The real estate market is starting to turn around and people are starting to make money again. If you are an agent and you are looking to get your foot in the door, think about your marketing campaign. There are plenty of online real estate marketing tips that you can take that will get you started with everything!
Many people turn to the internet on a daily basis. It is important for anyone looking to get into online real estate marketing to understand the client. Make sure that you research the market and look at how many people are searching for homes online. The online home buying business has definitely started to rise. The cost of this process is significantly lower and easier.
Get your website together and make sure that it is easy to get to as well as move through. Your website is almost your handshake with your possible client. Make sure that they will get a very clear picture about what you do as a realtor. Include a contact page so that they can ask for a consultation to get the home buying process started.
Once you have your site created you can then use the right technique to get your keywords. If you have the proper keywords you will be able to get on the search pages that people first see. Your site will earn a lot of traffic and your online real estate site will simply flourish!
Email lists and newsletters will not only keep your clients updated, but will draw in referrals as well. When you create these tools for online real estate marketing, you will be giving yourself a bit of a boost. Look for software that will help you layout and create the perfect online newsletter.
If you have the technology at your fingertips then why not look into video marketing? You can create your own videos or you can use advertisements. Most people are working with Google and YouTube in order to start marketing campaigns. When you are dealing in real estate it is always a good idea to post a few videos on your site.
In order to make a living with real estate, you need to make sure that you have the right online real estate marketing tools. There are plenty of tools that you can take advantage of. Make sure that you take a look around and see what you
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Make money from the energy price war
The big six energy providers are coming under pressure from the new guys, with prices being cut almost by the day! But is it all for show? How much can you actually save?
If you're anything like me, you have probably started to get a bit bored with football lately (and not just because West Ham are rubbish at the minute). It's always the same old names, the big four that seem to call the shots.
It's been the same with energy prices for a long while as well - in this case the big six, all choosing not to compete properly, and instead fiddle around with their middling tariffs, giving the appearance of competition, but in reality doing very little of any meaning.
But the last few weeks have seen the emergence of two smaller players - First:Utility and Ovo Energy - apparently making a real fist of cutting tariff prices in a meaningful way. So are we really in the middle of a proper energy price war?
Let's have a look!
The new guys
OVO Energy made a bit of a statement back in September when it launched two very competitive deals, including a green energy plan, which it claims provides 100% green electricity.
It was followed by First:Utility, which didn't simply compete with its own iSave online tariff - it jumped straight to the top of the table! And it finished September still holding the top spot.
The big boys bite back
Clearly the fact these young upstarts had dared to show such gumption has irritated the bigger boys, as a flurry of further cuts have now taken place.
First we had EON cutting the price of its cheapest dual fuel product, the FixOnline 3, by a whole £19, which it claimed made it the cheapest dual fuel product available on a nationwide basis, saving customers £27 compared to the average UK bill.
A brilliant bonus to this cut was that customers who had signed up in August were also passed on the saving, which amounted to 1-2% in most regions.
But within hours First:Utility had responded, cutting the price of both of its dual fuel tariffs - iSave Dual Fuel and Smart Dual Fuel online saver - with both new and existing customers benefiting from the reduction, and claiming it was now the cheapest in the UK.
The energy tariff Top of the Pops
So, just how do things now look for dual price tariffs after this latest round of price cuts?
Provider
Cheapest tariff
Average Price
First:Utility
Smart Dual Fuel Online Saver
£954
EON
FixOnline 3
£962
Scottish Power
Online Energy Saver
£972
OVO Energy
New Energy Plan
£979
EDF Energy
Online 5
£982
British Gas
WebSaver 4
£994
Scottish & Southern
Go Direct
£1010
npower
Web 16
£1019
Table based on medium use
As you can see, First:Utility have indeed jumped right to the top of the table, while fellow newcomer OVO Energy continue to hold their own in competing with the more established names. I'll be staggered if we don't see further changes from bigger firms like British Gas and npower - they can't be happy at looking so expensive in comparison.
Fiddling around the edges
The trouble is that, while the providers are happy to tinker a little here and there, and lop off £20 or £30 a year, that's not a massive difference really is it? Particularly given the way that the wholesale cost of energy has plummeted over the past 12 months.
Back in August, Ofgem, the energy watchdog, published an open letter to the heads of the big six firms, demanding they make it clear to their customers why there had not been further cuts in price since wholesale energy prices had fallen 50% from their peak.
And I was reasonably optimistic that such a public dressing down would have the desired effect.
Clearly I was being a bit too optimistic. Indeed, npower have not even adjusted their tariff since then (though they are the only provider not to have made at least slight changes).
A number of consumer groups, including Consumer Focus and Which have now publicly slammed Ofgem for being toothless and doing little to help consumers avoid paying more than they have to, and it's hard to defend the watchdog on this one.
It needs to back up its warnings with some actual backbone. Currently its bark is far more noticeable than its bite.
Get off that standard tariff!
However, if you are one of those Brits still on your provider's standard tariff, you should waste no time in searching around for a better deal. The vast majority of people in the UK can't be bothered to shop around for a new energy supplier because they think it will be hassle, so end up paying loads more than they should.
That's utter madness! Not only are you throwing your money away, but it only takes about 10 minutes to switch tariffs using lovemoney.com's very own energy price comparison tool.
In fact, even if you have moved away from a standard tariff, it's still well worth your while using our tool to see just how cheap you can get your energy - the average saving lovemoney.com users have reported from using the tool is a whopping £215!
http://www.lovemoney.com/news/household-bills/make-money-from-the-energy-price-war-4013.aspx
If you're anything like me, you have probably started to get a bit bored with football lately (and not just because West Ham are rubbish at the minute). It's always the same old names, the big four that seem to call the shots.
It's been the same with energy prices for a long while as well - in this case the big six, all choosing not to compete properly, and instead fiddle around with their middling tariffs, giving the appearance of competition, but in reality doing very little of any meaning.
But the last few weeks have seen the emergence of two smaller players - First:Utility and Ovo Energy - apparently making a real fist of cutting tariff prices in a meaningful way. So are we really in the middle of a proper energy price war?
Let's have a look!
The new guys
OVO Energy made a bit of a statement back in September when it launched two very competitive deals, including a green energy plan, which it claims provides 100% green electricity.
It was followed by First:Utility, which didn't simply compete with its own iSave online tariff - it jumped straight to the top of the table! And it finished September still holding the top spot.
The big boys bite back
Clearly the fact these young upstarts had dared to show such gumption has irritated the bigger boys, as a flurry of further cuts have now taken place.
First we had EON cutting the price of its cheapest dual fuel product, the FixOnline 3, by a whole £19, which it claimed made it the cheapest dual fuel product available on a nationwide basis, saving customers £27 compared to the average UK bill.
A brilliant bonus to this cut was that customers who had signed up in August were also passed on the saving, which amounted to 1-2% in most regions.
But within hours First:Utility had responded, cutting the price of both of its dual fuel tariffs - iSave Dual Fuel and Smart Dual Fuel online saver - with both new and existing customers benefiting from the reduction, and claiming it was now the cheapest in the UK.
The energy tariff Top of the Pops
So, just how do things now look for dual price tariffs after this latest round of price cuts?
Provider
Cheapest tariff
Average Price
First:Utility
Smart Dual Fuel Online Saver
£954
EON
FixOnline 3
£962
Scottish Power
Online Energy Saver
£972
OVO Energy
New Energy Plan
£979
EDF Energy
Online 5
£982
British Gas
WebSaver 4
£994
Scottish & Southern
Go Direct
£1010
npower
Web 16
£1019
Table based on medium use
As you can see, First:Utility have indeed jumped right to the top of the table, while fellow newcomer OVO Energy continue to hold their own in competing with the more established names. I'll be staggered if we don't see further changes from bigger firms like British Gas and npower - they can't be happy at looking so expensive in comparison.
Fiddling around the edges
The trouble is that, while the providers are happy to tinker a little here and there, and lop off £20 or £30 a year, that's not a massive difference really is it? Particularly given the way that the wholesale cost of energy has plummeted over the past 12 months.
Back in August, Ofgem, the energy watchdog, published an open letter to the heads of the big six firms, demanding they make it clear to their customers why there had not been further cuts in price since wholesale energy prices had fallen 50% from their peak.
And I was reasonably optimistic that such a public dressing down would have the desired effect.
Clearly I was being a bit too optimistic. Indeed, npower have not even adjusted their tariff since then (though they are the only provider not to have made at least slight changes).
A number of consumer groups, including Consumer Focus and Which have now publicly slammed Ofgem for being toothless and doing little to help consumers avoid paying more than they have to, and it's hard to defend the watchdog on this one.
It needs to back up its warnings with some actual backbone. Currently its bark is far more noticeable than its bite.
Get off that standard tariff!
However, if you are one of those Brits still on your provider's standard tariff, you should waste no time in searching around for a better deal. The vast majority of people in the UK can't be bothered to shop around for a new energy supplier because they think it will be hassle, so end up paying loads more than they should.
That's utter madness! Not only are you throwing your money away, but it only takes about 10 minutes to switch tariffs using lovemoney.com's very own energy price comparison tool.
In fact, even if you have moved away from a standard tariff, it's still well worth your while using our tool to see just how cheap you can get your energy - the average saving lovemoney.com users have reported from using the tool is a whopping £215!
http://www.lovemoney.com/news/household-bills/make-money-from-the-energy-price-war-4013.aspx
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Using PR to Drive Traffic to Your Website
You want to grow your business, and raising its profile in the community seems like the perfect strategy to get more visitors to your website. But, be warned, if you launch a public relations campaign prematurely you could be doing more harm to your business than good.
Before you start pitching media outlets and bloggers, there are a few things you need to consider.
First Impressions Matter
Studies show you have just a few seconds to make a positive first impression on the Web. Your website must have engaging web copy a friendly, pleasing design. Anything less and you’ll lose potential visitors. Installing a user tracking system like Google Analytics will help you determine your visitors’ behavior. Heed the results. Pay attention to how long people are staying on your website. If your current visitors aren’t engaging with your website, why would media outlets and bloggers bother to stick around?
Proof. Proof. Proof.
Most of the media outlets and bloggers you’ll be pitching to write for a living. Spelling and grammar mistakes are huge distractions for most people, but even bigger issues for professional writers. Sloppy web copy distracts from your message. Proof your web copy. Then proof it again. Have trusted colleagues, friends and family help with this task. If you can, hire a professional copywriter to catch any errors. Create a site that reads well, that won’t distract media and bloggers and give them a reason to leave your website.
Know Your Story
Have a clear idea about what makes your business unique from your competitors. How are you staying ahead of the curve? Ensure your unique message is communicated on your website. Media outlets and bloggers are constantly looking for fresh angles and innovative material. Know your story and what makes your business special before reaching out to the media and bloggers.
Determine Your Media Targets
List the outlets and blogs you’d like to cover your story. Do your research. Whether it’s reading and commenting on targeted blogs or watching the television show you’d like to appear on, know the organization, publication or person you’re approaching. Make sure your story would work with their format and content.
Craft a Solid Pitch
Traditional press releases can be passé. Writing a cover letter-like pitch is usually much more effective, especially when dealing with bloggers. In your pitch, illustrate how you understand their format and content needs and how their audience will benefit from the information you are presenting. Paint a colourful story with an angle that would work for their blog, program or magazine.
Subject Lines are Crucial
Email is often the preferred method to send your pitch. Keep in mind that media outlets and bloggers commonly receive dozens or even hundreds of pitches daily. To break through the clutter and get them to open your email is a challenge. Creative, enticing subject lines that paint a story can make all the difference. Understand the media. The economic downturn has affected many media outlets. One person is often handling the workload of three. Presenting them with ‘ready-to-go’ stories and being conscious of their time constraints could give your pitch the edge it needs to get covered. The easier you make their job, the better.
Be Flexible
When media outlets and bloggers show interest in your story, accommodate their needs. Expect tight turnarounds and respect their deadlines. Treat them as your client. The benefits to your business and web traffic will be well worth the effort.
About the Author
Rick Sloboda, Senior Web Copywriter at Webcopyplus, has been writing for websites since 2001 for some of the world’s largest service providers (Cingular, Scotia Bank, etc.). He speaks frequently at Web-related forums and seminars.
Source: http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-content/using-pr-to-drive-traffic-to-your-website-005619.php
Before you start pitching media outlets and bloggers, there are a few things you need to consider.
First Impressions Matter
Studies show you have just a few seconds to make a positive first impression on the Web. Your website must have engaging web copy a friendly, pleasing design. Anything less and you’ll lose potential visitors. Installing a user tracking system like Google Analytics will help you determine your visitors’ behavior. Heed the results. Pay attention to how long people are staying on your website. If your current visitors aren’t engaging with your website, why would media outlets and bloggers bother to stick around?
Proof. Proof. Proof.
Most of the media outlets and bloggers you’ll be pitching to write for a living. Spelling and grammar mistakes are huge distractions for most people, but even bigger issues for professional writers. Sloppy web copy distracts from your message. Proof your web copy. Then proof it again. Have trusted colleagues, friends and family help with this task. If you can, hire a professional copywriter to catch any errors. Create a site that reads well, that won’t distract media and bloggers and give them a reason to leave your website.
Know Your Story
Have a clear idea about what makes your business unique from your competitors. How are you staying ahead of the curve? Ensure your unique message is communicated on your website. Media outlets and bloggers are constantly looking for fresh angles and innovative material. Know your story and what makes your business special before reaching out to the media and bloggers.
Determine Your Media Targets
List the outlets and blogs you’d like to cover your story. Do your research. Whether it’s reading and commenting on targeted blogs or watching the television show you’d like to appear on, know the organization, publication or person you’re approaching. Make sure your story would work with their format and content.
Craft a Solid Pitch
Traditional press releases can be passé. Writing a cover letter-like pitch is usually much more effective, especially when dealing with bloggers. In your pitch, illustrate how you understand their format and content needs and how their audience will benefit from the information you are presenting. Paint a colourful story with an angle that would work for their blog, program or magazine.
Subject Lines are Crucial
Email is often the preferred method to send your pitch. Keep in mind that media outlets and bloggers commonly receive dozens or even hundreds of pitches daily. To break through the clutter and get them to open your email is a challenge. Creative, enticing subject lines that paint a story can make all the difference. Understand the media. The economic downturn has affected many media outlets. One person is often handling the workload of three. Presenting them with ‘ready-to-go’ stories and being conscious of their time constraints could give your pitch the edge it needs to get covered. The easier you make their job, the better.
Be Flexible
When media outlets and bloggers show interest in your story, accommodate their needs. Expect tight turnarounds and respect their deadlines. Treat them as your client. The benefits to your business and web traffic will be well worth the effort.
About the Author
Rick Sloboda, Senior Web Copywriter at Webcopyplus, has been writing for websites since 2001 for some of the world’s largest service providers (Cingular, Scotia Bank, etc.). He speaks frequently at Web-related forums and seminars.
Source: http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-content/using-pr-to-drive-traffic-to-your-website-005619.php
Web Publishing Roll-Up: Twitter, CNN and Google Make Money
his week in web publishing: revenue-generating schemes, be it Twitter or CNN.
Twitter Users Generate Revenue
If you’re on Twitter, you may already know what recent research has shown. Twitter users are twice as likely to engage with brands — in multiple ways — than other social network users.
The survey conducted by the tech and media research firm Interpret surveyed over 9,200 internet users in August. They found that roughly 24% of the respondents that used Twitter, reviewed or rated products online. Only 12% of those surveyed that used other social media platforms (not Twitter) said the same.
In addition, Twitter users are also more likely to visit company profiles than non-Twitter users, and twice as likely to click on ads or sponsored links.
While Twitter has proven to be a platform for building brand loyalty and curiosity, it’s yet to be seen whether it can translate into revenue for Twitter. Plus, the whole Twitter business model is still not quite defined.
Paying for News You Can't Escape
Speaking of revenue, CNN is charging a one-time US$ 2.00 fee for their new CNN iPhone app that launched recently. The app will also collect revenue from advertisers, like their counterpart Time, Inc., whose app has chosen to go solely ad-supported. But CNN app was always planned as dual revenue stream from the start, launching with logo placement and banners for advertisers Chevron and Lexus.
So what will users get for two bucks? In addition to the news standard of constantly updated headlines, sharing and alerts, users can expect to receive live video via CNN.com, on-demand access to video clips, and direct access to submit iReports.
How many users will likely invest in a US$ 2.00 app from a network whose broadcasts are virtually inescapable? We’ll keep you posted.
Google Analytics for YouTube
Also speaking of revenue, Google has introduced what has been deemed “Google Analytics for YouTube.” Google will begin to issue copyright holders a tool to track viewer sentiment so as to determine the best distribution and marketing strategy for music, video and other content clips that are generated and uploaded by users.
Using YouTube Insights, copyright holders can find and monetize content uploaded across the YouTube network. Insights is a free analytics tool that lets media companies mine information. The goal is that copyright owners can begin to generate revenue from the data, which lets you think Google actually cares only about making users rich, will help to increase profits for YouTube.
So just how much potential for revenue on YouTube? Consider this: 161 million of Internet users watched online videos during August, says ComScore. Those users watched more than 25 billion videos, of which 10 billion were Google sites.
Source: http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-publishing/web-publishing-rollup-twitter-cnn-and-google-make-money-005644.php
Twitter Users Generate Revenue
If you’re on Twitter, you may already know what recent research has shown. Twitter users are twice as likely to engage with brands — in multiple ways — than other social network users.
The survey conducted by the tech and media research firm Interpret surveyed over 9,200 internet users in August. They found that roughly 24% of the respondents that used Twitter, reviewed or rated products online. Only 12% of those surveyed that used other social media platforms (not Twitter) said the same.
In addition, Twitter users are also more likely to visit company profiles than non-Twitter users, and twice as likely to click on ads or sponsored links.
While Twitter has proven to be a platform for building brand loyalty and curiosity, it’s yet to be seen whether it can translate into revenue for Twitter. Plus, the whole Twitter business model is still not quite defined.
Paying for News You Can't Escape
Speaking of revenue, CNN is charging a one-time US$ 2.00 fee for their new CNN iPhone app that launched recently. The app will also collect revenue from advertisers, like their counterpart Time, Inc., whose app has chosen to go solely ad-supported. But CNN app was always planned as dual revenue stream from the start, launching with logo placement and banners for advertisers Chevron and Lexus.
So what will users get for two bucks? In addition to the news standard of constantly updated headlines, sharing and alerts, users can expect to receive live video via CNN.com, on-demand access to video clips, and direct access to submit iReports.
How many users will likely invest in a US$ 2.00 app from a network whose broadcasts are virtually inescapable? We’ll keep you posted.
Google Analytics for YouTube
Also speaking of revenue, Google has introduced what has been deemed “Google Analytics for YouTube.” Google will begin to issue copyright holders a tool to track viewer sentiment so as to determine the best distribution and marketing strategy for music, video and other content clips that are generated and uploaded by users.
Using YouTube Insights, copyright holders can find and monetize content uploaded across the YouTube network. Insights is a free analytics tool that lets media companies mine information. The goal is that copyright owners can begin to generate revenue from the data, which lets you think Google actually cares only about making users rich, will help to increase profits for YouTube.
So just how much potential for revenue on YouTube? Consider this: 161 million of Internet users watched online videos during August, says ComScore. Those users watched more than 25 billion videos, of which 10 billion were Google sites.
Source: http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-publishing/web-publishing-rollup-twitter-cnn-and-google-make-money-005644.php
How Google Can Make Money With Google Wave (GOOG)
What if, perish the thought, Google ran Wave like an actual business?
Google Wave is potentially one of the most interesting things to happen to the Internet since, well, Google (GOOG). It has the potential to make online communications much, much more efficient. This represents significant economic value, as most business internal communications systems, well, suck.
Here's a problem though: it doesn't look like Google stands to make any money from it -- or is much trying to, for that matter.
Google thinks it's going to get enough brand sympathy and HR marketing, to justify the expense, as well as using it as a loss leader for Google Apps.
But as an exercise, let's think about how Wave, Inc, and not Google Wave, would pursue revenue.
First of all, Wave is by design an open platform, and even an open protocol: anyone with an idle server and the wherewithal to compile open source code can set up their own Wave, and anyone with programming skills can create apps for Wave. This means that you can set up a business _on_ Wave, but Wave doesn't get any money from that. Like other platforms such as YouTube, Facebook or Twitter, Wave stands to make less money than the people using it.
This can be a feature and not a bug: Windows software is much more money than Windows itself, and Windows wouldn't be such a huge product without all that software.
Here are the ways in which I think Wave, Inc might make money, and I'm curious as to what other ideas you may have. I've ranked them from least to most exciting:
Corporate Wave. Plenty of businesses will want to set up internal waves as a means to improve productivity. Wave, Inc could provide a one-stop-shop solution to help businesses set up their own private waves.
Problem: this is a top-heavy business model, essentially consulting, which doesn't scale well. Small businesses would just use free waves, which means going after large businesses, which means focusing on sales, consumer support, etc. Also, this business model doesn't really have built-in unfair advantages: since Wave is open source, nothing would stop Oracle or IBM from building Wave businesses, and odds are they'd be better at it.
Semantic advertising. The semantic web is slowly, so slowly, coming. Since conversations on waves have to go through the server each time, a semantic engine could parse them on the fly and serve up relevant text ads. With enough data and training, a semantic engine could decipher intent, ie whether you're talking about your trip to Thailand last summer, in which case ads would be useless, or whether you're setting up a wave to plan a trip to Thailand with your friends, in which case ads for cheap flights and hotels are relevant. Intent is the reason why nobody clicks on ads in social networks but they do in search engines. A semantic engine would know that 99% of the times you're waving an ad would be irrelevant at best. So 99% of the time people wouldn't see ads at all. Wave, Inc might set this up on their own servers and allow others to set it up on theirs under a rev-share agreement.
Over the long term, Wave, Inc might also open an ad network, serving ads relevant to people's profiles all over the web through "Sign In with Wave" accounts, or even let people create their own niche ad networks using Wave technology. This would be good for consumers since they would get few ads, and only relevant ones, good for advertisers since they'd get high clickthrough, and good for Wave, Inc, since they'd have a high quality, expensive inventory. This might be the thing that makes online ads something other than punishment for using stuff for free, but actually something useful and exciting.
Problem: semantic technology is still inchoate and execution would have to be flawless for people not to find it annoying and/or creepy.
Online Payments: Hype is returning to online payments now that Facebook is looking to it as its next big revenue stream. PayPal sucks now, and the Web has been yearning for its own currency for 15 years now. What makes Wave potentially transformative for online payments is that a wave can be embedded into any webpage as a widget, making one-click payments a breeze once people have linked their Wave accounts to their credit cards and are logged in. This could be the thing that makes micropayments (or rather, usage payments) finally take off.
Problems: online payments is already a crowded space with some big incumbents. Also, anything dealing with transferring money is a regulated business. But I think this could work: if Wave got as big as email, which it's certainly got potential for, it would have the reach to put together a viable payments platform. Then, it would "just" have to execute flawlessly to out-PayPal PayPal.
What's interesting about all these potential business models is that they're not just idle fantasizing: even if Google doesn't try to make money off of Wave, it's possible to build these businesses as applications on top of Wave. (I do think they've thought about the semantic ads thing -- I'll be damned if they don't already have a super-secret team of PhDs working on semantic ads for properties like Gmail already).
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-google-can-make-money-with-google-wave-2009-9
Google Wave is potentially one of the most interesting things to happen to the Internet since, well, Google (GOOG). It has the potential to make online communications much, much more efficient. This represents significant economic value, as most business internal communications systems, well, suck.
Here's a problem though: it doesn't look like Google stands to make any money from it -- or is much trying to, for that matter.
Google thinks it's going to get enough brand sympathy and HR marketing, to justify the expense, as well as using it as a loss leader for Google Apps.
But as an exercise, let's think about how Wave, Inc, and not Google Wave, would pursue revenue.
First of all, Wave is by design an open platform, and even an open protocol: anyone with an idle server and the wherewithal to compile open source code can set up their own Wave, and anyone with programming skills can create apps for Wave. This means that you can set up a business _on_ Wave, but Wave doesn't get any money from that. Like other platforms such as YouTube, Facebook or Twitter, Wave stands to make less money than the people using it.
This can be a feature and not a bug: Windows software is much more money than Windows itself, and Windows wouldn't be such a huge product without all that software.
Here are the ways in which I think Wave, Inc might make money, and I'm curious as to what other ideas you may have. I've ranked them from least to most exciting:
Corporate Wave. Plenty of businesses will want to set up internal waves as a means to improve productivity. Wave, Inc could provide a one-stop-shop solution to help businesses set up their own private waves.
Problem: this is a top-heavy business model, essentially consulting, which doesn't scale well. Small businesses would just use free waves, which means going after large businesses, which means focusing on sales, consumer support, etc. Also, this business model doesn't really have built-in unfair advantages: since Wave is open source, nothing would stop Oracle or IBM from building Wave businesses, and odds are they'd be better at it.
Semantic advertising. The semantic web is slowly, so slowly, coming. Since conversations on waves have to go through the server each time, a semantic engine could parse them on the fly and serve up relevant text ads. With enough data and training, a semantic engine could decipher intent, ie whether you're talking about your trip to Thailand last summer, in which case ads would be useless, or whether you're setting up a wave to plan a trip to Thailand with your friends, in which case ads for cheap flights and hotels are relevant. Intent is the reason why nobody clicks on ads in social networks but they do in search engines. A semantic engine would know that 99% of the times you're waving an ad would be irrelevant at best. So 99% of the time people wouldn't see ads at all. Wave, Inc might set this up on their own servers and allow others to set it up on theirs under a rev-share agreement.
Over the long term, Wave, Inc might also open an ad network, serving ads relevant to people's profiles all over the web through "Sign In with Wave" accounts, or even let people create their own niche ad networks using Wave technology. This would be good for consumers since they would get few ads, and only relevant ones, good for advertisers since they'd get high clickthrough, and good for Wave, Inc, since they'd have a high quality, expensive inventory. This might be the thing that makes online ads something other than punishment for using stuff for free, but actually something useful and exciting.
Problem: semantic technology is still inchoate and execution would have to be flawless for people not to find it annoying and/or creepy.
Online Payments: Hype is returning to online payments now that Facebook is looking to it as its next big revenue stream. PayPal sucks now, and the Web has been yearning for its own currency for 15 years now. What makes Wave potentially transformative for online payments is that a wave can be embedded into any webpage as a widget, making one-click payments a breeze once people have linked their Wave accounts to their credit cards and are logged in. This could be the thing that makes micropayments (or rather, usage payments) finally take off.
Problems: online payments is already a crowded space with some big incumbents. Also, anything dealing with transferring money is a regulated business. But I think this could work: if Wave got as big as email, which it's certainly got potential for, it would have the reach to put together a viable payments platform. Then, it would "just" have to execute flawlessly to out-PayPal PayPal.
What's interesting about all these potential business models is that they're not just idle fantasizing: even if Google doesn't try to make money off of Wave, it's possible to build these businesses as applications on top of Wave. (I do think they've thought about the semantic ads thing -- I'll be damned if they don't already have a super-secret team of PhDs working on semantic ads for properties like Gmail already).
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-google-can-make-money-with-google-wave-2009-9
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