Welcome to Lyons International

Posted on March 2, 2007 | Filed Under Admin

Ok, so you made it here, mostly likely because we sent you a letter of introduction, you receive our newsletter, or perhaps from that new fangled thing called the internet through a search engine or link. In any event, I’m pleased to meet you, and glad you stopped by. This site is designed to help you profit from the internet. You may be a small business, a work at home parent or an aspiring DotCom billionaire.

You’ll notice we don’t spend a lot of time talking about our services. That’s because our service focuses around our own websites and projects. However, I am available for consultation, just drop me an email.

I recommend subscribing to our newsletter. It’ll keep you updated and informed about new developments on the internet and how you can make them work for you.

Tom Lyons
Owner, Lyons International
Lyons International
tlyons@lyonsinternational.com

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Can Justin.tv help you.

Posted on March 26, 2007 | Filed Under Internet Trends

I was reading techcrunch today and they wrote an article about Justin.tv. Justin.Tv is a website which runs a 24/7 feed of Justin wearing his webcam. He interviews web startups and basically walks around. The site has been around 7 days or so and currently has a couple hundred people watching.  I’m sure as time goes on the site will become immensely popular.
How can this help you, well, it gives you an idea of what can be done with a little creativity. Justin and his team have started what looks to be a hit, by doing what they love, having fun doing it, and adding anew spin on something which really not a new idea.
I’m not telling you to strap a camera to your head, just start tihinking out of the box.  Take your idea and find a way to let your audience live it, and be included with it.

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Get your Free copy of “The 30 Minute Marketing Miracle”

Posted on March 21, 2007 | Filed Under Marketing Downloads

You can download the PDF document from this post. It’s a must read, in a time when information seems to be for sale every minute, there are still some gems which you should view and learn from for free.

Don’t get me wrong, the right products are invaluable, but when you’re starting out, there’s some good information to get you going and should be read first.

The 30 Minute Makreitng Miracle

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How Podcasters Make Money

Posted on March 21, 2007 | Filed Under Revenue Generation

Making Money for Podcasts
Podcasts started out as fun ways for ambitious garage DJs, independent musicians and talk show hosts, who had not ventured into radio broadcasting as a way to show their stuff and make a name for themselves. What started as a hobby for many, has turned into a lucrative profession for some.

Not surprisingly, podcasters, just like radio stations, have looked for ways to profit from their on-air dialogue.

Sponsorship
Many podcasters profit from their podcast by having companies related to the show’s content sponsor the podcast in its entirety. Sponsors might also sponsor specific themed shows or show segments for a fixed fee.

Sponsorship is usually indicated by an audio advertisement. Audio advertisements are typically 10 to 20 seconds in length, and they may be inserted into the podcast show at any point. Podcasts can also include what would be considered traditional commercials very similar to what is heard in a radio broadcast. Like radio broadcasters, podcasters can recruit advertisers directly that wish to advertise, or they can work with an ad agency to locate potential advertisers. Not be left out, video podcasters can also insert video advertisements into shows to raise revenue, similar to what would be seen as a television commercial.

Advertisements in Podcast Transcripts
Many podcasters create transcripts of podcasts, and post the transcript in an RSS feed. Podcasters will often sell advertisements to be included in the podcast show transcript. Podcasters can recruit advertisers directly and negotiate the advertisement price or they can use a 3rd party network that will automatically insert advertisements into their podcast feed. The most effective advertisements, are not surprisingly those that are contextual and related to the podcasts contents.

There are a number of third party services that work with podcasters to match advertising partners with podcasters. The advertising agencies attempt to match advertising content with the podcast’s content. Pheedo and AdSense for RSS Feeds are two of the more popular third party ad serving platforms for RSS feeds. When using Pheedo advertisers select the categories of their advertisements, the categories narrow the types of advertisements that will appear in their feed. Google Adsense for Feeds uses contextual language in the feed to place the advertisements that most closely relate to the RSS feed’s contents. If you are using Google AdSense for Feeds and wish to improve the advertisement’s relevance be sure to include as much about the podcast show in the feed description. This will mean that Google will be able to use the language in your RSS feed to serve related advertisements.

Publicize other Ventures
Many podcasters use podcasts as a covert advertisement. They use the podcast to attract interest to other products or services through which they receive a revenue share. Some podcasters promote products through affiliate programs or they own multiple ventures and use podcasts to subtly promote their ventures.

Subscription Based Podcasts
No, not Cerious radio, some podcasters have moved to a subscription model where subscribers pay a weekly, monthly or annual fee to subscribe to the podcast show’s contents. Podcasters can build a subscriber base and profit from the podcast subscriptions and renewals.

Communication
Other podcasters see no need to profit directly from the podcast. The podcast is used as a means to communicate, establish brand and name recognition. Podcasters can create good will in their industry by publicizing consumer alerts, health warnings or other relevant and valuable information.

Additional Benefits - Part of the Whole
Some companies may promote their product or service by offering podcasts as an added benefit. In other words the podcasters are not selling the podcast in itself, but customers receive access to the podcast as part of something larger. Many organizations have found that providing a podcast to members in addition to other member benefits is a great way to increase membership.

Podcasting once defined as a geek hobby, has now spawned an industry. Entrepreneurs have adopted traditional advertising mediums to the podcasting technology as a way to make some extra money.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

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13 Tips to Maintaining and Growing a Feed Subscriber Base

Posted on March 19, 2007 | Filed Under Traffic Generation

You have an RSS feed and you have worked hard to get the word out. According to your logs you have subscribers! Now the hard part: how to retain the subscribers to your RSS feed. Follow these simple steps to insure that your subscriber base will grow.

1. Original Content
A consistent stream of original content will do well to earn subscribers loyalty. The best RSS feeds provide content that is compelling and unique. Do not rehash existing content, look for a unique angle or spin if you wish to cover something that is hot in the blogosphere.

2. Quality Over Frequency
A posts quality is far more important than a post’s frequency. Readers will tire of rambling or nonsensical posts that contain no real value. Time is precious and there are plenty of feeds and blogs, in order to retain readers provide quality not quantity.

3. Get it Right
Syndication has the power to do damage; misquoting or just plain getting it wrong can affect your reputation and perpetuate incorrect information. Be sure to verify all your RSS feed and blogs information prior to posting.

4. Literate
Blog posts are not instant messages: you should always use proper grammar, correct spelling and punctuation. Your posts are a reflection of your knowledge; content presentation matters and will affect how you are viewed.

5. Griping
Do not constantly gripe, no one likes a whiner. If you are going to complain it is not enough to point out problems, you should offer a suggestion for improvement or specifics on how to solve a problem.

6. Balance
Titles of RSS Feed Items and Headlines of blog posts should relate to the contents of the actual post. There is nothing worse than just tempting readers with information and not following through. Use catchy titles but be sure to follow it with related content. In your actual posts, strike a balance be sure to provide enough information without overwhelming readers.

7. Focus
Regardless of your RSS feeds focus’ stay on topic! Your feed or blog posts will generally revolve around a specific theme, don’t stray too far or you might lose readers. If your RSS feed has a specific theme, stay true to that theme.

8. Length Matters
Not too long, not too short it is a difficult balance, but your post length does matter! If a post is excessively long consider breaking it up or partitioning it into easy to digest paragraphs or break it up into multiple posts. Post length should be consistent throughout your blog and feed. Try not to vary it too much.

9. Credibility
As a publisher, you want to be viewed as a credible source. Posting or reposting inaccurate information will reduce if not nullify any credibility that you have. Provide credentials when offering an opinion and be sure any factual information is accurate before posting.

10. Link
Include links to any related information in the description field of your RSS feed, this is a great way to supplement content. Outgoing links will also often result in links back to your blog or website.

11. Consistency
It is important to remain consistent, try not to vary too much in your daily posts. Stay true to your formula for content if it is working .

12. Listen to Your Audience
Readers will often communicate what they like and what they dislike about your content. It is important that you stay in tune with what your subscribers like and don’t like and make the appropriate accommodations.

13. Advertisements
Do not clutter your RSS feed with advertisements. If you choose to include advertisements in your RSS feed be sure to strike a balance between advertisements and quality content.

Starting an RSS feed or is not difficult to attract readers, it is however difficult to retain readers. By following a few simple unwritten rules you will find your subscriber base swell.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

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