Copy Cat!

When deciding on supplies for your business, typically copy paper is an absolute must (so much for going green). Now, we are all aware that Staples is fantastic for a quick run—and considering their corporate club cards that give you rewards and discounts, for a small business it can actually be quite cost effective. But for a company that churns through paper, you should definitely be interested in buying in bulk. Sam's Club, surprisingly, has some incredibly low prices for paper, a place that many would not turn to as their first thought for office supplies or business equipment. Office Depot, Office Max, and many other large box stores are good competitors with Staples and Sam's Club. Also, if you actually are interested in creating a more environmentally friendly off, there are certainly places you can get greener choices for paper. For example, the Green Office offers 30% recycled ink jet paper, and 100% recycled resume paper. And don’t forget that if you’re burning through the paper, it’s your responsibility to recycle! It’s remarkably easy to do, and yet it can have such a profound effect on the environment. So do your part and reduce the waste, especially paper waste, in your office today.

[tags] green office, resume paper, recycled paper, paper supplies, office supply [/tags]

Selling Info on the Net

With so much free content available on the Internet, you may wonder how you can convince customers or clients that your know-how is worth paying for. The key is to position your information as exclusive, bigger and better than the rest if you want to turn it into a commodity.

If you have expertise or credentials in a certain topic, let your customers know about it. Don’t be afraid that you’re “bragging” about your expertise–customers and clients know that information is worth paying for if its quality stands apart from the surplus of free data online.

Offering some of your information for free, in the form of website tips, newsletters or e-books can attract targeted customers and give them an idea of what they can expect from the other information that you’re selling. Be sure to include links to “learn more” at the end of these pages on your website, to direct customers or clients to the paid content.

Finally, consider looking into affiliate marketing, in the form of ad banners or link exchanges on other websites which offer similar services to yours. The age of the Internet has opened up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to actually making your ecommerce competition work for you.