Leadpile’s Blog

Are you a brand name buyer? Are there certain products that you buy generic or store brand? Comparing the pricing on these may shock you and really add up over time! Taking into consideration, the quality of the product – some things generic just may not add up.

A few products you are safe to save some cash and buy the generic version:

Breakfast Cereal – $2.99 for brand name, $0.99 for generic; the ingredients are typically exactly the same and they are just as tasty!

Prescription Drugs – Pricing on generics can be more than half of the cost of brand name. Pharmaceutical companies are required to use the same ingredients, so if it’s available – why not?

Cooking & Baking Ingredients – Flour, butter, sugar, salt & spices , these are all the same and can offer a huge savings!

Fruits & Veggies – Unless looking for a very specific or rare type of produce, locally grown or lesser-known brands of produce can be just as delicious as a brand name banana or apple. Try it out, if you don’t like it, switch back – but if you do, you could save some additional money!

According to msnbc.com , the average consumer can save $200-$1,500 per year by purchasing generic!

It seems all we ever read about is the “negative” about the payday loan industry, however there seems to be some positive momentum happening for payday lenders. Are people finally seeing that there is a need to help those consumers that are paycheck to paycheck? Americanbanker.com is reporting some positive news for the overly criticized payday loan industry.
Are lenders closing up store fronts to help cut costs, and therefore going to be utilizing the internet more to generate their business? For some, the answer it yes. Future growth for many payday lenders is probably going to be in the alternative products that many are getting into to help diversify their portfolio. Launching new products such as pre paid credit cards and bill pay services are some of the products that payday lenders are either getting into, or have already tapped into. This is great news for the longevity of the payday lenders. So what are these payday lenders going to be doing in the states where the payday loans are banned? Getting into ownership of pawn shops appears to be the direction many lenders are going in states such as WA and AZ. Lots of positive things happening, and we are anxious to see how Leadpile will be apart of the future success of the lenders.

Arizona has continued to cause a substantial amount of current buzz. In the midst of the new immigration laws being debated, President Barack Obama has assigned additional National Guard troops to the Mexican border for the administration’s border protection plan.
The bill was signed by the President on August 13 and gives $600 million in funding to help secure the border. This funding will go towards extra vehicles, new operating bases, new law enforcement agents, equipment and more.
Beyond border protection, this new operation with new enforcement will be working on entry identifications and criminal intelligence.

Being located in Arizona, Leadpile has kept up with the surrounding events and will continue to keep you updated. With so much controversy going on at the border, only time will tell if these new troops are a wise investment.

Have you ever browsed in the world of online shopping then noticed you kept seeing that pair of pants you just couldn’t commit to buying appears on multiple sites thereafter?  Many of us have and probably don’t even flinch at this type of advertising but more and more branded companies are getting involved with retargeting campaigns.

A retargeting campaign is simply when a website places a cookie on the users computer to track their buying or lack of buying habits so the advertiser can serve more relevant ads to the consumer.

In many instances this is a great way to “remind” the consumer of something they were recently interested in but possibly didn’t have the time to complete a transaction. In other cases ad retargeting can become an embarrassing nuisance, as it did for one consumer. Ms. Matlin was recently hounded by ads for dieting services she has previously used online, “ they are still following me around, and it makes me feel fat”.

Retargeting is not showing any signs of slowing down, but where do we draw the line when invading consumer’s privacy?

Do you know what makes you unique in this industry? Share with your publishers and partners the offers and tools your company provides in this market that make you stand out. The performance of your offers is great, but the reporting tools, and other company features & benefits, can give you an advantage in this industry. Stand out and be noticed!

In NY there seems to be some interest with potentially passing a law that would allow check cashing stores to lend money. The bill, they would call the “Short-Term Financial Services Loan Act”, would potentially allow registered check-cashing stores to make loans between $300 and $2,000 for 90 to 180 days. The loans could not be more than 25 percent of a borrower’s gross monthly income; installment repayments must be 10 percent or less. This could certainly benefit those frequenting the check-cashing stores that are paycheck to paycheck. New Yorkers are in need of this sort of short term loan because there are about 825,000 un-banked adults in New York City, according to the Department of Consumer Affairs, and this is something I am sure is similar in some of our nation’s largest cities. Advocates of this new pending law are wanting it to be known that this is NOT a payday loan, but it is in fact a loan with a repayment schedule that has installment payments within two days of a borrower’s payday.
No matter what it would be “called” it seems that there could be some additional resources for New Yorkers that are paycheck to paycheck. If a law like this is passed in NY, then will other states follow? We shall see… Stay tuned!

The US may not hold the world record for fastest texting any longer. Melissa Thompson from Salford, England has just broken the record for fastest typing on a phone using the sentence,

“The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.”.

The previous Guinness World Record was held by Franklin Page from Seattle with a text speed of 35.45 seconds. If approved by Guinness, Thompson will hold the new record for texting the sentence the most quickly in 29.54 seconds. Although she says she has slowed down, Thompson accredits her texting abilities to writing her boyfriend 40-50 times a day. Clearly, she’s had quite a bit of practice.

Can you text the above sentence used by Guinness Records in less than the current record time? Being on the internet so often, I’m almost willing to bet some of the people here at Leadpile could!

In this economy consumers are being more conscientious of their spending habits.
Coupon sites are becoming more and more popular. Living in Los Angeles I know of four that I check regularly, Groupon being one of them. Groupon launched in November of 2008 and features daily deals for over 85 US cities. Most deals are at least 50% off, ranging from restaurants to clothing stores to different outdoor/indoor activities.

Here are some interesting facts about Groupon and their customers.

- Groupon has 9.1 million members
- They have sold over 8.9 million coupons
- 97% of the businesses that participate ask to be featured again
- 68% are between 18-34 years old
- 50% have a bachelor’s degree
- 49% are single
- 77% are women
- 75% have fill-time jobs
- 29% annual income is over $100,000

How many of you have used Groupon? What are your thoughts on coupon sites?

Do you ever ask for help? If not, you might want to start looking at delegating tasks to your fellow co workers. Being in control of everything is something many of us are guilty of, however the best affiliate managers are those that know when they are overwhelmed and need others to assist them. Learn how to use your company’s resources and other people to help you achieve your goals each day. Your clients will appreciate it if they are taken care of by yourself or one of your peers, as long as their needs are met. Learn to delegate!

Yet another way for your friends and family to have up-to-date notifications of your “who, what, when, where and why” ? Facebook announced Wednesday a new location-sharing program that will allow you to send updates letting you announce your location. Similar to the iPhone application Foursquare that has been previously the leading location-sharing site. Foursquare reached a membership level of 2 million users in July.

Privacy uses have already been brought to the table with FaceBook “Places” as it gives friends the option to tag others when they check in somewhere, posting the updated location for everyone tagged. There is a “yes” option allowing friends to tag you, however there is not a “no” option, only a “not now”.

Facebook has said that “this is not a service to broadcast your location at all time, but rather one to share where you are, who you are with, when you want to…It lets you find friends that are nearby and help you discover nearby places”. The “Here Now” feature will let anyone who has checked into a pace see who else has done the same.

Needing a small amount of money to get you through until payday is something that everyone has experienced at some point in their lives. Whether it be for an emergency or it’s just a situation where you are short on cash, a payday loan can be the fastest most convenient option to get you through until payday.

Payday loans, once only available through store front requiring you to stand in line can now be applied for an obtained through online lenders. Applying for a payday loan over the internet not only can save time, but is a simple process typically only requiring a small amount of personal information and seldom is a credit check is necessary. The approved funds are submitted directly into your checking account, avoiding any unnecessary lengthy paperwork.

Most online payday lenders have a minimum required age of 18 and a necessary minimum monthly income for the borrower. Loan amounts range between $100- $1,500 depending on the lender and the needs of the borrower. A loan can often be received the same day, with repayment due 14 – 30 days after.

LeadPile matches consumers with online lenders daily!

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