Finding a new solid marketing strategy

Ouch . . . sounds pretty drastic I know, but . . . 

If you've been in business for any length of time, you've no doubt been faced with the question, "Should I dump this marketing program or should I wait a little longer for it to start producing results?"

Even if you're new in business, you may have tried a new way to market your business and with lukewarm results found yourself wondering how long you should stick with it before giving up and trying something else.

It's the age-old question of "When is the right time to put a marketing program out to pasture?"

This reminds me of my advertising agency days.  We'd create a new ad campaign and run it for awhile, and because we (and the client) were exposed to that campaign day-in and day-out, we'd all tire of it quickly.

Knowing when to hold and when to fold

Often, the client would want a new campaign and we'd have to remind them their prospects hadn't seen the campaign nearly as much as we all had, and that it was best to let the campaign keep running.  

How do you know what to do?

Just how do you know when it's time to let an ad campaign or marketing program keep on running and when it's time to try something new?

The answer is very simple.

Look at your results

It's time to make a change when the marketing is no longer producing results.  And by results I mean, it's no longer moving you toward your objective.

Are you achieving your objective?

Every marketing activity should have a specific objective — that is what you hope to achieve.  Your objective may be to generate a certain number of phone calls, or web site hits, or even sales.

Tracking your results will tell you

You'll want to track the results of your marketing activities from day one, so you'll know how well they are producing and you can monitor their trends.

For example, you may get consistent results for weeks, months or even years.  In this case, my motto is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"  Don't be tempted to make a change just because you're tired of it. If it's working, leave it be.

Are your results on the decline?

However, if your tracking shows you are steadily getting fewer and fewer responses (e.g. phone calls, web site visits, sales) it's probably time to freshen up that marketing or start anew.

Or, maybe your results never really materialized

And, if your marketing program has never really generated the response you are looking for, even if it's relatively young, it's also time to take a good hard look at reworking it to make it more effective.

Just be careful not to give up too soon

You do need to give your marketing time to work — most people will not act after seeing your message just once, but rather need to be exposed to it repeatedly before taking action (industry standard is between three and seven times).

Having said that, if you've given your marketing ample time to produce results and nothing's happening, odds are you missed the mark and either the message or the medium is off.

Is your message missing the boat?

If your message is off, it means you are not effectively speaking to your prospects or hitting their "hot buttons."  Do you really understand their problem or challenge?  And does your marketing speak clearly to that issue and position your product or service as the best solution?

Or are you missing your audience?

If the medium is off, it means you have put your marketing message in a place where your prospects aren't likely to see it.  It's important to understand your prospects and where and how you can best reach them so you can put your messages in those places.

After all, if they don't see your message, they can't respond.

What type of response rates can you expect?

For direct marketing efforts a response rate between 1% and 3% is considered good.  On the web a 1% conversion rate is the norm, so if you're doing better than that consider yourself lucky.  

You can expect a higher response rate from your current subscribers or clients because they already know and trust you. As far as new mailing list subscribers, expect between 5% and 15% of your web site visitors to join your mailing list. 

The key is to make sure your marketing is reaching enough people so these response rates yield results you can be happy with.

If you've given it time and it's still not producing . . . 

If you've given your marketing program time to work and nothing much is happening, or if your results are on the decline, it's time to kill that program.  Or, at least, to give it a makeover.

Starting fresh can breathe new life into your business

Consider starting over with a fresh new approach, a new message, and some new mediums.  Make sure your new marketing program is grounded in solid marketing strategy.

(C) Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa

The techniques of innovation and creative problem solving in thirty minutes

How many new products and inventions can you dream up with in thirty minutes? At least a few if you know the techniques of innovation and creative problem solving. The following are thirty minute's worth, with some notes at how they were arrived at.

New Products and Inventions From Old

A fast way to invent new things is to start with existing concepts and find new applications. With the concept of inflatable things, the first thing that comes to my mind is inflatable shelters for emergency situations, such as after earthquakes or hurricanes. Such shelters could be transported easily, and erected quickly with a simple air pump. A basic large tent design, but with inflatable ribs instead of poles might work.

We can always find new products and inventions for babies. Inflatable cribs or playpens come to mind. Deflated, they could be folded up and stored almost anywhere. A simple design for a playpen might be a plastic floor with a simple wall that surrounds it and is attached to it. Think of air mattresses for swimming, set on their sides, connected end to end and wrapped into a circle and you'll get the idea.

When we used to go "tubing" down rivers in Michigan, we were forever trying new ways to carry a cooler with us while keeping it convenient to get a soda or beer out of it. A solution could be an inflatable bar. It might have a cooler built into it, have can and glass holders, and maybe even a secure place to set snacks. It could be used in a pool, lake or river.

Many people drive into water and die each year. One solution to this problem might be inflatable flotation that is activated when the car begins to sink. They would quickly inflate in an accident involving submersion, and would keep the car afloat. Put one in the trunk, and another inside the car, or have them come out from the wheel wells. To avoid accidental inflation, the triggering device would be activated by water, but be in a place where rain and car washing water couldn't reach.

Vending Machine Products and Inventions

When I considered the concept of vending machines, the first thing that came to mind was a beer machine. It could only be used in a bar that was restricted to adults, of course. A big benefit is that it would lessen the need for bartenders, since half of all the drinks sold in a bar are just simple beers. It is an innovation that could be implemented tomorrow, using beer in cans in existing pop machines.

A vending machine for books and magazines might do decent business in an airport, bus station or other places where people are forced to sit for hours. They may already exist, but I haven't seen them yet. Add some padding to the drop chute, and existing snack vending machines could be used.

They sell phone cards everywhere now, but I haven't yet seen them in vending machines. You could also sell those collapsible umbrellas from a machine. There are dozens of other things that could be profitably sold from vending machines. Use simple techniques like this extension of existing concepts, and there are also thousands of other new products and inventions waiting to be made.

Info ice cream franchise investments and see if this business is best for you

Everyone loves ice cream. Ask anyone what type of ice cream they like best and you will listen to a lot of interesting answers and some great stories too. For longer than anyone alive can remember People in America have been eating this simple treat through good times and bad. During rich times and poor times people will look for ways to find great tasting ice cream. While driving by any ice cream shop you will notice that there are more folks wanting ice cream than there are franchises. When there is a demand for a product at this level it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that owning an icecream franchise can be the best decision you will ever make.

Around the turn of the 20th century the ice cream soda was a favorite with teenagers. In some communities the fun snack was considered to be sinful and in a few places it was even prohibited on the Sabbath. Once cheap refrigerators grew to be standard in businesses in the second part, ice cream started to spread all around the world. Ice cream took off even more when the Baskin Robbins franchise introduced ice cream to the world. Enourmous growth was again experienced in the frozen treat market because the amount of air was upped and this made the first soft ice cream, forever changing the way the dessert was enjoyed. After the rise of soft ice cream everthing was in place for the ice cream franchise explosion.

One of the very first frozen treat franchising opportunities was the Carvel franchise. Tom Carvel at first sold ice cream from a broken down truck in the late 1920s and in the late 1940s created the first retail fun food ice cream store franchise in the U.S.,. This only started the craze and the ice cream franchise industry kept going long after Carvel had started. As a matter of fact, it has grown to be one of the most popular franchise opportunity industries in the mass collection of franchises.

Even though this can be fun there are some things to consider when investing in a franchise or starting a business. A common mistake a lot of investors make is to get frantic and to rush. You must know a lot about the market you would like to own and then it is very important that you follow the necessary steps to business ownership. For any business, whether it’s an ice cream franchise opportunity, a franchise restaurant, a oil change business, or any other type of business franchise it will require extreme dedication and many hours to be successful.

Several things come to mind when the time comes to invest in a franchise, but one thing that can't be overlooked when buying an ice cream franchise is the marketplace where you are going to start your business. If you study the industry you will see that some business models like restaurant franchises are always busy in all places, but a few franchises can do better at different times of the year. Of course, this does not mean that ice cream franchise opportunities don’t do well all year round in some climates, but these franchises might not make as much money in friged places up north but in the southern states they may never experience a lull in business. One option for owners in cold climates is to open their ice cream shop franchise in spots like malls where people are protected from bad weather so the patrons can enjoy the frosty treat all winter.

Possessing an ice cream franchise is a fun business where you can make lots of money. The United States eats way more ice cream than any other country in the world with most people eating their body weights of this simple treat and other fun frozen dairy foods per year. Around 98 percent of American households buy ice cream, and if you consider all of that it's no task to see the demand for quality ice cream. Go ahead and buy a franchise that is very profitable while also creating pleasure in your area then buying and running an ice cream business might be a life changer for you as an investor.

How to get to know your customers and prospects?

It’s crucial to know your prospects if you want to market effectively to them.

Take this quick quiz to see how well you know and understand your prospects. If you can't answer these questions, how can you be sure you are connecting with your audience in a relevant and meaningful way? 

How can you be sure you are reaching them with a compelling message about your product or service? 

How can you be sure you are tapping into the conversation they are already having inside their own head with respect to your product or service? 

I would argue you can't. And if you can't do these things, your marketing will not be effective.

1. Who are they?

2. Where do they live ... work ... play?

3. What problem do they have that you can solve?

4. How does your product or service fit into their life?

5. What else do they buy in your product or service category?

6. Where do they get information regarding your product/service?

7. What is most important to them?

8. What are they most afraid of?

9. What is their emotional connection to your product/service?

10. How will they rationalize purchasing your product/service?

How’d you do?  If you can’t answer these questions, odds are your marketing message isn’t connecting with your prospects. And if your message is not connecting with them, you won’t be very successful in selling them on your product or service.

Take the time to get to know your customers and prospects. Learn all you can about them. Use this quiz as a guide. When you do you’ll be able to speak directly to their needs and concerns with your marketing, they will respond. And your business will thrive.

© Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa, 10stepmarketing

Five concrete ways to evaluate a site's credibility

People lost hundeds or thousands of dollars a day to bogus online "opportunities." While there’s no way to know for sure if an internet program or opportunity is 100% legitimate without trying it, this article discusses 5 concrete ways to evaluate a site's credibility. Doing a credibility check BEFORE taking a financial plunge, significantly reduces the chance you’ll experience online “buyer’s remorse.”

Internet Legitimacy Sign #1

The site has posted a privacy and terms of use policy. Some people argue that website’s are obligated to post privacy policies dictating how they collect and use data. However, even if they’re not obligated to do so, posting a privacy policy says much about a company’s professionalism. Read the “terms of use” and “privacy policies” of a company, and decide what you think of its policies before buying its products.

Internet Legitimacy Sign #2 

The site has posted testimonials and they sound reasonably credible. Testimonials can be faked, but few net cons will take the time to do so. Read the testimonials and decide what your gut thinks about their authenticity. If you're able to contact any of the testimonial authors, do so.

Internet Legitimacy Sign #3

The site has few complaints at the Better Business Bureau or a more informal consumer advocacy site such as the Rip Off Report.com. This sign is a toughie because competitors sometimes unfairly malign companies, and any good project has its critics. Consistency and credibility are the things to note in complaints. For instance, if you see 10 complaints, are they all saying about the same thing (e.g. company refuses to give refunds, customer service is poor) or are they varied? Do the complaints seem reasonable and well explained, or does the complainer sound like they have a vendetta against a certain company, and nothing will make them happy?  How does the company respond to complaints posted on sites such as the Rip Off Report? Do they insist they can do no wrong, or are they willing to make amends?

Internet Legitimacy Sign #4

The site posts a 100% refund guarantee that’s good for at least 30-days.  If a site isn’t posting a 30-day refund guarantee, that's probably because the site owners have little faith in their product. Before purchasing a product, read the “Terms of Use” and “Terms of Purchase” pages to make sure there aren’t any hidden catches in a “100% refund guarantee.” In particular, think twice before signing any kind of "refund contract."

Internet Legitimacy Sign #5

The site’s customer service staff responds to information requests in a courteous, professional, and intelligent manner. Have you ever submitted a question online and gotten a canned answer back about how great XYZ product is, and how 1000 people have made gazillions of dollars using it? Did you wonder if the customer service rep didn’t really understand your question or was just reading from a script? If the service is poor before you’ve even purchased a product, imagine what it’ll be like after the company in question already has your money in hand. Before buying anything from a site, e-mail the customer service folks and see how they respond to a question about the legitimacy of product XYZ.

Conclusion

There’s no guarantee that any online company or product will be everything you hoped it would be. But by checking out an opportunity before purchasing it using the steps above, you greatly decrease your chances of falling victim to a scam.

How to avoid wasting your money on marketing that isn't going to result in more clients and more sales?

If you own your own business, you're probably innundated with advertising and marketing opportunities and salespeople. You probably get asked to sponsor events and donate to organizations. Maybe you've even been hit up by the premium company trying to get you to buy pens with your company name on them.

So how do you know what to spend your marketing dollars on, and what to pass on?

How do you avoid wasting your money on marketing that isn't going to result in more clients and more sales? How can you ensure you'll get the "biggest bang for the buck?"

The answer is to go back to your marketing plan and look at your goals and objectives. You'll also want to look at who you identified as your ideal prospects or target clients.

Then you simply evaluate these potential marketing activities based on their ability to help you achieve your objectives, and their ability to put you or your company in front of your ideal prospects.

While sponsorships and donations are in part a goodwill activity and can be very worthwhile for that reason alone, if you are evaluating them from a marketing perspective (and I recommend you do, especially if you get asked to sponsor or donate frequently) you need to make sure they will give you exposure to your ideal prospects and contribute toward reaching your objectives.

The value of the exposure you receive should be worth the investment you are making. Consider what it would cost to reach those prospects in another manner to help determine the value of the exposure.

As far as purchasing pens with your company name, the same tests apply. Ask yourself how you will use the pens. Will they provide exposure to your ideal prospects or clients?

Will they reach your prospects in a manner no other marketing activity can? For example, if you are looking for repeat business from your clients, if they have a pen with your name on it that they see and use everyday perhaps they will be reminded to frequent your business.

If you are planning to do a direct mail follow up to clients who haven't done business with you in awhile, a pen might be a nice premium to include in the mailing, and it will continue to serve as a reminder long after the direct mail piece is read and thrown away.

But do NOT order the pens if you don't have a plan for using them and an objective for what you hope to achieve. Just having pens with your company name without these two items defined is definitely a waste of your money.

Whenever you are questioning whether you should take advantage of a particular marketing opportunity, ask yourself these three questions:

1) Will it provide exposure to my ideal prospects or target clients?

2) Will it help me achieve my marketing objectives?

3) Is this exposure worth the dollars I am investing?

If you can answer "YES" to all three questions, and you have marketing budget available, then you'll want to seriously consider the opportunity.

If your answer is "no" to the first two questions, and the opportunity doesn't put you in front of your ideal prospects or help reach your objectives, you'll want to "just say NO!" to that particular marketing opportunity.

If the answer is "yes" to the first two questions, but "no" to question number three and the opportunity is well-suited to your marketing plan but the value just isn't there, you may want to go back and negotiate more exposure or a lower price.

And, last but certainly not least, if you don't have a marketing plan to help you evaluate these kinds of opportunities when they come your way, my advice is simple: You NEED to get one.

If you haven't identified who your ideal prospects are and what you want to achieve with your business you will most certainly waste valuable time and money on marketing opportunities that are not a good fit for your business. In fact you'll be in danger of doing this everyday.

If you need help creating a marketing plan, The 10stepmarketing System is a great way to do it. When you create your own marketing plan using the simple, step-by-step 10stepmarketing System you are setting your business up for success and you can be sure you are not wasting valuable dollars on marketing that won't deliver you the results you deserve.

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Simple process to generate your own great ideas

Want to have great ideas? You could try waiting to see if they pop into your head someday, and they honestly might. However, if you want a more systematic method you can use today, here it is in three simple steps:

1. Get knowledge in the area in which you want the ideas.

2. Use idea-generating techniques.

3. Choose the best ideas from the results.

Great Ideas Start With Knowledge

You wouldn't expect to come up with a new theory of relativity if you had no knowledge in physics or mathematics. You need some degree of knowledge in the area in which you want new ideas. For truly great ideas, it helps to have a great deal of knowledge.

To create a new transportation device, for example, you would want general knowledge in that field, as well as more specific knowledge. This might include knowing a little about all the current modes of transportation. You might add to that a list of things that have been tried and failed, and a list of all the things that people want in their transportation.

Great Ideas From Techniques

Ideas and inventions start in the mind, and the mind follows certain patterns and rules. This is why tools such as problem solving techniques and other idea generating techniques work so well. Consider the "concept combination" technique, for example. Tell your mind that you need a useful combination of a plane and a motorcycle, and it will search until it finds it. This mind took twenty seconds to imagine wings that expand out at high speed from a motorcycle, allowing it to glide right off the edge of a cliff.

The technique of redefining problems in many ways can open whole new areas to explore. Redefining "inexpensive homes" as "ways to help people afford homes" has lead to all sorts of new financing methods that have made it easier to buy a home even as prices have risen. If "better job" becomes "better way to make money" you open a whole range of possibilities. There are dozens of great idea generating techniques to choose from, each with it's own advantage.

Many Ideas To Choose From

The more ideas you come up with, the more likely you are to find good ones to work with. This is why you should learn the systematic ways to produce new concepts. Finally, if "great" means "important" to you, you need to work in important areas. There's nothing wrong with inventing a better clothes hanger, but if you want to change the world, start working on new ways to save the environment, ways to end hunger, new political processes that avert wars and other great ideas.

Where do I buy my items wholesale?

Everyone at one time or another has said to themselves “I want my own business.” But is it enough just to want your own business? 

Your answers to the questions should give you an idea if you are the type of person that can handle the stress of owning your own business.

Since you have decided to open your own business, “NOW WHAT?”

Let’s say that you decide to open a dollar store – where everything is a dollar.  You have found what you believe is the perfect location.  You have talked with the landlord and are working out a lease. You have gone to your county and bought a business license.  And you have applied for a tax id in your state. 

Now the next big question is “where do I buy my items wholesale?”

This morning I googled the term “wholesale” and there were 231,000,000 sites listed.  Look at that number again - 231 million sites listed for “wholesale.” How does one begin to search through that many sites to find what they want to sell?  And how do you know that the companies that are listed are reputable.

I have owned several businesses – some successful and some not so successful.  And one of the biggest problems that I faced was finding good wholesale sources at a good price.  I now sell on ebay and finding wholesale sources that were cheap enough to make a profit and compete with others selling the same things was difficult. 

Most business owners know that to make a profit, you have to find items at great wholesale prices.  I have always been told “you make your money when you buy the items, not when you sell them.”

Some of the so-called "wholesale sources" prices that I have found were more than I could have bought the same item for on ebay - including shipping.  If you have ever tried to find wholesale sources, it can be a daunting task. So where to begin is the biggest question.

One of the ways that you can check and see if a company is reputable is by checking a website called alexa.com.  This site lets customers review other sites. Some of the sites may not have any reviews about them, but some of them may.  And just because someone else didn’t like the company does not mean that it is a bad company.

You can also check the page rank at google; however, if a site is relatively new, it will probably have a 0 page rank. This rank is a rating that tells how important google thinks that a website is.  However, many of the most visited websites on the web only rank a 0 or 1 or 2.

Finding wholesale sources is easy.  Finding “good” wholesale sources takes a lot of work and patience.  

Another question to research is the shipping costs.  I found one wholesale source that had very good prices, but the shipping costs was too high.  I think that this company was trying to make their profit on the shipping.  Most of the reputable companies will cap the shipping costs with a minimum purchase.  Many of the ones I have dealt with cap the shipping costs at 10% with a $1000 minimum order. However, with gas prices rising and shipping rates rising, companies may have to raise the minimum requirements in order to cap the shipping costs.

Educate yourself about what items are available.  Many of the name brand companies will not sell to small business.  They already have their distribution channels set up and if you want to sell these brands, you may have to find a middleman that will sell them to you.  You may have to pay a little more for the items, but if it is important to you to have name brands, it just might be worth it.

Another way to find good wholesale sources is to go to the merchandise shows.  These shows have thousands of wholesalers at one place and you can browse all the booths until you find what you are interested in.  Some of the biggest wholesale merchandise shows are located in the larger cities such as: New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Atlanta.

Traveling to these wholesale merchandise shows is time consuming and can be expensive.  However, usually the wholesale shows have special rates arranged with hotels.

Solid informational tips for stay at home moms on starting their home based business in 30 minutes a day

Being a Mom is one of the most rewarding and wonderful years of a woman's life, so it can be hard for a mom when faced with the thought of having to go out and find a job, to bring in extra money. There are options out there for Moms who want to work from home in their own hours, so they can still enjoy the most important things in life- their children. 

Below are some solid informational tips for stay at home moms on starting their home based business in 30 minutes a day. The idea is to create a niche market, or find a market that is missing something that you can provide, and market this over the internet. 

To begin with you should consider some things like, what are you really good at? What would you love to do for a full time job? These two questions are really important to finding your niche market, if you don't like what you do, you might as well not bother doing it, look for something that you love doing, like talking about your kids? What ever it is research it, find out what your industry is missing, it could be anything, lack of information? When you have determined this you have found your niche. 

Write down ideas as you get them about you niche market, it doesn't matter what they are, just write them down so you don't forget them, then you can ponder them later. Here are some more ideas for finding your niche market: 

Improving an Existing Market

Improving an existing market, is there a product that you could make better, for example imagine baby food, if you could make baby food that tasted good, had all of the nutrients and minerals in to help babies grow up healthy, and you could produce this at a competitive price, you would really be on to something! 

Adapt an Existing Market

Adapt an existing market, or change something about a product to make it more marketable, an ideal example of this is making a fat free chocolate cake that tastes just as good as a regular chocolate cake and market it to people wanting to loose weight? Although this has been done before, it was a good idea when it was new. 

Repackage a Product

Repackage a product, this can be good, but competition is fierce, as a lot of people are already doing this, a good idea is not to limit yourself to just one product, offer a few repackaged items, for example e-books to your niche market. 

Solve a Problem

Solve a problem, Find out what people are talking about in your niche market, find out problems that people are having, or what is missing in the industry and develop a service or product that will fill the need. A good way to find out this sort of information is to visit related message boards, forums and blogs to see what people are talking about. 

Tap into a Trend

Tap into a trend, keep an eye out for what's hot, what are people interested in, there are trends started every day, all that you need to do is tap into them, and you have a ready market or a demand, begging for a product or service. 

Once you have found your niche market, and found which angle you are going to market it from, it is time to start work on how to get your new niche market internet business off of the ground.

How to start a business and becoming successful?

Starting a business and becoming successful is often part of the American Dream. But there is a difference between starting a business and building a successful business. Many businesses fail within the first few years of existence due to the lack of planning for the long-term. There is not enough vision and there is not enough done to strengthen the business properly from the ground up.

If you want to start a business there is an easy way to get a better understanding of why some businesses fail and others don't. When starting a business think about it similar to building a house. If done right it is protecting you against any kind of storm or danger of the outside world and will last for a long time. It offers shelter and protection. For you and your business that could be translated to that you want to have a business that is able to weather economical ups and downs (=storm) and that will provide income to pay the bills (shelter and protection).

When building a house there are several different steps you need to follow to have the house build. You know you want a house, but you got to pick a location and get an architect to plan everything out. In the business world that would be: you know you want to start a business, but you have to come up with a business idea and work out a business plan. The next thing for the house would be to build the foundation (and eventually the basement) for the house. In the business world - you got to build the initial infrastructure (example: connecting with vendors, find a manufacturer for your product, create a sales team, rent office space, get a delivery truck, etc.). Once that is in place you able to actually do business and earn some money. But you are not completely done yet. You need to build a frame, put in windows and you also need a roof on house. For your business this means that you pay off debt, improve business processes and get professional help when needed (example: find a tax accountant, select a payroll service, etc.).

Once the house is build you probably want to fill it with furniture and make it livable for the future. Nobody wants to sleep on the floor, right. Again translating this to the business world it could mean that you invest money you earned back into your business. You buy machinery instead of leasing it. Eventually you buy a building, hire more staff, develop more products, move into new markets, build up a high cash reserve, and buy other businesses and so forth. This is often the step where winners and losers separate. Re-investing money into the business is a key factor for success. If you go and spend all the money on your own salary to buy things you have nothing to go back to when the economy slips into a recession or if disaster strikes.

The successful business owner has build up a cash reserve or can borrow money from bank – securing loans with the assets of the business. Going back to building a house this pretty much matches the same efforts. You pay off your mortgage and have equity available to eventually borrow against when emergency arises. Emergencies do not include paying off credit cards to use them again or to buy a car. Financially responsible you should be looking at the long term and not finance short-term goods with long-term debt.

The use of promotional T-Shirts as a marketing method for businesses

Promotional T-shirts have been a part of business promotion and marketing of brands for a long time.  Promotional T Shirts can be given to clients, to prospective customers, and also to your employees to give them the added feeling of belonging to a brand. You do not need be a world famous brand to benefit from promotional T-shirts.  Even new businesses have used T Shirts to create awareness of their product, brand or business.

Giving Promotional T Shirts to your employees is a great way for brand endorsement. You can design T Shirts with your company brand and marketing message for your employees and if you are hosting a conference, exibition or promotional event, make it mandatory for your employees to wear promotional T Shirts.  It is a very inexpensive method to make your staff stand out from the crowd and you present an orderly unity among your employees, the same way in which a uniform serves. 

Some businesses think  that it is too expensive to buy a t-shirt online but they are often incorrect. Purchasing t shirts online is a fast and easy process and the choice of online shops is very much better than you expect it to be with some allowing you to undertake the entire design process and payment online.

Corporate branding on T-Shirts can significantly improve the brand awareness of a business in a very short period of time and aside from the obvious marketing advantages branded T-Shirts and other clothing can enhance the perception of customers to your business.  Considering the relatively low cost of purchase and printing T shirts against the length of time a good quality T Shirt can last makes branded T shirts one of the most cost effective methods of marketing for many businesses.

It is widely believed that DTG tshirt printing is more environmentally than screen printing. DTG uses water-based inks to print directly onto clothing, this means that there are no excess inks used in the actual printing and the only waste that occurs is from the occasional print head cleaning – it’s worth noting that head cleaning does not involve any external materials only ink. Then as long as waste ink is disposed of correctly, printing tshirts using the DTG method should have virtually no environmenal impact. Screen printing however has excess inks from parts of the stencil not printed to the tshirt and when screens are cleaned these excess inks are usually washed down the drain.

A Guide to Brochure Printing

Brochure printing can be easy if you first identify your needs and have a clear sense of your budget.  Whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or another application, brochures are a great promotional tool.

Start with a layout that includes the text and images you will need to convey your message. Then choose the type of printing that best suits your brochure. Brochures are typically printed in more than one color. 

There are two basic choices in printing: offset printing and laser or digital printing. Both printing processes are capable of producing large quantities of high-quality documents. Most high quality, full-color commercial printing is done on offset presses using the four-color process. Offset printing is a process whereby ink is spread on a metal plate with etched images, is transferred to an intermediary surface, and is then applied to paper by pressing the paper against the intermediary surface.   Although set-up costs can be relatively high, the actual printing is generally inexpensive. 

Laser or digital printing uses a laser beam to produce an image; this is also the way copy machines work. Offset printing usually produces clearer, crisper type and higher resolution images than laser or digital printing. However, smaller printing jobs can be done on a small low-volume laser or inkjet printer, or at a copy store, thereby eliminating set-up fees and some shipping costs. 

Choosing paper is another very important aspect of brochure printing. Most printers will recommend a heavyweight, coated, or glossy paper to achieve a more vibrant, upscale look. 

The folding of your brochure is another key consideration. Basic folding options include: the half fold or single fold, the tri fold (the left and right flaps open), and the “Z” fold (which opens up like an accordion). Almost all printers will give you a greater discount the more you print.  

Brochure printing can be easy and fun and allow for a good deal of self-expression, so go ahead, what are you waiting for?   Print that brochure.

Beginner's guide to advertising in the media

The media is a powerful thing -- the average person spends an enormous amount of their life consuming it in one form or another, and will spend a significant percentage of that time looking at, listening to or watching advertisements. If you want to use the power of the media, though, you need to know what you're doing.

Advertising in Newspapers and Magazines.

There are two kinds of advertising you can get in newspapers and magazines: classified and display. Classifieds are the small ads towards the back of the publication, while display ads can be almost any size, from a small corner of a page to a massive double-page spread.

If there's a publication you're interested in advertising in, either go to its website (the rate card section) or call its advertising department to find out the rates it charges. Now pick your jaw up off the floor. Yes, advertising in the print media really is that expensive, and for most home businesses it probably just won't be that economical.

There is, however, an exception: niche and trade magazines. If you've ever looked around in a newsagent, you will have seen just how many magazines there are out there, filling every conceivable gap in the market. You need to find the magazine that people who are interested in your services might read. For example, if you're a wedding photographer, look for a magazine called 'Your Wedding', 'Bride', or something similar. Advertising in these magazines will be far cheaper than placing an ad in a general-audience publication, and far more likely to actually get some responses.

Advertising on the Radio.

Wherever you are, the chances are that there's a local radio station. Once your home business grows to a decent size, you might consider buying some time on it.

Really, though, the only kind of home business that can benefit enough from radio ads to justify the cost is one that does anything to do with cars. Since radio is almost entirely limited to use as in-car entertainment now, you know that almost everyone your ad reaches will be a car-owner, and so might be interested in what you're offering. If you offer something that people need cheaply or even for free, you can get a big response.

Unfortunately, that response could be a little too big -- thanks to the time-sensitivity of radio, you'll get mobbed the next day, and then everyone will forget you again. Radio advertising offers the listener no opportunity to keep your ad and refer to it later, or to find it again in the future. You will find that any ads involving a phone number are spectacularly useless.

Advertising on the Television.

Unless your business is getting pretty big, this would be quite a bad idea. You'd have trouble producing and airing an ad even on local cable channels for less than $10,000. Of course, if there's a market for your product and you've got the budget for this, you could take a gamble and make a mint. The home businesses that tend to do best out of TV ads are ones that have a 'unique and useful invention' product with easy-to-demonstrate benefits -- think infomercial. Research shows that you can sell almost anything given a 60-second ad, a free phone number and a price point of $19.95.

Advertising on Billboards.

Here's one that gets overlooked pretty often, but can be very effective if you do it right. Billboard ads are relatively expensive, but they do generally stay up for a long time, and they can be very specifically targeted to an area -- the one where they're physically located. You'll have the best results with this if you can put one near enough to your business that it could say 'turn left at the next junction', or something like that. Phone numbers are, again, pretty useless, although you could have some luck putting a website address up there.

Advertising at the Movies.

Finally, here's one that often gets overlooked. If you turn up to the cinema early, you might have seen that before the big-budget ads, ads for local businesses are run. This can be a great place to advertise relatively inexpensively in quite a high-profile way, and it works especially well for takeaway food businesses.

How to choose a good autoresponder?

How many free autoresponders have you tried? Really how many? And how many emails did you get through using them? How do you know? How many people opened your followup message?

My point here is that if you have no clue for the answers above you probably are not operating a followup campaign successfully. These are crucial element that must be explored when you are choosing an autoresponder.

Some good steps to take to ensure you are getting what you need out of a autoresponder include... Compare your autoresponder with those of top marketers, chances are they are using the best in the business. You can't go wrong with this step!

Other observations you might make are related to spam filters. Have you ever gotten an e-mail and seen something like this..."F`R`E`E"  Yes this is a good way to beat the spam filters as they won't read Free they will read something totally different. However it can be time consuming going through your article and finding which words are "Danger" words. This can go along way in your marketing efforts. So make sure you find an autoresponder that has a spam rating feature... these features will automatically show you where in your article your "Danger" words are.

Another crucial element of e-mail marketing are your statistics. How many e-mails are being opened can tell you if your subject line is any good or if you did a good job branding your name. If you know your e-mail statistics you are one step in the right direction in optimizing your potential sales. Finding an autoresponder that shows in depth analysis with your followups are also key.

What should a followup contain? Good question... My personally experience suggests directing your subscribers to a full article located on the web. There are some good reasons for this. You can create an excitement teaser in the followup e-mail and beg your article to be read on the web. There is also the chance that since you have an article archive on the web many subscribers will often read more than just your original article. Your subscriber might not be interested in one article but they may find what they are looking for browsing through your previous articles.

Broadcasting! So your subscribers are finished receiving their original followup series... now what? Find an auto responder that allows you to broadcast an update or an offer to the entire subscriber list. Don't let your subscribers go to waste, this feature is a must!

Remember not to bore your hard earned subscribers. Present them with a problem and offer them a solution! Its that easy...

Find my recommended autoresponder on my marketing blog!

15 powerful ways to increase your response rate and also sky-rocket your earnings

1. Create a list with all possible keywords that fit to your product, service or business field. The more the better. So you will get also a lot of keywords which you must pay for only the minimal commandment of 5 cents.

2. Benefit from misspelling in order to find keywords which your competitors did not think of. For example if you have a emergency service , do not only bid for "emergency" but also for "imergency", "imergensy" or "immergency".

3. The first position on Googles search result page achieves usually most clicks. However this is also the most expensive position. Give it a try if the second to fourth display position gives you more visitors and more customers for less money.

4. The position of the Adwords-ad is determined not only by the maximum click price that you are ready to spend. Google evaluates also the relevancy of the displayed ad in order to position the Adwords-ads. The more clicks your ad receives, the higher it gets listed.

5. The headline in the Adwords-ad must catch the viewers attention. If you implement the keyword in the header line, you receive considerably more clicks onto your ad.

6. In the ad-text mention one or two reasons, why the internet user should click on it. Which problem solves your product or service? Do you offer a product at a cheaper price or do you ship without the dispatch charges?

7. Avoid price wars at which a competitor and you attempt to outdo the click price for a keyword continuously mutually. You only see to it that the click price fires into the sky. It is better to find search-terms which consist of several words and which are more precise.

8. Google AdWords offers keyword-options which you should absolutely study. If properly set up you can make sure that your AdWords-ad appears only for example if the internet-user has exclusively entered your term and no further.

9. Use "excluding keywords". Those ones are keywords for which your ad is supposed not to appear. In this way you do not have to pay for clicks, when somebody is searching for free stuff or only for a pamphlet.

10. Construct for every keyword and for everyone of your AdWords ads an own landing-page. There you can offer especially that which the internet-user searched for.

11. An own landing-page beside has also the advantage that you can measure exactly how many customers a specific Keyword and a specific ad brought in. You can optimize your displays continuously in this way and increase the purchase rate.

12. Update your AdWords-ads at specific events or holidays, for example to the New Year, Valentine, Easter or Christmas.

13. If you mention the price for a product or a service in the AdWords ad, then you can exclude in front the free- and all-free-searcher from clicking your ad.

14. Be conservatively in the selections of the countries and the languages' in which your AdWords ads are supposed to appear. If your product or your service turn only to customers speaking in a German manner, you should tune "Germany" and "Austria" as countries. With corresponding success you can try out also further countries, for example Switzerland, and areas close to the border. This method can also be applied to any other language.

15. The Google ads are also displayed on partner sites of Google, for example at Focus.de or T-Online.de. If your AdWords ad costs too much and/or goes for too little profit, then interrupt the option that lets announce your ad also on the partner sites of Google. Test wisely. Not all ads run well on the partner sites.

Here you got 15 powerful methods to increase your Adwords profits. All you have to do is to take action and apply them NOW!

Happy earnings!

12 great way to generate quality leads through cold-calling

Cold calling can be a great way to generate quality leads. You get to speak to the gatekeepers and stakeholders, and you get a great insight into their requirements and influences. 

But cold calling is an art-form. It can be daunting, it’s always a lot of work, and you always need to make a good impression. So you need to do it right. Following are some tips which will help you do just that.

1) Record everything

Always write down all details of every phone call. Write down any names and titles you learn. Not just the name of the person you’re trying to contact. The receptionist's name can be vital to remember as they're often gatekeepers. Write down when you called, and when you said you'd call back. 

2) Use a database or spreadsheet to record everything

You’ll never manage by hand, and Excel spreadsheets aren’t user friendly in the long term. If you’re prepared to invest in a real CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool, that’s a great idea. If not, you there is a cheaper alternative. I created my own database using Microsoft Access. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com/downloads/contacts and jobs.mdb to download a 208KB working copy for FREE. You’ll need Microsoft Access 2000 to run it. I’m no database expert, so it’s not a work of art. It’ll certainly get you started though. (TIP: When using the database, press Ctrl + ; to enter today’s date.) 

3) Always call back when you said you would

Don’t let them down. They may not even remember that you committed to calling back. But if they do, and you don’t meet your commitment, you’ll lose valuable credibility and respect. And wherever possible, work to their schedule. You're here to help them, not make things harder.

TIP FOR COPYWRITERS: If you’re an advertising copywriter or website copywriter, ask to speak to the Marketing Manager (or if the person who answers the phone says they don't have a marketing manager, ask for "the person who looks after your advertising & website" - all businesses have that person - it's generally one of the owners).

4) Always try to get on with the gatekeepers

Receptionists and personal assistants have great influence, and quite often do more of the real work and decision making than the person you’re trying to contact! Make friends with them and you’ve got a foot in the door. (But don’t waste their time or crawl – they get a lot of that!)

5) Keep it short ‘n sweet

When you do get to speak with someone, keep it short 'n sweet unless they want to talk a lot. The purpose of the phone call is to get their attention, let them know you're there, get their name and contact details, and assess whether they have any requirement for your services. (TIP FOR COPYWRITERS: If you’re an advertising copywriter or website copywriter, you might have called about brochure writing and then find out they need web writing.)

6) DON’T HARD SELL!!! 

Don’t pressure people or make it hard for them to get off the phone. Tell them what you do and that you'd like to send them an email with a link to your website with samples and testimonials (or with an attachment containing samples), then leave them to it.

7) Follow up with an email

If you have permission, always send a follow-up email – and do so immediately. Be specific in your subject line. (TIP FOR COPYWRITERS: If you’re an advertising copywriter or website copywriter, use the words "advertising copywriting" or “website copywriting” in the subject. Most people don't get many emails with this in the subject line, so it'll be distinctive and probably won’t be snuffed by their spam filter if they have one.) Address the email to them (e.g. "Hi Joe"), keep the email short 'n sweet. Include only the essential info, make it easy to read and conversational, and bold the important words or phrases as they'll probably only skim it. Include a link to your website, reference the day and date you talked on the phone (and thank them for that time), mention any names you learnt (e.g. receptionist's name, especially if the receptionist gave you an email address but you didn't actually get to speak to the decision maker), tell them that you'd like to follow up in a few weeks (assuming the conversation indicated that this would be a good idea).

8) Follow up with another call

If the lead looks promising, make sure you follow up. And when you do, always mention the day and date of the original call, as well as the fact that you sent an email. Give a quick summary of who you are and what you do, and say that you're just calling to make sure they got the email. Most of the time, you’ll find the lead will talk to you about your services, if only to remind themselves of what you do!

9) Don’t expect to make too many calls

On a really good day, I've made 80 cold calls. Most days, though, you should be very pleased to average around 40. You’ll spend a lot of time playing telephone tag.

10) Don’t leave message

Unless you absolutely have to (or you’ve just about given up on the lead), don’t leave messages. Most people have trouble returning phone calls from people they know and like; returning phone calls from someone who’s trying to sell them something isn’t high on their list of priorities.

11) Don’t expect to qualify too many leads

Depending on your business, if you get one good lead a day, you're probably doing very well. 

12) Don’t expect immediate conversion

Unfortunately, most leads take a long time to come to fruition (up to 2 years). So you have to be prepared to be patient.

Good luck and happy calling!

Ten hints and tricks to help your flyers avoid the trash

Flyers are an excellent marketing tool to promote a club night or event. They are commonly used for student promotions throughout the country.

You want your flyers to travel all over town, only you'd    probably prefer it wasn't in the dustcart or stuck to the bottom of someone's shoe. What steps can you take to avoid this?

Here's a few hints and tricks to help your flyers avoid the trash:

1. Don't miss the boat before you start. Double-check local Fresher's week and 2005/06 term dates with your local universities, as they vary nationwide.

2. Make sure there's a reason for students to keep your  flyers. Can you include a drinks' promotion, discount or special offer in the copy?

3. Always include the key facts. Students need to know what, when, why, how and where. List all relevant info, such as prices, times, dates, venue or address, contact details and your url.

4. Always double check your spelling and grammar before you go to print.

5. It may sound obvious but do a spot check on the reliability of your delivery agents. You've got a great deal on print, don't blow it with distribution.

6. Remember to leave your flyers in the places where your target student hangs out, read Meet the students for some helpful placement ideas.

7. Strong visuals or topical humour help students to remember your promotion. They may even stick your flyer on their bedroom wall; beats the Simon Cowell poster their mum bought them for Christmas.

8. Ask a few local students their opinion of your sample flyer designs to see which one has the most market appeal.

9. Want to increase sales and profit? Handing out the flyer yourself can maximise your budget. Your personal enthusiasm and a friendly face can work wonders.

10. Er, try not to stand near a bin.

How best to distribute your brochure properly?

Your business brochure is a ferociously powerful advertising and marketing tool. It pays to produce it tastefully. The biggest is not always the best and use it wisely if you wish to see your business grow. However, the best-produced brochure on the planet is going to be useless unless it is distributed effectively. So what is the key to effective distribution?

The first step often is direct mailing. You post out the leaflet to a mass of people usually using a mailing list you have purchased. Mass mailings are very inefficient and if you get more than 1% response you are doing well. This can be an expensive way of doing business.

Second, you could hire people to distribute the brochures in shopping mall parking lots. This can be even more wasteful than a mailing, with many of the leaflets tossed aside. The ensuing mess will probably irritate more people than it attracts.

Third, you could get your publication out to the masses by using a local newspaper whereby your brochures are placed in the journal and delivered to subscribers. This has a similar effect to advertising and probably has a comparable response rate.

Fourth, place the pamphlets in plastic holders and have them readily available to those who visit your site of work. Shame on you if you have not done this already.

Fifth, have the printed matter at hand in places where people have to wait in line for a service such as in the post office. Those waiting have nothing better to do than read your message and this could be useful publicity. The Post Office has already thought of this and will charge you accordingly.

Sixth, dentists’ and doctors’ waiting rooms have a similar trapped audience who might take the time to read what you have to say. Generally, the medical profession will probably only allow material that is somehow pertinent to their line of work. However, this one is worth a try.

Number seven – distribute your promotion material widely at trade shows and exhibitions. Assuming the show is relevant to your line of business, there is a good likelihood that this would be a great source for prospects.

Eighth. Place your brochure on your website so that prospects can instantly download it after supplying their contact information. This is a great way too of building up a valuable prospect list so that you can market to them over and over.

Ninth. Use the brochure in place of a business card. True a brochure is a lot bigger than a card and might get thrown away, but here is a challenge. Why not design something that contains your principal message in a smaller format?

Tenth: Surely you have a database of all your clients past and present? This is the seam of gold for your enterprise, so mail out a current brochure to all of them. If you have done a good job in the past you may be agreeably surprised by the response.

Ten headline writing tips that will significantly increase your sales and put new life into your advertising efforts

Even the most powerful advertising copy on the planet is useless without an effective headline.

An effective headline determines whether or not your prospective customer will read the next sentence of your sales message.

You must grab your reader’s attention with something that appeals to them and forces them to want to learn more, otherwise you won’t make a sale.

Whether you have a successful headline or you are just starting to write your next ad or sales letter, here are 10 Headline Writing Tips That Will Instantly Improve Your Advertising Results:

1. Put your prospects name in your headline. Everyone wants to see their name in "The Headlines".  This will definitely grab their attention and get them to read your ad or sales letter.

2. "Use Quotations" around your headline. Quotation marks create the perception that your headline is a testimonial and has credibility.  And credibility, in turn creates more believability, and this can significantly increase response to your ad.

3. Don't make your headline to "BIG". Many advertisers believe that bigger headlines get a better response. Bigger is not always better. You want your headline to be in a readable and believable size compared to the rest of your ad. A big headline can reduce your credibility because it looks to “hyped up.”

4. Don't end your headline with a period. This creates a pause in your readers mind and they may decide to move on to something else. People have been trained to pause at a period. But if you end your headline with an "!" exclamation point you will ad excitement to it and your reader will want to move forward with your ad (this is a good rule of thumb, but it's not a law. I've seen and written ads with a period in the headline and it's worked.) Another technique is to leave your headline open ended or use "..." to get them to move into your body copy.

5. Use one, two, even three subheadlines. Subheadlines below your main headline can be very effective in building intrigue and excitement in your reader. Each subheadline should be smaller compared to the main headline and the subheadline before it; ultimately your reader will end up in the main body of your ad or sales letter before they know it.

6. There are many advanced techniques for producing great headlines but what I’ve found to be simple and effective is to use the best benefit your product or services provides as your main headline, and then ad “How To…” to it.  For example, if your best feature as a web developer is getting websites built and online within 3 days, the benefit of that could be..."How To Attract New Business Worldwide While You Sleep Starting In 3 Days!”

7. If you use "$" dollar figures in your advertising use this tip: If you help people save or make an extra $2,500 with your product or service, attach a decimal point to it: $2,500.00. What looks like more money, $2,500 or $2,500.00? Conversely, if you are stating a price for your product, put as few "0's" in the price as possible. For example, if your product costs $2,500, you don't want to print, "$2,500", or "$2,500.00". You want to print something like $2,499. This looks less threatening.

8. Combine a grabber with your headline and you might get amazing results! Grabbers are small gadgets and trinkets that are attached to your letter or report that get your prospects attention like: million dollar bills, real money, string, magnifying glasses, pencils, fake checks, bubble gum, poker chips etc. The key is to tie in your grabber with your offer in a clever way. Also, if you combine a headline above and/or below your grabber you'll really ad power to your advertising.

9. Make your headline newsworthy. "How To Get Your Tax Refund In 10 Days!" is a pretty good benefit oriented headline, but you could test a newsworthy approach like..."Local Tax Planner Gets Clients Over $1,000,000.00 In Tax Refunds!"

10. Use a testimonial as your headline...Get the most detailed and specific testimonial you have and use it as your headline. For example, "I made an extra $32,000.00 In Six Weeks, and another $10,000.00 in Two Days!" is a prime example of a specific testimonial. This makes it very appealing because it's real, it's newsworthy, and I can attach a real name to it.

Copyright 2006 Brian Maroevich

Ten great tips on how to create a special and unique card

1. There are many types of cards you can choose from . Design the ones that you need or that sound the most interesting to you. Try birthday, anniversary, cards for children, wedding, sympathy, holiday or get well.

2. To begin the design you will need good paper. Look for pre-folded cards or use cardstock and fold your own. Using a bone folder is helpful here because it makes a very nice clean fold. There are several sizes to choose from, make sure you have an envelope to fit or be prepared to make one. There are templates galore for this type of thing.

3. Next choose a sticker or rubber stamp for the image on the front of the card. If using stamps, try different color stamp pads until you get the design and color you like. You can layer the stickers or stamped image on other paper to create a more pleasing design. Try using a combination of plain and matching patterned paper for this step.

4. There are embellishments you can use instead of a stamp or sticker. These are often dimensional and add a lot to the design of your card.

5. Make certain you have appropriate glue. Carefully consider the adhesive you want to use. A glue gun works well for heavy items but will wrinkle most papers. Glue dots and strips are handy for many design gluing jobs. I really like the glue stick that says"heavy duty" on the label, it is good for almost any paper and dries smooth and clear.

6. Design the words next. Think about what you want the card to say. Do you want the greeting or message on the inside or on the front of the card? You can use rubber stamps for this, stickers or computer generated greetings. There are so many fonts available that every card can be unique.

7. Lay your design out on the card before you attach the different elements. Check to make sure it all fits and that you like the design. Glue everything down and making sure all pieces are secure.

8. Now look at the inside of your card. If you are going to put a message there think about layering it on other paper to match the design on the front of your card. Attach these pieces to the inside of the card.

9. Check out the whole card now. Are you happy with the design? Does it need anything extra like colored brads or buttons? Is there part of the design that would look nice colored in with marker, colored pencils, chalks or watercolors?

10. I believe a card is not finished until the fiber is added, both inside and out. Matching colors from the design, take two or three strands of coordinating ribbon, yarn, metallic thread or wire and tie into a knot. Trim the ends so it looks the way you want it. Attach with your glue gun and you are done with the card.The envelop please! To put a final touch on your design decorate the envelop to match the card. Use your markers, chalk, stickers and stamps to create an envelop that is as gorgeous as what’s inside!!

In very little time you can create a special and unique card and envelop using your own design.

Ten techniques that professional designers use to make flyers "pop"

A flyer is an inexpensive and highly effective way to grab attention in a very busy marketplace. How do you make your flyer stand out in the crowd? Here are some techniques that professional designers use to make flyers "pop."

1. Write a snappy headline or title.

Make it memorable, unusual or provocative using a few carefully chosen powerful words. Popular titles contain one or more of these words: Easy, The Secrets to, Unlock, Finally, Insider, Time Sensitive, How to, Free Bonuses, Now You Can, Discover, Proven.

2. Use colorful or striking graphics.

One large image will have more impact than many smaller images. A stunning photo or illustration grabs attention, creates a mood, and supports your story. This image is your "focal point" and will draw your readers in. You can purchase inexpensive but quality stock photos on the Internet. Download individual photos or purchase a CD with hundreds of images.

3. Focus on the benefits of your product or service.

Your prospects will ask the question, "What's in it for me?" Write from the their perspective using the words "you" and "your." Avoid using the following words: we, us, I and our. Be sure to keep your text short and to the point. Some of the most powerful words to use are: free, save, love, new, results, and guarantee. Break up long paragraphs with bullet points and place them in a separate box.

4. Use compelling testimonials and case studies.

Nothing strikes a chord like an endorsement from a happy customer, especially if it demonstrates the results they've had with your product or service. Be sure to include the first and last name, company name and location of the person providing the endorsement.

5. Organize your page with boxes, borders and areas of contrasting colors.

You don't need to fill your flyer with wall-to-wall text and graphics. Incorporate some white space to make certain elements stand out and to make the flyer easy to read.

6. Make your points easily identifiable.

Highlight titles and subtitles in bold, but avoid using ALL CAPS because they are more difficult to read.

7. Don't get too complicated.

Make it simple with two typefaces, and align items to a grid. Your page layout program will provide non-printing guidelines. Use the "snap to guidelines" function to align items easily to the grid. Be aware of printing margins. I suggest you create your layout with 1/2" margins on all sides, or add 1/8" for bleeds on items that print off the edge of the page.

8. Don't forget to proofread.

Have someone else proofread your work. Check your contact information. Dial the phone numbers on the flyer to make sure they are correct, and type in the URL of your website to make sure it is correct, too.

9. If you are on a tight budget, try this.

Select bright-colored or unique paper, and print with black ink. Use shades of grey to provide tones and contrasting background areas.

10. Offer a discount or special limited-time price.

Design a coupon on the bottom quarter of the flyer. Be sure to clearly state the deadlines and limitations of the offer. If it is a mail-in coupon, be sure to include the payment specifications with areas for filling out credit card information, mailing address, etc.

You don't need to re-invent the wheel when creating your flyer. Use these proven techniques and you will see big results in your marketing efforts.

Nine refreshingly incisive nuggets of wisdom that can help you create stronger, more compelling ads

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.” 

Advertising is life made to look larger than life, through images and words that promise a wish fulfilled, a dream come true, a problem solved. Even Viagra follows Mark Twain’s keen observation about advertising.  The worst kind of advertising exaggerates to get your attention, the best, gets your attention without exaggeration.  It simply states a fact or reveals an emotional need, then lets you make the leap from “small to large.” Examples of the worst: before-and-after photos for weight loss products and cosmetic surgery—both descend to almost comic disbelief. The best: Apple’s "silhouette" campaign for iPod and the breakthrough ads featuring Eminem—both catapult iPod to “instant cool” status.

“When in doubt, tell the truth.”

Today’s advertising is full of gimmicks. They relentlessly hang on to a product like a ball and chain, keeping it from moving swiftly ahead of the competition, preventing any real communication of benefits or impetus to buy.  The thinking is, if the gimmick is outrageous or silly enough, it’s got to at least get their attention.  Local car dealer ads are probably the worst offenders--using zoo animals, sledgehammers, clowns, bikini-clad models, anything unrelated to the product’s real benefit. If the people who thought up these outrageous gimmicks spent half their energy just sticking to the product’s real benefits and buying motivators, they’d have a great ad. What they don’t realize is, they already have a lot to work with without resorting to gimmicks.  There’s the product with all its benefits, the brand, which undoubtedly they’ve spent money to promote, the competition and its weaknesses, and two powerful buying motivators—fear of loss and promise of gain. In other words, all you really have to do is tell the truth about your product and be honest about your customers’ wants and needs.  Of course, sometimes that’s not so easy.  You have to do some digging to find out what you customers really want, what your competition has to offer them, and why your product is better.  

“Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable.”

In advertising, you have to be very careful how you use facts.  As any politician will tell you, facts are scary things.  They have no stretch, no pliability, no room for misinterpretation.  They’re indisputable.  And used correctly, very powerful.  But statistics, now there’s something advertisers and politicians love.  “Nine out of ten doctors recommend Preparation J.” Who can dispute that?   Or “Five out of six dentists recommend Sunshine Gum.” Makes me want to run out and buy a pack of Sunshine right now.  Hold it.  Rewind.  

“Whenever you find you’re on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.”

Let’s take a look at how these stats—this apparent majority—might have come to be.  First off, how many doctors did they ask before they found nine out of ten to agree that Preparation J did the job? 1,000? 10,000? And how many dentists hated the idea of their patients chewing gum but relented, saying, “Most chewing gum has sugar and other ingredients, that rot out your teeth, but if the guy’s gotta chew the darn stuff, it may as well be Sunshine, which has less sugar in it.” The point is, stats can be manipulated to say almost anything. And yes, the devil’s in the details.  The fact is, there’s usually a 5% chance you can get any kind of result simply by accident. And because many statistical studies are biased and not “double blind” (both subject and doctor don’t know who was given the test product and who got the placebo).  Worst of all, statistics usually need the endless buttressing of legal disclaimers. If you don’t believe me, try to read the full-page of legally mandated warnings for that weight- loss pill you’ve been taking.  Bottom line: stick to facts.  Then back them up with sound selling arguments that address the needs of your customer. 

“The difference between the right word and almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

To write really effective ad copy means choosing exactly the right word at the right time.  You want to lead your customer to every benefit your product has to offer, and you want to shed the best light on every benefit.  It also means you don’t want to give them any reason or opportunity to wander away from your argument.  If they wander, you’re history. They’re off to the next page, another TV channel or a new website.  So make every word say exactly what you mean it to say, no more, no less. Example: if a product is new, don’t be afraid to say “new” (a product is only new once in its life, so exploit the fact).  

“Great people make us feel we can become great.”

And so do great ads.  While they can’t convince us we’ll become millionaires, be as famous as Madonna, or as likeable as Tom Cruise, they make us feel we might be as attractive, famous, wealthy, or admired as we’d like to think we can be.  Because there’s a “Little Engine That Could” in all of us that says, under the right conditions, we could beat the odds and catch the brass ring, win the lottery, or sell that book we’ve been working on.  Great advertising taps into that belief without going overboard.  An effective ad promoting the lottery once used pictures of people sitting on an exotic beach with little beach umbrellas in their cocktails (a perfectly realistic image for the average person) with the line: Somebody’s has to win, may as well be you.”

“The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession.”

We’re all part of the same family of creatures called homo sapiens.  We each want to be admired, respected and loved.  We want to feel secure in our lives and our jobs. So create ads that touch the soul. Use an emotional appeal in your visual, headline and copy. Even humor, used correctly, can be a powerful tool that connects you to your potential customer.  It doesn’t matter if you’re selling shoes or software, people will always respond to what you have to sell them on an emotional level.  Once they’ve made the decision to buy, the justification process kicks in to confirm the decision.  To put it another way, once they’re convinced you’re a mensche with real feelings for their hopes and wants as well as their problems, they’ll go from prospect to customer. 

“A human being has a natural desire to have more of a good thing than he needs.”

Ain’t it the truth.  More money, more clothes, fancier car, bigger house.  It’s what advertising feeds on.  “You need this. And you need more of it every day.” It’s the universal mantra that drives consumption to the limits of our charge cards. So, how to tap into this insatiable appetite for more stuff?  Convince buyers that more is better.  Colgate offers 20% more toothpaste in the giant economy size.  You get 60 more sheets with the big Charmin roll of toilet paper.  GE light bulbs are 15% brighter.  Raisin Brain now has 25% more raisins.  When Detroit found it couldn’t sell more cars per household to an already saturated U.S. market, they started selling more car per car—SUVs and trucks got bigger and more powerful. They’re still selling giant 3-ton SUVs that get 15 miles per gallon. 

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”

Who gets the girl? Who attracts the sharpest guy? Who lands the big promotion? Neiman Marcus knows.  So does Abercrombie & Fitch.  And Saks Fifth Avenue.  Why else would you fork over  $900 for a power suit? Or $600 for a pair of shoes? Observers from Aristotle to the twentieth century have consistently maintained that character is immanent in appearance, asserting that clothes reveal a rich palette of interior qualities as well as a brand mark of social identity. Here’s where the right advertising pays for itself big time. Where you must have the perfect model (not necessarily the most attractive) and really creative photographers and directors who know how to tell a story, create a mood, convince you that you’re not buying the “emperor’s clothes.” Example of good fashion advertising: the Levis black-and-white spot featuring a teenager driving through the side streets and alleys of the Czech Republic. Stopping to pick up friends, he gets out of the car wearing just a shirt as the voiceover cheekily exclaims, "Reason 007: In Prague, you can trade them for a car."

Seven tips that will provide you an insight on some of the best practices used in creating publicity

Organising corporate events can be exciting and interesting but simultaneously stressful and nerve-racking. This is especially true when corporate event managers are faced with a dilemma in balancing the need to create an enjoyable and beneficial event, and at the same time entrusted with the responsibility to create publicity for it. 

Nevertheless, if the right approach is used, creating publicity for corporate events will become an easier task to manage. The following tips will provide you with an insight on some of the best practices used in creating publicity.

1. It’s always a good idea to work in a team, and delegate the task of creating publicity to a particular team member. This way, you won’t be caught up in the legwork, but rather be involved from an event manager perspective. Your responsibility then is to make decisions and guide others in getting things done for you.

2. Selecting the right person to delegate this task to is also an important factor in making your event a success. It is essential for this person to possess the necessary contacts with media companies, such as television stations and newspapers, way before the event kicks off. 

3. Use short copywriting for direct mailers or newspaper advertisements. Good editing and good writing go hand-in-hand to create impact for your publicity pieces. Also, thick information packs are out of the question, unless specifically requested by the recipient. 

4. Try not to use copywriting that may be a tad too creative or flowery. Your audience has no time trying to figure out your message, and it is best that you send them something direct and concise.

5. Although it may be common sense to include a contact number or an email address in your publicity pieces, you may be surprised that many corporate event organisers actually overlook this. Keep this in mind so that you can be contacted for further information.

6. No one wants to read outdated information. That is why your press releases should be kept as relevant and up to date as possible.

7. Always stick with the truth when you are answering questions from the media, or holding a press conference. Many corporate event managers tend to exaggerate and end up presenting an event that falls short of expectations.

The seven factors you need to consider to have a logo that spells success!

When it comes to logo design, you ultimately want it to convey your brand in the best possible manner. At the same time you don’t want it to take up too much space. That is the greatest challenge – to be able to create a winning impact within the space constraints. Here are the 7 factors you need to consider to have a logo that spells success!

1.  Research always helps in effective logo design

Never make the mistake of rushing into creating a logo design. It will only make matters bad. You need to do a fair bit of research to understand the company, its objectives and mission as well as its business goals – both short and long term. You also need to know the demographics of the target audience. 

2.  Attractive and unique: two elements of great logo design

You would obviously want your logo design to catch the attention of the customer. At the same time it should not be screaming for attention. It should test the intellect of the customer; make him or her think a few minutes after seeing the logo. If you notice some of the top logo designs each of them have a unique aspect to it that depicts something about the company. 

3.  Simple and memorable logo design

One of things you need to really focus on is to make sure your logo design is not too cluttered or too fancy. This will just confuse the customer. Ultimately you want the customer to remember your brand. That will only happen if the logo is easy to remember. Also be sure that the logo sends out positive signals to the customer.

4.  Flexibility is a major issue in logo design

There are so many companies who invest a fortune on their logo design only to realize later that their logo doesn’t work on a product wrapper! What a waste of time and money! Your logo needs to be flexible enough to work and create a lasting impact on any medium whether it is a product wrapper, your company website or even any promotional materials you send out!  That means you need to consider the size of the logo and the usage of appropriate colors. The colors used need to match well with any background while also helping the brand to stand out.

5.  Never clutter your logo in logo design

One critical mistake people make is to cram in too much information in their logo design. This makes your logo look cluttered not to mention the fact that customers will fail to remember your brand!

6. Use fonts that promote readability in your logo design

You might select a font that looks great on paper but when you use it in the logo it hampers readability. There is absolutely no point using classy fonts in logo design if they are going to prevent customers from remembering you. Make sure fonts are easy on the eye.

7. Usage of color in logo design

Great logo design will always focus on using complementary colors that looks good against a black or white background.

Six tips to creating testimonials that will sell your products fast

There are many ways to market a product or a service and providing the potential clients and customers with testimonials is one of the best ways to market.

The power of testimonials can never be underestimated. People, especially nowadays, will only purchase products or avail services which have been referred to them by people whom they know. But most of the times, this is not an option that is in the hands of the business owner, he has to do the next best thing, which is to get testimonials from his past clients. 

Testimonials are living statements from past customers or clients which states that they were satisfied by the product/ service. Every business must have testimonials to be able to stand out in the ever crowded markets.

There are many benefits of having testimonials. Here are some of them.

Testimonials appease the target market

Testimonials usually lessen the doubts of the target market. There are a lot of scammers and con artists nowadays, and this has turned the market into a fearsome one. Credible testimonials provide security to the people who are eyeing at a certain product or service. The provision of testimonials gives people a much more relaxed attitude towards a product or service.

Testimonials assure quality

Aside from confirming the existence of a business and lessening doubts, testimonials provide assurance to potential customers and clients of the quality of the product or service. The fact that they took time out to be able to write testimonials about the product reflect their levels of satisfaction towards the product/service.

Testimonials give advantage

Credible testimonials provide a competitive advantage for the product/service. There are many products and services out there and one of the ways to stand out from the rest is the use of credible testimonials.

There are many types of testimonials. Testimonials are usually categorized according to the source. Here are a few examples:

a) Testimonials from satisfied customers

This is probably the most effective type of testimonial. Nothing beats a testimonial from a satisfied customer because it is a picture of what the product/service is all about.

b) Testimonials from experts

Experts can be credible sources of testimonials.  If a renowned dermatologist writes a testimonial for a beauty soap, it will surely help in boosting its sales, wouldn’t it?

c) Testimonials from celebrities

In a world that is run by mass media, celebrities have become powerful sources of testimonials. Today, even infomercials are infested by testimonials from celebrities. 

People may think that getting testimonials from celebrities will cost a lot, but if it’s a real testimonial, celebrities may even waive their talent fees.

There is much more to making a testimonial an effective tool for marketing than gathering them.  Good testimonials are the ones which can be compressed into a few catchy words. “I lost 20 pounds in two weeks time!” is an example of an eye-catching testimonial. However, one must never rephrase or edit what the client had said. How to get the right kinds of testimonials will be discussed later.

Credible testimonials should also contain the complete attributes of the people who gave them. Their titles, location and age should be included whenever possible.

Visual appeal will also be a great help in using testimonials. If the clients are willing, one must insist in taking photographs or videos for their testimonials. 

So how does a business owner get started with the whole testimonial thing? 

Here are some steps on how to archive testimonials.

1. Before anything else, only products/ services with outstanding quality deserve testimonials, so one must make sure that his product/service possesses exceptional quality.

2. Ask the help of your customers. One must be able to communicate to his customers his need of getting their testimonials. If they are really satisfied with the product/service, they would be more than willing to participate.

3. Interview your customers. Ask them about what they like about your product/service, why they chose your product and other questions like these.

4. Ask them if they are willing to make a written testimonial. You can offer to make the testimonial yourself based on their responses during the interview but the testimonial is still up for their approval. You might want to make the wordings catchy and let them approve the testimonials.

5. Ask them if you could record the testimonial using a tape recorder or video cam. A video testimonial is better, but of course, many people are camera-shy and this can be a limited option for most.

6. Choose the best testimonials. Use the best ones so as to maximize the benefits that your product can get from the testimonials.

Testimonials are very powerful and this is the reason why every business should have them. They provide assurance and security and reflect the real essence of a product or a service.