Advertising Brochure Designs

Writen by Lance Winslow

So often, new business people will print custom designed threefold advertising brochures to give to new customers. I have seen new business owners spend two or $3000 doing this and defend only using half of them because they had changed their business or their prices.

It seems like an incredible waste of money and it may be smart to not print custom designed free folds glossy advertising brochures when you first start your business.

Having been in the franchising business for nearly 2 decades and launched our franchisees in hundreds of cities it became quickly apparent to me that even with our business model a basic virtual cookie-cutter there were regional variations in the things we had to change once we got started that made the brochures and valid.

And this is coming from a franchisor who specializes in everything been the same to protect the consistency and quality of our services that represent our brand name. If a franchisor warns against advertising brochures right out of the gate of a new business, the you can be sure they know what they're talking about after setting up hundreds of units.

Regional variation is something that is very important and the best industry Association cannot tell you exactly what your response will be in your given community even based on the exact demographics and similar cities and other regions. You see, all politics is local and all small-business marketing campaigns must be personalized. Please consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Your Business Card As A Strategic Marketing Tool

Writen by Josh Barkin

While every business has, or should have a business card, often it is neglected as a part of an overall strategy. If you take the time to devise even a simple marketing, public relations, or sales strategy, your business card should be an integral part of your plan.

Location! Location! Location!
If you sell product, consider including your card with the product when it is delivered to your customer. Same goes for services. For example, if you are an auto mechanic, consider slipping your business card in your customer's car visor, or create a sticker business card that will adhere to a discrete area of the customer's car windsheild. If you provide regular on-site services, consider a business card magnet to be prominently placed on a refrigerator, or filing cabinet. Keep in mind, you don't need to actually sell product, or deliver service to ensure your business card gets and stays in the hands of others. Include your business card with every piece of correspondence: quotes, RFP's, letters, even photocopy your business card and include it in fax transmissions. When mailing out information, include it in the mailing by stapling your card (if possible) to the bottom or top corner of your letterhead.

Easy Access
The best thing you can do with your business card is not only carry it around with you, but have other people carry it around and pass it around for you. Having other people carry your card allows them to provide it to their friends or associates when they are looking for a product or service. It is a proven and inexpensive marketing technique.

Keep a small stack of business cards everywhere you can store and access them: in your car, your jacket pocket, your briefcase, your purse or wallet, in your day planner, at home, etc. You'll always want to have some on hand when you meet a prospective customer and you never know who might be your next prospect.

Getting creative with your business card distribution
If you look at your daily routine, don't overlook the opportunities which lie in front of you to distribute your business card and be pro-active in your business marketing. Nothing is over the top. If you conduct or attend seminars, or trade shows, make sure to drop your card in a "fish bowl" or card collection box. Tack your business card to bulletin boards at supermarkets, restaurants, retail stores, schools, libraries and other public spots that have a well placed bulletin board. With in-person distribution, consider giving out two cards at a time, one for your customer prospect and one for her/him to give away, or at the very least, reduce their chances of losing the only business card you gave them.

Finally, ask businesses in your neighborhood if they will display your business card near their cash register, or checkout (reassure them there is no conflict of interest). If you start to build relationships with business that offer complimentary products or services, even in your immediate neighbourhood, you will realize there is strength in numbers. Many larger organizations will form strategic alliances to further accelerate business development and mutually benefit from each others sales channels. Based on the same methodology, small businesses can adopt a similar, and certainly less political approach. Jointly agree to mail the business cards for other companies in the same position as you. If you agree to include them in your mailings or other promotional activities, they will do the same for you. A small business network, or circle of businesses can quickly grow to become a large and high effective business co-operative.

Doing business is about finding opportunities and capitalizing on those opportunities. The catch is that many opportunities can arise when you least expect them to. You are certain to cover your bases by having your business card as part of a well defined marketing strategy whether you are involved directly in executing the strategy, or a network of people jointly execute the same strategy for mutual gain.

Josh Barkin is the Director of Marketing for Professor Print, a leader in online business printing and design. Professor Print provides thousands of free business card templates so you can create your own business cards online, as well as articles and tutorials on how to get the most out of your business card design. For more information, visit Professor Print at http://www.professorprint.com

How You Can Create Advertising That Sells

Writen by Thom Reece

A well-planned and properly executed marketing program should include a sufficient commitment of capital resources to an on-going, well executed advertising program. Yes, this includes your business.

Businesses spend too many dollars, however, on ads that simply will not result in increased sales and profits. These ads are poorly conceived, poorly written, poorly designed, poorly targeted, and poorly placed.

Sounds like a poor way to do business, doesn't it?

I often ask clients (as tactfully as possible), why they have run a particular ad. I get a lot of blank stares. A few tense moments will pass while the client tries to think of a clever answer. "To get the company name out in front of the public so I can get more business." they reply, with some relief.

This poor soul has just described a lack of a well defined goal, which leads almost inevitably to what I call an institutional ad. An institutional ad can best be described as one which identifies the advertiser and lists address, telephone number, hours of operation, and (maybe) the company logo. That's it. What a terrible waste of money!

Unless your company grosses a billion dollars a year, you can't afford to do institutional ads. If your company does gross over a billion dollars a year...you're probably too smart to run institutional ads.

Every ad you run must result in increased sales and profits and an enhanced image for your company. Every ad should make the customer a solid offer and give the customer sound reasons to buy from you now. Remember, the customer is sitting back and asking, "What can you do for me?" If you're careful to answer that question with a powerful offer and reasons to buy now, you're on your way to advertising success...which results in increased sales and profits.

How can you improve your chances of increasing sales?

Let's look at some profit-producing ideas...

SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP

Very few businesses are prepared or qualified to produce quality advertising. If you spend more than $2,000 per month in advertising, you should seriously consider hiring a qualified advertising professional. There are any number of skilled freelancers who can develop strategy, and create your marketing materials with a keen eye to using proven methods and techniques.

Good advertising talent always pays it's own way through increased sales and profits, improved cost-effectiveness, reduced selling costs, and shortened selling cycles.

If your resources are limited, don't feel lost. There's no reason why you can't learn to write an effective ad. That's what the rest of this article is all about...how *you* can create advertising that sells.

FOLLOW A PROVEN FORMULA

One of the oldest and most useful formulas for ad design takes its name from the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verde. In this case the letters A-I-D-A stand for ATTENTION, INTEREST, DESIRE, AND ACTION.

In it's simplest form this formula serves as a structural blueprint. It guides us to: (1) Get the prospect's Attention, (2) Foster his or her Interest in your offer, (3) build Desire for your product or service and (4) Generate some type of Action on the part of the buyer.

As we expand on each of these elements individually, you'll discover for yourself how to apply the formula to your specific situation.

ATTENTION (The Headline)

Hit your prospect right between the eyes with a magic wand. How? With a powerful benefit headline. The headline is the most important single element of your ad. You have two to three seconds to stop the reader as he or she passes by. You must stop the reader, and interest them in your benefit, if you expect them to read further.

A powerful headline will (1) stop the reader (2) isolate and qualify your best prospects, and (3) pull your reader into the sub-heads and body copy.

How do you write the attention-getting headline? First, carefully review all the benefits of-use of your product or service. Second, take your most important benefit and weave that benefit into your headline. Use action words to describe the benefit to one individual reader.

Here are some examples...

"Save 50% On Office Supplies...Send For Your Free Catalog Today !"

"How YOU Can Create Advertising That SELLS!"

"New! Amazing Techniques That You Can Use To Land A High-Paying Job...Today!"

"How To Design Profit-Producing Web Sites That SELL!"

APPEALING TO BUSINESS EXECUTIVES

When writing your ad to a business-to-business audience you should keep in mind the six key benefits most likely to get attention:

1.Save Money 2.Save Time 3.Increase Sales 4.Increase Profits 5.Enhance Image 6.Boost cash flow

Most other benefits are subordinate to these key six. I call them the"Business Benefit Six-Pack." Show your customer how your product or service provides these benefits, and you will dramatically improve your results.

INTEREST AND DESIRE> (The Offer, Body Copy, Benefits-Benefits- Benefits)

You build interest in your product or service (and the desire to buy) by making the customer a compelling offer and by describing as many benefits as possible in simple and interesting terms.

Tip # 1: Top ad pros always write the ad first, then buy whatever space necessary to display the ad message with clarity and power.

Tip # 2: Words sell...graphic design displays the words in a visually appealing way. Don't confuse the two. No amount of trendy design will make a poorly written ad sell for you. Good design reinforces good copy...it cannot take the place of it! The implication for internet marketers is that content is king. Avoid glitsy, moving graphics that only distract from your message and increase load times. Good design and good copy should work synergistically.

Tip #3: Long copy sells...as long as it's good copy. I call it "greased slide" copy. You get the reader on the top of the slide when he reads a powerful headline, and he can't get off until he has taken the action asked for (i.e., ordered the product, made the trip to the store, dialed the phone, clicked the order/inquiry button, filled out the on-line order, etc.).

ACTION(Ask For The Order)

Now comes the moment of truth. You must ask for the order. Give reasons for the customer to buy now...and make it easy for him to do so. In direct response marketing, this will involve a coupon for mail orders, a toll-free order line, an e-mail address, an on-line order form, a fax order line..any means to make it easy and simple to order!

Take the fear out of the purchase. Give solid guarantees. Offer secure ordering for on-line customers. Show testimonials from satisfied customers.

Show what the customer is going to lose if he doesn't order now.

If you are a retailer, include a map to your store(s) (newcomers love them). Show the credit cards you accept, list the hours of operation, tell them about your friendly staff, include a special coupon or other incentive. In other words, "Roll out the red carpet."

INVEST IN FUTURE PROFITS

So there you have it. A primer on good advertising. If I've piqued your interest to learn more, then check out the other articles available at this resource.

Remember, bad advertising...no matter what the media...is an unproductive expense.

Good advertising is an investment in future profits!

Good advertising and good management go together. You can't have a successful business on-line or off-line---without both.

Thom Reece is CEO of Online Marketing Resource Center [http://www.E-ComProfits.com] and publisher of "Thom Reece's Web Marketing Strategies & Techniques Newsletter". Free subscripton at: http://www.WMSTDirect.com, mailto:thom@e-comprofits.com

Finding Hidden Advertising Spots For Your Promotions

Writen by Elizabeth Catalanotto

Are you afraid that your latest promotional campaign will be swept away with the rest of the advertising clutter? Placing your advertisement in a key location is a pivotal step in getting it noticed.

Since you can practically buy ad space on just about every surface possible, finding the right location for your promotional message can be quite a challenge. Choosing an otherwise untouched area for your ad can increase its success. Dimly lit areas, floors and narrow walkways seem to be free of advertising and promotional materials in most buildings.

Dimly Lit Areas

Dimly lit areas may seem to be off limits when it comes to promotion and advertising since well-lit areas provide a more inviting location for posters and signs. However, backlit displays provide a perfect way to take advantage of these hidden areas.

An illuminated backlit sign can spark interest and grab the attention of customers in casinos, movie theaters and shopping malls. Whether you are promoting an upcoming event or a new product or service offering a backlit display can expand your marketing reach throughout the building.

Floors

For the most part, the floors of most venues are uncharted territory when it comes to advertising and promotion, but with adhesive graphics, you can place your message on the surface of just about any floor (even carpet).

Floor graphics cannot only help to increase awareness, but they can also help to direct your customers to products or other locations. When you place floor graphics in high traffic areas, be sure to use a high-tack adhesive to ensure that they will last throughout the duration of your promotion.

Narrow areas and hallways

Placing promotional materials in narrow areas and hallways can be a daunting task that will only clutter the space. However, advertising materials have a good chance of being noticed when placed in smaller areas. Incorporating a wall mural for the area cannot only brighten up a dull area, but will also create a strong visual impact for your promotion.

If you begin to question whether your latest promotional campaign is getting the attention it deserves, then consider looking around your venue. You might just find a few prime advertising spots that are going unnoticed.

Elizabeth Catalanotto is a freelance writer for Pixus Digital Printing. Pixus is a leader in next day short run digital printing that specializes in creating custom backlits and vivid color graphics for companies across the country.

Classifying The Classifieds

Writen by Nola Redd

Many small business owners dismiss the classified ads, focusing their power instead on larger ads or other sources. However, I think the classifieds offer a number of opportunities, even in this growing digital world. Furthermore, the suggestions I would like to share can help you create free ads on websites such as Craigslist and Merchant Circle.

Classified ads can bring in more business than regular newspaper ads because they function somewhat like daily yellow pages. Though the numbers of yellow page subscribers shrinks each day, newspaper subscribers continue to remain more or less equal. Furthermore, most newspapers host their classifieds online, providing easier access for folks seeking to purchase a good or service. Thus, when people pick up a newspaper and thumb through the classifieds, they generally do so with a purpose, as compared to a contemporary ad that tends to appeal to a smaller percentage of readers who come in contact with it (although, granted, more folks flip past your regular ad than examine the classifieds). Thus, a classified ad can specifically target someone seeking a particular good or service.

Classified ads can also be effective at determining what type of verbiage will work best in full-scale advertising. If you run an ad with one headline or special, then run a second ad, you can determine which ad generates more business and focus your larger (and more expensive) advertising to reflect that. In this case, obviously, you will want to ensure 'all other fields' are equal; specifically, that the ad is run over the same days and preferably over a similar time period. For testing, you might consider running two ads at the same time and seeing which one generates more response, perhaps providing separate phone numbers or email addresses for callers.

Most classified ads cost significantly less than a full-scale ad, making them ideal for new and growing businesses. They can make a good 'first step', to be followed with other forms of marketing. But their low cost value makes them a great place for larger, established businesses to work. Furthermore, as a developing business, you have almost an open market, because the odds are good your competition will neglect these smaller morsels.

Some suggestions Jay Levinson gives in his Guerrilla Marketing Handbook include: When writing a classified ad, you may find yourself tempted to keep it short and cheap. Don't. Take the opportunity to outshine your competition.

Start with a good lead-in, a headline that stands out. Capitalize it.

Include a way to contact you: phone, email, or website.

Make sure your ad reads different from everyone else's. Remember, you want to be unique.

And Denise O'Berry had some more great suggestions in her blog, Just for Small Business.

Both stress that the most important thing you can do is follow through. As Denise so aptly states in her title, "One ad is not a marketing campaign." Levinson notes that the average consumer must see an ad nine times before they call – and that for every time they view the ad, they have missed it twice. This means that the ad must run 27 times before the average consumer contacts you! If you only run the ad on Sundays, that is nearly seven months! However, if it is run daily, then your call volume should increase after a month – again, on average. Remember that patience is key in all advertising, and run, run, run your ad!

Classifieds can be great for both new and established businesses. In addition to the conventional newspaper, make sure you scout out free sites such as Craigslist, or other online advertising posting arenas, such as local neighborhood sites like Merchant Circle or your city's online websites.

Nola Redd writes blogs for small business owners at her website for her Atlanta-based low voltage wiring company, Redd Infinity. She is also an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Fiction Writing. She enjoys writing business articles and would be happy to help you create effective classified ads.

5 Powerful Rules For Writing Advertising That Sells

Writen by Scott Wilson

As you begin to write your sales copy for your advertisement keep one thing in your mind…Everything you put into the must point out a specific benefit to your prospect.

Ask yourself as you write, "How will this help to get my prospect to act now?"

Always focus on the prospect, no matter what everyone else says or thinks. Tell them you've got a solution to their wants, needs desires, RIGHT NOW! The purpose is to get them to act.

1. Identify the prospect pain. (Research your target prospect to understand this)

2. Make them really feel it (they will do more to avoid pain than they will to gain pleasure…so really hit them between the eyes)

3. Let them know you can take it away right now. (Go into absolute detail here)

4. Let him know the pain will stay unless they act now. (Remind them of the pain they are currently feeling. Go into detail here as well)

5. Remove the risk of taking action for them. (make it so simple and risk free, they would feel silly not using your product or service)

Write your ad as though they are sitting beside you. You know their needs, wants and desires intimately because you have now done your research thoroughly.

Write the same way, as you would have a conversation. Use a friendly, matter of fact manner, (Don't beat around the bush! This is serious)

Read it back to yourself out loud, putting yourself in their shoes.

Do you feel the pain? Can you truly empathise with him? Use short sharp spunky words. These will get more reaction from them.

Tell them exactly what you mean and what they need to do in a step-by-step way. Make it as simple as possible.

Take the risk out of it with a very strong guarantee. This will earn their trust for your product or service. They'll feel like they got absolutely nothing to lose.

Make it as easy for them!

Make it interesting. If they get bored by what you have to say…so will lots of other prospects. Make the phone number, e-mail address, coupon, or whatever it is, easy to see and simple to use!

Make this information plain as day. Make them feel special, important and worthwhile.

You will win their loyalty.

Smarter Business Leads specialize in using Low Cost Advertising & Marketing Ideas that will explode your businesses cash register. Check them out at http://www.smarterbusinessleads.com if you hurry they may even send you a free report go to http://www.smarterbusinessleads.com now.

Competition In Advertising For The Customers Interest

Writen by Lance Winslow

Good marketing and advertising is not easy for small business on a small budget however it can be done with the proper strategies. There is a lot of competition in advertising for the customer's eyeball and interests. Everyone is competing to get the customer to listen to their marketing and their offers. But are you asking yourself if the customer is listening to you? And have you thought to yourself why should they listen to you?

Does your potential customer understand that your offer is credible and that the reputation of your business is long-standing and can back up its offer? Have you given the customer a reason to care about what you have to offer? Do you have any proof that your offer is better than your competition? Have you explained this in a clear and concise way to your potential customer in your advertising and marketing?

You cannot expect your customer to care in advance of what you are going to do for them or what your company is going to do in the future. But if you can show them statistics or proof perhaps in testimonials then you might have a chance. You must remember you are not the only company out there competing for the customers time or interest. He therefore have to make your case very quickly and back it up with information that can be digested very quickly. Have you done that?

Why not take a look at all your marketing and advertising right now and read it from the customer's perspective and ask yourself why you should the customer care about what I'm offering and why should they be interested if my competition is offering nearly the same thing. If you do not see this in your marketing and advertising you need to add it. And the sooner the better so, please consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

A Cluttered Ad Kills

Writen by Lance Winslow

Is your advertising crisp and clean? Is your advertising simple and to the point? Is your advertising sending the right message to your customer and compelling them to become involved with your company and come in to buy something? Is your advertising really top notched?

Why do I ask these questions? Well simple really, you see most entrepreneurs will answer yes to these questions, however as you review their advertising especially their print advertising like brochures, yellow page ads and newspaper display ads they are so cluttered and confusing usually that the make no sense and turn customers off.

A cluttered ad kills business; it does not help business. Your goal in advertising is to build brand awareness or compel the potential customer to buy something from you or hopefully both. But if you clutter all your advertising with irrelevant debris, then it will produce neither of your well-intended goals.

Why waste your money on a cluttered ad? They do not work, perhaps it is a sign of ego and you can list all the great things you feel are important about your business, but that is an ad for you and it will not likely convey the correct communication to your customer. Ask yourself the questions above once more and be brutally honest with yourself? Consider this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Thursday Your Daily Yellow Page Ad Review

Writen by Jeffrey Hauser

With three days behind you and a thorough dissecting of your Yellow Page ad, you should be happy with the results. But not so fast. Sure, you're looked at the headline, sub-head, and picture, but what about the meat and potatoes? That would be the text itself. Did you spend more than a minute writing it? Does it tell the entire feature and benefit story? Well it should. It must give the consumer the details on what you have to offer.

Whether you are a service or retail company, there are things you have that makes you better than everyone else. And this is the ideal place to tell your story. Now, you may be limited on space by ad size, so, in that case, pick the top few. Perhaps you have a great location with free parking, terrific warranty, brand names, after-hours service, you can handle walk-ins, emergencies, or have certified technicians. Brag a little and don't be shy,

By now, through the headline and text, you should have answered all the "who, what, where, why, and how" questions. Or least be leading up to them. Some are just your name, address, and phone number. But the reason people will choose you is contained within the bulleted or otherwise listed, descriptors of what you do and how you do it. They should be short and to the point. They can even be in a simple format like: "Who are we? We are one of the largest tire dealers in Omaha. Why are we better? Because we have the longest warranty." And so forth. Leave the location for last. If you have a tiny ad and really no space left, go for the one thing that is the most telling. Like "Home of the No-Questions-Asked Guarantee!"

Regardless, it is the fourth day and fourth element to consider, when creating your ad. It's your job to make it a success. Speaking of success, you may want to learn about all the other vital elements to your ad. Right about now, you also might also be asking yourself how I know so much about directory advertising.

Well, I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I've been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have experience in creating ads and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective ones. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in essentials areas like the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must also understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.

So consider getting some expert advice before you place your next ad. If you want to more detailed instruction on all the inside secrets to better YP marketing, then please visit my website listed below.

Jeffrey Hauser's latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages," which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.

Calendar Printing

Writen by Mic Pedretti

Are you or someone you know techno-phobic? Do you have a customer base who is still relies on an old fashioned pen and paper to record appointments, dates, times, places and people? Help you're average "Joe customer," yourself or your loved ones to a custom calendar. Conveniently record everything from all your children's school activities, sporting events, doctor's appointments, etc. How about keeping track of all your important meetings, lunches, dates, and times? A calendar print is just the way to go.

Having the capability to organize and manage a hectic lifestyle on one simple calendar can be a priceless tool. For the average consumer, adding a personal touch such as photographs or inspirational quotes can boost the overall productivity and usability of a custom calendar. To smile each and every time flipping through a calendar becomes necessary, will make things seem even more organized. The benefits to an average business owner can range greatly from increased productivity to increased customer base. Keeping on top of appointments and contacts can help increase sales, and to give out promotional calendars as advertisements can increase customer loyalty. Imagine satisfied customers using the custom calendar to schedule their hectic lives, and having a constant reminder of the person and/or business that helped get them there.

Whether creating a calendar for yourself, your loved ones, or your customers, many affordable options present themselves before you. Many local retailers such as Office Depot, Staples, Kinko's and other printing services will gladly put together calendars for to promote growth of your business, or make great holiday gifts. When your loved ones use their new calendars they will undoubtedly think of you when they organize they thoroughly organize their lives. With many different sizes, formats, and options available to customize a calendar, the possibilities and styles veritably limitless. When ordering calendar printing services, especially from retailers, many discount programs are available, including reward cards, new customer discounts, and bulk discounts. As much as 10%, 15%, even 20% discounts are available on qualifying orders.

The whole world has not gone digitized as of yet, and so some people still take a pen to the paper to organize their lives, bringing yourself to them will help widen a customer base, and make great gifts at holiday time. With a variety of styles, quantities, colors, schemes, and sizes available, full marketability is at the fingertips of the business owner and awe at a great gift is within reach to the average person with something as simple and thoughtful as a calendar. With full customizability there will never be any doubt that what you see is what you will get. When receiving an attractive and eye catching document, such as a calendar, customer's and loved ones alike remember who gave them such an impressive display of creativity and craftsmanship, along with exactly why. When impressing a family member, or a customer counts, or the need to just get organized rears its ugly head, a custom calendar is the number one solution to consider.

Our Printing Directory is dedicated to the printing industry. Find more information and other printing topics on our Calendar Printing resource page.

Relationship Marketing Build Your Business With A Festive Seasonal Open House

Writen by Kathi Dameron

Ready to launch your business to the next level and beyond...but just not sure which marketing strategy will give you the most bang for your buck?

One of the most effective marketing strategies just happens to be one of the most reasonably priced strategies. Are you surprised? Perhaps you have come to think that marketing has to be a costly, high budget endeavor and something you can not afford to engage in unless you have the available funding of deep pockets.

It is not surprising if you think that way! We have all pow wowed with fast talking salespeople who tried to convince us of the virtues of all sorts of expensive marketing techniques to reach our customers. With eyes glazed over by the bottom line costs that we know are out of our league...costs that could support a family of four for a year. Don't sign the contract! Stop and consider your options. Don't let someone rope you into signing a contract that will legally bind you to a program that may or may not generate revenue for your business. Beware!

Costly, ineffective advertising could put you out of business! If your money is tight... don't gamble with expensive advertising! It is a proven fact that advertising is only really effective when it is conducted in a strategic, consistent and tightly focused manner. Then perhaps your advertising dollars will be a good solid investment. But until that time when you can afford regular advertising there are certainly other options that can prove effective.

Always begin by asking yourself:

1.) Who am I trying to reach?

2.) What message do I want to relay?

3.) What outcome do I want to achieve?

Then start thinking about what steps you will need to do to accomplish your objective. Consider carefully if your objective can be reached through relationship marketing. Perhaps you will come to realize that relationship marketing would be the best way to achieve your goal. It is through good relationship marketing that many business owners reach their business, professional and personal goals.

People like to do business with people that they know. It is vital that as a business owner you and your staff are engaged in the business of building relationships with your customers.

Through the process of building dynamic relationships with your clients, your business will continue to grow and reach new levels of profitability.

So how do you do this? This is a great time of year to host an open house.

Invite your clients to special open houses. A Festive Autumn Open House is a great way to show you care about your customers. Open houses are the perfect opportunity to showcase new products and services.

Open houses do not have to be expensive or time consuming for you to put together. Special open houses have the potential to sky rocket your marketing efforts and maximize your profits. If you are looking for ways to generate traffic, increase sales and wow your customers... then don't ignore the potential of hosting an open house.

To Your Success!

Kathi Dameron

Ideas For Business Open Houses

850-422-3599

© 2006 Kathi Dameron, Kathi Dameron and Associates www.kathidameron.com

Note To Publishers: You are invited to share this article through your ezine, website or print publication provided you publish this article in its entirety and include the copyright statement, bio information, active website links and contact information.

Easy, delicious and inexpensive open house party packages are available from Kathi Dameron and Associates. For step by step directions on how to do your business open house - CALL KATHI! http://www.kathidameron.com 850-422-3599

The Ad And Face That Flushed A Thousand Toilets

Writen by Jeremy Tuber

This story is about a plumber, and while that might not sound relevant to you, if you've ever advertised your business, if you're currently advertising your business or if you plan to advertise your business - you need to read this.

Jim and Rebekah Ypma own Sonoran Desert Plumbing (SDP), about a year ago they asked me to design an advertisement that would help to separate them from the competition. SDP did not have a brand image or any way to separate them from the rest of the field, consequently, prospects didn't pay them much attention and they had to compete on price more than they would like; that's where we came in.

Plumbers love to advertise in the yellow pages, so there's a tremendous amount of competition, that's the bad news; the good news is that 95% are under leveraged, boring and ineffective ads that most people are inclined to ignore.

Take a moment to look at the plumbing section in the yellow pages, what do you see? You see questions like, "Do you need a plumber" or the obligatory plumber's van in the ad. Well, these two ideas fail the "Well, that's obvious" Test, which all marketers/designers should know; if the idea or information you are placing in the ad is obvious, take it out.

For example, "Do you need a plumber?" Well, I am in the plumbing section, there's a good chance that I do. And you might guess that a plumber might drive a van over a semi truck or an Infiniti FX 35. Make sure that the content in your ad address your prospect's pain, problem and wants, if what you are thinking of putting in there doesn't, you need to get rid of it.

So what's the solution? In order for this ad to be effective, we had to find out how people and why people selected one plumber over another, and finally, we wanted to get to the root of why people chose to work with Sonoran Desert Plumbing.

After talking with Jim and Rebekah, we determined it was Jim, his friendly demeanor, boyish looks and yes, his smile that made people feel at ease. It turns out that prospect's are apprehensive about having a stranger they don't trust in their house - imagine that!

Despite some initial reluctance to break away from the crowd, Jim agreed to have us photograph him and feature him, and his smile in the ad.

Well, the ad worked, it really worked!

In fact, here is the reaction I received:

"Thank you so much for all of your hard work on our logo & ad! You did a fabulous job! The ad was a home run, we love it! I feel we hit the nail on the head with adding his picture to the ad, people are noticing it, talking about it, and calling! It feels good to have professionals in the artwork and design field comment on what a great ad it is too! We are very proud of it."

What can this case study teach you about how to invest in an effective ad?

• Work with a designer who is business and marketing savvy, if you want results from your investment, this is the only way to go.
• Don't follow the crowd unless you want to blend in with them.
• Remember that people don't talk or pay attention to businesses that are just like all the others
• Find out why clients really do business with you and use this as a part of your marketing message
• Hone your marketing strategy around the real value and benefits clients receive from you.
• Tell new prospects about the experiences your clients have had with you.

As a final note, I'd like to thank Jim and Rebekah Ypma for allowing us to feature their story. You can find out more about them at www.sonorandesertplumbing.com

Thanks Jim and Rebekah.

Jeremy Tuber runs the only business savvy graphic design firm who helps companies build more confidence and credibility into their business identities. He is an atypical designer with a passion for marketing as well as design. Jeremy infuses solid marketing expertise into design projects that he guarantees to bring satisfaction and results. Clients often remark that he brings a terrific enthusiasm and a "can do" attitude to each project. In 1st quarter 2006, he will introduce his first book aimed at helping aspiring artists run a more profitable and more enjoyable design business called, "Being a Starving Artist Sucks".

Learn more about Jeremy and how you can gain a competitive advantage with a better brand by visiting http://www.candographics.com

How To Generate Income From Print Newsletter Business

Writen by Craig Dawber

Those who love to write and have a head for running a business should seriously give it a thought. Running a print newsletter can be fun and can also rake in the money, if that is what you love to do.

Like in any business, one has to be ready to shoulder responsibilities and think of eventualities. The success may be there or may not be there. It takes quite a bit to become successful in this industry.

First the ground rules

You have to create a product, which should pertain and pander to the tastes of the people. You need to sell this product via subscriptions taken from the customers. Newsletters are to be written every month, bi monthly, six monthly or whatever periodicity that you have deemed for it. Subscriptions also need to be renewed. You would require advertisements to keep the subscription cost down etc.

The costs of printing and delivering the copies are relatively low. These are just some of the costs; they can vary with time and inflation. All prices are per copy

· Printing a newsletter less than 12 pages - £ 0.60
· Mailing on a monthly basis - £8 or more
· Subscription prices can range from £40 and above
· Those with lesser number of subscribers (500 or less) are more profitable

There are two priced models for newsletter

· High priced – which has no advertisements, only subscriptions
· Low priced – which has advertisements

The High priced newsletter

As we have said earlier, these have no advertisements. Thus, all the expenses are made from subscription revenue only. Therefore, they tended to be expensive. Most are priced from £99 to £200. Therefore, the entire content in the newsletter is geared towards the customer. They only have text content, illustrations and pictographs pertaining to the subject matter.

It's an easier newsletter to manage and can be managed by a staff of just one. Therefore, the content matter has to be strong and attractive enough to keep the subscribers as well as make many more. Therefore, it's not for the faint-hearted writers as this sells on content matter alone.

The low priced newsletter

This is a strategy, which is followed by almost the entire publishing industry. This revenue keeps the newsletter afloat.

Normally the subscriptions rates are around £50, which many subscribers are willing to pay. The more the subscribers, more interest is created in the newsletter by the advertisers, who provide the revenue for the newsletter.

A typical issue has 48 pages, 30 pages of paid advertisement. Advertising revenue per page amounts to £600 and 1000 subscribers. Let's calculate the revenue stream for this newsletter – that's a cool £18,000 per month. Added to that is the subscription revenue per year of £50,000. These advertisement rates may also change compared to the number of subscribers that are there. However, this is definitely a more profitable venture.

This however, entails a lot of work and needs many people apart from the editor and the publisher to be a successful and a profitable venture. It requires that there be many overheads and sometimes these can become quite costly.

The easiest part here becomes the writing of the content. If it is tolerably good, your newsletter is definitely worth the time and effort that you are putting into it.

There are other options, which are available apart from these two revenue stream models

1. Low price, no ads – very tough proposition to hold and run. This needs thousands of subscribers to break even. This can take quite a while.
2. High price, many advertisements – those who pay a higher price for their bit of information can get quite disgruntled when they see advertisements. To convince them of the benefits of higher subscription rates in this case can become quite an uphill task. If you lose confidence of the customer, in this case then the newsletter business can altogether close down.

The choices are entirely yours of course as dictated by the market conditions.

Choosing the topics and subject matter for the newsletters

1. It should be of interest to the specific target audience whom you are targeting. For example a newsletter on dogs should pertain to just that, not something off the mark. The information is paid and the audience wants the information that they are paying for.
2. By writing about niche subjects, your newsletter will attract more attention and readership. Therefore pertain to at least one niche topic in the subject matter that you have chosen.
3. Homework…homework…homework. Like in any other business, doing your homework on all fronts is the layout, the revenue streams, content matter helps. Otherwise you might get stuck in the launch process for a substantial period of time.

These are some of the differentiating factors. Success and failure is dependent upon these as is exposure and experience. So go ahead publish the newsletter and best of luck to you.

This article was written by Craig Dawber of smarket-associates.com Need advice and guidance with your online business check out the resources found in this website.

15 Surefire Yellow Page Headlines Guaranteed To Get Attention

Writen by Jeffrey Hauser

I've been advising and counseling businesses on their Yellow Page advertising since 1976. During that period, I've placed ads in every media imaginable and consulted to over 7000 businesses. With those credentials, I feel capable and confident in recommending the easiest way to achieve a more successful marketing program. Whether it's a newspaper, magazine, Yellow Page ad, or direct mailer, the headline is always king. It not only is the first thing seen, it sets the tone for the entire promotion that follows. Yet creating one, is the critical procedure that's often overlooked.

I've seen the typical "Tire Experts," or the "Low-Cost Leaders," enough to fall soundly asleep. Every business assumes they have the best service or products at the best prices. If that is the case, then why shop and compare at all? After all, logic says that any company can provide the best item at the lowest cost. If all consumers are only concerned with these two issues, then why ever discuss anything else?

But we know that this supposition is wrong. Marketing focus groups have proven that buyers are also interested in guarantees, longevity, brand names, style, fashion, convenience, ease-of-use, prompt and courteous service, and a multitude of other factors. Therefore, why not tap into their actual needs and wants? That is the primary responsibility of a business anyway; to fill a need. Of course, one can also create a need where one didn't exist before.

For instance, a pest control company may tout their, "environmental-friendly" chemical, hinting that the other guys are poisoning everything they touch. Or a dentist might discuss their "pain-less" drills, versus the cruel, jaw crunchers, that the other dentists utilize. The headline should capture the imagination and giver one pause to consider the message that is making the business unique in the industry. But you're not a copywriter or ad man, so what can you do?

Well, you could start with these headlines that follow as a jumping-off point and examples of what might work in various situations. Each is designed to get attention and a reaction. The words in parenthesis are the sub text with an explanation.

• "The 5 Things to Know Before You Call a Plumber"
• "An Advanced Dental Treatment You're Probably Never Heard Of"
• "Don't Repair Your Transmission Until You Read This"
• "There's A Time-Bomb in Your Garage! Learn more…" (for auto repair, etc.)
• "Take This Carpet-Cleaning Quiz Before You Call Anyone"
• "Can Traditional Pest Control Hurt More Than Help?"(using harsh chemicals, etc.)
• "Not All Tires Are Made Equal. Ask Us Why."
• "Why You Really Don't Need Insurance. (it's for the survivors)
• "How Can You Tell When Flowers are Really Fresh?"
• "What Painting Contractors Don't Want You to Know"
• "We Charge the Highest Prices in Town & That's Good News"(better service, etc.)
• "Why Your Inside Air is Probably Making You Sick"(a/c or duct cleaning, etc.)
• "3 Ways a Mover Can Rip You Off"
• "Secrets to Selling Your Home and Paying a Lower Commission"
• "We No Longer Sell Burglar Alarms" (we sell safety, piece of mind, etc.)

Just plug in your own industry or service on the list above and see what happens. Did you notice a single word about quality or low price? It just goes to show that a simple, creative approach can do wonders. Try brainstorming with your family, friends, or business associates. You'll be amazed at what you can uncover. Did I mention that I also have the secrets to what happens behind the scenes "Inside the Yellow Pages"? Now there's another great headline!

Jeffrey Hauser's latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages," which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.

The Power Of A Brochure

Writen by Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

Why use a professional brochure?

If you want to do business with anyone, you have to look the part. You would not likely show up to an initial meeting in a boardroom with torn jeans and a muscle shirt. On the contrary, you would likely dress up for the occasion and wear dress slacks and a business like shirt or blouse.

The same needs to be true for a business brochure. Besides the business card, the business brochure is your first step forward. The brochure tells the potential customer not only about your company through the content but also how you regard yourself in terms of professional design and print. If you produce your brochure on your home printer, it will show through whether you think it will or not. Professional print jobs use better quality paper and better quality inks. You should not have your brochure photocopied; you need to have it done properly.

This is not an advertisement for your local print shop; it is an advertisement for looking good from your first step forward. If your company does not look good in print, then the customer will wonder what kind of quality he is to expect from your work. I am not saying to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on design and print, I am saying that you need to have a place in the budget to have it done right. It is much harder to convince a customer to come back than it is to convince them to use you in the first place. If you cannot afford a brochure, at least point them to your website where the information is located.

Take a look at what your competitors are doing. If they have a really slick brochure, you can be guaranteed that they are getting greater opportunities for more business. It is sometimes how you look that counts. Who would you rather do business with; a poorly dressed slob or a neatly dressed professional?

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprints for Success - Networking: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprints for Success Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2006. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com

Advertising Traps And Controlling Costs

Writen by Lance Winslow

For the small business person who knows they must advertise to bring in a steady stream of new clientele to grow their business they must be wise with their choices in advertising. A bad move can cost them thousands of dollars and yield lousy results.

For instance advertising on Cable TV during election time, will generally get your ads in poor time slots plus it costs more money during these times. To get specific placement costs even more.

Another thing small business people do is sign up for long-term display ads in Newspapers only to find those ads do not pull or even bring in the wrong type of clientele and then they are stuck with them for the term of the ad campaign that they signed up for.

The worst trap most small business people make is to advertise in the Yellow Page with a huge ad such as a Half Page, which is charged to them monthly on their phone bill. Some cost over $1,000 per month and when they do not pull in customers, that is a whopper of a hit for a new business just starting out. Especially considering you need to sell 4-5 dollars to make only one dollar.

What can you do to make sure you do not fall for advertising traps from fast talking sales people? Well, talk with other fellow business people and ask what is pulling for them in their advertising, then decide if their business model and customer target type is similar to yours. If so perhaps you might be better trying that first? Consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Books Bibles And Fasttalkers

Writen by Mike McDaniel

Every community has 'em. Fast talkers who roll into town with a clever idea to sell to people in business.

Many times the ideas are clever and cute but you should weigh the ups and downs of every offer before you dig out the checkbook. Most of these in-town-for-a-day people want their cash up front.

Some of the common flim-flams are:

Coupon Books

They offer to put you in a giant coupon book to be sold for the needy charity or Lions Club. Books are sold on the phone for $29 and delivered by the Boy Scouts. Watch out for errors and missing expirations once the operation has moved to another town.

Telephone Book Covers

They wrap around the book and the callers see your ad every time they reach for the book. Might be OK if you own the wrecker service, locksmith or funeral home, but run the other way if you have a grocery, Mickey Dees, or bank.

City Maps

Your ad goes somewhere around the edge of the map. You might get pitched by several companies. Some look better than others, most are very pricey. Pick up maps like these when you see them and decide if you'd do business with anyone on the map because of the ad. Distribution is the selling point. Placement is the bug-a-boo. What if your ad is on the back and the reader only looks at the front? Don't be fooled by the promise of radio ads proclaiming free maps and mentioning your name.

Bibles for Newlyweds

I wish I had thought of this one 30 years ago. I would be clipping coupons instead of writing about it.

The fast talker promises to send a Bible to all newlyweds in the county (the names and addresses of the happy couples are public record at the courthouse). Four to six sales at about $500 each and they mail a one dollar Bible 4th class, a peel and stick label stuck inside with the name of the "sponsors" in inkjet color.

They can easily sell a town a day at 3 large and make one trip a quarter to visit the courthouse for names. Work it for two months on a route and eat cake the other 10. A great moneymaker for the Bible people, a dud for advertising effectiveness. But like kids in school and American Flags, this emotion sells well in every community.

There are hundreds of advertising "opportunities" out there. Your job as a business owner is to separate the effective from the cute and clever.

For more about advertising, get my article "Your Billboard is Showing" MailTo:Billboards@BigIdeasGroup.com

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small Business Consultant with over 30 years experience, http://BIGIdeasGroup.com

Subscribe to "BIG Mike's BIG Ideas" Newsletter MailTo:subscribe-956603364@ezinedirector.net

Why Your Ad Failed

Writen by Robert Warren

So you spent good money on an ad, put it in a magazine or newspaper, and waited patiently for phone calls that didn't materialize. You're upset: you feel that you've wasted money and time, and now you're convinced that advertising doesn't work.

Advertising does work. Every day. So before you kick away advertising (or websites, or brochures, or any other marketing medium), first consider which of these four basic reasons applies to your effort:

Your ad wasn't created to appeal sympathetically to the correct customer need.

You can't force a sale, as much as you might want to. Your best, most reliable, most profitable customers come to your business because you meet particular needs that your competitors don't. Simple as that. These needs may be material, psychological or emotional, but when they present themselves, their owners come to you.

The goal of advertising is not to pitch a sale, but to establish name and brand recognition for your company by associating your name with your ability to meet special customer needs. This helps promote that "good gut feeling" that your best customers have about you but can't really explain.

If your ad isn't built around the right specific customer needs - not wants, not desires, not self-image, but needs - then it's almost doomed to fail.

Your ad doesn't establish your own credibility for meeting customer needs.

Etch this on your forehead: Credibility begins with evidence of understanding.

It's not enough to hit on the right need. You have to demonstrate in some way that you truly understand and can meet it. This step doesn't have to be fancy, and is often very subtle, sometimes involving no more than certain writing, visual design or layout decisions.

If your customers need a strong, professional company, your ad should reflect that. If they need to know that you come highly recommended, or that you have a certain degree of experience, or that your services are unique to your area, that should somehow be a part of your advertising.

Just don't overdo it, turning your ad into a sales pitch. Provide just enough credibility to satisfy those customers looking for it. Save the rest for your other marketing efforts.

Your ad wasn't placed in an appropriate medium that offered regular exposure to the specific customers you serve.

If your business sells luxury cars, the most carefully designed ad in the world won't accomplish a thing printed in a free newspaper that specializes in thrift classified ads. That's not an appropriate medium for your service, and your best customers aren't looking for you there.

If your ad properly recognized and appreciated your customers' needs, consider the possibility that the ad appeared where it wasn't appropriate. Why were your best customers looking for you there? How does your choice of medium speak to your credibility for meeting your customers' needs?

Consider time as well as position: a swimwear ad would face an uphill climb if it ran in a Michigan newspaper in December. Remember that customer needs often change as the seasons change.

You expected too much from your ad.

If the ad is solid, and the medium is appropriate, then the problem is you.

Advertising alone doesn't revolutionize profits. Like all marketing tools, advertising is a precision instrument, an individual tool designed to perform a specific task. Relying on only advertising - or only networking, or only cold calling, or only a website - to promote your business makes as much sense as an auto mechanic who uses only a hammer to fix your car.

Since human beings are complicated, so are sales problems. Complicated problems require the skilled collaboration of multiple tools, of which traditional print advertising is only one.

The role of advertising in a modern marketing campaign is to establish name and brand recognition for your company, not to pitch a sale. The idea is to make sure that your prospect has already heard of your company - and has a favorable "feel" about you - by the time customer need presents itself or your salespeople come calling. Advertising helps pave the road for your other marketing efforts.

If you expected sales to double last month because you ran an ad but did little else, you probably expected more than reality could provide. It's in fact possible that your ad did work, but that it provided benefits that your business didn't capitalize on because you expected different results. Next time you run an ad, do it as part of a coordinated marketing effort that includes the ability to follow up with the audience that was exposed to it. Take advantage of the good will that your advertising helps generate.

If your ad is written to appeal sympathetically to the correct customer need, establishes your credibility for meeting that need, and is placed in an appropriate medium that offers regular exposure to your most likely customers, your ad will do that job. Every time.

About The Author

Robert Warren (www.rswarren.com) is a Florida-based freelance copywriter specializing in the unique marketing needs of independent professionals.

writer@rswarren.com

Three Keys To Crafting Successful Print Ads

Writen by Michele Pariza Wacek

Want to create print ads that get results? Below are three keys to get you started.

1. Write for the eye. Print ads are visual. Therefore, craft ads with the eye in mind.

Eyes are kind of picky, though. So, here's a checklist of what eyes like and don't like:

* A catchy headline that encourages them read more.

* Art, such as photos, illustrations, clip art, shapes, etc. Eyes like art. When you create the ad, create words AND the visual at the same time. Words and visuals should work together.

* Designed in an interesting, intriguing, attention-getting manner. Eyes like that. Remember, graphic designers are your friends. If you don't have training in graphic design, I strongly urge you to hire a graphic designer to create your ad. The results will be well worth it.

* White space (blank space in the ad). Eyes like white space. Eyes don't like print ads stuffed with words and/or art. Those ads look way too difficult to read and comprehend. So eyes will skip over those ads and find other open, clean ads to look at. (And if they do, you might as well have never bought the ad in the first place.)

2. Write for the busy eye. Nobody is reading a newspaper because they want to see your ad. (Okay, your mother is the exception.) People are reading the paper because they want information. Reading your ad is an afterthought. So, they aren't going to spend a whole heck of a lot of time on it.

A common mistake is asking print ads to do too much. To be successful, print ads must:

* Capture the attention of your potential customers,
* Encourage those potential customers to remember what you want them to do,
* Then persuade them to actually do it.

That's a lot to ask for one little print ad.

Print ads should have one message and one message only. The more "extras" about your business you start throwing into the ad, the more convoluted the ad is going to become, and the less likely your potential customers will act upon your ad.

Now at this point you may be thinking "Okay. We need one message. That message should be to get my potential customers to buy something, hire my services, donate money, become a volunteer, etc. Right?"

Well…

For one thing, that's a pretty big leap for your potential customers. Getting potential customers to buy without first developing a relationship with them is, again, asking an awful lot for one little print ad. You might be better off inviting potential customers to take one small step in the buying process. For instance, stopping in the store for a free gift, logging on to your Web site to enter a contest, putting their names on your mailing list, trying a demo version of your product, etc. Let them get to know you.

3. Keep your target market in mind. Your message should be focused on your customers' needs, not your own. Getting customers to buy your products and services is YOUR need. How your products or services solve your customers' problems is THEIR needs. See the difference?

That's why so many retail stores have sales. They're effective because they're solving a need (saving customers money). But saving money is not the only need. There are many others.

You should also think about ways to add value without bargaining on price (this position can backfire). Contests, free gifts, free reports, free food -- stuff like that. Think outside the box. And use that value as a way to set yourself apart.

Creativity Exercises -- Learn by example

One of the best ways to learn how to craft successful print ads is to study what's out there.

Get out a newspaper or a magazine and open it. See where your eyes go. What ads attract your eyes? What ads drive them away?

Which ads have headlines that intrigue you? Graphics that capture your attention? Copy that encourages you to find out more? Why?

Now look at ads that do nothing for you. Why don't you like them? Are they too cluttered? Too difficult to understand? Have a headline that makes you yawn?

Sometimes you can learn as much, if not more, from bad examples as you can from good ones.

Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at http://www.writingusa.com. Copyright 2004 Michele Pariza Wacek.

Top 9 Reasons To Advertise

Writen by Harry Hoover

Advertising is not for every company. But some require it because their market is big and constantly changing and evolving. Consider this, up to 30 percent of the people in the US move each year. Or, you may be locked into a battle with a competitor. People do business with companies they know and trust. Advertising can help build awareness, so that eventually consumers will trust your offer.

I firmly believe that advertising is an excellent tool for rapidly building awareness of a company, its products or services. I believe equally firmly that you build a brand through public relations, not advertising.

A brand is the sum of all interactions a customer has with an organization. Most of those interactions are with employees, or the product or service itself. If those interactions are positive, then customers, allies and the media will tell others. This is PR.

There are times when you need a rapid shot of marketing adrenaline that only paid media can provide.

So, if you find yourself in need of that boost, check out these nine reasons for advertising:

9. Boost employee morale

8. Create industry buzz

7. Create, build or maintain a positive image

6. Test new products and/or services

5. Retain existing customers

4. Reinforce personal sales calls, direct mail

3. Maintain consistent, controlled customer communications

2. Gain new customers, particularly hard-to-reach ones

1. Position or reposition your company, products or services.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Focus Four, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX, Verbatim and Youth Link USA.

When Advertising Wears Out

Writen by Mark Levit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Advertising Budget Looks Like A Shoe String

Writen by Christine Bettridge

An aphorism used saying it takes money to make money. And it is obviously true in case of starting a business. A business cannot be started without a capital. And after starting it, you require money to expand it too. But now, with the coming of the internet, many ways have sprung up using which it is possible to expand your online business, or more specifically speaking, generating traffic to your site, without spending even a cent.

In the internet, you will find many ways to jumpstart traffic flow to your site, most of which are paid services. There are, however, free methods too to generate traffic. These, when used alone or more profitably in conjunction with other paid services, can help generate more and more traffic.

To use these free methods, however, you need a lot of perseverance and hard work. However, remember that the free methods are not going to work like miracles and get you huge traffic overnight. If you do not have the patience for that, you are better off spending money on advertising and banners. But if you like challenges and would like to generate traffic to your site without spending for it or if you would like to have the maximum traffic possible, then the following guidelines are for you to follow-

Message Boards

Talk about your products on online forums and communities. The best thing about forums is that you can choose a forum or a part of the forum where you feel like getting the right type of people who would buy your products. There, you can discuss about lots of things about the niche that you represent or your special offers. Another great advantage is that you know what you are getting into and you can go prepared. With online communities, you can build up your reputation for your company. You have to impress the people by showing your expertise about the subject and your knowledge about it. The more reputation you have, the more is the chance of people buying your products.

Newsletters

You can also make use of newsletters. You should provide people with a catalog of your products and highlight interesting and entertaining products. If you make it really interesting and entertaining, more people will sign up for your newsletter and recommend it to other people. The more people who signs up for your newsletter, the more people will go to your site and increase your traffic.

Link Exchange

You can also trade links with other similar sites. For this, you don't have to spend a cent. All you have to do is reach an agreement with another webmaster. With exchanging links, both sites will benefit each other by redirecting traffic. All the traffic that goes to one site could potentially click on the link of the other site and visit the other site as well. This works well especially when both sites feature the same niche.

Write Articles

Try writing articles that features your product. This could catch the attention of people that have interest in your product. Try writing articles that will provide tips and guides to people that might be interested in your product. Writing articles that provide good service and knowledge to other people would generate a little more traffic.

Many sites offer free posting of your articles. Write and submit articles to such sites and do not forget to add a link to your website at the bottom of the article. If people find interest in your articles, they might go to your website and buy one or two of your articles.

Fill your site with content that is optimized for search engines. Many search engines track down the keywords and keyword phrases that your site uses and how they are used. It is not always necessary that the content should be made by a professional content writer. You can write the content on your own, but try to make it entertaining as well as informational. It should be easily comprehensible and people should be able to easily find what they are looking for.

Generally, internet users use search engines to find what they are looking for. Search engines in turn use keywords to rank their search results. If you use the right keywords, you could get high rankings in search engine results without any costs.

If used correctly, all of these methods will drive more traffic to your site for free. All it takes is a bit of effort and a little time. You are free to learn all you can about the methods depicted here and you can also research some more on your own. Using such techniques, you can soon have a site with a great traffic flow without spending on costs that usually come with it.

Christine Bettridge has loved writing since childhood. She has written Plays, poetry and many articles on several topics. She is the editor of the article directory Above All Content She is also the author of the highly popular End Times e-book which has caused a stir in the religious world. It can be found at End Time Secrets Visit her blog at: The Bible Sound Blog

Promotional Products Are Sticky Thats A Good Thing

Writen by Rob Stillman

The targeted use of promotional products has been proven over time as an essential and cost-effective marketing technique. From sole proprietor to international conglomerate, whether solely present as an e-retailer or established as a brick-and-mortar chain, any business can benefit from this physical gift-in-hand approach.

Everyone knows to make their web sites sticky. Fresh and useful content keeps users coming back for more, with the result that they get to know and trust you and ultimately become a repeat and loyal customer. Promotional products similarly keep your company name (imprinted on a coffee mug or mouse pad) literally in front of potential customers—whether at home or in the office.

In fact, the money spent on promotional products is often a better use of advertising dollars in terms of ROI (return on investment). According to a 2004 study by LJ Market Research, 75% of respondents asked could recall the name of an advertiser on a promotional product they had received, while only 53.5% could remember the name of an advertiser they'd read about in a print publication in the past week.

By giving gifts at trade shows, in direct business-to-business sales meetings, or straight to the customer at cash point or in direct mail campaigns, your company begins to get attention and build name recognition, attract new and reward repeat customers while at the same time further inspiring loyalty.

Intangibles such as word-of-mouth and goodwill are also bumped up when you give people something useful for free. It doesn't have to be a pricey item – if the recipient feels that a special effort was made to give something that targets his or her specific area of interest. Bookmarks are a good example of an inexpensive – although useful – promotional product. Because they are not perceived as gifts of intrinsic value, care must be taken to match the content of the bookmark to the subject matter of the individual customer's purchase, in which case a strongly personal and highly positive impact can be made.

It's the thought that counts.

Farfromboring.com has over 70 years experience in the promotional products market. With millions of different promotional products on the market making the right decision on the right promotional products for your business would be overwhelming. With our dedicated sales and support team FarFromboring.com will help you choose the right promotional product for building your business. Visit Farfromboring Promotional Products for more information or visit our Promotional Products Blog for unique promotional products, promotional products specials, and for articles on promotional products for your industry.

Understanding Internet Banner Advertising

Writen by Henry J. Fasthoff, IV

Banner advertising is an effective way of getting your advertising message seen on the Internet. Banner ads should not be your only online form of advertising, but they are an essential part of your online advertising mix.

This article assumes that the reader knows what a banner ad looks like, but do you know how they work, and how you can derive benefit from them? Let's define a few terms before answering these questions.

1. "Page views" or "page impressions." These terms are interchangeable and they refer to the number of times that a page within a website has been displayed on a website.

2. "Banner view." Like a page view, a banner view is the number of times that a banner has been displayed on website.

3. "Click through." A click through is the number of times a website visitor has "clicked" on a particular banner ad and was transferred to the website of the banner advertiser.

4. "CTR." CTR is the acronym for "click through rate," which is the ratio of the number of banner view versus the number of times visitors have "clicked through" to your website. CTR is expressed as a percentage, so a click through rate of 1% means that for every 1,000 banner views, 10 visitors have clicked through to your site.

5. "CPM." CPM is an acronym for "cost per M," where "M" is the ancient Roman numeral for 1,000. Translation: CPM is the price your business will pay to have its banner advertisement displayed 1,000 times on a website, e.g, the cost of 1,000 banner views. So, for example, if the CPM to advertise on a site is $80.00 your business will pay $80.00 for every 1,000 banner views.

6. "ROS." ROS is the acronym for "run of site," which simply means that a banner ad is displayed on every page in a website, as opposed to being displayed only in a particular category of a website or only when a particular keyword is entered into a search engine.

Everyone who is in charge of a advertising or marketing department (that's you if you're the sole shareholder of the company) knows that advertising is, in large part, a numbers game. The more frequently your message is seen or heard, the more likely the consumer is to purchase your service or product. Take Mattress Mac with Gallery Furniture , for example. If you live in the Houston area, or if your radio can pick up the signal of almost any Houston area radio station, you cannot go a single day without hearing or seeing an advertisement for Gallery Furniture. Peppering your senses with constant reminders that "Gallery Furniture Saves You Money!" has enabled Mr. McIngvale to build his single location furniture store into an empire. (Of course, advertising alone won't do it; you still must have a quality product or service). I have no scientific data to support this assertion, but I'll make it anyway: I'm willing to bet that Gallery Furniture is known to more people in the greater Houston area than any other single business. How did that come to be? Mattress Mac understands the advertising numbers game and plays it better than anybody else.

Banner ads are a numbers game. The industry standard click through rate for online advertising in general is around .5%. Not 5%, but .5%. Doesn't sound very encouraging for your banner ad campaign, eh? Well, there are ways to significantly increase the CTR of any given banner. The best way is by targeting a particular banner ad to a narrow audience, an audience that is looking specific for a product or service just like yours. Highly-targeted can boost your CTR to as much as 2%-3% or higher and significantly increase the traffic to your website.

Another valuable purpose of the banner ad is branding. Intertwined with the messages Gallery Furniture delivers about particular sales events or types of furniture is the company's consistent and recognizable logo, color scheme, and tag lines. Your banner advertisements can, and should, perform the same function; they should be designed using your company's logo and colors, at a minimum. Sometimes incorporating the tag line is the way to go, but other times you may want to advertise a particular special offer, product, etc. The important thing is that you take advantage of the numbers game by continually displaying your name, logo, and colors. The more visitors that see you, the more they will come to associate your name with your type of product or service, and the more likely they will be in the future to buy from you.

Henry J. Fasthoff, IV
Principal & General Counsel
HoustonBusiness.com

When Is A Yellow Page Consultant Not Your Consultant

Writen by Jeffrey Hauser

It’s strictly a matter of semantics. Notice the difference between “a” and “your.” It makes all the difference in the world. Let me explain. But first a word about my background.

I was a Yellow Page consultant for almost 25 years. During my tenure, I advised various businesses on planning their programs. It involved recommending headings, sizes, directories, layouts, headlines, and other elements that could ultimately spell success or failure. These people relied on my judgment because I was the expert, They were busy running a business and delegated their insurance, accounting, legal issues, and advertising to the professionals in the appropriate fields. And why not? How could any one owner wear that many hats and do them all well? So we offered our expertise for the betterment of the company.

Ah, but which company? What do I mean, you ask? I mean where was my true allegiance? To the client or my publisher? Who paid the bills? A case could be made for either one. The people that were my clients had ads in the book. Those ads produced for me a sizable commission, so I owed them a lot. But the Yellow Page publisher that hired me wrote the weekly pay check. They also provided my car allowance, health and dental benefits, 401K, pension, and work space. Whew! How to decide? Well it’s pretty simple. Without them, I wouldn’t be consulting to those clients.

Therefore the answer is more cut and dry. I first am employed by the directory company. They give me the accounts to manage and quotas to fill. They also provide certain products that I must introduce each year and promote to my customers, whether they need them or not. So, when I go out to visit with John Jones of JJ’s Appliance Repair, I am doing so at the behalf of my bosses. Sure, I want them to place lots of ads and get lots of calls, but I also have another agenda. I have to persuade them that they need the latest and great item that the publisher wants to push that week, regardless of whether or not my customer actually needs it.

Does the typical Yellow Page advertiser understand this relationship? Some do and some don’t. Most hope that I am truly looking out for their best interests, and I am, the majority of the time. But, on other occasions, I have an ulterior motive that is set in motion by an unseen force: that of my real boss. It’s a fact of life for many other media consultants but not always obvious to the clients affected. Is it a bad system that puts the requirements of the publisher before the advertiser? I’d be lying if I said no. I always tried to do the right thing but often times I was guided toward an end result that didn’t place the emphasis on customer service. I realized that the publisher had the right to put certain demands upon me and I had to pass them on to my accounts. It’s just a fact of business life in commission sales.

In summary, how should a business person treat their media consultant, be it Yellow Pages or otherwise? Well, they can remember this article and attempt to divine the real reason for the sales call. When the representative brings up a slew of new products, they can politely decline, or ask that the current program be settled first. Once that is handled, then the secondary reason for the visit can commence. After all, the poor consultant has been given a mission by their employer and they have to accomplish certain tasks to keep their jobs. If it requires you listen to a sales pitch, then listen and decide for yourself. But keep in mind that a consult is not necessarily your consultant, they are a consultant. And then you will be better able to deal with this appointment and all future meetings.

Jeffrey Hauser's latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages," which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.

The 5 Biggest Mistakes In Direct Response Radio Advertising

Writen by Brett Astor

How do we know what the 5 Biggest Mistakes are?

After over a decade in direct response, we have peered "under the hood" of hundreds of direct marketing campaigns across every type of category imaginable. Sometimes a new client will come to us after a failed attempt with another agency, or simply to get a second opinion on whether their campaign was or is being run optimally. As a result of this extensive experience, not only have we seen which decisions make campaigns successful, but also which decisions condemn campaigns to certain underachievement of their potential.

The most difficult part of writing about the "5 Biggest Mistakes" is narrowing down the list. It would be easier to write about the "Top 20 Mistakes". Nonetheless, this paper presents the blockbuster mistakes that are a) way too commonly made, b) sure to doom a direct response radio advertising campaign, and c) relatively easily avoidable. In other words, get these things right, and you'll live to face the lesser challenges with greater strength and greater knowledge.

Biggest Direct Response Radio Mistake #1: Faulty or non-existent testing methodology

There are many ways for a testing methodology to fall short, which is why this is #1 on the list. Testing the wrong variables, testing in the wrong order, testing too many variables, testing too few variables. The list is long. The point to remember is that success requires a scientific approach. That means disciplined and well thought out – a "ready-aim-fire" approach verses "fire-fire-fire". Any good direct response agency has staff that understands the process for conducting scientific research, particularly research methods, statistics, and database management. The best DR agencies have applied this knowledge over time and have developed a proven testing methodology, along with the supporting technological infrastructure, that will get you from testing to profitability with the least amount of up-front time and money.

If you don't follow a well-defined, proven testing methodology, you are throwing your ad dollars away. Period. You simply will not know why one ad works better than another or whether there are other approaches that could work better. You will just be out of money before you can determine whether your campaign has legs.

Biggest Direct Response Mistake #2: Inadequate data capture and analysis

The power of direct response radio stems in part from the ability to collect and analyze results from the bounty of data that can be collected - and to distill insights that drive further refinement of the campaign. As all experienced marketers know, it is the insights that lead you to grand successes. With the right tools, technology, and processes, it is possible to conduct station-by station analysis, look at performance by market, format, day of the week, daypart, and a whole host of other variables to understand what's working and what's not for a particular campaign. This is vital to the process of optimizing campaign profitability.

Yet many avoid this process, shield it from their clients, or conduct "analysis lite" on the data. The problem is that you can't distill the insights if you don't dive into the analysis. As a result, perfectly viable campaigns are being deemed failures. In these situations people declare "radio just doesn't work", and proceed to run away as fast as possible. Avoid this mistake by making sure your media buys are backed by thorough, detailed analysis, not a cookie-cutter approach cloaked in unproven, formulaic assumptions.

Biggest Direct Response Mistake #3: Flying blind

It still astounds us how many people, smart businesspeople, ask us to move forward with advertising before they know the basic key metrics associated with their campaign. We refer to this as "flying blind." It is not unlike deciding to fly a plane surrounded by instruments that are providing you data you can't use to make important decisions about flying the plane. Turn left, turn right, speed up, ascend, descend? Scary thought? It should be, because absent a tremendous amount of luck it spells sure death.

Every direct response campaign has a similar set of key profitability metrics and each one has a hurdle or break-even level that must be met in order to achieve some level of profitability. The big mistake is spending a dime before this exercise has been completed. Why? Because when you get the test results back, you won't know what to make of the data. You won't have a context within which to assess whether what you are looking at is good, amazing or awful. Bottom line: model the campaign, identify the key metrics, and know what those numbers have to be. And by all means, make sure your agency knows so they can maximize the profitability of your media campaign.

Biggest Direct Response Mistake #4: Having the wrong people on the bus

Each DR campaign is comprised of similar vendors. This includes a manufacturer, a creative and media buying agency, a sales center, a customer service group, and a fulfillment center. You can poll any one of these groups of vendors and there is one thing they would all agree on: not one of them alone can make the campaign a success. This is a classic team situation. If one member drops the ball, the whole team fails. As the client, perhaps the single biggest impact you'll have on the success of the campaign is how you decide to choose the members of your team – who you put "on the bus". Sales centers will always tell you they will meet the needs you've expressed (guess what, they're good at sales!). Big agencies will always try to convince you that only they can get the lowest rates and only they can grow your campaign really big (as if suddenly the laws of market economics don't apply). Will you choose the ones who say they've been around since the beginning of time and believe they know all there is to know, or the ones who are experienced but also unassuming enough to be constantly learning, improving, and giving birth to new ideas? Will you choose vendors who play nice with the other team members, or those who throw the others under the bus at the first sign of trouble? If you don't choose wisely, your campaign could fail for reasons you won't even understand.

Biggest Direct Response Mistake #5: A corrupted creative process

Once you communicate the definition of success, allow the creative process to unfold. A professional direct response ad creator is someone who has learned a tremendous amount about what works and what doesn't, on millions of other people's dimes. We've built a large database of direct response wisdom that can save you a lot of time and money. If you define success as an ad that reaches a certain CPO, and trust the creative process, you're much more likely to get an ad that produces successful results. Now that will make you proud.

Final Words

Now that you are armed with knowledge of the top 5 Biggest Mistakes in Direct Response Radio, you are well on your way to boosting your chances of Direct Response success. To be sure, there are other mistakes to avoid. Knowing about these mistakes is half the battle. Knowing how to avoid them is the other half. How do you produce insights? How do you approach testing methodically? How do you know which vendors to choose? How do you develop breakthrough creative? How do you get the remnant rates on the best time slots?

Radio can be an enormously profitable customer acquisition channel for many businesses.

Brett Astor, Vice President at Strategic Media, Inc., http://www.strategicmediainc.com, has over 10 years experience in direct response marketing and radio advertising.