Welcome to Business advertising
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Unique Ways To Hand Out Your Printed Pens
Just because you want to get your printed pens into the hands of future clients doesn’t mean you are limited to offering them in buckets at your office, as freebies at conventions or via direct mailings. There are plenty of unconventional ways to pass out printed pens.
Holiday Gifts Consider a special printed pen production a few months before a less-known holiday. Send a printed pen to the company’s secretary instead of the president for Secretaries Day. How about sending a special printed pen to say “thank you” to former customers for January 11 Thank You Day?
Send a “lovely” pen to a direct mailing list in the first week of February to ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day.
There’s National Nametag Day on March 11 so encourage your printed pen recipients to use your pen to write any name they like on a nametag and wear it all day.
Ask your future clients to help celebrate Write an Old Friend Day on April 27 with your printed pen.
National Columnists Day begs for your former clients to receive a promotional printed pen from you to encourage them to send a letter to their favorite (or least favorite) columnist.
How about a Christmas gift in July? An end of summer writing stick promotion at the end of summer? What about a back to school gift for teachers and school administrators in September?
October offers another unique holiday for gift giving. In addition to a highlighter Halloween gift, you could send a printed pen with a poetic advertisement to commemorate National Poetry Day on October 9. Poetry Day is quickly followed by National Author’s Day on November 1.
Everyone sends or gives out gifts for Christmas, so avoid this unless you can afford to spend a bit more than your competitors to stand out.
Tradeshow Gimmicks and GiftsBefore the tradeshow, send a printed pen announcing your new products or service to attendees and industry top dogs. They’ll come looking for you if you excite them beforehand. Offer to trade the cheap printed pen you send a month before the show for a better gift if they come see you. Have other printed promotional items on hand for these upgrades at the show.
Take your own pen to visit other business booths. Leave one with them. If they won’t come to you, go to them.
Offer different gifts to different types of clients or for entice visitors to leave more information with you for a better gift. Consider that a retail customer may buy one and tell five while a corporate customer may buy fifty and tell none. While both customers are important, the corporate client certainly raises your bottom line quicker. Consider rewarding them with a more expensive printed pen or even a printed pen set.
Create an eye catching tradeshow booth with bright colors and give away highlighter printed pens instead of the traditional ballpoint pen. This is doubly effective if you can create a themed booth using the words “light up”, “bright”, “illuminate” or another adjective that fits not only your product or service but your highlighter printed pens.
Holiday Gifts Consider a special printed pen production a few months before a less-known holiday. Send a printed pen to the company’s secretary instead of the president for Secretaries Day. How about sending a special printed pen to say “thank you” to former customers for January 11 Thank You Day?
Send a “lovely” pen to a direct mailing list in the first week of February to ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day.
There’s National Nametag Day on March 11 so encourage your printed pen recipients to use your pen to write any name they like on a nametag and wear it all day.
Ask your future clients to help celebrate Write an Old Friend Day on April 27 with your printed pen.
National Columnists Day begs for your former clients to receive a promotional printed pen from you to encourage them to send a letter to their favorite (or least favorite) columnist.
How about a Christmas gift in July? An end of summer writing stick promotion at the end of summer? What about a back to school gift for teachers and school administrators in September?
October offers another unique holiday for gift giving. In addition to a highlighter Halloween gift, you could send a printed pen with a poetic advertisement to commemorate National Poetry Day on October 9. Poetry Day is quickly followed by National Author’s Day on November 1.
Everyone sends or gives out gifts for Christmas, so avoid this unless you can afford to spend a bit more than your competitors to stand out.
Tradeshow Gimmicks and GiftsBefore the tradeshow, send a printed pen announcing your new products or service to attendees and industry top dogs. They’ll come looking for you if you excite them beforehand. Offer to trade the cheap printed pen you send a month before the show for a better gift if they come see you. Have other printed promotional items on hand for these upgrades at the show.
Take your own pen to visit other business booths. Leave one with them. If they won’t come to you, go to them.
Offer different gifts to different types of clients or for entice visitors to leave more information with you for a better gift. Consider that a retail customer may buy one and tell five while a corporate customer may buy fifty and tell none. While both customers are important, the corporate client certainly raises your bottom line quicker. Consider rewarding them with a more expensive printed pen or even a printed pen set.
Create an eye catching tradeshow booth with bright colors and give away highlighter printed pens instead of the traditional ballpoint pen. This is doubly effective if you can create a themed booth using the words “light up”, “bright”, “illuminate” or another adjective that fits not only your product or service but your highlighter printed pens.
Make Money With Google - Build An Effective PPC campaign
Many people consider Google Adwords to be the simplest and fastest method to make money online. However, the fact is also that only 5 percent of people profit from this form of Pay Per Click advertising.
It was relatively easy during 2003, 2004 and 2005 to venture into Adwords because of less competition. After that, with more and more people trying to make extra money, competition became much harder. Pay Per Click Programs became quite expensive and profits came down.
One can have many objectives in using Google PPC advertising. But primarily it is designed to be used to divert traffic to a website for increasing sales.
Anyone can use Google Adwords whether to boost one’s own sales or affiliate sales. One need not own even a website to profit from Google PPC. However, Google will not be displaying an ad pertaining to the same website twice within the same display. Therefore, it is preferable to have one’s own website in order to play with Google Adwords.
It is easy to build a PPC advertising campaign. The only thing is that one has to follow certain strategies in order to succeed. For this, it is better to be as knowledgeable as possible before starting. Google itself has provided a lot of reading material and information on building a successful PPC campaign on its website.
Apart from the above, there are lot of Adwords guides available written by many experts. One crucial thing for the overall success of PPC advertising is that it should be targeted at niche markets. One can use several manual and automatic methods of finding out niche markets.
Niche market research usually starts with keyword research. There are some free tools available for doing keyword research on the internet. One can do manual research in finding niche markets or use some special software for this which can do the job in minutes. Manual research, though free, will involve many hours of concentrated research.
The beauty of using Google Adwords is that if set right, one can start to make easy money in minutes. It will be a dream come true to build a successful PPC campaign. As aforesaid, the critical factors for this are following the right strategies, proper keyword research, finding niche markets and writing an effective ad.
It can both be easy and difficult to build profitable campaigns. It is hard to succeed if not done properly. One has to do a lot of research and build appropriate keyword lists. These lists should not be too broad.
If one is serious to make money online with Google, then one should start with positive thinking. Once one experiences and learns the art of PPC advertising, it should then be relatively easy to make affiliate income from Google Adwords. Once set up, one just needs to spend a little time every day for earning money with Google.
It was relatively easy during 2003, 2004 and 2005 to venture into Adwords because of less competition. After that, with more and more people trying to make extra money, competition became much harder. Pay Per Click Programs became quite expensive and profits came down.
One can have many objectives in using Google PPC advertising. But primarily it is designed to be used to divert traffic to a website for increasing sales.
Anyone can use Google Adwords whether to boost one’s own sales or affiliate sales. One need not own even a website to profit from Google PPC. However, Google will not be displaying an ad pertaining to the same website twice within the same display. Therefore, it is preferable to have one’s own website in order to play with Google Adwords.
It is easy to build a PPC advertising campaign. The only thing is that one has to follow certain strategies in order to succeed. For this, it is better to be as knowledgeable as possible before starting. Google itself has provided a lot of reading material and information on building a successful PPC campaign on its website.
Apart from the above, there are lot of Adwords guides available written by many experts. One crucial thing for the overall success of PPC advertising is that it should be targeted at niche markets. One can use several manual and automatic methods of finding out niche markets.
Niche market research usually starts with keyword research. There are some free tools available for doing keyword research on the internet. One can do manual research in finding niche markets or use some special software for this which can do the job in minutes. Manual research, though free, will involve many hours of concentrated research.
The beauty of using Google Adwords is that if set right, one can start to make easy money in minutes. It will be a dream come true to build a successful PPC campaign. As aforesaid, the critical factors for this are following the right strategies, proper keyword research, finding niche markets and writing an effective ad.
It can both be easy and difficult to build profitable campaigns. It is hard to succeed if not done properly. One has to do a lot of research and build appropriate keyword lists. These lists should not be too broad.
If one is serious to make money online with Google, then one should start with positive thinking. Once one experiences and learns the art of PPC advertising, it should then be relatively easy to make affiliate income from Google Adwords. Once set up, one just needs to spend a little time every day for earning money with Google.
Get Paid For Internet Surfing – Make Easy Money
People increasingly do online jobs and have become virtual workers on the net. They surf and research and get best deals. Employers also get best workers online and their work done in record time.
Work from home opportunities have been one of the biggest benefits of internet. Internet has made it possible for thousands of people to become independent and quite their routine jobs. They are now in a position to access all types of jobs from the comfort of their homes.
While on the internet, people research different things, get information and do a variety of online jobs. Who would have imagined that people would get paid even for being on the internet for their personal benefits? Netizens often are on the net for their own interests. It is amazing that people are now getting paid even for this activity and this trend will continue in future.
There are no limits to human intelligence and imagination. A new concept is emerging whereby people have begun to be paid for any type of surfing and for whatever reason.
Some companies have developed the idea of hooking up advertisers and surfers together. It is believed that people need not to go to look for advertisers and products. Advertisers themselves come forward and pay for having their ads noticed.
Search providers and online retailers are paying billions to reach consumers while they surf. Google is paying AOL, YouTube and the like vast sums for its advertisements. There are some companies which want to share this revenue with their members. The idea is to build an Economic Network which is a form of online community. With this each member is supposed to share advertisement revenue.
Why do companies pay for surfing? They place a small banner at the top or bottom of an internet window of a member. These display advertisements from paying advertisers. The idea is that these advertisements may attract some people to click them and may lead to a some positive action.
So essentially paying a surfer just by placing a banner on his Internet window is a form of advertising. It is just like advertising on the TV or cinema screen. One is under no obligation to this. Sometimes there is some relevant information to some people and it may benefit them.
If one is comfortable in allowing displaying of advertisements in a corner of one’s screen, then this could be another form of passive income to him, whatever the amount. To let advertisements display on one’s computer is the only requirement.
Work from home opportunities have been one of the biggest benefits of internet. Internet has made it possible for thousands of people to become independent and quite their routine jobs. They are now in a position to access all types of jobs from the comfort of their homes.
While on the internet, people research different things, get information and do a variety of online jobs. Who would have imagined that people would get paid even for being on the internet for their personal benefits? Netizens often are on the net for their own interests. It is amazing that people are now getting paid even for this activity and this trend will continue in future.
There are no limits to human intelligence and imagination. A new concept is emerging whereby people have begun to be paid for any type of surfing and for whatever reason.
Some companies have developed the idea of hooking up advertisers and surfers together. It is believed that people need not to go to look for advertisers and products. Advertisers themselves come forward and pay for having their ads noticed.
Search providers and online retailers are paying billions to reach consumers while they surf. Google is paying AOL, YouTube and the like vast sums for its advertisements. There are some companies which want to share this revenue with their members. The idea is to build an Economic Network which is a form of online community. With this each member is supposed to share advertisement revenue.
Why do companies pay for surfing? They place a small banner at the top or bottom of an internet window of a member. These display advertisements from paying advertisers. The idea is that these advertisements may attract some people to click them and may lead to a some positive action.
So essentially paying a surfer just by placing a banner on his Internet window is a form of advertising. It is just like advertising on the TV or cinema screen. One is under no obligation to this. Sometimes there is some relevant information to some people and it may benefit them.
If one is comfortable in allowing displaying of advertisements in a corner of one’s screen, then this could be another form of passive income to him, whatever the amount. To let advertisements display on one’s computer is the only requirement.
6 Reasons For Using Google Adwords For Your PPC Advertising Campaign
First of all, I need to make clear that I have no commitment by promoting Google Adwords, the pay per click search engine from Google. I am not Google affiliate at all. I just consider Google Adwords the most effective pay per click search engine and I will explain why.
Reason 1:
The Google audience / user base has traditionally catered to technical audiences and more importantly, to Internet savvy users: the kind of users who are comfortable with buying online. These users (the tech-savvy, buying kind) are more likely to use Google than Yahoo or MSN.
Reason 2:
Google Adwords delivers instant results. You can have your ad campaign up and running in 10 minutes flat. Compared to this Yahoo can take anywhere from 2 to 5 days while they manually review ads.
Reason 3:
With Adwords, you can target your prospects geographically down to countries, states and cities. This is a great advantage for businesses selling physical goods or localized services . They would prefer local prospects as opposed to someone half way across the world.
One exceptional quality about Adwords is that it rewards good ad performance. This is, for an ad that converts (clicks/impressions percentage) exceptionally well (high click through rate), your ad will get better ad placement as well as better pricing. Google wants to display the most relevant ads for the user. So, it makes perfect sense that you will pay less per click, the higher the click through rate of your ad is.
Click through rate is simply the percentage of clicks on your ad divided by the number of impressions on a particular keyword. For example, if 100 users saw your ad, and 2 people clicked your ad to visit your website, your click through rate would be 2%.
Google reports the click through rate for each of your keywords, hence the necessity of constantly monitoring the keywords performance for the continuous refining process until reaching an optimal performance of your set of keywords. This is an ongoing process, as you don’t know in advance which keywords are the best performers from the conversion standpoint.
Reason 5:
Your competition cannot see the exact amount you're bidding for your keywords or the CTR your ads are getting: a distinct tactical advantage that Yahoo lacks. Basically, your competition will never be able to tell how you are marketing your product. Although, Google has a nice tool to estimate the price your competition is paying for your selected keywords, this is called The Traffic Estimator Tool, found within your Adwords account.
Basically you set a maximum bid for your selected keywords and Google will estimate the expected amount of traffic for that keyword based on that bid. This is just an estimation as the final price paid for a certain keyword will depend upon the bid and click through rate of that keyword.
Reason 6:
Google provides a Quality Score for each of your selected keywords. Using its internal algorithms, Google scans your landing page and determines how relevant is the content of your landing page in relation with each of your keywords in your Ad Group. Therefore, by selecting and grouping related keywords and matching your landing page with these keywords, you can get a good quality score for most of these keywords. This in turn, will improve your click through rate and the price you pay for each keyword.
Reason 1:
The Google audience / user base has traditionally catered to technical audiences and more importantly, to Internet savvy users: the kind of users who are comfortable with buying online. These users (the tech-savvy, buying kind) are more likely to use Google than Yahoo or MSN.
Reason 2:
Google Adwords delivers instant results. You can have your ad campaign up and running in 10 minutes flat. Compared to this Yahoo can take anywhere from 2 to 5 days while they manually review ads.
Reason 3:
With Adwords, you can target your prospects geographically down to countries, states and cities. This is a great advantage for businesses selling physical goods or localized services . They would prefer local prospects as opposed to someone half way across the world.
One exceptional quality about Adwords is that it rewards good ad performance. This is, for an ad that converts (clicks/impressions percentage) exceptionally well (high click through rate), your ad will get better ad placement as well as better pricing. Google wants to display the most relevant ads for the user. So, it makes perfect sense that you will pay less per click, the higher the click through rate of your ad is.
Click through rate is simply the percentage of clicks on your ad divided by the number of impressions on a particular keyword. For example, if 100 users saw your ad, and 2 people clicked your ad to visit your website, your click through rate would be 2%.
Google reports the click through rate for each of your keywords, hence the necessity of constantly monitoring the keywords performance for the continuous refining process until reaching an optimal performance of your set of keywords. This is an ongoing process, as you don’t know in advance which keywords are the best performers from the conversion standpoint.
Reason 5:
Your competition cannot see the exact amount you're bidding for your keywords or the CTR your ads are getting: a distinct tactical advantage that Yahoo lacks. Basically, your competition will never be able to tell how you are marketing your product. Although, Google has a nice tool to estimate the price your competition is paying for your selected keywords, this is called The Traffic Estimator Tool, found within your Adwords account.
Basically you set a maximum bid for your selected keywords and Google will estimate the expected amount of traffic for that keyword based on that bid. This is just an estimation as the final price paid for a certain keyword will depend upon the bid and click through rate of that keyword.
Reason 6:
Google provides a Quality Score for each of your selected keywords. Using its internal algorithms, Google scans your landing page and determines how relevant is the content of your landing page in relation with each of your keywords in your Ad Group. Therefore, by selecting and grouping related keywords and matching your landing page with these keywords, you can get a good quality score for most of these keywords. This in turn, will improve your click through rate and the price you pay for each keyword.
How Much Is Your Website Worth?
It’s a new way of thinking about your website. Once you understand it, then you are able to finally take full advantage of your web space because you realize just how valuable your website really is on internet.
You see, the internet is filling up as more and more online stores are opening up shop. It’s still cheap and easy to get started. Web space is still easily available. However, it’s already changing.
The best domain names (or store locations) are worth thousands upon thousands of dollars and the prices are only going up. If your website has traffic, then it is already a valuable store potentially worth thousands upon thousands of dollars if you sold it to somebody else.
But, you have a problem. How do you cash-in on your website traffic in the most effective way and capitalize on your valuable real estate? If you put ineffective advertisements on your site, then you are throwing your hard-earned advertising in the garbage potentially thousands of dollars.
This is because when generating revenue from your website even the smallest mistake can cause you to lose-out on significant income. There are many different factors you need to take into account, including:
• The right kinds of ad you should use,• Places to put your ads,• What designs to use,• And more…
If you fail to take these into account, then you are missing out on hundreds, even thousands, of dollars you could be earning. Because just a small increase in the number of visitors clicking on your advertisements or getting just a few more dimes for every visitor clicking on your ads… Can easily double, triple, even quadruple your website profits.
The bottom line of how you should look at your website is this…Before you can increase your websites’ profits, you must understand how incredibly valuable every inch of your website is. By not realizing that even the smallest difference in your website ad revenue system can make a huge difference in your cash-intake, then you are missing out on hundreds even thousands of dollars.
You see, the internet is filling up as more and more online stores are opening up shop. It’s still cheap and easy to get started. Web space is still easily available. However, it’s already changing.
The best domain names (or store locations) are worth thousands upon thousands of dollars and the prices are only going up. If your website has traffic, then it is already a valuable store potentially worth thousands upon thousands of dollars if you sold it to somebody else.
But, you have a problem. How do you cash-in on your website traffic in the most effective way and capitalize on your valuable real estate? If you put ineffective advertisements on your site, then you are throwing your hard-earned advertising in the garbage potentially thousands of dollars.
This is because when generating revenue from your website even the smallest mistake can cause you to lose-out on significant income. There are many different factors you need to take into account, including:
• The right kinds of ad you should use,• Places to put your ads,• What designs to use,• And more…
If you fail to take these into account, then you are missing out on hundreds, even thousands, of dollars you could be earning. Because just a small increase in the number of visitors clicking on your advertisements or getting just a few more dimes for every visitor clicking on your ads… Can easily double, triple, even quadruple your website profits.
The bottom line of how you should look at your website is this…Before you can increase your websites’ profits, you must understand how incredibly valuable every inch of your website is. By not realizing that even the smallest difference in your website ad revenue system can make a huge difference in your cash-intake, then you are missing out on hundreds even thousands of dollars.
Promoting Your Home Business
How to Find a Job Online
As a notorious online job hunter, I have honed this skill down to an art. I find no reason to waste your time driving around searching for jobs and looking through newspapers. All the information you need is one click away on the internet. Just make sure you don’t waste your time looking in the wrong place because you can spend hours online with no real luck.
First of all, what exactly are you looking for? You want to narrow this down to a few areas such as administrative, education, management, etc. These are just examples, and you can really pick any field you want. Next, what area of the country are you looking to find a job? Are you willing to travel? How far? You don’t want to be looking for jobs that are in California if you live in Massachusetts and have no plan of moving.
Start with the large search engines. You do not have to post a resume unless there is a specific job you want to apply to. Click on search jobs and put a couple of the fields you are interested in. Narrow down the region you want to search and start looking. A lot of times, large search engines like Monster and Careerbuilder will all have the same jobs, but feel free to look around. Another awesome resource that can be more reader friendly is craigslist. Craigslist has pretty much every area of the United States and tons of information for careers and various other odds and ends.
Beware of the Pyramid Scheme
For anyone who has been the unfortunate victim of a pyramid scheme, the trouble, amount of money and pain pyramid schemes can cause is no joke. Pyramid schemes are commonly marketing ploys that are aimed at the elderly or other unwitting consumers. Pyramid schemes often offer huge monetary payouts for a seemingly small buy in. Unfortunately, that huge payout that is often promised with a 100 percent guarantee does not ever happen.
At present, pyramid schemes are being targeted toward individuals in third world countries with little money to spare, but a great deal of hope that their lives could change for the better. Pyramid schemes cost the public upwards of millions of dollars each year. They capitalize on legal loopholes and play on psychological weaknesses in order to convince people to hand over their hard earned money. There are a number of organizations that exist simply to put an end to pyramid schemes. One such organization is the pyramid scheme alert group. This group runs a website and posts valuable information that warns people about the risks and dangers of pyramid schemes, and explains how pyramid schemes work and why they are impossible to prevail over.
The lesson to be learned from pyramid schemes is that not every business is a legitimate one. With the rise in popularity of the Internet, it is important for consumers to keep a watchful eye on where they are putting their money and how trustworthy the people benefiting from their investments truly are.
Promoting your Home Business
Promoting your Internet home business is one of the most important steps to becoming successful, and should be treated as such. Aside from the amount of time it takes in the beginning (i.e., coming up with the idea for your business, figuring out your exact service or product, creating a work space, hiring employees, and finding the funding for everything), spending a significant amount of time on promoting is crucial. How is your business going to succeed if no one knows about it? It isn’t going to promote itself, after all.
Once you’ve finished working out the kinks of your home business, you need to develop a plan for promoting your Internet business. Here are some key points to consider:
1. Who is your target customer base? If your business is web design, a good start for a customer base would be would be other businesses looking to create company websites. The idea is to advertise in places these businesses, or the people who work for them, will see you. The idea is not to advertise, say, on a website about gardening operated by your sister-in-law. Sure, it may save you some money, but in the long run, who’s going to see it? Which brings us to our next point.
2. How much money can you afford to invest in promoting your business? Those of you who have thus far been successful in your Internet business will have more money to spend than those of you who have just started. Still, there are inexpensive ways for promoting your Internet business. Consider websites that allow you to build free websites of your own, such as Yahoo! Geocities, taking out ads in your local classifieds, and most importantly word-of-mouth. Later, when you have more money, you can invest in your own business website, business cards, and even pay for advertising space on other major websites.
3. How much time can you afford to invest in promoting your business? Consider the number of people (employed by you or just eager to help) that you’ll rely on. Is it just you and maybe a friend? If so, you’ll want to zone in on two or three ideas for promoting your Internet business that are the most likely to get your business in the public’s eye. Have a few more people to work with? Then try assigning each person a promotion project.
As a notorious online job hunter, I have honed this skill down to an art. I find no reason to waste your time driving around searching for jobs and looking through newspapers. All the information you need is one click away on the internet. Just make sure you don’t waste your time looking in the wrong place because you can spend hours online with no real luck.
First of all, what exactly are you looking for? You want to narrow this down to a few areas such as administrative, education, management, etc. These are just examples, and you can really pick any field you want. Next, what area of the country are you looking to find a job? Are you willing to travel? How far? You don’t want to be looking for jobs that are in California if you live in Massachusetts and have no plan of moving.
Start with the large search engines. You do not have to post a resume unless there is a specific job you want to apply to. Click on search jobs and put a couple of the fields you are interested in. Narrow down the region you want to search and start looking. A lot of times, large search engines like Monster and Careerbuilder will all have the same jobs, but feel free to look around. Another awesome resource that can be more reader friendly is craigslist. Craigslist has pretty much every area of the United States and tons of information for careers and various other odds and ends.
Beware of the Pyramid Scheme
For anyone who has been the unfortunate victim of a pyramid scheme, the trouble, amount of money and pain pyramid schemes can cause is no joke. Pyramid schemes are commonly marketing ploys that are aimed at the elderly or other unwitting consumers. Pyramid schemes often offer huge monetary payouts for a seemingly small buy in. Unfortunately, that huge payout that is often promised with a 100 percent guarantee does not ever happen.
At present, pyramid schemes are being targeted toward individuals in third world countries with little money to spare, but a great deal of hope that their lives could change for the better. Pyramid schemes cost the public upwards of millions of dollars each year. They capitalize on legal loopholes and play on psychological weaknesses in order to convince people to hand over their hard earned money. There are a number of organizations that exist simply to put an end to pyramid schemes. One such organization is the pyramid scheme alert group. This group runs a website and posts valuable information that warns people about the risks and dangers of pyramid schemes, and explains how pyramid schemes work and why they are impossible to prevail over.
The lesson to be learned from pyramid schemes is that not every business is a legitimate one. With the rise in popularity of the Internet, it is important for consumers to keep a watchful eye on where they are putting their money and how trustworthy the people benefiting from their investments truly are.
Promoting your Home Business
Promoting your Internet home business is one of the most important steps to becoming successful, and should be treated as such. Aside from the amount of time it takes in the beginning (i.e., coming up with the idea for your business, figuring out your exact service or product, creating a work space, hiring employees, and finding the funding for everything), spending a significant amount of time on promoting is crucial. How is your business going to succeed if no one knows about it? It isn’t going to promote itself, after all.
Once you’ve finished working out the kinks of your home business, you need to develop a plan for promoting your Internet business. Here are some key points to consider:
1. Who is your target customer base? If your business is web design, a good start for a customer base would be would be other businesses looking to create company websites. The idea is to advertise in places these businesses, or the people who work for them, will see you. The idea is not to advertise, say, on a website about gardening operated by your sister-in-law. Sure, it may save you some money, but in the long run, who’s going to see it? Which brings us to our next point.
2. How much money can you afford to invest in promoting your business? Those of you who have thus far been successful in your Internet business will have more money to spend than those of you who have just started. Still, there are inexpensive ways for promoting your Internet business. Consider websites that allow you to build free websites of your own, such as Yahoo! Geocities, taking out ads in your local classifieds, and most importantly word-of-mouth. Later, when you have more money, you can invest in your own business website, business cards, and even pay for advertising space on other major websites.
3. How much time can you afford to invest in promoting your business? Consider the number of people (employed by you or just eager to help) that you’ll rely on. Is it just you and maybe a friend? If so, you’ll want to zone in on two or three ideas for promoting your Internet business that are the most likely to get your business in the public’s eye. Have a few more people to work with? Then try assigning each person a promotion project.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Growing Your Business With Marketing Gifts
The results are in and it’s official. Everyone loves a gift. And despite the fact that most people believe you never get something for nothing, most people are happy to accept the free marketing gifts handed out by the companies with whom they do business. Marketing gifts can be a keystone in your branding and marketing strategy and help you grow your business by leaps and bounds. All it takes is some strategic planning to reap the benefits of printing your name on some nifty little tchotchkes.
What you can do with marketing gifts - Entice new customers by offering them a free gift for trying your services or product- Reward your current customers with little thank you gifts and reminders that they’re appreciated- Build name recognition by exposing your current and potential customers to your logo and business information- Supplement your media advertising by finding a permanent home in the homes of your target market.
Adverts and flyers are often tossed in the dustbin as soon as they’re opened – if they even make it that far. By contrast, when you give your customers something that they’ll use and enjoy, it will stick around, sometimes for years. A coffee mug with your logo on it, a key ring to hold the spare house keys, the calendar you check every day – each of these represents an opportunity for you to put your name in front of your customer, sometimes many times a day.
How to Choose Marketing GiftsThe key is to give away marketing gifts that people will really use, without breaking your budget. If you can be clever into the mix, you’re far ahead of the game. Some of the most popular marketing gifts in circulation are:
1. Calendars are sent out by nearly 50% of small businesses each holiday. They’re inexpensive, everyone uses them and they stay around for the entire year. Why wouldn’t they be popular?2. Desk Accessories and Office Supplies are second on the list of marketing gift giveaways. Pen tubs, imprinted pens, personalized sticky notes – they sit right there next to the calendar on the desk where they’re seen every single day. Why shouldn’t your name be on them?3. Refrigerator magnets are another marketing gift that gets seen many times a day. Most people never have enough of them, and they can be created in so many different styles, shapes and colors that it’s easy to make yours stand out from the rest.4. Key rings are also up there among the inexpensive promotional marketing gifts. They’re inexpensive and useful, and people carry them around with them every day. 5. Clothing is a bit more expensive but it can offer comparatively higher returns as a marketing gift. Caps and t-shirts with your logo and name on them turn your customers into walking billboards for your business.
You’ll find an enormous range of marketing gifts from the least expensive to classic executive corporate promotional gifts and items from leading suppliers on the internet.
What you can do with marketing gifts - Entice new customers by offering them a free gift for trying your services or product- Reward your current customers with little thank you gifts and reminders that they’re appreciated- Build name recognition by exposing your current and potential customers to your logo and business information- Supplement your media advertising by finding a permanent home in the homes of your target market.
Adverts and flyers are often tossed in the dustbin as soon as they’re opened – if they even make it that far. By contrast, when you give your customers something that they’ll use and enjoy, it will stick around, sometimes for years. A coffee mug with your logo on it, a key ring to hold the spare house keys, the calendar you check every day – each of these represents an opportunity for you to put your name in front of your customer, sometimes many times a day.
How to Choose Marketing GiftsThe key is to give away marketing gifts that people will really use, without breaking your budget. If you can be clever into the mix, you’re far ahead of the game. Some of the most popular marketing gifts in circulation are:
1. Calendars are sent out by nearly 50% of small businesses each holiday. They’re inexpensive, everyone uses them and they stay around for the entire year. Why wouldn’t they be popular?2. Desk Accessories and Office Supplies are second on the list of marketing gift giveaways. Pen tubs, imprinted pens, personalized sticky notes – they sit right there next to the calendar on the desk where they’re seen every single day. Why shouldn’t your name be on them?3. Refrigerator magnets are another marketing gift that gets seen many times a day. Most people never have enough of them, and they can be created in so many different styles, shapes and colors that it’s easy to make yours stand out from the rest.4. Key rings are also up there among the inexpensive promotional marketing gifts. They’re inexpensive and useful, and people carry them around with them every day. 5. Clothing is a bit more expensive but it can offer comparatively higher returns as a marketing gift. Caps and t-shirts with your logo and name on them turn your customers into walking billboards for your business.
You’ll find an enormous range of marketing gifts from the least expensive to classic executive corporate promotional gifts and items from leading suppliers on the internet.
Warm Weather Marketing Gifts
Promoting your business with marketing gifts and promotional items is a year round effort, but the warm weather brings out so many new options for reminding your customers and target markets of your name and presence, that warm weather marketing gifts deserve a special mention. As you head into the spring and summer months, consider the type of marketing gifts that your customers might especially appreciate and target your campaigns around this.
Baby, It’s Hot Outside! When the sun comes out and the heat kicks up, keeping cool is the number thing on everybodies mind. Take their minds off the heat and onto your business with marketing gifts designed to keep the heat at bay. Some ideas? How about a brightly colored portable travel fan with your company’s logo printed on it.
There’s no better place to be in the heat than sitting next to something nice and cold – like a cooler bag or cooler rucksack packed full of icy cold beverages just waiting to be popped open. While you’re at it, might as well toss in a bottle opener so your customers can get to the goodies.
Active Promotional Marketing GiftsSpring and summer bring lots of folks out into the sun to exercise and enjoy the weather. Cater to their thirst – because you know that they’re working one up – with a sports bottle printed with your logo, slogan or business name. Make it one that’s easy to carry along, and you’ll get the added benefit of extra exposure on the streets.
Speaking of exposure, there’s a lot of that going on down on the beach and at the shore. Send your business along on holiday with your customers when you give them a great customized promotional beach bag to tote their stuff in. Your name is sure to get around – and that’s the whole purpose of the exercise, right?
Warm Weather GearYour customers will be stripping down to their shirtsleeves, so consider giving them something a bit cooler to wear. Lightweight promotional t-shirts, corporate polo shirts and tank tops will let them display their skin – and what’s more your logo. And because the summer evenings can still get a bit nippy, you could add a lightweight spring jacket into your marketing gifts mix. Don’t forget a baseball cap emblazoned with your logo on it – with a nice duckbill to keep the sun out of the eyes and off the face, or a very cool pair of branded sunglasses in a very hot fashionable color.
Summer is a great time to step up your marketing and promotional campaign. With folks out on the streets and in the parks, you’ll have plenty of fantastic opportunities to practice a little guerrilla marketing. You’ll also find lots of street fairs and summer festivals that you can take a booth at to publicize and market your business and products. Don’t fall into the trap of letting your marketing take a summer holiday. Ensure that your marketing gifts work hard for you to really heat up your advertising campaign.
Baby, It’s Hot Outside! When the sun comes out and the heat kicks up, keeping cool is the number thing on everybodies mind. Take their minds off the heat and onto your business with marketing gifts designed to keep the heat at bay. Some ideas? How about a brightly colored portable travel fan with your company’s logo printed on it.
There’s no better place to be in the heat than sitting next to something nice and cold – like a cooler bag or cooler rucksack packed full of icy cold beverages just waiting to be popped open. While you’re at it, might as well toss in a bottle opener so your customers can get to the goodies.
Active Promotional Marketing GiftsSpring and summer bring lots of folks out into the sun to exercise and enjoy the weather. Cater to their thirst – because you know that they’re working one up – with a sports bottle printed with your logo, slogan or business name. Make it one that’s easy to carry along, and you’ll get the added benefit of extra exposure on the streets.
Speaking of exposure, there’s a lot of that going on down on the beach and at the shore. Send your business along on holiday with your customers when you give them a great customized promotional beach bag to tote their stuff in. Your name is sure to get around – and that’s the whole purpose of the exercise, right?
Warm Weather GearYour customers will be stripping down to their shirtsleeves, so consider giving them something a bit cooler to wear. Lightweight promotional t-shirts, corporate polo shirts and tank tops will let them display their skin – and what’s more your logo. And because the summer evenings can still get a bit nippy, you could add a lightweight spring jacket into your marketing gifts mix. Don’t forget a baseball cap emblazoned with your logo on it – with a nice duckbill to keep the sun out of the eyes and off the face, or a very cool pair of branded sunglasses in a very hot fashionable color.
Summer is a great time to step up your marketing and promotional campaign. With folks out on the streets and in the parks, you’ll have plenty of fantastic opportunities to practice a little guerrilla marketing. You’ll also find lots of street fairs and summer festivals that you can take a booth at to publicize and market your business and products. Don’t fall into the trap of letting your marketing take a summer holiday. Ensure that your marketing gifts work hard for you to really heat up your advertising campaign.
Fun Marketing Gifts For Summer Events And Festivals
Marketing is all about getting exposure for your business. While it’s important to have an overall plan for marketing that includes marketing gifts and giveaways, summer is a good time to suspend a few of the rules and just get out there to have some fun. Seriously. Some serious fun with marketing gifts that take fun seriously.
Summer is a prime time for neighborhood and town festivals, street fairs and business picnics. If your town or a local organization is holding a health fair, craft fair or any other type of festival to be held outside, you can usually book a table at their event for as little as £10. These little gatherings and festivals are a great way to mark yourself as one of the neighbors and heighten awareness of your business, name and services. All it takes is a little creativity and a stock of some fun, inexpensive marketing gifts that you can take with you from event to event.
The Game Plan Step 1: Attract people to your table.Make it colorful, make it bright. Blow up brightly colored balloons to float from the table legs or chairs, or tape them to the edge of the table. Be sure to offer a balloon to any child who stops to ooh and ahhh at them. You’ve got plenty more where that came from, and in the meantime, your balloon will be making the rounds with your name printed on it.
Make sure that you lay out a few samples of each of your marketing gifts on the table interspersed with promotional material and information about your business.
Step 2: Give them something they want.There’s one thing that everyone is sure to want on a hot day outside – water! Fill up a barrel with ice and nest some water-filled sports bottles down in it. Keep the barrel behind the table so that you have to hand the sports bottles out personally. That will give you a chance to shake hands, introduce yourself and make with the friendly banter.
Step 3: Give them something to think about.Make sure that your message is prominently displayed and that you have plenty of promotional materials to hand out. Take the time to talk briefly with those that express an interest in your product or service, but skip the business card just for today. Instead…
Step 4: Give them something to take away.Hand them a Frisbee with your business information on it. Or a boomerang. A fan. Anything that’s fun, bright and fits in with the mood of the day. This is also a good time to use up leftover marketing gifts from throughout the year. Pull out the extra printed t-shirts and hats from the last business conference, and tuck it all into the leftover carrier bags.
Among other things, the leading promotional gifts suppliers on the internet offer a broad range of inexpensive and fun marketing gifts for your summer promotions. If you’re looking for something different, browse the internet and contact one of the many experienced representatives for additional ideas or advice
Summer is a prime time for neighborhood and town festivals, street fairs and business picnics. If your town or a local organization is holding a health fair, craft fair or any other type of festival to be held outside, you can usually book a table at their event for as little as £10. These little gatherings and festivals are a great way to mark yourself as one of the neighbors and heighten awareness of your business, name and services. All it takes is a little creativity and a stock of some fun, inexpensive marketing gifts that you can take with you from event to event.
The Game Plan Step 1: Attract people to your table.Make it colorful, make it bright. Blow up brightly colored balloons to float from the table legs or chairs, or tape them to the edge of the table. Be sure to offer a balloon to any child who stops to ooh and ahhh at them. You’ve got plenty more where that came from, and in the meantime, your balloon will be making the rounds with your name printed on it.
Make sure that you lay out a few samples of each of your marketing gifts on the table interspersed with promotional material and information about your business.
Step 2: Give them something they want.There’s one thing that everyone is sure to want on a hot day outside – water! Fill up a barrel with ice and nest some water-filled sports bottles down in it. Keep the barrel behind the table so that you have to hand the sports bottles out personally. That will give you a chance to shake hands, introduce yourself and make with the friendly banter.
Step 3: Give them something to think about.Make sure that your message is prominently displayed and that you have plenty of promotional materials to hand out. Take the time to talk briefly with those that express an interest in your product or service, but skip the business card just for today. Instead…
Step 4: Give them something to take away.Hand them a Frisbee with your business information on it. Or a boomerang. A fan. Anything that’s fun, bright and fits in with the mood of the day. This is also a good time to use up leftover marketing gifts from throughout the year. Pull out the extra printed t-shirts and hats from the last business conference, and tuck it all into the leftover carrier bags.
Among other things, the leading promotional gifts suppliers on the internet offer a broad range of inexpensive and fun marketing gifts for your summer promotions. If you’re looking for something different, browse the internet and contact one of the many experienced representatives for additional ideas or advice
Promoting Products Works With Marketing Gifts
Marketing gifts are an excellent way to spread the word about important issues and ideas in your community. While many promotional gifts companies focus on the business world, there’s a very definite place for marketing gifts in the arena of social awareness and public service. The same strategies and techniques that work to build brand awareness for companies can work to raise awareness of social and other issues. Here are a few ways that marketing gifts can help raise awareness about your important issues.
Promotional T-shirts A recent study showed that children who see a media hero or sports figure wearing a promotional t-shirt bearing a public service message are far more receptive to that message. Mount a marketing campaign featuring a local role model wearing a promotional t-shirt bearing your message – and give away identical t-shirts as marketing gifts in the service of spreading the word.
Send Out Your Message in an Eye-Catching PackageGetting the media in your corner is important. Package your promotional message in a container that does double duty as a marketing gift – a nice padfolio with the campaign’s logo imprinted on it, perhaps, or a socially conscious “green” folder.
Put Your Message Out ThereTake advantage of opportunities to spread the word. Street festivals, health fairs and media events all present opportunities to spread your message via personal contact and distributing marketing gifts that carry your logo, contact information or public service message.
Choose Marketing Gifts that Support Your MessageDon’t undercut yourself by choosing incompatible marketing gifts. If your message is about being physically fit, give out pedometers with a “walk smart!” type of message printed on them. If it’s an anti-smoking campaign, consider custom designed air fresheners as marketing giveaways. There are hundreds of products that can provide a clever, memorable tie-in to your public service campaign.
Stand Out in a CrowdUse promotional polo shirts or t-shirts to brand your staff at festivals and fairs. They’ll be easy to spot, and will present a neat, professional appearance. As an added bonus, the shirts can serve as thank you gifts to volunteers who help staff your table or spread your materials at events.
Blanket the Town with Branded ItemsYou can create a big buzz and gain high visibility with relatively little expense if you target the youth market with marketing gifts that are fun. Frisbees, yo-yos, flying discs – just make sure that they’re all color and logo coordinated so that they’re recognized wherever the crop up.
Marketing gifts aren’t just for big business. Non-profits and public service agencies have been using them for years to spread their messages and their works. Learning how to target your market and motivate them to act using marketing gifts and tactics can help advance your cause.
By browsing the internet you will find a whole host of promotional gift suppliers who offer a wide range of marketing and promotional items to suit any budget, including yours. If you’d like assistance, advice or professional guidance in choosing appropriate marketing gifts for your PSA, don’t hesitate to contact one of their experienced account managers.
Promotional T-shirts A recent study showed that children who see a media hero or sports figure wearing a promotional t-shirt bearing a public service message are far more receptive to that message. Mount a marketing campaign featuring a local role model wearing a promotional t-shirt bearing your message – and give away identical t-shirts as marketing gifts in the service of spreading the word.
Send Out Your Message in an Eye-Catching PackageGetting the media in your corner is important. Package your promotional message in a container that does double duty as a marketing gift – a nice padfolio with the campaign’s logo imprinted on it, perhaps, or a socially conscious “green” folder.
Put Your Message Out ThereTake advantage of opportunities to spread the word. Street festivals, health fairs and media events all present opportunities to spread your message via personal contact and distributing marketing gifts that carry your logo, contact information or public service message.
Choose Marketing Gifts that Support Your MessageDon’t undercut yourself by choosing incompatible marketing gifts. If your message is about being physically fit, give out pedometers with a “walk smart!” type of message printed on them. If it’s an anti-smoking campaign, consider custom designed air fresheners as marketing giveaways. There are hundreds of products that can provide a clever, memorable tie-in to your public service campaign.
Stand Out in a CrowdUse promotional polo shirts or t-shirts to brand your staff at festivals and fairs. They’ll be easy to spot, and will present a neat, professional appearance. As an added bonus, the shirts can serve as thank you gifts to volunteers who help staff your table or spread your materials at events.
Blanket the Town with Branded ItemsYou can create a big buzz and gain high visibility with relatively little expense if you target the youth market with marketing gifts that are fun. Frisbees, yo-yos, flying discs – just make sure that they’re all color and logo coordinated so that they’re recognized wherever the crop up.
Marketing gifts aren’t just for big business. Non-profits and public service agencies have been using them for years to spread their messages and their works. Learning how to target your market and motivate them to act using marketing gifts and tactics can help advance your cause.
By browsing the internet you will find a whole host of promotional gift suppliers who offer a wide range of marketing and promotional items to suit any budget, including yours. If you’d like assistance, advice or professional guidance in choosing appropriate marketing gifts for your PSA, don’t hesitate to contact one of their experienced account managers.
3 Keys To Writing A Killer Ad
There's no question about it, without advertising, it doesn't matter how good your product or service is. If people don't know you exist, you're not going to sell a thing. However, just advertising isn't enough. You have to be able to write the kind of ad that will force people to dig into their wallets. The problem is, many of us don't know how to write that killer ad. Well, believe it or not, when you break it down to the actual essentials, there are only 3 keys to writing a killer ad. This article will explain each one and why they are so key. The rest is just gravy.
The first key may very well be the most important of all of them, the subject of your ad. It doesn't matter how good the body of your ad copy is. If your subject is weak, guess what? Nobody is going to read your ad. The problem with most subjects that I see is that they are either bland and boring or they are so ridiculous as to their claims that nobody with half a brain could ever take them seriously. What you need to do is focus on writing subjects that have a little mystery to them. For example, a subject line like "You'll NEVER Believe What John Reese Just Did!" will definitely get quite a few people to read your ad. John Reese is a very well known marketer and people are going to want to know what he's up to. This is just one example of creating mystery in your ad.
The second key to writing a killer ad is being personal in your ad. Too many people come off sounding like salesmen. They immediately start off with a sales pitch. This is just plain wrong. You need to establish a relationship with the person first. Tell him about your story. Tell him about how you've suffered with the problem that you're trying to solve for him. If you can't get people to relate to you on a personal level, they're not going to buy from you. People are sick of sales pitches. They want to be treated as human beings and not prospects. So write an ad that is personal and you'll find that you'll have a lot more conversions from it.
The third key is the call to action. So many people write decent ads and then finally when they get to the end of the ad, nothing. They just leave the prospect hanging. You MUST tell him what to do at this point. You've already pointed out the features and the benefits of your product or service. Now it's time to tell them that they have to take action TODAY. Explain to them that you don't know how long this product or service will be available and that if they don't act today, it may be gone tomorrow. If people fear that they're going to lose out on something, they are more likely to take that action.
Writing a killer ad is not rocket science and you don't need a PhD in English to do it either. Simply write an interesting subject, be personal and have your prospect take action when all is said and done. Yes, the rest of the ad is important such as benefits, features, guarantees, testimonials and so on. But if you don't have these 3 key things, you might as well chuck your ad in the trash, because that's where it's going to end up eventually.
The first key may very well be the most important of all of them, the subject of your ad. It doesn't matter how good the body of your ad copy is. If your subject is weak, guess what? Nobody is going to read your ad. The problem with most subjects that I see is that they are either bland and boring or they are so ridiculous as to their claims that nobody with half a brain could ever take them seriously. What you need to do is focus on writing subjects that have a little mystery to them. For example, a subject line like "You'll NEVER Believe What John Reese Just Did!" will definitely get quite a few people to read your ad. John Reese is a very well known marketer and people are going to want to know what he's up to. This is just one example of creating mystery in your ad.
The second key to writing a killer ad is being personal in your ad. Too many people come off sounding like salesmen. They immediately start off with a sales pitch. This is just plain wrong. You need to establish a relationship with the person first. Tell him about your story. Tell him about how you've suffered with the problem that you're trying to solve for him. If you can't get people to relate to you on a personal level, they're not going to buy from you. People are sick of sales pitches. They want to be treated as human beings and not prospects. So write an ad that is personal and you'll find that you'll have a lot more conversions from it.
The third key is the call to action. So many people write decent ads and then finally when they get to the end of the ad, nothing. They just leave the prospect hanging. You MUST tell him what to do at this point. You've already pointed out the features and the benefits of your product or service. Now it's time to tell them that they have to take action TODAY. Explain to them that you don't know how long this product or service will be available and that if they don't act today, it may be gone tomorrow. If people fear that they're going to lose out on something, they are more likely to take that action.
Writing a killer ad is not rocket science and you don't need a PhD in English to do it either. Simply write an interesting subject, be personal and have your prospect take action when all is said and done. Yes, the rest of the ad is important such as benefits, features, guarantees, testimonials and so on. But if you don't have these 3 key things, you might as well chuck your ad in the trash, because that's where it's going to end up eventually.
Unique Ways To Hand Out Your Printed Pens
Just because you want to get your printed pens into the hands of future clients doesn’t mean you are limited to offering them in buckets at your office, as freebies at conventions or via direct mailings. There are plenty of unconventional ways to pass out printed pens.
Holiday Gifts Consider a special printed pen production a few months before a less-known holiday. Send a printed pen to the company’s secretary instead of the president for Secretaries Day. How about sending a special printed pen to say “thank you” to former customers for January 11 Thank You Day?
Send a “lovely” pen to a direct mailing list in the first week of February to ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day.
There’s National Nametag Day on March 11 so encourage your printed pen recipients to use your pen to write any name they like on a nametag and wear it all day.
Ask your future clients to help celebrate Write an Old Friend Day on April 27 with your printed pen.
National Columnists Day begs for your former clients to receive a promotional printed pen from you to encourage them to send a letter to their favorite (or least favorite) columnist.
How about a Christmas gift in July? An end of summer writing stick promotion at the end of summer? What about a back to school gift for teachers and school administrators in September?
October offers another unique holiday for gift giving. In addition to a highlighter Halloween gift, you could send a printed pen with a poetic advertisement to commemorate National Poetry Day on October 9. Poetry Day is quickly followed by National Author’s Day on November 1.
Everyone sends or gives out gifts for Christmas, so avoid this unless you can afford to spend a bit more than your competitors to stand out.
Tradeshow Gimmicks and GiftsBefore the tradeshow, send a printed pen announcing your new products or service to attendees and industry top dogs. They’ll come looking for you if you excite them beforehand. Offer to trade the cheap printed pen you send a month before the show for a better gift if they come see you. Have other printed promotional items on hand for these upgrades at the show.
Take your own pen to visit other business booths. Leave one with them. If they won’t come to you, go to them.
Offer different gifts to different types of clients or for entice visitors to leave more information with you for a better gift. Consider that a retail customer may buy one and tell five while a corporate customer may buy fifty and tell none. While both customers are important, the corporate client certainly raises your bottom line quicker. Consider rewarding them with a more expensive printed pen or even a printed pen set.
Create an eye catching tradeshow booth with bright colors and give away highlighter printed pens instead of the traditional ballpoint pen. This is doubly effective if you can create a themed booth using the words “light up”, “bright”, “illuminate” or another adjective that fits not only your product or service but your highlighter printed pens.
Holiday Gifts Consider a special printed pen production a few months before a less-known holiday. Send a printed pen to the company’s secretary instead of the president for Secretaries Day. How about sending a special printed pen to say “thank you” to former customers for January 11 Thank You Day?
Send a “lovely” pen to a direct mailing list in the first week of February to ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day.
There’s National Nametag Day on March 11 so encourage your printed pen recipients to use your pen to write any name they like on a nametag and wear it all day.
Ask your future clients to help celebrate Write an Old Friend Day on April 27 with your printed pen.
National Columnists Day begs for your former clients to receive a promotional printed pen from you to encourage them to send a letter to their favorite (or least favorite) columnist.
How about a Christmas gift in July? An end of summer writing stick promotion at the end of summer? What about a back to school gift for teachers and school administrators in September?
October offers another unique holiday for gift giving. In addition to a highlighter Halloween gift, you could send a printed pen with a poetic advertisement to commemorate National Poetry Day on October 9. Poetry Day is quickly followed by National Author’s Day on November 1.
Everyone sends or gives out gifts for Christmas, so avoid this unless you can afford to spend a bit more than your competitors to stand out.
Tradeshow Gimmicks and GiftsBefore the tradeshow, send a printed pen announcing your new products or service to attendees and industry top dogs. They’ll come looking for you if you excite them beforehand. Offer to trade the cheap printed pen you send a month before the show for a better gift if they come see you. Have other printed promotional items on hand for these upgrades at the show.
Take your own pen to visit other business booths. Leave one with them. If they won’t come to you, go to them.
Offer different gifts to different types of clients or for entice visitors to leave more information with you for a better gift. Consider that a retail customer may buy one and tell five while a corporate customer may buy fifty and tell none. While both customers are important, the corporate client certainly raises your bottom line quicker. Consider rewarding them with a more expensive printed pen or even a printed pen set.
Create an eye catching tradeshow booth with bright colors and give away highlighter printed pens instead of the traditional ballpoint pen. This is doubly effective if you can create a themed booth using the words “light up”, “bright”, “illuminate” or another adjective that fits not only your product or service but your highlighter printed pens.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Ezine Advertising - Essential Tactics (Part 3 of 3 Series)
What is the single most important part of your solo ad?
In Part 2, I talked about the 7 essential questions to ask before posting an ad in any ezine. In Part 3, I want to talk about maximizing how and where your ads are performing.
About ezine list size and pricing... The truth is, just because a list is large doesn’t mean it should be expensive. Just because it’s small doesn’t mean it should be cheap. Find quality, find your target market, be selective and go for it.
1000-2000 subscribers does not mean it’s a bad list. It could be just getting going with no waiting list, usually if it is new. Often those smaller lists can have really high quality response.
Determine your cost per lead. If your cost per lead is low, continue with that ezine even if sales don’t come in right away. Some people need time. You may have heard the saying that people need to see an ad 7 times before they do anything about it. Your long-term strategy is building your list and sales.
When you find one that works, place an ad 1 to 2 times per month. Test it out, but don’t do it every week, or it might get displayed out. Your audience might get numb. If you’re not getting good results in a good newsletter, look at your ad copy and the headline.
When you find an ad, go with that ad for a while. However, do change it up a little bit from time to time. If your list sees the exact same ad over and over again, again, they can get numb. If you change the body, change the subject line, it’s like they never saw it before. Just be sure track your changes. When response dips, then change it.
Of course, you need to track all your ads. Either set up different capture pages or different URLs that redirect to your website, but have some way of tracking which ezine ad generates which lead.
When doing a solo ad, the most important is going to be subject line. If it is not motivating enough to stop and open email, it’s like flushing money away. Just like when I'm reading the newspaper, I scan headlines until something catches my eye, then I read the article. If no one is enticed to open your headline, your ad will never be read.
How do you write a good subject line? There are many techniques for this. The technique I prefer the most is the Power of Unfinished thought – leaving things incomplete. (Have you noticed?) Try writing your subject line as a question, or leave it so that someone has to open your email to finish the thought or question. This is extremely powerful. No matter what technique you go with in your subject line, write 100 of them and pick the best one. This may seem very tedious and pointless, but it is worth the time. Sometimes even changing just one word in your headline/subject line can increase response rate by 2 or 3 times.
However, you can study all the best sales letters and get a feel for the style, flow, and let it soak into you. Read ads from Mark Joyner, Joe Vitale, Yanik Silver,, and Cory Rudl. These guys are masters. If you subscribe to the newsletters these guys write, it’s like having a personal library of some of the best copywriting examples out there!
When it comes to ezine advertising, you get out what you put in. If you spend the time to dig in, you will find a goldmine when you find the right ezines. It takes some work to find the good ones. Not a lot of people are taking advantage of it. Plus, there are new ezines with different interests popping up every day. You can find tons that work for you.
In Part 2, I talked about the 7 essential questions to ask before posting an ad in any ezine. In Part 3, I want to talk about maximizing how and where your ads are performing.
About ezine list size and pricing... The truth is, just because a list is large doesn’t mean it should be expensive. Just because it’s small doesn’t mean it should be cheap. Find quality, find your target market, be selective and go for it.
1000-2000 subscribers does not mean it’s a bad list. It could be just getting going with no waiting list, usually if it is new. Often those smaller lists can have really high quality response.
Determine your cost per lead. If your cost per lead is low, continue with that ezine even if sales don’t come in right away. Some people need time. You may have heard the saying that people need to see an ad 7 times before they do anything about it. Your long-term strategy is building your list and sales.
When you find one that works, place an ad 1 to 2 times per month. Test it out, but don’t do it every week, or it might get displayed out. Your audience might get numb. If you’re not getting good results in a good newsletter, look at your ad copy and the headline.
When you find an ad, go with that ad for a while. However, do change it up a little bit from time to time. If your list sees the exact same ad over and over again, again, they can get numb. If you change the body, change the subject line, it’s like they never saw it before. Just be sure track your changes. When response dips, then change it.
Of course, you need to track all your ads. Either set up different capture pages or different URLs that redirect to your website, but have some way of tracking which ezine ad generates which lead.
When doing a solo ad, the most important is going to be subject line. If it is not motivating enough to stop and open email, it’s like flushing money away. Just like when I'm reading the newspaper, I scan headlines until something catches my eye, then I read the article. If no one is enticed to open your headline, your ad will never be read.
How do you write a good subject line? There are many techniques for this. The technique I prefer the most is the Power of Unfinished thought – leaving things incomplete. (Have you noticed?) Try writing your subject line as a question, or leave it so that someone has to open your email to finish the thought or question. This is extremely powerful. No matter what technique you go with in your subject line, write 100 of them and pick the best one. This may seem very tedious and pointless, but it is worth the time. Sometimes even changing just one word in your headline/subject line can increase response rate by 2 or 3 times.
However, you can study all the best sales letters and get a feel for the style, flow, and let it soak into you. Read ads from Mark Joyner, Joe Vitale, Yanik Silver,, and Cory Rudl. These guys are masters. If you subscribe to the newsletters these guys write, it’s like having a personal library of some of the best copywriting examples out there!
When it comes to ezine advertising, you get out what you put in. If you spend the time to dig in, you will find a goldmine when you find the right ezines. It takes some work to find the good ones. Not a lot of people are taking advantage of it. Plus, there are new ezines with different interests popping up every day. You can find tons that work for you.
Use The Whole Thing
I don’t know about you, but I actually look at my “junk mail.” All of it. I usually find it to be time well spent. I read it to see what companies are doing that is good, bad, and indifferent. It’s amazing how many lessons of what to do (and not to do) I learn from the material that is put into my mail box. Last week I saw an advertiser wasting half the cost of a mailing.
It might surprise some people, but a piece of paper has two sides. When folded into a tri-fold flyer it can be divided into six panels. One panel is used for the address, postage, and return address. But there is another, very important function of that panel which is to carry a message to make the recipient feel compelled to open the flyer, glance at it and determine whether they should invest the time to read the rest of the flyer. Surprisingly I get many flyers in my mailbox that just have my name and address along with the postage on that panel... no offer, no enticement, no graphics… no humor… just blank space. Print that space with a question, a “teaser,” anything to get the reader to look farther rather than file it in the waste basket unread.
While we are on that same side of the paper realize that there are two more panels there. I’m dumbfounded by how many advertisers leave them blank and don’t use that space to tell their story in greater detail. Since you are paying to print the return address and postal permit on the center panel, printing on those other two panels is free so why not use them to visually engage the reader, add a coupon or testimonial?
Direct mail can be a very effective way of advertising but, if you don’t tell your story in an attractive, engaging manner it will be a wasted effort. In this case, half the available space was wasted (other than to get the mail delivered) because there was no effort invested in getting the recipient to open it, look inside, and read it.
It might surprise some people, but a piece of paper has two sides. When folded into a tri-fold flyer it can be divided into six panels. One panel is used for the address, postage, and return address. But there is another, very important function of that panel which is to carry a message to make the recipient feel compelled to open the flyer, glance at it and determine whether they should invest the time to read the rest of the flyer. Surprisingly I get many flyers in my mailbox that just have my name and address along with the postage on that panel... no offer, no enticement, no graphics… no humor… just blank space. Print that space with a question, a “teaser,” anything to get the reader to look farther rather than file it in the waste basket unread.
While we are on that same side of the paper realize that there are two more panels there. I’m dumbfounded by how many advertisers leave them blank and don’t use that space to tell their story in greater detail. Since you are paying to print the return address and postal permit on the center panel, printing on those other two panels is free so why not use them to visually engage the reader, add a coupon or testimonial?
Direct mail can be a very effective way of advertising but, if you don’t tell your story in an attractive, engaging manner it will be a wasted effort. In this case, half the available space was wasted (other than to get the mail delivered) because there was no effort invested in getting the recipient to open it, look inside, and read it.
Choosing Conference Gifts That Make Sense
Participants in industry conferences often have their own display space for presentations and information handouts. It makes sense to use the opportunity to promote your business and your company where you have a gathering of people in your industry. Conference gifts offer a great way to send your message and your name home with fellow attendees at your conference.
When you choose your conference gifts, take the time to make it consistent with the message that you’re putting out. If you key the gift to the conference theme and your presentation, it will be more than just a take-home bauble that will be tossed in a drawer and forgotten. Here are some tips for choosing conference gifts that will be used and remembered long after the conference is just a fading memory.
Start by asking yourself why you are giving away conference gifts. The obvious answer is to promote your business, but get more specific. What do you hope to gain from it? Visibility, brand awareness, customer prospects, good will? Any or all of those are legitimate aims for gift giveaways at a conference and each of them can be accomplished by a number of different conference gift items.
Visibility To increase your visibility at the conference, choose giveaways with a big visual impact. An excellent choice is a carrier bag in a unique, useful style. As conference attendees take them away from your booth or table, they’ll be advertising for you and inciting curiosity and anticipation in other attendees.
Pens are another conference gift item that have “legs”. Rather than hand out pens and other small items like key tags and small tools individually, package them in a folder or carrier bag. Those are the kind of item that will travel home with the conference attendees and often be passed around to others who didn’t have a chance to attend.
Another big visibility item is apparel. Branded hats, t-shirts and other wearable conference gifts will get noticed in the crowd, and others will flock to your booth to get one of their own.
Finally, don’t underestimate the value of a unique novelty item or something as simple as a balloon, water bottle or travel mug. Anything that stands out from the crowd and points them in the direction of your conference table is a good choice for a conference gift.
Brand AwarenessIf you’re looking to implant your brand in the minds of the crowd, any of the suggestions for increasing visibility above will work, but you can go much further if you plan your conference giveaway to reinforce the image that your company is trying to present. Key your conference giveaways to the specific service or product that your company is promoting. If you’re running an ad campaign that uses the tab line “Shedding Some Light In A Dark World”, hand out miniature torches with the slogan and your logo on them.
Prospecting for CustomersIf you’re prospecting for customers, you’ll want to choose conference gifts that they’re likely to take home with them – and you’ll want to hand them out in a way that gets their contact information. Pens are great choices for this, as are day planners, organizers and pocket calendars. Any of those are useful items that will put your name in front of your new prospective customers every day.
The key to choosing conference gifts that make sense is to understand what you want them to do for you, then choose accordingly. For more ideas on how to choose and use conference gifts, talk to one of the many experts available at some of the internets leading online promotional gift stores.
When you choose your conference gifts, take the time to make it consistent with the message that you’re putting out. If you key the gift to the conference theme and your presentation, it will be more than just a take-home bauble that will be tossed in a drawer and forgotten. Here are some tips for choosing conference gifts that will be used and remembered long after the conference is just a fading memory.
Start by asking yourself why you are giving away conference gifts. The obvious answer is to promote your business, but get more specific. What do you hope to gain from it? Visibility, brand awareness, customer prospects, good will? Any or all of those are legitimate aims for gift giveaways at a conference and each of them can be accomplished by a number of different conference gift items.
Visibility To increase your visibility at the conference, choose giveaways with a big visual impact. An excellent choice is a carrier bag in a unique, useful style. As conference attendees take them away from your booth or table, they’ll be advertising for you and inciting curiosity and anticipation in other attendees.
Pens are another conference gift item that have “legs”. Rather than hand out pens and other small items like key tags and small tools individually, package them in a folder or carrier bag. Those are the kind of item that will travel home with the conference attendees and often be passed around to others who didn’t have a chance to attend.
Another big visibility item is apparel. Branded hats, t-shirts and other wearable conference gifts will get noticed in the crowd, and others will flock to your booth to get one of their own.
Finally, don’t underestimate the value of a unique novelty item or something as simple as a balloon, water bottle or travel mug. Anything that stands out from the crowd and points them in the direction of your conference table is a good choice for a conference gift.
Brand AwarenessIf you’re looking to implant your brand in the minds of the crowd, any of the suggestions for increasing visibility above will work, but you can go much further if you plan your conference giveaway to reinforce the image that your company is trying to present. Key your conference giveaways to the specific service or product that your company is promoting. If you’re running an ad campaign that uses the tab line “Shedding Some Light In A Dark World”, hand out miniature torches with the slogan and your logo on them.
Prospecting for CustomersIf you’re prospecting for customers, you’ll want to choose conference gifts that they’re likely to take home with them – and you’ll want to hand them out in a way that gets their contact information. Pens are great choices for this, as are day planners, organizers and pocket calendars. Any of those are useful items that will put your name in front of your new prospective customers every day.
The key to choosing conference gifts that make sense is to understand what you want them to do for you, then choose accordingly. For more ideas on how to choose and use conference gifts, talk to one of the many experts available at some of the internets leading online promotional gift stores.
How to Choose And Use Conference Gifts Effectively
Planning your company’s attendance at an industry conference can be nerve-wracking, but one part of it can be simple if you put a little forethought into it. Well-chosen conference gifts can pay off big for your company in terms of exposure and new business. The key is in deciding the purpose of your attendance at the conference, and making your plans accordingly. These are some of the most common questions asked about choosing conference gifts.
Q. Why should I give out gifts at a conference? A. Everyone loves a free gift. Even if your main aim in attending a business conference is to learn about new developments in your industry, it’s a wonderful opportunity to publicize your company and make others in your business more aware of you. Giveaway gifts with your company’s name, brand or slogan on them will make your company more visible and more recognizable down the road when your company’s sales reps call on people.
Q. What sort of conference promotional items are the most popular? A. Honestly, that depends on the conference, but there are perennial best sellers to which people are always receptive. Those include printed pens, tape measures and carrier bags to hold flyers and information about your product. At a conference where the main activity will be attending seminars and meetings, conference folders with pads and pens are extremely popular and useful, and company t-shirts nearly always “sell” out.
Q. How many items should I buy for a conference? A. That depends on the conference size, of course, but as a general rule of thumb, you should order at least 75% of the number that you know will be attending the conference. Leftover conference gifts can always be reused in other promotions if you don’t date them.
Q. When should I order conference gifts? A. It’s possible to order some conference gifts on a quick turnaround if you haven’t thought about it till the last minute. In general, though, you should figure on giving the promotional items company at least three to four weeks lead time, especially if they are developing the artwork for your order.
Q. How much should I plan on spending for promotional conference gifts? A. Again, that’s very dependent on your company’s budget and intentions. You can get away as cheaply as a few pence per piece for printed pens or key rings or get very fancy with conference folders and handouts that will run you up to twenty quid or more. The best rule of thumb is to consider the possible profit from each sale or contact that you make and then figure how much your marketing department is willing to spend to secure that business.
Q. Where can I order conference gifts? A. There are many UK companies that offer promotional items and gifts for sale. You’ll find entire catalogs of conference gifts online that will help you plan your budget and conference strategy. If you’ve never planned a promotional campaign that involves conference gifts before, though, you may benefit from the professional advice of a firm that has been in the business for decades. Browse the internet where you’ll find information and expert help with planning your promotional campaign.
Q. Why should I give out gifts at a conference? A. Everyone loves a free gift. Even if your main aim in attending a business conference is to learn about new developments in your industry, it’s a wonderful opportunity to publicize your company and make others in your business more aware of you. Giveaway gifts with your company’s name, brand or slogan on them will make your company more visible and more recognizable down the road when your company’s sales reps call on people.
Q. What sort of conference promotional items are the most popular? A. Honestly, that depends on the conference, but there are perennial best sellers to which people are always receptive. Those include printed pens, tape measures and carrier bags to hold flyers and information about your product. At a conference where the main activity will be attending seminars and meetings, conference folders with pads and pens are extremely popular and useful, and company t-shirts nearly always “sell” out.
Q. How many items should I buy for a conference? A. That depends on the conference size, of course, but as a general rule of thumb, you should order at least 75% of the number that you know will be attending the conference. Leftover conference gifts can always be reused in other promotions if you don’t date them.
Q. When should I order conference gifts? A. It’s possible to order some conference gifts on a quick turnaround if you haven’t thought about it till the last minute. In general, though, you should figure on giving the promotional items company at least three to four weeks lead time, especially if they are developing the artwork for your order.
Q. How much should I plan on spending for promotional conference gifts? A. Again, that’s very dependent on your company’s budget and intentions. You can get away as cheaply as a few pence per piece for printed pens or key rings or get very fancy with conference folders and handouts that will run you up to twenty quid or more. The best rule of thumb is to consider the possible profit from each sale or contact that you make and then figure how much your marketing department is willing to spend to secure that business.
Q. Where can I order conference gifts? A. There are many UK companies that offer promotional items and gifts for sale. You’ll find entire catalogs of conference gifts online that will help you plan your budget and conference strategy. If you’ve never planned a promotional campaign that involves conference gifts before, though, you may benefit from the professional advice of a firm that has been in the business for decades. Browse the internet where you’ll find information and expert help with planning your promotional campaign.
Why Conference Gifts And Trade Show Giveaways - What Works
Selecting the right conference gifts and trade show giveaways can make a world of difference in your marketing efforts. It’s so common to give away something at your exhibit booth or conference table, that all too often, marketing managers simply order some random item – or an assortment of them – so that they can hand out something printed with the company name. Taking a little more time to coordinate your conference gifts and giveaways with your main marketing message can turn your giveaways into give-backs - as in, giving back to your company in a big way.
First, why are you giving something away? If you’re only answer is “because we’re supposed to”, think a little deeper. Your conference gifts should be designed to DO something for you. They may:
- attract people to your table - make your brand more memorable to people- promote your product as an alternative- educate and inform customers about your product- promote goodwill for your company- entice a few, select customers
Things to Remember About Conference GiftsThe most successful promotional items are those that follow a few key principles. An effective promotional item:
- is fun or eye-catching and/or- provides something of value or interest to your prospective customers and- can be easily linked to or identified with your company
Putting The Principles TogetherNow that you know the basic rules about choosing free giveaway items and you’ve thought about what the purpose of your giveaway is, let’s put it together in a way that’s helpful for you.
If your aim is to:Attract as many people as possible to your booth or table:You’ll need to choose conference gifts that are inexpensive, fun and can be easily carried away. The more useful the gift, the more likely it is that your prospective customers will take them home and use them. Gifts that fit this category include refrigerator magnets, keyrings and imprinted pen. Every one that is taken away from your conference table has the possibility of passing through several more sets of hands, or being used by its recipient and keeping your logo and name in front of their eyes for weeks or even years.
Prequalify sales prospectsA good way to have your prospective customers prequalify themselves is to offer a gift that is in tune with their interests and needs. You’ll still want a relatively inexpensive gift, but by targeting a particular interest, you’re drawing in a specific type of client. Some examples of more targeted conference and trade show giveaways include imprinted golf tees, miniature first aid kits, sewing kits or tool kits.
Educate the public about your productIf your intent is to bring people to your booth to hear about your product and learn its advantages, try a little advance publicity. By sending out a mailing before the conference with “half” the promotional items, you’ll bring interested people to your booth to listen to your sales pitch and redeem the other half of the gift.
Increase Brand Name RecognitionThe key word here is splashy. If your main aim at the conference is to increase the name recognition of your brand, opt for high visibility conference gifts that people will carry or wear throughout the day. Invest in carrier bags into which people will tuck the gifts and promotional items they pick up at other tables, or caps or t-shirts that people will often put on immediately.
First, why are you giving something away? If you’re only answer is “because we’re supposed to”, think a little deeper. Your conference gifts should be designed to DO something for you. They may:
- attract people to your table - make your brand more memorable to people- promote your product as an alternative- educate and inform customers about your product- promote goodwill for your company- entice a few, select customers
Things to Remember About Conference GiftsThe most successful promotional items are those that follow a few key principles. An effective promotional item:
- is fun or eye-catching and/or- provides something of value or interest to your prospective customers and- can be easily linked to or identified with your company
Putting The Principles TogetherNow that you know the basic rules about choosing free giveaway items and you’ve thought about what the purpose of your giveaway is, let’s put it together in a way that’s helpful for you.
If your aim is to:Attract as many people as possible to your booth or table:You’ll need to choose conference gifts that are inexpensive, fun and can be easily carried away. The more useful the gift, the more likely it is that your prospective customers will take them home and use them. Gifts that fit this category include refrigerator magnets, keyrings and imprinted pen. Every one that is taken away from your conference table has the possibility of passing through several more sets of hands, or being used by its recipient and keeping your logo and name in front of their eyes for weeks or even years.
Prequalify sales prospectsA good way to have your prospective customers prequalify themselves is to offer a gift that is in tune with their interests and needs. You’ll still want a relatively inexpensive gift, but by targeting a particular interest, you’re drawing in a specific type of client. Some examples of more targeted conference and trade show giveaways include imprinted golf tees, miniature first aid kits, sewing kits or tool kits.
Educate the public about your productIf your intent is to bring people to your booth to hear about your product and learn its advantages, try a little advance publicity. By sending out a mailing before the conference with “half” the promotional items, you’ll bring interested people to your booth to listen to your sales pitch and redeem the other half of the gift.
Increase Brand Name RecognitionThe key word here is splashy. If your main aim at the conference is to increase the name recognition of your brand, opt for high visibility conference gifts that people will carry or wear throughout the day. Invest in carrier bags into which people will tuck the gifts and promotional items they pick up at other tables, or caps or t-shirts that people will often put on immediately.
Using Advertising Business Gifts To Increase Your Business
Your marketing division – maybe that’s you? – has two major jobs to do for your company:
- find new customers
- hang on to existing customers
Both of those jobs can be a major challenge. Trying to do both of those jobs on a budget is an even bigger challenge. Advertising is the usual answer to finding new customers, but advertising can be expensive – often prohibitively expensive. Worse, it's usually difficult to tell just how effective your advertising campaigns are. The best that you can usually do is measure sales before and after a marketing campaign, but even then it’s difficult to tell which part of your marketing efforts really paid off with results.
It's even more difficult when it comes to keeping your existing customers. The traditional way to hang on to those customers once you've found them is by offering exceptional quality, excellent customer service and great prices. The problem is that your competitors are trying to do the same thing, and one place where they find new customers is by luring them away from you. Even your best customers will only be loyal to a point. If they’re offered a better deal with the same benefits elsewhere, you'll stop hearing from them – and discovering precisely why they jumped ship to the competition is nearly impossible.
How do you solve both problems with one low-cost alternative? Advertising business gifts are one solution that can satisfy both of your needs. Business giveaways and advertising business gifts are an excellent way to promote your services and products to both existing customers and new ones. Here’s why:
Everyone loves to get something for nothing. Getting a gift makes you feel good about the person or company giving the gift, especially if it's something useful and valuable to you. Giving out a free advertising business gift is a great way to introduce your products and your company to new business prospects. Whenever they use your gift, they’ll be reminded of that good feeling, and that translates into trust and loyalty.
Everyone likes to be appreciated. When you give little tokens of appreciation to your existing customers, you let them know that you value their business. That appreciation translates into - you've guessed it - trust and loyalty. And trust and loyalty drive business sales.
When you choose to promote your business with advertising business gifts, you're putting the bulk of your promotional budget where it counts and where it will do the most good - in front of your customers. You’re not sending out signals to reach millions of the wrong people. Instead, you're focusing your efforts on those people who are the most likely to buy from you or use your services.
And your advertising isn't flashed before them for thirty seconds as an annoyance or an interruption to their leisure time viewing and listening. Instead, your gift sits there on their desk, their key chain or their refrigerator every day, day after day, all day long. When the time comes that they need your product again, who do you think they’ll turn to?
- find new customers
- hang on to existing customers
Both of those jobs can be a major challenge. Trying to do both of those jobs on a budget is an even bigger challenge. Advertising is the usual answer to finding new customers, but advertising can be expensive – often prohibitively expensive. Worse, it's usually difficult to tell just how effective your advertising campaigns are. The best that you can usually do is measure sales before and after a marketing campaign, but even then it’s difficult to tell which part of your marketing efforts really paid off with results.
It's even more difficult when it comes to keeping your existing customers. The traditional way to hang on to those customers once you've found them is by offering exceptional quality, excellent customer service and great prices. The problem is that your competitors are trying to do the same thing, and one place where they find new customers is by luring them away from you. Even your best customers will only be loyal to a point. If they’re offered a better deal with the same benefits elsewhere, you'll stop hearing from them – and discovering precisely why they jumped ship to the competition is nearly impossible.
How do you solve both problems with one low-cost alternative? Advertising business gifts are one solution that can satisfy both of your needs. Business giveaways and advertising business gifts are an excellent way to promote your services and products to both existing customers and new ones. Here’s why:
Everyone loves to get something for nothing. Getting a gift makes you feel good about the person or company giving the gift, especially if it's something useful and valuable to you. Giving out a free advertising business gift is a great way to introduce your products and your company to new business prospects. Whenever they use your gift, they’ll be reminded of that good feeling, and that translates into trust and loyalty.
Everyone likes to be appreciated. When you give little tokens of appreciation to your existing customers, you let them know that you value their business. That appreciation translates into - you've guessed it - trust and loyalty. And trust and loyalty drive business sales.
When you choose to promote your business with advertising business gifts, you're putting the bulk of your promotional budget where it counts and where it will do the most good - in front of your customers. You’re not sending out signals to reach millions of the wrong people. Instead, you're focusing your efforts on those people who are the most likely to buy from you or use your services.
And your advertising isn't flashed before them for thirty seconds as an annoyance or an interruption to their leisure time viewing and listening. Instead, your gift sits there on their desk, their key chain or their refrigerator every day, day after day, all day long. When the time comes that they need your product again, who do you think they’ll turn to?
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Top Five Business Gifts Companies Give
When it comes to marketing and promotions, business gifts companies know what works and what sells. From inexpensive handouts at trade fairs and events, to the top executive gifts and incentives, here are the top five business gifts as defined by some of the most well known business gifts companies in the industry.
CalendarsA full 45% of companies say that they send out a business calendar to their customers each year. It’s an oldie but goodie in the promotional items field. A calendar is useful throughout the year, and it keeps your business name in front of your customer 365 days out of 365 days.
Just because it’s traditional, though, doesn’t mean it should be boring. There’s a wide range of calendar styles available, from basic wall calendars to calendar pads for desktops to easel calendars. Choose one that is distinctive and interesting, and you can be sure that it will be used.
Company Branded ItemsGiving a holiday gift that has your company’s logo on it may be seen as self-serving, so choosing logo-branded items can be a fine line. If you choose to give gifts with your company’s logo or brand name on it, it’s important to make it something personal and unique. Experts in gift giving say that it’s important to separate gift giving from marketing, and nothing shows lack of care quite so much as sending out coffee mugs with your business imprint on it – unless you take the time to make it personal. Include a packet of favorite teas or an assortment of gourmet coffee and biscuits, and the mug becomes an addition to the gift rather than the main gift itself. And the addition will sit on a desk long past the original gift is consumed and forgotten.
Desk ItemsMany companies give items designed to sit on the desktop as gifts for thank yous and holidays. Some of these make especially nice gifts for employees. A sleek, elegant business card holder discreetly engraved with your company logo is a tasteful gift that will find a place on the desktop of your employees.
WineIf you’re considering giving wine as a corporate holiday gift, then you’re in good company. About 7% of small business owners say that they’ve given bottles of wine as a holiday gift to associates. You can make an extra splash with a gift of wine when you order a case of a special vintage labeled with your own company label and holiday wishes.
Small Electronics and Office GiftsAmong the most popular gifts as thank you, holiday and incentive bonuses are small electronics promotional items. They range from calculators that bear the company logo to small USB flash drives. Company branded radios, cameras and other electronic gadgets carry a high perceived value, and can be extremely cost effective when you order them in bulk.
CalendarsA full 45% of companies say that they send out a business calendar to their customers each year. It’s an oldie but goodie in the promotional items field. A calendar is useful throughout the year, and it keeps your business name in front of your customer 365 days out of 365 days.
Just because it’s traditional, though, doesn’t mean it should be boring. There’s a wide range of calendar styles available, from basic wall calendars to calendar pads for desktops to easel calendars. Choose one that is distinctive and interesting, and you can be sure that it will be used.
Company Branded ItemsGiving a holiday gift that has your company’s logo on it may be seen as self-serving, so choosing logo-branded items can be a fine line. If you choose to give gifts with your company’s logo or brand name on it, it’s important to make it something personal and unique. Experts in gift giving say that it’s important to separate gift giving from marketing, and nothing shows lack of care quite so much as sending out coffee mugs with your business imprint on it – unless you take the time to make it personal. Include a packet of favorite teas or an assortment of gourmet coffee and biscuits, and the mug becomes an addition to the gift rather than the main gift itself. And the addition will sit on a desk long past the original gift is consumed and forgotten.
Desk ItemsMany companies give items designed to sit on the desktop as gifts for thank yous and holidays. Some of these make especially nice gifts for employees. A sleek, elegant business card holder discreetly engraved with your company logo is a tasteful gift that will find a place on the desktop of your employees.
WineIf you’re considering giving wine as a corporate holiday gift, then you’re in good company. About 7% of small business owners say that they’ve given bottles of wine as a holiday gift to associates. You can make an extra splash with a gift of wine when you order a case of a special vintage labeled with your own company label and holiday wishes.
Small Electronics and Office GiftsAmong the most popular gifts as thank you, holiday and incentive bonuses are small electronics promotional items. They range from calculators that bear the company logo to small USB flash drives. Company branded radios, cameras and other electronic gadgets carry a high perceived value, and can be extremely cost effective when you order them in bulk.
Promotional Mouse Mats And Generating Interest At Home
Promotional mouse mats are a great way to generate interest in your company because they are large enough to hold a decent amount of advertising. They take up a prominent place on your customers’ desks when they are used, and can keep your business in the minds of your customers for as long as they are in use simply by existing. It is in your best interest to make your promotional mouse mats out of quality materials, and design them to be attractive and possibly even useful in other ways to keep your customers using them.
Promotional mouse mats can be paired with coasters or wrist rests to increase the interest in them, and you should consider it money well spent if you are getting additional clientele out of your use of these tactics. Another great way to generate interest is to hand them out by hand, but how do you do this without it seeming odd?
Promotional mouse mats should be high quality and easy to look at, meaning that they should be good enough for your own employees to use happily. If your own employees are using these promotional mouse mats in sight of your customers, your customers would feel easier about taking and using one of your promotional mouse mats on their own desks. This is where generating interest at home comes in.
Your own employees should use as many of the company’s promotional items as possible, from pens to mugs and certainly extending to the mouse mats that the company is handing out. They should also take an active role in distributing your mouse mats to the clients. Each time an employee sits down with a client as his or her desk, the employee should be seen using the promotional products. He or she should start a conversation about the promotional mouse mats, and if the client does not state that he or she was given one, your employee should be quick to offer one to him or her.
This does not mean that your employees should keep stacks of promotional mouse mats on their desk, but having them nearby either in a drawer or in another room close by will make it easy for your own employees to talk about how much they like the promotional mouse mats and to give them away to your customers.
Promotional mouse mats might have lots of talking points from the great design to the hard top that makes mouse use easier to the special design of the top that makes it even easier to use optical mice. No matter what the talking point, your employees should be ready to share all that they know about the mouse mats, and interest your customers in taking one home for themselves.
Genuine interest in the products at home will allow you to distribute your promotional mouse mats to your customers in a simple way and will make them more likely to use the mouse mat that they receive, too.
Promotional mouse mats can be paired with coasters or wrist rests to increase the interest in them, and you should consider it money well spent if you are getting additional clientele out of your use of these tactics. Another great way to generate interest is to hand them out by hand, but how do you do this without it seeming odd?
Promotional mouse mats should be high quality and easy to look at, meaning that they should be good enough for your own employees to use happily. If your own employees are using these promotional mouse mats in sight of your customers, your customers would feel easier about taking and using one of your promotional mouse mats on their own desks. This is where generating interest at home comes in.
Your own employees should use as many of the company’s promotional items as possible, from pens to mugs and certainly extending to the mouse mats that the company is handing out. They should also take an active role in distributing your mouse mats to the clients. Each time an employee sits down with a client as his or her desk, the employee should be seen using the promotional products. He or she should start a conversation about the promotional mouse mats, and if the client does not state that he or she was given one, your employee should be quick to offer one to him or her.
This does not mean that your employees should keep stacks of promotional mouse mats on their desk, but having them nearby either in a drawer or in another room close by will make it easy for your own employees to talk about how much they like the promotional mouse mats and to give them away to your customers.
Promotional mouse mats might have lots of talking points from the great design to the hard top that makes mouse use easier to the special design of the top that makes it even easier to use optical mice. No matter what the talking point, your employees should be ready to share all that they know about the mouse mats, and interest your customers in taking one home for themselves.
Genuine interest in the products at home will allow you to distribute your promotional mouse mats to your customers in a simple way and will make them more likely to use the mouse mat that they receive, too.
More Than A Mouse Mat Mat And Coaster Sets
Mouse mats are great for keeping the mouse doing what it’s supposed to do but where is a compulsive computer user supposed to put his or her sweating drink? Simple, on the matching coaster you’ll give your clients, vendors or employees. With mouse mat and coaster sets, you can advertise your business all over office desks.
When you choose mouse mat and coaster sets as trade show giveaways, you can rest at ease knowing your product will be used for months or even years after the convention doors have closed. Think it’s out of your budget? You might be surprised.
The DuSoft mouse mat coaster sets are very inexpensive – as little as £0.74 per set. These circular, foam and fabric mouse mat and coaster sets speak volumes about your business.
Brite mouse mat and coaster sets are affordable, available in a single imprint color for as little as £0.95 per set. For a full four color process imprint, you pay just £1.19 per set. You choose between a round mouse mat and coasters or square.
Square mouse mats are about seven and a half inches tall and about nine and a half inches wide. Round mouse mats are just under eight inches in diameter. All coasters are about three and three quarter inches tall and wide. Coasters and mouse mats are printed with the same matching design and same color layout.
The Brite mouse mat and coaster sets are constructed with a non-slid foam bottom covered with a soft fabric top. These are ideal for ball mice and optical ones as well.
If your recipients stay on top of technology advances, they are likely using optical mice rather than traditional ball and socket mice. For these customers or vendors, you can spend just a little bit more to provide them with a hard top mouse mat and coaster set – perfect for optical mouse users. These are much thinner than the Brite mouse mat and coaster sets and lighter. This equates to lower shipping fees should you decide to send them out in addition to giving them away at trade shows, job fairs and to vendors.
For just over £1.05 per set, these hard top mouse mat and coaster sets are affordable to order for gifts, prizes or to sell. For a little more, £1.17, you can opt for the full four color printing process.
You can even go a step further for major promotions and holiday gifts by coupling customized mouse mat and coaster sets with customized computer mice. You’ll be hard pressed to find another promotional product that will offer as much exposure as a mouse, mouse mat and coasters with your name on them.
Customized mice typically start at £2.94, including a single color imprint. For less than £5, you can send a mouse, mat and coasters to your clients, customers or vendors. Edibles and quality clothing items will cost at least that much and will either be consumed or in the back of the closet within a week.
When you choose mouse mat and coaster sets as trade show giveaways, you can rest at ease knowing your product will be used for months or even years after the convention doors have closed. Think it’s out of your budget? You might be surprised.
The DuSoft mouse mat coaster sets are very inexpensive – as little as £0.74 per set. These circular, foam and fabric mouse mat and coaster sets speak volumes about your business.
Brite mouse mat and coaster sets are affordable, available in a single imprint color for as little as £0.95 per set. For a full four color process imprint, you pay just £1.19 per set. You choose between a round mouse mat and coasters or square.
Square mouse mats are about seven and a half inches tall and about nine and a half inches wide. Round mouse mats are just under eight inches in diameter. All coasters are about three and three quarter inches tall and wide. Coasters and mouse mats are printed with the same matching design and same color layout.
The Brite mouse mat and coaster sets are constructed with a non-slid foam bottom covered with a soft fabric top. These are ideal for ball mice and optical ones as well.
If your recipients stay on top of technology advances, they are likely using optical mice rather than traditional ball and socket mice. For these customers or vendors, you can spend just a little bit more to provide them with a hard top mouse mat and coaster set – perfect for optical mouse users. These are much thinner than the Brite mouse mat and coaster sets and lighter. This equates to lower shipping fees should you decide to send them out in addition to giving them away at trade shows, job fairs and to vendors.
For just over £1.05 per set, these hard top mouse mat and coaster sets are affordable to order for gifts, prizes or to sell. For a little more, £1.17, you can opt for the full four color printing process.
You can even go a step further for major promotions and holiday gifts by coupling customized mouse mat and coaster sets with customized computer mice. You’ll be hard pressed to find another promotional product that will offer as much exposure as a mouse, mouse mat and coasters with your name on them.
Customized mice typically start at £2.94, including a single color imprint. For less than £5, you can send a mouse, mat and coasters to your clients, customers or vendors. Edibles and quality clothing items will cost at least that much and will either be consumed or in the back of the closet within a week.
Promotional Mouse Mats With Wrist Rests
Promotional mouse mats are a great investment because they are cheap to buy and easy promotional items or gifts to distribute. Everyone who uses a computer needs a mouse mat, and some people, especially those with laptop computers, like to have several! These promotional mouse mats can be a great boon to your business, but only if you can get your customers to use them. Advertising in the form of promotional mouse mats is great, but how do you ensure that you customers will throw away their old mouse mats in favor of the ones that you are kindly providing for them?
Almost everyone who has a computer with a mouse will already have at least one mouse mat that they make regular use of, so your challenge is to find a promotional mouse mat that will be attractive enough to them to cause them to get rid of their old design in favor of the one that you are providing. You could do this by pairing your mouse mat with something else for their desk such as a coaster or set of coasters, or you could do this with an incredible and attractive design. Both of these methods work wonderfully and can be incorporated by most businesses.
Another great way to get your customers to use your promotional mouse mats is by adding a feature to your mouse mats that they do not already have, but would like to have. Making the surface of the mats hard can be a great help for using the mouse, as can the addition of wrist rests for your clients’ tired arms.
People who use the computer all day every day often develop symptoms of soreness and stiffness because of their excessive typing and use of the mouse. A wrist rest for the keyboard or for the mouse mat can make a great deal of difference in how a person feels at the end of the day. If you are the one who causes your customer to feel better than usual when the day is done, they will be thinking very highly of you the next time they need a service of the kind that you provide.
Promotional mouse mats are great advertising because they can hold more advertising than a business card or other small item, they are almost always visible on top of the desk, and they are constantly reminding your customers of your generosity and thoughtfulness in providing something so useful to them. The promotional mouse mats are also a great deal for them, since they will not have to go out and buy a mouse mat for themselves.
In addition to your customers, anyone who can see your clients’ desks will have a great view of your advertising, and will feel as if your client is endorsing your products or services because they are using the gift that you have sent. Adding a wrist rest to your promotional mouse mats might be more expensive, but it is worth the effort if it means that more people will be using your mouse mats.
Almost everyone who has a computer with a mouse will already have at least one mouse mat that they make regular use of, so your challenge is to find a promotional mouse mat that will be attractive enough to them to cause them to get rid of their old design in favor of the one that you are providing. You could do this by pairing your mouse mat with something else for their desk such as a coaster or set of coasters, or you could do this with an incredible and attractive design. Both of these methods work wonderfully and can be incorporated by most businesses.
Another great way to get your customers to use your promotional mouse mats is by adding a feature to your mouse mats that they do not already have, but would like to have. Making the surface of the mats hard can be a great help for using the mouse, as can the addition of wrist rests for your clients’ tired arms.
People who use the computer all day every day often develop symptoms of soreness and stiffness because of their excessive typing and use of the mouse. A wrist rest for the keyboard or for the mouse mat can make a great deal of difference in how a person feels at the end of the day. If you are the one who causes your customer to feel better than usual when the day is done, they will be thinking very highly of you the next time they need a service of the kind that you provide.
Promotional mouse mats are great advertising because they can hold more advertising than a business card or other small item, they are almost always visible on top of the desk, and they are constantly reminding your customers of your generosity and thoughtfulness in providing something so useful to them. The promotional mouse mats are also a great deal for them, since they will not have to go out and buy a mouse mat for themselves.
In addition to your customers, anyone who can see your clients’ desks will have a great view of your advertising, and will feel as if your client is endorsing your products or services because they are using the gift that you have sent. Adding a wrist rest to your promotional mouse mats might be more expensive, but it is worth the effort if it means that more people will be using your mouse mats.
Promotional Sweets
You have to admit that we all like a freebie whenever we can get one. Items of promotional gifts are given out at corporate events or allocated to potential customers as a type of business incentive. Within the vast ranges of promotional gifts are promotional sweets that can make very effective advertising products. A printed promotional promotional sweets is the type of clothing that many people wear so what better product to place your company brand on? Give out promotional sweets at the next corporate event and they`ll repay your initial outlay by bringing in free advertising whenever they are given out.
Personalised printed sweets are usually very popular at exhibitions and they can come in a variety of colours which can blend in with your company logo. You`ll find that printed promotional sweets are very affordable and they can be with you and ready for distribution in no time at all. Great quality printed personalized sweets can be sourced through suppliers who specilaise in all types of promotional gifts. The high quality promotional printed sweets will be just one type of product that is available to help promote your company with style. We might all like freebies when we can get them but some freebies are better than others. Give your customers quality promotional sweets with your company logo on and they`ll certainly be appreciated. You can spoil your clients with these trendy corporate treats.
Businesses know that a great way to get their brand message across is by using personalised sweets at fundraising and corporate events. Having plenty of logo sweets with the company`s brand on will help them to advertise their products and boost their sales figures. Items like personalised sweets make brilliant gifts as they are practical and can be used frequently by plenty of people. What finer way of displaying your company logo than by using personalised sweets given to customers and clients? This riveting range of promotional sweets will go down a storm when the heavens start to open.
You can pick from plenty of promotional sweets types to suit a variety of applications and the range of promotional sweets, are proving to be extremely popular. Imagine that promotional sweets with your brand on; what type of message would they be putting across? You`d have instant advertising power and all it would cost you is the price of a few sweets which surely makes great business sense? The next time you have a corporate event why not use the promotional sweets to good effect? With all the exhibitions and shows within the UK there`ll be plenty of opportunity for the sweets to be used. They can keep your customers sweet when they are out and about, and they`ll be advertising your brand for free
Personalised printed sweets are usually very popular at exhibitions and they can come in a variety of colours which can blend in with your company logo. You`ll find that printed promotional sweets are very affordable and they can be with you and ready for distribution in no time at all. Great quality printed personalized sweets can be sourced through suppliers who specilaise in all types of promotional gifts. The high quality promotional printed sweets will be just one type of product that is available to help promote your company with style. We might all like freebies when we can get them but some freebies are better than others. Give your customers quality promotional sweets with your company logo on and they`ll certainly be appreciated. You can spoil your clients with these trendy corporate treats.
Businesses know that a great way to get their brand message across is by using personalised sweets at fundraising and corporate events. Having plenty of logo sweets with the company`s brand on will help them to advertise their products and boost their sales figures. Items like personalised sweets make brilliant gifts as they are practical and can be used frequently by plenty of people. What finer way of displaying your company logo than by using personalised sweets given to customers and clients? This riveting range of promotional sweets will go down a storm when the heavens start to open.
You can pick from plenty of promotional sweets types to suit a variety of applications and the range of promotional sweets, are proving to be extremely popular. Imagine that promotional sweets with your brand on; what type of message would they be putting across? You`d have instant advertising power and all it would cost you is the price of a few sweets which surely makes great business sense? The next time you have a corporate event why not use the promotional sweets to good effect? With all the exhibitions and shows within the UK there`ll be plenty of opportunity for the sweets to be used. They can keep your customers sweet when they are out and about, and they`ll be advertising your brand for free
20 Ways On How To Generate More Traffic
1.The first thing any serious marketeer must do above anything else is to build a list of subscribers. Your list is like a golden asset to you if utilized correctly.
2.Writing top tip articles, such as, ten easy tips to help and improve your golf swing. People love ''How To'' articles very much like these your reading now, there very popular. You can then submit your articles to the abundance of article directories that are out there.
3.Buying traffic from the search engines by utilizing one of their PPC campaigns is also very popular and can yield high returns done correctly.
4.Something which I have done in the past is to open up a myspace account and find targeted friends so that you can promote your services to them. However a word of warning, please, do not spam people because myspace is cracking down on spammers and they are starting to sue people for the practice.
5.Soliciting a link from your local chamber of commerce would be worth your while and could yield great returns for you. Also getting involved in your local chamber of commerce's promotional days and offering your and your businesses services is a great way of attracting free advertising.
6.This tip may seem to be one of the most obvious ones but a lot of people are still getting it wrong, 'Big Time'. You must have an easy to remember domain name. If your domain name is too long or not memorable then people may forget your site and you wouldn't want that to happen now would you.
7.Add a bookmark option to your website or blogs. Bookmarks are a good form of free advertising and I bookmark everything, all my websites, blogs, ''EVERYTHING''. Another thing to do is to leave fictitious reviews in your blogs under an assumed name when you first set them up in order to draw attention to them from the search engines. And get friends and family to leave comments too. There's nothing the search engines love more than a popular blog.
8.Something I always do is try to think of the most obvious ways people might misspell my domain name and then I purchase those misspelled versions of my domain name and have them redirect to my main one. It would be a good idea if you were to do the same and don't think you will have to buy hundreds of domain names. Just think up one or two, three at the most, of the obvious ways someone may misspell your domain name. For example if your website was called Joe Blogs Inc then someone might type into there search engine Doe Blogs Inc or Joe Blogs Pinc. I'm sure you get the picture.
9.Always make a point of using keywords in your image alt tags.
10.Make sure to include appropriate keywords in your title tag, search engines show more prominence or importance to keywords here than just about anywhere else.
2.Writing top tip articles, such as, ten easy tips to help and improve your golf swing. People love ''How To'' articles very much like these your reading now, there very popular. You can then submit your articles to the abundance of article directories that are out there.
3.Buying traffic from the search engines by utilizing one of their PPC campaigns is also very popular and can yield high returns done correctly.
4.Something which I have done in the past is to open up a myspace account and find targeted friends so that you can promote your services to them. However a word of warning, please, do not spam people because myspace is cracking down on spammers and they are starting to sue people for the practice.
5.Soliciting a link from your local chamber of commerce would be worth your while and could yield great returns for you. Also getting involved in your local chamber of commerce's promotional days and offering your and your businesses services is a great way of attracting free advertising.
6.This tip may seem to be one of the most obvious ones but a lot of people are still getting it wrong, 'Big Time'. You must have an easy to remember domain name. If your domain name is too long or not memorable then people may forget your site and you wouldn't want that to happen now would you.
7.Add a bookmark option to your website or blogs. Bookmarks are a good form of free advertising and I bookmark everything, all my websites, blogs, ''EVERYTHING''. Another thing to do is to leave fictitious reviews in your blogs under an assumed name when you first set them up in order to draw attention to them from the search engines. And get friends and family to leave comments too. There's nothing the search engines love more than a popular blog.
8.Something I always do is try to think of the most obvious ways people might misspell my domain name and then I purchase those misspelled versions of my domain name and have them redirect to my main one. It would be a good idea if you were to do the same and don't think you will have to buy hundreds of domain names. Just think up one or two, three at the most, of the obvious ways someone may misspell your domain name. For example if your website was called Joe Blogs Inc then someone might type into there search engine Doe Blogs Inc or Joe Blogs Pinc. I'm sure you get the picture.
9.Always make a point of using keywords in your image alt tags.
10.Make sure to include appropriate keywords in your title tag, search engines show more prominence or importance to keywords here than just about anywhere else.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Durable Outdoor Decals
Durable decal printing should take into consideration the message or artwork you need to display. For example, if you need your logo only, you will need to find the closest standard ink color available or use black as a solid stand by. Take into account, too, the color of the item your decals will be applied to. Make sure you have contrast so that the decal will stand out. Durable decals are made up of 3 basic components, which are decal size, decal material, and decal ink colors. They are provided as single labels with a split back liner.
Decal Material Choices: Durable decal material selection is typically based on the color or transparency of the item the decals will be applied to and. Choose from white vinyl or transparent polyester. The polyester material can be printed with adhesive on the face or back. Printing on the face of the label makes it possible to apply the decal so it can be seen correctly through glass.
Transparent Polyester Durable Decal Material - Adhesive On Back: See through poly with a permanent, pressure sensitive adhesive. It has a 3-5 year outdoor durability rating. Permanent adhesive. 60# face stock / 40# liner. Use adhesive on back to apply to any surface, and be read from the side it is applied to. Use adhesive on front to apply to glass for reading label through the glass.
Decal Color Choices: Durable decal printing colors come from the Pantone Matching System, or PMS. PMS is a "solid-color" matching system, used primarily for specifying second or third colors in printing durable decals - meaning colors in addition to black, (although, one can certainly print a one-color piece using a PMS color and no black all). Most PMS colors have a "recipe" that follows to achieve the desired hard hat decal color. The base durable decal colors, along with black and white, are combined in certain proportions to achieve other PMS colors.
Decal Material Choices: Durable decal material selection is typically based on the color or transparency of the item the decals will be applied to and. Choose from white vinyl or transparent polyester. The polyester material can be printed with adhesive on the face or back. Printing on the face of the label makes it possible to apply the decal so it can be seen correctly through glass.
Transparent Polyester Durable Decal Material - Adhesive On Back: See through poly with a permanent, pressure sensitive adhesive. It has a 3-5 year outdoor durability rating. Permanent adhesive. 60# face stock / 40# liner. Use adhesive on back to apply to any surface, and be read from the side it is applied to. Use adhesive on front to apply to glass for reading label through the glass.
Decal Color Choices: Durable decal printing colors come from the Pantone Matching System, or PMS. PMS is a "solid-color" matching system, used primarily for specifying second or third colors in printing durable decals - meaning colors in addition to black, (although, one can certainly print a one-color piece using a PMS color and no black all). Most PMS colors have a "recipe" that follows to achieve the desired hard hat decal color. The base durable decal colors, along with black and white, are combined in certain proportions to achieve other PMS colors.
What Does Your Business Card Say?
A good business card means a well structured marketing plan, not only it has to pass the trash test but it also has to say a lot of things about the person and the company it represents.
When you choose a business card you must have in mind the fact that it must say something about the company or contain something that defines it. So in order to impress your clients you must carefully chose your business card; of course not everything suits for example you can’t have a pink business card with little ponies and work for a well respected company but on the other hand you can’t have a black business card and have a company that organizes kids parties.
Let’s talk a little about the size of your business card: in US the common size is 3.4 x2 in (89 x 51 mm) but for example in other countries the common size is 85x 55 mm (3.346 x 2.165). If your card will travel distant lands or your company is international I recommend using the international standard size which is 85.60 x 53.98 mm (3.370 x 2.125 in) to eliminate any further problems about the size of your card.
You can chose to print a picture of your face or a drawing to help people remember you better but this is not recommended in all situations because many of these cards may be considered kitsch by a lot of people.
Another catchy thing that can be added to your business card to improve its originality is maybe an unusual shape or fold. This is usually very appealing to many people and will help you get noticed. Although these cards are more expensive than average cards they sure worth all the money especially if you care about your business and how it’s represented.
Of course when it comes to originality people can make business cards out of chocolate or marzipan but nowadays the elegant and trendy type of card is the simple two colors card. You can also try to have a card with another purpose, for example if you are a doctor you can place your schedule on the back of the card and so on.
Remember when ordering your business card that you will need to chose something that matches your style and the company style; also, don’t mess with the size, choose the standard size no matter how unusual your tastes are.
When you choose a business card you must have in mind the fact that it must say something about the company or contain something that defines it. So in order to impress your clients you must carefully chose your business card; of course not everything suits for example you can’t have a pink business card with little ponies and work for a well respected company but on the other hand you can’t have a black business card and have a company that organizes kids parties.
Let’s talk a little about the size of your business card: in US the common size is 3.4 x2 in (89 x 51 mm) but for example in other countries the common size is 85x 55 mm (3.346 x 2.165). If your card will travel distant lands or your company is international I recommend using the international standard size which is 85.60 x 53.98 mm (3.370 x 2.125 in) to eliminate any further problems about the size of your card.
You can chose to print a picture of your face or a drawing to help people remember you better but this is not recommended in all situations because many of these cards may be considered kitsch by a lot of people.
Another catchy thing that can be added to your business card to improve its originality is maybe an unusual shape or fold. This is usually very appealing to many people and will help you get noticed. Although these cards are more expensive than average cards they sure worth all the money especially if you care about your business and how it’s represented.
Of course when it comes to originality people can make business cards out of chocolate or marzipan but nowadays the elegant and trendy type of card is the simple two colors card. You can also try to have a card with another purpose, for example if you are a doctor you can place your schedule on the back of the card and so on.
Remember when ordering your business card that you will need to chose something that matches your style and the company style; also, don’t mess with the size, choose the standard size no matter how unusual your tastes are.
Benefits of Personalised Mugs
Personalised mugs have many benefits, which is why they are often used in marketing campaigns as promotional giveaways.
Mugs are available in a wide choice of materials, including ceramic, earthenware, bone china, frosted glass, metal, acrylic and even recycled plastic. Different styles of personalised mugs will appeal to different target markets, for example, contemporary latte mugs are ideal for a young audience, whereas traditional bone china mugs may be more appropriate for an older market. Companies or organisations looking for inexpensive promotional items for giving to customers, prospects and employees often turn to personalised mugs. Their low unit cost makes them ideal for company events or trade shows where a large number of items are needed as giveaways.Most people enjoy a hot drink, which means that mugs are often used several times a day. This ensures that the company name, logo or brand message is seen repeatedly.
The large print area around a mug provides the perfect space for advertising. Compared to more costly traditional media such as television, radio or print
Mugs are available in a wide choice of materials, including ceramic, earthenware, bone china, frosted glass, metal, acrylic and even recycled plastic. Different styles of personalised mugs will appeal to different target markets, for example, contemporary latte mugs are ideal for a young audience, whereas traditional bone china mugs may be more appropriate for an older market. Companies or organisations looking for inexpensive promotional items for giving to customers, prospects and employees often turn to personalised mugs. Their low unit cost makes them ideal for company events or trade shows where a large number of items are needed as giveaways.Most people enjoy a hot drink, which means that mugs are often used several times a day. This ensures that the company name, logo or brand message is seen repeatedly.
The large print area around a mug provides the perfect space for advertising. Compared to more costly traditional media such as television, radio or print
Professional Online Advertising - New Algerian Website Introduces the Cult into Homeland
Either you’re Algerian or not, organization or particular, physical or moral person, you want to pass advertisements in Algeria or consult them online via Internet, you’re right, because djemla.com reduces time and distance connecting therefore people having common interests in goods and services in Homeland or foreigners seeking to bring them locally.
All transaction (buy, sell, rent, exchange...or simply ask for) of goods, Real Estate (house, park, hangar, country cottage, office, store...), touristic car (family, sportive, grand-turismo...being berline, coupé, citadine, luxury limousine, 4x4, Suv, Monospace) even utility (Pick-up, Fourgonnette,…), heavy lorry (truck, trax, Clark…). All other sort of goods are accepted, except those prohibited (listed in 4th paragraph), scooter, motorcycle, bike, computing, electric household appliances, electronics, phones, clothing, textile, sport material, antiquity, art & culture, cosmetic & beauty, jewelers, food, leisure, toys, games, services (telecommunication, commerce, tourism, custom transit, in addition to other provision of services) and miscellaneous.
Although the site is hosted elsewhere, it targets primarily nationally territory
Center Wilayas (districts) as Algiers, Tipaza, Blida, Boumerdès, Tizi-ouzou, Bejaïa, Médéa…etcWestern part of country (Oran, Tlemcen, Mostaganem, Chlef..etc) Eastern region (Constantine, Annaba, Sétif, Skikda…etc)The Great South (Laghouat, Ghardaïa, Biskra, Béchar, Adrar, Tmantrasset, Tindouf, Ellizi…etc)
Djemla TEAM takes care of the correct working of the site - technical side as well as of content to be published-. They control specific rules and criteria and decide whether to accept or not the advert suggested. That said, it is automatically refused any sending that has characters :
1)- Article prohibited by the law or considered to be undesirable by the habit and the religion (drug, alcohol, arm, pigmeat, stolen object...)2)- Service ou activity prohibited by the law or considered to be undesirable by the habit and the religion (Activity directly or indirectly linked to one of the prohibited articles quoted above like Traffic of clandestine immigrants and women and so on.Due to its technological, technical and graphical characteristics, Djemla.com is actually the reference in the matter in Algeria making it appreciated leader for both local and foreign surfers targeting products or home costumers.
Following some examples:
1- Optimization of databases in order to make requests treated the most rapidly possible.2- Fast and secured servers with high storage capacity, physically situated in Sweden, running 24 H a day, 7 days a week 365 days/a year. Backup copies are guaranteed as precaution to prevent unexpected data loss. Better, reserve servers are ready to intervene in case of critical problem inside main servers (server slowdown, drop in voltage…)3- Beauty of graphism while keeping some studied simplicity not to disperse the attention of the Net surfer and the facility of navigation4- The site gives the impression of « déjà-vu », allowing the user to familiarize with briefly, the moment he get in contact.
It is noticed that in spite of its relatively recent appearance.The Web site quickly gained the confidence of the advertisers and consultants for the reasons :
1- Speed of loading home page and other headings2- Recognizable commands since first glance3- Facility to process (add, modification, delete and consultation) advertisements.4- Personal Data confidentiality guaranteed, it means not shared (emails...) with third parties without this latter is being asked by the announcer himself. But other data like phone number…are required to be shown to all visitors for purpose of direct contact.5- All advertisements are checked before validation to avoid abuses... and to ensure a whole credibility6- Unlimited number of announcements allowed to anybody
All transaction (buy, sell, rent, exchange...or simply ask for) of goods, Real Estate (house, park, hangar, country cottage, office, store...), touristic car (family, sportive, grand-turismo...being berline, coupé, citadine, luxury limousine, 4x4, Suv, Monospace) even utility (Pick-up, Fourgonnette,…), heavy lorry (truck, trax, Clark…). All other sort of goods are accepted, except those prohibited (listed in 4th paragraph), scooter, motorcycle, bike, computing, electric household appliances, electronics, phones, clothing, textile, sport material, antiquity, art & culture, cosmetic & beauty, jewelers, food, leisure, toys, games, services (telecommunication, commerce, tourism, custom transit, in addition to other provision of services) and miscellaneous.
Although the site is hosted elsewhere, it targets primarily nationally territory
Center Wilayas (districts) as Algiers, Tipaza, Blida, Boumerdès, Tizi-ouzou, Bejaïa, Médéa…etcWestern part of country (Oran, Tlemcen, Mostaganem, Chlef..etc) Eastern region (Constantine, Annaba, Sétif, Skikda…etc)The Great South (Laghouat, Ghardaïa, Biskra, Béchar, Adrar, Tmantrasset, Tindouf, Ellizi…etc)
Djemla TEAM takes care of the correct working of the site - technical side as well as of content to be published-. They control specific rules and criteria and decide whether to accept or not the advert suggested. That said, it is automatically refused any sending that has characters :
1)- Article prohibited by the law or considered to be undesirable by the habit and the religion (drug, alcohol, arm, pigmeat, stolen object...)2)- Service ou activity prohibited by the law or considered to be undesirable by the habit and the religion (Activity directly or indirectly linked to one of the prohibited articles quoted above like Traffic of clandestine immigrants and women and so on.Due to its technological, technical and graphical characteristics, Djemla.com is actually the reference in the matter in Algeria making it appreciated leader for both local and foreign surfers targeting products or home costumers.
Following some examples:
1- Optimization of databases in order to make requests treated the most rapidly possible.2- Fast and secured servers with high storage capacity, physically situated in Sweden, running 24 H a day, 7 days a week 365 days/a year. Backup copies are guaranteed as precaution to prevent unexpected data loss. Better, reserve servers are ready to intervene in case of critical problem inside main servers (server slowdown, drop in voltage…)3- Beauty of graphism while keeping some studied simplicity not to disperse the attention of the Net surfer and the facility of navigation4- The site gives the impression of « déjà-vu », allowing the user to familiarize with briefly, the moment he get in contact.
It is noticed that in spite of its relatively recent appearance.The Web site quickly gained the confidence of the advertisers and consultants for the reasons :
1- Speed of loading home page and other headings2- Recognizable commands since first glance3- Facility to process (add, modification, delete and consultation) advertisements.4- Personal Data confidentiality guaranteed, it means not shared (emails...) with third parties without this latter is being asked by the announcer himself. But other data like phone number…are required to be shown to all visitors for purpose of direct contact.5- All advertisements are checked before validation to avoid abuses... and to ensure a whole credibility6- Unlimited number of announcements allowed to anybody
How to Use Flyers to Expand Your Business
Do you have a new small business that is in dire need of some customers? A great way to spread the news about your business is to let people know you are out there. You can’t just sit back and assume that the customers are going to come to you. What if they don’t know that you are out there? You need to create a customer base starting right now, but you can’t do that if no one knows that you have opened the doors. Your world might revolve around your business, but that doesn’t mean that other people have the slightest idea that there is such a business.
What you need to do to drum up traffic is put together a marketing campaign. Many people think that you need to have a very technical marketing plan, but you don’t. Flyer printing is a great way to get your information out to the masses. You don’t have to have the most impressive fliers ever, just create something that represents your business and have it copied as many times as you think is necessary. You can then hand these out, post them on light poles, and give them to friends and current customers to give to their friends. Think about how many times you have looked at the flyer on the side of the road, or how you consider the flyer that someone hands you, even if you are not interested in the service or product that is being sold. Flyers can go a long way to driving your business and just making it known. The problem with business is that if no one knows that you exist no one can become your customer. Flyers will allow you to reach the masses in the most cost effective manner so that you can expand your business.
Brochure printing is another great option, though it is usually more costly than simply printing fliers. If you have the extra capital and you can afford the brochures, be sure to place in them areas where they will be seen by the type of consumer that your business targets. Think about where else your consumer would shop or visit and see if you can’t make a deal so that you can place your brochures and even a flier there to really get your business name out there and expand your business in new and exciting ways.
What you need to do to drum up traffic is put together a marketing campaign. Many people think that you need to have a very technical marketing plan, but you don’t. Flyer printing is a great way to get your information out to the masses. You don’t have to have the most impressive fliers ever, just create something that represents your business and have it copied as many times as you think is necessary. You can then hand these out, post them on light poles, and give them to friends and current customers to give to their friends. Think about how many times you have looked at the flyer on the side of the road, or how you consider the flyer that someone hands you, even if you are not interested in the service or product that is being sold. Flyers can go a long way to driving your business and just making it known. The problem with business is that if no one knows that you exist no one can become your customer. Flyers will allow you to reach the masses in the most cost effective manner so that you can expand your business.
Brochure printing is another great option, though it is usually more costly than simply printing fliers. If you have the extra capital and you can afford the brochures, be sure to place in them areas where they will be seen by the type of consumer that your business targets. Think about where else your consumer would shop or visit and see if you can’t make a deal so that you can place your brochures and even a flier there to really get your business name out there and expand your business in new and exciting ways.
Planning a Successful Outdoor Mobile Billboard Campaign
The idea of Mobile Billboards came to me while strolling down a busy street on a typical work day in Los Angeles. I noticed an “advertise here” sign on the back of a bus with a phone number printed on the side. My curiosity led me to dial the number and upon hearing the pricing, I couldn’t help but smirk at the ridiculous fees that were being charged to display ads on a conventional, and such boring medium. At the time, I was president of a digital marketing company called Intellix Media, which was later acquired by Crenovate, Inc. With this background, I was quite familiar with the marketing and advertising industry and really understood the benefits of outdoor media. As soon as I hung up the phone, I knew there was a vast market in outdoor advertising that was yet to be explored. Why not create a customized truck that could carry standard size billboard ads around town for the sole purpose of advertising? This mere thought was the stepping stone in establishing Citi-Mobile. Currently, Citi-Mobile billboards operate nationally servicing diverse populations and demographics.
Citi-Mobile and our entire operation have always operated as an agency for the agency, in other words we have never looked at ourselves as a trucking company even though that is essentially the vehicle of our medium. In educating and consulting our clients about this specific marketing niche, we opt to produce a campaign that will generate reliable results for the client and create return business for us. Of course, when any new idea is introduced to the market, it’s an opportunity for small scale competitors to try to make a quick buck at the cost of the client. It is for this reason that I have decided to write this article as a means to inform future agencies, clients, and even fellow colleagues, on what it takes to have a successful campaign.
The following is a ten step checklist that must be met in order to have a successful campaign. 1- Identify a Target Audience. a. Be familiar with your target demographic. Narrowing down a specific audience is critical in creating a campaign that will appeal to this target population. This should be discussed thoroughly with your Mobile Billboard service provider prior to taking any further action.
2- Design a Direct Response Ada. Mobile Billboards perform at their peak when there is a “call to action message”. General branding of your service, unless targeting a grand opening or a trade show, does not produce trackable results. Make certain you incorporate a phone number, a special discount, or any unique offer that may appeal to your target audience.
3- Choosing the right hours & days of Operationsa. All too often clients will ask for generic hours like 9am to 5pm. Although the 9-5 approach will reach some of your audience, it will overlook business professionals and executives who are at work at the time. Most Mobile Billboard Service providers operate 8 consecutive hours per day, so chose hours that best fit the needs of your campaign.
4- Feel free to adjust the routea. Whatever route you choose initially should be adjusted accordingly as the campaign progresses. The reason you have chosen this medium is because it’s Mobile, so take advantage of it. If you notice the chosen route doesn’t work, change it immediately.
5- The truck must look good!a. Even if you chose the most appealing ads and desirable routes, but the truck itself is old, dirty, or noisy, it will do no justice to your brand name. A good rule of thumb is to request to see recent pictures of the truck that your ad is going to be displayed on. Remember that this truck will be the first impression that the audience will have of your company.
6- Tracking Tracking Trackinga. The advertiser must always be able to track a campaign. Don’t just get a report at the end of the campaign when it’s too late, but request to track the campaign while its ongoing. This will insure that correct times and routes are being activated.
7- Size of the ada. It’s no mystery that the bigger your ad, the bigger the exposure. You should be getting your money’s worth. Usually, there is no price difference between a smaller or a larger ad so opt for the largest size offered.
8- Request Picturesa. Pictures of the campaign at the start, during, and upon completion are really important. You can preview your campaign to make sure everything is to your liking before your ads hit the streets.
9- Rate Negotiationsa. Mobile Billboard rates have a range based on daily, weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly basis. As the media buyer it is in your best interest as well as your clients to get the lowest pricing possible. Try to calculate the basic costs that you know of such as gas, employee, insurance, licensing, and so on and see what number you come up with. If there is a big discrepancy between your estimate and the quote, question the company about their rates and fees.
10- Re-usea. Most Mobile Billboard companies will offer to store your vinyl billboard after completion for your future use, and to avoid reprinting fees. With this in mind, try to create an ad that can be recycled and used at a later time.
Citi-Mobile and our entire operation have always operated as an agency for the agency, in other words we have never looked at ourselves as a trucking company even though that is essentially the vehicle of our medium. In educating and consulting our clients about this specific marketing niche, we opt to produce a campaign that will generate reliable results for the client and create return business for us. Of course, when any new idea is introduced to the market, it’s an opportunity for small scale competitors to try to make a quick buck at the cost of the client. It is for this reason that I have decided to write this article as a means to inform future agencies, clients, and even fellow colleagues, on what it takes to have a successful campaign.
The following is a ten step checklist that must be met in order to have a successful campaign. 1- Identify a Target Audience. a. Be familiar with your target demographic. Narrowing down a specific audience is critical in creating a campaign that will appeal to this target population. This should be discussed thoroughly with your Mobile Billboard service provider prior to taking any further action.
2- Design a Direct Response Ada. Mobile Billboards perform at their peak when there is a “call to action message”. General branding of your service, unless targeting a grand opening or a trade show, does not produce trackable results. Make certain you incorporate a phone number, a special discount, or any unique offer that may appeal to your target audience.
3- Choosing the right hours & days of Operationsa. All too often clients will ask for generic hours like 9am to 5pm. Although the 9-5 approach will reach some of your audience, it will overlook business professionals and executives who are at work at the time. Most Mobile Billboard Service providers operate 8 consecutive hours per day, so chose hours that best fit the needs of your campaign.
4- Feel free to adjust the routea. Whatever route you choose initially should be adjusted accordingly as the campaign progresses. The reason you have chosen this medium is because it’s Mobile, so take advantage of it. If you notice the chosen route doesn’t work, change it immediately.
5- The truck must look good!a. Even if you chose the most appealing ads and desirable routes, but the truck itself is old, dirty, or noisy, it will do no justice to your brand name. A good rule of thumb is to request to see recent pictures of the truck that your ad is going to be displayed on. Remember that this truck will be the first impression that the audience will have of your company.
6- Tracking Tracking Trackinga. The advertiser must always be able to track a campaign. Don’t just get a report at the end of the campaign when it’s too late, but request to track the campaign while its ongoing. This will insure that correct times and routes are being activated.
7- Size of the ada. It’s no mystery that the bigger your ad, the bigger the exposure. You should be getting your money’s worth. Usually, there is no price difference between a smaller or a larger ad so opt for the largest size offered.
8- Request Picturesa. Pictures of the campaign at the start, during, and upon completion are really important. You can preview your campaign to make sure everything is to your liking before your ads hit the streets.
9- Rate Negotiationsa. Mobile Billboard rates have a range based on daily, weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly basis. As the media buyer it is in your best interest as well as your clients to get the lowest pricing possible. Try to calculate the basic costs that you know of such as gas, employee, insurance, licensing, and so on and see what number you come up with. If there is a big discrepancy between your estimate and the quote, question the company about their rates and fees.
10- Re-usea. Most Mobile Billboard companies will offer to store your vinyl billboard after completion for your future use, and to avoid reprinting fees. With this in mind, try to create an ad that can be recycled and used at a later time.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Making Money Through Advertisements Online
The internet has truly revolutionised the way we work nowadays. I'm sure many of us are on the computer almost daily, using it to check our emails, surf the web for information, using it as a medium to conduct business ... The list of uses is expanding even as I write. Even "google" is now more than a pronoun. It has become a verb - eg. I googled for information about making money.
Take a quick look at some of the advertisements by google, especially those articles on money. I'm sure you will see a few advertising ways of making money easily online, enthusiastically claiming that one can make hundreds or even thousands in a day, just from home. To be honest, at first glance, I was sure they were just scams, making money from people who bought the "money-making products" off them.
I actually checked out one of them called Affiliate Project X that I happened to chance upon while surfing the net one day. I'm embarrassed to admit I was totally convinced by the advertisement on the website and bought it immediately. Of course once I'd calmed down and swallowed my pride and actually read the material, I realised there is probably money to be made. I've always grown up with the word money being prefixed by the words "hard-earned". This tended to cloud my thinking. I felt any claims that money can be made easily had to be scams. I've also read books written by very rich people who keep saying money is just an idea. And maybe it is.
The way I understand it, there are many people out there who are very keen to sell their products online. This immediately widens the customer base. No longer do companies need to only consider local buyers. Potentially, the sky's the limit now, and all this at the click of a mouse. But the sellers still need places in which to advertise their products. Much like an advertisement showing during your favourite TV programme. The more popular the programme, the likelier the advertisement will be seen. The more relevant the programme, the likelier the audience has already been pre-sold to the product.
It seems logical that in the same way advertisers are happy to pay for advertising time on TV programmes, or movies, so they would similarly be willing to pay for advertisements to be placed on websites - potentially one of ours. I do believe that perhaps the rich are right - that money is really a concept, and that there is plenty of money out there, just waiting for people to find it and make it their own. That's a big jump in thinking for me, someone who has always been used to the idea that money comes in in exchange for my giving of my time and energy to my job. Maybe it's time for a re-think in the way we view money.
Take a quick look at some of the advertisements by google, especially those articles on money. I'm sure you will see a few advertising ways of making money easily online, enthusiastically claiming that one can make hundreds or even thousands in a day, just from home. To be honest, at first glance, I was sure they were just scams, making money from people who bought the "money-making products" off them.
I actually checked out one of them called Affiliate Project X that I happened to chance upon while surfing the net one day. I'm embarrassed to admit I was totally convinced by the advertisement on the website and bought it immediately. Of course once I'd calmed down and swallowed my pride and actually read the material, I realised there is probably money to be made. I've always grown up with the word money being prefixed by the words "hard-earned". This tended to cloud my thinking. I felt any claims that money can be made easily had to be scams. I've also read books written by very rich people who keep saying money is just an idea. And maybe it is.
The way I understand it, there are many people out there who are very keen to sell their products online. This immediately widens the customer base. No longer do companies need to only consider local buyers. Potentially, the sky's the limit now, and all this at the click of a mouse. But the sellers still need places in which to advertise their products. Much like an advertisement showing during your favourite TV programme. The more popular the programme, the likelier the advertisement will be seen. The more relevant the programme, the likelier the audience has already been pre-sold to the product.
It seems logical that in the same way advertisers are happy to pay for advertising time on TV programmes, or movies, so they would similarly be willing to pay for advertisements to be placed on websites - potentially one of ours. I do believe that perhaps the rich are right - that money is really a concept, and that there is plenty of money out there, just waiting for people to find it and make it their own. That's a big jump in thinking for me, someone who has always been used to the idea that money comes in in exchange for my giving of my time and energy to my job. Maybe it's time for a re-think in the way we view money.
How To Make - Money
Listen carefully to this; you can change your income significantly and your life by changing your daily habits. You must be willing to change! You must be willing work hard for to make the changes.It doesn't take a smart people to figure it out why we go broke. It means that our spending is more than what we earn. People go broke because their expenses are higher than their income!
You must know how much money have and if you don't have any right now, you must know how much money you want to have in the future. Believe me, when you know your goals and destination and you know where you are going, it will give you the motivation to go there! Listen, your time is the most valuable thing that you and I have! We can trade our time for money by solving someone's problem. Find what you're good at and use your time, talents and gifts to start making money for you.
So get up! Stop being lazy! The rich and the poor both have 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, they rich don't have more hours than the poor, but what makes a big difference is how they use up their time to generate wealth!
You must be aware of the trend in your school! I remember the day when network T1 connection was popular at our school. I sold network cards like cakes, because back then not every computer had a network card. How about IPOD? Find out how many people own an IPOD and start selling the IPOD case, cover and accessories!
You must invest in other skills that will help you to make more money. If you like to give make up, well you may want to invest books on how to become make up artist! You can charge people to do their make up and hair for them when they want to go to a party and different special events. I know a guy in college who made his money by cutting hair. So people came to him to get their hair cut.
A special note on the "Lottery Ticket Club" scam: The lottery ticket club not only violates ponzi pyramid scam & chain letter laws, but Federal Interstate Gambling laws which make it illegal to send lottery tickets by mail across state lines (also backed up by many State laws) as well - and the argument "they are not being sold, they are gifts" won't cut it in court, since they are the "fee" for being a member of the "club." And while those running the scam stay safe basing their scam in Israel, the members of the "club" are wide open for prosecution.
Blogging software and hardware
I use WordPress for this blog, and I highly recommend it. Wordpress has lots of features and a solid interface. And you can't beat its price, free. The rest of this site is custom-coded HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL. I'm a programmer, so I coded it all myself. I could have just as easily used an existing template, but I wanted a simple straightforward design for this site, and I wanted the look of the blog to match the rest of the site. Plus I use PHP and MySQL to do some creative things outside the blog, like the Million Dollar Experiment.
I don't recommend using a hosted service like Blogger if you want to seriously monetize your blog. You don't get enough control. If you don't have your own URL, you're tying yourself to a service you don't own and building up someone else's asset. You want to build page rank and links for your own URL, not someone else's. Plus you want sufficient control over the layout and design of your site, so you can jump on any opportunities that require low-level changes. If you use a hosted blog, you're at the mercy of the hosting service, and that puts the future of any income streams you create with them at risk. It's a bit more work up front to self-host, but it's less risky in the long run.
Web hosting is cheap, and there are plenty of good hosts to choose from. I recommend Pair.com for a hosting account. They aren't the cheapest, but they're very reliable and have decent support. I know many online businesses that host with them, and my wife refers most of her clients there.
You may need to upgrade to a dedicated server or a virtual private server (VPS). My web server is hosted by ServInt.net. What I like about ServInt is that they have a nice upgrade path as my traffic keeps growing. I've gone through several upgrades with them already, and all have been seamless. The nice thing about having your own server is that you can put as many sites on it as the server can handle. I have several sites running on my server, and it doesn't cost me any additional hosting fees to add another site.
Build a complete web site, not just a blog.
Don't limit your web site to just a blog. Feel free to build it out. Although most of my traffic goes straight to this blog, there's a whole site built around it. For example, the home page of this site presents an overview of all the sections of the site, including the blog, article section, audio content, etc. A lot of people still don't know what a blog is, so if your whole site is your blog, those people may be a little confused.
Testing and optimization
In the beginning you won't know which potential streams of income will work best for you. So try everything that's reasonable for you. If you learn about a new potential income stream, test it for a month or two, and measure the results for yourself. Feel free to cut streams that just aren't working for you, and put more effort into optimizing those streams that show real promise.
A few months ago, I signed up for an account with Text Link Ads. It took about 20 minutes. They sell small text ads on my site, split the revenue with me 50-50, and deposit my earnings directly into my PayPal account.If I never tried this, I'd miss out on this easy extra income.
For many months I've been tweaking the Adsense ads on this site. I tried different colors, sizes, layouts, etc. I continue to experiment now and then, but I have a hard time beating the current layout. It works very well for me. Adsense doesn't allow publishers to reveal specific CPM and CTR data, but mine are definitely above par. They started out in the gutter though. You can easily double or triple your Adsense revenue by converting a poor layout into a better one. This is the main reason why during my first year of income, my traffic grew at 20% per month, but my income grew at 50% per month. Frequent testing and optimization had a major positive impact. Many of my test failed and even made my income go down, but I'm glad I did all that testing. If I didn't then my Adsense income would only be a fraction of what it is now.
It's cheap to experiment. Every new advertising or affiliate service I've tried so far has been free to sign up. Often I can add a new income stream in under and hour and then just wait a month and see how it does. If it flops then at least I learned something. If it does well, wonderful. As a blogger who wants to generate income, you should always be experimenting with new income streams. If you haven't tried anything new in six months, you're almost certainly missing some golden opportunities. Every blog is different, so you need to test things for yourself to see what works for you. Failure is impossible here if you either succeed, or you learn something.
You must know how much money have and if you don't have any right now, you must know how much money you want to have in the future. Believe me, when you know your goals and destination and you know where you are going, it will give you the motivation to go there! Listen, your time is the most valuable thing that you and I have! We can trade our time for money by solving someone's problem. Find what you're good at and use your time, talents and gifts to start making money for you.
So get up! Stop being lazy! The rich and the poor both have 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, they rich don't have more hours than the poor, but what makes a big difference is how they use up their time to generate wealth!
You must be aware of the trend in your school! I remember the day when network T1 connection was popular at our school. I sold network cards like cakes, because back then not every computer had a network card. How about IPOD? Find out how many people own an IPOD and start selling the IPOD case, cover and accessories!
You must invest in other skills that will help you to make more money. If you like to give make up, well you may want to invest books on how to become make up artist! You can charge people to do their make up and hair for them when they want to go to a party and different special events. I know a guy in college who made his money by cutting hair. So people came to him to get their hair cut.
A special note on the "Lottery Ticket Club" scam: The lottery ticket club not only violates ponzi pyramid scam & chain letter laws, but Federal Interstate Gambling laws which make it illegal to send lottery tickets by mail across state lines (also backed up by many State laws) as well - and the argument "they are not being sold, they are gifts" won't cut it in court, since they are the "fee" for being a member of the "club." And while those running the scam stay safe basing their scam in Israel, the members of the "club" are wide open for prosecution.
Blogging software and hardware
I use WordPress for this blog, and I highly recommend it. Wordpress has lots of features and a solid interface. And you can't beat its price, free. The rest of this site is custom-coded HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL. I'm a programmer, so I coded it all myself. I could have just as easily used an existing template, but I wanted a simple straightforward design for this site, and I wanted the look of the blog to match the rest of the site. Plus I use PHP and MySQL to do some creative things outside the blog, like the Million Dollar Experiment.
I don't recommend using a hosted service like Blogger if you want to seriously monetize your blog. You don't get enough control. If you don't have your own URL, you're tying yourself to a service you don't own and building up someone else's asset. You want to build page rank and links for your own URL, not someone else's. Plus you want sufficient control over the layout and design of your site, so you can jump on any opportunities that require low-level changes. If you use a hosted blog, you're at the mercy of the hosting service, and that puts the future of any income streams you create with them at risk. It's a bit more work up front to self-host, but it's less risky in the long run.
Web hosting is cheap, and there are plenty of good hosts to choose from. I recommend Pair.com for a hosting account. They aren't the cheapest, but they're very reliable and have decent support. I know many online businesses that host with them, and my wife refers most of her clients there.
You may need to upgrade to a dedicated server or a virtual private server (VPS). My web server is hosted by ServInt.net. What I like about ServInt is that they have a nice upgrade path as my traffic keeps growing. I've gone through several upgrades with them already, and all have been seamless. The nice thing about having your own server is that you can put as many sites on it as the server can handle. I have several sites running on my server, and it doesn't cost me any additional hosting fees to add another site.
Build a complete web site, not just a blog.
Don't limit your web site to just a blog. Feel free to build it out. Although most of my traffic goes straight to this blog, there's a whole site built around it. For example, the home page of this site presents an overview of all the sections of the site, including the blog, article section, audio content, etc. A lot of people still don't know what a blog is, so if your whole site is your blog, those people may be a little confused.
Testing and optimization
In the beginning you won't know which potential streams of income will work best for you. So try everything that's reasonable for you. If you learn about a new potential income stream, test it for a month or two, and measure the results for yourself. Feel free to cut streams that just aren't working for you, and put more effort into optimizing those streams that show real promise.
A few months ago, I signed up for an account with Text Link Ads. It took about 20 minutes. They sell small text ads on my site, split the revenue with me 50-50, and deposit my earnings directly into my PayPal account.If I never tried this, I'd miss out on this easy extra income.
For many months I've been tweaking the Adsense ads on this site. I tried different colors, sizes, layouts, etc. I continue to experiment now and then, but I have a hard time beating the current layout. It works very well for me. Adsense doesn't allow publishers to reveal specific CPM and CTR data, but mine are definitely above par. They started out in the gutter though. You can easily double or triple your Adsense revenue by converting a poor layout into a better one. This is the main reason why during my first year of income, my traffic grew at 20% per month, but my income grew at 50% per month. Frequent testing and optimization had a major positive impact. Many of my test failed and even made my income go down, but I'm glad I did all that testing. If I didn't then my Adsense income would only be a fraction of what it is now.
It's cheap to experiment. Every new advertising or affiliate service I've tried so far has been free to sign up. Often I can add a new income stream in under and hour and then just wait a month and see how it does. If it flops then at least I learned something. If it does well, wonderful. As a blogger who wants to generate income, you should always be experimenting with new income streams. If you haven't tried anything new in six months, you're almost certainly missing some golden opportunities. Every blog is different, so you need to test things for yourself to see what works for you. Failure is impossible here if you either succeed, or you learn something.
Creating the Perfect Advertising Headline
My background begins with a degree in advertising, running my own ad agency, followed by 25 years as an advertising consultant for the Yellow Pages. During those 35 years, I believe that I’ve learned a thing or two or three about what makes a successful ad campaign. I even wrote a book about my directory experiences and how to make more effective Yellow Page ads while saving money. But enough about me, this is about you and what you need to do to bring in that consumer.
From the title, you have already gathered it starts with the headline. Whether it’s a newspaper, magazine, or Yellow Page ad, the headline is like the ignition of the car. Without one or at least a good working one, nothing happens. The car may stutter or whine, but the end result is wasted time, for both you and the reader. I was always amazed at what my client suggested for headlines in their YP ads. Can you guess what they asked for?
Most felt that it should just contain their name. In most cases, they figured that was enough. Now if their name happened to be, “Jones Plumbing, where we fix all pipes and drains for a low price with 20 years experience and have a full, money-back guarantee,” I would disagree. Many only wanted their name, like “Harvey’s Appliance Repair” across the entire top. Now what does that really tell us? To begin with, the ad was already under “Appliance Repair,” in the phone book. And why would I want to give someone my business simply because his name was Harvey? Even if it was “Smith Toyota Auto Sales,” does that alone convince you to go there to buy your next Corolla when there are five other Toyota dealerships? I think not.
The headline is an opportunity to challenge the reader and offer a feature or benefit story. It can ask a question, provoke a response, or provide valuable information. Rather than describe every possibility, let me list a few examples:
“You Don’t Really Need Insurance, ask us why” (it’s for your survivors, family, etc.)
“The 7 Things You Must Do Before Calling a Locksmith”
“Are You Risking Your Life by NOT Seeing Your Dentist Every Year?”
“Don’t Repair Your Brakes Until You Read This”
“We Didn’t Go into Business to Make Money” (to help people)
“Take This Window-Washing Test Before You Call Anyone”
“An Ordinary Pest Control Service Hurts More Than Helps”(using harsh chemicals, etc.)
“Not All Pet Foods Are Made Equal. Ask Us Why.”
“What Painting Contractors Don’t Want You to Know”
“Why We the Most Expensive Dealer in Town and That’s the Good News!
“Learn the Secret to Better Carpet Cleaning”
“The One Thing that You should Know about your Real Estate Agent”
“Why We No Longer Sell Burglar Alarms” (we sell safety, piece of mind, etc.)
So, what happened to all the business names? They can be anywhere else in the ad that you choose. The main purpose of the headline is to get the reader to continue into the heart of the ad. Would you be intrigued by these headlines? Are they better than the name and phone number alone? You can use these as a springboard by plugging in your own type of business and then explaining in the sub-text what is really going on. Wouldn’t you like to know how you are risking your life by NOT seeing your dentist? It’s because improper flossing can lead to a stroke if the bacteria ends up in your bloodstream.
Anyway, you get the point. Be creative and interesting. Have fun without being obscene or unethical. State a fact you can back up, no matter how outrageous. I wrote headlines for my clients for 35 years. If you want some more advice, check out my best-selling book on my website: www.poweradbook.com It’s about the Yellow Pages but can be applied to any media. Remember, I specialized in helping small businesses with limited budgets. I also guaranteed that I could make them more effective and save them money. Now, that’s a great headline.
From the title, you have already gathered it starts with the headline. Whether it’s a newspaper, magazine, or Yellow Page ad, the headline is like the ignition of the car. Without one or at least a good working one, nothing happens. The car may stutter or whine, but the end result is wasted time, for both you and the reader. I was always amazed at what my client suggested for headlines in their YP ads. Can you guess what they asked for?
Most felt that it should just contain their name. In most cases, they figured that was enough. Now if their name happened to be, “Jones Plumbing, where we fix all pipes and drains for a low price with 20 years experience and have a full, money-back guarantee,” I would disagree. Many only wanted their name, like “Harvey’s Appliance Repair” across the entire top. Now what does that really tell us? To begin with, the ad was already under “Appliance Repair,” in the phone book. And why would I want to give someone my business simply because his name was Harvey? Even if it was “Smith Toyota Auto Sales,” does that alone convince you to go there to buy your next Corolla when there are five other Toyota dealerships? I think not.
The headline is an opportunity to challenge the reader and offer a feature or benefit story. It can ask a question, provoke a response, or provide valuable information. Rather than describe every possibility, let me list a few examples:
“You Don’t Really Need Insurance, ask us why” (it’s for your survivors, family, etc.)
“The 7 Things You Must Do Before Calling a Locksmith”
“Are You Risking Your Life by NOT Seeing Your Dentist Every Year?”
“Don’t Repair Your Brakes Until You Read This”
“We Didn’t Go into Business to Make Money” (to help people)
“Take This Window-Washing Test Before You Call Anyone”
“An Ordinary Pest Control Service Hurts More Than Helps”(using harsh chemicals, etc.)
“Not All Pet Foods Are Made Equal. Ask Us Why.”
“What Painting Contractors Don’t Want You to Know”
“Why We the Most Expensive Dealer in Town and That’s the Good News!
“Learn the Secret to Better Carpet Cleaning”
“The One Thing that You should Know about your Real Estate Agent”
“Why We No Longer Sell Burglar Alarms” (we sell safety, piece of mind, etc.)
So, what happened to all the business names? They can be anywhere else in the ad that you choose. The main purpose of the headline is to get the reader to continue into the heart of the ad. Would you be intrigued by these headlines? Are they better than the name and phone number alone? You can use these as a springboard by plugging in your own type of business and then explaining in the sub-text what is really going on. Wouldn’t you like to know how you are risking your life by NOT seeing your dentist? It’s because improper flossing can lead to a stroke if the bacteria ends up in your bloodstream.
Anyway, you get the point. Be creative and interesting. Have fun without being obscene or unethical. State a fact you can back up, no matter how outrageous. I wrote headlines for my clients for 35 years. If you want some more advice, check out my best-selling book on my website: www.poweradbook.com It’s about the Yellow Pages but can be applied to any media. Remember, I specialized in helping small businesses with limited budgets. I also guaranteed that I could make them more effective and save them money. Now, that’s a great headline.
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