Advertising: พฤศจิกายน 2008

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 30 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

The Seven Second Race: How to Draw Attention Your Ad

You've decided to launch your advertising campaign but you have no idea what would inspire others to buy from you. Or maybe you've already run some ads to no avail. How do you make your ad the one that stands out? After all, consumers receive thousands of marketing messages everyday. What makes what you're offering so special?

In today's highly competitive marketing environment, chances are your ad will get overlooked. Meanwhile, some other entrepreneur is making money and developing a highly effective ad campaign. The people that are successful in this area have spent considerable time going over their ads. And with enough effort, any business owner can achieve similar success.

In general, most ads will begin with a headline. And it is with this group of words that you must immediately grab your reader. Marketing experts say you need to grab your potential consumer's interest within seven seconds. Seven seconds. That's it! It's best to start with powerful words that have already been proven to work. Why reinvent the wheel? Below are ten of the most powerful words in the English language, according to Yale University:
<li>Discover</li> <li>Easy</li> <li>Guarantee</li> <li>Health</li> <li>New</li> <li>Proved</li> <li>Results</li> <li>Safety</li> <li>Save</li> <li>You</li>
Now, carefully review these words and practice writing enticing headlines that will attract attention. These ten examples will help you begin to write dynamic, attention-getting ads. As you progress, expand your "powerful word" vocabulary by reviewing other ads. Use your powerful words in not only the headline but also the body of your ad or the "copy".

The headline of your ad is not meant to tell your whole story but it is meant to make your visitor take a long enough look so they can read he rest of your offer, and hopefully inspire them to take some kind of action, whether it's calling you, visiting your site, or placing an order.

Once you've written down ten to twenty phrases pick a couple with the most impact. Ask friends, family, and colleagues to read each one and pick their favorites. Asking for specifics will help you narrow down your list. You can probe deeper and ask them what made them pick certain ads. This will help you improve your ads and writing new ones.

Now you're ready to write your ad. For maximum effect, continue to use powerful words throughout the entire ad, not just the headline. Be sure to include a "call-to-action" within the body of your ad. This could include phrases such as "call today!" , "visit our site", and many others. Use variations to test which ones have the best effect. By applying these simple steps to your ad campaign, you'll quickly see a noticeable difference in your campaign results.

Copyright ? 2005 Rhonda Winn - All Rights Reserved. Rhonda Winn has been helping small business owners since 2000. She is the author of the popular eBook, "How to Live Your Dreams and Achieve Unlimited Wealth in Small Business" Receive the first chapter free, when you join her bi-monthly newsletter today: <a href="http://smallbizstartupkit.com/" target="_blank">SmallBizStartupKit.com</a>.

You are free to publish this article as long as the content remains unchanged and copyright notice and byline is not removed from article.

วันเสาร์ที่ 29 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

80% of All Advertising Is Wasted Due To This Common Mistake

You're flipping through this publication as you wait for your latte, when suddenly you decide to stop and read an ad. What made you stop? I'll bet it was an attention grabbing headline.

It is a scientifically proven fact that 5 times as many people read headlines as read the body copy of an ad. So with the headline, an advertiser has spent about 80% of their advertising dollar. It doesn't take a genius to realize then the headline is the most important part of any ad.

Yet, most small business advertising is wasted for lack of an effective headline or, worse yet, no headline at all. Don't make this same mistake.

The headline is the first thing that your reader or prospect sees when they open your letter, browse a magazine, or flip your postcard. In that moment, (about 3 seconds) your reader decides whether or not to read any farther.

So first and foremost, any advertisement you produce must have a headline and your headline must grab your reader's attention immediately. If you don't grab them by the throat and hold them right away, you never will.

Writing powerful headlines takes some hard work but it can be done if you follow some simple guidelines.

1. Your headline should give the reader a reason to stop and read now instead of later ? a carefully chosen word or two can create urgency

2. Your headline should communicate something the reader considers valuable ? they need to be able to justify the time spent reader your ad

3. Your headline should scream how you might offer something that is unique or at least interesting

4. Your headline should point to something very specific for the reader ? use facts and how to's

Using these points as a guide to create your headlines allows you to create headlines that hook your reader quickly, offers them a benefit they want, and gives them a reason to read on.

Never use boring, conventional or overused statements and never use a headline to trick your reader into looking on.

Attention Getting Power Words for Your Headlines

Look at powerful headlines and you will see that many contain one or more of the following words that sell. Discover Easy Free New Proven Save Results Introducing

At Last Guarantee Bargain Easy Quick Sale Why How To

Just Arrived Now Announcing

Start of by writing some headlines that clearly communicate your promise, benefit or USP. Then look for ways to make them even more powerful by adding a power word or two and checking if they contain at least 3 of the guidelines provided above.

About The Author

John Jantsch is a marketing coach and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System. You can get more information about the Duct Tape System and download your free copy of "How To Create the Ultimate Small Business Marketing System in 7 Simple Steps" by visiting <a href="http://www.DuctTapeMarketing.com" target="_new">http://www.DuctTapeMarketing.com</a>

Advertising - Does it Matter?

When advertising, you need to sell your opportunity, your products and yourself. What sets you apart from everyone else? Maybe you produce a newsletter with a specific content where there is a demand from a particular group of people, or you promote your own special product that no one have not yet seen.

That's a huge benefit! That's what you need to sell in your ad campaign, and those are the things you need to do in order to become successful.

You don't have to be worried that network marketing prosperity is difficult. It isn't. In fact, it has never been so easy to make a decent second income or even a full time. But it takes time, persistence and uniqueness.

The people looking at your ads and reading your follow up letters are going to judge you and your whole business not only by what the materials have to say, but also by their appearance.

Be sure you send a powerful, positive and convincing message. Invest some time and money on your marketing materials, the payoff will be well worth it. Look at others ads on the Internet, see what's attracting you, this will most likely attract others too.

Do you see what I have in mind? Your advertising campaign will be the propel to your business success. By now you think "How do I create one of those successful ads" After all, It's the words that sell your opportunity. Write a good ad and It's taking you to the top. Read others ads, get some good ideas from it, don't copy it, that's theft. Just get some inspiration from it. Let your friends take a look at your new written ad and say what they think about it, honestly.

Now where to put your ad? If you place your ad in a pets publication and the ad is promoting toys for children you might not get a single response. But placed in the right publication it will be a winner. It's very important that you from the beginning know exactly where to put your ad. Just think about you having spent hours on that ad and then you put it in the wrong publication and get no response at all, that's a big waste of time and effort.

My best advise is that you always work on your ads. Write them down, leave them for some time, go back to look at them again, let others look at them and after a while you will see the picture of your ad and you will se if it's working or not. If not then you have to start from the beginning and write a new one and follow the same procedure again. But now it's easier because you are deeply involved in the process.

The Internet are full of ads, start clicking around and read others ads, this is the best way to learn what is working or not. You probably can tell instantly when an ad is good or not at least after a while.

This article courtesy of <a target="_new" href="http://www.ult.net">http://www.ult.net</a>. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Measure the Response of Your Advertising Campaigns by Using Promotional Products

For most companies, gone are the days of spending money just for the pleasure of seeing their name on TV or the Internet.

Most companies today are forced to insist on results. Yet on average, up to 80% of advertising is wasted because it doesn't work. If only you could know which of your campaigns make up the 20% that is making you all your money. If you knew that, you could stop wasting 80% of your advertising budget and put the money saved towards doubling up on the 20% of your advertising that is working.

But how can you know which of your advertising campaigns are working and which are failing?

The secret is in promotional products. I'm talking about pens, mugs, t-shirts, et cetera, imprinted with your company logo. These things hold the key to measuring the ROI of every marketing medium you are using. They keep all your other marketing honest.

Here is how it works:

Step 1: In every advertisement that you create, you must include an incentive for your customer to take action now in order to receive a free gift. Of course the free gift is a promotional product imprinted with your company logo. Each advertisement should offer a different free gift.

Step 2: When they respond to the ad or take whatever action you want them to take, they will also ask for their free gift. Depending on what gift they ask for, you will know which ad they are responding to.

Step 3: Calculate your ROI for each separate campaign.

Step 4: Stop running the campaigns that aren't working and increase your investment into the campaigns that are working.

If you response rates don't rise dramatically, this is a good indicator that your existing marketing isn't working as well as you thought.

The author, Nathan Cain has more ideas that will help your business marketing efforts.

Visit his <a href="http://www.Web-Magnets.com" target="_blank">promotional products</a> web site at <a href="http://www.Web-Magnets.com" target="_blank">http://www.Web-Magnets.com</a>

Vinyl Banners for the Right Occasion

The sinage marketplace is competitive! Consequently, some companies are going to focus on price and neglect quality. To complicate the situation, companies that produce stock vinyl banner material offer a bevy of different materials based on weights/thickness, color, reflective properties, ink absorption properties, etc. Take a gander at just one description of one type of banner from a leading manufacturer's website: http://www.averygraphics.com/pls/avery/avery_ext_util.display?p_name=JUPITER_13_OZ_BANNER.PDF It is not surprising that consumers get overwhelmed (sign makers too).

I will try to keep things simple and cut to the chase. The consumer needs to weigh price versus use. For example, if you are looking for an indoor banner, keep the weight to 10 oz. I also recommend hems (sewing the banner so it will be reinforced) and grommets (metal rings placed about every two feet on the banner ? usually only on the top and bottom) to make sure the banner is supported sufficiently when hung. But there are caveats. I know some business men and women that use their company trade show banner over and over again as needed. In this case, a 10 oz banner will not be able to handle the continuous wear and tear resulting from rolling it up, packing, etc. I strongly recommend a 13 oz banner for these situations.

Outdoor banners must contend with the elements. Not only does this include storms but also the everyday pounding from the sun and wind. Different parts of the country have different variations in the elements which must be considered. The sign industry was booming here in Florida after the 2004 hurricane season. The only common sense thing to do when a hurricane is approaching is to take your outdoor banner down! Make contingency plans to be able to take your banner down quickly and easily when any major storm is approaching (I suggest twine on the four corners or rope on the top and bottom so the sign can be untied quickly).

For most purposes, a 13 oz banner will do fine for outdoor use, but make sure it has hems (double hem) and grommets. If it is digitally printed, you may want to have the sign laminated. If cheap inks are used, their life expectancy will be diminished substantially. Make sure your sign company uses top quality UV inks. You can generally expect 2 to 3 years from digitally printed signs without lamination and an additional 2 to 3 years with lamination. The sun is the enemy here and inks will eventually fade. Lamination helps protect the fading.

If you are in a traditionally windy area (e.g., Chicago or the northwest) or you have an exceptionally large banner (greater than 10 sq. ft.) you have to consider wind vents (flaps) or mesh (tiny holes in the vinyl). I once refused to sell a 3' x 20' street banner to a customer who insisted on buying the sign without wind vents, because I knew it would not handle even brisk breezes.

Finally, it seems that many sign companies will do a double sided banner on any material. But this is not fair to the consumer. Only 16 oz banner material is thick enough (and opaque enough) to prevent the sun from shining through it. If the sun shines through a banner, the other side can be seen and the banner message is lost in the sun. I can't tell you how many banners I have seen where the sun shines through them. Most consumers don't understand and go for the lower price. I refuse to print a double sided outdoor banner on anything but 16 oz and above and your sign company should too.

Written by: Tony Nagy
Email: <a href="mailto:info@designasign.biz">info@designasign.biz</a>
To learn more about Magnetic signs and other types of signs please visit <a target="_new" href="http://designasign.blogspot.com/">http://designasign.blogspot.com/</a> to purchase Magnets, Vinyl and just about every type of sign imaginable visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.designasign.biz">http://www.designasign.biz</a>

3 Inside Secrets To Making You Richer Using Direct Mail!

Making money using direct mail isn't easy. And anyone who tells you it is, is lying.

To run a successful direct mail campaign, you must have a compelling offer... amazing copy... and most important... the right list to mail to.

And even if you have each of these things running at their peak, there are many other subtle "little" tricks you can use to increase the responsiveness of your mailings, which is what it's all about, right?

Because this means...

You'll Be Increasing Your Cash-Flow As Well!

And remember, in whatever you're doing: All you need is 5-or-6 little steps that each increase your response rates 1 or 2 %, and before you know it, you've got a lot more money pouring in than you did before.

So don't start neglecting the subtle differences -- this is usually what separates the people who are marginally successful, from the people who are wildly successful.

First, always hand-address your envelopes. Why? As my mentor Gary Halbert taught me from "Day 1", you'll always open a hand-addressed letter because you think its "personal" mail -- as opposed to a sales letter or a bill.

Make sense?

Remember, if your letter never gets opened, I promise you... you'll never make the sale.

Second, in your corner card (which is the upper left-hand corner of the front of your envelope, where your name and address goes), DON'T put your company's name!

Put your name and then your address.

See, your prospects are programmed into thinking as soon as they see the name of a company, even yours... your letter's either trying to sell them something, or collect their money -- neither of which is good for you if you want that envelope to get opened. And,

Third, use "live" postage stamps and NOT a "bulk" rate indicia. Again, when your prospects see a "bulk" rate, or even a metered stamp, they know right-away... you're trying to sell them something.

Also, try to use the "decorative" postage stamps the post office has and not the "standard" stamps with a U.S. Flag. I always tell my clients to use the ones that say "Happy Birthday" on them.

After all, who doesn't like opening a personal letter that says "Happy Birthday" on it? P.S. I know having your letters hand-addressed is a pain. Honestly, I do.

And I have seen some software out there that is "almost" close to human handwriting, but the amount of variation from letter-to-letter isn't quite there yet.

If you see software that can simulate "real" handwriting, I'd sure appreciate you letting me know so I can tell the rest of my subscribers.

Thanks!

Craig Garber is America's Top Direct-Response Copywriter. You'll find hundreds of marketing tips to increase your sales, and his insanely popular FREE Unconventional and Irreverent Daily Direct-Response Marketing Tips, on his website, <a target="_new" href="http://www.KingOfCopy.com">http://www.KingOfCopy.com</a>

The Principle Of Advertising Online

Advertising online is very similar to advertising in any environment. You really are trying to get your message or your product out there by the most cost effective means possible.

Advertising online really is unique in the sense that you have the means to advertise anywhere in the world, almost instantly.

I have found through many years of advertising and research that it can get quite expensive and take many hours finding what works and what does not.

However, the most effective methods of advertising I believe, happen to be through search engines. Having them index you, and paying per click seem to be the most effective methods of marketing.

Advertising in ezines are also effective for short term sales but really have nowhere as much traffic as you will find in search engines which account for the majority of website traffic on the internet.

It is better to let a search engine index you rather than submitting to it, this way you will obtain higher rankings.

You must update your site and even trade traffic with other websites if possible if you want to improve your indexing chances and your ranking.

There are also directories you can look into that will possibly charge a fee to get into, but are well worth it.

By: Mark Shay

(C)Mark Shay

Where entrepreneurs earn $2,700 and more daily. <a target="_new" href="http://www.therealincome.com">http://www.therealincome.com</a> (C) Mark Shay

วันศุกร์ที่ 28 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Testimonials Convert Prospects Into Buyers

Big businesses get instant credibility with their well-known company name or brand name. But small companies have to create their own credibility. One of most powerful tools you can use for this is customer testimonials.

Here are 5 tips to help you get persuasive testimonials ...and use them to convert prospects into buyers.

1. Continuously Collect Testimonials

Start by setting up a file to store the positive comments you get from customers. Many good testimonials are hidden in the casual comments customers make during normal communications.

Don't overlook the positive comments you get by phone or in person. Write them down and add them to your file.

Next, look for some ways you can stimulate customers to give you testimonials. For example, send a postcard or email message to recent customers asking what they liked best about your product or service. You'll be surprised at some of the glowing comments you get.

You don't need a lot of testimonials before you can start using them. Three is normally enough unless your sales message is unusually long.

2. Try to Get Varied Testimonials

All of your prospects and customers are not exactly the same. Different aspects of your products and services are likely to appeal to different prospects.

Try to get testimonials that mention a variety of results achieved by your customers. The more benefits you can reveal with customer testimonials, the more business they will generate for you.

3. Some Testimonials Are Better Than Others

Avoid using testimonials that are not specific. For example, "I really liked your service a lot", is nice for you to know. But it won't stimulate many prospects to buy.

Instead, look for testimonials that describe specific results. For example, "In just 2 weeks I lost 9 pounds, feel years younger and still continue to enjoy my favorite foods." That testimonial will motivate anybody who wants to lose weight to get your program fast.

4. Get Permission to Use Testimonials

Always get your customer's permission before using their testimonial. And tell them how they will be identified with the testimonial. For example, I usually include at least my customer's name, city and state (or country).

If you sell to businesses instead of to individuals you may want to include some other things about each customer with their testimonial. For example, your customer's title, the company name, the type of industry or anything else that would appeal to other customers like them.

5. Highlight Testimonials When You Use Them

You can group all testimonials together in your sales letter or web page ...especially if the message is short. Or you can scatter them strategically throughout your message ...especially if the message is long. But always highlight testimonials so they stand out from the rest of your message.

For example, display them in italic letters enclosed in quote marks. On web pages you can further highlight them in yellow or some other color that contrasts with the background color of the page.

The 5 tips in this article revealed how you can get persuasive testimonials - and use them with maximum impact. Start applying these tips now in your business and you will quickly start converting more prospects into buyers.

(c) 2004 Bob Leduc <A target="_new" href="http://BobLeduc.com">http://BobLeduc.com</A>

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards ...and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods at: <A target="_new" href="http://bobleduc.com/">http://BobLeduc.com</A> or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

4 Ways to Double the Power of Your Business Cards

Sure, everyone needs business cards. But why not make your business card do double or triple the work of an average business card.

Here are 4 proven ways to supercharge your business card into a powerful business tool.

1. Use the back of the card to include sales info. Good marketers know that customers need to be reminded at every opportunity how your product or service will help them. Even though business cards are small, you can still include some information on the back of the card that will remind customers how you are unique, better, and valuable. You could include a short bullet list of features and benefits. You could display some stats and figures, mention awards your product has won, or list a brief testimonial or two. Just a little bit of extra sales information can make a big difference in building relationships and encouraging sales.

2. Use the back of the card as an appointment card. Dr.'s and dentists do this frequently. But other businesses can use the same concept. Sales people of all kinds, realtors, consultants, professionals and more can use the back of their business cards as an appointment card. This is a good idea for several reasons. First of all, it increases the likelihood that a prospect will keep your card close by ? at least until you have the appointment. Second, it gives you a reason to give customers more than one business card. The more cards they have the more likely they are to always have one handy when they need it. This is especially important if they are referring you to a friend or relative. They may have an extra card of yours laying around that they can give to someone.

3. Use the back of the card as a map to your store. Maps are important for people who are new to the area, or people who aren't familiar with your part of town. Also, with just a mailing address listed on the front of the card many people don't know exactly where you are. A map will clear that up and again help increase the chances of them hanging on to your card

4. Place a 12-month calendar on the back of your card. This is a very clever technique that is sure to have people keeping your card handy at all times. Believe it or not a 12-month calendar fits nicely on the back of a standard size business card. I remember when I got my first card that had a calendar on the back of it. It was from an insurance salesman and I literally kept it by my desk at all times. I found it to be much quicker to glance at this card than to thumb through a wall calendar or even to visit Outlook. Each time I picked up the card I remembered who had given it to me. This practice is applicable to any business and in any industry.

Using even one of these 4 tips will greatly enhance the impact that you business card will have. With just a little creative you can turn your business card from a necessary evil, to a powerful tool.

Brett Curry is a Marketing Consultant and Marketing Director for Brochures.com. Brochures.com is the home of top quality, full color brochures, business cards, postcards and more at up to 70% off of retail. <a target="_new" href="http://www.brochures.com">http://www.brochures.com</a> <a href="mailto:marketing@brochures.com">marketing@brochures.com</a>

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 27 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

The Importance of Your Business Card

What are you trying to say with you business card?

We have talked about collecting other people's business cards and also about how they are often tough to differentiate from one another. These are things you should avoid for your own business card. It is easier to get into a conversation when you have a business card that speaks for itself. My card, BizMechanix, is so different, almost everyone remarks on how good the card looks. I have even had comments about it being the most professional and great looking card they have ever come across. You should make sure that yours is the same. Spend time with a graphic designer, and then also take time to buy good paper stock for printing. You are more likely to get notices and gain business if your card is extremely professional.

Do not use the homemade variety, the serrated edges are a sure give-away that you do not value your card. Remember that you card is the first thing people will see on their desk after the event. It is also your card that they will take note of when entering new names into their contact management system. Take the time and make the effort to create something unique, tasteful, and colorful. You do not have to go over board with it - just make it well worth it. I would rather have an excellent business card than a new car to drive. Most people will not see my car inside the event, but they will see my business card. Do not make it gaudy, just noticeable.

All the pieces have come together and attending the event has been a success. You have made the most out of your attendance and practiced the necessary skills. Now it is time to close in on the potential business. The first thing to do is to sort your contacts in order of importance and potential size of the deal. Choose the most important possibility, analyze the potential and then follow up.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit <a target="_new" href="http://BlueprintBooks.com/">http://BlueprintBooks.com/</a>

Advertising Through Moms

Moms have a very powerful influence on what their families eat, drink, wear, do, and buy. Moms are not only the driving force behind their families, but also the economy.

Moms Have The Power!

Moms have the power to start a trend or "nip it in the bud". Moms want a reasonably priced, high quality, safe, and reliable product. Do you have such a product?

What Are You Sitting There For?: Tap into this market! Advertise to moms in your church, at your child's school, little league games, reading groups, moms clubs, or the gym. The possibilities are endless because, in case you haven't noticed, Moms are everywhere!

Don't Be A Pusher!
Moms have brains! They can smell a "dead rat a mile away". You don't have to "push" your product if your product truly is what you claim it to be. Gently offer them the information and let them make an educated decision. Don't over hype or under sell either. Don't use fear tactics or "deal of a life time" approaches. Granted these may work on some moms, but most are pretty aware of "corporate" brainwashing.

Moms promoting Each Other:
In the Cyber world of today there is an ever-growing community of Moms who are supporting each other by promoting one another. Ever heart of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"? This is exactly what thousands of work at home moms are doing each and every day.

By promoting each other they are doing one of several things:
1. Getting free advertising for their site/business/opportunity
2. Building business and personal relationships
3. Branding their business name
4. Supporting work at home families
5. Reaching out to the community
6. Sharing the wahm/wahd Message
7. Offering discounts and freebies to new and returning customers (which by the way saves Moms money)

How Do I Get Involved?:
You can join this growing movement by visiting a number of networking sites. Some I have listed in the resource section. You'll need to print off some business cards-Vista Print has an excellent deal--, develop an advertising campaign, track your advertising campaign with a coupon code and then Make Your Packs!

1. Ziplocks/Baggies/Envelopes 2. Cards,coupons,samples,brochures *tip samples and coupons are the best bet 3. Brand IT! With your business name, number, and url. 4. Distribute the packets to local merchants, with your orders, at school functions, etc.. 5. Exchange with other moms so they can advertise for you..

Resources: Mom Packs ? The original "moms promoting moms" group. http://mompacks.com Jessies Goodies ? Yahoo Group http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/JessiesGoodieBags/ Advertising Moms Perks Packs- http://www.advertisingmoms.com/perkpackflyers.html Karma Kards ? http://www.allnaturalme.com

Sara Duggan lives with her family in California. You can find her handmade items and shoppe at Mamas Shoppe at Family owned Business. <a target="_new" href="http://sarasshoppe.vstore.ca">http://sarasshoppe.vstore.ca</a>

Avoid The Big Advertising Mistakes

Is your advertising copy getting the results you want? If not, look at your current marketing to see if you're making one of the major copywriting mistakes:

Selling features instead of benefits. Telling your customer that your "fabulous new ALF-400 comes complete with AeroScan and BandControl technologies!" doesn't actually tell them anything. Will your services save your customers money or help them sleep better at night? If so, tell them. People buy solutions to problems and means to ends. Sell the benefits and watch your profits climb.

Not educating the reader. Most people are reasonably intelligent and sincerely want to learn about the world around them. Does your copy contain solid information, or is it mostly emotional appeal and little substance? Ease back the fireworks and give the reader something real to chew on.

Being boring. Easing back the fireworks doesn't mean getting rid of them completely. Use just enough drama and emotional appeal to keep your reader interested. This is where a solid understanding of your customers fits in - what are their hopes and fears? Where do your services fit between them?

Exaggerating. Most people expect advertising to be overblown and inflated, so surprise your readers and be honest. Put your best foot forward and shamelessly emphasize your strengths, but don't do more than that. Keep it real and get real attention.

Saying too much. Excessive wordiness puts a burden on the reader that can be lethal for marketing. Read through your copy again: could you say the same thing with fewer words? Try rewriting with a 25% cut in word count to inject new life into your pitch.

Not getting the reader moving. The entire point of advertising is to motivate your customer to do something, so are you telling them what that is? End your pitch with a direct appeal. Tell your customers to call, visit or look at your website. If you're not giving them orders, you can't expect them to start marching.

About The Author

Robert Warren (<a href="http://www.rswarren.com" target="_new">www.rswarren.com</a>) is a Florida-based freelance copywriter specializing in the unique marketing needs of independent professionals.

<a href="mailto:writer@rswarren.com">writer@rswarren.com</a>

Yellow Page Advertisers: Your Calls are Going to Decrease - Heres the Remedy

Response rates to Yellow Page advertising are declining

There's no getting around it, traditional Yellow Pages are in trouble. Fewer people use them every year. Even the best- pulling ad in the section isn't getting the number of callers or sales it used to. At the same time, the monthly cost to maintain your same-size directory ad keeps going up.

Simply tinkering with ad size (or options like color) can't compensate for the adverse developments. Declining usage impacts each directory category differently. Some (like contractors and lawyers) are declining more steeply than others. Emergency service providers (tow trucks, plumbers) are holding their own. While categories like cell phones and lawn furniture are growing rapidly, with increased consumer demand.

Advertising only in the Yellow Pages is no longer a safe bet

- Over half of all customers go to the Internet first to find product information and sources - even if they intend to spend their money locally

- People increasingly trust the Internet as a source of information about major purchases (and has overtaken the newspaper for used car sales)

- Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) are kept up to date (unlike print directories) and can be searched from anywhere - their usage is growing 25% a year

- Local Search lets search engines (like Google) include small, local businesses in their search results (even without them having a website) - over 25% of all search queries request Local Search results

- A large percentage of young adults or business buyers never consult the Yellow Page directory at all - and they control an expanding chunk of dollars spent

Rethink the role Yellow Page advertising plays for your enterprise

Take a serious look at how much you rely on the Yellow Page directory to bring new business. Are most or all of your promotional dollars spent there? Do your expectations match the number and kinds of customers your ad actually brings you?

Your strategy needs to consider all the ways you attract new customers. Recognize changed customer preferences and buying habits for your specific type of operation. The issue isn't whether or not to advertise in the Yellow Pages. If you've been there you should continue. But switch some of those dollars into marketing methods that connect with buyers who won't look for you there.

Follow these steps, with them all sending a clear, consistent message

1. Get listed in Internet Yellow Pages (IYP); there are many of them; some are free

2. Make sure your website provides the information search engines require for Local Search. Learn how to do that at http:www.yellowpagesage.com/localsearch.html

3. Beef up your website with the information customers look for (or join a portal of local businesses)

4. Submit articles about your enterprise online; find extensive assistance at http://www.promotewitharticles.com

Keep track of what's delivering new business. Commit to asking every new customer and caller how they found you. That's the only way to know which method is winning; or where to shift emphasis and money for the next year.

Pursue ways to increase business from your existing customers

The value of Yellow Page advertising is mainly to attract new customers. People who know you already are more likely to find your number in the business white (alphabetical) listings. Start working harder to strengthen those relationships so they stay loyal. Efforts spent to serve them better (or to get referrals from them) does more for profits than constantly chasing new customers can.

Get started well BEFORE the directory deadline

Some day soon it's time to renew your directory listing for another year. Let this be the year that you've figured out your strategy well in advance. Make your new strategy a front-burner, squeeky-wheel priority. Yellow Page Smarts, http://www.yellowpagesage.com/smarts.html explains how to make your Yellow Page ad and Internet marketing support each together effectively.

If your next directory deadline hasn't come yet, there's still time to change your ad for next year (like add your website address address - a study found 60% of directory users only call Yellow Page ads with a website!). If you're already committed, spend the next year getting the rest of your strategy in place. Your timely efforts can compensate for the decline in Yellow Page advertising's effectiveness. And you won't be caught off guard.

? 2004, Lynella Grant

--Dr. Lynella Grant Author, Yellow Page Smarts, Make more money from your Directory ad in tandem with your Web site. Get a YP ad critique. 719-395-9450 <a href="mailto:grant@yellowpagesage.com">grant@yellowpagesage.com</a>

Free YP resources at <a target="_new" href="http://www.yellowpagesage.com">http://www.yellowpagesage.com</a>

วันพุธที่ 26 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Harness the Power of Direct Marketing - More Small Business Power Tools

One of the most powerful tools available to small businesses is direct mail. By this I don't mean electronic, Internet-based mail, but the old-fashioned kind that requires a stamp and a trip to the post office.

Why is direct mail such a powerful tool?

It's a way for small businesses, especially retailers, to separate themselves from the big box stores such as Best Buy and Wal-mart, and to compete successfully with the Amazon.coms and Ovestock.coms of this world.

The power of direct mail, if done right, is that it's like getting a letter from your sister, mother or aunt. The postman brings it to your home. It's addressed to you personally. And when was the last time you received a letter from Best Buy, Wal-mart, Amazon.com or any Internet retailer? If so, it was undoubtedly via email and designed to be read by hundreds of thousands of customers ? not much personalization there.

The first thing you need to do to start an effective direct mail campaign is capture the names and addresses of your customers. This is easy for service organizations like carpet cleaners, auto repair firms, instant printers, and the like. They already have their customers' names and addresses. All they have to do is put them together as a mailing list. Retailers such as jewelry stores, antique dealers, liquor stores, restaurants, etc. have a tougher time because they don't have an easy way to capture their customer's names and addresses.

There are a couple of answers to this. One is the old fishbowl gimmick, where you ask customers to deposit their business cards in a fishbowl with a prize to be given away in a drawing at some later date. I personally think this has been overdone. Plus, I have heard stories of unscrupulous sales people cleaning out the fishbowls themselves and using the business cards as sales leads.

A second alternative is to post a "guestbook" somewhere near your cash register with a sign offering a free newsletter to all those who register. To make this work, you and your employees have to be kind of aggressive in urging all your customers to sign up, and you can expect that many will not. However, persistence is a virtue and if you keep this up long enough, you will capture enough names and addresses to make the effort worthwhile.

I also like the idea of offering customers some small reward for providing their names and addresses. One version of this that seems to work well is a "frequent diner," "frequent buyer," or "frequent customer" card. Give your customers small, inexpensive cards that you can punch whenever they buy from you (or just visit your store) with the promise of a free something after 10 or 12 punches. Naturally, they have to register for the card and viola! You have their names and addresses.

Last, and most expensive, you can buy a direct mail list targeted toward your best prospects. Chances are, there is at least one company in your area selling lists of prospects by criteria such as recent home buyers, camera buyers, child care customers, etc.

Once you have captured enough names and addresses (maybe 100 or more) to begin a direct mail campaign, you have a couple of alternatives. One, you can input the information yourself. Or, two, if you're strapped for time, you should be able to find a local high school or college student to input the information for you. He or she can use either a word processing program or a database program to build the list. It's just simple data entry and you might offer $0.5 or $0.10 for each name/address input. I like to use a word processing program because once the list has been built; it's fairly easy to create personalized letters, etc. using the program's mail merge features.

What do you then mail customers? I like newsletters a lot. They can be as simple as a single page printed on both sides or as complex as four to eight pages. Another good alternative is personalized letters. Just make sure that whatever you choose to send your customers is important and meaningful and always include an offer designed to bring them into your store or to call you for more information or to make an appointment.

It takes time, money and dedication to develop and implement a direct mail campaign. But it's a powerful tool that can pay for itself in just a few months and then keep paying off for years to come.

For more information on creating an effective newsletter, be sure to look for my article, "Small Business Power Tool: Customer Newsletters."

Article by Douglas Hanna. Douglas is a retired advertising and marketing executive and long-time Denver resident. He is the webmaster of <a target="_new" href="http://www.all-in-one-info.com">http://www.all-in-one-info.com</a>, a free resource for information on a variety of subjects. Please visit his site to subscribe to his free newsletter, "Tips & Tricks to Save Money & Live Better."

Seven Ways to Kick Up the Power of Your Print Advertising - More Small Business Power Tools

If you're a retailer and the only kind of advertising you do is built around sales events, you don't need much in the way of advice. All your advertising needs to do is spell out as clearly as possible what's on sale, the amount to be saved and your store's name, address and phone number. You should also include your web address as most of today's consumers expect you to have one.

But what if you're not a retailer or you don't have a sale to advertise?

Here are my seven tips for kicking up the power of your print advertising

Know thy customer. Close your eyes and try to visualize a typical customer. What's important to him? What problem(s) is she trying to solve? How old is he? Does she have children? How much do you suppose she earns a month? What would make him want to do business with you? What does he want from your product or service? The better you understand your customer the stronger a sales message you can create.

Your headline must capture your propects' interest. Your reader's eye will be drawn to your ad by its main graphic, be it a picture or illustration. The second thing he/she will see is your headline. It must serve as a bridge between the graphic and your ad's copy, and then capture your readers' attention or you will lose them and will have wasted your money. The best way to do this is to build your headline around a strong benefit statement. Again, keep in mind your prospect's needs and interests or the problem they are looking to solve. For example, a strong benefit statement would be"How to retire at age 55 without sacrificing a penny of income." I also like headlines (see the title of this article) with numbers, i.e., "Eight ways to look younger in minutes," "Five mistakes to not make when buying fine furniture."

Everybody wants to talk about their children and not yours. Of course, I don't mean this literally. What I mean is that people don't care about you and your business. They care about themselves and what you can do for them. I know this is going to depress you, but customers don't care how long you've been in business, how big your business has become, how beautiful your new store is, etc. They only want to know what you have to offer that can make their lives better, save them money or help them solve an important problem.

People love stories. I'll bet that when you were a kid, one of your favorite things was story time. As human beings, we just seem to be hard-wired to love stories. If you business lends itself to this idea, try starting you ad with a simple story. For example, if you were selling financial advice, you might start out with: "I have two old friends. Let's call them Scott and Janet. They both loved gardening and their lifelong ambition was to retire early and start a garden shop. Unfortunately, they suffered some financial setbacks and found themselves at age 55, with enough money to retire but not enough to start that dream business. When Scott and Janet came to me ....etc."

Start paragraphs with connecting words to keep your readers reading. Once you've pulled your readers into your ad, the challenge is to keep them reading to the end. The way you do this is by using connecting words at the beginning of paragraphs. Some good connecting words are "also," "in other words," "so," "but," "and," in short," "for another thing," and "plus.

Give your readers a reason to do something. You must end every ad with a call to action (see #7 below). But don't forget that you have to give your reader a reason to take that action. This could be the offer of something free such as a booklet or brochure, a free demonstration, a free sample, etc.

Always end with a call to action. Never, and I mean never, end an ad without asking your reader to do something. The something could be to call you (with a prominent phone number), stop by your store, cut out and mail a coupon, or visit your web site. This is not only critical to "closing the sale," but also can help you track the effectiveness of your advertising. If your call to action is for the prospect to phone you, it's always good to add something like "call us at 303-555-1234 and ask for, say, Bart." That way, whenever a person calls and asks for Bart, you will know your ad generated that response. The next time you run the ad, you could tell your prospect to call and ask for Chuck, etc. If your advertising includes a coupon, be sure to code it so you will know which ad generated the response.

วันอังคารที่ 25 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Advertising For The Long Haul and Not the Short Term Gains

New Age Media Concepts issues its first article of many that will focus on the advertising and marketing industry.

"If a young man tells his date she's intelligent, looks lovely, and is a great conversationalist, he's saying the right things to the right person and that's marketing. If the young man tells his date how handsome, smart and successful he is -- that's advertising. If someone else tells the young woman how handsome, smart and successful her date is -- that's public relations." By S.H. Simmons.


Welcome to New Age Media Concepts, Inc. where we understand your needs and how to maximize your marketing dollar.

Marketing is your strategy for allocating resources (time and money) in order to achieve your objectives.
People have their own unique perceptions of the world based on their belief system. The most innovative ideas, the greatest products, or a superior service succeed only when you market within the context of people's perceptions. This is true from something as simple as the pet rock craze of the 1970s to the marketing muscle of Wall Street and the Internet boom of the 1990s.
Context can be many things, singly or simultaneously. To name a few, you may market to your customers within the context of their wants, needs, problems solved, or situation improved. Current and potential advertisers need to be aware of many other contexts, such as social and economic trends or governmental regulations.
People don't just "buy" a product or a service. They "buy" the concept of what that product will do for them, or help them do for themselves. People just don't "buy" a laundry detergent, they buy the perceived notion of what that laundry detergent brand says it can accomplish for them. Otherwise every brand in the supermarket will be a no-frills. This is not to say that if a product fails to meet the customers' expectations that product will be successful in the long haul. No amount of advertising and marketing will help a failed product succeed in that scenario.
To have a successful campaign a product or service must understand that they need to start out with something a consumer needs, wants, or improves their situation and that product or service actually does help the consumer for the long haul.
The New York Times said it best in a recent article, "Companies can't Buy Love with Bargains" Building brand loyalty is more than just hyping the consumer into buying a product, it's gaining their trust and the trust of their family both today and for years to come. One example of great brand building is H.J. Heinz, (NYSE: HNZ) they have been around for decades and they gained the loyalty and trust of the consumer spanning generations, now that is great brand building.

Anyone could hype a brand for short term gains but that doesn't accomplish the goals of the advertiser or the consumer. It looks good initially but what happens when the product isn't flying off the shelves any longer and the consumers have lost trust in the product or the company?. Of course you need new and innovative ways to get your message to the consumer but this message has to be geared to building consumer loyalty and not just hype. Even the largest companies make this mistake and pay for it with decreased sales and profit margins.

So whether a consumer is buying a car from Ford (NYSE: F) , a can of beer from Anheuser Busch (NYSE:BUD) or software from Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT), the advertiser needs to cater to the needs of the consumer.

Louis Victor has been involved in the investment, advertising, marketing and public relations industries for close to two decades.

When Advertising Wears Out

One of the challenges facing marketers is determining the most effective level of advertising exposure for a brand, while maintaining a given budget. Conceptually, the media planner could choose continuous advertising (even exposures spread over a period of time) or follow a strategy of pulsing ("on" for some months and "off" for others). The decision is important because the wrong one will considerably affect customer response. When advertisements are run at a low frequency (very few times), they run a risk of going unnoticed. The first time customers view an advertisement, a majority of the time, the message doesn't even process in their minds. On the other hand, when an advertisement is run at a high frequency, advertising wearout may occur. Therefore, the task at hand is finding just the right frequency for a positive response.

Overly repetitive messages typically have a negative effect on customer attitudes as they relate to a brand. Advertising wearout occurs when, at some level of repetition, the customer's affective response is either no longer positive or shows a significant decline. Advertising wearout is the result of excessive frequency causing viewers to perceive there's nothing new to be gained from processing the advertisement, thereby withdrawing attention. That's assuming all possible customers view every exposure, which is unrealistic. Not every customer will see every rotation. That's why it becomes difficult to find the optimal level of exposure. Media planners must remember that not every rotation is seen by all customers.

Wearout can also be a hazard, causing negative customer attitudes. Aggressively communicating with your customers doesn't always lead to poor or deteriorating relationships. But unless media's carefully planned and executed, it may ruin the opportunity to build long-term customer equity. So, the question is "How do marketers solve the puzzle of how frequently to expose their advertisements?" First, we have to address the issue of wearout. To avoid wearout, marketers frequently develop and rotate a pool of advertisements that employ different executions but convey the same basic message and claims. These executions typically share a number of common features, such as brand name, logo, tag line and general layout, while other features such as headline, copy and graphic elements are varied. The logic is that by introducing ample variations in advertising executions, the onset of wearout will be delayed. At the same time, the continued use of certain features of the advertisement across executions establishes consistency and presumably builds brand recognition or equity.

To understand why wearout occurs, scientists studied the brain to understand cognitive thinking and responses to these situations. They found the brain tends to ignore an object or theme that's repeated too many times. Essentially, most communication works by triggering memories. Old images or concepts are associated with something in the advertisement, recognizing elements as familiar. In the process, something new may be introduced and the brain links it with the old. When something new or unknown to a customer is presented to the brain for processing it evaluates: a) whether it is new and b) whether it corresponds to prior experience, knowledge and beliefs. The familiar portion of the advertisement is treated more casually. The brain recognizes it and spends less time evaluating its validity. It's interpreted as given. To that end, marketers should change portions of advertisements to keep customers interested.

Of course, when considering advertising wearout, we must consider that each situation, product, market, and many other characteristics are always variable factors that can't be conformed to an "advertising mold." Each situation must be dealt with differently. Radio, television and print media wearout at different levels; print media tends to wearout more quickly than more entertaining forms of media such as television. For example, which would you rather do, watch a commercial over and over, or read an article over and over? Obviously the stimulation that occurs with entertaining commercials will bring customers back more easily than a newspaper or magazine article.

The best way for marketers to fend off wearout is to rotate variations in theme with different executions of the same message strategy.

Regarding low frequencies, the question remains, "What isn't enough?" That's also dependent on the situation, but budget allowing, multiple exposures are more effective than one or a few. Media schedules are based on budgets and demographics. When selling products to the elderly, a low frequency will generally suffice. As for teens, the higher the frequency the better. Business-to-business typically requires higher frequency, as well. Simply put, the shorter the attention span of the customer, the more exposures necessary to break through.

There's no finite answer to the question of advertising wearout. The most important variables in deciding the optimal frequency are an understanding of the customer, rotating different advertisements, and keeping the customer's attention. There are rewards in reminding the consumer about the attributes of a brand. Reinforcement and refreshment of existing attribute, without wearing out the message, is a primary goal of advertising.

Mark Levit is managing partner of Partners & Levit Advertising New York and a professor of marketing at New York University. For more information visit <A target="_new" HREF="http://www.partnerslevit.com">http://www.partnerslevit.com</a> or call
212-696-1200.

วันจันทร์ที่ 24 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Mortgage Marketing - Broadcast Advertising vs Direct Advertising

Do you know how to design and deploy a marketing campaign?

Even if your ad budget is small you should still plan and measure the results of you advertising. This process is the key to your ultimate success.

You see, there are two types of advertising. The first is broadcast marketing. This category includes TV and radio commercials. While broadcast ads can be effective, they are very expensive and almost impossible to measure.

And you can't manage what you can't measure.

Which brings us to direct marketing. These ads are sent directly to your prospects. Sales letters, coupons, and order ready websites are some examples of this type of ad. But the truth is, any ad that you can accurately measure the results of falls into the category of direct marketing.

The advantage of direct marketing is that it is more science than art. You can key every ad you use and measure the real world results exactly.

This is huge. Through trial and error you can test the effectiveness of your ads. Over time you can gradually improve the pulling power. Eventually you'll have a set of ads that work really well.

More sales for less money.

To get there you must key every ad and keep careful records of the results each produce. Run two ads every time you advertise in any given media. Compare the results and go with the winning ad.

Then write another ad and put it up against your winning ad or control. If it beats your control then use it instead. Keep refining and testing.

This is an ongoing process. Markets change and ads loose their effectiveness after a while. To have a top-notch marketing campaign you must be constantly improving your ads.

To Your Prosperity,

David A. Wells, owner of <a target="_new" href="http://www.Mortgage-Millions.com">http://www.Mortgage-Millions.com</a> and author of The Millionaire Mortgage Broker's Marketing Manual, is a mortgage marketing expert who helps mortgage brokers succeed. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:mortgage@mortgage-millions.com">mortgage@mortgage-millions.com</a>.

Advertising Through Moms

Moms have a very powerful influence on what their families eat, drink, wear, do, and buy. Moms are not only the driving force behind their families, but also the economy.

Moms Have The Power!

Moms have the power to start a trend or "nip it in the bud". Moms want a reasonably priced, high quality, safe, and reliable product. Do you have such a product?

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 23 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Bad Seduction - Advertising Techniques That Dont Work

I just read some advertising suggestions on an Internet marketing site that are beyond annoying. They are flat-out bad advice. They illustrate a complete lack of understanding of the whole persuasion process.

First, small business owners are told that advertising often has a cumulative effect, so ad-driven sales may not be immediate. Then, they're told how to measure and track the immediate response of their advertising.

Reading past that little dichotomy, some of the suggestions included:

? Use magazine response cards. Remember to code the cards if you use multiple publications.

? Use a coupon in your newspaper ads. Code the coupons so that you can tell which publication generates the most sales.

? Put a line in your radio scripts to "Mention this ad and get a 10% discount."

? Ask all new customers how they heard about your business.

Make no mistake. These are all bad suggestions. Very bad. In addition to being very poor persuasion, each of these strategies assumes that your prospective customers are paying very close attention to your ads.

Trust me, customers don't.

Good advertising is seduction. Pretend with me for a minute that all advertising is an attempt to get a "date" with your prospect.

How do these recommendations hold up under that scenario?

Would you, for instance, send a response card to anyone you could possibly be interested in dating, which says "If you'd like to learn more about me, fill out your name, address, and your specific areas of interest in me, and apply your own postage to return it to me?"

No, I didn't think you would.

The advice contained in these recommendations also suffers from major misunderstandings in the motivations of customers.

Coupons assume that you have nothing to offer but a better price. Think about the implications of that for a moment. It implies that after you've spent the money to advertise your discounted (and minimally profitable) price, that the customer has no reason to ever come back to do business with you again. Or at least, until you drop your price again.

Mention this ad? In three decades of mass media experience, I've never heard of a single person saying "I heard your ad. Give me the discount." Smart radio stations will never allow this on their air. Does that mean people don't respond to advertising? No, it doesn't mean that at all. It means that they won't embarrass themselves by parroting your line. Not surprising, is it? Most people won't admit that advertising affects them in any way.

Ask new customers where they heard about you?

They don't know.

Oh, they'll try to give you an answer. Really though, your advertising isn't important enough for them to remember exactly what they learned about you, let alone the source of that information. But because they'll want to be helpful, they will guess. They'll usually guess wrong.

There are two major problems with any of these "track your response" strategies.

? They provide bad information. Bad information is worse than none at all. It gives you a distorted view of reality. Which leads to the second problem:

? You'll be tempted to make decisions based on this bad information. You will frequently make the wrong decisions.

Consider this, instead. Send the object of your affection an "I love you" message.

Does it matter whether your "I love you" comes in a telegram, an e-mail, a card, or over the phone? Or is the expression of love the most important consideration?

Does it matter whether your ad message is delivered in the newspaper, over the radio, on cable TV, or by direct mail? Or is the message the critical part?

Your advertising will improve by orders of magnitude when you spend less time attempting to find the most effective medium, and more time searching for the most effective message.

Chuck McKay is a marketing practitioner specializing in small retail and service businesses. He is the author of Fishing For Customers And Reeling Them In. Chuck's columns appear regularly at <a target="_new" href="http://www.fishingforcustomers.com">http://www.fishingforcustomers.com</a>

Mr. McKay is available as a guest speaker or seminar presenter.
Call Wizard of Ads?
Headquarters:(800) 425-4769.

Why Your Ads Aren?t Working

The president of a manufacturing company recently asked me, "Why isn't my advertising working?" Have you ever been asked this question? Have you ever asked it yourself?

Like most marketing communications questions there are no simple answers. After all, communication is a high level activity. There are lots of variables involved.

If your ad results are disappointing, here are the key things to look at:

1) Message Is what your ad promises compelling? Is it meaningful to your audience? If you're not offering something prospective customers want, they won't respond. If you're not sure what prospects want, ASK!!

2) Audience Are you reaching the people who make the buying decision for your product or service? Many big ticket sales involve buying teams or multiple layers within an organization. Are you reaching everyone you need to?

3) Vehicles Are you in the best publications (or radio time slots, TV programs, whatever)to reach your audience with your message? Look at quantitative AND qualitative data to get a true evaluation of media and vehicles.

4) Frequency/repetition There are two cardinal rules of human communication: a) People will notice your ad only when they're interested, and b) People retain about 10% of the messages they're exposed to each day. So for a communication program to succeed, it must repeat, repeat, repeat. (Current estimates are that it can take 7-9 repetitions of a message for it to sink in.)

5) Attention Does your ad have stopping power? Will the intended audience take the time to look? This usually requires the synergy of an arresting visual and a powerful headline.

6) Objectives Are you asking advertising to do what it's good at? Generating inquiries and creating awareness are reasonable ad objectives. But don't expect advertising to SELL a product. Good ads set up opportunities to sell. Your sales channel will need to close the deal.

7) Measuring results Do you really know what your advertising is achieving? Are you collecting and reviewing results that relate to your objectives? For instance, if you expect your advertising program to generate inquiries, measurement that looks at inquiry quantity and quality should be built into your program.

Sound intimidating? Communication is important to any business but it's complicated. Fortunately there are experienced consultants and agencies who can help you.

About the author

Claire Cunningham, president of Clairvoyant Communications, Inc., has 20+ years' experience developing and implementing successful marketing and communications programs. Sign up for Claire's monthly e-newsletter, Communiqu?, at <a target="_new" href="http://www.clairvoyantcommunications.com">http://www.clairvoyantcommunications.com</a> Claire can be reached at 763-479-3499 (claire@claircomm.com)

Go Ahead Im Listening

In today's fast paced environment, interaction with family and friends is often relegated to a few left over minutes here and there, leaving many people feeling isolated.

Radio fills the gap. Radio provides a one on one emotional experience. It creates a connection that is a personal and unique experience for each listener. It's just you and the voice on the radio, speaking to you.

TV and print media are mass media. Eliciting an emotional response from print is almost an impossibility. TV is emotional but not personal. You know it's you and the thousands of others who are watching, besides which it's beyond the budget of many businesses.

As an advertiser, you have an opportunity to speak directly to your customer, using words and phrases that have meaning for them. Radio can relate messages that have synergy with campaigns in other media, but shouldn't be written in the same style. Effective radio is a conversation with the customer. It's your chance to tell a story.

How interesting would you find a story that started with the company name or, " We have friendly, knowledgeable staff. Stop in and see us. We have 20 colours of sofas in a variety of sizes and styles." Boring isn't it? So why do so many advertisers do it?

It's easy to talk about your business and what you want to sell. It takes more time and effort to find out what your customer wants and talk in terms of their buying motivation, but it's worth it. It's easier to get quick results by announcing a sale, than it is to build a relationship with the consumer. Where do you think those sale shoppers will be when your competition is having a sale, not at your business I bet?

Another of radio's great strengths is its ability to reach a defined market segment. When you buy newspaper advertising, you buy the whole and very general readership, all the demographics and special interest groups. Now it's not a bad thing to reach more people, but if you have a limited budget you can spend it very quickly in your daily paper, on one ad,?. one day, ?.one time. That's not great frequency and just hit and miss reach. What if your best prospects don't read the paper on the day your ad runs?

Radio gives you an opportunity to target the age and interests of your segment of the market. With a budget large enough to cover the cost of a reasonable sized ad in your daily newspaper, you can buy a whole week of radio commercials.

Don't get put off by commercial prices at the top stations. It is not about reaching a huge number of prospects a few times. It's about reaching a smaller number of listeners enough times for them to think they know and like you, and want to do business with you. Spend time and money creating a message that conveys a message your customers can relate to.

Have you ever bought something you just had to have, and then gone home and explained logically to a family member why it was an essential? You bought on emotion and justified with logic, the same thing your customer does. Forget generic when it comes to radio. This is one time it pays to get personal.

In the US the norm is 60 seconds for a radio commercial in Canada 30 seconds. If you've got a great story to tell and you're a good storyteller, then use 60 seconds otherwise the shorter commercial is better. The only thing worse than boring the listener for 30 seconds, is boring them for 60. Frequency to raise awareness for your business name and purpose in speaking to them can be achieved economically by adding a schedule of sponsorships and/or 10-15 second messages.

This is an example of a 30 second radio script that connected with the customer. How do we know it was good? Sales increased.

Unbeknownst to your co-workers, you are a connoisseur. Sure, you have tattoos and a problem finding your inner-self, but you crave adventure and You! Know! Food! So, in this world of new awareness, reward yourself with a world of flavours. Wrapzone. An ambrosia of foods, and devilish sauces harmoniously heaped on a tortilla. The silver gift wrap is free every day! Experience-Full-Fillment. Wrapzone.

On radio, as in all your advertising, you need to keep it simple. A soliloquy well read is much more effective than something with too many words, multiple focus, lots of sound effects or a conversation between a two or more people.

Points to remember:

Radio is an opportunity, use it to your advantage, some of your competitors never will.

Negotiate; the price isn't always the price.

Don't get too hung up on the price per commercial. Ask for pre-emptable no charge commercials to augment your campaign.

Find out when your commercials will run. If you choose a station based on the number of commercials included in a package make sure they are not bumping up the numbers by running them all 6pm ? 5am.

If you have a small budget focus on one daypart to increase the number of times a listener hears your message.

Writing and production are included in the price but that doesn't mean the message they create for you will be effective. You need to be involved in the creative process.

You can be too creative. Don't make listeners strain to try to figure out what you are saying.

If you haven't got the budget to do a heavy enough campaign to make an impact, save your money until you do.

Ask how the station schedules their commercials. If they have long commercial blocks you have to work especially hard to stand out from the 5 or 6 (or more) other messages.

Keep your message simple.

Nancy Fraser worked in radio for over 20 years. She owned and operated her own specialty retail store, and held Management and Sales Executive positions in media and communications. Free information and tools on effective advertising and marketing are available in Notable News at <a target="_new" href="http://www.notable-marketing.com">http://www.notable-marketing.com</a>

วันเสาร์ที่ 22 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Internet Advertising: How To Use The Golden Rule To Enrich Yourself.

What is the golden rule of internet advertising?

Give, so you may receive.

It is as simple as that.

Most people desire to receive, but never give!

You can increase your marketing exposure effortlessly by placing your ad on free stuff, then allow other people to give it away. The more people that give away your free stuff the more your ad will be seen.

Most free stuff can be created easily and without little or no expense. Electronic freebies are perfect because with these types of freebies there's no shipping or physical material costs.

Below are some popular types of electronic freebies.

Free e-Coupons/e-Gift Certificates-Give your visitors free electronic coupons and gift certificates for your products or services.

Free e-Books-Give your visitors a free electronic book. The e-book should be related to your web site theme.

Free e-Reports-Give your visitors free electronic reports. The reports could be in autoresponder form or in text format.

Free e-Courses-Give your visitors a free electronic courses. They could e-mail your follow-up autoresponder and be sent a lesson each day.

Free Software-Give your visitors free software. It could be a game or a useful utility. Just have them download it right from your web site.

Free Online Services/Utilities-Give your visitors free online services or utilities. They should be ready to use right from your web site.

In conclusion, when you use this marketing strategy it will quickly spread your advertising all over the internet.

May you succeed in your internet advertising and make a lot of money.

Warmly,

I-key Benney, CEO

I-key, a Millionaire CEO from New York City is the creator of "Mscsrrr: Millionaire Secret Cash System", (<a target="_new" href="http://www.home-based-business-opportunity-center.com">internet income</a>) program, which has helped thousands of ordinary people from all over the world to attain financial security and shining success during the past 2 yrs.

Mscsrrr Millionaire Cash System helps you to generate $1,500+/Week for life, from home or office, part time or full time. No large investment or hassles. Win $1000-$2000 free "cash"?

วันศุกร์ที่ 21 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Does Post Card Advertising Really Work?

You've decided to try advertising your business with post cards. The idea came to you from the post cards you receive from other businesses. You like the idea because it seems easy to do and economical. However, you've never tried this before so you question whether this method will bring you customers.

Let me say this first, "All Forms of Advertising Work!" However, you have to clearly understand how the advertising medium works and realize that each form has it's limitations along with costs associated with it.

At this time, I also I need to dispel a myth that has been around for as long as there has been printed advertising. Many, many business people believe that if they do a 1 time mass mailing it should be a slam dunk in sales.

Let me be the first to say. "With over 36 years of selling to the public, it simply doesn't work that way!" If you plan on being in business longer than 1 day, then you must continually advertise to keep the clientele coming to you.

Advertising in any medium has always been about repetition and getting your name remembered. It's called "Branding". Study businesses that use television commercials. They are constantly repeating their business message 1000's of times a day. They are the best free examples to watch and learn from.

So for your business, you can conclude that the more your prospects see your name or message repeated, the easier it is for them to get to know you and what you offer. Then it becomes an easier task to get them to buy from you.

So How Does Post Card Advertising Work?

You create an ad on a Post card. This can be done in your favorite graphics or word program. Then use the mail merge feature in the program to insert mailing addresses automatically. In case you haven't setup your address book you would need to do this before you do a mail merge.

Print out the cards, stamp them and then mail them out. If done correctly and repeated over and over again your customer base will grow. This is the simple mechanics of post card advertising.

So Where Do I Get Good Addresses From?

Before you can get good addresses, you must first know who it is you are wanting to target before you do your mail out. You wouldn't offer gun sales to anti-gun activists or religious material to a group of Atheists, now would you?

First, go to the large search engines and do some research to find out who uses your type of product and/or services. Once you uncover who they are, you then know who your target market will be.

As a side note, there are companies that do sell mailing lists that contain groups of people, organizations and businesses. It is all gathered and cataloged and based on personal interests and/or work related. You can buy these mailing lists or start your own.

Secondly you have to determine how often you will be sending your post cards out. The amount of times you repeat your message, to those you target, will determine how well they remember you. Let me show you how I am targeted by companies that I do business with and that get my attention as well as my order.

Example:

ImpactYourArea.com is targeted by companies that make promotional products. Everyday I receive something in the mail from some company. It could be product announcements, new product samples, promotions and/or valuable insight to generating more sales.

Some companies send me information at least once a month. Others 4 times a year. Then there are those companies that send me something only once a year.

Of those three company types which do you think I remember more? It would be those that send me something once a month.

From this example it should be clear that getting your message out repeatedly and often is how your prospects are going to remember you, your product and/or services.

So What Are The Limitations With Post Card Advertising?

Let's say you plan to send out 5000 post cards in a one time mailing. If you are targeting prospects that use your type of service or product, then statistically you should draw 1-2% in responses. Meaning that roughly 50 people may show some interest.

That doesn't necessarily mean you have converted the prospect into a buyer. It only means they have shown an interest in your offer and are willing to take it to the next step.

The next step, for them, is to find out a little bit more about your offer. These are your "Tire Kickers". Of those that responded your chance of converting them is also 1-2%.

So your chances of converting prospect to buyer, from your 1 time mail out could be 4-6 buyers from your original 5000 post card mail out.

Now most would say that the campaign was a failure. However, by the way this medium works it was right on target.

So How Do You Increase Response Rate?

Instead of sending out a 1 time mass mailing of 5000 post cards, consider sending out a smaller amount and do it in monthly increments. Repeat the mail out process once a month for 12-24 months.

So How Much Should You Send Out?

I would start small and build from that. This gives you the ability to spend a little at a time while measuring how each mail out converted. This keeps your advertising costs down and manageable.

Start with 500 post cards a month. Only target prospects you know that would use your product and/or services. Then I would repeat the mail out to the same group over the next 1-2 years.

Even if they do not buy the first or second time after they've received your card, they are beginning to get to know you and your product and/or services. As time goes by your chances of converting them to a buyer increases. There is also a good chance that those you target may pass your offer onto someone else.

In conclusion, never allow the idea that advertising once will be the solution to gaining repeat business. Don't forget that post card advertising does work if you learn how to do it right and you repeat the process over and over.

About the Author: Woody Qui?ones has been selling to the public since the age of 10. With over 36 years of marketing experience he has started several businesses with little or no money. Including his popular website, <a target="_new" href="http://www.ImpactYourArea.com">http://www.ImpactYourArea.com</a> Woody is also an Authorized Kaeser & Blair Dealer, a published online writer, a licensed and certified locksmith of 17 years and can be located on numerous online business forums.

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 20 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

The Ultimate, ?Must-Have? Home-Based Business for YOU

The Ultimate, "Must-Have" Home-Based Business for YOU a Underemployed, Unemployed, or Industrial Age Individual

Allow me to educate you on the issue of job security and paint you a picture of what the aftermath can be if you remain comfortable at your regular job. Job security is an old-fashioned term that claims the longer an employee worked for a particular company, the more precious that person became. The employee was once valuable to the company because they graduated from college, got a degree, and/or had determination for hard labor.

In the past, it was all right to become comfortable with your position. In today's society, being comfortable is the wrong thing to do and actually, it's a trap. This trap is the reason why people with college degrees are without jobs and the good workers are always the first ones released from a professional setting. I am a Housekeeper for the Home at Hearthstone, a nursing home in Cincinnati, Ohio. I work from 7 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. for $8.40 per hour. The wages that I make alone, tells you that I am working at a dead-end job and receiving paychecks that don't reflect a thorough performance. I am an underemployed 19 year old-male who attends college and makes good grades. Graduating from college might raise my income level slightly, but it will not secure me a job.

I am among millions of individuals who like their jobs and work very hard at their occupations. I am also among many Americans who believe that in order to maintain my job; I must show up to work everyday on time, listen to my supervisor and do a complete and thorough job. These three things combined will not keep you your job. If you continue to hold that belief, you'll find yourself in debt, have bad credit, and lose your house and other financial obscurities. Losing what you have worked hard for all your life is not a great feeling! What I am about to tell you is very important and will save you time or otherwise, reality will slap you in the face! Job Security has departed from this world permanently.

Knowing that job security is dead, what can YOU do to create a substantial income? YOU need to do two things:

First, decide that you want to work for yourself. Second, take the initiative to start your own business. Either you can work for someone else or you can work for yourself.

The second choice is better than the first one. At 16, I thought that I can do whatever I want on the job as long is my work is done. In other words, I like to do things my way. I continue to feel like that today in the workforce. When working for a corporate employer, you must follow job policy at all times. Conflict will arise when your rules don't match policy rules and you're in jeopardy of losing your quicker than you expected. If you hold similar beliefs such as mine, then a home-based business if for YOU, which leads to the biggest hurdle of the two steps, taking the initiative.

If you don't take the initiative to start your own business, then you're making a foolish decision. Millions of people are without jobs or working for awful wages. This is due to a bad economy. The government will continue to show their lack of sympathy by taking many taxes out of the checks of lower and middle class citizens, while the rich continue to get tax breaks. (There is a solution to that problem if you click on the link in the resource box and click on the Taxwayz link inside my website.) On August 25, 2004, I joined the Moneywayz program because my goal is to make more money with a home-based business within a few months than I make with my regular job in an entire year. Within minutes of reading the brochure, I decided to put my skepticism to the side and take a chance because if you do not take chances, your income will become stagnant and you will still be a subordinate to your supervisor. Can you afford to live without money?

If you plan to start a home-based business, but don't have an idea on exactly what you want to do, then the following may be the most important. Would you like to become a part of a business that provides you with power-packed tools to become a business success on the Internet? Would you like to join a business who believes, "The Greatest Music Is Money"? Would you like to end financial depression? If this is correct, then read on further to the resource box. Educate yourself and develop your skills so you can be a demand for financial success!

Paul Wilson II, a second-year college student, business owner will take you by the hand and paint YOU a picture of the exact results achieved with the Moneywayz program! Discover how you can achieve an explosive income with six profitable businesses, starting today: <a target="_new" href="http://pwil.moneywayz.com/">http://pwil.moneywayz.com/</a> FREE.

Attention-Grabbing Fixes that Make Your Yellow Page Ad Leap Off the Page

Stand Out in Ways that Matter to Directory Users A Yellow Page directory presents a difficult challenge for advertisers. All the competitors are packed together, within the space of a few pages. Each ad within the directory category screams "Notice me!" so insistently, they blend into an muffled chorus. It's not easy for one to stand out with a clear, distinctive voice - like a soloist above the choir. That only happens when the business is clear about expressing its unique "song," and understands what buyers most want to hear.

It isn't surprising that most Yellow Page ads say pretty much the same thing. They were all prepared by the same directory employees. What do they know about marketing? About copywriting? About what's unique and desirable about your enterprise?

The people making the ads "grind them out," using the same templates and guidelines for every ad, in every category. Originality isn't in their job description. Following the formulas for how an ad "should look" is a formula for being ignored.

These quick fixes cut away the bland sameness afflicting most ads. Disregard for now the related issues like the ad's size and placement. Such factors just amplify (or diminish) an ad's impact. A poor ad is still a poor ad, even if it's very large. Coupled with fine-tuned copy (its own topic), these fixes will improve the impact of any size of ad, for any directory heading.

Try these Quick and Easy Fixes

You don't have to be a designer or copywriter to make your ad stand out. You just have to understand your customers' unstated wants, so you supply precisely the information that they're looking for. And you need to know how you're different than your competitors. Set yourself apart, so you don't fade into the background, as most ads do.

1. Shrink the business name. That is NOT the most important part of the ad in the reader's mind. And it crowds out the space for information that that could sell them on you. Once you can get them to want you, they'll be able to find your name and contact information OK.

2. Ditto, shrink the graphics. They may be helpful to catch the eye initially, but add nothing to what directory users want to know. Images often distract from the ad's message, wasting its moment of attention on trivialities.

3. Provide a headline that hooks the readers' interest (the category or business name isn't one, but most ads act like it is). A strong, emotionally-charged headline pulls attention into the rest of the information. It makes people stop skimming and actually read. Provide a promise that hits their hot button in a way that applies only to you (but not every other competitor in the category)

4. Make the location easy to find. Half of all directory users scan ads for the business location first, and then only consider those ads which are convenient. Location of the enterprise overrides an ad's size or placement in the directory.

5. Display your expertise, along with a reason for buyers to seek out your specialized knowledge. Offer a booklet, class, in-depth information on your Web site, etc. This also establishes your credibility in customers' eyes, which is crucial to building sufficient trust to complete a purchase.

6. Buyers are hunting for information that can assist in making a purchase. When they open the directory, they're hoping to find a business that in some way communicates, "I'm the one you're looking for." Make it easy for them to know it's you, by giving ample information directed at their concerns. Organize it in bulleted lists.

7. Add your Web site address (domain name) and/or email address. Treat your Web site as a place to expand the size of your Yellow Page ad. Then state a reason why a person wants to check your site: www.mysite.com for 23 simple ways to keep your dog from over-eating Or www.myrestaurant.com for recipes to our award-winning desserts.

8. Arrange it all so the information flows logically, and to please the eye.

9. Eliminate images or phrases that appear in the other ads. Find a different, more interesting way to express it.

10. Don't let the directory do your ad for free. It will end up costing you too much.

The Ideal Yellow Page Ad

The very best ad is the intersection between what a buyer is looking for, and what a business provides. When a business is attuned to its customers' priorities and needs, it can say exactly what rings their bell. For example, a harried mother will respond with relief to the phrase, "Free Childcare Provided." That service carries no weight with a business person, who may consider "No extra charge for weekend service calls" the clincher.

What really makes an ad stand out is the specifics, not the generalities (which is what every other ad says). Visit www.yellowpagesage.com for advice from many experts about getting more mileage from your ad. Or obtain a customized critique of your ad, that eliminates the guesswork about what needs fixing.

Directory users are ready to buy. Simplify their lives by making your products and services so "just right" that choosing you is their only sensible choice.

--Dr. Lynella Grant, an expert in visual communication. How printed materials send signals that strengthen or undo the words. Author, The Business Card Book & Yellow Page Smarts <a target="_new" href="http://www.yellowpagesage.com ">http://www.yellowpagesage.com </a> Off the Page Press (719) 395-9450

Advertising

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 30 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

The Seven Second Race: How to Draw Attention Your Ad

วันเสาร์ที่ 29 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

80% of All Advertising Is Wasted Due To This Common Mistake

Advertising - Does it Matter?

Measure the Response of Your Advertising Campaigns by Using Promotional Products

Vinyl Banners for the Right Occasion

3 Inside Secrets To Making You Richer Using Direct Mail!

The Principle Of Advertising Online

วันศุกร์ที่ 28 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Testimonials Convert Prospects Into Buyers

4 Ways to Double the Power of Your Business Cards

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 27 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

The Importance of Your Business Card

Advertising Through Moms

Avoid The Big Advertising Mistakes

Yellow Page Advertisers: Your Calls are Going to Decrease - Heres the Remedy

วันพุธที่ 26 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Harness the Power of Direct Marketing - More Small Business Power Tools

Seven Ways to Kick Up the Power of Your Print Advertising - More Small Business Power Tools

วันอังคารที่ 25 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Advertising For The Long Haul and Not the Short Term Gains

When Advertising Wears Out

วันจันทร์ที่ 24 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Mortgage Marketing - Broadcast Advertising vs Direct Advertising

Advertising Through Moms

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 23 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Bad Seduction - Advertising Techniques That Dont Work

Why Your Ads Aren?t Working

Go Ahead Im Listening

วันเสาร์ที่ 22 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Internet Advertising: How To Use The Golden Rule To Enrich Yourself.

วันศุกร์ที่ 21 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Does Post Card Advertising Really Work?

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 20 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

The Ultimate, ?Must-Have? Home-Based Business for YOU

Attention-Grabbing Fixes that Make Your Yellow Page Ad Leap Off the Page

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