How to Start a Business Online

There is a proven sequence of steps you can follow to guarantee your success when you're starting a small business online. I've seen thousands of people start and grow successful businesses by doing the following:

1. Find a need and fill it.
2. Write copy that sells.
3. Design and build an easy-to-use website.
4. Use search engines to drive traffic to your site.
5. Establish an expert reputation for yourself.
6. Follow up with your customers and subscribers with e-mail.
7. Increase your income through back-end sales and upselling.

Anyone, from newbie to seasoned online entrepreneur, can benefit from this process in learning how to start a business online.

Step 1: Find a need and fill it

Most people who are just starting out make the mistake of looking for a product first, and a market second.

To boost your chances of success, start with a market. The trick is to find a group of people who are searching for a solution to a problem, but not finding many results. The internet makes this kind of market research easy:

• Visit online forums to see what questions people ask and what problems they're trying to solve.
• Do keyword research to find keywords that a lot of people are searching, but for which not many sites are competing.
• Check out your potential competitors by visiting their sites and taking note of what they're doing to fill the demand. Then you can use what you've learned and create a product for a market that already exists--and do it better than the competition.

Step 2: Write copy that sells

There's a proven sales copy formula that takes visitors through the selling process from the moment they arrive to the moment they make a purchase:

1. Arouse interest with a compelling headline.
2. Describe the problem your product solves.
3. Establish your credibility as a solver of this problem.
4. Add testimonials from people who have used your product.
5. Talk about the product and how it benefits the user.
6. Make an offer.
7. Make a strong guarantee.
8. Create urgency.
9. Ask for the sale.

Throughout your copy, you need to focus on how your product or service is uniquely able to solve people's problems or make their lives better. Think like a customer and ask "What's in it for me?"

Step 3: Design and build your website

Once you've got your market and product, and you've nailed down your selling process, now you're ready for your small-business web design. Remember to keep it simple. You have fewer than five seconds to grab someone's attention--otherwise they're gone, never to be seen again. Some important tips to keep in mind:

• Choose one or two plain fonts on a white background.
• Make your navigation clear and simple, and the same on every page.
• Only use graphics, audio or video if they enhance your message.
• Include an opt-in offer so you can collect e-mail addresses.
• Make it easy to buy--no more than two clicks between potential customer and checkout.
• Your website is your online storefront, so make it customer-friendly.

Step 4: Use search engines to drive targeted buyers to your site

Pay-per-click advertising is the easiest way to get traffic to a brand-new site. It has two advantages over waiting for the traffic to come to you organically. First, PPC ads show up on the search pages immediately, and second, PPC ads allow you to test different keywords, as well as headlines, prices and selling approaches. Not only do you get immediate traffic, but you can also use PPC ads to discover your best, highest-converting keywords. Then you can distribute the keywords throughout your site in your copy and code, which will help your rankings in the organic search results.

Step 5: Establish an expert reputation for yourself

People use the internet to find information. Provide that information for free to other sites, and you'll see more traffic and better search engine rankings. The secret is to always include a link to your site with each tidbit of information. 

• Give away free, expert content. Create articles, videos or any other content that people will find useful. Distribute that content through online article directories or social media sites.
• Include "send to a friend" links on valuable content on your website.
• Become an active expert in industry forums and social networking sites where your target market hangs out.

You'll reach new readers. But even better, every site that posts your content will link back to yours. Search engines love links from relevant sites and will reward you in the rankings.

Step 6: Use the power of e-mail marketing to turn visitors into buyers.

When you build an opt-in list, you're creating one of the most valuable assets of your online business. Your customers and subscribers have given you permission to send them e-mail. That means:

• You're giving them something they've asked for.
• You're developing lifetime relationships with them.
• The response is 100 percent measurable.
• E-mail marketing is cheaper and more effective than print, TV or radio because it's highly targeted.

Anyone who visits your site and opts in to your list is a very hot lead. And there's no better tool than e-mail for following up with those leads.

Step 7: Increase your income through back-end sales and upselling 

One of the most important internet marketing strategies is to develop every customer's lifetime value. At least 36 percent of people who have purchased from you once will buy from you again if you follow up with them. Closing that first sale is by far the most difficult part--not to mention the most expensive. So use back-end selling and upselling to get them to buy again:

• Offer products that complement their original purchase.
• Send out electronic loyalty coupons they can redeem on their next visit.
• Offer related products on your "Thank You" page after they purchase.

Reward your customers for their loyalty and they'll become even more loyal.

The internet changes so fast that one year online equals about five years in the real world. But the principles of how to start and grow a successful online business haven't changed at all. If you're just starting a small business online, stick to this sequence. If you've been online awhile, do a quick review and see if there's a step you're neglecting, or never got around to doing in the first place. You can't go wrong with the basics.

August Birthstone Peridot!

August Birthstone

Peridot

Peridot is the official birthstone for the month of August

The vivid green of the peridot, with just a slight hint of gold, is the ideal gemstone colour to go with that light summer wardrobe. No wonder – since the peridot is the gemstone of the summer month of August.


The peridot is a very old gemstone, and one which has become very popular again today. It is so ancient that it can be found in Egyptian jewellery from the early 2nd millennium B.C.. The stones used at that time came from a deposit on a small volcanic island in the Red Sea, some 45 miles off the Egyptian coast at Aswan, which was not rediscovered until about 1900 and has, meanwhile, been exhausted for quite some time. Having said that, the peridot is also a thoroughly modern gemstone, for it was not until a few years ago that peridot deposits were located in the Kashmir region; and the stones from those deposits, being of an incomparably beautiful colour and transparency, have succeeded in giving a good polish to the image of this beautiful gemstone, which had paled somewhat over the millennia.


The ancient Romans too were fond of this gemstone and esteemed its radiant green shine, which does not change even in artificial light. For that reason they nicknamed it the 'emerald of the evening'. Peridot is also found in Europe in medieval churches, where it adorns many a treasure, for example one of the shrines in Cologne Cathedral. During the baroque period, the rich green gemstone once again enjoyed a brief heyday, and then it somehow faded into oblivion.

How green? It all depends on the iron

This gemstone has no fewer than three names: 'peridot', 'chrysolite', from the Greek 'gold stone', and 'olivine', for the peridot is the gemstone form of the mineral olivine. In the gemstone trade it is called 'peridot', derived from the Greek word 'peridona', which means something like 'to give richness'.

The peridot is one of the few gemstones which come in one colour only. The rich, green colour with the slight tinge of gold is caused by very fine traces of iron. From a chemical point of view, peridot is an iron magnesium silicate. The intensity of the colour depends on the amount of iron actually present. The colour itself can vary over all shades of yellowish green and olive, and even to a brownish green. Peridot is not particularly hard - only 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale - but it is easy to look after and fairly robust. Peridot cat's eyes and star peridot are particularly rare and precious.

The most beautiful stones come from the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the peridot as a gemstone also exists in Myanmar, China, the USA, Africa and Australia. Stones from East Burma, now known as Myanmar, have a vivid light green and fine inclusions with a silky shine to them. Peridot from Arizona, where it is popularly used in native American jewellery, often has somewhat yellowish or gold-brown nuances.

An ideal summer stone

The peridot adds a wonderful variant to the colour spectrum of green gemstones. Increasingly, it is processed not only to one-offs, but also for use in series jewellery. And since the world of fashion is just in the process of rediscovering its love for the colour green, the popularity of this rich green gemstone is also very much on the up.

Thanks to the rich finds in Pakistan and Afghanistan, there is enough raw material on the market, so the 'right stone' can now be found to cater for each individual taste and each pocket. Large, transparent stones of an intense colour are, however, rare and correspondingly expensive. The peridot is a gemstone that you should definitely get to know better. Its fine pistachio to olive green is the perfect complement to a fresh, light summer wardrobe.

Facts about Peridot

• The word Peridot is derived from the Greek word "faridat " which means "gem". The peridot (pronounced pear-a-doe) is a pale green variety of chrysolite and used as a gemstone

• The crystal structure of the Peridot (magnesium iron silicate) the August birthstone, is orthorhombic

• The Peridot is one of the few gemstones that come in only one color

• Like diamonds, gemstones are graded by color, cut, clarity and carat weight

• The depth of green depends on how much iron is contained in the crystal structure. It is also often referred to as "poor man's emerald".

BIRTHSTONE FOR JULY!

BIRTHSTONE FOR JULY!

There’s no better way to demonstrate your love than by giving a ruby in celebration of a July birthday. Rubies arouse the senses, stir the imagination. Ruby is a variety of the gems species corundum. It is harder than any natural gemstone except diamond, which means a ruby is durable enough for everyday wear. Fine-quality ruby is extremely rare, and the color of the gem is most important to its value. The most prized color is a medium or medium dark vivid red or slightly purplish red. If the gem is too light or has too much purple or orange, it will be called a fancy-color sapphire.





CHEMISTRY: Al2O3
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY: Hexagonal
REFRACTIVE INDEX: 1.757 – 1.779
HARDNESS: 9
SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 3.99 – 4.0
CLEAVAGE: None
HEAT SENSITIVE: No
WEARABILITY*: Excellent
SPECIAL CARE INSTRUCTIONS: None



Ruby is red corundum, all other color varieties of corundum being referred to as sapphire. The name “Ruby” is from Latin – ruber - and is based on the gem’s red color.  That fact notwithstanding, the ruby color range includes pinkish, purplish, orangey, and brownish red depending on the chromium and iron content of the stone. The trace mineral content tends to vary with the geologic formation which produced the ruby, so original place designations such as Burmese and Thai have come in later years to be sometimes used in describing color.




Most authorities expect a medium to medium dark color tone in a ruby, naming stones lighter than this, pink sapphire — but there is no general agreement exactly where the line is to be drawn.

The old joke about questionable stones goes: Whether it’s a ruby or a pink sapphire depends on whether you’re the buyer or the seller.

Ruby rough of lower quality is used in great quantities to make beads, carvings, and other ornamental objects. The silk, which is so common in corundum, can, if sufficiently abundant, and precisely arranged, lead to asterism. With proper cutting, this creates star rubies. Today there are heating and diffusion processes that can increase the rutile content and improve such gems. Synthetic star corundums were very popular in the 1950′s under the trade name “Linde Stars” and are still under production.

How valuable is a Ruby?

Rubies are the most valuable members of the corundum family. Large gem quality rubies can be more valuable than comparably sized diamonds and are certainly rarer. There is a relative abundance of smaller, (1-3 carat,) blue sapphires compared to the scarcity of even small gem quality rubies, making even these smaller stones relatively high in value.

Origin definitely matters.

Stones of Burmese origin (now called Myanmar) generally command the highest prices.  There is a mining tract in the Mogok region which is the primary source of gem quality rubies.  Mogok rubies also hold color in virtually any lighting condition, which is a major contributing factor to the demand for gem quality stones.

Marketing in the digital age

The art of marketing in the digital age

There has been a shift in the way that buyers has moved their buying habits. We live in a digital age where almost 60% of the world now has access to information from smartphones. No longer can a seller just charge what he wants. Larger companies such as Amazon has taken over the role of supply in so many ways. In the USA there is talk of using drones to deliver your purchases in your backyard.

This means that we get more and more reliant on purchasing things over the internet. We have seen this trend and we at Silver Hills Gems have always kept our clients in mind even when designing our new website. We said that the website must be mobile friendly. That was one of our first criteria. It has to be easy to use. Speed is also essential because you do not want to wait hours for the website to load. 

I am planning to relocate the website to South Africa but need help. If anyone of you have the skills to move it or know someone who can move it I will gladly use your services. Just give us a call and we can go ahead with it. Currently we are hosted overseas and we have issues with the sea-com cables that are unstable. The website itself is lighting fast when accessed from an overseas computer but might drag here. Please tell us how you find it on your end. We have had some speed issues but this was related to Telkom and the poor lines we have at Hartbeespoort.

But most important is content. If you do not have the right stock you will not make a success. We run both a retail store and a wholesale online store. The content is slightly different. In a retail store you need large impressive looking items to impress your walk in customers. On the internet you need variety. To give you an example of the different approaches to selling in an online store versus the internet I have heard of a study they did on jam spreads.

A certain well known company decided to increase their range by 50% and subsequently sales went down in the physical store. The complaint was that the choices were too large. They decreased the range again and sales came back to normal. 

We believe in stocking deep. That means that you must have enough stock of any one kind of item for the buyers to take you serious. If you stock anything you should have at least a dozen of that item on the shelves. I am always amazed at stores that buy wholesale from us who only buy one or two of a kind. I always try and imagine how the display must look when there is only one of a kind on the shelves. Your sales will increase if you have more than one of a specific kind on the shelves. 

Picture Woolworth s and see the rows and rows of similar items just in different sizes on the shelves and you will see a good and tested model of merchandising. We do our best to stock both deep and varied. The variety is for our online buyers. In an online store you need larger variety because you can reach more buyers.

But the main advantage from buying local is that the taxes has already been paid and the goods will be with you quickly. You must be able to handle orders in quick time. This is one thing we do well. When an order comes in we try to get it out the same day. Speed when processing orders are so important. 

Many people who do not sell their own stock but sell stock from a larger company. When an order comes in they must first go and acquire that stock before they can ship it. This takes time and inevitably leads to delays and disappointments when the bigger company is also out of that item. We only sell what we have already in stock.

The final word is that marketing in the digital age require you to be present 24/7 and you have to give the best service found anywhere if you are to succeed and thrive. May your business grow and may success be your portion today.

Birthstone for June!

June Birthstone poem - the Pearl

"Who comes with summer to this earth

And owes to June her hour of birth

A pearl should wear against her skin

Who's innocence many a heart shall win."

PEARL

Historically, pearls have been used as an adornment for centuries.  They were one of the favorite gem materials of the Roman Empire; later in Tudor England, the 1500's were known as the pearl age.  Pearls are unique as they are the only gems from living sea creatures and require no faceting or polishing to reveal their natural beauty. In the early 1900's, the first successful commercial culturing of round saltwater pearls began. Since the 1920's, cultured pearls have almost completely replaced natural pearls in the market.

ALEXANDRITE

A relatively modern gem, Alexandrite, was first discovered in Russia in 1831 during the reign of its namesake, Czar Alexander II, and is an extremely rare chrysoberyl with chameleon-like qualities.  Its color is a lovely green in both daylight and fluorescent light; it changes color to a purplish red in incandescent light.  Due to its rarity, some jewelers stock synthetic versions of this enchanting gemstone.  (Synthetic gemstones are man-made alternatives to the natural material, possessing the same physical, optical, and chemical properties as the natural gemstone.)

MOONSTONE

The third birthstone for June is the Moonstone.  It was given its name by the Roman natural historian Pliny, who wrote that moonstone's appearance altered with the phases of the moon — a belief that held until well after the sixteenth century.  A phenomenal gemstone, moonstones show a floating play of light (called adularescence) and sometimes show either a multi-rayed star or a cat's eye. Considered a sacred stone in India, moonstones often are displayed on a background of yellow (a sacred color) and are believed to encapsulate within the stone a spirit whose purpose is to bring good fortune.  Part of the family of minerals called feldspar, moonstone occurs in many igneous and metamorphic rocks and comes in a variety of colors such as green, blue, peach, and champagne. The most prized moonstones are from Sri Lanka; India, Australia, the United States, Mayanmar, and Madagascar are also sources.

Did You Know???

Some interesting facts about Gemstones that you might not have known! 

• Sapphires come in all colors of the rainbow
• You should never clean Iolites with an ultrasonic cleaner
• Amethysts and Citrines are the same mineral, only different colors, and excessive heat can change the color from one to the other
• an Aquamarine and an Emerald are the same mineral
• you can dig for diamonds in Arkansas at the Diamond Crater National Park
• Violet-blue Iolite has the same polarizing capability as a pair of sunglasses, and the Vikings used to carry Iolite with them and look through it to find the sun on a cloudy day

• when Sapphires have a pinkish to pinkish-red hue they are called "Pink Sapphire," but when the dominant hue becomes red, they are called "Rubies"
• Ancient Greeks named Amber from the word "electron" because if rubbed, Amber gives off static electricity
• Fossilized tree sap must be at least 30 million years old to be considered Amber
• If you sand Malachite it can give off a poisonous dust
• Obsidian is a natural glass formed during volcanic eruptions
• Beautiful blue-violet Tanzanites come out of the ground colorless, and must be heated to attain their beautiful depth of color
• Tourmalines and quartz will develop an electrical charge when heated, and tourmaline jewelry will attract dust when displayed under hot lights

  

• There is no such thing as "Jade" - green "Jade" is actually either one of two different minerals, Jadeite and Nephrite, and Jadeite is the more valuable of the two
• The second most valuable color of Jadeite is lavender
• You can dig and pan for colored gemstones such as Emerald, Aquamarine, Moonstones, Garnet, Citrine, Amethyst, Ruby, and Sapphire at Gem Mountain, in Spruce Pine, North Carolina
• There is a new man-made brilliant white stone called Moissanite, which can fool a jewelry store Diamond tester
• The big "Ruby" in the royal crown of England is actually a red Spinel
• Ivory imitations are carved from corozo nuts, tagua nuts and duom palm nuts
• If allowed to sit in moist or humid conditions too long, Hematite jewelry has such a high iron content it will actually rust
• Black Jet, made popular for use in jewelry by Queen Victoria in the 19th century, is actually a type of fossilized coal formed 180 million years ago from dead trees
• It takes one to three years to grow a cultured Pearl

• Goldstones are not stones at all - they are actually glass containing copper crystals that give it aventurescence (quick bright flashes of light)
• "Black Onyx" is actually orange and brown Sardonyx that has been dyed black, and should be cleaned carefully to avoid removing the dye and dulling this porous Quartz
• Cultured Pearls are made by inserting a small shell bead into an oyster as an irritant, and waiting years for the oyster to cover the bead with its luscious nacre
• Amethysts can fade if exposed to too much sun
• Historically, before science could tell minerals apart, all yellow stones were called "Topaz"

• They were synthesizing Rubies in the late 1800's and actually charging more for them than the real thing
• Pearls, by law, must be called "cultured Pearls" unless they are completely natural, and most Pearls sold today are cultured (made with help from man)
• a "Herkirmer Diamond" is actually made of Quartz
• "Smokey Topaz" is not a Topaz at all - its a misnomer for brown Quartz
• Radiation causes Diamonds to turn green

• Some Diamonds are artificially (and safely) irradiated to achieve a green color - but early on, before the process was refined, some green Diamonds were actually made radioactive and are confiscated by the U.S. Government if found today
• A new process has been recently developed to achieve a green color in Diamonds using just pressure and heat
• In ancient times the term "Sapphire" meant all blue stones, but usually meant Lapis Lazuli - which was considered the most expensive stone in the world

Feel free to comment with more fun facts!! =)

Interesting facts about Citrine

Interesting facts about Citrine

                                            

Color ranges from pale yellow, to medium yellow, to medium-dark orange-yellow, to root beer color.  Most Citrine on the market is actually a brownish variety of an  Amethyst that has been heat treated to produce the bright yellow colors and darker stones with reddish tints.  The pale yellow color stones are typically natural untreated stones.  As the color ranges into medium-dark orange-yellow to Root Beer it is called Madeira Citrine.  Citrine is heat sensitive, excessive heat could turn the stone colorless, an abrupt temperature change may fracture the stone.  Chemicals that could attack this gem are hydrofluoric acids, ammonium fluoride, and alkalies. Sources for this gemstone are Brazil, Bolivia, and Madagascar.

Citrine, a member of the Quartz mineral family, is a Quartz whose color is probably caused by Iron traces. 

Citrine's name is derived from the French Citrine for lemon, it might also come from the Latin ‘citrina’ that means yellow.

The term “citrine” was formally used only after 1556. Up until then, the stone had been known simply as yellow quartz (sounds much less glamorous, right?).

It is nearly impossible to tell cut citrine from the more expensive yellow topaz with the naked eye. Their main difference between the gems is in hardness, so have your gem testing tools handy.

Most citrines are actually heat treated amethysts or smoky quartz. The natural yellow colour of citrine is rather pale, but the heat-treated stones have deeper colour, sometimes with a slight reddish tint. I hope  you did not get disappointed that the favourite citrine jewel of yours has in fact a heat-treated gem.

The largest citrine weighing 2258 carats originates from Brazil and is displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington. The gem is extremely large considering that the typical size used in jewellery isunder 25 carats.

From pastel yellows, to wonderful orange hues Citrine will fl atter many fashion-conscious pallets. Yellow hues are striking and are 

symbolic of the sun, health, and vitality. Since it is plentiful in nature, it represents an incredible value for the person who appreciates. 

its colour. It is available in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and it is a favorite choice of many jewelry designers.

Brazil is the main supplier of citrines. However, they are also found in Madagascar, Zambia, Namibia, Ural Mountains in Russia and in most countries where amethysts are found. Now I have another good reason to visit those countries.

Citrines can scratch relatively easy and need to be looked after. One should store citrine jewellery out of direct sunlight as the colour can sometimes permanently fade.

The Romans were thought to be the first to wear citrine, mostly as cameos or intaglios. The gem re-discovered its popularity during the Romantic period as it enhanced the beauty of gold jewellery. Nowadays, citrine jewellery is widely worn and loved, so the gallery with the latest honey-coloured jewels is coming up shortly.

Citrine is the birthstone for November and the traditional anniversary gemstone for the 13th year of marriage. 

A tremendous amount of citrine that is available on the market today is heat-treated amethyst. Natural citrine is much lighter than the heat-treated material which is dark orange-brown to reddish-brown in color.

Chemical Composition:  Silica (Silicon Dioxide) SiO2

Colors / Varieties:  Yellow, Golden

Crystal System / Forms:  Trigonal System

Hardness:  7

Specific Gravity:  2.63 - 2.68

Cleavage / Fracture:  No distinct cleavage / conchoidal to uneven fracture.

Optic Character:  Anisotropic, D.R.; Uniaxial positive. May exhibit a bull's eye optic figure (quartz rotates the plane of polarisation parallel to the c-axis).

Lustre:  Vitreous.

Refractive Index / Birefringence:  1.544 - 1.553 / 0.009. Range: 1.535 - 1.560

Pleochroism:  Yellow / Slightly paler yellow

Dispersion:  0.013

Magnification:  Liquid and two phase, color zoning, negative crystals, zebra-stripe finger prints (structural), crystal inclusions, green fuchsite mica flakes / platelets in aventurine quartz, rutile / tourmaline needles in sagenitic quartz. Brazil law twinning is seen in natural quartz.

U.V. Fluorescence:  Variable.

Spectrum:  Not characteristic.

Cause of Color:  Trace of Iron (Fe3+)

Treatment (Enhancement): 

Coating: all colors, thin film of gold on colorless will give a blue color (aqua aura).

Colorless impregnation: with oil or resin to improve clarity.

Colored impregnation (dyeing): all colors, quartzite

Heat Treatment:

Light yellow to deeper yellow

Irradiation:

Citrine to amethyst