Can You Digg It? Why Should You?
With all the attention that's paid to increasing traffic to your website or blog, don't forget the impact that social-bookmarking services like Digg, Technorati, Yahoo Buzz, and others can have on your number of visitors. Why? Well, it's not as simple as adding keywords to your site or paying for clicks on AdWords. Building traffic by using these services involves 1) providing valuable, relevant content and 2) being a good "Netizen" - citizen of the Internet. If that sounds alarming, let me assure you - the rewards can easily pay off your effort! So let's start with a few questions. Do you (like many people) follow the news primarily onl

Selling High-Tech Products to Non-Technical Buyers
Penny-pinchers. Tightwads.Cost-cutters.   Not very attractive descriptions, are they? Rather reminiscent of Scrooge in an overcoat and muffler, counting up his fortune by candlelight, perhaps?   But these words take on a new, positive meaning when you're talking about energy savings these days. It's not just the "tightwads" who are setting their thermostats to lower temperatures and adding layers of clothes, or rolling low-wattage space heaters from room to room.  

What Drives Green Consumers? Probably Not What You Think.
As a green business owner, you're out to change the world. You're driven by passionate environmental concerns; you spend time educating yourself about the eco-issues of the day; you work to conserve energy and water to reduce your footprint on the planet.But is your target audience buying from you for the same reasons? Probably not.According to the latest national study by Shelton Group, most of the consumers who buy green are doing so for reasons that may have very little to do with environmental issues.Specifically, the study debunked six cherished myths:The economy, n

Customers Buy Green When They're Involved in the Outcome
"First they laugh at you, then they ignore you, then they fight with you, then you win." That was Gandhi's description of India's path to freedom against the British.What he didn't say, however, was that ultimately the response to your message depends on how well you engage with each individual in your audience to demonstrate the value of your offering.Instead, that was consultant Melissa Schweisguth's conclusion in her article Engaging Consumers to Green Up Their Act, based on the latest series of studies about the average American consumer's path to greening.