Friday, July 13, 2012

Maximize Success With Your Trade Show Stands Without Getting Stuck In A Rut

Veteran participants of the marketing convention circuit understand firsthand the many distinctive features and benefits yielded when working trade show stands. With more experience and practice comes a certain level of confidence and presentational ease for companies of any size and scope. After the first few years, savvy entrepreneurs often find they've gotten their display for a trade show down to almost an exact science. And that's a good thing, right?

Are You Putting The R-U-T in your Trade Show Stand's Routine?

Well, yes and no. There is certainly something to be said for being familiar with the successful exhibition of trade show stands. However, some businesses often find that their display for a trade show has started to feel less like an engaging and well-oiled routine and more like a rut. Like any marketing resource, in order to maximize efforts and guarantee the best return on investment, it's always important to keep things looking and feeling fresh. If you feel like your trade show stands and presentations could use a little renewed vigor, read on. Understanding a few simple tricks can help you go from a rut to rejuvenated energy quickly!

Key Methods To Revive Your Display For A Trade Show

One of the easiest ways to breathe some new life into your business' performance at industry events is to focus on the booths and stands themselves. All too often, companies rely on the same displays and graphics year after year. Fortunately, tweaking stands and booths can be a simple and inexpensive task. Partner with a reliable design firm to revamp the esthetics of your booth and watch how quickly the energy of your team changes as well. Don't think you have the budget for an exhibit enhancement? That's okay - a reputable firm will also be able to create some customized banner stands that can quickly change the look and feel of your overall displays.

Beyond the booth itself, it's important to consider other ways to modify your marketing convention routine. Part of your current rut may hinge on attending the same events each and every year. Check out the list of events that your business always participates in and carefully determine the type of return on investment you're actually getting from each. Yes, you'll want to stay with the ones that yield the most impressive returns, but don't fear scratching off a few that just aren't cutting it. Instead of spinning wheels needlessly just because it's what you've always done, use your free time as an opportunity to check out new functions.

Finally, always use your staff's brainstorming capabilities to help keep things new and fresh beyond the trade show stands. Rather than simply going through the motions at each function, hold a meeting beforehand to strategize participation. Things like staying at a new hotel, setting up the display in a new location, offering a different promotional handout, etc. can all be ideas worth considering to ensure that your business keeps things from getting stale at any function.



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Promotional Models For Field Marketing

For any business owner, promoting his or her brand is the main deal and very important too. They have to find out various ways of promotion of all their products. It is a way of making potential consumers aware of their brand. Till the time consumers will not be aware of your company, they will obviously not come towards you. Hence, promotion is the tool to make your company stand out amongst all other companies and also to create awareness amongst the probable buyers. It can be done in innumerable ways. One can use the print media, television advertisements, radio, personal media and many more.

These days a new trend has come up in this field. This trend is the promotion of products by holding small events in malls and such similar places. For example, the company will hold a five day event in a mall and in those five days it will do heavy promotions of the brand. It will hire a few actors or models who would be interested in helping out. So in this manner the purpose of field marketing will be fulfilled. Field marketing is basically the concept of giving samples and showcasing products on the field. This procedure requires manpower, resources and a bit limelight. In the manpower, the company can hire models that would willingly do their work of promotion. These models will be called as the promotional models. There are a few event management companies who handle everything related to such events. Such companies help the promoting company with hiring promotional models. One can simply look over the internet about any such event company in order to list out their event activities. These kinds of organizations are a great help as they will do everything that you ask them to.

The end result produced by an event organization will be extremely satisfying. One can simply fix a meeting and chalk out all the activities of the event that have to be done. Preparing a list of activities is extremely important as it allows the other party to carefully follow your needs. The fee should be discussed beforehand so that later there are no problems. Also, it is important to prepare a budget first. This will help you immensely at the time of preparing a list of all the activities to be done. It will also give you an assumption of how much you will spend and how mush money you will save. Hence, if you too are a business owner and wish to hold an event like this, then do not hesitate in contacting an event management company today.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

7 Top Reasons Why You Should Become an Affiliate Marketer

1. Affiliate Marketing can work for anyone.

No matter your age, where you live or your background, you can become an affiliate. You simply need internet access and basic computer skills. You don't need to be a web development guru or an expert writer.

Most affiliates start on a level playing field, and learn by taking action. Many merchants who rely on affiliates for their marketing will provide advertising banners, emails and even articles you can use in your campaigns.

2. You have a wide choice of programs and products.

There are literally thousands of markets and people you can promote to. Each one has needs and wants, problems and desires. You just need to select one that appeals to you, and go to work.

Your biggest problem may be that there's too much choice, and you'll have trouble making a decision what to market. This doesn't mean you should just choose one product.

3. You're not tied to any one particular product.

Once you've selected a particular market - let's say weight loss, for example - you don't need to stick to just one product to promote.

Unlike most MLM business opportunities, you are able to choose a variety of products and services in your chosen niche. Within the weight loss niche, you could promote diet books, exercise programs, nutritionals and exercise equipment.

The key is to try several, and see which ones perform best for you.

4. It costs very little to get started.

You can get started with absolutely no investment, but that's likely not the best way to go. Every real business requires some initial monetary investment.

Start by investing in a domain name and web hosting. Domain names run about $10, and you can get web hosting for $10 per month. Set up a blog. This will be your sales and marketing hub, where you'll write articles, reviews and even videos.

Actually joining affiliate programs is free, and there are many ways to promote products for free.

5. All the 'grunt work' is done for you.

The merchant you are affiliated with handles all the delivery, payment processing and customer service for you. All your time is invested in the marketing and promotion aspect of your business.

6. You can set up several hubs.

There's no need to focus on just one topic or market. Once you have one up and running, and making you money, choose a second topic to focus on. All successful affiliate marketers promote a variety of products, to an array of markets. Not all will be equally successful, so setting up multiple hubs and marketing sites is just good business.

7. There is little or no risk involved.

By marketing someone else's products, you never need to spend time and money doing the thorough market research that's necessary in creating a product. That time consuming, expensive and risky job is done for you.

Where you will spend money is when you want to save time - placing paid advertising in addition to free, and outsourcing tasks that you don't like or feel you can't do well.

Affiliate marketing is a huge business, both online and off-line. It is here to stay, and there's a lot of money to be made. More and more people are turning to the internet to research products and buy, so why not take advantage of this growing trend and global marketplace?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Get High Returns On Your Investments Using Marketing Video

With commercial market filled with all kinds of products, every customer today, before purchasing a product, wants to know whether it would benefit him or not. He also wants to know whether he can trust the company of which product he is purchasing. Businesses also at the same time look forward to satisfy their customers on these points. Marketing videos are proving to be a boon for businesses in this regard. Technology has today made marketing videos turn from a boring, non interactive audio video presentation to hi-tech, interactive presentations. Neither are they same as they used to be a couple of years ago nor are they viewed in the same fashion or with the same age-old mentality.

A study by 'Eye View Digital', an online website, shows that using video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80%. This shows that marketing videos, in one or the other form, have today caught everyone's attention. And this is happening for all the good reasons. First and foremost, they are no longer there just to push a product on people; instead they are doing more than advertising a product. In other words, they are giving a wholesome experience to their viewers, not letting them feel the burden of getting informed through a commercial.

Businesses are exploiting the power of marketing videos to the best of their commercial advantage. Let's see some of the advantages associated with a marketing video:

1. They are easier to create.

2. They are accessible to one and all.

3. A marketing video of one or two minutes duration can convey the message of a full-fledged website.

4. They can be played both on and off-line.

5. They can be watched for fun as well.

6. By uploading them on networking sites such as Vimeo and YouTube etc., they can be made to go viral.

7. They can launch a product as soon as they are manufactured, thus saving enormous business hours of a company.

8. They simplify the movement of ideas.

9. They are quick to grab everyone's attention.

10. They can also give a demonstration of a product by showing its view from all the angles, plus an aerial view of a product can also be shown. For example, if a property is to be sold, showing its aerial view can really convince a costumer in going for it.

11. They target a specific set of audience.

12. They can animate a thing to the minutest detail, like a strand of hair can be shown with the number of split ends it has.

13. Being in the form of a story, they never make viewers hit the 'stop' button while they are watching them. Plus, according to 'Com Score', site visitors who view video stay two minutes longer on average on a website. This can further assist businesses in getting their messages stay longer in viewers mind.

Marketing videos have today made inroads in all the commercial sectors, be it education, entertainment, shopping or any activity for that matter. Being a mix of entertainment and infotainment they have made everyone fall in awe with them.



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Mobile Promotions

What is a mobile promotion? When you talk about marketing to a broad audience that is interested in what your company has to offer, you have to think about the best mediums for reaching that audience.

Mobile technology has advanced significantly in the past few years and is even starting to surpass the Internet in the number of real users. When you start to develop your new marketing strategy, it is important to consider all active and efficient mediums for reaching your audience. Mobile promotions is rapidly becoming the most efficient marketing outlet available to corporations all over the world.

How Do Mobile Promotions Work?

The concept behind this marketing approach is actually very simple. Mobile marketing works in much the same way that email marketing works. An Internet marketing company reaches out to people who text and asks them to sign up to receive marketing messages from qualified organizations. A "qualified organization" is one that offers a product or service in-line with what the consumer opted-in for.

For example, if a consumer agreed to receive the newest deals on athletic shoes, then sending that person pain medication marketing messages is a violation of the agreement. If you send people the information they are looking for, then they will read it.

Why use Mobile Promotions?

There are over 5 billion mobile devices active in the world and they are all destinations for effective mobile text messages. The Internet is starting to show that it is not tethered to a desktop computer or a networking cable. Billions of people all over the world access the Internet through their mobile devices and all of those people also receive texts every day.

It is estimated that there are millions of texts sent every minute around the world. This indicates that people are not only comfortable sending and receiving texts, but they prefer it over email.

How Do I Reach My Customers with Mobile Promotions?

A good Internet marketing firm is going to segment its mobile marketing lists based on your company needs. If you need your texts to go to everyone who opted-in to receive text messages about auto parts sales, then that is the audience you will reach. But you may also find value in texting messages to people who wanted information on customizing vehicles and restoring old vehicles as well.

You determine your target audience and your Internet marketing firm will supply you with a list of prospects eager to receive your messages. You will reach tens of thousands of people instantly as opposed to having your message sit in an email inbox for days.

Do Mobile Promotions Work?

Approximately 97 percent of every text message that is sent is opened by the recipient. This percentage is higher than email marketing and significantly higher than standard mailings. If you want to reach your target audience, then sending out text messages is absolutely the way to do it.

A small business owner should utilize technology to his advantage. By signing up for a mobile marketing program, you will reach thousands of new clients every day and significantly increase your business. For more information on a Mobile Media Platform for easy, powerful, cost effective and cutting edge mobile promotions.



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Tips and Tricks for Using QR Codes to Increase Car Counts in Your Auto Repair Shop Marketing

QR Codes are and excellent method of directing interested prospects to the specific information that they're looking for. QR Codes are the 'funny looking little boxes' that look like some kind of strange bar code. Well, that's pretty much what they are. But you can really use them effectively for your Auto Repair Shop marketing and increase your car count.

The QR codes are getting more popular every day. They're the little squares that look like a 'funny' bar code made up of squares. In fact, they are bar codes. They are referred to as a 'two dimensional' bar code.

You're seeing them in more ads, signs in restaurants and even in retail stores and magazine ads. They're function is to get customer response and show interested users the information they want. They are perfect for the auto repair shop marketing because you can use them to direct prospects and customers to the specific information that they're looking for.

Consider all the different services you provide. Things like Front End, Brakes, Alignment, Tire Balancing, Oil Lube and Filter Change, Air Conditioning. The list goes on and on.

Now create an information page for your mobile website and a QR code to direct smartphone users right to that page. What' best is that they are free to generate. There's countless websites that let you do it online in a couple of seconds.

Just remember, that when you're using a these codes, it's a mobile user (with a smartphone) that's going to scan it. So don't do anything foolish and like direct visitors to a regular website that they can't easily view.

So how do you use QR codes effectively?

SEASONAL PROMOTIONS: Consider providing details on your A/C Check and Services on one page of your mobile website. Create the QR code and direct visitors right there. When they see the sign; Are you Hot? Cool off with our A/C Special Services and the code, you will attract visitors who are interested.

SPECIFIC SERVICES: Do you specialize in your auto services? Are you all about tires and brakes? Create the pages that detail the information about those services and direct visitors right to them with a QR code.

REGULAR SERVICES: Create pages on your mobile website with your recommended services for vehicles with 25, 50, 70 or 100,000 miles. Create a QR code for each. That way, if your customer has a car with 100,000 mile or more on it, they're not going to see (and waste time) looking at information about cars with much lower mileage.

PHONE CALL: Yes, you can generate a QR code for a phone number. Instead of people trying to remember your number or jot it down, your sign or ad spot can include one so it makes it easy to call you. When it's scanned, the user's phone is brought up on their screen with YOUR PHONE NUMBER automatically inserted. No guessing there!

SPECIAL OFFERS - O.T.O's or ONE TIME OFFERS: Direct users to your Current Promotions page when you advertise 'Save on Auto Repairs' and a QR code to take them right there.

Using QR codes take your prospect or customer right to the information they're looking for. That way, they are left stumbling around your website trying to find it. If they are mobile, they won't even look. Most smartphone users say they will click away from a company directing them to their regular website because it's too cumbersome to use. Sure they can 'pinch' and 'squeeze' to zoom, but most just click away to the competition. That's not going to help YOUR car count, is it?



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SEO Versus PPC - Think of Them As Your Online Assets

In this post, looking at the on-going debate over SEO versus PPC and which is better, we'll also talk about the fact that "timing is everything."

Both marketing methods can be rather expensive, so your resources may determine which type of campaign you'll run. If you have plenty of capital to spread around you might want to exercise both options. With PPC, you pay for ads to run and then also pay per click from a visitor, thus the name. With SEO, you pay to have a professional, content rich website built with proper keywords and back-links in order to get first-page ranking. Either way you go, it can get rather pricy real fast. If you want to do the work yourself, there's a learning curve in both situations.

We'll examine the time factor in two ways - the time you invest into the project and also the time it takes to see a return on your efforts. The time and energy you pour into SEO is primarily in the beginning (doing keyword research, building your website, sprinkling content with back-links which all must be done precisely according to the rules governed by the search engines). With PPC, there's not near as much work at the start, but constant monitoring and tweaking is necessary throughout the campaign.

Absolutely, if you need fast results like yesterday or if you have a time-sensitive weekend special going, then PPC is your answer. PPC brings traffic almost immediately and lots of it. Conversely, SEO has a much longer gestation period. Another scenario where PPC is the winner is when your business is new and you want a tremendous impact with a large amount of visibility to a targeted sector and/or geographic area. Seem too good to be true? Well, it's true and there is a catch. That's coming later.

Think about SEO as a less risky investment which yields a more long-term profit. Also, one could think of it like writing a book that winds up on the best-seller list. Once you've done the work, the royalties from those sells keep coming in for many years to come even though you're not still working on the book. With SEO, the same is true for the most part. Now, you update and add information to your website from time to time, but it's not labor intensive. After the website and quality content is in place as a strong infrastructure, it's not going anywhere. And you can enjoy sustained traffic for a long time to come plus the effects of URL recall. Once you've gotten ranked on the first page of Google, it's much easier to camp out there. Whereas, if you're shelling out several thousand dollars per month for PPC ads on that highly coveted page, the day you stop paying, the ads stop and all your traffic goes bye-bye. You got it, that's the catch with PPC. Am I beginning to show my bias?

In this ubiquitous debate, hardly anyone talks about the psychology of it all. So let's go there. Do you like walking onto a car dealership lot and strolling through the vehicles until YOU FIND what you're looking for? Or do you like it when the salesperson marches right up to sell you something just because you're there? The internet stats will prove my point. Consistently, somewhere between 80-90% of all online clicks are done on the organic search results, NOT on the ads at the periphery of the page. With the organic search, the person gets to browse around and FIND what they need. But the paid ads are strategically placed to sell the person simply because he or she is there, on the page. Enough said.



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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Why Custom Presentation Folders Are a Valuable Asset to Your Company

I think you'll be surprised at just how many different ways there are in which you can use custom presentation folders. If your company isn't currently using these, and you're wondering why you should go to the trouble and expense of having custom presentation folders made for your business, take a moment to read through these different ideas and learn how versatile a tool they can be.

The most obvious use for custom presentation folders is within the sales or marketing field. Simply assemble an informative and useful collection of papers and leaflets and put them neatly inside your beautifully designed folder. This gives a professional impression to your potential customer in an instant, and ensures your marketing material is easy for them to find later on once the initial sales meeting is over.

Real estate agents use custom presentation folders to great effect when sending details of a property to a potential buyer. Not only does it show that the real estate company itself is extremely professional as a business but it also ensures that the buyer can easily locate and access the relevant information when it's needed.

Perhaps your business is planning to launch a new product or service and you're working on drumming up some media interest? There is no better way to catch the attention of journalists than to send them the relevant information contained within a folder.

You're probably beginning to see the essential advantage of custom presentation folders by now. You are able to mix and match different literature, along with photographs, price lists and other relevant information, into a package which is absolutely suitable for the occasion. You can change the mix of documentation as many times as you like, yet everything is still neatly presented within your folder. Your company's name and logo are on the cover, and the whole package is clearly identifiable as coming from you.

Companies who provide staff training will find custom presentation folders immensely useful. Each delegate who attends the training can be supplied with all the relevant handouts and follow-up information, conveniently presented within a folder. This ensures that everything stays together, and that it's kept in good condition for future use and reference. It's very frustrating for an individual to attend an important training course only to lose the reference material soon afterwards!

Choose your printing company with care and make sure you obtain the very best value for money as well as excellent quality.

People Do Business With People

No matter what business you're in, your clientele is a vital element to your success and development. Not only are they your source of income, they are also a source of information that allows you to grow, improve products, services, and even affect the structure and function of your business.

Through Customer Relationship Management, businesses are able to deliver to their customer with a unique connection. Keep in mind that a customer database is comprised of individuals. Each individual is seeks to do business with another individual.

Companies, small and large, while comprised of a group of individuals are always represented and associated with the "one person" who interacts most with the company.

Today our many digital tools, made to simplify the relationship between a business and their clients, often are the very items that make the interaction impersonal. Even with social media, you must have a specific focus of creating a relationship with your client or you can fall into the practice of merely broadcasting to the masses in your social platforms.

Your personal brand and customer relationship management

In a recent conversation with J.P. Narowski, CEO of KarmaCRM - a web-based small business customer relationship management system, he shared that part of the reason he developed KarmaCRM was because of the impersonal nature of customer relationship management (CRM ) systems:

"For about six months I tried every software package out there because like most developers I resisted the urge to reinvent the wheel. I was looking for a simple, fast tool that would allow me and my sales guy to work on projects together. All of the packages seemed to fall short."

In our discussion, he revealed that the reason he named the business KarmaCRM was:

"Because I wanted to bring some harmony and balance back to the CRM world. I also think the best sales people are not just selling their product but helping out their customer in a number of ways because they want to. Therefore the customer is more comfortable with them and their services, and it comes back around in business. Do good to others and treat the right and your business will grow (karma) type of thing" explained Narowski.

Small businesses let your personal brand shine through

If a business spends time getting to know their clients and customers they can better serve their needs. As you become better acquainted with individuals, you can prepare for trends and evolve with the demands of your audience.

It also give you "space and time" to let your personal brand shine through.

In the hustle and flurry of activity that we do every day, it's often too easy to fall into becoming disconnected from our connections and even disconnected, in their mind, from the very personal brand that brought them to the table.

What I appreciated with my discussion with J.P. Narwoski, is that he focuses on growing slow so he doesn't lose the focus of creating good karma which is really the unique promise of value for his brand.

In their shoes

I focus on small business owners and entrepreneurs who are in a unique state of transition. They have a personal brand and its one strong enough that they know their unique promise of value; it's expressed in everything that they do, touch and say; and the expression of it is evolving. Why? Because they are beginning to grow and develop their business to a point where it becomes more than just "them" interacting with their customers and the successful extension of their brand is where the struggle lies.

And, that's why I'm always on the lookout for good tools. From Hootsuite to manage your social media interactions and tracking, to Do.com to measure your projects or from KarmaCRM to manage your customer data to WhenIsGood.net to managing your meeting scheduling - every tool I use focuses on automating the process but not the relationship.

The relationship and connection is very personal and need to remain so.

What do you to keep things personal in your business?

Important Ways To Keep Your Staff At Their Best While Manning Your Business Trade Show Stand

Every veteran convention participant recognizes that, when it comes to successfully working the trade show display circuit, there are two critical components that come into play. What's the first factor to consider when striving to achieve a positive return on investment? Unquestionably, this falls on the business' trade show stand itself.

It's no secret that garnering the attention of the wandering masses at these industry functions is of paramount importance. In order to effectively entice and inform the consuming crowds, each attending organization needs to have a trade show stand that delivers something distinctive that the competition just doesn't offer. Whether utilizing an elaborate stand replete with several attention grabbing features, or opting for simple banner stands that visually compel the wandering crowd, having a unique display is an important piece of the achievement equation.

Beyond The Trade Show Stand: Consider Your Most Valuable Asset

However, beyond the stand design, businesses truly looking to capitalize on the many opportunities presented at these events also need to consider what should be their most valuable asset: their employees. It is vital to never underestimate the importance of staff members manning the trade show display in the overall success of the event. Once visiting guests stop into the stand, it is completely up to your team to connect with and, hopefully, convert each person into a viable lead for your organization. Just like your business' stand, you need your staff to stand out from the competition. They not only need to consistently be dynamic as they engage with the attendees, they also need to embody a professional and polished representation of your organization.

Key Methods To Help Your Staff Shine At Every Trade show Display

Want to make sure your staff makes as big of an impact as your trade show display? Employing a few simple techniques can help ensure that your team is always the one to watch at every event. Always consider:

Trade show display training: Professional training can make a huge difference in your team's polish and performance. Even offering a few onsite sessions can make a major impact.

Customized stand flooring: Most events can stretch on for hours, leaving your staff on their feet all day long. Partner with a reputable design firm that offers customized (aka padded!) flooring. An experienced provider will offer various options that meet a range of price points to ensure you get an ideal complement to your already existing trade show display.

Wardrobe requirements: Beyond flooring options, always consider other ways to help keep your team feeling energized and comfortable. Wardrobe is a great way to help ensure that your employees are ready for the long day of standing they have ahead of them. While looking professional is always a must, always encourage them to wear their most comfortable shoes while manning the exhibits.

Scheduling needs: If you want your employees to always look refreshed, offer scheduled breaks throughout the event. The hours manning the stands can prove grueling. In order to keep their energy levels high, create a specific outline of breaks that allows staff members to get away from the stand, but still maintains adequate coverage at all times.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Keeping Your Business's Expansion Steady

Building a successful business is a challenging ordeal all the way through - some people might tell you that it's difficult to get started, others will assure you that the real challenge starts once you've really hit it big, but the truth is that the whole procedure is riddled with challenges all the way through. It's important to know how to handle those problems in a responsible and thoughtful way, as this will ensure that you'll be able to keep up with the growth of your operations.

The most common problem people seem to encounter is coping with the sudden surge in their progress. At some point, sooner or later your business is going to bloom dramatically - it might be just random luck that you've struck it big with a specific product, but you never know if that expansion is going to happen over a prolonged period of time, or literally overnight. This makes it important to be prepared for when that moment happens, and know exactly what you need to do to avoid going under because you're unable to handle all the extra challenges that have suddenly come up.

Remember that keeping yourself well connected is very important - even if you're not using those connections at the moment, you never know when you might need a certain service later on. If a supplier offers you good rates but they only work with larger shipments than the ones you're ordering regularly, don't just throw away their business card - keep it for moments like this one exactly. Because when you suddenly need to fill in an extra supply channel that also happens to be quite wide, you can't just go around looking for the first company to come under your sights and hire them - you'll need to make an informed decision, ideally knowing in advance who you'll work with.

Don't go crazy on expanding your workforce - this is another common issue faced by people who're trying to handle with the expansion of their businesses. It might seem right now that you suddenly need tons of extra people to handle all the additional workload, but think straight for a second - is this perhaps some temporary state? Maybe the recent hit you made on the market is going to die down in a week or two, leaving you with people who suddenly don't have any purpose in your company? Only hire as many extra helping hands as you truly need, and ideally try to take on some extra work yourself to help out everyone around you.

The main point here is - don't go over your head. You might get inspired to try out all sorts of creative things once you've gotten a taste of success, but keep your head straight and keep thinking realistically. Save your income and invest it properly, and keep the expansion of your company steady and smooth. Sooner or later you'll stabilize and you'll start handling the new situation just as easily as you coped with the previous state of your company!



This article is sponsored by medical case study.

Why You Should Consider Outsourcing Your Telemarketing To Specialized Providers

Although telemarketing may get a bad wrap at times, it is still an effective way to market products to individuals. Most companies try to hire an inhouse telemarketing team, and that may not always be the best option available to them. I would recommend to most, that they look to outsource to a telemarketing company that has all of the resources, staff, and experience available to help them to be as profitable as possible in their marketing efforts. A few reasons why you should look into outsourcing your telemarketing services to a provider include some of the following;

They Have The Experience

A solid telemarketing company will have pre-trained employees that have all been trained in the art of selling through speech. It would take a lot of time to train your own employees on how to sell through the telephone, and you could save a lot of money on startup costs, especially in training, by hiring a telemarketing company to do so for you. Since these individuals are already trained, there will be minimal startup time. This can be beneficial because if you are looking for telemarketing services, you are more than likely looking to start the marketing quickly. Individuals that work for a telemarketing company and provide telemarketing services have already been trained, and know how to handle the customer service end of the transaction.

Reach More Consumers

Telemarketing is great because it will allow you to reach a large number of consumers. Marketing through the telephone is much easier than doing business-to-business marketing in a physical environment, and allows you to get more bang for your buck. The ability to reach more customers, means that you will, in all likelihood, be able to make more sales. A good telemarketing company can give you an idea of the returns that you can expect in the conversion rate that they may or may not be able to provide.

Build Brand Awareness

With a number of solid leads, telemarketing can also be a great way for your company to build brand awareness. By getting your company name in front of large amounts of people, you can have a solid brand building marketing campaign. By marketing the individuals that are already interested in your product, you can be certain that you will be able to generate some sales, or least make more consumers familiar with what you provide. This is a great long-term marketing strategy, and definitely put your business in the minds of hundreds, if not thousands of potential consumers.

Telemarketing can be very beneficial for large businesses and small businesses alike. The ability to market your products, quickly, over the phone can help you to generate sales, leads, or build brand awareness over time. As stated earlier, I would recommend that you always look into outsourcing to a telemarketing services provider, that already has experience in space and is able to provide you with an excellent marketing plan for capitalizing on your investment. Although many consider it to be a marketing method of the past, telemarketing can be a great way for you to be able to effectively market your products at a marginal cost.



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Sunday, July 8, 2012

Marketing Is a Lot Different Today In the Information Age

Most new entrepreneurs think they know a whole lot about marketing, but really they don't. Oh sure, they might be able to garner lots of friends on Facebook, social networks, or use trickery tactics like SEO strategies to beat out more legitimate companies online, but how much of that can they really convert to sales, aka; hits don't equal revenue conundrum. Okay so, let's talk because I come from the old school.

You see, when I started my company there was no internet, no fax machines, and portable phones were only for the top executives in corporations or the military, so, you had to do it all in the real world, where it really counts. Now then, recently I read an interesting book, it was written back in 2000, but it foretold much of what we see today, namely that "everything" had changed "forever" and it would never be the same again when it came to marketing.

I'd like to recommend this book to you because I think it is of value to all the old timers, and all the new kids that think they know everything, but don't seem to be making much money from their marketing efforts. The name of the book is;

"The End of Marketing As We Know It," by Sergio Zyman, Harper Business Press, NY, 2000, 272 pages, ISBN: 978-08873-09830-0.

This author also has real world experience, he was the head of marketing for a major soft drink company, until he started his own marketing firm. He saw the changes with the future of "new marketing" in the information age. He reminds the reader that "popularity online" and hits, or click-throughs is not "making money" because it's the conversion ratios that matter, that's the scoreboard. The clicks or hits are just sparks, so it remains the marketer's job to use those sparks to start a fire.

He admits the value in brand building online; that is getting people to want to buy what you are selling. Still, he points to the science of marketing, the metrics, the math, and the reality of achieving sales goals, not merely attaining traffic. He suggests that marketers online "fish where the fish are" and to target your potential clients online, that clicks are worthless, unless they lead to sales. Perhaps he was ahead of his time. He basically describes the rational for Big Data marketing mining, and how that changes the game completely.

You see, sometimes it pays to understand the cross-over of trends and how to unite the virtual world with the real one, that is if you want to make money and not just get lots of hits and play a popularity game online. Indeed, perhaps the philosophy here, and his arguments are of value even to the know-it-all so-called online marketing gurus. Please consider all this and think on it. I hope I didn't offend you, but if I did, realize you aren't my market, and I don't want or need your hits or clicks, see that point?

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Pub Marketing Using SMS

Pub marketing has become much more important in recent years due to the economic situation that we find ourselves in. Because of this, the pub trade has been heavily affected by the fact that people have less money to spend on luxury items and that they are going out to socialise on fewer occasions.

So, how do we get the message across to our customers to make them more aware of the fact that you are still there? You could use traditional marketing methods such as advertising in your local newspaper, handing out flyers in the street, or having posters in your establishment.

Let's quickly go through each of these:

Newspaper Advertising: This method has been proven to work to a small degree, however the simple fact of the matter is that most of us now when we're reading print media have become 'immune' to adverts and so tend to skip over them. Newspaper advertising is also slow moving, ie, you place the advert in the publication today, and it may not be printed for another 5 days. This is not the medium you need if you have a promotion or event you want people to know about tomorrow.

Street Flyers: You could spend a few hundred pounds to get a few thousand flyers printed off with drink promotions that you normally have running in order to hand them out in the street to passing people on a Friday night. The problem with this method is that roughly ninety to ninety-five per cent of people out walking in the street already know where they are going and will just discard the flyer and ignore it. So for the environmentally publican, knowing that they have essentially littered their local area with hundreds or thousand flyers does not always sit easy on the mind. Also, with the remaining five to ten percent of people who do not know where they are aiming for on a night out, you are only likely to capture a small amount of those to walk through your doors. So you have to decide, is it worth paying out to have these printed for a small handful of extra customers?

In-house Posters: These are great for when you already have the people inside your pub, but how will it get them into there in the first place?

An alternative marketing method for pubs is mobile marketing using SMS. This is an old technology used in a new way to get your message out to people and is very cost effective compared to other methods. The reason for this is that under UK law it is illegal to send out unsolicited text messages to people who have not opted in to receive them from you, so those that get them want to hear what offers, promotions and events you're running.

SMS marketing is also hugely responsive. If you suddenly book a band to play that evening, or you are having a particularly quiet night you can type up your message and have it in the palm of hundreds of people in seconds. There is no waiting for a newspaper to be published, no discarding of flyers you've had printed, it literally is instant marketing.

SMS messages also have a ninety-six per cent read rate, which dwarfs the average fifty-five per cent for street flyers, and the approximate ten percent of newspaper advertising.

So what's the advice? We don't suggest that you drop the other forms of advertising mentioned above in favour of SMS messages, however we do strongly suggest that you use mobile marketing in conjunction with other methods. How ever you decide to go about it, as we mentioned Pub Marketing is more important now than ever.



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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Exponentially Increase Your Revenue Through Speaking

One of the fastest ways to increase your revenue is to make yourself available as a public speaker. It's quite all right if you have never done it before. If you focus on a topic that's truly of interest to your audience, prepare well in advance and formulate a follow up system you really can't lose.

Keep in Mind... It's ALL About Them!

We entrepreneurs have a bad habit of focusing our marketing efforts on what we want to say, vs. what our audience really cares about. The first step in using speaking to get more clients and to increase your income is to prepare a talk that addresses a pain point your audience is facing. Make your talk ALL about your ideal client and a specific problem they are looking to solve right now.

Not sure what your audience is struggling with? Then you need to spend a little time doing some market research to find out. Use that information to develop a talk that showcases your credibility, a few specific main points, and include a strong call to action so that they can learn more by purchasing a product or working with you directly.

Prepare Well

Planning ahead is critical. Do some research on the group. What is the organization about? Who will be in attendance? What are they expecting to hear? Your presentation should provide the solution that they need. So, how can this exponentially increase your revenue?

No matter how great your talk is, your problem solving abilities are stifled. There is only so much that you can share during your presentation. However, if you make arrangements with the event planner, you can likely sell your packaged solutions during the event. Since the time that you are performing is so limited, be sure to give the audience something to take home. If you have a book, sell that. Do you offer a packaged product or a web-based solution? The point is to make sure that you can further help the audience. This is the first step in your follow up system. Let me give you an example.

Make a *Special Offer*

Last week, I spoke at an event filled with ideal prospects. Part of my preparation for this talk was to decide which of our products would be appropriate for the audience. I chose a product directly connected to my presentation and created a special offer ($200 off!) that was only available to the conference attendees.

Next we made sure we could accept payments on the spot. We didn't need a bunch of fancy equipment. All we needed was an iPhone! We went to Square, got a free mobile card swiping device, setup the app on our phones and we were good to go. (The fee per transaction is comparable to using a merchant account... sweet!)

It was so exciting to see people running to the back of the room to our table to purchase the product. We made a lot of sales and got to meet so many great people. Can you imagine what would have happened if we hadn't planned ahead to take payments there on the spot? We would have missed out on exponentially increasing our revenue. It would have taken a day or so to follow up with the attendees and by that time, the excitement for the information I shared may have waned.

Follow up Formula

Next on the preparation list was to make sure that we followed up with each person who requested to stay in touch with us, whether they made a purchase or not. People are busy and have a short attention span. So you want your follow up system to be fast and relevant. There are several methods that you can use: 1) a signup sheet 2) text messaging 3) email 4) opt-in web form, and others.

We chose two systems, a sign-up sheet and text messaging. As a result, we captured contact information for 70% of the attendees!

Whatever system you use, it has to be seamless in order for you to get in touch with prospects as quickly as possible. Your instructions must be clear and concise so that you will not have any difficulty keeping in touch. After gathering all of the pertinent information, make sure that your new friends hear from you within 24-48 hours. Thank them for their attention, consider offering a free gift (such as a special report or an eBook) and let them know how often you'll be reaching out to them. The solutions that you are offering to prospects will need to be top of mind in order for you to further the relationship.

Plan ahead before your event. Make a special offer for the attendees. The most important thing is to have a smooth follow up system that will enable you to keep in touch and build a lasting relationship. These few tips will help you to exponentially increase your revenue.

You are already an expert problem solver in your industry. That is the very reason you offer services and products to your target market. Using a combination of speaking and savvy follow-up, you'll be able to create a new revenue stream for your business.



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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Integrating a Website Booking System With Google Calendar

Many businesses today use Google Calendar to manage customer appointments. Although Google does provide a way for you to accept online bookings the use of an online booking system is a much more professional and powerful way to give your customers the convenience of website bookings.

There are a number of existing online reservation systems that claim Google Calendar integration. The simplest and most common way these reservation systems integrate with Google is by publishing calendar feeds which Google picks up and displays. The problem with calendar feeds is that firstly they only go one way (you cannot update the booking system by adding events to Google), and secondly there is a delay of up to 24 hours before they're shown in Google. This often results in double bookings and unhappy customers.

A better way for an online booking system to integrate with Google Calendar is to use Google's "API". Basically this is a way for the booking system to talk directly with your calendar, inserting and modifying events instantly in both directions. The result is no double bookings and an always up-to-date calendar.

An online booking system that integrates with Google Calendar using the API must first get your permission to write to your calendar. This can be done without asking for your Google username and password. The reservation system points you directly to Google, where Google will ask if you give permission for calendar integration. Once you have given permission the reservation system can then insert, update, and delete bookings on your calendar as required. Be wary of online reservation systems that ask for your Google username and password. This is not necessary for connecting with Google calendar.

Once you have chosen the online booking system you wish you use it's then just a matter of plugging it into your website and watching the customers roll in. It's important that you keep your online reservation system and Google Calendar sync'd to prevent double bookings and prevent customers booking times that are no longer available. You can do this by entering a manual booking into the reservation system itself, or by creating an event in Google Calendar.

Google Calendar is a great tool for businesses however large or small. Using an online booking system that integrates with Google makes sense if your business deals with customer appointments. Give it a go - it's a smart business move that's guaranteed to bring in new customers.



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What You Can Do to Improve Your Medical Lead Generation Efforts

Generating medical leads is a challenge for your company. Well, without them, then business would run dry for you. Having leads is like having a reservoir of water; just like a well you can draw from when you need to wet your tongue. However, in this scenario, you aren't simply wetting your tongue but you are keeping your whole "body", that being your company, from crashing down because of "dehydration", in this case that meaning a lack of sales. So as to not suffer from a lack of sales that is caused by not being able to generate medical leads, here are some tips for you.

Connect with your prospects/medical leads - What many marketers seem to fail at in their efforts is that they fail to understand the needs of their prospects. Rather than taking time to gauge the interests and needs of their targets, some focus too much on the aspect of making a sale to the point of which it just doesn't help in their marketing efforts. Sure enough, making sales is what marketers do best however, before you can start generating sales from medical leads, you need to make sure that whatever it is your are trying to sell is desirable to your prospects and meets their needs/goals. Take time to get to know your medical leads, learn and understand their needs, then gauge their interests. Don't just go for sales, go for valuable business relationships through connecting with your target prospects.

Use different lead generation methods - Never forget that you have a variety of methods to use in generating medical leads. We have email marketing, a method which shows much promise and high conversion rates. There is also medical telemarketing, another popular way of obtaining B2B leads. Usually, marketers make use of medical telemarketing and email marketing in tandem as email marketing campaigns can serve as an opt-in for their prospects to receive calls from their telemarketers. Other than these, there is also social media marketing. Social media is currently one of the best mediums to use in lead generation as per some marketers, however it is up to you to gauge the effectiveness of social media in your own marketing efforts. Actually, you can combine all these three methods into one, creating for yourself a lead generation system that can generate leads through different avenues: the phone, emails, and social media.

As much as you can, go for face-to-face - Generating leads through email, the phone, and through social media are all effective. However, as much as you can afford to, go for face-to-face meetings with your prospects. If you want to generate high-quality medical leads in which you can clearly confirm the interests of your prospects, as well as so you can fully understand their needs, then a face-to-face appointment is sure to produce the results you want. Make sure to set aside a budget for sending your sales representatives to your prospect's locales. It may seem unlikely that your prospects will meet with your representatives if they just walk into their offices, however, you have other methods available to you such as medical telemarketing to reach out and inform prospects about having meetings. So, as much as possible, face-to-face is what you should be aiming for.

Obtaining and generating medical leads may seem like a huge challenge for you, however, these tips may just help you in overcoming those obstacles! What's your idea of a good marketing mix for medical lead generation?



This news article is brought to you by PERSONAL FINANCE - where latest news are our top priority.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Free SMS - A Unique Groove to Stay Connected!

In today's era, mobile phones are an important means of communication that is used by everyone to stay connected. You use mobiles for calls and to send SMS to your friends, relatives, and even colleagues but, it costs some amount. However, what if, you are provided with an option to send SMS free of cost. Yes, today you can have access to various websites from where you can send instant messages free of cost.

How to access Free SMS: There are various websites available on the web today which you can use in order to send free SMS. For this, you only have to create your profile over these sites which can ask some basic details like your mobile number, name, city, email id and so forth. These sites offer you free registration and this way sending SMS has become very convenient and cost effective.

Using such facility, you can send unlimited text messages to unlimited group of people within the country. Using your computer with internet connection makes your communication process even easier and also assists in decreasing mobile and telephone bill.

Benefits of Free SMS: Some of the benefits offered by these sites are:

- These sites are absolutely free, as it doesn't demand any registration fee or any other hidden charges from its users. So it has become one of the easiest ways to communicate not only for us individuals, but also for the businesses or other organizations without incurring any additional cost

- Free SMS sites assist you in sending unlimited messages to unlimited contacts. It means you can easily send any number of messages to any number of people free of cost. Every SMS service offered by these sites are free

- For online business holders, one of the main benefits offered by this site is that you can send unlimited messages to the number of visitors in order to direct them towards your domain

- Apart from this, you can also have such free message services for your websites or domains. This will provide you convenience to advertise your products and services to your current as well as potential customers without incurring any cost

- Free SMS sites also offer you complete privacy while communicating or sending messages. They send your message as the original text and doesn't add to or delete anything from the original text

Free SMS services provide you an easy and convenient means to stay tuned with all your existing clients and potential customers at zero cost.



This news article is brought to you by TRAVEL-AND-LEISURE - where latest news are our top priority.

Facebook for Roofers, The Right Way!

There's a lot of discussion of whether or not Facebook Marketing for Roofers is a good use of time. First of all, there is no denying that if done properly it can pay huge dividends for your roofing business. You can't ignore the fact that Facebook has over 845 Million users and gets more page views then Google. That being said, people do not want to be spammed by businesses when they are browsing Facebook.

So how can you be sure that you are doing it the right way? Just put yourself in the mind of a Facebook user (not a business)... The odds are that you already have a Facebook account so this should not be very hard for you to imagine. If you were sitting on Facebook browsing through your news feed and you constantly saw posts from a roofing company like "get $200 off your next roofing project" or some other crap like that, it's very likely that you would hit the "unsubscribe" button or "unlike" button because you get tired of seeing stuff that is not relevant to you. If you're not currently in the market for a roof, you simply do NOT care. You're on Facebook because you're nosey and want to see what all your "friends" are up to. You like to see how boring your life is compared to theirs... just kidding (maybe). You like to see the pictures that people post so you can make fun of them or talk about how fat they've got! It's the one place you go to get away from the Millions of offers that a consumer sees throughout the day.

I know what you're thinking: "Ok, Chris... So if I'm not allowed to post offers, what in the world can I do to get exposure for my roofing business?"

Think back to what most people are looking at on Facebook... PICTURES! That's right, as simple as that sounds, posting before and after pictures of your jobs is a great way to let people "see your business" without getting hammered with an offer. So the first thing you need to do is invest in a nice camera and then fall in love with it. A roofers proof is in their work so you need to document every job with a before and after picture and then post those to Facebook with a nice post (Don't worry, I'll show you what to post)

There might be a little controversy around the next thing I'm going to tell you so take the advice for what it is. I believe that you should have a Facebook business page to post all your photos too but I want you to focus on posting the pictures on your personal profile also. The reason I say that is because if you just post it to your fan page, only the people who have "LIKED" your page will see the photos in their news feed. The odds are you probably have 100 fans or less on your fan page and probably have over 1,000 friends on your personal profile. That being said, you're potential eyeball reach is much greater with posting it to your personal profile.

Post something like this:

"I just wanted to congratulate John Smith on the completion of his new roof. Your home is a huge investment and I'm proud that you chose QuickFix Roofing to protect it with a brand new roof. Take a look at these pictures to see the before and afters of John's home."

EVERY homeowner like's to see before and after pictures, whether it's for a roof or a kitchen or whatever... We like to see dramatic changes that improve the look of a home because we can all relate to that.

Now, think about how powerful this is for your roofing business. Even people that are not currently in the market for a roof are going to look at those pictures because that's what people do when they are on facebook. Nobody is going to get mad because you are posting new before and after pictures, in fact they might actually look forward to seeing the pictures all the time. This is top of mind marketing at its best. So you have all these Facebook users who are constantly seeing the quality work that your company does because there is social proof with the before and after pictures. When this person is in the market for anew roof or one of their friends asks for a referral, there is a VERY HIGH chance that they are going to think of your business.

Verify Your Information Sources When You Generate Leads

There are times when people underestimate the role of information in accounting. What people think is nothing but the practice of bookkeeping and keeping financial records. They don't realize that there's more to the task like digging into that information and retrieving only the most relevant data.

Speaking of which, one of the most classical challenges in such tasks is the quality of information. Obviously, one significant criteria is the source. If your information didn't come from reliable and reputable sources, then the information is likely to be just as untrustworthy.

Thus, it's important for you to verify your sources and assure the quality of your data.

Speaking of which though, you're still a B2B company. Are you aware that this same emphasis on reputable sources also applies to lead generation services?

Whether these services are outsourced or formed out of the pocket of your own business, the difference in information still doesn't eliminate the need to verify its source. For example, does your lead generator really work hard to get the data or are they utilizing questionable shortcuts? It might be understandable if not enough money really went into the process but in cases otherwise, you are obviously being ripped off.

Please know that there is a difference between cost-efficiency and the cheap service of the poor kind. With regards to B2B sales leads, the information you get must be comprehensive. From the contact information they used to get in touch with the accounting prospect to knowing their more specific accounting needs (this in turn should help determine what kind of information they'd find relevant), this is what quality information should cover. Sources that take really bad shortcuts are likely to miss out on any of these critical business details in the same way bad accounting misses important financial ones.

It also helps to make sure that the information they gathered is up-to-date and is not just torn off old databases. Old data is more or less just dead data that wasn't deleted. Don't risk hitting a dead end and make sure your lead generator only gives you new information (or at least information that hasn't changed since the last time they checked).

These standards additionally apply to your appointment setter. You can tell if the appointment was poorly set when you finally meet the prospect but they haven't been filled in on all the details that you specified. This might result in poor communication, demands for clarification, and in the worst case, utter rejection and a bad referral. Then again, you clearly wouldn't even want this to happen so it's really important that such appointments are made only after verifying your sources.

When it comes to any task the relies on information, be it electronic information, contact information, business information, or in your case, financial information, always check your sources. This is a basic rule of thumb which expands various fields, disciplines, and industries. It doesn't matter what the source itself might say when the results will speak for themselves. Acting on bad information only results in bad decisions. Bad decisions often, if not always, lead to disaster.



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What Product Managers Can Learn From A Handgun

I can't tell you how many times I've been working with clients who are trying to enter new markets by copying products that are already being sold. If you want to be a "me-too" product manager, you can do this. However, if you really understand the way that product development definition should be done and want to be a breakthrough product manager who rules your market, then maybe you should take a lesson from the handgun manufacturer Glock...

A Product Innovation Story

Handguns aren't new. In fact they've been around for a long time. Everyone knows pretty much what they look like, what they do, and who makes them. The market is dominated by such big name firms as Smith & Wesson, Heckler & Koch, Sig Sauer, Beretta, and Steyr. You wouldn't think that that even the best product manager out there would stand a chance of being able to introduce a new product into this crowded market.

Apparently nobody told Gaston Glock this. As described in a new book, Glock: The Rise of America's Gun, Gaston just happened to be in the right place at the right time back in 1980 and overhead two Austrian colonels talking about the Austrian military's need for new pistols. Gaston then did what any good product manager would do, he went and talked with the customer.

The customer in this case was the Austrian defense minister. The minister agreed to allow Gaston to bid on the handgun contract. Gaston then had to come up with a product to sell. He knew nothing about handguns so he went out and bought his competitor's products and proceeded to take them apart in order to learn how to build a better product.

The gun that he ended up creating was nothing like the guns that were currently on the market. The Glock 17 (so called because it was the 17th gun that Gaston made) was made out of industrial plastic which both made it lighter and more resistant to corrosion. The handgun was also built out of several subgroups that made it easy to remove and replace. Gaston won the handgun contract with the Austrian military.

How To Market A Gun In A Crowded Market

As we product managers are all too aware of, just having a better product does not assure your product of success and isn't good enough to put on your product manager resume. If you really want to capture a significant part of your market, then you are going to have to do some serious marketing.

In the case of the Glock guns, it was Karl Walter who took the Glock to the United States. He faced an uphill battle getting this new and fairly ugly looking gun to be a success. At the time, the Smith & Wesson company ruled the market.

Walter did what any good product manager should do, he focused on getting the Glock to be considered by people who were going to be buying a gun. He did this by getting the Glock to be featured in the October 1984 edition of the Soldier of Fortune magazine. He followed this up by getting Glocks used in product placements in both Hollywood films and television shows.

Once the Glock was adopted by the likes of the Secret Service and the FBI the game was over. Glock had won. What Glock had shown is that a carefully managed promotional campaign can help even a new product to enter a market and to capture a significant market share.

What All Of This Means For You

You may not be the product manager for a firearm, but the story of how the Glock handgun was created and what made it successful probably has a story for you. Just because you are trying to enter a crowed, well established market doesn't mean that you have to copy the products that are already being sold there.

Innovation is a word that is tossed around a lot these days, but it holds a special meaning for product managers. If we take the time to focus on what our customers' real needs are before we start to define our product, then we have the real possibility of doing what Glock did and transforming our market. Almost sounds like this is something that you'd find in a product manager job description, doesn't it?

Just because you make a superior product doesn't mean that the world is going to beat a path to your product management door. Instead, you are going to be the person who is responsible for making sure that the word gets out about how wonderful your product is. Follow the example that has been given to us by Glock and your product should have a shot at being successful.



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Marketing Your Dental Practice - Discover 4 Strong Tips on the Power of Google+ (This Is For You)

Marketing your dental practice? Google+ Local is a great place for you to be marketing your dental practice. It's replacing the Yellow Pages, and it's one of the options that Google gives you for free.

How many times have you personally picked up the Yellow Pages in the last year when you were looking for something locally?

You need to have this marketing tool in your marketing tool belt. Google+ Local will enable you to take advantage of all of the "Google juice" the number one site on the internet can provide. Google+ Local will help you put your dental practice in front of your potential clients.

So what's in it for you?

Why do you want to use Google+ Local?

Google is about relevance, when people search Google wants them to find what they are looking for. You want to be found by the people in your local area when they are looking for a dentist!

4 great reasons to hop on board now and add this to your marketing tool belt!

1. It's free. Any business owner can go in and claim their business. You don't have to have a website. You do not have to have an existing online presence. In fact, this could be where you start to build your online presence.

2. You want people to find you. Google is the number one search engine. When you claim the listing for your dental practice, provide all the requested information and maintain it on a consistent basis; Google is going to give you credit so that your dental practice will show up higher in the rankings. Which means local people will find you when they are looking for a local dentist

3. You can be very specific about your business. Google offers many categories, one of them is "dentist" or perhaps you wish to use "orthodontist" as you can select more than one category.

4. You have the option of inputting any description about your dental practice. Use this to your advantage and uniquely describe your dental practice. What makes you stand out from the other practices? List all of the services that you do best and describe why you are the best in your area. You would definitely want to ask a few of your current patients why they come to you, what makes the difference for them. You can insert those into your description.

Bonus Tip - when you create your new Google+ Local account create a new generic gmail address that you can allow anyone in your dental practice to use. If you use your personal email account you will be stuck doing all the work instead of being able to delegate to others in your practice.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Your Social Media Marketing Is Overkill

Social media marketing is an evolution. It's a different way to sell things and there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind...

1. Don't overdo it.

2. Be respectful of your network.

3. Share valuable content occasionally.

There you go. These 3 guidelines will give you a pretty solid social media strategy. Read them again because I see far too many businesses who don't "get it".

Ignore these guidelines at your own risk; your efforts will probably backfire.

Don't Overdo It

If you're posting more than once a day you're overdoing it.

I've seen a lot of small business owners start to develop a following, get some responses and engagement from them and then get really excited about it. That's natural, when building up a business every bit of positive feedback is exciting!

But in social media, less is often more. The goal is to keep in touch with your contacts and earn their trust over time. You want them to remember you and be receptive to what you have to share or say so you can develop the relationship with them and eventually earn their business or get referrals from them once they trust you.

Guess what happens when you flood their feed with several updates every day?

They block you or remove you. You're spamming them.

Provide Value to Your Network

Remember that I've chosen to connect with you. I'm looking for things that benefit me, so if all you're doing is wasting my time then I will get rid of you. You should never be posting more than once a day in the first case and even that's probably overkill.

Remember that old saying about having two ears and one mouth? There's some truth in it and if you don't have something with value to share then you probably shouldn't post it.

Remember, social marketing is not the same as sharing cute pictures with your friends on Facebook. You're a professional who is trying to sell a product or service and you need to work to build trust and be taken seriously.

Why are you undoing all of your hard work?

Let's look at it another way. You've worked (or even paid) to build up your network so why are you driving them away? I see the same thing happen with businesses and customer service or problem resolution.

Stop and think about what you're doing for before you hit that button.

Roofer Marketing - Open Your Eyes, There's a Lead!

As many of you may already know, my background is in Real Estate and Mortgage Lending! It is there that I learned how to market my business and realized that I was pretty good at it! With that being said, I wanted to share with you a quick roofer marketing strategy that you can use to drum up some business.

So let's dive right in shall we? I was sitting at lunch with one of my roofing clients the other day going over all his current marketing campaigns! One thing he and many of you do is get out there and knock on doors (which is guerrilla marketing at its best) of homes that look like they could use a new roof and offer to do a free inspection and estimate. Like I mentioned to you earlier, I am a big believer in this strategy for a roofer because I've seen it work very well! However, there is a way to perhaps find more "motivated" roof candidates than simply finding someone with a rough looking roof top!

Have you ever driven by a house and seen one of those metal signs in the yard? You know, the ones that are FOR SALE!!!! BAM now that's a good target. Why is this a good target? When someone is selling a home that has a roof that looks like it is on its last leg, that is a big drawback for a buyer. A buyer may skim over that property simply because they look at a new roof as being a LARGE expense (rightfully so)... but most think that it's a bigger deal than it really is! So by having an estimate in hand, the seller can say to the buyer that we've already had the roof replacement priced out and here's the estimate. That alone can eliminate a lot of fear for the buyer because now they can see a real bid from a local roofing contractor and know exactly what it's going to cost to have the new roof put on!

Let me tell you how this ties in to the "Lending" side of a real estate transaction. For most lenders out there, if the roof has a life span of less than three years, they require the roof to be fixed before they will lend money to the buyer of the home. What normally happens is the buyer goes back to the seller and tries to negotiate for them to have the roof replaced. The reason this is good for the roofing contractor is because one way or another if the seller wants to sell this house, the roof must be fixed.

Here's the strategy... When you are out looking for doors to knock on, look at all the properties that are for sale. Instead of knocking on the door, call the Realtor who has the property listed for sale. Say something like this...

"Mr. or Mrs. Realtor, my name is John Roofer from Quick Fix Roofing. I was driving around the city today and noticed that the property on 123 Any Street that you have listed for sale looked like it might need a new roof. I understand that a bad roof can be a big mental obstacle for a potential buyer so it might be good just to have an estimate in hand to show them. Let's face it, we both know a roof is expensive but most buyers probably think that it's more expensive than it really is! Do you think the sellers would mind if I came over and gave a free no obligation estimate?"

If you get an estimate in the home owners hands and that roof ends up being a "required fix" by the lender, there is a REALLY good chance that you are going to get that job. In addition to that, you will begin to build relationships with real estate professionals who will call on you when work needs to be done!

This is one of my favorite roofer marketing strategies and should be put in you "Play Book" immediately!

Now... Go put a roof on!

How To Take Full Advantage Of Trade Shows

While some businesses might dread attending trade events, for others, it is a fantastic method to market their brand and connect with new clients. You can improve your products and brand exposure at trade shows, push new products, produce new revenue and create many leads. Not just will you improve your profits with new sales, industry events also supply you with a opportunity to see what your competitors are working on. You are going to make new contacts and get the scoop on new business trends.

To get the most out of your conference, you should follow these ideas. Your advertising initiative ought to not be restricted to the conference itself, for the greatest outcome, it ought to begin beforehand and carry on after the show. Your marketing and advertising ought to assist bring in potential clientele as well as increase income. Having the appropriate presentation area for your organization is crucial. Examine numerous configurations, sizes and styles to determine the best one for your spending budget and marketing needs.

Promote your brand properly by selecting potent graphic elements within your presentation area which includes premium poster printing. In all of your choices, bear in mind the communication and marketing information you need to pass on. Your trade show ad banners, trade show booth, flyers along with other advertising documents should all adhere to similar design principles. Use compelling visuals and materials to generate a hype around your conference display. You are looking for your presentation area to jump out so that show participants will wish to come in.

Superb accessories can be a good sale help for your exhibition booth. Audio-visual aid, furniture, flooring and lighting are all important. By choosing the right accessories you will give your sales space polish and extra impact. The appearance of your personnel is also very important. Your staff will take care of visitors in an attempt to produce prospects so they ought to be outfitted in a way that properly represents the organization.

Individuals who come to your stand are more motivated and will make far better sale leads. Your marketing and advertising initiative has been unsuccessful if your personnel has to stand in the isle to lure guests to your trade show booth. Make sure that your content and sales displays are powerful and will attract folks. Your communication message needs to be straightforward and well displayed via your visual designs. Make certain your stand looks much better than your neighbors. If all of the exhibitors appear exactly the same, guests will not feel obligated to pay a visit to each one of them.

Custom Flags Wave "Bye Bye" to the Competition

Have you ever seen the long black stretch limousines with the tiny fluttering flags of the VIPs who are driven inside? The flags in this case are the country flags of the land they serve. For those who want special recognition and better brand familiarity and knowledge, custom flags add uniqueness and promotion at a limited cost with the maximum result. You too can use custom flags to feel like a world class ambassador for your company, product, or service!

Where can you place custom flags? If you are one who wants to add some flash to your car, flags can be specially mounted on your vehicles. On each of the four corners of your car may be installed flags showing your company name or other information.

If this doesn't appeal to you, try more traditional means of flag advertising. Many times custom flags grace the entrance to a new housing project, gated community, or other special place. The lawn in front of the country club will most likely display a minimum of half a dozen flags with various banner information. These are both decorative and informative. Sometimes they are advertisements (done in good taste, of course) or show the city's or club's logo. The club may have a banner of its own that it wants to display. These custom flags are slim and attractive, colorful and graceful. They don't shout at their viewers, merely wave and display their information in a beauty pageant style of attraction rather than promotion.

When you use custom fabric flags and banners, be advised that there are many types. They may be created in a feather shape for a promotional look. Others are more like inverted carrot shapes with the upper end wider than its base. A straight, triangular, or oval shape is also used. Because they are elegantly defined, they can fit into small places where other advertisements simply wouldn't fit. The elongated look of cloth banners and flags give the message of less being more, because their unspoken powerful message is truly concentrated. It is not an exaggeration to say that these advertising banners and flags are a medium of beauty, grace, and harmony, especially when they are softly billowing in the breeze.

Believe it or not, flags can be placed on motorcycles, motorbikes and even golf carts to state their message. The pirate flag is a popular novelty design, and so are the Confederate or American flags. They add a little something extra. Those who want to show that they are different - and maybe a bit better - than the rest freely take advantage of the unique advertising message and medium that flags have to offer.

Custom flags are made of a synthetic material that will withstand fading, adverse weather and very rarely tear in the wind. The material is color-fast, meaning that you can choose colors in your company or brand name's logo and it will be recognizable for a long time to come. These fabric flags may be mounted on a flexible pole that stays firm and erect but will work with normal weather conditions and go with the wind flow. This combination, after many years of trial and error, has proven to be one of the most effective ones. These custom nylon or polyester flags are meant to be displayed outdoors and are prepared to show their true colors and message for a long time.

You can also use custom banners or flags for an indoor display. Because of their slim shape, they fill out a nook or corner area that would be hard to utilize with any other display options. These slender advertisements can be placed next to each other to create a United Nations look of colorful display, in pairs or trios in a narrow corner. Even individually, fabric banners and flags are concentrated ads - their slight framework seems to explode on the scene, drawing attention to all viewers, young and old. Almost everyone wants to know what the custom flags are all about.



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Marketing Statistics That Show That Email and Online Marketing Is the Way to Go

Exploring and knowing marketing stats can help prepare a marketer for the next move to make for their company. Based on these marketing statistics, we can figure out what exactly we should do, where to focus our efforts on, how to do that, and what we should start fixing up in our marketing approaches. So, let us explore a few of these marketing statistics and what we can do with them.

1/3 of the world's population is on the Internet - Knowing this, you should be able to surmise that online marketing is a sure-fire way to establish your presence. And since such a large fraction of the total populace is online, marketers have already started making great usage of email marketing in doing business. They even go as far as to buy email lists from list providers and list vendors that can provide them with the data and B2B leads they need. With a large number of people being on the Internet, it is surely a wise choice to start investing in online marketing methods and other such things.

44% of direct mail is never opened - Although not being over 50%, the percentage is frightfully high. Over the years, direct mail has become an inefficient and quite expensive way of marketing. And seeing such figures, you may start wondering just how much of your sent marketing and business mails remain unopened by your prospects. For this, marketers have turned to email marketing as a more efficient and inexpensive alternative to direct mail. That being said, email marketing is now the way to go for generating new B2B leads in opposition to direct mail.

59% of B2B marketers say that email is an effective revenue generator - A lot of marketers seem to agree that email is the new way to go for generating revenue. Although some will oppose them and say that direct mail is still one of the best to use, well, we can all attest to those words through our own experiences with using email as a B2B lead generator for increased profits. The rate at which acquires B2B leads through email marketing is high, and you can drag in a lot of leads on a daily basis, given of course your content is relevant to your prospects. Due to this, list providers and list vendors all over are scouring the entire area and looking for customers to buy their email lists. And as an important part of how an email marketing campaign runs, a list of emails really is a necessity.

Based on these 3 statistics, you can say that online marketing is becoming quite popular and offers the best opportunity for you to get some business going. Go with email marketing then. With figures like these, you can see that using email marketing may just be to your advantage. Also, another statistic shows that emails sent during the morning have higher click-through rates, meaning that the ideal time to send your marketing and business emails to your prospects would be during their morning hours while they work. However, this move also entails that you'll need to start learning about different email platforms and start buying email marketing lists for your campaign. Luckily, there are a lot of service providers that you can work with, email marketing firms and list providers for example, to help you beef up and make your email marketing campaign effective in generating B2B leads.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Is Your Website Suffering From "Personality Disorders?"

Injecting personality into your website is one of the most effective ways to convey a human touch. Visitors are attracted to accessible, unintimidating websites just as we're interested in friendly, easy-going people.

But not all of us are blessed with effortless charm, and likewise many websites exhibit off-putting traits.

Is your website suffering from any of these common "personality disorders"?

1. Narcissism (or, Excessive "Self-Love")

You can spot a narcissistic website by endless declarations of "we do this" and "we believe in that".

Yes, you need to convey your vision - but not in a way that leaves your visitors out in the cold. There should be far more statements about "you" rather than "us" or "we".

Take the emphasis off yourself and speak directly to your customers. It's all about what you can you do for them.

2. Histrionic (or, Attention-Seeking and Inappropriately Seductive)

Powerful headlines are a great way to grab attention. But don't make promises you can't keep.

If you promise your product will make someone rich or happy or skinny, you'd better be able to deliver.

Outrageous claims can ruin reputations. There's nowhere to hide on the internet - all it takes is one person to find out that your promise was a lie, and you'll be exposed on review and social network sites.

Forget the histrionics, and focus instead on providing value and building trust.

3. Obsessive-Compulsive (or, Excessive Rigidity)

We've all seen obsessive-compulsive or excessively rigid web copy. Something like: "We pride ourselves on our core competency and corporate values."

Say what?!

Jargon is not just incomprehensible to most of us, it's also deeply annoying.

Loosen up and learn to write in Plain English, which is all about clarity, brevity, and the avoidance of technical language or "businessese".

4. Passive-Aggressive (or, Negative Attitudes)

Your website is not the place for doubt or negativity. You're on the global stage, competing against thousands of other businesses.

That means presenting your company in the best possible light.

If you need to be honest about something, do so in a way that turns a perceived negative into a positive. A perfect example is Avis's classic slogan: "We're Number 2, so we try harder."

Tell your visitors why you're special, and they just might believe you.

5. Anti-social (or, Lack of Interest in Social Relationships)

If you haven't tapped into the power of social media and networking, then you're not merely anti-social - you're self-sabotaging.

Social media sites are satellites for your main website, working in harmony to:

  • Improve your industry clout
  • Gain greater control of your online image
  • Improve your organic search visibility
  • Expand your market

Between Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google +, there's a good social media fit for even the most reluctant anti-socialite.

You don't have to master them all. In fact, you shouldn't. Find the network that best suits your market, and engage.

6. Self-Defeating (or, Willfully Choosing to Fail)

Your website is self-defeating if it's not built around established goals with corresponding calls-to-action. Without these, your site is like a rudderless ship at sea.

On each page there should be clear prompts encouraging your visitors to undertake desired actions. If you're selling products you need a "buy now" or "add to cart" button. If you have a service, you need "find out more".

It's even better if you use incentives such as "sign up for free tips" in order to capture visitors' email addresses. If you don't have an opt-in facility, you're wilfully losing sales.

Email is the critical link between casual visitors and future customers. Used effectively, your email list can become one of the highest return assets of your business.

A "Healthy Personality" Website

So how can you ensure your website is free of "personality disorders"?

Here's a healthy prescription:

  • Shine a light on your qualifications, achievements, and creativity.
  • Where possible, offer social proof.
  • Demonstrate your understanding of your target market.
  • Tell stories.
  • Prove you care about your audience by asking questions.
  • Be proud, but humble.

And always always always put your customers first.



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Let's Start Guerrilla Marketing for Your Events

You must have heard about "guerrilla warfare"! If not then let me explain it to you. "Guerrilla warfare" is when a small band of soldiers adopt unusual tactics to defeat a large group of enemies. In the events industry, guerrilla marketing means implementing selective unconventional advertising strategies to increase sales.

Many event organizers are applying guerrilla marketing techniques to enhance event attendance and generate high revenues. This type of a marketing strategy comes at a cost-effective rate, so you don't really spend much in the implementation phase. Through the usage of graffiti, sticker bombing, flash mobs, etc. you can attract a large section of people to your events and activities, resulting in higher enrollment numbers.

Let's figure out the various forms of guerrilla marketing plans for your events.

Graffiti

Graffiti has immediate eye-catching appeal. You can create colorful, attractive graffiti, graphics, and murals and place them across select locations throughout the city to bombard your target audience. Reverse graffiti is also becoming increasingly popular as a means of advertising. It means cleaning a dirty surface to produce something highly interesting and unusual. For example, you can clean the windscreen of an unwashed car to write down "Wash Me". Domino's have used a lot of reverse graffiti in an effort to set up a sustainable advertising campaign. They used water, carbon offsetting, etc. to create images as part of their guerrilla marketing campaign strategy.

Sticker Bombing

It is also known as sticker tagging and is used by event marketers to display their company logo or upcoming event details using stickers. You can embark on an extensive sticker bombing campaign by gluing stickers on lamp posts on busy streets, in the parks, on the walls of shopping malls, on near a movie theater, etc. You can add an electronic scan panel on the stickers (having your organization's URL) so that passers-by can connect with you via their cell phones or Smartphone.

Flash Mobs

Flash mobs have gained tremendous popularity not only in USA, but around the world. You can easily organize a flash mob to promote your latest fundraising campaign by hiring some performers who will start dancing to the tunes of say "Friends" by Beatles. You will see how quickly you literally grab the attention of passers-by who stand for a minute or two to see what's happening. You may see many of them starting to dance, eventually turning the five-minute dance into an hour long road-block party. You must put on a banner next to the performers for the people to know the reason for this brief performance.

Giveaways

An easy way to generate interest in your events and campaigns is by giving away freebies for example, a cool badge or a friendship band. This exercise of giving gifts to potential customers can create some immediate visibility. For online events, you can provide a free CD containing you past events videos, etc.



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