very effective as it involves networking with friends, clients and so on.

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Self Directed IRA Real Estate Investment

Many people are choosing the Self Directed IRA structure for gaining complete control over their investments. This is called, “checkbook control.” The goal is to make the IRA investments yield a good return as well as is tax-free. The structure for this type of IRA has been in effect for approximately 35 years.

As a long-term strategy, a Self Directed IRA real estate investment is an excellent idea.

This is true in spite of the fact that real estate values took a recent plunge. Historically, real estate has always had the potential for appreciation and income alike. With the ongoing market correction and the housing bubble of the recent past, a lot of areas of the U.S. offer buying opportunities that are unprecedented.

These days, residential real estate offers a great opportunity to do what investors are intended to do, which is the famous Wall Street adage, “buy low – sell high.” It is an excellent alternative to mutual funds and stocks. As investors consider the poor stock market performance in recent history, many of those who are saving for retirement are uncomfortable with their money tied up in stocks. Diversification is the way to go, so putting part of that money into a Self Directed IRA real estate investment is a good idea.

Banks, brokerage firms and insurance companies are able to assist investors who would like to open a Self Directed IRA. However, in these cases, the products are available are only the ones that allow them to make a profit, the ones they sell and service.

In order to purchase real estate with an IRA, the investor will be required to seek out an administrator who specializes in this type of transaction and who works independently of the aforementioned financial institutions. That person will need to serve as a custodian or trustee for the entity.

There are a number of established, well-known companies that deal in expediting these types of IRAs, and the wise investor will choose one that can demonstrate experience in this area. It is also important that the investor go into the deal with a full understanding of all the fees that are involved. A lot of companies do not perform this particular kind of service because of all of the complexities that are involved.

Obviously, the investor, in this case, is not permitted to use his or her IRA to buy his or her own residence, or any property that is owned by the investor or the family of the investor. There is a plethora of IRS regulations, restrictions and rules that pertain to these transactions. It is not only advisable; it is a true necessity to hire an adviser who is well versed with these types of IRA’s and the complexities of the deal when investing in real estate.

Even the slightest mistake can result in one of the rules being broken which can, in turn, invalidate the deal or cause the investor to have to pay full taxes on the IRA, so caution should be carefully exercised.

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Massive Marketing Mailing List Made Easy

If you’re a business proprietor, one of the most significant facets of your business should be to dedicate a fraction of your budget to building your exclusive marketing mailing list. This list will guarantee that you have a very essential piece of your overall strategy in place.

The marketing mailing list will serve a couple of purposes. For starters it will give you a short-range opportunity to target your niche market and offer your product or service directly without any holdup or downtime. While this short term approach is put in place, you can direct other capital to continue your mission for expanding this marketing mailing list.

Secondly, there is a direct connection in your actual overall bottom line being pretentious in a positive light because as your marketing mailing list is being constructed; fewer funds will need to be used for other advertising sources such as radio, television, or even online marketing campaigns.

The general strategy that any company owner should always be in attempt to reduce his or her bottom dollar and sure up a more respectable profit and loss statement for the vested or interested parties involved. There is always space for growth and development in any company and for that matter any home business owner would do well to embrace some of these strategies.

These strategies that most entrepreneurs are utilizing today to create their marketing mailing list with ease is swiftly spreading across the globe. It’s primarily spreading because of the arrival of the world wide web or as so many of us refer to it now as the internet.

The internet has allowed the typical business owner to accumulate a massive marketing mailing list with little or relatively no involvement on his or her part once it’s all set up. The set up that is understood by a savvy online webmaster is all you really need to get things rolling in your favor.

Well, what typically should you have if you’re not as savvy as the next business owner? That’s a good question and deserves a decent answer in return. Some tend to think that it’s an enormous deal in trying to get all of the pieces of the puzzle together to start creating your marketing mailing list. But here’s the scoop.

Get yourself a basic website which ordinarily means a single page. It doesn’t have to be any huge multiple page outfit, just a simple page that is able to capture your prospective client or customer contact information. Once that page is up, of course you will want to make sure that you have an automatic follow up system in place. If you’re not too sure what that is, just do a search online for “automatic email follow system” and I’m sure your be pleased with your result.

Once that is in place, it’s just a matter of driving traffic, or getting guests to your new page or site. This traffic shouldn’t be any kind of traffic, but targeted niche specific traffic that really wants what you’re offering. Your intention for your site should be able to address, correct, or offer a solution to their problem. If you’re able to do that, then the likelihood of your converting that visitor from traffic to a real lead for your marketing mailing list is much higher.

This is just a tip of the iceberg as there can be other factors involved that will help drive more people or traffic to your page, but that of course can be reserved for a later time. The bottom line is, if you solve a problem and offer a solution to your clients or customer, then you’re that much closer to winning and accomplishing your goal and ultimately assembling a huge marketing mailing list for your company or business.

It’s shouldn’t be a huge surprise to you that in our world today and this fast paced economy, you should always be looking for a slight edge in business. That edge could make the difference in staying afloat or going under.

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Market Research Solutions

If you are novice enterprisers in the internet business, the market research services plays the vital part to distinguish your directed marketplace. Make a point that you’ll dedicate your best and concentrate on the market of the services you would like to sell in the internet. Apply the most effective and authentic market inquiries formulas coming from the reputable provider. There is a lot of market research Company to choose from the internet. You have to drop adequate investment to play substantially in the market. The cost of this technique may deviate depending upon your demands. If you desire a mere background knowledge report, it will only cost you about $25 to $105. Although the most consummate report will value from one hundred dollars to a thousand bucks. You will be able to consider taking these methods on a per use basis only.

When you’re interested to invest in an efficient and consummate report on market study, you will get the chance to a voluminous and comprehensive data of the directed marketplace for your services in the World Wide Web. With all the information and data coming in from the market research, you will realize the necessary and the limitless demands of the market. Through these formulas you will bear the opportunity to measure your product for an advance evolution in order to provide the needs of the consumers. It will also give you the data of how much shares do you acquire from the directed market and how much the market are amenable to spend for your services. It would be advantageous to seek advice from a market research consultant.

Once you’re signing on to commit in a marketing examination methods, you will be given the chance to tune-up or evolve your services according to the current demands of your aimed market. A market research survey can be a factor for the development of your services. You will likewise inform of who your rivals in a certain market are. Be sure that you will give emphasis to your pointed market of how they will save and arrive at substantial profit in using your services online. This is how the market study puts up to your success in your online business.

Market exploration techniques will be your instruments to arm you on a progressive online market in your preferred services. When you determined to delay on looking at applying the formula, it will misguide you to an improper market. You will deprive all the chance, time and investment once you adopt the opportunity of catching on from luck. Most of all, you will not get any portion from the targeted market on your line of services.

It is now your best opportunity to avail of these formula to have a success online business in your targeted market.

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