Tips For Advertising On An Inexpensive Budget

Writen by Emmanuel Scott

Advertising is the life blood of any business, no matter how big or how small. So, the problem is how to make ones advertising dollar get the most bang for the buck. It's not enough to advertise. Your advertising must be effective. Check out the following ways to advertise for little or no cost.

Having a Website - The age of the internet has expanded the possibility of owning your own business to an almost unlimited number of people. It also has expanded the advertising audience to a tremendous amount of new people, world wide, who otherwise you would never have been able to reach. Things like link exchanges and article submissions allow you to get exposure to your website with no cost except for your time. The advantage of a website is that it centralizes all your business and products into one central location. It gives you somewhere to send people so that you don't have to do as much selling because you let your website do the selling for you.

Advertising coop- Many businesses, especially work at home businesses, offer advertising coops. They will send people to your business for a fee. Usually the fee is relatively small. This is nice because you already know that these people have at least some interest in your business. Although they may not spend a penny with you, you at least get the exposure.

Answering Machine-Change the message on your answering machine to reflect the fact that you are now in business for yourself. That way when you call that person back, they may ask you about your business and thus the door is open to discussing your business.

Wear your ad-Place your website on a sweatshirt, tee-shirt, or a hat. So, when you are out in public, people will see you ad and again it will open up the door to discussing your new business.

Place a magnetic sign or bumper sticker on your car. Now, when you are riding down the road, sitting at a stop sign, or leaving your car parked at the mall or grocery store, you are getting free advertising.

Flyers-There are many places that will allow you to place a flyer about your business. Businesses like grocery stores, libraries, laundromats, hair salons and others will let you place a free ad on their public bulletin board.

Business cards - Don't leave home without them. You never know when the chance to hand one out will happen. You may see an old friend, or meet someone looking to get out of the 9-5 rut or who is in need of a new opportunity.

Free Classifieds - Use the internet and the many free classified ads on it to advertise your business. A search using "free classifieds" will give you an almost limitless number of places to submit your website and ad.

Place your web address in your e-mail signature.

Place a flyer or business card in your out going mail.

Word of Mouth-The least expensive form of advertising and maybe the most effective way to advertise your business is word of mouth. Simply tell those you come in contact with that you are in business for yourself. They will tell others and they will tell others and it can go on and on. The point is you don't have to have the big bucks to successfully advertise you business or product.

Copyright 2006 ©Lloyd & Emmanuel D. Scott
http://www.prepagebuilder.com

About the author Emmanuel & Lloyd are specialists in Information Technology and have an online business for web templates http://www.prepagebuilder.com COPYRIGHT 2006 ©Lloyd & Emmanuel D. Scott support@scottsempire.com

Throw That Pen Get A Chemical Signature

Writen by Katerin Alonso

May I lick the contract?

The Chemical Signature is a simple concept: make your ink unique by mixing a new color and adding secret components. Even salt and sugar will do it. Now, the custom ink could have been invented by Da Vinci, but without Internet it would have been very hard to associate a person with its Own Ink. It is possible now for everyone to have a custom ink, adding safety to signatures and rubberstamps. The ink is obtained by mixing standard colors in different proportions. As a first step in validation, the colors are shown in a website, under a code.The additional components that add safety to the OwnInk system are substances that are easy to detect, if you know what you are looking for. If you do not, you need a multimillion dollar lab and many hours of expert chemists or biochemists. To know some of the secret components, the validator needs to register in a website. More components mean more safety levels, and more requirements for validators.

What is wrong with the $1 ball pen?

In these times of digital signatures, nobody pays attention to ink signatures, which are still made as in the Middle Ages, but move billions of dollars every hour. Ink signatures in paper will probably stay around until we extinct all the forests.

However, when handwriting analysts mention technology, they mean a magnifying glass. No changes have appeared in the way we sign and in how the signatures are verified. On the other hand, criminals have now scanners, graphic software and check software, enabling them to easily falsify any rubber stamp or signature, no matter how complicated.

As a result, attempted check fraud in US banks surpassed $4.32 billion in 2001, doubling for the 2nd time in 4 years (American Bankers Association Deposit Account Fraud Survey Report).

Not only banks need to verify signatures: notaries, universities, governments and those who face the globalized economy. And still, they rely on visual examination to compare signatures.

You can sign in any color, as long it is black.

There are a few obstacles for the Chemical Signature. For instance: Will Notaries accept signatures with Customized Safety Ink?. Probably not, because the law favors Black. One reason is that light blue is bad for xeroxing, but there is nothing wrong with other colors. Maybe the law can change. And there is nothing against chemical tracers.

It is also possible to sign in black (with subtle amounts of chemical tracers) and stamp in color. You need a stamp to state that "This document is signed / stamped with Custom Ink #123456".

Another problem would arise when you lose your pen or rubber stamping pad. Your ink can fall in the wrong hands. However, it is easy to implement a reporting system such as the one that Credit Cards have.

Is this document radioactive?

As a matter of fact, yes. If you are reading this in paper, it will be less radioactive than a computer monitor, but it still has a background radiation.

The ink can have radioactive components that are easy to identify and measure. However, if they stay below certain limits, no authority will complain.

Alternatively, some biological components can be added for extra safety and easy detection by a biochemical lab. DNA or saliva could be good options, but the company providing such an ink would be liable for handling hazardous materials. However, many biochemicals are safe enough to be included in the ink.

Fluorescent, magnetic and particulate components are also possible.

The letter is a worthless lie, but the ink is $890

Who is going to profit from the chemical signature?

The banks will save money in graphoanalysts and forged checks. Validator entities will earn from the simple and profitable chemical analysis. Resellers of the ink kits, pen makers and gift shops will also have a bite.

It is not clear how will Notaries perform when the rules of their business get turned upside down. Some will join the innovation and take advantage of it, while others will see their business disappear. Scam artists will certainly spend thousands in chemistry courses and lab equipment.

The product can be segmented into several price ranges. The simplest custom ink with few components and little guaranty will cost about $5, while the ultra-secure variety with a golden pen will go over 800.

Beyond all the safety issues, there is a powerful reason for the Chemical Signature to succeed: the impulse of people to affirm their personality, to be fancy and original.

Sergio Samoilovich
OwnInk.com
sergio@ownink.com

Im promotioning a novedous product

What Makes Advertising Successful

Writen by DeAnna Spencer

MANY INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS COME INTO PLAY MAKING A SUCCESSFUL AD:

1. PERSUASIVE SELLING COPY. The wording is the single most important element in determining a successful ad. What counts most is what you say and how you say it.

2. PLACEMENT IN APPROPRIATE PUBLICATION. This might seem obvious, but it is often neglected. If the right people don't see your ad, they can't respond.

3. SPACE/PRICE IN PROPORTION. You simply can't sell high priced merchandise from a small classified or one inch ad space. These should be considered as a low cost means of building a mailing list by asking readers to write for more information. If you expect to sell directly from an ad, the size of the ad will have to increase in proportion to the selling price. Two or three inches of space for items selling for 42 to $5... half or full page for items selling for more than $5 up to $20. When the price goes above $20 it is usually best to run inquiry ads and follow up with a printed sales presentation. There are exceptions, but this is a fairly safe rule to follow.

4. TESTING ALL THE ELEMENTS. Unlike institutional advertising (toothpaste, cars, soap, etc.) which must rely on extensive market research, analysis, surveys and a lot of psychology to achieve success, mail order selling has a built-in "watchdog" to guard against waste and loss, and to help assure that every dollar spent will produce a profit...or at least tell you why it didn't, so you won't make the same mistake twice. This method (unique to mail order) is called KEYING. By inserting a number or letter (or combination) into every ad you run, you can tell which ad works in which publication and in which issues it works best. More sophisticated forms of this testing technique can be carried thru by trying a new headline, a different testimonials,guarantees, etc. The testing technique know no limits, but there is also danger in becoming test-happy. To use the testing principle effectively, be certain that the results will justify the time and expense of making the test. If it merely means adding to your paperwork without adding profit or reducing cost,it isn't worth it.

Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
This article may be reproduced freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.

DeAnna Spencer is a virtual assistant that helps entrepreneurs run a successful business by providing affordable administrative help. She also publishes a blog for small business owners. Visit this small business resource today.

Advertising Strategies Alternatives To Print Alternatives Within Print

Writen by Barry Volk

Is print advertising headed for extinction? No way, but I am seeing more and more companies pulling dollars from their print advertising budgets and moving them into other alternatives. The reason? To brand their product or service more effectively by balancing their ad campaigns and reaching their targeted demographic audiences from different angles. And even within the print medium, the playing field appears to be changing. Newspaper and Yellow Pages advertising has suffered a blow from the growth of the internet. Googling, Yahoo-ing and online news sources are pulling from their numbers. With internet research more easily available, more advertisers are targeting their prospective customers with direct mail campaigns which gives them the ability to pinpoint the demographic they are trying to reach by age, gender, income and location.

The internet is a growing alternative. Google Ads and Yahoo Sponsored Search "Pay Per Click" advertising is grabbing a growing share of ad budgets. This new medium gives you the ability purchase a keyword and only pay for it if someone clicks on your website. The way it works in a nutshell is, when someone does a search using your keyword, your website url and a three line promotional ad appears on the right side of the search results page. It can be as inexpensive as a nickel per click and you can limit what you spend per day, so that Google/Yahoo shuts off your ad campaign for the rest of that day when your budget "limit" is reached.

Outdoor advertising and signs on buses and transit systems is often in the mix of successful advertising budgets.

Radio utilizes the magic of music and imagination to reach an audience in a lasting way. Of course this is one of my favorites because music, jingles and ad production are what I do. But all bias aside, radio is a way to reach a broader audience with the ability to drive home a message.

One lesser know alternative within radio broadcast advertising is the traffic or weather sponsorship. This is a ten second (or less) message that is read within the traffic report: i.e. "Today's traffic is brought to you by ________ ". Metro Networks, the Westwood One company created the traffic sponsorship industry years ago by putting a fleet of planes and "news" copters in the air to monitor traffic in the largest US cities. Instead if selling their services to the radio stations, Metro made a trade for advertising "air" time. So most of the flying traffic reporters that you think work for your local radio & TV stations are really Metro Networks employees who have cut a deal with the local stations. The local stations also sell traffic and weather sponsorships but they are usually not during the report, they come before or after it. So if you hear two traffic sponsorships for the same report, it probably means one was a Metro sponsorship and the other was a station sold sponsorship.

Television advertising is a traditional advertising medium we all know well but the advent of cable television has changed the face of the industry. With cable advertising, you can now reach a more targeted demographic, very similar to direct mail, by age, gender, income & location and it can be done on a smaller budget. *If you decide to go in this direction, or in the direction of radio advertising check out my site and drop me a line. I will be happy to go into detail about branding alternatives to help you get maximum effectiveness from your campaign.

With all these advertising options, it's best not to put all your eggs in one basket if you have the budget. The most successful advertisers use a balance of advertising mediums to reach their audience creatively and consistently.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email: barry@soundad.com.

Hope this helps... Good luck with your campaign!

Barry Volk is a former producer/staff songwriter/producer for ABC/Dunhill and Screen Gems-EMI Music Publishing, a 20th Century Fox solo recording artist, Musical Director for the West Coast Theater Company and National Director of Marketing for Metro Networks/Westwood One. His music production company, Barry Volk's Sound Advantage http://www.soundad.com, creates and produces jingles and custom music and comedy spots for radio and TV advertisers worldwide from small market to national in scope.

Advertising Vs Pr In Your Small Business Marketing Strategy

Writen by J D Moore

A great small business marketing strategy includes a mix of tactics. Advertising and PR are two very important tools that all small business owners need to be using regularly. Many small businesses I talk to do one of the other, but don't commit to doing both. Each has its strengths and weaknesses and are complimentary to each other.

Small Business Advertising Strengths:

-The biggest advantage with small business advertising is your complete control over the message. You get to focus on whatever you want, write the text, and choose the visuals. You ensure that your marketing message is delivered.

-You control placement. You choose the exact timing and media in which your advertising is placed. This is a huge advantage because naturally you are going to choose to place your ads where your target market is most likely to see them.

-You can repeat your messages over and over again. Effective small business marketing incorporates a high degree of repetition and consistency. Advertising can and should be run on regular schedules.

-With advertising, you (and your budget) control your marketing saturation. You can run the same ad across different publications serving the same market, run matching Internet advertising, put an ad on the radio, do cable TV, do outdoor advertising, etc. Ideally you need to be reaching your target market at least 4 different ways for them to respond.

Advertising Weaknesses

-Advertising generally costs money. Most small businesses don't have a huge budget for marketing. Sometimes being creative can help defray costs. Sometimes you can trade for advertising space. You may be able to do co-op advertising.

-Small business advertising needs to be very targeted to be effective. Sometimes the only choices you have in your community are mass-market like newspapers. You still need to advertise, but some of your marketing dollars will be spent to advertise to people who don't want or need what you're selling.

-Most small business advertising stinks. I hate to say it, but it's true. Many do-it-yourself advertisers don't understand that there are advertising fundamentals that work. A good ad will always out-pull a bad one. Here's my plug: If you can't invest the time and money to learn how advertising REALLY works, get yourself a small business marketing coach to help you build more effective campaigns. It will be money well invested.

PR Strengths:

-It's FREE! OK, you might incur a very small charge if you hire someone to write and distribute a press release for you, but this is minimal. I think the reason why most small businesses don't do PR is that they don't know how it's done. Again, get some coaching, or pay someone to do it for you.

-Press is trusted more than advertising. If you read a review that says that a new restaurant is the best thing in town, there's some credibility there. We tend to assume that a person who is writing an article is an expert, and that they are an uninterested third party.

-You can distribute PR globally. As long as what you are doing is actually interesting globally, you can distribute your press releases globally. This isn't necessarily as targeted as your advertising needs to be, but you're not paying for editorial. By the way, never pay for editorial, and don't advertise with media that promises to give you editorial as long as you advertise. This is unethical and transparent - and the credibility of the media will always be in question.

PR Weaknesses:

-You have no control over what the press is actually going to write or say about you. They may spell your name wrong, they may get some details wrong, they may choose to focus on something you don't want to highlight. In general this isn't a big issue, as long as they are saying good things about you.

-PR tends to be single exposure. Unless circumstances are really unusual, the press is not going to run the same story over and over again. I have been involved with an exception to that. I was doing something that corresponded with a current event and the press came to me again and again over 4 weeks for TV interviews. This was pure timing. It's difficult to engineer press like that without seeming mercenary.

-There is no guarantee that you're even going to get coverage. I was called to do a TV interview once and rushed into the city to meet the reporter and photographer. On my way in ,the reporter called me on my cell phone to tell me they were pulling the story because there was breaking news that they had to go cover. Depending on what's going on you may get tons of press or none at all.

You see that small business advertising and PR are different things. You need them both, and you need to work at both of them consistently. They are two important tools in your small business marketing toolbox.

Copyright 2005 J D Moore

J D Moore - Marketing Comet
Does your small business marketing stink? Let's fix it!
http://marketingcomet.typepad.com

Unique Ways To Advertise A Product Or Business

Writen by Annalaura Brown

Clever and unusual marketing ideas

The following are some ways to promote your business that are a bit unusual and out of the ordinary.

1. Post signs on the stalls in bathrooms.
2. Create coupon flyers and hand them out in heavy traffic places.
3. Place business cards inside books in libraries and bookstores that pertain to the items you are selling or in books about running a business.
4. Create an audio file with your voice and ad and post it on the internet
5. Create a podcast promoting your business.
6. Create a video promoting your business.
7. Make wearable signs with poster board and wear them around town. 8. Write your ad on a whole bunch of stickers and put them on your clothes to attract attention.
9. Create a new yahoo group with the subject and theme of your business.
10. Find or create a costume of an item you sell and wear it.
11. Place some drawing bowls in businesses and hold a weekly or monthly drawing for free products
12. Create a free ebook and include your ad.
13. Create free cd software and include your ad.
14. Stop by yard sales and offer to sell your items and donate some of the profit to the home owners.
15. Offer to teach a workshop on a different subject and give out business cards or other advertising materials at the workshop.
16. Write a song to promote your items and business.
17. Advertise in Spanish speaking newspapers or magazines.
18. If you have the talent you can create useful worksheets or activities in a subject and post them on your website with your ad at the bottom.
19. Ask your local library about selling some of your items in their friends of the library store and donating a portion of the proceeds.
20. Write your ad in chalk on sidewalks.
21. Post up signs for your business at bus stops.
22. Put your ad on the back of some playing cards and sell or give them away.
23. Put door hangers on the doors of businesses and business offices.

AnnaLaura Brown is a successful team leader and consultant with an international marketing company. She can be reached via her website at http://www.annalaurascandlesandscents.com.

Yellow Page Advertising Gone Bad

Writen by Lance Winslow

Many people believe that yellow page advertising is the best possible advertising for a new business, but let me tell you I have heard some horror stories in my past. In fact let me tell you about one story, which is pretty much unforgivable. I was told by a Yellow Page Advertising Representative that the book closed in two days and if I did not get my Ad in now I could forget it until next year. I found out later that this was a lie, and the representatives in the area told that to everyone. Actually the book did not close for two months.

This was not an off brand yellow page advertisement book; this was the actual phone company Yellow Pages. The lady who was selling the advertisement scribbled a bunch of stuff on a piece of paper and took my order. Then she had me sign it and I said but I can read it how are you going to make sure you got it right, she said not to worry that she would write it up when she got back.

It turns out later that they put me in the wrong category. You see I was in the pressure washing business and we specialize in cleaning concrete for large property management companies, big box stores, restaurants chains and government agencies. Instead my Ad appeared under Driveway Cleaning. The representative, said there was nothing I could do because I had signed a piece of paper approving it.

Needless to say, since it was the phone company they added the bill to my phone bill and when I refuse to pay because of their mistake, they sent it to collections and attempted to turn off my business phone. From that day on I have warned every small business-person I have ever met in my entire life not to advertise in the Yellow Pages, do not trust them. The yellow page advertisements do not work anyway is a waste of money. 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/

The Advertising Business

Writen by Jonathon Hardcastle

Have you ever wondered how advertising works and how an advertising agency makes money? Behind the glitz and glamour, advertising is still really a business and a lucrative one at that.

In general terms, advertising refers to the promotion of goods and services (as well as companies and ideas) through media, especially television, radio and print (newspapers and magazines), but also through outdoor and non-traditional means. It is usually undertaken by an advertising agency on behalf of a corporation, which is its client. These clients bank on advertising to make their brands and products stand out in an otherwise cluttered marketplace. To do that, they depend heavily on the creativity and technical know-how of agency people.

In a nutshell, the client provides the advertising agency with a set of marketing objectives (usually to increase sales of its product or service) and a profile of the consumer groups it wants to target. Based on this, the agency creates a "brand image" through advertising campaigns on media which will, hopefully, make consumers flock to department stores and clear out the client's shelves. The key is to make the ad campaign as creative, unique and interesting as possible.

Though they fulfill the same function, ad agencies tend to vary in size and structure. There are small one or two-person shops as well as large multinational ad agencies with offices all over the world. In advertising, though, bigger is not necessarily better as many of the smaller ad firms have established reputations as creative hotbeds. Some companies also opt to create their advertising in-house through their advertising departments.

Some agencies specialize in certain types of advertising, such as TV commercials or print ads. Agencies usually have a roster of suppliers that provide specific needs such as TV production, billboard creation and installation, talent agencies that provide actors, art design studios and the like.

And how do agencies make money? They do so by taking a 15% commission for work they produce for clients, particularly for media placements. Hence, if a client places $10 million worth of TV commercials on, let's say, the Super Bowl, the agency earns $1.5 million or 15%. It's not a bad way to make a living.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Business, Finance, and Real Estate

Principles And Practice Of Advertising The Law Of Feeling Tone

Writen by Donald Hammond

It is generally true that associations accompanied by pleasantness tend to be reinforced and more permanent, certain, and strong. Associations accompanied by disagreeableness tend on the other hand to be weakened and inhibited, and to disappear more quickly. Thus I teach a dog to beg by saying "Beg, Rover" repeatedly. Sometimes, by mere accident, he will rise upon his hind legs at the moment in which I say these words. At once I reward him by giving him a piece of meat, an apple, or a caress. The agreeableness caused by the reward reinforces this association between hearing the words " Beg, Rover," and the act of begging or standing on the hind legs.

Connections not acting at that moment are not thus reinforced. So it comes about that in time this association is made stronger than all others, and the dog has then learned the trick - the stimulus always calls out the response.

In much the same way the advertiser proceeds. He puts his advertisement on a useful novelty, such as a calendar, a pencil, a soap dish, a memorandum book, and then presents the novelty to the prospective buyer, in the form of a gift. He trusts that the gift will be agreeable and that this pleasure or feeling-tone will reinforce the association of his name with some moment of need. The success of this device will obviously depend on the amount of agreeableness really produced and on the relevance of the novelty to the need in question.

But, in a still more conspicuous way, should the advertiser utilize the law of feeling-tone when he prepares his advertising copy. In this connection another law is also important : the Law of Fusion.

Donald "DonOmite" Hammond has been a freelance webdesigner and programmer for over 10 years. He has marketed himself and his products as well as those of customers thru their websites..

Advertising Is There Nothing New Under The Sun

Writen by John T Jones, Ph.D.

My wife and I were cruising around the antique shops in Twin Falls when I came upon a book published in 1912 by the A.W. Shaw Company, Chicago, New York. The title is How to Write Advertisements that Sell.

The book is part of a series of "how to" books and the author or authors are not revealed.

The First Chapter of the book has a clever little table that all of you experts probably already know about. I hadn't seen it before so I was impressed.

I'm not allowed to put illustrations in my articles. I've put the table on the Internet and you can see it at http://www.secret-cash.com/chart.html.

According to the text, the question that must be answered for any advertising campaign is 4-fold:

1. What does the buyer want?

2. How does your product fit that want?

3. What tone should dominate your advertisement?

4. What should be its chief appeals for trade?

In the answers to these questions you have the "center and heart" of the message your campaign should carry. Knowing your product is not enough; you must know it "in relation to its prospective purchaser."

An example given is that in the days of the introduction of the farm tractor, explaining how a tractor works to a farmer was talking to thin air. The farmer had no background in mechanics. He knew about horses. The farmer had to learn about tractors from his basis of knowing horses. The farmer knew how many acres he could plow in a day with a horse. The tractor salesman had to tell him how many acres he could plow in a day with a tractor. You feed the horse hay. You feed the tractor gasoline. You put the horse in the barn at night. You can leave the tractor in the field if you want to. Just bring it in from the weather in the fall. The horse needs shoes. The tractor needs tires. Oh, you've got it!

Living in Idaho and having a horse, even I understand the above.

The point is made that studying successful advertising campaigns is not the best way to develop your own successful campaign. It is better to study campaign failures. Trying to imitate a successful campaign with your product can bring failure.

The point is made that the success of the campaign you are studying and plan to copy may not depend on what you think. Your competitor "may have special skills" that you do not have. His copy may have "elements of strength" that you don't recognize. He may be succeeding "despite his advertising mistakes."

The authors say that when you make the addition of one appeal to your campaign that turns a failure into a success, the "lesson becomes plain." You experts will know what that means.

The chart at http://www.secret-cash.com/chart.html was not produced by the authors. It is the result of a study made by one marketer over many years. Note the two questions at the top of the chart. Does the potential customer have to increase his spending or just direct it your way? Now look at the appeal factors. Note how they change your copy. Now look at the basic motives you are appealing to.

Problems come in the misdiagnosis of problems. IF you picked "B" when you should have picked "D" you will be appealing to the wrong motives.

I suggest you study the chart in relation to your past campaigns and to what you are doing now. You might be surprised at the results.

If this turns your bummer into a gold mine, send money.

One last note: Your competitor may be unethical. He may be offering "product group" deals. He might be absorbing tooling cost. He may be bribing the buyer by taking him to Alaska fishing. He might be selling below cost. You just can't trust anybody these days, can you? Let the advertiser be aware as much as the buyer.

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine. He is Executive Representative of IWS sellers of Tyler Hicks wealth-success books and kits. He also sells TopFlight flagpoles. He calls himself "Taylor Jones, the hack writer."

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.aaaflagpoles.com

Developing A Formal Brand Messaging Document

Writen by Richard Cunningham

Ensure everyone in your company sings from the same sheet of music when it comes to communicating a consistent brand message.

Imagine one of your customers calling six different people in your company. The customer asks why they should consider purchasing your product. What do you think these six people would say? Would their explanation be consistent?

That's where brand messaging comes into play. In the audio book, "Sound Advice on Brand Marketing," author Tom Miller says brands need to speak with a single unified voice in every communication with customers and prospects.

"Brand messaging is a formalized document that captures the most important points about your brand," says Miller. "It is then used to create all of the various brand communications, such as ads, press releases, web sites, literature, and so forth."

The best place to begin the brand messaging process is with the elevator pitch. "Think about getting on an elevator with a senior executive from a great prospect company. He asks you to tell him why your product or service is so special and better than all the others are. You've got 30-seconds. Go!"

Distilling your brand message into a short, memorable description or value proposition sets the stage for the rest of the brand messaging to flow in a logical, informative fashion. "It may take a little hard work now, but it pays big dividends in the future," says Miller. "Not only is your message consistent, you should also realize major time savings in developing communications pieces. The heavy lifting from a messaging perspective has already been done."

Tom Miller offers brand marketing advice each week in the free audio newsletter from What's Working in Biz – http://www.whatsworking.biz/full_story.asp?ArtID=92 – and is president of the branding firm, Miller Brooks.

About The Author

Richard Cunningham is a principal of What's Working in Biz, http://www.whatsworking.biz, a publisher of business audiobooks and online audio programs on marketing, sales, and small business strategies.

How Can All The Radio Stations Be 1

Writen by Nancy Fraser

Are you confused by all the information you receive from various radio stations? Do they all tell you they are #1 and you don't know who to believe? Most of them probably are #1 so believe it or not, they aren't lying to you. The question is, "What are they #1 in and is it a group of ears you want to reach?"

Quite often a radio "Account Manager" or "Account Executive" which are pseudonyms for radio sales person, receives a call from someone who states they are gathering information for someone else, the real decision maker, someone who is looking at radio as a possible advertising medium. They ask for an information package to be mailed out to them; or faxed over if it's urgent (Ha!). When the rep asks questions that are essential to the provision of any information pertinent to the situation (demographics, psychographics, time frame, budget etc.), the caller says they know nothing. They were just told to call stations and gather information.

Being an obliging rep, the information is sent or faxed as requested ….and then nothing happens 95% of the time. The decision maker receives the rankers, profiles, sales packages, announcer and program information and can't figure out how to make a decision….so they buy print instead. Both sides of the prospective transaction lose.

The information each station sends out will of course focus on their strengths. As mentioned earlier, many will be #1 in their target market, which really confuses the issue. If the prospective client thinks that everyone is their target market, they may chose to buy the station that has the highest cume audience (cume – unduplicated listeners who tune to the station for at least 15 minutes a week). The price per commercial is usually quite high and discourages new advertisers before they start.

Even when the decision maker is the one gathering the information or meeting with the reps, they still often end up confused by all of the data. The secret to gathering the information you need, is to ask the right questions. How do you ask the right questions?

You ask the right questions of yourself first and provide as much information as you can about what you want to accomplish with this advertising and whom you need to reach. Make a list of the characteristics of your best customers. Define the age group, the kind of radio they are likely to listen to (talk, rock, easy listening, news, etc.). Identify any psychographics that may be pertinent.

No matter how much you would like to think so, everyone is not your customer. There is a group that is more likely to use your services or buy your product and they are the target to focus your efforts on.

When you request information, be specific. State unequivocally that you only want information that is relevant to the consumer characteristics, you provide. All the information must be based on the same criteria, to provide a basis for comparison. How else will you determine which station reaches your best customers at a cost effective rate?

Bigger isn't always better, so choose your audience based on the criteria you set, and work with the creative team at the station to write and record messages to captivate your customers.

Copyright © 2005, Nancy Fraser, Nota Bene Consulting All Rights Reserved http://www.notable-marketing.com

Hospital in Tennessee Thailand Hotels

The Man With The Quotgrasshopper Mindquot

Writen by Dean Phillips

The title of this article also happens to be one of the "20 Greatest Headlines Ever Written."

Did you know, just changing the headline has been known to dramatically improve the effectiveness of an ad or sales letter by up to 1700 percent? Yes, headlines are that powerful--and that important!

However, over the last few years, I've noticed a proliferation of badly written--or just plain weak headlines--both online and off!

Particularly disturbing is the copycat syndrome. I can't even begin to tell you how many variations I've seen of the "Who Else" headline. For example:

"Who Else Wants To Write Great Headlines?"

By the way, the "Who Else" headline isn't new. It goes back many decades.

Here's the problem with copying a popular headline. When you have so many individuals copying a headline, it loses its effectiveness, appeal and uniqueness very quickly--especially on the Internet!

I have a much better alternative. Instead of copying someone else's headline, put in the hard work that's required and come up with your own classic headline.

Headlines that evoke some type of emotional response are the most effective and generally make more sales. Emotions motivate people into action. The stronger the emotion, the quicker the action. Therefore, headlines that make the reader excited about gaining something--or even more effective--afraid of losing something, will invariably produce the best results.

Using the proper words and phrases is critical. Below I've listed just a few of the words and phrases that, over the years, have proven to be very effective at grabbing the readers attention:

Save... Amazing... Finally... Love... Secrets Of... Announcing... Free... Luxury... Security... At Last... New... Bargains... Obsession... Breakthrough... Protect... The Truth About... Discover... How To... Rewards... Yes... Sale... You... Are You... Sex... Win... Improve... Do You...

After grabbing your readers attention, this is where you want to answer the question, "What's in it for me?" To do this, you have to know a little about your target audience. What are they interested in? What are their priorities? What makes them respond?

Craft your headlines to use words and phrases that will pique your potential buyers interest. If you are targeting people interested in starting their own home business, try phrases such as "Stay Home And Make Money" or "Kiss Your Job Goodbye Forever". If your product happens to be diet pills, try "Lose 10 Pounds In 10 Days".

A word of caution: There is a point where headlines tend to get unbelievable. Make sure that your claims are truthful and that your copy supports their truthfulness.

Once you have a firm grasp of the aforementioned basics, look around your house and select several different products, and write as many headlines as you can think of for each product.

Write variations of the same headline until you have exhausted all the ideas you can think of. This will be both frustrating and difficult at first, but it will become easier with practice. Remember, nothing worthwhile ever comes easy.

After you have your list of headlines, make sure each one passes the test for the following criteria for a good headline. 1. Does it grab the readers attention? 2. Does it answer the question, "What's in it for me?" 3. Is it truthful? If a potential headline does not meet these three criteria, rewrite it or eliminate it from your list altogether.

Continue using the process of elimination, one headline at a time, until you're left with what you feel are the three best and strongest headlines, based on the criteria presented in this article.

How will you know which headline is the best one overall?

Unfortunately, there's no way to know for sure until you test them against each other. The headline that pulls the most sales or responses is your winner!

To help you get the creative juices flowing, I've listed below my version of "The 20 Greatest Headlines Ever Written,". I've listed them in my own personal order of preference. Study them, dissect them, figure out what makes them great--then get to work writing your own. Enjoy!

"The 20 Greatest Headlines Ever Written"

1. The Man With The "Grasshopper Mind"

2. They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano--But When I Started To Play!

3. To People Who Want To Write--But Can't Get Started

4. Does Your Child Ever Embarrass You?

5. The Secret Of Making People Like You

6. Advice To Wives Whose Husbands Don't Save Money

7. The Child Who Won The Hearts Of All

8. How To Win Friends And Influence People

9. The Last Two Hours Are The Longest--And Those Are The Two Hours You Save

10. Do You Make These Mistakes In English?

11. Why Some Foods "Explode" In Your Stomach

12. You Can Laugh At Money Worries--If You Follow This Simple Plan

13. When Doctors "Feel Rotten," This Is What They Do

14. How I Improved My Memory In One Evening

15. Discover The Fortune That Lies Hidden In Your Salary

16. How I Made A Fortune With A Fool Idea

17. Do You Do Any Of These Ten Embarrassing Things?

18. The Crimes We Commit Against Our Stomachs

19. How To Do Wonders With A little Land

20. Who Else Wants Lighter Cake--In Half The Mixing Time?

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: dean@lets-make-money.net.

Visit his website at: http://www.lets-make-money.net

Hospital in Tennessee Thailand Hotels

Arm Yourself Before Your Yellow Page Sales Rep Arrives And Youll Save Money

Writen by Dr. Lynella Grant

The Yellow Page Directory is an Annual Event

It won't be long before the 2007 Yellow Page directory goes to press. So expect a visit from your sales person one of these days. Don't let him or her catch you by surprise. A little time getting ready for that visit ahead of time will save you money month after month.

Traps Most Business Owners Fall For

- Putting things off—the next Directory seems a long way off. But the deadline creeps without them thinking about it once all year

- Being overwhelmed with details. It's so complicated, nobody could figure out their best strategy

- Being too busy with the core business to want to deal with side issues

- Running the same ad year after year, whether or not it worked

- Spending all of ten minutes during the Rep's appointment to recommit for the next directory

- Over-relying on the Rep's recommendations – as though they know your business as well as you do

Know How New Customers Find You

If you're not getting a significant flow of new customers through the directory, it doesn't deserve to be your biggest marketing expense. Certain types of businesses do a lot better through the directory than others—for example emergency services or restaurants. But many types have declined a lot. Do you know which is true for your type of business?

Tracking the source of all new business is the ideal. But most businesses fail to ask customers how they found them routinely. Don't feel guilty that you didn't. It's not too late to do a sample for a few weeks. Unless your business is highly seasonal, you'll get enough data to know about what percentage of your business finds you through the directory. But I suspect that even without keeping track, you know if you're getting your money's worth from the ad you have.

Don't Rush the Decision

The time to think about your next-year's ad is not while the rep is in your face. You can be sure that your sales rep will be prepared. With the expectation that he or she can persuade you to spend as much or more as before. Don't make it easy for them or leave it to the last minute.

Don't let the Rep cold-call you. Schedule and allow for an hour of uninterrupted time. Give the Rep specific questions before the meeting, so that they can come prepared with the answers you request .

Take charge. At the first contact from them, ask when the Directory's closing date will be. Then you'll have a realistic idea about how much time you have. That protects you from their hurried high-pressure arm twisting. You don't need to decide on the spot or when you're not thinking clearly. Such pushy sales strategy is designed to roll over you and your good judgment.

You're about to make a commitment for another year. Whatever they spend for a Yellow Pages often spells the difference between a small operation being in the red or in the black. So it's worth your time to give it a few hours of thought.

Don't be an easy mark. Yellow Page Sage

http://www.yellowpagesage.com provides the informational articles and the facts you need to be ready for that meeting. And since you'll understand the process better, you won't be paying for any more options than you need. Put your extra back into your pocket or into other marketing methods.

Dr. Lynella Grant, author Yellow Page Smarts – Make More Money from Your Directory Ad in Tandem with Your Website. Marry the YPs and Internet, so you capture 70% of ready buyers. http://www.yellowpagesage.com/smarts.html Yellow Page solutions that save you money

Hospital in Tennessee Thailand Hotels

10 Easiest Ways To Advertise Your Artscrafts Business

Writen by Marmar Smith

1) CREATE A WEBSITE
This will act as a Portfolio and lists all the items you created and want to sell. Make it detailed and list the pricing information for those interested in purchasing. You can even add a shopping cart and get fancy with features you'd like to present to your audience like an "about" page for example. Add shipping information, and a section for those who would like to buy in bulk like wholesalers or buyers. If you do not know the first thing about how to create a website, there are a lot of ways you could get someone to make one for you or find online companies that give a package for your site including hosting, domain name and so forth.

Here are some links to website creators:
http://www.web.com/
http://www.very-visible.com/our-pricing.html

Or check out our 1 page website deal which is quick, cheap, referenced through our network, and gets advertised to buyers across the globe: http://www.marmarsgifts.com/websiteassistance.asp

PRO: Will always be referenced. Easy place to find your art/crafts. Easy place for others to shop for your art/crafts and you to make money.
CON: Time taken to make one, mechanism for advertising required unless it's included in the package.

2) MAKE A CATALOG
Create your own using software or get assistance from the US Postal Service. You can then have this catalog get mailed all over your area. The USPS website has a lot of good information and helpful tools with prices on how you can get this started. Visit them here: http://www.usps.com

PRO: Will get to people's hands. Forced way to get customers
CON: Can become costly.

3) CREATE BUSINESS CARDS
You may not know it, but this is the one tool that has stayed with people for very long periods of time. Ever look in your wallet credit card section? Notice your business cards you've picked up and kept with you. Well, the very same way you can stick to people with this approach. Pass these or stick these around anywhere you see fit. Parties, Shows, Friends, Family, School, Bulletins, Shows/Exhibits, and Stores. You can make them yourself by using Microsoft Word and picking up a set of blank sheets to print at your local office supply store; eg. Staples, Office Max, Office Depot.

PRO: Fast, Cheap to get customers
CON: Creating them takes a little time

4) CREATE YOUR OWN EBAY STORE
Do you have a few items? Want to try it out and see who's interested? eBay is the largest and most traffic driven site people go to find stuff. I mean, you can find anything in there. If you don't have the time to create a website or find other ways to advertise and are willing to pay a percentage for each of your items that does sell, then eBay is a place to start. Then when you find people buying and business starts looking good, you can open an eBay store or direct them to your website. http://www.ebay.com

PRO: Can list items and bring lots of traffic to your site
CON: % Deducted on each sale you make

5) FIND A LOCAL CONSIGNMENT SHOP TO SELL YOUR ITEMS
You will need to make a photo album with your products or take some samples to see if they will sell them for you. Most will do this if they do not already have something similar in stock. You need to find out how their rates work so you can make some kind of decent profit. Be cautious as some may take more than you are willing to get paid for.

PRO: Sure way people will see or feel your products
CON: Percentage taken for each sale

6) PUT YOUR STUFF IN ARTS/CRAFTS SHOWS
Register and put up a booth with your items on display for everyone to see. It's almost like your own mini store. And, everyone who comes to visit is looking for arts/crafts.

PRO: Lot of interested people and definite sales
CON: Fee to be in show

7) ADVERTISE TO ONLINE ARTS/CRAFT SHOWS
Most people who know how to use a computer these days like to shop online. If they don't buy anything, they will look. And there is so much to choose from. They can be more successful if they find a place that is specific to what they are looking for. For example, if one is looking for household gifts, they will search for home gifts or something of the sort. So if you advertise in Arts/Crafts Shows Online, then you are giving those interested in arts/crafts a way to find you. You can place an ad in free sites and ones that have a fee. Be aware of the free ones since they can sell your email to other vendors. Paid advertising provides more services and incentives to keep you as a customer. We offer membership for $2.99 a month in which you place your ad for buyers across the globe, international, in state and local, to bulletins, blogs, zines, wholesalers, shops, search engines and webrings. In addition to other services, free advice, and royalty free. http://www.marmarsgifts.com You can also try: http://www.craftsfaironline.com and http://artsandcraftsfair.com/

PRO: Allows others to advertise for you while you just keep doing what you love without paying % for each item you sell
CON: Choosing plan to fit your needs.

8) CALL STORE BUYERS
Often times buyers for stores are looking for new things they are not sure how to find. Taking the initial step for them may save them time and they can appreciate your contact. This is a type of solicitation, so not all buyers may be willing to listen, but with a little patience, you may find success from this approach. And Big success with that!

PRO: If your items are wanted - they will be bought in bulk - and if they sell you could make it big!
CON: patience & solicitation

9) MAKE A BANNER ONLINE
Banners are annoying, but they do a great job to grab your attention. Not only that, but they are "visual" information. The human eye first sees, then interprets or analyzes. Therefore, it is a method of saying "Hey! Look at me!" You can make this yourself or have someone or a tool make it for you. It can be advertised for a price or free based on how you take the approach. If you choose to pay for it to be advertised, then beware of the fees, never select pay per click...since these are not sure ways you will make a sale, just a way others can get money from you. The best way is to trade with others wanting the same, like a banner exchange. Search for "banner exchange" and you'll be amazed at what you will find.

PRO: Catches attention of viewers & brings them to your site
CON: Need to make one & decide whether to pay or use exchange method

10) MAKE YOUR CAR YOUR FRIEND
If you drive, most likely you will stop and in front of you will be another car and its rear end. You've got nothing better to do for the next 2 minutes then stare at that bumper in front of you or check out the rear display. Well, then so does the next guy who is behind you and so forth. Why not make it worth the effort and advertise your arts/crafts with a personalized bumper sticker or magnet on your car leading them to your website or an email? Give them a few words to think about and something they'll remember, and be sure they'll pay your site a visit! You can find places that will make these for you usually at a sign shop or bumper sticker store.

PRO: Brings traffic - people will see your advertising with no choice if they are near your car CON: Make sure it's short and sweet and easy to read at a distance.

Artist, Engineer, and Entrepreneur, Marmar has worked with sellers and buyers in the Arts / Crafts industry and opened her own business to help Artists and Crafters "get noticed". http://www.marmarsgifts.com

Hospital in Tennessee Thailand Hotels