Whether you've been charged with finding the items your company will give away during the holidays or you need to locate just the right gift for a special client, make no mistake, the job is a big one. Should you be required to find gifts appropriate for a number of different people, all of different faiths or beliefs, the prospect can be even more so daunting. Finding the right corporate gift is bigger than making a gesture, too, it needs to be classy and leave an impression on those who receive it. With the gravity of what a gift can mean for your company, it's a good idea to consider your client base before rushing out and buying the first gift baskets that strike your fancy. If there is a great deal of diversity involved, you may want to first set a spending limit per client and then choose individually within that range. Or, at the very least, select a few different standards gifts and send the one that is appropriate for each different client. A Christmas gift box might not be appreciated by your Jewish clients and non-drinkers may frown on a wine selection. Once an approach has been set, it's time to start looking at corporate gifts. There are a number of great ideas available and many provide the option to have the company's logo emblazoned on the box, card or even within the gift itself. Whenever possible, it's a good idea to go this route otherwise the impression left could be too self-promoting. No one really wants to wear a T-shirt with your company name on it, but they might appreciate a chocolate box with your logo on the top. Keeping in mind these ideas may not be good for every client, here are some different ideas on what can be sent to say "thank you for your business:" * Flowers. This is a timeless classic that really helps brighten up a client's office, but remember the impression will be a short one. Flowers don't last forever. These are appropriate, however, if you know the client has a particular passion for a certain kind of flower. * Chocolates. Chocolate boxes and chocolate gift baskets from gourmet makers work well for just about any client. Although the chocolates inside may be eaten up quickly, specialty wood boxes with logo name plates can have some serious staying power. * Fruit, cheese or preserve baskets. These also are appropriate for just about everyone. The staying power isn't always that great though. * Wines. These can be great selections for clients you know well enough to know they'll appreciate it. Since not everyone drinks and not everyone appreciates wine, it's a good idea to reserve alcoholic gifts for those you know will enjoy them. * Gift cards. Whether for a night out or a specialty store, these will be used up, but the client's likely to remember where the item came from. Choosing corporate gifts can be tough, but if you apply a little common sense and try to put some thought into what each client receives, the gifts can say thank you while also reminding customers of your products and services.
Do You need a sexy company logo or would a stinker be more effective
The debate over how much of a companys large reserves of spending power should be spent with greedy, oafish design agencies rages on and is not about to be resolved in this trite article, however we can suggest some alteatives to the usual company logo ideas and perhaps for once bad could be the new good...or something.
A company logo should make you stop and think...
How many times have you heard your design manager or someone from the marketing/advertising department going on about the need for a clever logo or a design that 'thinks outside the box'? In marketing terms this is met by much consteation by people with any sense of reality and nodding agreement from the rest of the clueless saps who pass off as the workforce these days. Thinking outside the box in this day and age is what all your competitors are doing. To move with the times we either have to think 'over' the box or get on a retro trip and think yourself back inside the box, now that everyone has gone outside to think.
A company logo should stick in your minds eye
Continuing with our theme of going back to basics in terms of logo design. The trend that is emerging and proving highly profitably in certain quarters is the 'so bad its good' theme. Easyjet, Pot Noodle, Tango, Spam... I'm thinking off the top of my head here but allthese brands once languished in obscurity and given a little bit of a trashy makeover have seen sales rocket. The same can be said for the previously unheard of Cillit Bang cleaning brand - design so off putting it makes you want to punch yourself in the face and with the most ridiculous name imaginable but hey whats happening, it's stuck in shoppers minds and bingo like groaning zombies they've bought the product without actually realising what it is and why they've just paid for it.
When good logos tu bad or how to undesign a logo
Built in obsolesence plays a big part in todays quick tuaround world. In a similar way to consumable products like mobile phones and cd players having built in components that only last a year or so before needing to be replaced by the latest model, cheeky graphic designers and logo designers have started to build in 'dated' fonts and styles that will make the company logo you spent 10,000 dollars on and proved a big hit at the time, look like a piece of bumfluff this time next year. Solution: Design it to be as bad as possible in the first instance and the vague whims of the fashion cognescenti shall sooner rather than later pronounce it a hit - meaning big time pay off for you. So there you have it in a nutshell, don't listen to your head when it says you are committing an atrocious mistake in combining stripes and polkadot pattes with some electric blue neon fonts, listen to your greedy heart and think of those filthy bank notes that will soon be piled up in your bank vault..
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Mindtap Graphic Design Resources is your single point entry into the UK creative industries. A unique site where you can access information on UK graphic design, logo design, brochure design, catalog design, flyer design and web design
Buying Radio Read This and Don t Waste Your Money
Pay close attention and make it work the best for you.
No doubt you've listened to, and then quickly deleted, messages from account execs from your local radio stations. Maybe you've even entertained them in your office. Hopefully you didn't have to sanitize your phone or office afterwards.
Well, radio can be great way to gaer awareness cheaply... ahem, inexpensively... if you do it right. Remember... 97.823% of all radio ads S-U-C-K. That leaves you to carry the banner for great radio advertising. And when you do, you will get noticed. Believe me, you will get noticed.
Why do so many radio ads suck? Between the screaming car ads, nasally voiced business owners who should never get anywhere near a microphone reading their own ads, and the next "tukey" business opportunity, they are all dressed in their plaid suits and resorting to hucksterism. They want your money and they want it now.
They forget one thing. Well, actually a lot of things, but the main thing they forget that people are not tuning in for their ad. Listeners want Rush, Rome, Al, Laura, music, sports, news, or whatever. People aren't saying, "Gee, I gotta hear great heating and air conditioning ads today!"
Your ad is interrupting what they listen for. By nature, you are already behind the eight ball before you start in radio. But there is hope.
First off, do NOT let a radio station employee write your ad.
If your exec isn't a writer (you may luck out in that some radio execs are copywriters in training looking for an agency gig) and you don't speak up, your ad will probably get written by either: the station producer- who may have already written 4 or 5 other ads that same DAY,who doesn't have enough time to fully attend to your needs, and thereby wasting your money; OR a disc jockey (strange term- they don't spin wax anymore, Daddy-O) whose annoyed he or she has to write an ad, or who's not a talented writer to begin with, also wasting your money; OR by an inte, secretary, or other employee - who may relish the opportunity, but may not have the chops yet, or is being pressured to write something "quick and dirty" so it can produced and on the air -- also thereby wasting your money.
You have creative control and the ultimate yay or nay, so feel free to choose your writer. Hint and Shameless Plug : There is a link here to direct you to an excellent radio writer. It's http://www.brandedbetter.com.
Now, when it comes down to concepting and reviewing scripts, remember this: Radio is called Theater of the Mind for good reason. Use it to your advantage. Recall your disadvantage before starting.
Cleveess will grab attention. But... it must be on strategy to be effective. Give your writer ONE benefit to express. How does that benefit resonate with the target audience? Don't think if you have a "mundane" or "boring" product or service, there's no cleveess to be had. Give a good writer enough information, and they will find it.
A few of the BEST radio ads I've ever heard was for a soil conditioner. Yup. A soil conditioner. Two voices. One performed by the writer. The other performed by midlevel (read... talented, and nonunion) voice talent. Writer as The Hick Farmer. Nonunion Talent as the Smart Farmer.
Hick Farmer: "Hey, nay-bor...Whatzzat on yer roof?"
Smart Farmer: (obviously) "It's a satellite dish."
Hick Farmer: "Whazzit fer...? Talkin' to the Martians?"
You can almost hear the slack jaw in your head. And it makes you want to hear more. That's your goal for radio.
Another ad for the same product was even better.
Smart Farmer: "Hey, neighbor... Why so glum?"
Hick Farmer: "Aw... the weeds, the bugs, the disease... my crops are about ruined... I've had an awful year. The wife has been pickin' her tooth for leftovers."
Now, I'm not a farmer. I never heard of conditioning soil. But, you can bet I understood what it did after these ads. And did I mention I was wondrously entertained when receiving this information?
To be fair, these ads were produced by an ad agency with a good sized budget. The campaign also won some ad awards and some industry awards. The point is-- a good ad isn't loud, repetitive, trite, condescending, or tries to jam as many words possible into the time frame. In fact, silence works to your advantage. Silence in radio (or even TV) is like white space on a print ad. It tastefully surrounds the content for maximum effectiveness, drawing the eye (in this case, ear) in to read (hear) the copy.
Voices are important, too. Ever listen to the radio and hear the same voice all over the ads? That's usually Mr. or Ms. Producer-- the person who makes sure the ad gets made. That's why they don't have time to write a good one for you. Many freelance writers, myself included, know something about voices and casting, and can probably get you the best talent for your dollar. Some writers can even voice their own copy. And think twice, no... three times about voicing it yourself. Better make that four times.
Oh, and if you're wondering what length of ad to buy? In most cases, go for the :60. For just a few dollars more, you get twice the time to play with. If you are spending money on radio, use ALL the resources available to you to create the best possible ad. And that usually entails going outside the radio station walls to get it. ~~
John is a freelance commercial writer based in Omaha, Nebraska. He publishes a free monthly e-zine focusing on branding, advertising, and marketing from his website http://www.brandedbetter.com. Speaking with both agency and in- house experience, he knows the most valuable asset of a businees is its brand.
Are You a One Punch Advertiser Take It From a Boxer There s a Better Way to Reach Customers
I am not a huge guy, in fact I am about 5'8", 175 lbs. In addition to designing business brands that help companies build more confidence and credibility, I am a boxer. Much to my family's chagrin, particularly my Dad who ponied up the money for my braces when I was young. Thankfully, I still have all of my teeth and faculties, and I'd like to share what boxing has taught me about advertising more effectively.
It wasn't until I read something in Permission Marketing, by Seth Godin that I saw a strong similarity between boxing and promoting my business. My goal as a boxer is to knock the other guy out so he/she can't fight anymore - that's how I win. In marketing and advertising for my business, my goal is to reach and attract new prospects and clients.
The similarity lays within the different strategies both marketers and boxers can use to accomplish their goal. Boxer behemoths like Mike Tyson and George Foreman can go for the one-punch knock out to accomplish their goals (knocking someone's teeth out), just as IBM, Monster.com and Ford can run one Superbowl advertisement and attract a load of new prospects. Most of us, including me, don't have the size or muscle of Mike Tyson or Ford, so we might consider another approach.
If you are looking for the best approach in either boxing or advertising, the key to success (unless you're Mike Tyson or IBM) is frequency. Take me for example: I am not very big and neither is my business, so neither of us has the resources to make a one-punch knockout count.
Spending all of my resources (either time, money or energy) on one roll of the dice isn't a good idea. I don't have the weight or the muscle for that to work, and if you own a small business, you probably don't either. But that's okay, just because we're not huge doesn't me we can still accomplish our goals; we just have to use a different strategy.
In advertising, the one-punch knock out used to work so much better, there was less competition, less products to choose from and people didn't have so many distractions. Things are different now, and even if someone sees your ad there's a fair chance they might not pay attention to it. So it makes sense not to evaluate or invest all of your money into one ad, that's where persistence and frequency come in.
Did you know that your prospects need to see your ad at least 3 times for it to sink in? I know, it's insane, but research has proven it time and time again. And if you've ever watched boxing, how often does someone go down in the first 3 punches? It almost never happens.
So you want to avoid what most business owners make the mistake in doing in that they run one advertisement and then pull the plug on campaign. Remember the boxing analogy, one-punch knockouts rarely happen. It'll take persistence and frequency to get your prospect's attention and to get him or her to take action, but if you keep at it, you'll succeed.
Keep on punching!
About Jeremy:
I help small businesses build more confidence and credibility into their business brand. Through marketing and design initiatives, I help you feel better about your company. Making you feel good about your business gives you more confidence and less anxiety when you are networking, promoting or selling your business.
If you have are a business owner who isn't comfortable or confident in your business image, or you're just not as proud of your business as you'd like to be. Call me today at 480.391.0704 or email me at comments@candographics.com, I'd love to send you a free insider's bulletin and talk with you about your specific situation.
You'll also want sign up for the "Can-Do Confidence Builder" at http://www.candographics.com. Emailed weekly, the Confidence Builder provides you with essential marketing and design insights that help you get the most out of your investment and help you to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Lea more about me and how you can gain a competitive advantage with a better brand by visiting http://www.candographics.com
Fax Broadcast Services Get Your Message to Millions
If your company is one of those innovative businesses that has taken advantage of new fax broadcasting technologies to get your message out, you've probably come to realize that the fax broadcasting services industry is ever-changing and new developments are coming out all the time.
It's pretty much a full-time job just to manage a fax broadcast database of any size, not to mention keeping the related fax broadcasting software updated and operational.
If you've gotten frustrated with the overhead and manpower required to manage your entire fax broadcasting operation inteally, it's time to lighten your load by considering some outsourcing, and the possible use of an outside fax broadcasting service. Not only can this free you and your people up, but it will leverage your time and allow you to reach more people, quicker and with less money per fax.
Tips for Selecting the Best Fax Broadcast Services
In selecting the outside fax broadcast services that are right for your company, remember – technology is everything in the fax broadcast industry. Fax broadcast services won't save you time unless they're convenient to use and require little involvement by your own personnel.
When shopping for fax broadcast services, you'll want to ask a ton of questions about the software and systems used by each fax broadcast service that you interview.
How flexible are their systems?
Do you get a lot of options and tailoring, or are you pretty much stuck with the system they have, even if it doesn't meet your exact needs?
Really good fax broadcasting services have state-of-the-art fax systems that can do things like integrate faxing, email and direct mail. The better systems also allow you to control and tailor your various fax broadcasts from your own PC at your own office.
This allows you access and control of your fax broadcasts when it's convenient for you, and reduces the time it takes to communicate instructions from your office to your fax broadcast service provider.
Take some time, shop around, and ask a lot of questions. This will be time well spent, and you'll be very pleased when you end up with a fax broadcast service that's easy to use and gets your fax broadcasts out quickly and by the specifications that you yourself can control from your own computer.
You'll be tickled pink with the staff time that will be freed up, and your new fax broadcasting capabilities will make you glad that you chose to investigate the use of fax broadcast services for your own company.
Chris Bradley is V.P. of 3 Cent Fax Broadcast.com, where they help business save money and increase profits with their do it all fax service, where they do all the work and you can concentrate on your business. To lea more about their money and time saving service by clicking here ... fax broadcasting services.
Don t Blame the Messenger
I recently had a call from a fellow in Scotland and taking into account the time difference, it was about 2PM there. He called to complain that the ad he placed with us two weeks ago, hadn't produced any leads. While he was venting, I looked up the ad he had submitted. He was in an affiliate program, and they provide a personalized web site, which not only gives information about the program, but also tracks the leads. He didn't include the web site in his ad, and his only method of contact was by email. The ad he originally submitted was full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, which we had cleaned up prior to posting. As he slurred his way through the conversation, I realized that he probably had a very long liquid lunch, and when I tried to explain what he needed to do, he called me a "con artist" and hung up. Now is this to be expected if you provide web space, or run an ezine which allows advertising? Not usually, but as in real life, there are people like this on the web. Ad space in an ezine or on a web site, is just that - space, and the web has no magic. If you write a bad ad, you will not get responses. The same ad in a print publication, such as a newspaper or magazine, would yield the same results. You can't blame the messenger, in this case the space provider, if your ad doesn't produce. Many people have fantastic results with this type of advertising, and they all have a few things in common. They are selling a quality product at a reasonable price, and have taken the time to develop a good ad. They also realize that the only purpose of the ad is to get someone to request more information. They all have a web site that gives complete details, and where they make the actual sale. Just having a quality product or program at a reasonable price is not the only thing you need. You must advertise it in an intelligent manner. The ad you place is referred to as the "tease". If this is done properly, it gets you to the next step in the sales process, and that is the "education" stage. People want information about the product or service they are about to buy. When people get to your web site, or ask for further information, it is because they are interested. This is the case where "more is better". The more information you can give them, the greater the chances you have of making a sale. A very common mistake is to confuse the "tease" with the "education stage". If the web site gives little or no information, it is in effect just another "tease". You can't expect people to buy if you do this. You must provide solid information on how they will benefit from your offer. Others mix up the "education" stage with the "tease", and try to give too much information in their ad. Neither approach will produce good results. The final stage in this process is referred to as the "close", or the "call for action". This is where you give the person a reason for becoming your customer. This can take various forms, but every good ad campaign has one. All of these elements from the "tease" to the "close" must be in place if you hope to be successful in your inteet marketing. Miss anyone one of them and you will join the ranks of the "also rans". If your ad doesn't produce, examine each of the three stages to see if it would get you to buy. Have a disinterested person look at your sales effort. Sometimes you might get so close to the process, you can't honestly evaluate what you're trying to accomplish. You must of course get ad space that is reasonably targeted to your potential market. The ad for your product should appear in places that your target market will visit. Don't forget that it might take 5 to 7 exposures to your ad before someone bites. Don't be discouraged if immediate results are not forthcoming. Above all, don't blame the messenger - that is simply a copout. They did their part by making the space available and disseminating it to their subscribers - did you do yours?
Careers In The Advertising Business Internet Marketing Style
So you are interested in seeking a job with an advertising business Inteet marketing firm? The first step would be to gain enough knowledge in marketing theory and practical applications. A four-year college degree is helpful but those without a college degree can still land a job with a top firm if they have enough real-world experience. You must have a genuine love for advertising to be successful. Often the initial salaries are small and job tuover is high. But with a strong determination, you can succeed in the advertising business Inteet marketing field. When entering the advertising business Inteet marketing arena, try to become as familiar with successful clients as possible. Leaing how successful firms have succeeded in business will give you an idea on how to be successful yourself. Also, if you do a good job working with a dominant firm, they may direct you into your next step in the advertising world. Lea what clients need and want from an advertising firm and seek to fulfill their needs. A second step toward a career in the advertising business Inteet marketing world is making bold moves. Don't be afraid to experiment a little after you have established yourself. Your superiors will recognize innovation. Look for great advertising program and try to figure out how they work and why. Apply the knowledge in projects you are involved with. Always be willing to improve your work and clients will see your efforts. Another important thing to remember when leaing about the advertising business Inteet marketing industry is to keep the client first. Visualize his perspective in all your work. By keeping the client first, you will gain their respect and their advertising business for a long time. Gaining loyalty is a major asset in the advertising world. If you choose to someday join another firm, often times your clients will move with you.
Economical Use of Banner Ads On Your Web Site
Ever go to a site and there were a dozen or so banners and it took forever for the page to load? If you are selling your own product or service or selling for affiliate programs that you belong to, you probably have banner ads available. Most affiliate programs will have a good selection of promotional tools for you to use when you sign up. Banners are usually one of the tools that you are given. If you are trying to develop multiple income streams you probably are associated with a number of affiliate programs like we are. Some can be for products, some for services and some may be network marketing type programs. Plus as I mentioned earlier, you may also have your own products/services too. No matter what the type of program or product you are offering, the one thing that you want to do is get exposure for them so you get sales or member sign ups. For purposes of this discussion let's say you are associated with eight such programs or products. So here you have eight different banners you want to get prospects to click on to increase your income stream. What do you do? Do you place eight different banners on your web page? I wouldn't! First it doesn't look very professional to have a page cluttered up with eight to ten different banners. Secondly, it will probably make your page load very slowly and you will then create what I call "click aways", when someone is waiting for your page to load and it takes so long that they just click another link to another site. What's the solution? Get yourself a rotating banner script. You can get it free and it really isn't that hard to set up. What is a rotating banner script? The one we use is a cgi based script which allows you to load as many banners into it as you want to rotate and place a short one line of html code on your page. Each time a new visitor goes to your page a new banner comes up automatically. If you want to see one in action, go to one of our pages at: http://www.homebizlink.com/newslt.htm The banner on the top of the page is on a rotating script. Let the banner load and then hit your browser "refresh" button and you will see another banner come up in its place. Repeat it as many times as you want, and it will randomly select a new banner from the twelve or so we have loaded into the script. One other neat thing about this is that you can have the banners rotate on as many pages as you want and you only need to set the script up once on your site. We have it on about 20 pages of our site. All it takes is to put that one short line of code on the html page you want the banners to appear on. The more pages you have it on, the more exposure you get. If someone surfs six pages of your site and your happen to have the banner script on those pages, there is a good chance they will see six different banners. So where do you get it? While there are a number of the scripts available both for free and for a fee, we got ours for free from Cliff's Perl Scripts site. Just go to his site at: http://www.shavenferret.com/scripts and look for "Cliff's Banner Rotator Version 2.51". There was a link to it right on the first page the last time we were there. Then just download the files (there's only 3 small ones), follow the easy directions and upload it to your site. It is a great way to get exposure for the multiple activities that you might be involved in. You can put 2, 5, 8 or 12 like we have. You could even put different banners from the same program (we have two from the same program in the rotation). Be creative! You could even sell space on a rotating script! Take a look at it and see if you might be able to use it to your advantage and create a more economical use of your web real estate.
Dime n Ring Only Ten Dollars
My mother used to tell me ..To always tell the truth. Of course, I kind of thought ..That all the rest would, too. The items that I ordered ..From fast-talking radio ads Led me to believe that ..Perhaps I had been had. The lesson to be leaed is ..That ads should make you wary. One claim you can be sure of ..Is to trust in no truth fairies.
Did you ever buy something advertised on TV or in a magazine and was disappointed with the quality or the performance of the product? While it is impossible to change the way some companies advertise their products, here are a few clues that will wa you away from being cheated.
Over-the-counter medications are prime examples of the old caival pitch. If words like 'sometimes', helpful', bigger', or 'more effective' are used, then you know that without a comparative study and the percentages to go with them, these modifiers serve only to put a positive spin on the product. When a medication is helpful, does that mean one per cent of the time or ninety percent of the time? How often is sometimes and bigger than what? Products touted as 'amazing' or 'fantastic' get your adrenaline going, but don't let it get to your wallet. Personal recommendations are purely anecdotal and have nothing to do with a comparative blind study. Adjectives like 'incomparable', 'incredible' and 'unbelievable' often mean exactly what they say.
Infomercials touting the benefits of their own herbal concoction are safe in the fact that these dried plants and effusions will in no way harm anyone. Every mysterious ill that people worry about will find their way in this special concoction. The free bottle is usually followed by interminable payments that resist removal..
Skin products are rampant with false claims and mythical properties. In science class, we leaed that the human skin is practically impervious to anything you put on it except for some acids or strong alkali. A simple softening hand lotion is all you'll ever need and then only in unusual circumstances. Hair shampoo is another catch-all for superlatives. A bar of hand soap in soft water will wash your hair fifty times for eighty cents and do a great job.
I once ordered three 'Multi-fruit trees' from a magazine ad. The picture showed apples , pears, cherries and peaches growing from the same tree! I paid my $5.95 and received three dried out sticks wrapped in sphagnum moss. Not even Darwin himself could resurrect these specimens. Other similar items found their place in the attic, like FM transmitters (Fool your friends with your voice on the radio!), instant breast enhancers, fifteen watt bulbs that last forever, and an all-purpose stain remover that supposedly helps remove (almost) any stain.
So don't be taken in by the seemingly wonderful qualities of 'bargain' products. Rely on scientific studies, consumer reports and trial and error. If that doesn't work, ask your mother.
Retired portrait photographer. Any comments?
Don t Use Your Print Ad on Radio
I don't know about you but I don't drive down the road with a pencil and paper on the seat.
Why then should you waste valuable advertising seconds on the radio by telling me your phone number?
Spend 20 minutes with local radio and you will hear more phone numbers than in most Yellow Pages.
Most radio ads are second thoughts. "Here take my ad in the paper and make something".
Trouble is, most radio people don't know squat about making a good ad so they take everything from the print ad and squeeze it in, including the phone number.
And who designed the print ad in the first place? The business owner, who wants a big bang for his buck, so he put it all in there, lines carried, years in business. Probably even a pic of the building, or worse, the owner's mug shot.
Telephone numbers, photos of the owners, grandiose statements that have nothing to do with good advertising.
The only time telephone numbers work in a radio ad is when the whole ad is built around getting the listener to remember the number. An excellent example comes from the Holiday Inn Hotel people. Their ad screams one 800 HOLIDAY. Great for remembering (a pain to dial).
They sell product when people call the number. Unless you can close the order on the phone and have a mnemonic to remember the number, don't waste seconds repeating your number on the air.
The only time your pic should be in the paper is when you give the Humane Society a truck load of dog food. The only time your voice should be on the radio is in a news sound byte from the dog shelter.
Benefits get the customer to your door, or on the phone. Offer to solve their problem and they will come to you. Help them remember your name and they will find you in the phone book. Help them remember your location and they will come thru the door.
"In the phone book under Veck, as in wreck" "Downtown, across from McDonald's" "On the highway, look for the giant Q in the sky"
Make your print ad all about benefits and use your radio ad to reinforce it and help them remember you and how to find you.
For more about advertising, get my article "What Does Your Business Cards Say?" MailTo:BizCardSay@BigIdeasGroup.com
©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel, All Rights Reserved BIG Mike is a Business Consultant and Professional Speaker. His BIG Ideas Group helps business grow with promotions, special reports, mastermind groups and seminars. http://BigIdeasGroup.com
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Effective Promotions Through Local Classified Sites
Today's online marketplace is extremely competitive. People want to market their products and services with the most cost effective manner possible. Some will market the old fashion way by placing ads in local newspapers while others will aggressively market on the Inteet for less money.
There are many online resources for marketing but the most attractive marketing medium is free online classifieds. The reason for this is obvious. It doesn't get much better than free. Thousands of people promote products and services everyday via online classified sites. Since classified sites are free users often do not bother to take the time to construct quality ads that sell. If your going to promote your product or service shouldn't it be done so you can get a reaction? The answers is yes!
The goal is to get a reaction. Those who place free classified ads should pay attention to detail. Describe your product or service by painting a clear and concise picture. If you answer all questions before they are asked it will save you a lot of time. If you opt not to specify details the prospective buyer might find a better advertisement.
Before writing up the classified ad you should look around at other ads to see how others with similar advertisements construct their ads. A good ad will be concise. It will be descriptive and it will be an eye catcher. When creating an ad for a product you should always try to include a picture to show what you are selling. A picture can sell better than a few lines of text. This doesn't mean writing isn't important because the two ad components (picture & text) compliment each other. Make sure to poof the layout and grammar of your classified ad before submission.
Visit PlugStar and take advantage of quality marketing.
Andrew Hillman owns and operates PlugStar - Americas Community Classified Site. Providing quality free classifieds for all local communities within the United States. Promote Services, Items for sale, real estate, jobs and community events.
Ezine Advertising Strategy Exposed
In my opinion, Electronic Magazine (Ezine) advertising is the greatest, untapped source of online advertising available today. The reason: Ezine Advertising (EA) matches your product or idea to people with similar interests. Example: who better to sell your health product to than a large group of people subscribed to a health newsletter? Or, you could pitch a business opportunity to a group already subscribed to another ezine about MLM and Biz Ops! The idea of EA is fairly simple - but to make yours a success, you have to first determine which ezines or newsletters produce results, and which ones to avoid. After a year and a half of EA, I've created a formula that produces increasing profit because I've leaed how to avoid poor performing ezines and rip offs, while revealing the gems. Strategy for Profit I used to get ripped off about once for every 2 or 3 ezines I advertised in. They either took my money without running my ad (and ignored my subsequent emails), or my proven ads did too poorly for the money I paid. The reasons ranged from abandoned ezines with working payment links, unethical newsletter owners, to a lot of ignorance and impatience on my part. If you follow my proven strategy, you'll discover the best sources of ezines to advertise in - no matter who your target group is. And, you should see positive results every time. This article outlines the steps to making your EA a successful retu on investment (ROI). Writing Your Ad I won't go into details about ad writing, but if your ad is poorly written or untested, you should start with the cheapest ezines first. If you're really unsure of your writing abilities, I further suggest hiring a professional to write your ad for you. Because you can run your ad as many times as you want, your investment in a professional will more than pay for itself in the end. Target your advertising If you leap into EA without first researching your target group, you'll end up wasting a lot of time and money. Plus, you probably miss some of the best ezines available. To determine who your prospect is, take the time to list the possible keywords that directly relate to your product and do keyword searches for ezines, newsletters, and ezine directories. For example, if you sell herbs, a good keyword search would include: herbs, health, nutrition, supplements, etc. Avoid Co-ops While doing your ezine research, you will probably stumble upon the offer to use Co-op (bulk) advertising as the means for your EA. To be blunt, you should never pay to use Co-ops for your EA because they are too difficult to track and usually contain untargeted ezines. Worse still, you'd find that most never run your ad. Subscribe Now that you've found your ezine target group, you'll want to know whether the ezines you found are a good option (i.e. profitable) for your EA. I've found the best strategy for making this determination is to subscribe to the targeted ezines. To keep the subscriptions readily available for further research, I recommend creating a separate folder to store your subscription data. And because you'll need to subscribe to quite a few ezines, I also suggest creating separate email accounts dedicated to your ezine subscriptions. Double Opt-In Subscriptions In the process of subscribing, you'll quickly determine possible ezines to avoid. When you subscribe and get a notice that you must confirm your subscription, the ezine is referred to as "double opt-in". Double opt-in ezines indicates a better quality of subscribers with a lower risk of bulk email addresses. For you and me, this means better ad responses (yeah!). Solo Ads Within the first week of your new ezine subscription, you should see solo ads from other advertisers. If not, the ezine may be too new, or worse, no one is advertising because of poor results. Worse yet, the ezine took the advertiser's money and failed to run the ad. On the other hand, if you see two or more solo ads a day, their list is probably bued out due to over advertising. You're looking for no more than one ad a day, or a minimum of one ad a week. Keep watching! Subject Line Does the ezine put the advertiser's subject line in the subject of the email or do they just say something like "Solo ad from xyz ezine"? Your subject line is the most important part of your ad and definitely should be in the subject of the email.No subject line equals no response. Advertiser Response Repeat (or regular) advertisers in an ezine is a very good sign that the subscribers are responsive. To further test responsiveness, I recommend looking through the ezine's online archives (if available). Archives are previous email publications that the publisher has posted to their website for visitors to view. The archive search is not only quick and easy, but archives can also provide an extra trickle of visitors when your ad gets archived. Testimonial Page After passing the above steps, see if your prospective ezine has a testimonial page. If the ezine has gotten this far, chances are it will. Waiting Period Another indicator of responsive subscribers is the waiting period to run an ad in the chosen ezine. If the waiting period is a month or more, this indicates a very popular ezine with responsive readers. You've uncovered a real gem! Web Forms I've found that the better ezines have web forms that get your ad to the publisher's inbox and usually send auto confirmation of receipt. If there is no web form, try emailing the publisher a question first, like when the next ad run date is. No response may indicate a poor choice in the ezine, or your email was filtered or blocked as spam. Wait at least 2 days and try emailing again using a different email account. If your emails still don't get through, neither will your ad. (Ironically, your payment always go through). Trust me, if they fail to communicate, save your money and time and move on. Free Classifieds If the ezine offers free classifieds, this is another good place to run your ad. Since classifieds usually don't produce responses, any activity from your ad here would further indicate an active readership. Ad Tracking Never advertise without using an ad tracker. You can purchase one or better, use one of the many available online for free. Ad trackers give you a url that you use in place of your website address. The new url gives you important information like how many visitors you had, where they came from, and some list the number of sales per visitor. This tracking information is crucial to the direction of your ad campaign because you'll lea of the need to change your ad and/or the sales page. More importantly, you'll know for certain whether the ezine produced enough visitors for the advertising price you paid. Run Your Ad Twice If your ad produced a great response, wait a week or two and run the ad again in the same ezine. I've found you'll probably get as good if not better results the second time around. I would advise against running the ad a third time in a row because most of your prospects will be found in the first two runs. Rotating Ads Once your ad has been tested and you have a base of 5-10 solid, performing ezines, start rotating your ad between your ezines. For optimal results, make sure 2-3 months have passed before running your ad in the same publication. Keep building your base and watch your profits grow!
Free well almost Advertising and Lead Generation
It occurred to me today, while driving along a road that I travel quite regularly that a lot of home business people are missing out on great low cost and almost free advertising. Why did I come to this realization while driving down that road that I've driven down time and time again? Because I read the same sign that I read each and every time I drive that road - "Ron Bus Equipment Rentals Open Mon-Sat". There is a multitude of inexpensive ways to advertise and generate leads for your business! Id you're not taking advantage of this stuff - your competitor probably is! Don't spend ALL your money on purchasing leads and taking ads out in papers. These are definitely viable and productive means to generate business. However, they are not the only way to do so.
Business Ideas 5 Uncommon Ways To Generate More Online Business
Sometimes, it is not an obvious business idea that will make you more money.
It may be what is not so obvious, which most people never think of that may make you money.
I will now tell you a few of these business ideas.
Use them well and succeed.
1. Ask people to find a hidden link in your ad copy. If they find the hidden link tell them they will get a prize or freebie by clicking on it. This will increase the chance that they will buy your product or service because they will read your whole ad copy.
2. Start a members only web site. Tell visitors what's in your members only site and what it costs to get access. Offer them a free membership, if, in exchange they link to your web site, post your banner on their home page or agree to advertise your web site in their e-zine for a set period of time. Usually they will agree to the free advertising to save money. This is a powerful way to get free advertising.
3. Want a popular discussion board? This technique is based on the number of postings made by any one person. You could give away a free product or service to any person that posts ten or more messages on your discussion in a month. It could be a free e-book, report, e-mail consulting etc. Just keep track of everyone's postings each month. This could also work for e-mail discussion lists.
4. Give your visitors an instant article directory. Tell your visitors they can instantly add a free article directory to their web site by linking to yours. Just place your ad or banner ad on top of the article directory for your main product or service. All those links can add up to a large amount of traffic for your web site.
5. There a millions of web sites on the inteet. Instead of marketing your web site as a web site. Market it as a free web book. Design your web site with a title page, table of contents, chapters, etc. Just place your ad or banner for your product or service on the top of each web page.
May these business ideas help you to make a lot of money.
Warmly,
I-key Benney, CEO
I-key, a Millionaire CEO from New York City is the creator of "Mscsrrr: Millionaire Secret Cash System", (home based business) which has helped thousands of ordinary people from all over the world to attain financial security and shining success during the past 2 yrs.
Mscsrrr Millionaire Cash System helps you to generate $1,500+/Week for life, from home or office, part time or full time. No large investment or hassles. Win $1000-$2000 free "cash"…
Five Characteristics of Highly Successful Advertising
Have you ever spent a small fortune on advertising that generated disappointment rather than sales?
Many small business owners have been down the road of flat advertising results and are at a loss when it comes to developing new ideas to improve the response to their ads.
Whether you run ads in your local newspaper, your industry's top periodical or on-line, you need your investment in advertising to pay for itself, and then some, in order to justify its cost.
If your ads aren't generating the interest you want in your products and services they may be suffering from one of the five common mistakes small business owners and professional service providers make when developing and delivering their advertising.
Here is a list of five qualities common to successful small business advertising campaigns.
Zero in on Your Best Prospects
Many small business owners make the mistake of thinking bigger is better when they choose a medium in which to run their ads and opt to spend their advertising dollars to reach a larger but less focused market.
For example, if your company specializes in helping law firms reduce the cost of long, ongoing cases and you choose to run a series of full page ads in the New York Times instead of the New York Law Joual you will likely be disappointed by the response to your campaign. Despite reaching the considerably larger audience of the New York Times your would be missing the focused attention of the legal minded readership of the New York Law Joual.
Be sure to zero in on your market. You will increase the likelihood that the readers who see your ad will actually have a need for your service.
Set Yourself Apart from the Crowd
Unless your business sells a product or service that is completely unique and faces no competition your ads need to set your products or services apart from the crowd of your competitors.
If you are the owner of a pet supply company and your ads simply say, "We Sell Pet Supplies" they will be passed over along with every other bland advertisement for Fido's food.
On the other hand, your ads will stand out and attract much more attention to your shop if you state that you sell, "King Sized Bones and Bowls for the Royalty in Your Family."
By focusing your ads on the owners of large breed dogs you distinguish yourself from the crowd of pet shops that simply sell pet supplies and make it clear to the owners of large dogs that you sell what they need.
Be sure the copy of your ads has the effect of making what you offer unique. Your highly targeted prospects will reward you by noticing the difference in your ads and buying from you.
Demonstrate Value
Another property of a highly effective advertisement is that it demonstrates the value your products and services provide. By demonstrating value in your advertisements you give your prospects a clear idea of the benefits you provide and a clear reason to buy from you. Demonstrating value can also help you set yourself apart from you competitors.
How can you change your ads to demonstrate the value you provide? What special offers can you make to set yourself apart from the pack?
Focus on client problems
Consumers buy products and services because they fill a need or solve a problem. If your ad copy does not address your prospects' problems they will never know that you provide the solution they need.
If you are recovering from knee surgery and need to work with a physical therapist to regain your full range of motion, would you be more likely to choose a therapist who advertises his new and mode equipment or the one who advertises that she will have your knee working and feeling like new again in just three weeks?
Be sure to focus your ads on your clients' problems. You will win more business as more and more prospects come to see you as the solution to their problem.
Require Action
The final aspect of a highly effective ad is a call to action. If you've done your job up until this point, your prospect has read your ad. If your ad does not finish the job and inspire your prospect to contact you for more information or visit your store or your web site, it is not worth the money you spent to have it published.
Don't assume that your prospects know what they should do next. You need to tell them to be sure they know.
If you've gotten their attention, demonstrated your value and shown them that you are the solution to their problem, don't waste your good work by neglecting to instruct them to take the next step and contact you.
If all this seems like a lot to accomplish in one advertisement, you need not worry. A well-written marketing message will take care of most of the details of writing a highly effective ad.
Do you have a marketing message you can use to consistently deliver effective ads and position your business as the solution to your client's problems? You should.
The author, Jeremy Cohen, helps small business owners and professional service providers attract more clients, grow their business and be more successful with his marketing and web site enhancement coaching service and his marketing guides. Get his free guide: Jumpstart Marketing: More Profits, Clients and Success at: http://www.bettermarketingresults.com/marketing-services/asp
Free Traffic Source
Free Targeted Traffic Source Report Doing business successfully online is all about one thing. It's not about how good your website looks, there are over a billion web page today who will find yours. Gone are the days when if you built it they would come. It's not about how profitable your product is, or how useful that item you are selling is. Successful online businesses have one thing in common. Real and large amounts of targeted traffic. Even the ugliest website with targeted traffic I guarantee you is making sales. The big problem facing the small net entrepreneur is costs. The best traffic sources are from the search engines. 1)Either your website is first in it's respective search term. 2)You pay to list your website in the advertising section of the respective S.E'S Getting your website in the first position is a task so tedious that this is just not an option to many people. Paying for traffic can be expensive. The one way that people can get targeted traffic is from online forums and discussion groups. Try these two exercises. Goto google.com and type in Forums you will get a huge amount of results. Next type in roach forums, pink elephant forums. The point is if you can think of it there is probably a forum about it. It is a little known fact that the fastest way to become recognized as an expert in your field is to contribute helpful and valuable posts on a regular basis in the forums that your target market hangs out in. Now the way to go is to join as many forums in your target market group as you can and then constantly participate in posting messages. Most forums allow you to put your advert in your post signature. Some forums even have an advertising section where by you can place your message in intervals that are determined by the forum administrator. The reason forums are so powerful in getting your website traffic is that real people goto these forums every single day looking for information etc. Now comes the problem. After 1 month of joining and posting to forums you could be a member of 100's of forums. Managing all those forums and posts will prove to be a problem. The solution. Russell Brunson's forum fortunes. Automate Your Forum Message Posting and Replies With Forum Fortunes. This award winning one of kind software lets you manage your forum postings so that you will quickly be recognised as an expert in your particular field. Take a look at this award winning software http://beam.to/kigo NB Remember whatever you are selling from curios to cars, real estate to holidays your target market congregates every day searching for your product on forums. http://beam.to/kigo
Custom Banners
If you can't find a banner that meets your needs, and can custom design your own. You can customize your banner and distinguish yourself from hundreds of banners seen everyday. You can then submit your specification to a banner production company; they will produce it for you.
Make your design simple – the simpler the design, the easier it is to read. People glance at banners as they are passing or driving by. They will not take in minute details, so the less said the better. If you're advertising for a road race, give the facts like name, date and location. Also include a number or location to go to for more information. Attractive designs with direct to the point or edgy captions work best. Consult a graphic designer or ad copywriter for advice on this point.
Captions or any words printed on your banner should be in large fonts, and a combination of contrasting colors will work well. The key is to outline the letters with white to separate the colors. If you have at least a sentence to print use a banner that is a horizontal, rectangular shape. This will allow you to maximize the surface of the banner. Drop banners, or those placed vertically are usually for one-product advertisements, with very short captions. Squares are also used for the same purpose. Again, stick to simplicity. A professional artist can help you transform your bright idea into a life-sized banner. To save time and fees, be as specific and detailed as possible with your directions.
Banners provides detailed information on Banners, Custom Banners, Church Banners, Vinyl Banners and more. Banners is affiliated with Neon Signs. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_Riverside |
Captions that PULL your customers TO you
Are you tired of so and so? Do you continually waste time and money trying to so and so? Then try our amazing so and so! We guarantee so and so or your money back. Plus if you purchase so and so now we will offer you so and so FREE! "I was continuously wasting my money with products that didn't work for me. But after trying so and so I am amazed by so and so- J.Smith". Are you MARY SCOTT getting the results YOU want? Then become a so and so now and discover the secrets of so and so! You too can ea $9999 a week with this so and so program on so and so! Any of the above 'so and so' catchphrases sound familiar to you? I have just listed 9 to 10 types of captions that will give your ad that extra uumph for luring your customers TO you! These captions are the key to making your ad/product act as a powerful magnet, giving it a strong pulling power that will help your advertising work. They are captions with the: 1. Problem solving style, 2. Direct Target style, 3. Guarantee offer style, 4. Testimonial style, 5. Free and value-added offer style, 6. Personalised style, 7. Benefits offered style, or, 8. How-To style. You can use the problem solving style by adding captions that ask readers questions and then giving them solutions. Ask questions that will generate the answers 'YES' from your readers, such as "Are you suffering from backaches?" and "Are you tired of looking for someone who will rub your back for you?" and then tell them how your product will solve these problems. This way, you can easily capture the attention of your target market. It acts on the frustrations that the reader may be experiencing at that time and proceeds to offer a solution to solve it. This is a powerful approach to capture the attention and interest of your prospects. The direct target style is another effective way getting to your prospects. Captions are specifically designed to target a particular market. When using this style, specifically mention who you are directing the ad/product to. For example, if your target market is small businesses, direct your caption like this: "Small Business Owners, lea how to market your business online with step-by-step instructions". The guarantees offer style is perhaps the most frequently used tool. Placing a guarantee offer, such as "Results in 30 days or your money back guarantee!" with your product makes readers feel more secure knowing that they can always get their investments back. Many readers resist purchasing something because of the risk of losing their money spent on a product that does not work for them. People LOVE guarantees! This is a benefit that is attractive to them. Speaking of risks, testimonials by your existing customers can be a powerful tool in washing away the doubts that your prospects may have. Testimonials give a shot of credibility to your product and they take away that hesitation in dealing with an unknown business. Testimonials are more compelling when coming from celebrities, well-known people, and people admired by your prospects. Free, discounted and/or value-added products/services included in your caption will give readers that extra incentive to purchase your product. This style attracts people because they can see a saving and they will continue reading the rest of the ad. Perfect for those of you having limited offers and sales. Tell your readers in no uncertain terms what's in it for THEM. For example, "Order within 10 days and we will also send you the so and so report valued at $49.95 for FREE!", or, "Purchase 1000 email addresses and get the next 1000 for half the price". You can also use yet another powerful way to get attention from your reader with the personalised style. Here, your caption uses your target's name. This style is particularly effective with e-mail advertising and direct mailing. Place the person's name in the caption like so: "Jane Smith, Here's How You Can Tu A $25 Classified Into a $10,000 investment retu". Readers will always look for WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM. That is why the benefits offered style is a strong tool for pulling your customers TO you. Tell readers how THEY can benefit from your product. For example, "Join our Affiliate Program for FREE AND You Will Discover the Secrets to Successful Online Marketing AND Ea Income Just By Referring People to our Web Site". And then of course there's the how-to style. This type of caption speaks for itself. It is especially useful if your product is one that teaches or offers knowledge of a particular field. This method is powerful because most people are very curious and want to lea all sorts of things… especially when it involves moneymaking and establishing skills that are particularly useful to them. An example of the how-to caption is "Discover How You Can Ea $500 or More While You Sleep With Little or No Investment." As an endnote, when designing your caption/headline, take your time and write down as many captions as possible and ask other people for opinions and which works for them best. Choose a caption that is suitable to your target market and your product and test your ad with different captions to see which caption gets you the most pulling power. Use as many words as it takes to reach your target audience but be clear and straight to the point. Most importantly, design your caption to attract readers' interest by promising benefits. Remember… readers are drawn and aroused by What's In It For Them! Good Luck!
Click Fraud Threatening the Internet Economy
One of the most popular forms of Inteet advertising is pay-per-click (PPC). Merchants place ads with search engines like Google or MSN and the ad appears whenever someone enters a relevant search. If the ad is clicked the merchant pays a fee – anywhere from 5 cents to $100. It's a fabulous idea – ad campaigns targeted at your most likely customers. It's such a fabulous idea that Google, the king of PPC, grossed $1.24 billion in the first 3 months of this year – most of it from advertising revenue. Watch out, though. There's trouble in PPC land. The flip side to PPC is a phenomenon called "click fraud" or "click spam." There are two types of click fraud. The first type occurs when someone maliciously clicks on your PPC ad to drive up your advertising costs. It could be a competitor or a disgruntled former employee. The second type of fraud involves clicking on affiliate ads to generate income. Affiliate ads are placed on third party web sites and each time someone clicks on an affiliate ad the web site owner receives a commission. Industry observers believe that affiliate click fraud is the biggest problem of the two. Either way, the result is the same – advertising budget depletion with little gain for the merchant. Either type of click fraud can be accomplished with the use of automated "robots" or by hiring an army of workers. The India Times reported in 2004 that a "growing number of housewives, college graduates, and even working professionals across metropolitan cities are rushing to click paid Inteet ads to make $100 to $200 per month." How serious is the problem? It's hard to judge exactly, but click fraud is commonly estimated at 20% to 35% of all PPC ad campaigns. A recently launched lawsuit alleges that Google is aware of the magnitude of click fraud and does not do enough to alert advertisers of the problem. The class action suit launched by Click Defence says that "Google has an inherent conflict of interest in preventing click fraud since it derives the same amount of income from each fraudulent click as it does from each legitimate click." The $10 million lawsuit quotes Google Chief Financial Officer George Reyes as saying that click fraud is "the biggest threat to the Inteet economy." Click Defense is a Colorado company specializing in click fraud detection. They claim that they themselves became a victim of click fraud when they advertised with Google's Adwords program this year. They are seeking damages for breach of contract, negligence, unjust enrichment, and unfair business practices. A Google spokesman said that the case is unmerited and that Google will defend itself "vigorously."
Extranets for Advertising Agencies
Ideally, clients and agencies have aligned interests, and they usually do. Today there are real challenges to that important alignment, forcing clients and agencies to look for new and better ways to collaborate. Enter easy-to-use, web based extr anets. What is an extranet? Specifically, an extranet is a private web site that provides a secure environment for a select group of users to share documents and information. Although it is accessed through a web browser, such as Inteet Explorer, it differs from a public web site in that it can be used only by an audience that has permission to access it through the use of IDs and passwords. Agencies use extranets as a client service tool to share documents with clients and vendors, to organize projects, and to archive previous work for direct client access. There is no limit on the size of files that can be posted, allowing agencies to share text documents, graphics, audio, video, message boards, and data. Often, extranets are used to replace email as a means to communicate within and across work groups. Unlike email, all communication is secure and any size document can be exchanged. Plus, an extranet provides a system for filing all the documents into project-related folders as part of the exchange process. An extranet increases agency efficiency and makes a client's life easier by saving time and frustration. An extranet facilitates faster and easier access to materials. Essentially, it is a web-based filing cabinet shared by the agency and its client. Controlled by the agency, it puts both current projects and past work within easy reach at any time, resulting in significant time savings for both you and your client. It provides instant client feedback and a permanent record of all comments and activity. Input and decisions are fully documented, and the work-flow moves faster in a more informed environment. In addition to supporting day-to-day client service, extranets can be used in a variety of ways. Agencies with retail clients use them to service retail locations throughout the country, or to support clients with multiple offices that need a single source for the agency's work. Choosing an extranet As with all ad agency software, when choosing an extranet there are a variety of choices, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you examine the alteatives: Does it support the way you work now? If you have to change the way you work, it's possible that your staff will be reluctant to use it. The extranet design should allow you to move forward without upsetting the way you and your clients currently work together. Will your staff and client want to use it? The more complex the extranet, the less it will be used. Consider carefully the features that you really need, and choose an extranet that offers only those features. That will assure that it's easy to lea, and easy to use. Does it have the tools your agency needs? Make sure that the extranet supports all the applications used in agency/client collaboration. For instance, assure that it will stream audio and video. And look for tools that allow you to create folder structures that mimic your current approach to communicating, filing work, etc. Today, clients have less and less time. Projects are moving faster and faster, and there is less administrative support available to both client and agency. An extranet addresses these issues directly, and offers the advantage of having all pertinent information available 24/7 from literally anyplace on the globe, within a highly secure environment. Ultimately, the case for an extranet is driven by everyone's desire to be more efficient and effective, with less frustration and aggravation.
Convention Advertising Infinite Possibilities
You know what sucks? Really hoping to aspire to something and wanting to be that thing, yet making absolutely no headway in your attempts. Its broken dreams, its lost understanding of oneself, its exactly the kind of thing that pushes someone into being an "associate" for silly operations like Amway. Unfortunately that is exactly where I am in my life.
What I want to be, yet have thusfar mustered total failure, is a convention guy. I want to go to conventions. I have my first choices, but would settle for just about any kind. I feel as certain that either the Democratic National Convetion or the Republican version would off someone unprecedented opportunities to party. I had a big phase in my first year in college where I salivated at the thought of rocking a Kiss convention. But, the original convention that tempted my wildest dreams was a Star Trek Convention. I can't even imagine how insane the after parties would be.
It is this personal historical fact that prevents me from completely trashing online business, advertising and networking conventions. Although, most of these guys are probably pretty depressing to be around for 52 weeks of the year, I just have a feeling they'd be ready for anything come convention week. Unlike a Start Trek convention where the people you'd be watching the sun come up with would probably inherently real cool people, where you're laughing with them; the online advertisers could most certainly supply ample amounts of material to laugh at. Really, I have no preference if I'm laughing with someone or at them, so long as I'm laughing. Plus, when you have s group of people that are so tightly wound and are on their string form day to day, when you open the flood gates, I bet there's a burst of pressure that could wipe a medium sized city right off the map…and that's the kind of party I'm looking for.
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Tony Mirabales has written extensively for the web. His websites include Ganar Dinero and Ganar Dinero Extra
Free Items Offered on the Net Helps Sell Product and Helps Promote our Web Site
The net is a free market at is best. Our inteet users all love free stuff. So we try to give them what they want. Free items. This is a lesson that I leaed many years ago. I always try to offer a customer something that is free. Customers remember the free item more than items that they buy. Of all the different types of adds that I have run over the years, its the free offers that people cut out and save. After all think about ccoupons that people save. They don't collect product adds they will collect coupons. That is why I like to always advertise my free items. I even plan days around free give aways. When customers are at nursery I will even make up a free offer on the spot many times such as when I ask the customer, " Do you know what day it is? Do you know its free LILac day? Let me show you a Lilac that is free today". I will then give them a lilac and say such things as every landscape needs at least one lilac. I can them show them all the different lilacs that we have and promote many different lilacs. I never give away a teaser. I make the free plant a quality gift of real value. This is what is remembered by customers. This is a copy of my most recent email newsletter. This was an overwhelming success. We had an estimated 600% weekly sales gain by using this newsletter add. *********************************************************** January 2006 The Early Bird Gets the Worm---Don't Delay Free Tree Day Jan. 28th is a Free Higan Weeping Cherry Tree Day Greetings! January 28, 2006 is free Weeping Higan Cherry Tree Day.....All members of our email club can receive a free Higan Weeping Cherry when you bring your pickup to our 5275 West Swamp Rd. Fountainville Pa. location. These trees are 10-12' tall and in 24" baskets. These trees must be picked up on the 28th, before 5pm. sorry, no rain checks. There is a limit of one per family and you must have been a member on or before January 27, 2006 of our email club. Sincerely, Bill Hirst Free Tree Day Jan. 28th, 2006 is Free Tree Day 5275 W. Swamp Rd. Fountainville, Pennsylvania 18923 January 28, 2006 8:00AM-5:00PM Reasons to Come to this Event We are selling 150 acres of our nursery and we must liquidate many trees and plants. Some of of plants are in quantities that would supply us for many years of sales. But we can't move that number of trees. Thus they will be either sold at a discount, destroyed, or given away. I like the last option. Thus if you bring your pickup to the farm today, Saturday the 28th, we will give away 1 free Higan Weeping cherry to each email newsletter subscriber to Highland Hill Farm that picks up the tree by 5PM. Sorry you must be have be signed up by Jan. 27th, to qualify. There are no rain checks. These trees are in 24 and 28 inch baskets and are app. 10-14' tall. We will help load them in your pickup. We have a total of 75 trees ready to give away while the supply lasts. All other trees and plants are 20% off today. Driving Directions to the Farm Highland Hill Farm 5275 W. Swamp Rd. Rt. 313 Fountainville, Pennsylvania 18923 myhirst@yahoo.com http://www.seedlingsrus.com We will have other free tree offerings each month. So keep in touch. ************************************************************** Within 15 minutes of this email being sent people started to arrive to make selections. We would have had no customers on this day. Yet we sold enough other stock to make this offering possible. We gave away 52 trees and this was even covered by the press showing up and giving us exposure in local papers.
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An EZ Fast Growing Hardy Tree The Arborvitae
Whenever someone asks me for suggestions on EZ to plant trees and shrubs for the Yardley Pa. area, I always begin with Arborvitae. Arborvitae are commonly used evergreen shrubs or trees useful in urban areas where low maintenance and durability is needed. Many varieties with forms such as being globed in shape, columnar, or narrow pyramidal, tend to be near buildings, doors, and walkways. Other forms which are larger are used for screens and buffers that are planted in rows. The form of arborvitae is small, medium, or large depending on the variety. Some reach 50', others only 3'. Most prefer full sun to partial sun. Planting in dense shade conditions should be avoided. A moist , well drained, loamy soil in full sunlight are ideal conditions for growing healthy arborvitae. These plants will tolerate rocky, clay, urban conditions of heat drought and pollution. The most important pest we have is bag worms which must be controlled to prevent complete defoliation. Some varieties have multiple leaders which also prove to be a detraction for the plant. Pruning out multiple leaders in some varieties is a simple remedy. Our most popular Arborvitae is the Emerald Green arborvitae. Many people prefer to spell them Arbor Vitae . It is a bright light green color and narrow in shape. It makes a distinctive and impressive natural fence. It is easy to grow ,plant, and keep in shape. The Hetz Midget arborvitae is a dwarf globe variety. This is a good choice for along walkways and gardens. This is a tough plant that is easy to install and not going to cost a lot. It will maintain its color in the winter and will withstand snow loads well. We carry these plants in 2 and 3 gal. pots. The prices on these dwarfs vary from $15 to $30 depending on size and quantity ordered. Another small arborvitae that we grow in pots is the Rheingold arborvitae. This is a small globe shaped plant that has a golden green cast to it in the summer and a bronze winter color. We also have the American Arborvitae known as "Tiny Tim".This arborvitae grows in zone 2 - 7. Its is a needled evergreen in the Cupressaceae Family. It will grow in height from a half a foot to 1 foot tall. Its spread will be about 1 to 1.5 feet. This is a plant that requires little work. Selecting quality arborvitae for the home landscape : When you get to the nursery or garden center where you will buy your arborvitae, pick out the healthiest, most robust plants that have no evidence of disease or insect damage. The potting medium should be moist, but not wet, and the roots should well dispersed in the medium. Arborvitae that have roots growing from the drainage holes or circling the top of the pot are less desirable. Many people choose to buy arbs from a mail order company, which is perfectly acceptable. However, realize that most woody plants purchased from mail order catalogs will be shipped dormant and bare root, that is, without any soil attached to the root system. Such plants may be smaller in size because of the expense of shipping. It is important to plant such material immediately upon arrival. Generally it is best to purchase one-year-old material from mail order companies since this material is more vigorous and will transplant better. The larger material that is offered is often composed of the less vigorous plants held over from previous years. Most large sized arbs are balled and burlaped. Don't buy any arbs bare rooted over 3' tall. Any plant larger should be balled and burlaped. We have thousands of arbs and always have hundreds ready for you to pickup. From 2' to 15' we have inventory balled and burlaped. Don't worry about driving long distances to get to us. We are easy to get to near Phila., on a major road, Rt. 313 in Fountainville Pa.. We want to move our stock and will make sure that you go home a happy camper. If you are coming from a long distance, we will give away free inventory that is surplus to our needs. One of our fields is being converted into ball and soccer fields and work will begin Nov. 25 2005. Stock in this field will go cheap. We will stay open til the last dog dies or we sell out. I think we have more stock than what we possibly can sell. You can see our web sites at: HTTP://www.seedlingsrus.com HTTP://www.highlandhillfarm.com HTTP://www.zone5trees.com
Creating Remarkable Poster Prints through 4 Color Poster Printing
Moreover the striking, brilliant and vivid colors are the reason why we are attracted to the posters that we see.
Posters had been a very beneficial marketing tool because it had paved to deliver an effective message that conveyed customer's attention. It had been widely used for acquiring customer's attention. Having them hanged with color prints had effectively grabbed customer's attention and it had resulted to end up gaining more customers and boosting up companies sales.
With the appealing and attractive colors that we see, we are yet daunted and persuaded to be attentive to what is being presented. Primarily the poster itself can initiate a good communication but an added color feature can be a best way of conveying more attention.
Are we aware of what printing applications are applied to it? Well with the services that commercial printers are providing colored poster prints are developed through the 4 color poster printing process. Mainly this printing process applied is an effective way of generating full color poster prints.
The 4 color poster printing had paved to change the color printing revolution. This process had worked out to deliver easy and fast printing jobs and thus developing unique out put of professional quality and satisfactory result. Generally the process involves the utilization of the four standard color inks which are known as C-M-Y-K (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). This colors when are being added creates a well detailed, vibrant and crisp color prints that make audience tu their heads.
Pertaining to the inks applied, commercial printing services provides wide selection of exceptional quality durable inks that protects the poster prints from image dilapidation and protecting the designs from the flaws of changing weather. The various inks offered can impose precise color pictures and excellent images for the marketing material.
Mainly creating a remarkable poster prints through 4 color poster printing can now be highly achieved. For, there are lost of commercial printers that are well equipped with the materials and equipments that can run the processes.
Since you are aiming to deliver an effective marketing campaign tool for your promotion you have to be watchful with the printer you are about to render your services. Because as a business that pays for the job you have the right to get what is due you. And for the company they must also comply to provide an excellent service and as well as provide customer the satisfaction they need.
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Please visit Poster Printing USA site at www.posterprintingusa.com/FourColorPosterPrinting.html for comments and inquiries regarding this article.
Dramatic Advertising That Sells
Think about the last car purchase you made... Did you watch closely for advertisements that explained all of the features before you bought the car? Probably not. In fact, studies show that most of us notice the ads AFTER we have purchased our new car.
Let's face it... consumers are emotionally driven. They make purchases for the feeling they get, and then look for the logical benefits to justify the purchase. That's why we notice all of those ads after the fact!
Wise marketers make good use of this insightful knowledge. Good advertisements get the benefits in front of the customers so vividly that they experience the benefits before they even buy the product. Once they see themselve enjoying it, they've just "gotta have it!"
1 Make It Picture Perfect
Forget about your product or service for a minute and focus on the consumer. What will he enjoy when he has dug out his money and taken home your product? Put yourself in his shoes, and then describe the experience in vividly dramatic detail.
What does it feel like to be a stay-at-home mom and still be able to make money? Describe the freedom, the confidence, the things she'll be able to afford. Tell the story in bright words that compel the reader to enter and experience it for themselves.
You've caught them... hook line and sinker once they've experienced those feelings. Chances are they've dreamed about them, and now the know they can fulfill the dream through your product or service.
2. Throw In The Logic They'll Need to Justify Themselves Later.
You've probably met up with the "after the sale jitters." You make the purchase, enjoy it for a day or two and then it hits home... you've got a payment to make and start wondering if you've made the right choice.
Sure, your customers will second guess themselves after they make the purchase too... that's why you need to supply the logic for the sale upfront - even though you know they buy for emotional satisfaction.
Let them know that it's a special, reduced price... if they buy it now. That'll make them feel better about not waiting.
Tell them about other customers who are "glad they did" to make them feel like they aren't alone. Others thought it was the thing to do too so it must have been.
Hey, the customer who enjoys the product, and can feel good about the purchase is one satisfied customer who'll do business with you again. Take care to set your advertising campaign up for success.
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Who is Allyn Cutts, and why should you care? Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally with clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can lea more about Allyn Cutts at www.AllynCutts.com and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Easte Time Tuesdays and Thursdays. Submitted with Article Distributor.
Dramatic Advertising That SellsThink about the last car purchase you made... Did you watch closely for advertisements that explained all of the features before you bought the car? Probably not. In fact, studies show that most of us notice the ads AFTER we have purchased our new car.
Let's face it... consumers are emotionally driven. They make purchases for the feeling they get, and then look for the logical benefits to justify the purchase. That's why we notice all of those ads after the fact!
Wise marketers make good use of this insightful knowledge. Good advertisements get the benefits in front of the customers so vividly that they experience the benefits before they even buy the product. Once they see themselve enjoying it, they've just "gotta have it!"
1. Make It Picture Perfect
Forget about your product or service for a minute and focus on the consumer. What will he enjoy when he has dug out his money and taken home your product? Put yourself in his shoes, and then describe the experience in vividly dramatic detail.
What does it feel like to be a stay-at-home mom and still be able to make money? Describe the freedom, the confidence, the things she'll be able to afford. Tell the story in bright words that compel the reader to enter and experience it for themselves.
You've caught them... hook line and sinker once they've experienced those feelings. Chances are they've dreamed about them, and now the know they can fulfill the dream through your product or service.
2. Throw In The Logic They'll Need to Justify Themselves Later
You've probably met up with the "after the sale jitters." You make the purchase, enjoy it for a day or two and then it hits home... you've got a payment to make and start wondering if you've made the right choice.
Sure, your customers will second guess themselves after they make the purchase too... that's why you need to supply the logic for the sale upfront - even though you know they buy for emotional satisfaction.
Let them know that it's a special, reduced price... if they buy it now. That'll make them feel better about not waiting.
Tell them about other customers who are "glad they did" to make them feel like they aren't alone. Others thought it was the thing to do too so it must have been.
Hey, the customer who enjoys the product, and can feel good about the purchase is one satisfied customer who'll do business with you again. Take care to set your advertising campaign up for success.
Copyright 2005 Cutts Group, llc
Who is Allyn Cutts, and why should you care?
Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally with clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can lea more about Allyn Cutts at http://www.AllynCutts.com and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Easte Time Tuesdays and Thursdays.
