Marketing Social | Marketing Tips

The Public Relations Grand Slam

2008-08-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

Author: Anthony Mora

One of the primary reasons people become disenchanted with public relations is because of what I call the grand slam mentality. Too many people believe that next TV interview or magazine article is going to be “it”. It's going to change their lives. That one story will turn it all around. All of their problems will be over. Millions will pour in, they'll be able to move to the Bahamas and retire. Well, it doesn't happen that way. So you best come back to earth with the rest of us. You are launching a professional media relations campaign, not playing the lottery. I have had clients who have called, furious that their appearance on a national talk show or in a national magazine did not result in thousands of calls. One particular client was especially disappointed when her national TV spot only resulted in a couple of hundred calls in two days. Personally I thought a couple of hundred calls off one segment, in that amount of time, was great. Even though those calls paid for my service many times over, they did not fulfill her grand slam expectations. It was not the super-jackpot, over-night, life-altering event she had hoped for.

Then again, grand slams do happen. There is the other side of the coin. Sometimes you'll hit a home run when you least expect it. Be prepared. There are times when, what you think will be a small piece will turn into a major article or TV segment. So, even though you don't spend your time dreaming of hitting a grand slam, you had better prepare for when you hit one.

Not long ago I worked with a small, struggling company that barely made enough to stay afloat. We were able to place what turned out to be a seven-minute segment on their product on a national TV program. The segment was perfect. We couldn't have done a better job of presenting the product in a positive light ourselves. Well, the piece struck a chord. It hit, and hit big. Calls poured in from all over the country. The demand was overwhelming, so much so that their phone lines blew. They were not prepared to capitalize on what could have been a grand slam. Still, although they were unable to take full advantage, it did launch their business.

The moral is, you never know. So, do your best, get the interviews done, and then let 'em go. If it's not exactly what you wanted, it has added to your PR resume. It did its job. Use that one quote, or that one sentence, or whatever you come away with, in your press releases, and bios. PR is a cumulative process, use what you can from each media placement and keep moving forward.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008

For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

About the Author:

Anthony Mora began his media career as a freelance journalist for such
publications as Us, Rolling Stone and other local and national
publications. He served as editor-in-chief of two Los Angeles-based
entertainment and lifestyle-oriented publications, and co-founded Phillips & Mora Entertainment, a public relations and personal management company, which ventured into video and film production.

In 1990, Anthony formed Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. a Los
Angeles-based media relations company that specializes in media placement, image development, and media training. AMC Inc. has placed clients in: Time, Newsweek, 60 Minutes, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other local, national, and international media outlets.

Anthony has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, Entrepreneur, Fox News, MSNBC, and other media. He has written three books. The most recent, "Spin to Win," is a step-by-step guide on how to define goals and utilize the power of the media to achieve success in any field. Practical and user-friendly, "Spin to Win" can be utilized by heads of major corporations, small business owners, and entrepreneurs.

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10 Ways to Get Customers Referring Your Business

2008-06-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Fiona Adler

Most businesses know that the best way to get new customers is through word-of-mouth recommendations. Almost all of us base a lot of decisions on recommendations because we tend to believe someone who is not trying to sell to us. (Think about the last few purchasing decisions you made – whether it’s choosing a restaurant, a tradesperson, or a hairdresser, most of us rely on word-of-mouth to some extent.)

But the tricky part about word-of-mouth, is that it’s largely out of your hands. However, there are several things you can do to encourage your customers to recommend you to others.

Make sure customers are happy with your service
This is literally as simple as asking them what they thought of your service. For some businesses it might mean making it policy to ask how the customer’s meal was, or calling a few days after a service has been completed to make sure everything is ok. If there was any problem, this gives you the opportunity to find out about it.
Ask them to rate you on the web
For some businesses this sounds scary but if your customers are happy with you, all you need to do is ask if they’d mind posting a rating on the web for your business. Most people love to feel needed and if they’re happy with your service and you’ve developed some level of rapport with them, they’ll be more than happy to help you out. Misty’s Diner has been doing this for several months and at the time of writing has 120 customer ratings in WOMOW.

Obviously we suggest you use WOMOW.com.au but the key is to have your customer ratings in a public forum run by an objective third party. That’s what makes them believable!
Ask for personal referrals
At first glance this can look desperate, but all it means is letting your customers know that your business is built on word-of-mouth and if they know anyone that would be interested in your product/service, to point them in your direction. Later, when they’re having dinner with friends, hopefully they’ll remember this simple prompt and it’s amazing how often a referral will come about.
Let them know some inside secrets
Give customers something interesting to say to other people. It doesn’t have to be particularly ground-breaking stuff either. It could be something about yourself and why you got into this business, the types of clients you deal with, something about a major project you’re working on, really anything that gives them the opportunity to tell someone else something they don’t already know.

Imagine the difference between saying:-
"I know a great plumber who might be able to help you out with that"
and:-
"I know a great plumber who specialises in grey water solutions. He was just telling me about a job he just finished where…"
Keep in contact
Your customers could be in a position to give you a recommendation at any time, but if they haven't heard from you in years its not likely they'll remember you. The key is to stay in touch through personal phone calls, mailouts, newsletters, emails, lunches, whatever it takes to make sure that when the opportunity arises and a friend asks "do you know a good accountant around here?", your name will be the first they mention.

One way to achieve this and combine with point 2 above is to email your clients saying that you'd like their feedback. Let them know that you're using a website to collect feedback and would really appreciate it if they could rate you (if you want to use WOMOW just include a link to your WOMOW page).
Dare to be different
Another way to ensure your customers remember you is to be different in some way. There's any number of ways you could do this but some businesses I’ve come across that do this use things like bright uniforms, posting a quote of the day, asking customers to pay what they think is a fair price instead of using a price list, use dramatic packaging, provide a mobile service (instead of in an office), or serve each customer a fresh muffin on arrival. Really this is marketing 101 in terms of setting yourself apart from your competitors, but think of it not just as a way of being better, but as a way of being remembered and talked about.

Let everyone know about your ratings
When people are checking out your website or in the midst of the sales process, let them know what your other customers say about you by showing them customer ratings or testimonials. These could be printed out in your office, a link to you WOMOW listing from your website, or included in your written quotes (eg "See what customers are saying about us here www.womow.com.au/biz/xxxx")

Thank people for their recommendations
When you do get a recommendation, make sure you thank the person and let them know how much it means to you. This could mean phoning the customer that just sent their colleague to visit you, sending a box of chocolates or bottle of wine. When you get ratings on WOMOW, you can post a comment on their rating thanking them for their rating and for using your service – they’ll be more inclined to give you more recommendations, plus for everyone else reading, it looks like you really care. And unless the rating is anonymous, you can send them a private email too with a personalised thank-you.

Above all, provide great service
This underpins everything else, but I can’t let it go unmentioned. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the mechanics of the business and forget about the customer experience. Be a customer for a day and put yourself in their shoes. What’s it like to phone your company, walk into the waiting room, email you, visit your website for the first time? Is there anything you could be doing better? Are there any basics that you’re missing? Once you get a few ratings, you’ll soon know what aspects of your business customers value the most.

Go one step extra
If it's at all possible, make it a policy to do something extra that customers wouldn’t expect. Call the next day to see how everything is working out, remember their order from their last visit (or set up a system that does), give them a coffee / wine / mineral water / chocolate on arrival, set up a TV with relevant DVD's in your waiting room, offer a free fitting service, write to them and offer a free maintenance check, give them a free air-fragrance with your service, or allow them to keep something else associated with your business.

I know of one car dealership that provides a lifetime of free carwashing to anyone that buys a car from them. Not only does this provide a great talking point, it ensures the customer remembers them next time they’re looking to buy a new car.

If there's something you can do to really wow your customers, they'll be so grateful, they'll look for opportunities to even the score. As they say, the difference between extraordinary and ordinary is the "extra"!

Once you start regularly implementing just some of these ideas, the referrals will start flooding in. It's a great way to do business!

About the Author:

Fiona is one of the founders of www.WOMOW.com.au
WOMOW stands for Word Of Mouth On the Web and it's an Australian website where people share their recommendations with each other. It uses word-of-mouth to help people find the best businesses and avoid the worst, while helping good businesses stand out from the crowd.

Technorati Tags:customer service, word-of-mouth, customer referrals, word of mouth, wom, customer recommendations, womow
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Biosignia Honored in Business Leader Media’s Healthiest Company Competition

2008-06-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Author: Alison Beckwith

Research Triangle Park, N.C. - BioSignia, a predictive modeling company delivering innovative healthcare solutions, was honored in the 2008 Healthiest Company Competition, sponsored by Rex Healthcare and Business Leader Media. BioSignia’s recognition is due in part to its work in developing Know Your Number®, the first disease-specific risk assessment tool to predict an individual’s risk of developing chronic preventable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. This revolutionary testing tool isn’t just benefitting BioSignia’s clients, but keeping its employees healthy too.

“We are honored to be recognized as one of the top companies in the area for our healthy-minded practices,” says Tim Smith, president and COO of BioSignia. “Through our work with Know Your Number, our employees live and breathe the message our disease-specific risk assessment tool sends and you can see it when you walk through our offices.”

In 30 minutes or less, the Know Your Number assessment takes an individual’s information such as their weight, blood pressure, family history, lifestyle habits and key blood values. Then, it uses a proprietary technology called Synthesis Analysis™ to produce a detailed report on your risks of developing specific chronic preventable diseases. It’s unlike any other health risk assesment tool because it uses a multi-dimensional approach by isolating individual and aggregate data on a multitude of risk factors.

Smith says each BioSignia employee has taken the Know Your Number test to learn how to reduce their risks of developing chronic preventable diseases -- for some employees it’s been a life-changing experience. BioSignia was one of 24 Triangle companies recently recognized in the Healthiest Company Competition.

“Companies can really help motivate their employees to target their specific disease risks and adopt healthier habits,” adds Smith. “And that’s top on our list at BioSignia.”

To learn more about Know Your Number, visit: http://www.knowyournumber.com

***

About BioSignia, Inc

Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., BioSignia is a leading technology

company focused on bringing innovative predictive modeling solutions to the preventive

health and life insurance markets. At the core of BioSignia’s flagship solution, Know

Your Number is the company’s proprietary synthesis modeling approach to chronic

disease risk prediction. In 2004, BioSignia received the Disease Management Association

of America’s prestigious award for Best Enabling Tool for Disease Management. Since

then, the company’s talented R&D team has continued to advance synthesis modeling,

continuously updating it to reflect the ever expanding need for effective chronic disease

prevention, management and treatment. For more information, visit: www.biosignia.com

CONTACT: Alison Bechwith, abeckwith@919marketing.com, 919.459.8157

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Referral Marketing - How To Generate Massive Traffic

2008-06-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

Author: Allen Jesson

Referral marketing originated when the Internet first entered the commercial marketplace. By creating a network of similar sites that defer traffic and potential customers upon one another, revenue and customer interest rose for participating sites.

Since then, the process of referral marketing has become a mainstay of web site design. Revenue generated through referral efforts has risen to become a multi-million dollar industry that has penetrated every nation in the world.

To institute a referral marketing campaign on your site, you must first institute a program for providing the materials other designers require in order to initiate a referral exchange. Typically, this constitutes HTML code to insert into a site that creates either a link or banner image that is optionally hosted on your server.

If you choose to provide a banner image, you must consider the pixel size and content of the images to allow for widespread adoption of your referral process.

If you can afford to invest in incentives to provide to potential participants in your referral network, proceed to do so through automated software hosted through the web.

You can choose to reward your referrers through the number of click-throughs they generate or by the number of sales generated through visitors who registered as a result of using your link.

The more attractive the incentive you provide, the more likely it is your fellow web masters will adopt your referral campaign.

You can also benefit from mutual referral exchanges. Providing a site banner for a companion site that sells similar products or services is beneficial so long as they act in kind.

Once mutual referrals begin to flow, you might consider pursuing other opportunities for combination sales and marketing arrangements.

Referral marketing can help to increase web site traffic and sales without causing a major impact on your bottom line. Through the use of a few well placed web site links and banners, customers can spread brand awareness and become incentivized to purchase your products and services.

Actively recruiting other web masters to participate in your referral program is often a painless exercise in good, mutual business relationship building.

Understanding the process of referral marketing is half the battle. Organizing your time and actually spending time on this aspect of internet marketing can really make a huge difference to your website traffic and the sales that follow. Referral marketing is a simple process that spreads the word about your site.

About the Author:

Allen Jesson is a word of mouth marketing expert and has developed a new tell a friend internet marketing application that dramatically increases the viral marketing appeal of any web-site. Allen is also an expert in

Technorati Tags:internet marketing, word of mouth marketing, viral, tell a friend, refer a friend, referal marketing
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Viral Video Marketing Your Way To Success

2008-06-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Author: Todd Ash

The definition of a viral video is basically a video clip which gains widespread popularity through the process of Internet sharing, typically through e-mail, IM messages, blogs and other media sharing websites. Brick Marketing's viral video marketing is a service that combines the creation of a viral video and online video marketing.

Viral video marketing is a super way to build your online brand, visibility, among a host of other online business benefits. Take some lessons from the big guys about how to use video marketing the right way, it's about more than just traffic.

The amateurs like "Brookers" and "Lonelygirl" publish their video clips for fun and notoriety, and the big corporations like Nike, Warner Bros, and MTV2 produce and publish them in order to drive traffic to their web sites and sell more of their products or services. Because the advertising cost relatively inexpensive. And it produces results.

Todays youth now spend more time online that watching television. It's all about pageviews and favourites and bookmarks and links on blogs. Your YouTube video can assume viral status and be passed on via emails and blogs. Even be spotted on Facebook walls. Since the audience themselves decide whether or not your video is worthy enough to become viral or not. You better make sure it is. That is where StudioX comes in.

This piece also includes a best practices rundown by Justin Kirby, managing director of viral marketing company DMC, who did the planning, seeding and tracking for this campaign. The creative was produced by Maverick Media.

People aren't just watching video online, either. They're taking it with them by downloading video clips to their handheld devices like the video iPod and Sony's video game console, the PlayStation Portable. Now cell phones have the ability to watch YouTube videos.

For the online entrepreneur (the web site owner seeking to make money online) the purpose of your you tube video is to bring traffic to your site. The You tube video site is a phenomenon which has taken the internet by storm and unless you've been off in a far away place, you will not doubt have seen one of the many videos which have been popularized by the site such as Tyson the roller-skating dog. Did you know that You Tube gets twice as much traffic as Google. That means that you tube alone, gets one million hits a day.

Do a video contest because everyone else is. This online-video "contest" fad will continue, and it will become more difficult to activate consumers to promote your product. Do a search for "video contest" on Google and you'll see four or five different ads for contests.

The David Chappelle video contest is a good example of a nice idea with some executional flaws. First, it didn't initially promote the contest on its own website because it wanted to focus people on buying the DVD. Second, it petered out. Contest winners weren't announced and insufficient media budget promoted the contest. To give you an idea of how abused contests are getting, there was a summer promotion for a mayonnaise manufacturer looking for videos about may recipes.

However their are numerous ways to monetize viral videos. From contextual ad programs like Adsense, Yahoo Publishers Network and Chitika to affiliate programs and product sales "revenue sharing is just one aspect of earning money through the use of online video.

Viral video marketing is the gift that keeps on giving. Internet video marketing is going to be the next big thing in SEO. The "on-demand" characteristic of video marketing is another great benefit. Why video marketing is the most powerful and effective method to earn profits The truly simple steps to get setup in a flash and add videos to your web pages Why you're suffering, even if you don't know it, if you're only using other advertising and promotion techniques. The big reasons why video marketing is so effective and how you can capitalize on them and so much more.

Viral videos are those videocam recordings that get spread around the internet like wild fire. Without anyencouragement, people share a video clip with everyone they know. And within days, thousands of people have seen the video clip.

Facebook: Share, share, share. Other ideas include creating an event that announces the video launch and inviting friends, writing a note and tagging friends, or posting the video on Facebook Video with a link back to the original YouTube video.

Look at the evolution from where the internet first started. It started out with everything being free. Natural search was first starting. You could actually go to the top of a natural search engine within a day or two of launching a site and start getting traffic almost immediately.

Kevin Nalts is one of the most-viewed YouTube comedians with more than 650 short online videos seen more than 25 million times. By day he's a Marketing Director at a Fortune 100 company, and he speaks, writes and consults in the area of online marketing and viral video.

About the Author:

Todd Ash Is An Entrepreneur and A Master Of Network Marketing.To Find Out More About Succeeding Online Click Here To Visit Toddash.com For Free Information

Technorati Tags:youtube, video, viral video, video marketing, facebook, tagging, viral video marketing, david chappelle
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Video Marketing To Create Free Website Traffic

2008-06-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Author: Todd Ash

How to get web traffic, especially free web traffic, is always a million dollar question to every Internet marketer and online business owner. After all, no matter how good your products or services that you offer in your site are, they have no buyers if nobody comes to your site. Hence traffic is very crucial for your online business.

There are many ways to use video on the Internet to market your practice. The first is adding video to your exisiting website and the second is building a direct marketing dental video website from scratch. Every dentist that wants to compete for business on the Internet will eventually have to have some form of video content on their dental websites to maintain the standards that are currently being reached by some on the Internet. By building a dental video website from scratch you will be able to take full advantage of the technology available to you to create a unique and custom website that meets its objectives.

Internet video marketing can increase your web site traffic almost instantly once you post the right video. The best part of video marketing is that except for the cost of producing the video it's all free. You can increase your web site traffic by thousands all for the cost of the video. And some videos are so low tech they can be made with a small digital camera or even a camera phone.

Using an Internet video marketing campaign along with search engine optimization and search engine marketing is the best way to advertise your website and increase your web site traffic. Forget about expensive web advertising that doesn't work.

You can use the free social networking and marketing tools on the Internet to increase web site traffic and take your business to the next level and double or triple the number of hits that you get on your website everyday. A few words of caution though - when you're producing internet videos don't make them too high tech or over produced.

Keep in mind that some people will be viewing the video on a slow internet connection. Make a video that will load quickly and play fast so that people can view it even if they don't have a high speed Internet connection or offer two versions of the video with one optimized for high speed connections and one optimized for slower connections.

Some of the ways that website promotion occurs and that can increase website traffic is through the use of SEO, viral marketing, and internet campaigns which each play a significant part in creating a successful web presence. SEO techniques help to build page ranking and increase website traffic through the use of things like back linking, and directory submissions.

The use of viral marketing, mailing lists, word of mouth and video marketing helps to increase website traffic by reaching out and using existing social networks and structures for website promotion. In addition, Internet campaigns help places ads on relevant sites or keyword related sites in order to help increase traffic, promotion and can create an additional source of revenue from your site.

Obviously it is of no benefit to have a strong web site marketing campaign, including a powerful_streaming_video_advertisement, if your web site has limited internet visibility. Everyone today focuses on search_engine_optimization which can have significant benefits when done properly. But unfortunately the complexity coupled with the dynamic structure where the rules are constantly changing, make it almost impossible for a business owner to effectively run a successful SEO campaign. Obviously you can hire a firm to do it for you but beware because many of these firms charge an excessive fee while offering little in terms of results.

When it comes to taking your online business to the next level, break free from the chains of one-dimensional selling. Studies have shown that online video significantly increases conversion rate over sales copy alone. Remember?Use the same sales strategies that you use with sales copy. Sell the sizzle not the steak, and end with a strong call to action that gives your website visitor a strong incentive to buy.

Submit your internet marketing videos to the venues computer turn to for videos, such as YouTube, Google Videos and Yahoo! One great benefit to submitting with one or all of these is that your video will be hosted for free, keeping your website bandwidth for your customers.

Videos and video marketing are not just here to stay, they are the future of online marketing. As the larger corporations including TV and movie makers are now using his medium, it makes sense to join the party. Video marketing is one of the fastest growing online tactics with an audience that is hungry for more - so long as it is reasonable good quality and entertaining.

Video marketing can be an excellent way to generate web site traffic. Video marketing is essentially free (other than the cost of the camera to shoot the video) and can be a very powerful strategy in getting targeted traffic back to your site, as well as in other facets of the marketing process like building relationships and branding yourself.

Proper website promotion is the key to creating increase web traffic results, page ranking, and the increase in revenue that every business desires when establishing a website. Using the Internet as a media to reach a potential 729 and 785 million customers, can be a large boost to any company?s consumer reachable market and potential revenue possibilities. Thousands of businesses cannot be wrong so consider what Internet marketing can do for you and your business today.

Video marketing is like a double edged sword. You gain views from people who look at your video and you gain search engine visibility. This is what has every Internet Marketer and online guru going crazy. Online Video Marketing has double impact in a short period of time.

Look at the evolution from where the internet first started. It started out with everything being free. Natural search was first starting. You could actually go to the top of a natural search engine within a day or two of launching a site and start getting traffic almost immediately.

Where you place your video on your website can mean the difference between success and failure. You want to make sure that you put it where it will be seen. It should get prominent placement.

About the Author:

Todd Ash Is An Entrepreneur and A Master Of Network Marketing.To Find Out More About Succeeding Online Click Here To Visit Toddash.com For Free Information

Technorati Tags:free, seo, youtube, google, website traffic, business promotion, free website traffic, bideo marketing
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Autousa Has a Write-up on the Oregon Trail Rally

2008-06-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

Author: Peter Collins

Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Oregon Spring Trail is a three-day racing contest held every summer, near Portland, OR. This year’s event, its eleventh, commenced on April 20 at Portland International Raceway.

Crowd favorites

Rally America points leader Travis Pastrana, and his navigator Christian Edstrom were the fan favorites. They drove an Open Class 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Tanner Foust and co-driver Christine Beavis, another favorite, took an early lead on the first day driving a Rockstar Energy Drink Subaru.

Weather plays truant

The notorious Oregon weather, which produces heavy rain at this time of the year, makes this race a test of endurance as much as of skill. On the second day, due in part to Tanner Foust’s flat tire, Andrew Pinker and teammate, Patrick Walsh, driving a Jack Daniels Subaru took the lead on the slippery surface.

Final result

By the time the rally reached its final stages, only 44 of the 75 racers remained to cross the finish line. The final result showed Pinker on top; Ken Block second and Foust third. All the top three places went to a Subaru.

Soaring popularity

The popularity of this event has reached such a level that the X Games were introduced to it in 2006. Today, these games are broadcast live to millions on ESPN and ABC.

One difference between NASCAR and this is that here, all cars must be street-legal, and Oregon Trail racers are protected by working windshield wipers and headlights and should have license plates.

For further information please visit: http://www.autousa.com/content/oregan-trail.jsp

About the Author:
Contact:
AutoUSA
110 SE 6th Street
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, US
Ph: 954-769-6659
Website: http://www.autousa.com/

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Xsitepro 2 Review-do You Really Need It?

2008-06-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Author: Mark Myers

Have you ever tried to build a website? Is a Blogger template the best you can hope for? Do you have enough trouble with English, let alone an entirely new HTML language? Do you have any clue what a CSS stylesheet is? Don't worry, it is about to get simple.

Ok, I have a confession. I have put up over 100 websites, and I barely know either. Yes using blogs and free WYSIWYG editors (That's what you see is what you get) I have had to learn some HTML. When I started using Frontpage and Dreamweaver I had to learn way more than I knew. I knew I was relegated to using sorry templates that I could not change forever. So I struggled putting up my first 10 sites. They were all horrible, are still up and barely pay for the hosting and domain names.

I knew to step up my profits, I quickly had to find another solution. I was reading through a free bonus report on web marketing and the author mentioned a product I had never heard of, XSitePro. I surfed around read some reviews, and thought it might be the answer to my prayers, so I bought it and tried it. WOW, it was almost as easy to put up a professional looking site as a my space page!

I started churning out web sites. I could build and publish a professional high ranking optimized site as quick as an article. I was in heaven, my sites were all search engine friendly user friendly, and I could go back to marketing my sites for income. I could keep using XSitePro for two more years if I had to, but there were limitations.

Web 2.0. Video, adsense, music, dynamic pages, interaction. Make no mistake,I do well for myself with my limited sites, and do not have a clue how to do any of these, but I know that is what the future will demand. In steps XSitePro 2. If you can think of any feature you would want a piece of software to do on building a website. It does it. Half of the things listed in the benefits, I do not understand.

What I do know is XSitePro 2 is leading the pack. With all the intuitive features it comes with, I am sure I will be able to double the number of sites I have making me money in six months. If you have never published your first site, or you are a seasoned pro and want to spend more time having fun than writing websites, XSitePro 2 is exactly what the doctor ordered. Construct two sites and call me in the morning!.

About the Author:

For more information on XSitePro 2click here.

To order XSitePro 2 Click Here!

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What You Say and How You Say it Can Make or Break Your Business

2008-06-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Author: Beryl Powell

In a conversation, your response to the question “What do you do?” will determine if the conversation continues. The first paragraph on your web site determines if a visitor will stay to learn more about you or leave.

The marketing messages you deliver to your audience should clearly state the results your clients will achieve by working with you, and distinguish you as the solution to their problems. Your marketing messages should also show your uniqueness.

There are six messages you must have in your marketing arsenal:

* Tagline – a few words that sets your perceived image.

* Elevator Speech – a 3.5 second message that tells what you help your clients achieve.

* Compelling Marketing Message – your main message that speaks directly to your target market; it shows you understand their problems and are the perfect solution to solve their problem.

* Your Story – a statement that tells your ideal client what drives you to do what you do and why you are choice they should choose to solve their problems.

* A Reason to Buy Now – a statement that tells your ideal client why they should buy what you are selling, and why they should buy now instead of later.

* Call to Action – a statement that tells your listener or reader the actions to take so they can take advantage of what you are offering.

Each marketing message should be able to be delivered individually, and as one conversation.

Your marketing messages should come from the client’s point of view and highlight the value you provide to the client,so when you create your messages use words that focus on the client’s problems and the solutions they are looking for. Start by asking yourself a few questions like:

* What do you help your clients achieve?

* What value do you bring to your client’s business?

* What or how do your services allow your client to exist, perform or behave?

* If your client was telling one of their clients about you and your business, what do want them to say?

* What impact do your services have on your client’s business and life?.

About the Author:

© 2008 Beryl Powell, Small Business Advisor, helps Solopreneurs live the lifestyle of their dreams by providing innovative business and marketing tactics, strategies and resources to help you build your business to sustain your lifestyle. Get a free copy of her OperateItRight Success Kit at www.OperateItRight.com

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If You Want Your Marketing to be a Remarkable Success, Adopt These 2 Invaluable Tippps

2008-06-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Author: Daniel St-jean

First, let me share with you a definition of marketing I found on Wikipedia: “Marketing is a societal process which discerns consumers' wants, focusing on a product or service to fulfill those wants, attempting to move the consumers toward the products or services offered.” (aka selling)

That sounds about right. Let me follow that with a brilliant observation from Donald Cooper, one of America’s top professional speaker and corporate trainer: “We are all human beings selling something to other human beings. How damn complicated should that actually be?”

Apparently, complicated enough. The facts are: businesspeople are selling all the time, and consumers are buying all the time. The question is: are they buying YOUR products, services, subscription, business opportunity, expertise, concepts or ideas? If not, WHY NOT? Well, I don’t have ALL the answers to that last question, but I have some.

My signature says I’m a “BizzBooster” and an Internet Marketing Advisor. That’s true. My wife (the other BizzBooster) and I teach businesspeople how to boost their business, particularly on the Internet. We are teachers.

To be effective teachers, we need to be good students. We are. We study marketing 24/7 (pretty much) and we make good notes of the harmful mistakes people make in their marketing strategies for the purpose of teaching our customers and clients how to avoid those mistakes in order to boost their business.

By “boosting their business”, we mean making things easier, saving time, saving money, beating the competition, generating more leads, prospects and customers, making more sales, more money, and ultimately, more profit!

If those are results you aspire to in your business, read on because the 2 marketing tips (we call them TIPPPS™) I will talk about here will help you avoid two of the god-awful mistakes we observe all the time that cause businesspeople to fail—or at least underachieve. I promise you that marketing any business successfully will be a lot easier when you apply those 2 expert TIPPPS™ Thoughts Ideas Principles & Practices for Professional Success).

Here’s the first TIPPPS™: “Everything people do, they do either out of their need to avoid/reduce pain, and/or their desire to gain/increase pleasure.”

Or as Jeremy Bentham once wrote, “Nature has placed mankind under the government of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure; they govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to throw off our subjection, will serve but to demonstrate and confirm it.”

It is crucial for the success of your marketing endeavors that you understand the pain and pleasure motivators, and how to use that knowledge when designing marketing material, of any kind.

Most people in marketing and psychology agree that the first motivator – pain – is more powerful than the second. For example: Joe will be quite willing to work 50 or even 60 hours a week in his business so he can buy the BMW he’s been dreaming about (aka pleasure).

Now, imagine that Joe needs to make a lot of money in order to keep the IRS from seizing his store and his house and throwing him and his family out on the street (pain). Joe will be willing to work a LOT harder (80 hours a week?) to avoid that pain than he would be to gain the pleasure of owning a fancy car.

People will do things to avoid pain they would not even consider if it were merely to gain some pleasure. What that means to you is that to get the maximum results from your marketing materials, you should use what is known as the AIDA formula: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action – where the word Interest features pain and problems.

With that in mind, “most” of your marketing should follow along the easy path of answering these questions:

1-Are you getting ATTENTION with your opening?

2-Are you stating a problem (pain) your prospect is INTERESTED in?

3-Are you offering a solution your prospect DESIRES?

4-Are you asking your prospect to take ACTION?

Of course, I had to use the word “most” above because there are instances where it’s all about pleasure; dance classes, cooking courses and piano lessons are 3 examples.

Back to AIDA: If you sell products that help people who suffer from sore feet (for example), the best opening to get attention would probably be “Sore Feet?” (pain) as opposed to “Want foot relief?” (pleasure).

Bottom line, walk in your customers’ shoes for a while (pun intended), find out what his “pain” is, what his problems are, use that to get his attention, and then present your product or service as THE solution that will rid him of that pain and you will do exceedingly well. For Internet marketers, remember that the vast majority of people go online to find a solution to a problem. Focus on solving that problem and you’ll smile all the way to the (virtual) bank.

In other words (and this is the second TIPPPS™): “To have success, it is necessary that you bait the hook to suit the fish.”

I don’t mean any disrespect to shoppers, leads, prospects and customers by using the word “fish” This is actually a recommendation from Dale Carnegie in his famous book How To Win Friends And Influence People.

Here’s what he said: “I often went fishing up in Maine during the summer. Personally I am very fond of strawberries and cream, but I have found out that for some strange reason, fish prefer worms. So when I went fishing, I didn’t think about what I wanted. I thought about what they wanted. I didn’t bait the hook with strawberries and cream. Rather, I dangled a worm in front of the fish and said: ‘Wouldn’t you like to have that?’

Why not use the same common sense approach when fishing for people? When someone asked Lloyd George, then Great Britain’s Prime Minister how he managed to stay in power, he replied that if his staying on top might be attributed to any one thing, it would be to his having learned that it was necessary to bait the hook to suit the fish.

The only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.”

And as was pointed out earlier, what people want more than pleasure are ways, methods, strategies, tools, products and services that will help them avoid pain or at least reduce it. Bait your marketing “hook” with a solution, and the “fish” will bite.

I hope the “knowledge” you gleaned from this article will be helpful. Remember though that knowledge is power ONLY when it’s combined with ACTION! If you think the TIPPPS™ above are valuable, DO something with them, and seek out more of them.

Daniel G. St-Jean, BB, IMA, AMA

(BizzBooster, Internet Marketing Advisor, Article Marketing Alchemist)

P.S.: This article was inspired by a very informative and enlightening 5,500-word article which you can read by following the link listed in the Resource Box.

About the Author:

Daniel G. St-Jean and Laurel R. Simmons are better known as The BizzBoosters. With 50 years of business experience between them, they are fully equipped to help anyone who runs a business from home market themselves and their business more effectively. Visit their user-friendly website at http://www.the-best-help-for-home-business-success.com

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Telemarketing - a Few Tips to Get it Right

2008-06-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Author: Tony Savour

Telemarketing is a worldwide proven method to gaining more sales effectively and efficiently. It involves the process of calling up potential prospects and trying to sell them your product or service. As well as contacting new potential clients it is a method of contacting your existing customers and selling them other or new products or services that you offer.

Telemarketing is the next stage in your sales campaign after you have generated leads (not covered in this article) and the effectiveness depends on how you and your staff hold yourselves on the phone and how you come across. A major factor in telemarketing is how you come across to the prospect on the phone because a lazy rude telemarketer will never make it in the industry.

Right now let's get on to some tips that will help you increase your sales and potentially maximize your telemarketing campaign.

Firstly when you make a call to a prospect you have very little time to grab their attention and give them a good impression to keep them on the line. If you want to make a good impression you will need to plan your calls carefully and get yourself prepared to take on the challenge. You will need to be nice and friendly and enthusiastic on the phone and give the pitch of a lifetime every time. You need to keep the prospects interest and try to get them involved, this is how telemarketing work..

Try and keep your office and/or desk tidy and clean so as to not distract you from the call you are making, also try and make sure that it doesn’t have anything from your lunch break on or magazines etc as these may not seem distracting but can really put you off course. Telemarketing can be tiring work so you will not want to be distracted as it can completely throw you off.

Before you start you are going to need a script for you to read off of each time, you can experiment with these and change them to find out which one has the best effect of prospects. The good thing about scripts is that you can always change them and it is always good to not read directly from the script but to work off of it and expand it as you go, this way you will be able to work out the best telemarketing method for you.

Also remember that you should not be practising or warming up on real prospects as these can result in petty sale losses which should not have occurred. If you really need to warm up and prepare yourself which you most likely will, the best way of doing this is to get somebody to run through the script with you or play the role of a prospect before you start your rounds. Telemarketing can be a harsh business where prospects can be rude or aggressive down the phone to you, if this occurs you must be able to control yourself and handle the matter professionally, so always be prepared for any outcome.

Always keep records of your daily calls and make sure that write down who you called and whether successful or not as from these results you can see prospect patterns which you will be able to work from in future to enhance your sales.

Also the last tip for this article is to make sure that you ask questions to the prospect to try and find out what the want and then offer your products or services accordingly. If you try to tell the prospect what they need and try to force the product or service you can pretty much guarantee no sale is going to happen.

I hope that these tips have helped you and that you use the effectively.

About the Author:

Click for more Telemarketing services and information

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No More Retreat. We Must Admit to Advertising’s Failure!

2008-06-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Author: Paul Ashby

The £500,000 Honda waste of money on “live” television advertising is perhaps, the final straw in the acceptance of advertising as a means of “communicating” with consumers.

Our unwillingness to admit to the huge failings of advertising are reflected in our business institutions suffering from a loss of nerve to admit that advertising has become a total travesty, and amount to a national moral funk. We have let advertising standards fall in almost everything and especially in understanding the true meaning of the word communication.

Our claims that “advertising works” reflect an unwillingness to look rather more closely at the “evidence” touted by the various bodies representing advertising (and media) self interest!

It would appear that sometimes a decision taken by Media/Agency/Client is so lacking in common sense that the only appropriate reaction is to bang one’s head against a brick wall. However a blinkered advertising campaign, such as Hondas’, is so bad that the outcome can be truly toxic. There are more and more grotesque examples of such decisions, decisions lacking in any knowledge of the communications process, emerging as advertisers try to cut through the clutter, attract consumers’ attention etc.

I guarantee that the £500,000 could have been far more effectively spent with total accountability. All is revealed in my book “Television killed advertising” out end September.

Advertising people don’t understand the real world, they don’t understand the meaning of the word “communication”, and with the decision to split the creative role and the media role, there has been a proliferation of “experts” who still don’t understand communication. Between them issues forth a startling amount of opinions as to what constitutes “good” advertising, never for once realising that there is no such thing. Advertising people are subhuman living in a fantasy world in which communications can be controlled by “creativity” and supposedly sophisticated readership/viewing habits can instruct customers to read./watch their advertisements...they don't of course! The world we live in is vastly different from the world they think we live in.

Perhaps the change to reality is already starting! “US retailer quits TV for instore promotions”! Although only a casuist would draw hard and fast conclusions from such sparse data, it isn't good news for the US TV industry that a major retailer like Gap boosted its bottom line after quitting the medium in favour of instore merchandising for several successive quarters.

The switch trimmed 18% off the firm's marketing expenditure during its most recent quarter, contributing to a 40% year-on-year leap in profits.

So…no more retreat, let us rediscover the true meaning of communication and then start to provide our clients with the sort of marketing communication they deserve in the 21st Century.

Advertising has set no standards for the effective, accountable marketing communication of products/services matched only by the total lack of relentless curiosity! The history of advertising is also one of constant rejection towards anything that questioned the supremacy of advertising, despite the fact that the alternative on offer was substantially more effective and less expensive than advertising itself.

1. In a nutshell: marketing as we know it is a construct of the last century or so. Markets, on the other hand, have been around for thousands of years.
2. Interactive communication is not the same as online/digital. Truly interactive is "letting customers into the heart of your business"
3. In markets (as opposed to marketing) the sale was merely the exclamation mark at the end of the sentence. The rest was conversation and relationship.
4."Listen. Measure. Respond."
5. "Why" is more important than "how".
6. At the farmer’s market, the farmers let you taste the fruit. How can your customers "taste your fruit"?

So let us define Interactive Marketing communication. Interaction can be defined simply as straightforward communication between two parties. Presently we are in danger of losing the real meaning of interaction, as we tend to focus discussions on the emerging technologies and neglect the communication process itself.

With an understanding of the real meaning of Interactive Communication, existing media can be made interactive, and subsequently far more cost effective.
Interactive Marketing Communication turns passive advertising into active advertising and actually alters behaviour during the communication and learning process.

In my book “Television killed advertising” to be published end September 2008, I detail just how much more effective
Interactive communication is when compared to conventional advertising and details the results of a research investment in excess of £5 m.

About the Author:

Having invested over $10 million in independent research, Paul Ashby is ideally suited to present the case for the widespread use of interactive marketing communication. The research investment has proved conclusively that one exposure to an interactive "event" is far more effective in all key measurements, than traditional advertising. Paul made this investment because his company, Effective . Accountable . Communication is predicated on being totally accountable to its Clients. You can contact Paul at: paul.ashby@yahoo.com
Discover more on http://interactivetelevisionorinteractivetv.blogspot.com

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Standing Out in the Crowd

2008-05-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Author: Kaitlyn Miller

I know I’m either going to show my age with what I’m about to say or, worse, brand myself as hopelessly anachronistic. Regardless, I’ve found our current business culture to be increasingly impersonal. If you have any doubt about this, feel free to pick up a phone, dial up any of your service providers and try to get an honest to goodness living, breathing human being to talk to on the line. Sure, you may indeed get one, but you’ll wear the skin off your index finger pushing the number pad trying to get through the automated prompts and you’re likely to spend the better part of an hour waiting on hold waiting.

I probably shouldn’t be using that example. I know, I’ve sold my fair share of those automated attendants in my time, but I wanted to make a point. We’ve become reliant on technology and doing business through computer proxy. It’s the norm. Exceeding limitations means breaking out of the norm, though. Expanding your business takes more than doing what the rest of the crowd is doing. With that in mind, let me make a radical suggestion that really shouldn’t be that radical, advertising with a personal touch.

No, you don’t have to personally answer every single call that comes into your office. What I’m suggesting is to print business cards (if you’ve got out of date or monotone cards, update your wallet with professional, color business cards) and brush up on your social networking skills. I’m not talking about knocking on doors and hitting people with aggressive sales pitches. What I’m talking about is actively engaging people in your community. You shouldn’t lead with your card, either. Save the business card for the tail end of your conversation, after you’ve made a personal connection. In the process, you’ll make some friends, find new customers and become a more prominent and recognizable face in your community.

That’s the key. When you put a human face on your business, people will feel more comfortable spending their money with you. Given the choice, most consumers would rather deal with someone they know in their community than another cold, faceless corporate entity. This works both ways too. Since your customers will be friends and neighbors instead of walking dollar signs, you’ll find that your levels of service and commitment to delivering on your promises will increase, which will further bolster your customer base.

It’s a win/win situation that requires a very minimal investment - just the cost of business card printing and a small expenditure of your time. It could be the thing that finally makes your business an enduring, local institution. Who knows, it might even inspire you to turn off the automated attendant and answer your phone when a customer calls. Hey, I can always dream, right?

About the Author:

For more information, you can visit this page on business card printing and color business cards

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A Complex Environment Demands Entrepreneurial Freedom

2008-05-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

Author: Alien

This shift in our view of the world is so striking that a new field of science has emerged devoted to the study of complexity and chaos. Where once managers thought their work was amenable to analysis and control, now they flounder in an unpredictable flux of what the great economist Schumpeter called "creative destruction."

Entire industries are being transformed, as in the convergence of the computer, communication, and entertainment fields. Roughly half of all jobs are being eliminated by automation, leaving masses of workers floating in temporary positions. Consumer markets are splintering into an endless assortment of unique cultural subgroups-from eco-feminists to Rush limbaugh fans. And get ready for more competition among utilities that will make today's bruising battles between AT&T, MCI, and Sprint seem mild; all of the "Baby Bells" are likely to enter the fray, and a free market energy system is evolving in which users choose among competing power suppliers.

Naturally, this upheaval has led to a reshuffling of economic structures. U.S. corporations completed more than 42,000 mergers and acquisitions between 1976 and 1993, and large organizations, such as IBM, are disaggregating into decentralized units, which in turn form alliances with other firms. The effects have been dynamic. For instance, the undisputed American lead in computers is a direct result of these flourishing business alliances among small enterprises that constantly realign talent, knowledge, and resources into productive new combinations.

Meanwhile, the constant advance of information systems is encouraging even more restructuring by making it easier and more efficient. The Internet, for example, has become famous for creative change, but this is just the beginning of an enormous explosion in electronic interaction as open-system architectures makes all types of hardware and software compatible. We may soon see the decline of Microsoft's monopoly in PC operating systems, just as IBM's monopoly of mainframes ended earlier.

The conclusion: all this electrifying communication across shifting economic markets is short-circuiting the old chain of command. As we will see in Chapter "Knowledge Enterpreneurs", the rapid growth of teleworking is producing changing assemblies of people and enterprises that constantly form and reform on the grid of global cyberspace to cut across hierarchies everywhere. BusinessWeek described the result as "electronic corporations made up of individuals and groups scattered all over the world." Where the Industrial Age produced firms organized by "vertical integration," the Information Age is creating "virtual integration." John Hagel, a partner at McKinsey & Company, put it this way:

As the costs of using IT systems fall, we're going to see a widespread disintegration of U.S. business and the emergence of very different corporate entities.

About the Author:

Simon Slade is an online auction enthusiast and entrepreneur. In his spare time, Mr. Slade enjoying hiking, sports and fitness.

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Gundagai, New South Wales: a Historic Town Along the River

2008-05-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

Author: dusty road

Gundagai is a town in the Australian state of New South Wales located along the big Murrumbidgee River at the foot of Mt Parnassus. Just a stone’s throw away from the Muniong and Yambla Mountain ranges, Gundagai is popular for its old bridges, monuments, and memorials.

The town’s colourful history has made it a favourite topic of a number of poets, musicians, and writers. Some believe that one reason for this is because the Five Mile Creek north of Gundagai used to be a popular point of rendezvous among teamsters, drovers, shearers, and bush travellers.

Gundagai was first discovered by Australian-born Hamilton Hume and Briton William Hovell in 1824, when the Wiradjuri Aborigines dominated the area. Europeans first arrived two years later. In the 1830s, a village was formed until the Gundagau was gazetted as a town in 1840.

The town was ravaged by a flood in 1844 resulting in the deaths of around 83 people. A local Aborigine, Yarri, was commended for his heroism during the incident. He was among those who saved stranded residents using his bark canoe. A marble headstone was erected in his memory at the Gundagai cemetery where he was buried in 1880.

A 15-year gold rush swept the town in the 1850s before another “gold fever” resurfaced in 1894. The most famous historical mines include the Robinson and Rice’s Mine southwest of Gundagain and the Prince of Wales Mine a few mile west of the town.

Some of the most popular historical tales in Gundagai were of bushrangers who killed two policemen. The Ben Hall bushranging gang killed Sgt Edmund Parry while holding up a mail coach near Jugiong in the 1860s. Another gang led by “Captain Moonlite” killed Senior Constable Webb-Bowen during a hostage incident at a farm in 1879. The remains of the two policemen are interred at the Gundagai cemetery.

Must-See Places:

? The Dog on the Tuckerbox bronze sculpture is perhaps the icon most closely associated with the town. It is situated across a restaurant and gift shop complex 8km north of the town on the Hume Highway. Opposite the Dog on the Tuckerbox, which is part of Australian folklore, is the Snake Gully Tourist Centre.

? The Marble Masterpiece was completed by mason Frank Rusconi for 28 years. It is a miniature Baroque Italian palace standing 1.2 metres high within a formal square. Each of the 20,948 pieces of marble gathered throughout New South Wales was cut, turned, and polished by hand. The centre also featured a replica of St Marie’s Cathedral located in the outskirts of Paris.

? The Gundagai Historical Museum displays old coins and crockery retrieved from the original townsite, which was ravaged by the flood. A T-model Ford, wagons, machinery and equipment, clothing, gold scales, and a sundial are among the collection.

? The Gundagai Courthouse is one of the town’s oldest buildings. It was where “Captain Moonlite” was tried.

? The Niagara Café is an old Greek restaurant established in 1942. It was once visited and commended by former Prime Minister John Curtin.

? The Mt Parnassus peak has fine views of the town and river beds. Magnificent lookout spots also include the Rotary Lookout, Mt Kimo, and Reno.

Gundagai Bridges:

? Prince Alfred Bridge – believed to be the first truss bridge in Australia

? The Sheahan Bridge – Australia’s second-longest bridge after the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is made of concrete and steel

? The Railway Bridge was completed in 1869. It has sections made of timber and sections made of iron. It used to be part of the old Hume Highway but at present, it is only open to pedestrian traffic.

About the Author:

I am a constant traveller to Australia and had a memorable stay at a Gundagai Accomodation motel while going to the Riverina Highlands.

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How to Capture Great Images Ready for Digital Printing Online

2008-05-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Joel Owens

Technology today has given us the comfort of doing almost everything in the convenience of our own homes. Printing your own pictures is just one of the many conveniences we can do today without leaving our house. Digital printing is now as easy as taking your pictures with you digital cameras.

Taking pictures is the easiest way to preserve your most-cherished moments. Yet if you want them to truly last, print your images beyond your desktop printer. Quality photos which you would want to translate to canvas can be easy. If you want them sent out to friends and family, you can easily convert to postcards and so on.

Printing on Your Own
Believe that you are capable of printing out your own pictures into professional prints through web-to-print technologies. Just look for a printing company online and you can access array of print possibilities that await your precious photos. Here then are some tips on digital printing that could very well help you.

1. Good Pictures
Having great pictures are a very big factor in order for you to have nice printouts. It is already very obvious that you would not get high quality print-outs without high quality pictures. It would help if you have high resolution pictures because this would ensure that once you print them, they would not come out pixilated.

2. Crop
You must edit out objects not really included in the picture because it would be senseless to leave it there. In order to get the best picture and make the most out of your digital printing, screen and focus on the image that you want to emphasize. Remove any unnecessary objects or elements that do not do anything for the picture.

There are editing tools that could be found on many design software. The cropping tool is one of the most basic. It allows you to capture the detail and angle you want and preserve it.

However, you must always remember to save the original picture so that if something goes wrong while you are cropping, you could start all over again. It is always good to be play it safe.

3. Printer
You must find a good printer to produce your pictures with because you would only need the best for the best. You should base the capacity of the printer according to your needs.

You can easily reproduce a print you want and blow it up to decorate your home with momentous and warming portraits of couples, children, and so on.

4. Composition
Print one more than picture on whole sheet if you do not like a really large picture. You can make a collage of sorts and organize all your pictures. Take for example of poster sized sheet – fill it with images that id about your vacation, print another large sheet depicting your children and so on.

5. Paper
Select the best photo papers for your pictures. Study the stocks provided by printers for the best photo-quality reproductions and color accuracy. The paper that is best for your printer would produce pictures with the best colors, prolonging the lifespan of your picture.

You must also consider the use of the pictures of your paper in determining the thickness of your paper.

Now that all has been said and done, there is no reason why you should be afraid of printing pictures yourself because if the digital printing companies can do it, so can you online.

About the Author:

Owen loves to read and talk anything under the sun. From current events, magazines, social life, metro lifestyles, traveling etc. Not a born writer but experience could make a difference. He also loves to eat especially travel in different places. Going to beaches and mountains really completes his life.

For more details you may check out Digital Printing Online

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Why Marketing and Offset Color Printing is Essential to Your Biz

2008-05-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

Author: Rachelle Ann

Hitting it big in the business world cannot be done in a day or two. Even if you think that you have the best product among all your competitors, it is not a guarantee that you will be successful. It takes so much more than claims. You have to advertise using the best methods like offset color printing or the broadcast medium or going digital if you have to.

Your business lies on how you market it. You can have a very simple set-up. But through words, you can create a very different world enough to lure people to try you out. And that is the magic that you want to happen. That is something that you want to achieve through advertising.

But you may be hearing about marketing since the day you thought of opening up a biz. If you will ask people around for advices on how to hit it big, this will surely be always included in it. To get a better view of things, think about you as the customer. Ask yourself these questions.

• What did I recently buy?
• Why did I buy it?
• Was I influenced by how it was advertised?
• How was the product advertised?

These questions can also be your guideline in coming up with your own ads. If you are new in the marketing territory, you can follow these tips to be able to step up in the field.

1. Think about the print medium. You have a lot of choices on that avenue. Just make sure that you have your materials professionally done. Try offset color printing to give out vivid colors to your materials.

2. A business card is a must for every business person. A professional-looking one will help you go places as long as you have your cards with you wherever you go. You must come up with the card whenever someone asks for it. You must be always ready to provide for someone’s clamor to avail your service.

3. Direct mailing your postcards is also a good way to introduce your biz to your target market. Take note of your clients’ profiles. If people have already availed from you, you can then use the postcards to make follow ups or send out greetings.

Your hope is to develop loyal clients. You can do that by giving them the right service as well as making them feel important all the time.

4. Create a company web site. It will help you boost sales because more and more people are becoming adept with the cyberspace.

5. You can also pay for spaces in magazines and newspapers for your press releases. Just make sure that your material is written by a professional.

6. If you have the budget, it is also good to try out the broadcast medium. Create an ad that will be interesting even if the TV is on mute or the person who is watching it is fast forwarding through the commercial gaps.

Aside from those on the list, you can also try radio, digital billboards, moving vehicles and a lot more. You really have a lot of option aside from getting the best offset color printing. The idea is to start your marketing campaigns as soon as possible.

About the Author:

The author is a very energetic person. She loves to play badminton and volleyball. She likes taking care of dogs. She is an outgoing person. She always wants to have fun in everything she does.
Please visit our website Offset Color Printing for further information. For other inquiries and services please visit Color Printing Services

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How to Formulate Formidable Statements for Ads Done Through Offset Printing

2008-05-27T18:44:00.001-07:00

Author: Rachelle Ann

Have you ever written advertisement copies for your products? A bad copy will not look good even if you use offset printing for the materials that contain such.

There are three parts of the body of your ad copy. These are the lead, the proving statements and closing lines.

Among the three, the first and last part are the most easy to do. When you are doing your lead, you follow certain styles to come up with a catchy one.
• You can ask questions.
• You can cite a witty sample.
• You can quote a famous line.
• You can crack a joke.
You will plant something with your lead and answer that on your closing line. The lead will help the client decide if they want to read the ad further. That means your ad is a success if its recipient get to the closing line part.

And that is the pressure that lies on the proving statements. Your clients have gone that far. But they still have the option to put the ad down if they find it full of crap. So do not fall on this trap. Let your proving statements prove that you have good products. Let it make a mark and leave a positive impression enough for the client to read all through the closing line.

Proving Statements
It is given that your clients are holding your ad. That means that they are not really expecting that you will say anything bad about your own business. You won’t use offset printing for your materials if you will only ruin them by your words.

So how do you strategize in making those statements?

1. You can cite testimonials.
You can use those positive testimonials that your previous clients have told you or written you about. This will be more effective if a known person will testify as to how effective your product is or how good the people are in your company.

Do not go overboard though. Do not invent the words for the sake of the ad. You still have to be true and sincere.

2. You can use endorsements.
This will require an additional cost. But if you’ve got the right person to commend your products to your target market, then by all means, do so. You can get a celebrity, a known individual and an expert in your field.

3. Be proud of your awards.
Not all companies may have these. So if you have a lot, especially from credible award giving bodies that have something to do with the industry, then use such tool. This will play an important role in convincing your clients.
4. Business background
Are you affiliated with any larger companies? Or maybe you have been in the business for so many years already. Or you may also be part of a group of renowned businesses. You can boast all those to the people who will be getting your ads.

You have so many things to say. You just have to know how to say them right through your ads. Match those words with offset printing and your ads and your business will surely go a long, long way.

About the Author:

The author is a very energetic person. She loves to play badminton and volleyball. She likes taking care of dogs. She is an outgoing person. She always wants to have fun in everything she does.
Please visit our website Offset Printing for further information. For other inquiries and services please visit Color Printing Services

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How to Formulate Formidable Statements for Ads Done Through Offset Printing

2008-05-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

About the Author:

The author is a very energetic person. She loves to play badminton and volleyball. She likes taking care of dogs. She is an outgoing person. She always wants to have fun in everything she does.
Please visit our website Offset Printing for further information. For other inquiries and services please visit Color Printing Services

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The Missing Element - Another Vital Tip About Postcard Design

2008-05-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

Author: Rachelle Ann

Once again, you may have found yourself thinking about postcard design. You have used the material before. You know it works. But you just haven’t found the right elements to succeed with this type of marketing. And now that you are facing a blank sheet with all your previous designs nearby, you think, ‘what else is missing?’

The Missing Element

Postcard design doesn’t have to be complex. Its aim is to update your clients of your promos and to lure them to buy. For this reason, you must place at the top of your head to make it always easy for the cards’ recipients.

Making it easy for your clients must be your aim if you are serious in making the sale. How can this be achieved? Here are some suggestions.

1. In a mall, when a customer is browsing through for a possible buy. Sales agents must be always at hand. Although, it is truly unnecessary for sales agents to wait and spy on clients too much.

If you own a business like this, you must train your staff well. Yes, customers need attention. But too much of it will get them paranoid and even wary. They can easily move on to other products or stores. Some people like to browse on their own. They can always ask for help if they needed anything.

The agent’s task is to be ready when asked. And they must also be prepared to answer questions about the products.

2. If you will be having a big event like a sale on your store, make sure that you have enough cashiers to accommodate the rush of customers. You cannot rely on the usual number of cashiers on occasions like this.

You don’t want your clients getting tired from lining up. They may opt to drop the items that they have selected. And worse, they may go to your rival store for a more convenient shopping experience.

3. Take note of the preferences of your regular patrons. For example, you are into the pizza business. You have a client that orders the same thing for a regular period of time. The next time they call, you can show them your appreciation.

They can skip the part of telling you their orders because you can do that for them. You can also thank them for being loyal to your business. You can send out gift certificates or thank you notes in the form of postcards once in a while.

By making it easy for your clients to buy, they will really do it. This will also increase the possibility that you will gain more loyal clients.

You can apply these ideas on your postcard design. Do everything right. Make it easy for your clients to grasp what you have to say. Personalize your postcards for such occasions, whether it is giving out special clients or patrons a discount on a rare day or just greeting them to come in for a visit. There is nothing like a message of appreciation that your client would surely respond to.

About the Author:

The author is a very energetic person. She loves to play badminton and volleyball. She likes taking care of dogs. She is an outgoing person. She always wants to have fun in everything she does.
Please visit our website
Postcard Design for further information. For other inquiries and services please visit Color Postcard Printing

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The Three Musts for Effective Customer Service and Postcard Printing

2008-05-27T18:42:00.001-07:00

Author: Rachelle Ann

Perfecting your customer service skills can be done through time. Soon enough, you will find ways to get the most positive reactions from your clients. You will also know what irks them. You just have to keep the communication open and constant. To do this, you can rely on postcard printing to deliver your message to your probable and current customers.

Master these three in whatever you do in relating to people. These will guide you on how to have a better relationship with them. By doing so, you will increase the chances that those people would be loyal to you. They might also want to share your professionalism to the people they know. That kind of word of mouth will really be vital to you as a business person.

1. Be efficient.
Your customers must trust that you can provide for whatever they ask from you with regards to your work. You have to have a broad knowledge of the business that you are in. You must apply that knowledge to your every day tasks.

Your clients must feel comfortable in approaching you with matters regarding your profession. Their reason must be because you know what you are doing and you are the type of person who can do the task however impossible it may seem to be.

Being efficient will help you throughout all the years that you will spend in the workforce. This will help you if you are the boss, the owner or even if you are only an employee. This will create a good impression on you. And people will surely like you.

2. Act according to the needs and be quick to do what is necessary.
You must present yourself as someone who is easy to approach. If you are creating a brand or marketing your biz through postcard printing, you must not alienate your target market.

Your ads must talk to them the way you would do if you are meeting with them in person. Your ads, from your business cards, postcards, catalogs, flyers, even posters, are your representation to the market. Gauge the market first. Know what they want. Know how they talk. Give to them what they want using the words that they will understand.

3. Be polite
Even if you are the owner of a big corporation, you must be courteous to people, especially your clients. You will never go wrong by being polite. This will take you places. And this is integral in customer service 101.

This should not only be about meeting people one on one. This can also be applied with your ads. You must avoid being racist. You must not tackle gender issues and lean on one side. This is part of being polite.

You must treat your clients with care. You will be nothing without them. In everything you do, whether personally or through your ads, remember the above-mentioned traits. Be efficient. Be responsive. Be polite.

These three will bring out positive results even with business matters like postcard printing. You must remember that in order for you to last in the industry, you must not tire from improving on your customer service skills.

About the Author:

The author is a very energetic person. She loves to play badminton and volleyball. She likes taking care of dogs. She is an outgoing person. She always wants to have fun in everything she does.
Please visit our website
Postcard Printing for further information. For other inquiries and services please visit Color Postcard Printing

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An Alternative Way of Doing Business and Postcard Printing

2008-05-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

Author: Rachelle Ann

The Internet has produced many business people. The convenience of selling without going online and offline with postcard printing makes it more attractive to people. And the better deal is that you don’t have to be a master’s degree holder to be able to succeed with Internet marketing.

This is really the Internet age. With the advent of so many networking sites, people do not only find it easy it make new friends. They also find a way to market their products at the comfort of their own homes.

Yes, you can always turn to postcard printing when you have decided to expand your biz offline. Plus, it helps you market your site to offline clients via mail or simply handing them out on the street.

But know that, at the same time, you can enjoy the luxury that the cyberspace is providing you with. Just always be careful. You never know when spammers and scams are going to target and hit you.

Online businesses are booming. This method makes it all easy for the clients. How do the clients buy? They just follow these simple steps.

1. They go to your site. You can opt for these people to create an account and log on each time. This way, you can use the information that they have entered for verification purposes.

This won’t be too intimidating. Actually, the buyers are also in constant agony if you are for real or are just out there to fool them. Such security measures will lessen both your doubts.

2. They browse through the pictures of your products. It is recommended to list down every helpful description that you can think about the product. This way, you will make the process of choosing easier for the client.

3. If you did not include the prices of your products, your clients will leave a comment about it. They will inquire about the price of their chosen items. Therefore, you must respond quickly and apply a routine when you check your mails.

There are a lot of sites like yours out there in the cyberspace. If it took you so long to respond to a query, your client may already have purchased the same product from another site.

4. After the transaction is complete, you can offer your clients mode of payments. Aside from credit cards, you can also opt for bank deposits or wire transfer.

5. After you received the payment, you must ship the products according to what you have agreed upon. This is in terms of the delivery date and if this will be free of charge.

Even if you cannot see the client personally, you must always be courteous in dealing with them. Of course, you have to develop techniques on how to avoid scams because there will be a lot.

You must also suit the theme of your site according to your target market’s interests. If they are targeted for teen girls, something pink with a lot of stars and flowers might appeal to them. The idea is to match everything to what they like. This way, it will be easier to lure them to browse through your products and decide what to buy.

Know who your clients are and invite them to your site through postcard printing, especially if you are new in this business. Make your site as user-friendly as possible. And think of ways to make your products look fun and exciting – from postcards and live on the site.

About the Author:

The author is a very energetic person. She loves to play badminton and volleyball. She likes taking care of dogs. She is an outgoing person. She always wants to have fun in everything she does.
Please visit our website
Postcard Printing for further information. For other inquiries and services please visit Color Postcard Printing

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Custom Size Brochure: the Answer to Your Business Troubles

2008-05-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

Author: Joel Owens

Making your business work is essential to sustain your operations and earn yourself a living. But more than keeping a list of services and stocking up on different products for variety, marketing is a strategy that will surely help gather clients for your business. One way of simply doing this is through custom size brochure.

A brochure itself is a multi-purpose print. It is handy and can be shaped into whatever form and function you want. With a number of variety and options available, you can easily customize your prints and add your own personal style into.

Must Haves

A brochure does not work on its own. It would need a lot of planning and conceptualization before it becomes most effective. Here is a short and simple list to make your custom size brochure the remedy to all your business woes.

1. Message

You must know what message to put on your brochures. Remember that too much or too little information would not make the brochure serve its purpose. In order for you to know the right content, you should first know who or what you are trying to emphasize for your promotion or event.

Second, know who your target audience. BE on the same plane as your clients and attract their interests. Other than saying what you intend to promote, your information must always include these objectives: to answer questions that your prospects and clients might be thinking and to direct your clients with a call to action.

2. Design

In coming up with your design, the number one rule is that you must aim to make your custom brochure as unique as possible. Given the fact that it is customized, you are allowed to maximize your creative minds when it comes to the template. You must not however make your brochure seem too complicated as it will turn off your target clients.

Keeping the designs simple may be a good plus for you. Putting useless information and designs will only confuse your prospects and deter them fully grasping the idea you were going for.

3. Visuals

Putting pictures on your brochures it a big plus as this will make people more interested. With the right choice of pictures, your brochures would be able to grab the attention of your readers. You must just remember that the pictures you choose to print on your brochures must have the right resolution, to maintain crisp and sharp pictures.

Use recent pictures too and be clearly identified from others – this makes good on presenting your establishments and products well,

4. Budget

Keep it close in mind that an expensive brochure does not always mean an effective brochure. Some of the best brochures ever produced are also the cheapest ones. Not only will you avail yourself quality, but afford yourself of cost-effective prints. Thanks to the advanced technology we have now - affordable brochures can equal the quality of expensive brochures.

Having your brochures printed by really good printing companies is also a big factor. You do not have to choose the most expensive and classy company, what you have to do is make sure that the printing company you go for would cater the needs of your custom size brochure.

About the Author:

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Your Target Market

2008-05-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

Author: Amy

In a previous article I have discussed, what you need to know if you ever what you networking marketing business to succeed, well I have a new addition. I have recently discovered the power of social network marketing. A special thanks to Deagan Smith, and Joe LoBalsamo. You guys have inspired me to go my own way. I would recommend your program to anyone. You sparked something in me that I always hoped was there. So, a leader I am now and not a follower. Who knew, well Joe did. Joe it was one night when I was about to give up. Yes, I had had it with the whole idea of marketing online and I found your blog. Thank goodness for Joe!

No more lead buying for me and no more calling anyone unless I want to. Amen to that is all I can say.

If you want to build a business with people that have the same interest as you, it only makes sense to go where they are. Think about it, if you are sitting out on the highway, and there are cars racing by you, how many of those drivers do you think are really going to notice you. Only if you have a flashing neon sign hanging over your head. Most everyone going by has other things on their mind. They have other places they want to go, and are in search of something, and guess what! 99 per percent of the time you are not what they are looking for. On the other had, if you find where those people are going, what their interests are and help them get to where they want to be, and be a friend a long the way, the results are nothing but amazing. Don't get passed by, go along for the ride. Make friends and business partners for a lifetime. Together we will succeed. So, to get to the point of this whole article. The Social Networking venue is A+. I recommend anyone that is struggling to give it a try. Visit me at http://www.trafficera.com/?ref=brooke98. If you are looking for the leader in you, take a look at Joe's Blog! FYI just google his name. You will find him everywhere.

To our Success!
This article is written in honor of hoffs37. Hoffey you are the best!

About the Author:

Amy King
Home Page: http://brooke5024.googlepages.com
http://www.infoandgoodstuff.com/MADEIT2.html

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Word Of Mouth Marketing - The True Power Of Word Of Mouth Marketing

2008-05-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

Author: Allen Jesson

What exactly is word of mouth marketing? It's simply when someone refers or recommends a product or service. Having a positive buzz can grow your business fast, and the best way to accomplish this is through word of mouth marketing. All current studies reveal that this form of marketing is the most powerful, but it is often not used to its fullest potential. When someone recommends a product or service, people actually listen. The power of someone recommending, reviewing, or simply mentioning your product or service is very influential, and can lead to an instant increase of sales.

With marketing online, there is no better way to spread the word fast about your website or business than through word of mouth marketing. It brings credibility to your business. Each satisfied client will lead to an increase in your business, due to them referring others. Always keep in mind that each satisfied client has colleagues, who they will refer to your business, once you have satisfied their needs. That's where the true power of word of mouth marketing is unlocked.

Now that we've covered what is word of mouth marketing and how it can impact your business, let's shift the focus on how you can use word of mouth marketing to catapult visitors to your website and build your mailing list. In most situations word of mouth marketing will be a tool that you cannot control. Other than offering a website that is very exciting, and ensuring that your clients are always satisfied, there is little else you can personally do to control word of mouth marketing. For example, you cannot control how many word of mouth visitors you'll receive, as it is all based on people taking the time to refer someone to your website. You have to hope that you receive a buzz or that your website or service is so enticing that people will pass it on willingly.

The above strategy alone relies too much on hope and not enough on making it as easy as possible for someone to refer your website. One of the best and easiest ways to light a fire under your word of mouth marketing is to make it easy for all the people who visit your website to refer it to others.

It's really that simple, if you want to increase your word of mouth visitors, give them access to an easy to use tool that will allow them to pass on your website to others. Do not rely on them having to open their email client, type a message, copy your website address, and then send it. Instead, why not use an all-in-one tool that will transform your website into a powerful referral machine.

That is the true key to being successful with using word of mouth marketing to promote your website. It's not only having an awesome website, and satisfied clients. Making it easy for every visitor who browses your site to refer others, will be the key factor in creating a successful word of mouth marketing campaign.

About the Author:

Allen Jesson is a word of mouth marketing expert and has developed a new tell a friend viral marketingviral marketing appeal of any web-site.

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Viral Marketing - 7 Great Ideas

2008-05-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

Author: Allen Jesson

Here are seven great ideas to help you start your viral marketing campaign (by the way, if you don't know how to do any of this then I recommend outsourcing the more technical aspects):

1. Install tell a friend code on your web-site, preferably one that offers incremental incentive.

2. Purchase the branding rights to a viral E-book. Even better if it's PLR. Rebrand that e-book with your affiliate links and links to your target site. Allow people to give away your free E-book to their visitors. Then, their visitors will also give it away. This will just continue to spread your ad all over the Internet.

3. Set up a forum or other bulletin board. Create some code that allows people to use your online discussion board for their own website. Some people don't have one. Just include your banner ad at the top of the board.

4. Create some templates, graphics, etc. and upload them to your site. Then allow people to give away your free web design graphics, fonts, templates, etc. Just include your ad on them or require people to link directly to your web site. Make sure that you include a link back to your site in the copyright notice and require them to keep your copyright notice intact. Free software is another good idea. You can also submit these to various free software directories, thereby not only increasing the viral aspect, but also links back to your site.

5. Write an E-book. Let people place an advertisement in your E-book if, in exchange, they give away the E-book to their web visitors or E-zine subscribers.

6. Write articles about your product or service. Allow people to reprint your articles on their website, in their E-zine, newsletter, magazine or E-books. Include your resource box and the option for article reprints at the bottom of each article. The easiest way is to submit to Ezine articles and they will take care of most of this for you.

7. You can easily find products, software, e-books on the Internet that will sell you a license allowing you to distribute the product free of charge to other people. Look for those products that provide PLR (Private Label Rights) or "branding rights". That is where you can include your own name, website, and contact information.

As you can see, there are many ways to increase the viral nature of your business. Whichever path you choose, always remember to add tell a friend as this will only multiply your viral marketing efforts.

About the Author:

Allen Jesson is a word of mouth marketing expert and has developed a new tell a friend viral marketingviral marketing appeal of any web-site.

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The Popularity Site That Changing How Content is Searched

2008-05-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Author: Wong Chendong

Do you Digg? Have you been Dugg? If not, you are missing one of the best ways to drive traffic to your site. In case you don't know, Digg.com is a community-based popularity website. You submit articles, blog post, videos, pictures and if the community likes them then they digg it. Digg.com combines social bookmarking, blogging and syndication with a form of non-hierarchical, democratic editorial control.

News stories and websites are submitted by user and then promoted to the front page through a user-based ranking system. You see, this differs from hierarchical editorial system that many other news websites employ. Readers can view all of the stories that have been submitted by fellow user in the "Digg/News/Upcoming" section of the site. Once a story has received enough "diggs" it appears on their front page.

Should the story not receive enough diggs, or if enough user report a problem with the submission, the story will remain in the "digg all" area, where it may eventually be removed.

What Digg Can Do

Do you know the power of Digg? Well, to be honest with you, if you were like me you had no ideal what digg could do for driving traffic. But since I got into digg I have came across web servers that have crushed because they couldn't handle the amount of traffic going to them.

I know you might ask why you would want to crash your web server with a lot of traffic. Well for two main reason:

1. This is free, targeted traffic user who will buy from you, click on your affiliate links, click on your Google Adsense, and if they like your site, they even can link to you.
2. Digg gives you great links back to your site that can help rankings in search engines.

There are many more sites that do the same thing as Digg.com. Some of them are Propeller, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, SocialPoster and ReddIt.

You see, not only are these great places to get your articles, blog posts and any other information that you have out to the public but they are a great place to get information. The articles that you can find at Digg.com or one of the other sites that I have list above are important for a number of reasons:

1. You can find information that helps or entertains you.
2. There is a lot of information that could help your company or make your job easier.
3. You can find out what your competitors are doing. This is important because you can see what is working or not working for them, create your own version and fill in any gaps they missed.

How To Become Part Of Digg

There are couple of ways that you can submit items into Digg or the other websites. First, you can do it the long and hard way by hand:

* Step 1 : This includes going to Digg.com or one of the listed sites I mention above.
* Step 2 : Create an account if you do not already have one.
* Step 3 : Login.
* Step4 : Click on submit new.
* Step 5 : Fill out the URL line.
* Step 6 : Give it a title.
* Step 7 : Give it a description.
* Step 8 : Choose the most appropriate topic from the list.
* Step 9 : Fill out the CAPTCHA (The letters is a picture to keep spammers out).
* Step 10 : You will see a preview of your story.
* Step 11: Submit your story.

To be honest with you, that is a lot of work. So if you already have a blog or a website you can more than likely install digg plug-in that helps make this faster and allows other people to Digg your content on your site. Then you can fellow this steps:

* Step 1 : You then click on the icon and it will take you to digg.
* Step 2 : If you are not already logged in it will ask for your username or password.
* Step 3 : It will already have the URL, the title, and the Description filled in for you. Now all you have to do is review them.
* Step 4 : Choose the most appropriate topic.
* Step 5 : Fill out the CAPTCHA.
* Step 6 : You will see a preview of your story.
* Step 7 : Submit your story.

You see, there are a couple of tools out there that will allow you to submit to more then one site but I've never used any that have worked that well. The more people that digg your content the more digg numbers goes up. This lets you know how popular that content is and makes you visible to other Digg user.

Use Digg To Drive Targeted Traffic

Now that you know how to use digg to promote your content and get so much traffic to your website that it can crash your web server what do you want to promote? You will want to promote content that is eye-catching and interesting to a large audience, not just every piece of content that you create.
Some basic rules for adding content are listed below:

* If it already is in digg, do not put it in again. If you think about it, if everyone who read one of your blog posts and then put it into Digg as a new item, you would have thousands of items in digg about the same blog post.
* Just because you can, does not mean you should. Not only is this a good rule for Digg but I think it is a great rule for life.

Now that you are adding content, reading content and adding comments it's time that you make some friends. To be honest with you, Digg can be a great place to network and find people who are doing the same things that you are. Digg also allows you to have favorites and a history of your activity so you can go back and find your favorite articles.You see, I hate it when I find something great that I want to share with someone and I cannot find it two days later. So Digg's history has saved my butt many times.

When you have friends on Digg you can also see their activity to see what they have been reading. I like this because it makes it easier to find more content that I would be interested in because someone else has done the footwork for me.

Now I warn you. Digg and other sites like it can get addicting. To be honest with you, I know that if I could I would spend most of my day reading all of the new content that is constantly being updated on digg. If you want to, you can get links to many sites just like Digg on your blog so that your user can spread your content around.

About the Author:

For More "Insider" Secrets Of Making Money Online That Top Marketers And Super Affiliates Never Told You About. And How You Can Learn Their 'Insider' Secrets To Humiliate Your Competition, Kissing Your Boss Goodbye And Living A Life Of Abundance...Even If You Are Just Starting Out Online.
Head To This Site Now And Be Sure To Leave A Comment If You Like This Article --->
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(Believe It Or Not This Site May Surprise You)

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Who Put All These Trees in the Forest? Making Pre-show Promotion Stand Out!

2008-05-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

Author: Susan Friedman

There's a lot of pressure on marketing departments today: a tightening economy and increasingly competitive environment means that every promotional effort must generate a positive return. Every decision has to be viewed critically, and that includes the decision to participate in tradeshows.

Show participation must, for many exhibitors, generate a positive, demonstrable ROI if exhibiting is to remain a viable part of the marketing strategy. This means taking advantage of every opportunity to maximize the return on show participation: before, during, and after the show. Many exhibitors do a great job at the show, but lackluster or non-existent efforts prior to and after the event sabotage their efforts. For those marketing professionals who believe in the core value of exhibiting and the face-to-face relationship building that is part and parcel of exhibiting, this has placed renewed emphasis on the value of pre-show promotion.

Pre-show promotion is the single most valuable step any exhibitor can take to help drive traffic to the exhibit, up the percentage of high-value, qualified leads, and ensure a positive ROI. After all, to start and reinforce valuable business relationships, you have to have contact with the show attendees. They need a reason to visit your exhibit -- to pinpoint and find one booth out of the hundreds on the show floor. Pre-show marketing can provide that reason.

This isn't exactly news -- and although the vast majority of exhibitors aren't doing any pre-show promotion, those companies that are, have been steadily increasing their efforts. How can your pre-show promotion stand out in a crowded environment?

Here are three effective strategies to consider:

1. Smart E-Mail

E-mail is everywhere: almost everyone checks their e-mail several times a day. Yet few exhibitors are making use of this tool to promote their tradeshow participation. Mention any show specials you may be running, as well as events, classes, and seminars your organization is a part of. Use strategically timed e-mails to remind your clients and potential clients to visit your booth at the tradeshow. Mention any show specials you may be running, as well as events, classes, and seminars your organization is a part of.

Timing is crucial. You don't want to send your reminder emails too early, as they'll be overlooked. Sending e-mails too late isn't any better! Aim for three emails, one a month before the show, one a week before the show, and one a day or two before the show.

Don't forget the signature line on your regular, everyday business email. Altering it to include a mention of your tradeshow participation is a subtle yet effective way to promote the event.

2. Trade Journal Inserts

Any time you conduct a direct mail campaign, you do so in the knowledge that the vast majority of your efforts go unseen. The lion's share of direct mailings are never delivered, much less read. Considered 'junk mail', it winds up in the trash, where it doesn't do you or your prospective attendee any good.

Industry journals, on the other hand, are almost always delivered. They're also consistently read at a much higher rate than most direct mail efforts. Some savvy exhibitors have begun promoting their tradeshow participation with trade journal inserts. These small postcard-sized advertisements are tucked into the journals before they're mailed, highlighting your organization's upcoming show appearances. This isn't a common strategy yet, so you benefit from being unique and targeted. A very cost-effective strategy!

3. Lumpy Mail

Lumpy mail has a funny name, but it's a powerful pre-show promotional strategy. Sending a mailing that is literally lumpy -- an envelope containing something -- generates curiosity in the recipient. One exhibitor actually sent potential attendees a message in a plastic bottle -- and got a great response rate. Consider what 'lumps' you could send to your attendees!

One strategic use of the lumpy mail strategy involves including a premium item the prospective attendee has to bring to your booth to exchange for another, higher value item. A variation of this is to send an item that is useless on its own -- one glove, for example -- along with the message that the missing component -- the second glove -- can be picked up at your booth.

About the Author:

Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, internationally recognized expert working with companies to increase their profitability at tradeshows.
Author: "Riches in Niches: How to Make it BIG in a small Market" and "Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies." Claim your free copy of "Exhibiting Success" at
http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com & http://www.richesinniches.com

Technorati Tags:events, target audience, meetings, trade show marketing, trade show sponsorships, trade show staff training, exhibitor staff training, trade show books, booth staff training, boothmanship
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Growing Your Business and Generating Brand Recognition Through Promotional Gifts

2008-05-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Author: Dawn Koffler

Promotional gifts and their use within the sales process is now common practice across a number of industries and businesses. Within almost any corporate office or business environment a range of commonly accepted business gifts can be found. This is especially evident within distribution channels where suppliers need to maintain brand recognition and grab desktop space.

But why are promotional gifts so popular these days? Official research shows that business gifts tend to be seen almost five to six times in any working day. Within an open-office environment they may be seen by any key decision maker, influencer and potential prospect. Cumulatively this can have an almost critical-mass effect.

So how do you use business gifts to stimulate sales activities? Well it all comes down to giveaways. With some creativity in concept and the right promotional theme, promotional gifts can be used as rewards, giveaways and prizes for almost any strategically targeted campaign. Promotional items are volume-price related and the most popular tend to be products including promotional mugs and promotional pens. On most office desktops you can find an array of such items.

The key here is to choose items that are different and again you can take a range of approaches. For example, when considering promotional mugs, choose something with a little more creative flair such as a ‘heat and reveal’ type. This type of mug appears to be black but when filled with a hot liquid, the rise in temperature reveals the hidden image underneath. As the mug cools, the image fades away – and this repeats every time the mug is used. You can imagine the fun that can be had with this type of product. Promotional pens can also offer some unique options. The key is to find one that the client will value and keep – something they can perhaps refill themselves rather than just giving them a low-cost giveaway.

For maximum impact consider combining gifts into a set which can be built-up over time during a campaign, as rewards for reaching sales volume targets or some other promotional objectives. Here off course you can start with fairly low-cost items that rise in value as more points are accrued.

So what about custom items, I here you say. Well promotional mugs and pens are mass produced items and offer little in the way of full product design customisation. Consider them to be blank canvasses and unless you are looking at volume in the thousands look to your creative concept to give your promotional gifts that extra edge.

About the Author:

Dawn Koffler is the MD of Redbows Ltd - one of the UK’s leading promotional gift suppliers. Redbows started in 2005 and has experienced tremendous growth in its internet related activities. As well as running her own business Dawn is a working mum, house renovator, taxi driver, life-coach to 3 wonderful kids and somewhat eccentric husband, and dog trainer. Dawn also writes the Promotional Gifts Blog and provides marketing consultancy and services to an ever growing client base.

Technorati Tags:promotional items, promotional gifts, promotional mugs, promotional pens, giveaways
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Cooma, New South Wales: the Gateway to the Snowy Mountains

2008-05-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Author: dusty road

The Australian town of Cooma is located in the state of New South Wales, some 120 kilometres north of the capital, Canberra. Its increasing popularity as a tourist destination in the winter season earned it the nickname, “Gateway to the Snowy Mountains. Cooma is located on the Snowy Mountains Highway, which connects Bega with the agricultural region of Riverina.

Cooma is the main town of the Monaro region. It was declared a municipality in 1879, almost half a decade after it was discovered by Capt JM Currie. The town, with a population of around 8,600, is the headquarters of the Snowy Mountain Scheme, which is the largest engineering project ever completed in Australian history.

The town’s tourism industry has flourished over the past years due to the increasing number of tourists and those looking for fine Cooma Accommodation, headed to the New South Wales snow fields. However, the local government is struggling with water problems since the Murrumbidgee River ceased supplying water to the town in December 2006. The phenomenon is due to a severe drought experienced throughout the country.

Must-See Places:

? The Aviation Pioneers’ Memorial showcases artefacts from an Avro 618 Ten aircraft that crashed on March 1931 at the Australian Alps. The remains of the plane, Southern Cloud, were not found until October 1958.
? The Cooma Court House is one of many court houses in New South Wales that were designed by Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis in the 1800s. It was completed in 1889 and is designed with French windows and a front veranda.
? The Snowy Mountains Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation facility, which has been in operation since 1974. It is one of the most complex integrated power system in the world and is regarded as an important milestone in national development. The Snowy Mountains Scheme took about 25 years to construct and now supplies energy to the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and Victoria.

About the Author:

I am a constant traveller to Australia and been to the gateway of the snowy mountains of Cooma NSW Australia. I won't forget that great Cooma Accommodation encounter that I had.

Technorati Tags:cooma australiacooma australia, cooma accommodation, cooma hotels, cooma nsw, snowy mountain motel
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Test Driving Your Seminar

2008-05-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Author: Jenny Hamby

Want to get more butts into your seminar seats? Let
prospective attendees sample the content before they
decide whether or not to register.

This powerful sales trick is not new. After all, when
you visit a bookstore, you get to flip through books
before deciding to buy. When you visit a car dealer,
you get to test drive a car before deciding to buy.
Heck, when you go an ice cream shop, you can even sample
the goods before deciding which flavor you want to buy
that day.

So why not offer the same courtesy to your attendees?

Here are 4 ways you can let prospects take your event
for a test drive:

* Offer a free preview event, ranging anywhere from 90
minutes to a full day

* Give them a free CD with 45 to 70 minutes of free
content

* Post a 10- to 20- minute video clip of your material
on your website

* And my personal favorite ... offer a free or low-cost
preview teleseminar

You know your seminar is chock full of valuable content, so
pique the palate of your prospective seminar attendees with
a taste of what they'd be missing out on.

About the Author:

Jenny Hamby is a Certified Guerrilla Marketer and direct-response copywriter who helps speakers, coaches and consultants fill seminar seats and make more money from their own seminars and workshops. Her on- and offline direct marketing campaigns have netted response rates as high as 84 percent -- on budgets as small as $125. For more free seminar marketing secrets, visit http://www.SeminarPromotionTips.com.

Technorati Tags:seminar marketing, seminar promotion, promoting seminars, marketing seminars, jenny hamby, how to market seminars, how to promote seminars, seminar content, test driving seminar, test drive event, try before you buy, sample seminar content
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Wealthy Affiliate Scam - True or False. Get the Facts Before Spending Any Money

2008-05-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Author: Curtis LaPiere

Don't Spend Your Money Just Yet! Get The Facts First.

The Wealthy Affiliate Scam, if it is a scam, is really put together very professionlly.

Hi, my name is Curtis LaPiere and I'd like to tell you about my experiences with the so called Wealthy Affiliate Scam.

I'm a retired senior citizen of 68 years of age. I've been interested in the internet...playing with eBay, searching for information, emailing, and have a few money making site up and running.

At one time I found myself daydreaming of how it would be to have a real internet business...a business I would actually make real money with.

Searching for this internet business is easier said than done! A real internet business which is honest, sincere and can actually help people is hard to find like a needle in a hay stack.

In no time I found that there are more scams on the internet rather than a legitimate internet businesses.

I'll be the first to admit that some are quite tempting...I can see why many of "us" spend $1,000's of our hard earned dollars over a period of time hoping that one of these schemes actually work.

Than I ran across a program called Wealthy Affiliate...the name itself screams "SCAM" don't you think?

What the heck I said to myself...let me look into this Wealthy Affiliate Scam and see what kind of scam they came up with.

I Found out that two young...very young guys named Kyle & Carson developed this Wealthy Affiliate Scam...but is it really a scam?

The Wealthy Affiliate program they developed and are continuing to develop, is over 5 years old (this being 2008). Most scams only last about a year or so.

What they do is teach you exactly how to become wealthy affiliates. They let you know that making money on the internet is not a get rich overnight scheme. That you must be willing to put in the time to learn the proper internet marketing techniques.

They have helped literally tens of thousands of people earn money online with their step-by-step program. Right at the start, you're taught the three simple steps to making money online.

You're taught the techniques and strategies that send people to the company websites that you're representing. You're shown that there are 100,000's of companies online willing to pay you just to send people to those sites and how you get paid by those companies without being cheated out of your commissions.

There are many aspects of internet marketing that we need to learn if we plan to make money online. This is where Wealthy Affiliate comes in...and NO...it's not a scam!

Kyle & Carson will teach you everything that you need to know and provide you with ALL the tools and learning resources that you need to start earning money online.

So you don't forget may name... it's Curtis LaPiere. I'm telling you whether you're a complete beginner without experience or you're advanced and need to further increase your profits and build relationships with other successful people. Wealthy Affiliate has the best people to people help forum on the internet.

The Wealthy Affiliate forum is the only internet success community online that truly cares about your personal success and I'm proud to say I'm one of them.

Want FREE web hosting? Your own Blog? Want personal support and coaching? Go to http://www.wealthyaffiliate.com/?a_aid=YDNBzx7j My best advice to you is to stop buying all those ebooks and get one-on-one help and guidance that have made so many of us affiliates successful.

Kyle, Carson and I really want you to become successful. Their Internet Marketing University will give you the ongoing support, tools, and guidance that you need to truly become successful.

There really isn't anything like the Wealthy Affiliate Program anywhere online.

You not only get complete access to their entire set of resources but will also gain access to the Wealthy Affiliate community of other aspiring internet marketers that REALLY want to help you make the money you want.

As I stated at the start...Before finding Wealthy Affiliate, I've been searching for over one full year looking for an honest and sincere internet company that I could work with.

A company that stands by what it says in its marketing material. One that is not only honest but doesn't take money out of your pocket every time you turn around.

Wealthy Affiliate is the company you've been looking for. Heck...check it out for yourself.

About the Author:
I'm a 68 year old senior citzen that's been making money on the internet for at least 4 years now. I've been married to Marjorie for 50 years (April 2008) and yes....we were married at 18. We have 4 grown children (children?) and 5 grandchildren that all live within 30 mins. of us.

I'm a proud, successful member of the Wealthy Affiliate team. Yes it's a team because we all work together to help each other to make money on the world wide internet. Check it out for yourself at http://www.wealthyaffiliate.com/?a_aid=YDNBzx7j

Technorati Tags:network marketing, making money online, affiliates, affiliate programs, scams, home base business, internet business opportunity, reviews, wealthy affiliate, making money on the internet, learn to make money online, wealthy affiliate scam, make money review
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Why Tell A Friend? - How Viral Marketing Can Generate More Traffic To Your Site

2008-05-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Author: Allen Jesson

As a webmaster you know that it would be a great thing if you could get every visitor to 'tell a friend' about your web-site. Basically it would mean that for every 'told friend' you would be getting a FREE visitor, even better, one that had been 'pre-sold' to a certain degree, because their friend had recommended, or pre-sold, your site.

Even better if that friend told friends and not just a 'friend'.

But how on Earth do you achieve this? Because in theory, it is possible to create a self perpetuating money machine, if you can get each visitor telling more than 1 friend about your site. Actually, it's a little more complicated that that, because each visitor has to generate more than 1 visitor (and not all the people he/she recommends will end up visiting the site).

So, how on Earth do you achieve all that? Basically, what you need to do is to get every visitor to tell not just one friend, but many friends.

Assuming that most of those 'many' friends then come along and visit and then go on to become recommenders themselves, then you really have hit the jackpot. BUt how on Earth do you get people to not just tell ONE friend, but tell many friends? How do you encourage word of mouth marketing? We all know it's the best viral marketing out there, but it is just so hard to do.

The answer is incentive.

Yes, What's in it For Me? Is the old FM radio station and it's still playing nice and loudly today. If you can offer your visitors incentives to tell their friends, then assuming that the incentive is something that they desire, they will tell their friend. Give them more desirable incentives to tell more friends and they will tell more friends. It's as simple as that.

But not quite.

The incentives have to be incremental. It is no good if you say, for example, tell 5 friends and get this, most people will be put off by having to input 5 addresses. However, if the incentives are incremental, for example, tell one friend and get this, tell two friends and get this as well, tell three friends and get this as well, and so on. I'm sure you get the idea, it is not just incentive that works, it is the incremental incentive that is the magic ingredient in this formula.

Do that right and yes indeed, you have created a self perpetuating money making machine.

About the Author:

Allen Jesson is a word of mouth marketing expert and has developed a new tell a friend viral marketingviral marketing appeal of any web-site. application that dramatically increases the

Technorati Tags:internet marketing, marketing, article directories, internet, articles, adwords, viral marketin writing
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Invite More People: a Simple How to Guide on Travel Brochures

2008-05-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

Author: Joel Owens

Considering that your brochures are done really well, they will most often than not, generate your company the media mileage you need. It makes marketing easy for you as it is the print material that speaks for you and your company. What better way to promote a destination than to send out direct mail - all you have to do is make a compelling brochure with all the information your readers would love to know and your brochure or flyers will do all the work.

Make people flock your establishment. One great way of promoting a particular place is through travel brochure prints or flyers. With it, your brochure prints would get the maximum exposure that you need. Keep in mind that your primary objective with your travel brochure is to invite your target audience and make them feel like going to your resort or establishment.

Managing the Content and Copy

In order for your travel brochures to serve its purpose, there are some things that you should include in the brochure. These are the things that would most likely satisfy your client’s curiosity.

1. Pictures
Make sure to put an image of the place you are promoting as giving your readers visuals would make them more interested to travel to that place. Make sure to put the best foot of the place forward by choosing to put pictures of the most beautiful sceneries of that place. Do not put pictures that will somehow veer away your readers from visiting.

Before having your brochure or pamphlet printed, check both the resolution of your pictures and see if they have been changed to CMYK format.

2. Contact Details
Be sure to put contact details of the place. Assign a name people can readily look for. However, you can still maximize your pamphlets even further and not only promote yourself but the entire destination or place itself.

If you are in a non-competitive establishment, say a restaurant for example, you can add and recommend hotels that they could stay in and lengthen their stay. You must always check and update this because even minute changes to the contact would prove to be inconvenient and might deter potential clients.

3. Directions
You should also inform your target audience the possible ways of getting to the place. Together with the road directions, it would help if you put an illustration on how to reach the place. You may also put flight information if your clients choose to go there by air.

Lastly, you could also include ferry fares just in case your clients choose to go by boat. With all of these three, you should also put in the time of travel or how long each route takes.

4. Things to Do
Enumerating the things they could do in that particular place is one way of sparking the interests of your readers. This will simply give them more reason to go to the place you are trying to promote.

5. Testimonials
Testimonials from well-known people are one of the things that are proven to convince a person to try something, or in your case to go to the place. These testimonials could help in persuading your clients once they read what is written on your brochures.

About the Author:

Technorati Tags:marketing, printing, brochures, guide, travel, brochure
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Use Your Marketing Database to Act on Recency, Frequency & Monetary Data

2008-05-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Jeff Barela-Dovetail

Do you know you already have the most powerful, inexpensive data available to support your direct marketing initiatives? It’s true! Recency, Frequency and Monetary (RFM) data is the single most predictive customer behavior indicator. It will tell you the last time your best customer purchased a product or service from you or how many times that individual has purchased items from you over the past 30 days, 90 days, 6 months or even a year. It can even help you identify customers who bring the most revenue to your organization.

RFM data is often underutilized by marketers. However, collecting and analyzing RFM data is the simplest and best way direct marketers can learn about their customer’s purchase behavior—organizations typically have this information, it’s really a matter of how they use and apply it. For example, organizations collect information on how many and what products or services customers purchase, how the purchase was made, the total purchase amount and the date of the transaction. After collecting this valuable data, it needs to be integrated into your marketing database. Using your marketing database, you can analyze your RFM data to learn more about your customers and their purchase behavior—you may be surprised what you learn. For example, you may notice that if a specific product or service is purchased, the customer returns the next day to make additional purchases or you may see that customers buying one product or service often buy complementary items at the time of purchase.

Armed with this valuable purchase behavior knowledge, direct marketers can determine their marketing goals and define direct marketing campaigns that they know will be beneficial—RFM data helps take the guess work out of your job. Using your marketing database, create lists and segments that target a specific audience for each marketing campaign based on your RFM data. RFM data can be broken out and used in various combinations. The following lists some examples of how you might break out your RFM data. Use any of these combinations, or others that you develop, to create various lists and segments.

Recency(Last Purchase Made)
• Purchase in the last 30 days
• Purchase in the last 31-60 days
• Purchase in the last 61-90 days
• Purchase in the last 3-6 months
• Purchase in the last 7-12 months
• Purchase in the last 12 or more months

Frequency(Purchases How Often)

• 1 purchase in last 12 months
• 2-3 purchases in last 12 months
• 4-5 purchases in last 12 months
• 6 or more purchases in last 12 months

Monetary (Total Money Spent)

• Under $50
• $51-$100
• $101-$150
• $151-$200
• Over $200

To make defining your segments and lists even easier, you can apply business rules to your marketing database to create selectable data elements similar to the items above. This will make your list and segment selection clean and easy. You may even decide that in order to better select your target market you should have selectable data elements based on medians or means for your RFM data—use your marketing database to put this information at your fingertips.

Uses for your RFM data and your marketing database do not stop there! Use your marketing database to analyze the customers you have identified as your top customers in terms of RFM to identify their common characteristics (e.g., gender, age, marital status, income, etc.). Then you can use these characteristics as criteria to pull prospect lists for direct marketing campaigns. In addition, use your RFM data and your marketing database to easily determine which marketing campaign was most effective by calculating the ROI on your past campaigns. Learn more about utilizing your marketing database. (link to The Dovetail Application fact sheet)
One more item of note: Marketers often turn to demographic & lifestyle data appending or modeling instead of or before utilizing RFM data, but using your marketing database to leverage your RFM data is a very powerful marketing tool—a must for all direct marketers. If you do nothing else, collect and integrate your RFM data into your marketing database so you can act on it and implement effective direct marketing campaigns that will increase sales and profits.

The bottom line is use your marketing database to make your RFM data actionable and empower you to create and execute successful direct marketing campaigns.

About the Author:

Jeff Barela

is the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Business Development for Dovetail-The Marketing Database Company.

As a co-founder of Dovetail, a company that builds, hosts, and provides access to marketing databases, Jeff has been in the database marketing industry for over 9 years and the database industry for over 15 years.

To learn more about database marketing or Dovetail, visit our website at www.dovetaildatabase.com. Don't forget to sign-up for our free eNewsletter to receive more information on database marketing. Or contact Jeff Barela at 303.904.4771 or jeff@dovetaildatabase.com.

Technorati Tags:direct marketing, database marketing, marketing database, data integration
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Top 10 Signs Your Data… Ain’t Integrated

2008-05-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

Author: Jeff Barela-Dovetail

1. If you think your customers Millie Joan Smith, Daisy Jane Smith, and Billy Joe Jim Bob Smith are the same person…your data ain’t integrated.

2. If contacting individuals, households, residences or unique businesses is done via the “blanket approach”, you’re at the wrong picnic and… your data ain’t integrated.

3. If you’re more afraid of getting accused of SPAM than you are of eating it…your data ain’t integrated.

4. If email, snail mail, and voicemail aren’t included with female, male and opened email…your data ain’t integrated.

5. If you think firmographics is the latest new exercise trend…your data ain’t integrated.

6. If you think integrating your website data is something only Mr. Spock can do…your data ain’t integrated.

7. If you give 3 different people the same criteria for a record count, and you get 5 different answers…your data ain’t integrated.

8. If you think churn only applies to the dairy industry…your data ain’t integrated.

9. If you think modeling is used to find good looking customers…your data ain’t integrated.

10. When you take your car in for maintenance, and think, “wow, that reminds me, I need to do some database maintenance too”… your data ain’t integrated.

We hope you’re laughing. Or at least smiling. But in the real world, data integration is no laughing matter. For direct marketers and IT personnel alike, trying to obtain and integrate all of the data needed for direct marketing campaigns is serious, and often, difficult, business. And, For instance, let’s say you wanted to send a direct mail campaign, followed up by an email campaign, to non-responders. The basic criteria for list selection might consist of a few suppressions, geographic area, transactional data/behavior, and number of marketing touches (to manage fatigue), with the mailing to occur at a household level, and the emailing to occur at a unique email address level. On the surface, this sounds like a straightforward, normal, and intuitive direct marketing campaign. But what about the underlying data to support the campaign? Is the necessary data available and integrated? If not, what will it take to get the data ready? Is the data integration part of the marketing campaign, or is the data ready prior to the campaign, as should be the case? Data integration is indeed no laughing matter. For the selection criteria above, it is likely that the data needed to execute the campaign exists in two or three disparate places within the typical organization, and possibly in as many as five or six different places.

Proper integration of pertinent marketing data to effectively and efficiently conduct direct marketing campaigns is essential, and foundational, to the success of specific direct marketing campaigns and to the ongoing viability of an organization’s entire direct marketing program. The following types of data, while not all encompassing, are typical of the integrated data that an organization needs for direct marketing:

• Customer and/or prospect data

• Multi-channel contact data, i.e., postal address, email address, phone number, etc.

• Transactional data and dates (RFM)

• Multi-level managed data, i.e., individual, household, residence, unique business, unique email address, etc.

• Attributes of customers or prospects, such as interests, preferences, or affinities (can be self-reported or appended)

• Demographic/lifestyle data

• Segmentation data

• Predictive model data

• Campaign history

• Marketing touch tracking

• Suppression data (opt-out)

• Derived data such as region or categorizations of other data elements

The above list is a good starting point, but it does not address how the data is supposed to be combined when it is integrated. Routines and processes should be built to standardize, validate, and correct data, and items such as address standardization and merge/purge need to be performed on the data. For instance, what are the business rules for an active customer if they were active, went to inactive, and are now active again? Should this type of customer be considered the same as a customer who was always active? This is just one example of potentially dozens or even hundreds of business rules that need to be considered when integrating data.

It would take several articles to provide detail on how to integrate data—in fact, books are written on the subject, and no two organizations are exactly alike. But the first step is recognizing the need for data integration, and then having a discussion, or series of discussions, between marketing and IT to talk about the data that is needed, is available, and how to obtain and assemble it. In some organizations, depending on scope, this could be done on an ad-hoc project basis, but the data will typically become outdated quickly. It is ideal if Marketing and IT can work together to build an ongoing process and database to capture and integrate the data; in some cases, depending on an organization’s needs, outsourcing, or partially outsourcing, to a database marketing vendor may be the best option. The bottom line is that data integration is essential—scope, complexity, and cost are all important factors in determining what and how to integrate—each organization needs to determine what is best given all of these factors.

About the Author:

Jeff Barela

Jeff is the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Business Development for Dovetail-The Marketing Database Company.

As a co-founder of Dovetail, a company that builds, hosts, and provides access to marketing databases, Jeff has been in the database marketing industry for over 9 years and the database industry for over 15 years.

To learn more about database marketing or Dovetail, visit our website at www.dovetaildatabase.com. Don't forget to sign-up for our free eNewsletter to receive more information on database marketing. Or contact Jeff Barela at 303.904.4771 or jeff@dovetaildatabase.com.

Technorati Tags:direct marketing, database marketing, marketing database, data integration
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Online Marketing

2008-05-22T15:13:00.001-07:00

Author: shem azul

ONLINE MARKETING

Let's face it. We are now in a world enveloped with spontaneously growing human knowledge beyond reaches. Information, technology and experience altogether combined, humanity have come into an innovation which extends to every individual in the world through the Internet, including Online Marketing.
People might think marketing is solely about selling, yet selling is only a part of the totality of what marketing is all about. To define, Marketing is a deep appreciation and identification of the needs and wants of a target of customers. Not just that, once those continuous needs and wants are identified, these should be satisfied. Customers are the source of a product. People are vague and are vast walking creatures who extremely desire on anything here on earth. That's why they are being studied. Market research takes in charge of this process, analyzing the needs of customers, and then making strategic decisions on what specific product that would satisfy their specific need.
Well, enough of that marketing concept introduction. Marketing is a broad term. It has many scopes. One is online marketing. This is “marketing” using the internet. Yes, Internet. Traveling back through time, people traded products through bartering, exchanging items to another items. Products were carried through caravans. Imagine how is it difficult to have the product delivered right into your hands before. But now, everything is possible. The Internet has made it possible.
Online marketing is the e-marketing of products or services over the net which includes advertising on the web. See, in today's world, your needs and wants are just a click away. This is now the so-called Marketing: “on click”. The web has brought more and more benefits to marketing. The word is Easy. The web has developed marketing as easy, fast and not costly, especially in distributing information and media to a global audience. Marketing became interactive, thus. Responses of the product shown are gathered instantly as well as eliciting those responses are made possible.
Online marketing focuses on the promotion of an organization using online media, primarily with the goals of increasing sales and boosting profits. Well, sales will soar up and profits will boost, once proper choice of advertising type, media and design are used. Marketing become more creative through the technical advances of the web since then. It gives more exposure to the products and services being offered.
Internet marketing really is attuned to the world's need today, especially to the advertising industry, from music to banking, what more can we ask for. Everything is all over the net. It created a flexible template for advertising. It has indeed triggered more and more advertisers and has created a need to every individual. A trend is made in the line of marketing by taking advantage of the web. Consumers now are not just simply consumers but are web-savvy consumers. Aggressive marketing online campaigns is being taken by search engine specialists for highly-competitive keywords to cater clients in order to bridge the gap of demographic disparity.

About the Author:

Shem Azul Miranda is a link builder of Agents of Value. Shem Azul loves literature. Reading mythical and tragic novels and novelletes are her likes. She adores people who are intelligent and knowledgeable. She is fond of doing things for others by helping them with their assignments, projects and research papers. She is a web-savvy. Not a day will last that she will not browse through her email account.

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Branding You For Maximum Results

2008-05-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Author: Gav Shannon

Branding yourself online is exclusively geared to individuals who are willing to take a sensible, long-term approach to online promotion.

Branding yourself online is good business practice in any field now-a-days. From determining your identity and positioning yourself to building your web site and promoting it.

A beginner's guide will help you become number one in your market. There are many infomational products out there that can help. Do the research!

Branding allows you to take control of your online identity and influence the impression that people have of you, which helps you accomplish the following objectives.

It establishes you as an expert in your field and connects you with like-minded people on a large scale You need to focus your energies on feeding your life's purpose to build a solid reputation within your industry.

Become self-employed doing something you enjoy.
Increase your notoriety and improve your perceived value in the marketplace by branding yourself.

Develop your circle of influence within a business niche and earn praise and recognition from a growing number of people who embrace your message.

Become a celebrity in your chosen field and show others how to use branding to thier advantage
As an example If you're a visual artist, branding helps you connect your name with your technique and attract more (and more paying) fans.

By using the knowledge of others from your research will give you the smart steps you need to take to promote yourself and increase awareness of who you are and what you do.

If you're a "web designer" as another example, branding allows you to mix your attitude and distinct perspective with your technical skills so more people hire you. From determining your identity and positioning yourself to building your web site and promoting it, branding is all you need and gives you a pressence as the expert in any field.

So again find a beginner's guide to branding yourself online that can help you become number one in your market.

Remember if you are branding yourself, you need to decide what your brand is. The most effective branding is not in the number of people you reach, but in the number of times you are able to reach any single person with your brand.

You'll serve yourself well to let people find you online, then capture their information and stay in touch. Continually give them the infomation they need and want.

Information that helps to fix a problem may have that will make you in thier eyes the person of knowledge and will be willing to buy or be prepared to take your advise to buy from you.

When your site is set up correctly you will be amazed just how easy it can be. Help others and they will help you.

If you don't believe that branding yourself online is important, you'd better start believing. For you to survive on the world wide web you need to brand youself and be accepted as the trusted person that people are willing to come to. These willing people you can then turn into willing buyers, affilliates or business partners in any of the programs you wish to promote.

Make youself that person that people "Need and Believe" your life will change forever.

About the Author:

Gav Shannon is a Network Marketing Professional who writes about different topics that he feels may be of an interest. Get the real tips, strategies and pain saving lessons on how to do Network Marketing the right way at http://www.gavshannon.com

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The Great Singapore Sale 2008

2008-05-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Author: Janice Pelayo

Singapore City, Singapore – Shopaholics, get those credit cards ready! From May 23 to July 20, Singapore will be welcoming eager shoppers to the Great Singapore Sale, an annual shopping event that showcases the best bargains the country’s shopping centers have to offer.

Co-organized by the Singapore Tourism Board and the many participating retail companies, the Sale aims to promote the tourism industry of Singapore.

During the Sale, many major stores and malls will be extending their shopping hours until 12 midnight and even later during weekends. Must-see places for good finds at reasonable prices, whether it’s clothing, accessories, electronic goods, or even food, would include Orchard Road, Little India, Bugis, and Chinatown, just to name a few. Various special deals particularly await tourists who plan to shop at the Sale. They can avail of the Tourist Privilege Card for example, which will be included in the Great Singapore Sale Tourist Brochure that will be distributed at Visitor Centers and major hotels within the city.

Shoppers looking for a place to rest and take a break from their shopping spree can have their pick of the many hotels in Singapore, but those who wish to keep some of the shopping venues easily accessible would find The Claremont Hotel quite ideal. Located right in the middle of Little India and just opposite of the Mustafa Centre shopping mall, it is only 8 minutes’ drive away from Orchard Road and Suntec City, and a minute’s walk away from the Farrer Park MRT Station.

For more information, please visit the Claremont Hotel Singapore website at http://www.claremont.com.sg/.

# # #

About the Claremont Hotel Singapore

The Claremont Hotel in Singapore is just minutes away from the shopping paradise that is Orchard Road and Suntec City. Found in the heart of Little India, it is also just 12 minutes away from the business district of Tanjong Pagar, Raffles Place and Shenton Way. The Claremont offers an affordable range of rooms that are meant to cater to just about every type of customer, from the weary business traveler to the ordinary vacationing tourist.

Contact Information

The Claremont Hotel Singapore

301 Serangoon Road

Singapore 218 224

Front Desk

Telephone Number: +65 6392 3933 (8 lines)

Facsimile Number: +65 6392 7833

Website: http://www.claremont.com.sg

Email address: info@claremont.com.sg

Reservations

Telephone Number: +65 6392 4855 / 81277180

Facsimile Number: +65 6392 4866

Email: reservations@claremont.com.sg

aisha@claremont.com.sg

About the Author:

Direct With Hotels is a direct reservations specialist that aims to help hotels optimize their websites in order to effectively manage their online reservations system.

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Important Things to Know When Making Your Brochures

2008-05-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

Author: Kaitlyn Miller

If you haven’t considered it already for your marketing, I’d suggest looking into brochure printing. A great looking brochure gives you a way to get a lot of information into a potential customer’s hands.

When you do choose to use brochures to promote your company, there are a few key details you need to know before you send anything out.

The smaller your company is the more you need to squeeze out of your marketing budget, I’m sure. Most small businesses don’t have the same deep pockets other companies do, so if you are going to use brochure printing, be aware of the costs associated with it before you put in any orders.

The size of your order isn’t always going to have a big impact on price. When it comes to a printing press, the number of copies made is only a small part of the cost. Getting the equipment set up to print your order at all is where the biggest expense lies. Because of this, the difference between an order of five hundred brochures and seven hundred isn’t going to be nearly as big as the difference between a single five hundred order and a single two hundred order.

If you want to make your money go as far as possible print the largest order you can. Stock up on brochures for the full year all at once if you need to. Having too many is going to be cheaper than going back to print more three months down the line.

When it comes to actually designing the brochure itself, you might consider consulting a graphic designer to handle the project. This might be more of an initial cost to hire an outside source, but at the same time you’ll get a much better product. If you are going to print out a year’s worth of brochures all at once you want to make sure they’re as good as possible.

Talking with the printer you plan on using is a good move if you want to be sure of all the cost saving measures before you start the printing. Let’s say you’re going to use color brochure printing. The way the colors look on your computer screen isn’t always going to be the same as what comes out on the paper when it’s printed. Talking to the printer can help clear up any possible problems before you spend all the money printing something that doesn’t look like what you wanted.

Don’t let any of this make you uneasy about using color brochure printing. The effectiveness of brochures for marketing is a long established truth. The main thing you need to be aware of is what all goes into it before you begin using them for the first time. Just like with anything else in life, the more you know, the more control you’ll have over the situation.

About the Author:

For more information, you can visit this page on color brochure printing and brochure printing

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Why Network Marketing Companies are not Pyramid Schemes

2008-05-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Author: William Winch

Over the years, the term Pyramid Scheme has become synonymous with Network Marketing. Why? Who knows. Maybe someone coined the phrase after losing a lot of money on a networking system that didn't work. Or maybe the link came from the fact that there is a 95% drop out rate in the industry, and people automatically blame the business structure.

Whatever the reason, Network Marketing is not a pyramid scheme designed to drain your savings account and put you in debt. Only individual people can make the decision to spend their money improperly. As far as I have seen in my twelve years of being a Network Marketer, no one has ever twisted my arm to do anything I didn't want to. There are lots of businesses that don't guarantee success. Business structure has nothing to do with success or failure.

When it comes down to it, a pyramid is just a shape, and all business are pyramids. There is a CEO at the top, and everyone else falls underneath him or her. No one can make more money than the CEO, so the shape can never change. It will always be a pyramid. It builds out as you go down because there are more people make less and less money.

In Network Marketing, you don't even need to build a team of people in the shape of a pyramid, square, or any other shape in order to make money. If you signed up as a distributor for a company, you can make a very good living simply selling products to customers at retail. Where is the pyramid? You're not building a team. It's just you.

When you want to grow a successful business on the efforts of others, however, you do need to sign up at least one other person and teach them how to properly market your product or service. But just the same, you don't need a ton of people to earn a good living. What if you only signed up one person, who signed up one person, and so on. That looks more like a totem pole than a pyramid.

In corporate America, no one ever makes more money than the top of the pyramid. That shape is never going to change. The CEO will always be at the top, and everyone else will always fill in the pyramid as the company sees fit. People can move freely throughout the pyramid, but no one can change the shape or climb higher than the CEO. That, to me, seems like a well-thought out scheme to run a business.

In Network Marketing, it is totally possible to earn more money than the person who signed you up into your business. You are still located underneath them as far as placement, but you can move above them in profits, bonuses, royalties, and any other avenues of income you desire. Doesn't that make an upside down pyramid? And if you have total freedom over your income, where is the scheme?

Most network marketers are, unfortunately, never properly trained on how to build a successful home-based business. This is the main reason for the 95% drop-out rate in the industry, and probably where someone felt like they were schemed. Companies must teach techniques that are very easy and simple for everyone to grasp and understand. They may work for some, but not for the vast majority.

When you have a job and you want to get a promotion to move ahead, would you go to a college to learn new skills from a professor, or would you take tips from the person sitting in the next cubical who hasn't advanced in the past 10 years? You would put your trust in something that guarantees you success. It's the same for Network Marketing. You need to look elsewhere for education if you want to advance.

There are proven ways of making things happen that are a whole lot easier, cheaper and less time consuming than what you are (probably) being taught. Your companies won't teach you these because it takes too much time to properly train you on how to be the CEO of your own company. Look for education that teaches proper marketing techniques with money back guarantees.

When things aren't going the way you intended, the solution is not to bash an entire industry by calling it a pyramid scheme. Part of the process of building a successful network marketing business is becoming a leader. Leaders are willing to change their way of thinking in order to benefit their company. And they develop the kind of mindset that doesn't see pyramids.

About the Author:

William Winch is a Business Growth Specialist whose mission is teaching other struggling entrepreneurs how to expand and explode their home-based businesses without breaking the bank. A former High School and College Business Educator and Counselor, he mentors from his home office in Rochester, NY. If you are interested in receiving his FREE 20 page Report on how to explode and expand your home-based business, click on on FREE REPORT or by calling him directly at (585) 234-5283 for a free business consultation.

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Network Marketing Plus Internet Marketing Equals Leveraged Marketing

2008-05-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

Author: Thomas Hernandez

Network Marketing has always been perceived as a 'Word of Mouth Advertising' type industry. A person signs up with a company and spreads the word about the product, business opportunity, or service they represent, and anyone that signs up along the way will do the same. This is the basic structure of a traditional network marketing company.

Now, let me ask you a question:

If you could get your message in front of massive amounts of people without ever having to physically talk to them, and have this message attract your target audience to your offers, would it be worth learning about?

Of course it would!

When you take network marketing and internet marketing and put the two together, you create a highly targeted, highly leveraged marketing machine.

So how does it work?

Basically, the internet allows you to create your own marketing system that will spread your unique message to your target audience 24/7, 365 days a year. Your message will reach hundreds of thousands more people then the ones you and your downline physically talk to. This is an extremely leveraged and effective way to market.

Now I'm not talking about trying to get people to go to your replicated website that every other representative in your company has. What I'm talking about is way more effective.

By using 21st century technology in your business you won't need to hype up your opportunity with a fancy business presentation in front of people who may or may not care what you have to say.

Your goal is to educate yourself on marketing and focus your efforts on composing a system that speaks to your prospects on a personal level (and not a hype-oriented way), so that your offers become more attractive. This type of system will produce much more predictable results.

Since the internet is always running and never takes a day off, your marketing system will be working for you while you are sleeping, playing golf, chasing the kids, etc.

This gives your prospects the freedom to explore and access your information whenever they chose. This style of marketing makes you look like less of a salesmen, and the only type of physical interaction you will need to have is with those who are express interest first.

To be successful building a network marketing business in the traditional way, your skill set performing presentations and recruiting techniques comes into play; plus, time becomes a serious issue. How many people can the average person talk to in one day when that person may have another job or kids to take care of? And out of the people you do talk to, how many are really interested in what you have to offer?

There is one of two ways you are going to be perceived by the public:

Either you are going to be viewed as one of those annoying people involved in a 'pyramid scheme' trying to figure out ways to approach and recruit a family member or a total stranger.

Or, you are going to be viewed as a professional. Someone who has his or her own marketing system set up that knows how to get his or her message out in an effective manner without relying on unnecessary hype and uncomfortable sales pitches.

Getting results is the main objective in any business; however, not all business models are as effective as the next. Implementing this model has been proven to get predictable results on a consistent basis.

On a final note I will speak on experience; this industry is way more enjoyable after obtaining and implementing the proper education on marketing.

About the Author:

Thomas Hernandez is an internet entrepreneur and a network marketing consultant, providing struggling network marketers with the best leveraged tools, resources, and training available to build a strong organization.

Visit my training blog at: www.NetworkMarketingCures.com

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Is Your MLM Upline Guiding You to Success?

2008-05-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

Author: Darrell Taylor

You've taken the plunge and signed up to be part of someone's MLM downline. You sit back and wait for the riches to roll in and…nothing. Perhaps you get a couple of emails welcoming you to the downline and encouraging you to start selling right away. "Sure," you think, "I'll start selling when I know how you want me to sell the product."

Is your MLM upline guiding you to success or are they simply sitting back and waiting to profit off of your hard work? If an MLM business is to be successful, the business owner has to be an active participant in his or her downline. This goes for every tier of that downline. It shouldn't matter if you are in the first tier or the fourth tier of an MLM. Your upline should be supporting you and helping you to reach your sales goals. After all, their profits depend on you! Think of it this way: MLMs are like a miniscule version of a chain store. The owner of the business might be sitting in an office in Ann Arbor but even the stock people in Newark understand the goal of the business and what is expected of them to keep the business running smoothly. If your upline isn't communicating with you, you might be better served by opting out of the downline altogether.

The best way to tell whether or not your upline will guide you to MLM success is to pay attention to the training process. If your sponsor (and his or her sponsor) work with you to develop your sales strategy and help you put your business together, you are probably part of a successful MLM. If, however, after you opt in, your sponsor simply sends you a "Thanks for joining" email and then never contacts you again (except, of course, to ask when you are going to start making a profit), you might think about opting back out.

Another sign of whether or not your MLM upline is guiding you to success is to pay attention to how they respond to questions. A good upline member will be receptive to your questions and do his or her best to answer them in a timely manner. A bad upline member will either take forever to answer questions or not answer your questions at all!

A good way to tell whether or not the upline of your MLM is worth working with is to contact other members of the downline. Ask your "coworkers" what their experiences with the MLM have been. You'll be able to tell right away if the upline will guide you toward success.

It is important that when you opt in to an MLM that your upline works just as hard as you to do ensure the business's success. If your upline isn't guiding you to success, you have two options:

1. Join another company on a team that is geared to helping its’ members succeed.

2. Get trained in effective lead generation techniques and start your own great team. At least you know what your downline expects from you!.

About the Author:

To learn more about how to get more leads for your MLM/Network Marketing business, download my FREE ebook the Ultimate Marketing Kit at my website Ultimate Marketing Kit

Feel free to distribute this article in any form as long as you include this resource box.

Darrell Taylor

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Why MLM is a Better Business Model

2008-05-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Author: Rebecca Commerford

Why MLM is a Better Business Model:
You might be surprised to learn that MLM (multi-level marketing) is being taught in many MBA programs (although they often give it another name- relationship marketing, stakeholder marketing or social network marketing).
MLM has gone legitimate. From it's unfortunate beginnings, when it was associated with pyramid schemes and get-rich-quick scams, distributed marketing (nothing like a new name!) has emerged as a tried and true method for low capitalization entrepreneurs to build their own thriving businesses.
Some of the successful long-term MLM companies are familiar names- Avon, Amway, Neways and others. Critics are left without a good answer when presented with these examples of the MLM business model working day-in and day-out, as steady as any blue-chip company on the NYSE.
What are they teaching MBAs about distributed marketing? Here are some of the advantages over traditional business models:
Low startup costs.
Financing a new business is a task no one enjoys. The hunt for a lender, initial loans and debt financing make most startups a partnership. The unwanted partner is the bank or venture capitalist who's holding your paper. And this marriage isn't going to end with a quickie divorce- either you pay the loan off or go bankrupt. When two out of three new ventures fail, you have to wonder at the courage it takes to put your house and future on the line for an idea.
None of this comes into play with MLM. The initial outlay is extremely low. The anxiety of working for your lender is eliminated. The usual setup is low to no inventory, no physical location (rental of commercial property is avoided) and no liability insurance. You get the tax advantages of any business without the overhead. Which brings up employees...
Low labor costs.
Traditional businesses hire, train, and eventually fire employees. The relationship is similar to the one we have with machines. You buy/rent a lawnmower, set it at it's task and throw it away when it breaks. Is it any wonder most employees don't like their jobs? They understand the fundamental flaw in the game; they sense it is rigged against them.
With MLM, the closest thing to employees is the down-line. But these people aren't working for you so much as they are working for themselves. There is a future for them in creating and sustaining their own down-lines. And it's commission sales. Income isn't predicated on hours worked, but rather, on sales. There is an old saying that is still true, “You can't overpay a guy working on commission.” The more your 'employees' produce, the more they make and the more you make. All without paying withholding taxes, liability insurance or medical benefits.
This joint success has been artificially mirrored by corporations who talk about 'associates'. But that's a fiction; none of those associates are ever going to own more than a tiny slice of the real profit pie. Not so in MLM. The only real way for an up-line to succeed is if their down-line succeeds. Shared profits are built into the system and provide the incentive that is missing from a 9-to-5 job.
The pacing advantage.
When you work a normal job or own a regular business time is a commodity in short supply. There is always pressure to meet some deadline and beat the clock. Without the time to move thoughtfully, we are put under a great deal of stress and we make mistakes. Business doesn't have to be this way. By easing into an MLM gradually, new members set their own pace. Sure, it can be hustle and bustle if that suits your personality- but it doesn't have to be. You can't overstate the benefits of working because you want to, instead of because you have to.
“But,” critics argue, “You don't know how much your paycheck will be every week.”
My favorite answer to this is: “Yes, but I can't imagine how you live knowing what your paycheck will be every week.”
It's simple. A wage slave makes the same amount every week. Stability is the reward. But stability is also a prison. They are never going to have a series of good weeks while their business grows into a series of good years. Since most MLMers transition from a weekly paycheck job by developing their own down-line, the pressure is minimal. It is possible to have your cake and eat it too.
Without the need to make loan payments or meet a sales quota, MLMers can focus on quality instead of quantity. Sure, sales matter, but attitude and motivation matter more. You have the luxury of time. Time to try out new ideas and methods, time to learn and grow, and time to network with peers.
Available support.
Another advantage of MLM is the support structure. Small businesses are usually started on a sink or swim basis. There's a spirit of competition and survival of the fittest right away. The best you can do with a brick and mortar operation is buy a franchise- but even then you are trading your freedom for any tips and tricks they pass along. With MLM the paradigm is different. Since your up-line depends on your sales and growth, they are more than willing to mentor new members.
By getting real-time advise and direction, new marketers can stay on-trend, taking advantage of other members' adroit moves and avoiding their mistakes. This is especially valuable when marketing on the Internet, where fast adaptation is quickly rewarded. You can't wait for some technique to make its way into a book or a lecture; you need the info now, while it can still do you the most good.
Beyond this, mentoring helps you establish the essentials. There's a huge amount of business knowledge available to tap into. Affiliate marketing, ezine and forum marketing, network marketing and a host of other techniques for growing a solid and productive down-line are there for the taking.
Instead of the trade secrets model found in the rest of the business world, you find helpful teachers who's profits are tied directly to yours. Compare this with bosses and managers whose sole function is to keep your wage as low as possible. The contrast is apparent and makes you wonder why anyone would take a salaried job.
Financial freedom
In truth, this is the reason most people get into MLM. They recognize how limiting their current employment situation really is. MLM is full of examples of people who have made outrageous sums and live exotic lifestyles.
What isn't as well reported are the folks that make it less than super-rich. That's enough for most of us- a steady source of income to augment and eventually free us from the daily working grind. What MLM offers us is a future worth having. We don't have to be ultra-rich (although that would be nice) we just want a chance to grow out of the current rut we are stuck in.
We see that the time we have to sell an employer is limited. It is limited in amount and it is limited in how much we can get per hour. The beauty of MLM is that my efforts today do not die away as tomorrow dawns. A down-line is like a garden, you plant seeds, you water and weed a bit, but mostly you sit back and let nature take its course. And then you reap the benefits of a harvest that grew up while you were doing other things.
By leveraging my time- in essence multiplying it- I am freed from the inherent limits. Something I do today will be paying me for years to come. If I repeat the same process tomorrow, I can add more and more to my storehouse. This is the real reason MLM works, this ability to keep yesterday's efforts alive and well. And it's something you won't find in a traditional job.

About the Author:

Rebecca Commerford of www.MLMStop.com

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How to Propose Through Your Postcard Design

2008-05-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Author: Joel Owens

One of the biggest risks you are ever going to make in your life is when you ask your most beloved girl if she could marry you. Nothing beats the few minutes of watching her reaction and waiting for her to pop that wonderful yes or that dreadful no. Imagine going through all these by the use of a postcard with a personalized postcard design.

Yes, a lot of grand things have been done before to make this occasion memorable. Some people choose to propose by the beach at sunset, spell out the words “Will you marry me?” in the sky or over dinner with the ring inside the dessert cake or champagne. However dreamy these all may seem, there are still original ways to do it.

No matter how simple it may seem, a powerful card can deliver the message you want to say and persuade your soon to be fiancé.

Making a Simple Postcards for Your Proposal

Here is what you have to do to make the once in a lifetime event hopefully, a huge success. This is one of those times that you would not want to settle for something less especially because it could mean spending the rest of your life with the one you love the most or not.

• Plan the Surprise
Make the proposal look as effortless as possible, but plan it the best way you can. Set it all up with accomplices like her parents, co-workers, and best friends. A little help can go a long way so you can make it picture perfect.

• Postcard design
A postcard, you may think, is not romantic at all. But it can be. What an unassuming postcard can be full of surprises. Set it up for her to read the mail and plan the next steps to compliment it.

For now, however, let your creative mind work at its best. This may well be the most special postcard you are ever going to come up with. If not, the one of many cards you’ll be making for her.

What you could do is put a picture of the both of you on the postcard Think very well about the text you are going to put on the postcard. It can be a simple “Will you marry me?” or “Will you be my bride?” until she finally sees or realize that it is an actual proposal.

If you’re not the joker kind and you’d really want it to be as romantic and heartfelt from the very beginning, type in your own messages as though it were a vow. Make sure that everything wanted to say fits well and is well laid-out on the postcard.

• Printing
Find a postcard printing company that specializes in printing custom postcard designs. Make sure to give them your preferred specifications when it comes to the finish and the thickness of your printing material.

Some printing companies offer to check your designs for free before printing it. You could avail of this service to ensure the best outcome of your proposal postcard. This is also one of the times wherein the cost of the printing would not matter because the occasion itself is already deemed priceless.

Print a number of postcards by offset for bulk if you want it to be an occasion all your friends and family can witness or digital where a handful of your loved ones is with you for the intimate proposal you’re making.

• Propose
Easier said than done huh? This is probably the most nerve-wrecking part of the whole process. One of the options here is you could probably ask your girl out for dinner and bring her to the most posh restaurant you could afford. Once you are there, plan that your postcard is inserted in the menu the waiter is to give your soon-to-be fiancé. Once she notices the postcard design, kneel down, propose and start a wonderful dinner together.

About the Author:

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Advanced Expectations: New Developments in Email Marketing

2008-05-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Author: Mona Moore

The modern-day drive in marketing, particularly e-mail marketing, is concerned with the implications of the hyper-consumption experiences being identified within an emergent consumer branded the ‘expectation economy’. The expectation economy refers to a new-style economy that is characterized by well-informed consumers who have high expectations with regard to services and products, and who place a high premium on a superior buying experience. Over the years, the modern consumer has acquired specialist know-how through continuous self-training and in the process of hyperconsumption and exposure to new dynamic lifestyle models, has come to expect not only superior standards of quality but expects ‘best of the best’. The readily available always-on information networks have also promoted this new-style consumer culture that expects “only the best” and is not satisfied with just basic standards in services and products.

These high expectation trends in marketing also apply to the advancement and evolution of email marketing. Instead of simply sending batches of emails to random customers and prospects, the trend in recent years has been to rather develop strategic and sophisticated “smart” emailing campaigns. For example, the successful email marketer focuses on promotional methods to facilitate increasing customer response as well as stimulate conversion and retention rates. This is achieved through a combination of personalization, segmentation and “triggers.” In other words,” Increasingly segmented and triggered emails will be driven by behavioral data, such as which specific links a recipient clicked, whether someone did or did not open an email, what pages they visited on the company’s Web site or whether they did or did not make a purchase or take a specific action”. (http://www.emaillabs.com/email_marketing_articles/article_2005_email_marketing_trends.html) This process is often automated by companies using software to integrate email data with other customer data via an API (Application Protocol Interface)

Email marketing has also advanced beyond conventional technologies, with marketers switching between plain text and HTML formats. Some pundits state that, “E-mail's role is changing, the technology is advancing, and its horizons are broadening”. (http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3627210) Similarly, audio and video email has become a distinct possibly. These new modes of email marketing are aimed at enlarging and expanding the possibilities of email marketing. Yet, it was previously thought that these technologies were not practical because the size of audio and video mail had a negative impact on download times. However, both these new formats, and especially video emails, have become feasible because of the increase in bandwidth availability. Even in less developed countries, there has been a substantial increase in the required speed and bandwidth to deal with larger email formats.

A number of companies offer audio email services to the Webmaster and marketer and are hyping it as the “new wave” in increasing consumer response to email advertising. This is often referred to as “talking email” and offers a more direct and dramatic means of communication with the client or customer. Companies like Expedite Email Marketing suggest that, “By adding your voice, sound or music into your email marketing campaigns, you will set your email message apart from the rest”.

While many assume that simply adding an audio component to your email advertisement will improve click through rates, it should be borne in mind that the same problems that hinder mass mail marketing apply to this form of marketing. Simply adding technology without a well-planned marketing strategy in place that clearly identifies the key objective of the exercise will probably not do much to improve returns and customer response rates. As many pundits suggest, the art of effective email marketing requires focused selection and targeting of customer demographics and needs. Of course, one can create one’s own audio or video email attachment. However, the process can be slightly complex in terms of format and streaming audio and video; this area of expertise will be dealt with in more detail in future articles on this subject.

The features and advantages of audio email marketing include: The audio plays automatically once the email is opened; research has shown that an increased response rate results from the more intimate feel that audio communication provides the recipient in comparison to conventional text-based email messaging. The addition of music can also add impetus to any marketing campaign.

Video marketing is another advanced form of email marketing that has become increasingly popular over the last few years. However, this very exciting mode of communicating one’s advertising message to the customer is not without certain problem areas that one should be aware of. Video clips are usually not embedded or included directly in the email, as this would make the size of the download excessive for the ordinary user. Instead, video is usually linked to external sources that play on opening or by activating a link within the body of the email. The problem lies in the fact that to play external video the recipient of the email must access a plug-in application -- such as Windows Media or Macromedia Flash. Unfortunately, many email clients, like Microsoft Outlook, disable these plug-in options as default. There are however, ways around this problem and several companies such as VISMAIL (VisMail.com) and Pixelfish (PixelFish.com) offer technology to circumvent these problems. Conversely, marketers claim that video email works well as an effective marketing tool, as most users today have the required plug-ins actively installed to facilitate immediate application. Flash technology has also been used to implement email marketing as this often has a much lower download size.

Reports and studies on the use of video email marketing are encouraging. One such report states that, “Video e-mail recently made a comeback. While there are many recommended best practices for when and how to use video e-mail, the bottom line in early results show response rates (opens and clicks) 3 to 10 times higher than those for static e-mail.” (http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3625573) Research also shows that this form of email marketing increases landing page traffic and conversions.

The bottom line however with these more advanced forms of email marketing is that quality is more important than quantity. Building lists of thousands of email addresses as part of a marketing campaign has little worth if these addresses have not been selected with specific target clients in mind. As a pundit puts it; “Building a list of 10,000 names is not a goal. What value you are adding? You can offer quality content and something of value to the recipient, but that doesn't mean it's going to generate ROI." (http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3627210) Both audio and video email marketing have another advantage – they effectively promote viral marketing. Viral marketing is a method of encouraging recipients to pass along the marketing message to other potential consumers. The impact of video email and the quality of the information presented can facilitate the proliferation of this form of personalized marketing. There is also every indication from recent studies of the modern online environment that video and audio email marketing can have a marked increase on traffic and attract emergent hyper-consumption clients and customers that form part of the burgeoning ‘expectation economy’.

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Six Ft. Bragg Wounded Soldiers Awarded Free Beds to Help Cope With Injuries

2008-05-21T11:12:00.006-07:00

Author: Kristin Bostic For Craftmatic Cares

Six Ft. Bragg Wounded Soldiers Awarded Free Beds to Help Cope with Injuries
92% of wounded OEF/OIF veterans report trouble sleeping; Craftmatic® to donate 55 adjustable beds to troops in 2008

Fayetteville, NC –May 16, 2008 – A 2007 survey of severely wounded troops from the War on Terror found that 92% have trouble sleeping due to nightmares, insomnia and pain. In order to combat this looming problem among the military, Craftmatic® Adjustable Beds has embarked on their CraftmaticCARES Program to donate one adjustable bed, free-of-charge to a severely wounded War on Terror veteran each week in 2008.

This coming week, six Ft. Bragg veterans will be receiving free Craftmatic Adjustable Beds because of their time and service in the military and the severe injuries that they sustained while overseas in combat.

Injured soldiers SSG Maurice Craft U.S. Army (Ret.), SSG Scott Stark U.S. Army (Ret.), SGT Ronny Sweger U.S. Army (Ret.), SGT Rashaun Carpenter U.S. Army (Ret.), CPL Dennis Angel U.S. Army (Ret.), and SPC Michael Martin U.S. Army (Ret.) will be receiving their beds on Monday, May 19th 2008.

Ronny Sweger was deployed three times to Afghanistan, twice to Iraq, and was also sent on multiple other Operation Enduring Freedom hazardous duty deployments. He was injured twice in Afghanistan, once in 2002 and once in 2004, and sustained shrapnel wounds and blast injuries. He now says he has a tough time sleeping through the night.

“My wife and I have been sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress that we have had for about ten years and since I have been home I have problems getting to sleep,” said Sweger. “Recently my wife has had to start sleeping in a separate room because I wake her up constantly thrashing.”

“I know that this new Craftmatic bed is going to bring us back together and give us a better lifestyle,” Sweger said.

On November 8th, 2003, SGT Carpenter was severely injured while the CH47 Aircraft that he was riding in was shot down by a Surface to Air Missile.
Currently, Carpenter owns a regular queen sized bed but cannot sleep on his side or stomach due to pain.

“I toss and turn all night because I can’t get comfortable due to my injuries,” Carpenter said. “I know that once I get the Craftmatic bed, I will be able to adjust the settings and get comfortable again.”

One of the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is loss of sleep. According to reports from the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs, there are an estimated 300,000 troops from this war that suffer from PTSD.

“With so many of our severely wounded troops also suffering from PTSD-related insomnia, it is imperative that private companies step in and help out where we can,” said Eric Kraftsow, Elevation Bed, LLC owners of the Craftmatic trademark. “Craftmatic beds adjust so that the gaps created between flat beds and your back are eliminated and the spine is fully supported. This will help ease the pain that wounded troops experience, help them get more comfortable, and ease them into a sound sleep. Our company is proud to be assisting in these brave heroes’ roads to recovery.”
For more information about the CraftmaticCARES Program, please visit http://www.craftmaticcares.com/.

# # #
About Craftmatic Adjustable Beds:
Craftmatic® Adjustable Beds first began marketing electrically adjustable beds specifically designed for use in the world's bedrooms over 30 years ago. Today, Craftmatic is one of the world’s best known and respected trademarks for quality products. Craftmatic Adjustable beds are available in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

Over 1,000,000 Craftmatic Adjustable Beds are now in use in customer bedrooms around the world and attest to the fact that our unique beds are as durable as they are attractive and comfortable.

For more information, please visit www.CraftmaticCares.com

About the Author:

About 919 Marketing Company:
919 Marketing is a nationally recognized marketing consulting and public relations firm with a proven track record of helping underdog companies of all sizes discover their competitive advantage and drive profitable business growth. Headquartered just outside of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, 919 was founded over a decade ago by CEO David Chapman.

919 is an unconventional firm with an uncanny ability to develop winning marketing strategies for a roster of companies including Biosignia, Cornerstone Biopharma, Jersey Mike’s, Kerr Drug, The Rosetta Stone, Social Technologies and Unilever Brands.

919 Marketing provides strategic planning, public relations, interactive marketing and creative development services - each utilizing proven processes that have been refined and validated over hundreds of client engagements.

Technorati Tags:insomnia, veteran, adjustable beds, injured veteran, combat related injuries, pain while sleeping
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Six Ft. Bragg Wounded Soldiers Awarded Free Beds to Help Cope With Injuries

2008-05-21T11:12:00.005-07:00

About the Author:

Technorati Tags:insomnia, veteran, adjustable beds, injured veteran, combat related injuries, pain while sleeping
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Six Ft. Bragg Wounded Soldiers Awarded Free Beds to Help Cope With Injuries

2008-05-21T11:12:00.003-07:00

About the Author:

Technorati Tags:insomnia, veteran, adjustable beds, injured veteran, combat related injuries, pain while sleeping
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Six Ft. Bragg Wounded Soldiers Awarded Free Beds to Help Cope With Injuries

2008-05-21T11:12:00.002-07:00

About the Author:

Technorati Tags:insomnia, veteran, adjustable beds, injured veteran, combat related injuries, pain while sleeping
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Six Ft. Bragg Wounded Soldiers Awarded Free Beds to Help Cope With Injuries

2008-05-21T11:12:00.001-07:00

About the Author:

Technorati Tags:insomnia, veteran, adjustable beds, injured veteran, combat related injuries, pain while sleeping
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Investing in Building Your MLM Business

2008-05-21T11:08:00.001-07:00

Author: Chris Kosman

A question that troubles a lot of new distributors is whether they have to invest money in building their business or not. Sure they pay for signing up or for some kind of autoship where they have to receive a necessary monthly volume as is required by many MLM companies. But certainly that is not the point where the expenses stop, especially if you are serious in building a thriving organization that would offer you passive income for the years to come.

You have to understand one thing. No one is forcing you to spend additional amounts of money but how successful you will become and how fast you are going to build your Network Marketing business depends on your willingness to do so. If you are serious about your future and you have committed yourself to your future success it is essential that you would have to make use of tools that can greatly boost your results.

Yes, such tools you may find them for free on the Internet, let's say an autoresponder service. But the saying that you get what you pay for comes true here. If you don't mind very low delivery rates and third party ads in the emails you send that's the way to go. But how seriously your prospects will get you if you pursue that model?

Furthermore you may also use free classifieds on a newspaper with an ad buried in a section, with a hundred others, that nobody is reading. And yes, you may expect to get prospects that way. But does it sound logical to you? Wouldn't be better an ad to a more visible section or a in magazine that your target market reads?

Don't get me wrong free methods of advertising have its place and is wise to implement them in your overall strategy. But stand alone are not enough to move your business to the next level. Of course that doesn't mean that you should be careless on how and where you spend your money. The art of wise spending is essential to every entrepreneur and is what can separate a successful one from a failure. Likewise you should also learn how to spend wisely. Don't throw your money where it isn't necessary and don't hurt your business growth by becoming a miser.

About the Author:

Chris Kosman writes about network marketing in his MLM Blog with the mission to help distributors succeed in building their home based business.

Technorati Tags:mlm, business, marketing, opportunity, advertising, network, invest, tools
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Office Transformation Specialists Named in Sunday Times Green List

2008-05-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

Author: Jane Shepherd

A company that has developed a solution to make UK workplaces ‘greener’ – with a far reaching effect on the environment – has been officially ranked among Britain’s top 50 green companies.

Morgan Lovell, which designs and builds sustainable office interiors, has secured success in the Sunday Times Best Green Companies Awards 2008.

The company was chosen because of its holistic approach to sustainability, which includes reducing its impact on the environment as well as helping clients reduce their carbon emissions through ‘green’ office design.

Speaking about the criteria for success in the Green List, Richard Caseby, managing editor of The Sunday Times, said: “The 50 companies in this survey are all pioneers – enterprising, enlightened and fizzing with new ideas. All have a common sense of purpose about their corporate social responsibility.

Key to Morgan Lovell’s entry was its design and refurbishment of its headquarters - a ‘testbed’ office that utilises the latest in sustainable thinking. Located in London’s Soho, the office achieved the highest environmental rating under the BREEAM system, from the BRE. If rolled out across the UK, the nation’s offices would significantly reduce their carbon emissions.

David Henderson, managing director of Morgan Lovell, said: “Recognition in The Sunday Times Green List reinforces the level of research and development we’ve put in place to reduce the impact the nation’s workspaces place on the planet.

“We are committed to developing a more sustainable approach to office design and build in the UK and this gives us a great platform to show the business community how workplaces can be committed to the environment, financially viable and innovative in their design.”

ENDS

Located in London, Birmingham and the Thames Valley, Morgan Lovell is the UK’s leading office interior design, fit out and refurbishment specialist. With its own teams of designers, surveyors and project managers, the company can design and deliver entire projects, with the benefit of just one point of contact. http://www.morganlovell.com

It is part of top five UK construction and regeneration group Morgan Sindall plc which operates through five specialist divisions of fit out, construction, infrastructure services, affordable housing and urban regeneration.

Morgan Lovell is a licensed BREEAM Offices Assessment Organisation. This means it is now licensed to measure the sustainability score of an office in order to identify ways companies can reduce high energy usage and waste, whilst increasing comfort and satisfaction for users of the building.

Press release written by Jane Shepherd, Shepherd PR Limited. Tel 01538 308685. Mobile 07985 129315

jane@shepherd-pr.com

Technorati Tags:office layout, office design, office relocation, office interiors, sustainable office, office fit out, leed, office transformation, carbon neutral office design, office refit, office fitting, breeam
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Ten Ways to Handle Sales Objections

2008-05-21T11:03:00.001-07:00

Author: David Lynch

1. Always try and ANTICIPATE objections in your presentation and COUNTER-OBJECT before the prospect gets the chance to use them. Too many sales people wait until objections come along. This makes more hard work that is often not necessary with efficient script planning.

2. Never rush your response to an objection. STOP and REFLECT. Show the customer you are listening! Sales people often respond too quickly in these situations. This will often create friction with the client which could also be avoided.

3. Repeat the objection back to the customer. This will buy you time and it will also show that you are interested in what they have to say. It’s a good idea to say the same thing but with slightly different wording. It just sounds a bit more natural and less construed.

4. Remember that objections are often a "BUYING SIGNAL" because the customer is questioning your offer. If they had no interest, why would they still be talking to you? Watch out for an objection that is followed by another question! This is another sign that the customer is interested even though their “tone” may not make it that obvious.

5. Ask the customer if they are interested if you think that their objection is just a SMOKESCREEN. Smokescreen objections can be a real time waster for sales people and unfortunately even the more seasoned professionals can fall into this trap. Some clients can feel overpowered by a confident sales person and there only escape is to create a “false objection” A simple way to eradicate this type of problem is by further probing in order to make sure that the objection is genuine.

6. Remember that statistically speaking 3 OBJECTIONS are needed before a person will buy. How many sales people give up after the first or second objection without realizing that this person would have bought if they had persisted a little more? This can be particularly the case when a sales person is experiencing a “Bad Patch”

7. Objections are part and parcel of the Sales Process. Don't let them stop you from reaching your goals. Yes it’s true that objections can be a form of unwelcome distraction but the true professional doesn’t let them ever get in the way of end goals.

8. LISTEN carefully to objections. They often hold valuable clues about the client's needs and PAIN. An objection can often reveal important information that is often worth noting because even if the customer doesn’t buy on this occasion you may know what buttons to press the next time you speak to them.

9. The better you explain your offer, the less objections you will hear! It’s important to articulate your presentation in a way that the prospect clearly understands what you’re on about. This will help to avoid objections that arise from not clearly understanding what you have said.

10. Wouldn't selling be boring if people never objected? This may appear strange at first but I actually think some customers enjoy the “bartering element” of buying and sales people should be fully aware of this. In my career I’ve often been congratulated for my persistence. I sometimes imagined that the client hated me by the time we were closing the deal. The reality was often very different in that they actually complimented my stamina and will to overcome all the obstacles that stood in the way.

This article was written by Sales Expert and Sales Course Creator David Lynch who has written many books such as “Making The Seller” and “39 Mistakes to Avoid in Sales” He offers lots of valuable FREE sales tips on his website www.makingtheseller.com

About the Author:

David Lynch is the author of "Making The Seller," the highly successful sales training e-book for telesales and cold calling. He has a wealth of experience in industries ranging from finance to the hospitality. David's style of writing is full of passion and dedication and has inspired many ordinary sellers to become great.

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The Free Spider Web System Exploding MLM Machine

2008-05-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

Author: RB Perkovic

The free Spider Web System is making waves out in the world of MLM and Internet Marketing in general. It's empowering individuals who are looking to either get into their very own home business or individuals who are in an existing MLM company but are not making it, with their current business and marketing systems and are looking for some R-E-A-L solutions on how to generate new customers and leads into their primary business.

The beauty with the spider web system and what RoundGoods Consulting have put forth is that it lays it out in lay man terms, exactly how to get your online business going while helping you to put into place a system which generates 12 plus streams of passive income; and on top of this, the spider web will also set itself up to start pulling in leads and new prospects into the web for it's owner to start building their business with.

How? Greeeat question.

Well...first of all, right after signing up, you are put through all the steps and procedures with video tutorials and explicit instructions on how to go about building your very own spider web on the world wide web, spinning it out their, as any old spider would, who is looking to catch their next meal....with the one exception here, you don't get to eat your "catch," rather, you get to build working relationships with real people who are looking to make either full-time or part-time incomes from their home businesses.

The spider web system will not cost you a dime, cent, peso or dollar to get into it and started.

Does that mean that it will not cost you any money at all?

Not bloody likely!

Let me ask you this question? Where can you start and operate a business without it costing you money? If you know.......... pleeeease tell me. I'd love to know!

It's ridiculous to even to assume that this can be done. But, that doesn't mean that it can't be done entirely either. After setting up your 12 streams of income....your cost for the system will amount to about $20.00 and if you didn't want to spend another cent on it, you might get a slow, slooooow, sloooooooow dribble of new prospects into it.

With statistics for the Internet Marketing scene raging at a high of 97% of individuals failing, then I am not surprised to see "why" there are hesitant individuals not wanting to spend any more money on "another" ....? Loss = Pain. Pain doesn't feel so good.

But, as you can see from some of my other posts here, I have been with the system for over 4 weeks now, and I am turning over regular money as well as building my down line and when it comes to network marketing, then that's what you want, and more importantly, you want your down lines being able to duplicate you and being able to build their very own teams and businesses; turning over profits and drawing in prospects.

Yes, the basic premise of the Spider Web is that it is a self-funded proposal system, or as it also known as "funded proposal prospecting system." Essentially, it spells out the same meaning.....meaning that, your targeting individuals who are looking for a solution, in this case, the solution is provided in a full package of tutorial videos, 12 streams of passive income, complete with 4 capture pages, back office which has an auto responder and tracking built into it.
Exactly what any online entrepreneur would need to get started and be able to function as a business should be able to.

What's that I hear you ask? "It's for Free?"

Well...yes, it's for free, which makes it even more appealing but what makes it unique as a system, is that as long as your adding and building your down line up then those streams of income will continue to flow in, and that is where the funding is coming from and if you were completely lazy, then it might just do for a while, until the market was completely saturated.

But, the concept that Kimball Roundy--founder--is pushing with the system, is that the system is the system and not your primary business or secondary, but provides a solution to getting one set-up as an Internet home business without needing to read 50 ebooks, study Google AdWords and Google AdSense backwards and....if that isn't enough, to watch 5 tutorials by all the known Gurus.....to then still be in a position of confusion because one; just isn't able to put "all the pieces of puzzle" together to make a beautiful picture.

The Spider Web takes all of the confusions and distractions out of the "picture" and generates income and prospects for you to be able to work with and grow a network business which can then be promoted and duplicated by others, no-matter their level of computer and Internet--savviness!

The concept is not a new one and their have been some predecessors to the spider web, but what Kimball has exceptionally done, was to put together a system which gave one the hatting and steps to be able to set-up their business and get it going making money IMMEDIATELY...without needing to spend all the long hours into the nights and in order to do so.

If you have ever had anything to do with MLMs or networking before, then you can understand that people lose momentum when either of a few things happen:

1. People aren't joining up.
2. Loss of money in trying to get people to sign-up, who don't end up signing up.
3. Loss of enthusiasm from losing money, losing time in trying to get people to sign-up and who, just don't end up joining.
4. One isn't able to get others duplicating the steps necessary in order to grow their down lines business, so you get that same "vicious circle...." losing interest, momentum, money and STILL no one joining up.

So of course, failure will ensue. And there...in a few lines, we get the general idea why network marketers fail online.

Now, in a Nutshell, the spider web system eliminates all these.

I should know, because I am using it and applying the system, building my business into numbers which I only thought about and never considered factually to be realistic--for me that is.

For those who have been online and have made the attempts to or have built some numbers to their business, the spider web is a blessing, to the degree that one does make the honest efforts to follow the step by step instructions as laid out in the tutorials, but bearing in mind, that the system is also in a beta stage, and that as any other beta product, you're going to get bugs appearing and hiccups in the process.

Kimball and his team are ironing these out, from an auto-blog posting issues, to having additional servers being added in order to be able to keep up with the system demands.

The point is that, by the time you are through setting up, you now have a powerful tool in which to go out into the world wide web and generate leads and clients as well as finding people who are willing to join you as team members:-)

Pretty sweet deal.

Right now, I don't believe their is a better system out their that can effectively market you and more importantly, your home business such as the one seen with the spider web system. It's definitely been exploding my business and will continue to do so, as long as I continue to create the business and more importantly, as long as the system can be duplicated by my team members and their team members--and so on.

Obviously, I haven't been able to tell all here, as there is soooo much that one needs to experience for themselves in order to really appreciate the REAL value that you get with the spider web system.

Think of your self as Neo in the Matrix. Which color pill are you going to take? The Red One--forget all that you have been told and go back to your life as if nothing has changed or....will you take the Blue one, and off into a new land of adventure.

It's your choice......

Click here for the Blue one--http://www.thespiderwebsystem.com/smartcookie

May you never be the same again,

RB
http://www.aworldwideweb.ws

About the Author:

Always inspiring to be at cause in living life and taking control. Being in business for oneself is best when you get rewarded for all your efforts. Enjoy the tale.

Technorati Tags:home business, internet home business, viral marketing, best online business, free spider web system, best online mlm, affiliate sponsoring, building down lines, finding leads, getting prospects, exploding my business online with net
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The Dirtiest Secret About Network Marketing and How This Can Affect Your Business

2008-05-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

Author: Robert Cummings

There is something I have to tell you: it is the dirtiest secret about network marketing.

People may tell you that there is no secret to making it big in MLM. It’s just hard work and determination, they say. They are completely wrong, or worse yet, being dishonest with you. There is a secret; they may not even know it.

Curious? Read on:

Don’t Market Products Or Opportunities. Market Information.

The use of information as a marketing tool is called educational marketing and it is the answer to succeeding in network marketing. Employing this technique can increase your earnings as much as tenfold – or even more if you are one of those who are using the “technique” of merely trying to put the hard sell to everyone in sight.

Educational marketing works because it positions you as a leader; and as an authority figure in your field. This will attract people to you and win their trust. If your target market sees you as someone who knows what they are talking about, they will be far more receptive to doing business with you.

Great, you say, but how is this done exactly?

You want to show people how to build a network marketing business before they sign on to yours. It is far better to show people that you know your business than to simply tell them that you know how to build business. Whether or not someone intends to join your business, teach them anyways!

The people you talk to are not really looking for just an opportunity; they want a sure-fire way to success. They want to know that they will, without a doubt be a success in your business if they decide to join with you. By simply imparting solid business advice rather than a sales pitch, you are demonstrating the way to be successful in network marketing. This presents people with a solution instead of an opportunity, which will be a winning formula for you and your business.

People are naturally resistant to the idea of getting involved in something, which will require an investment of money and effort without some sort of assurance that things will work out for them in the long run. This is why you need to get people’s interest by providing free information and training.

Do you know what the number one cause of fear is when starting a new business?

Lack of knowledge!

When you educate people, you are allaying their fears and befriending them at the same time.

Everyone appreciates good information. Information is the number one reason that people for instance, turn to the Internet.

Information sells your business without selling your business at all. Rather, information sells the idea that your business is something that people need. By providing information to someone on how to build their business, they in turn will realize they need a sales and marketing strategy to be successful. And guess what? You, as an expert in that area, happen to offer a sales and marketing strategy – which means success for you!

Think of your primary business as what retailers call an “add-on” sale. These are far easier to make than the initial sale – add on sales are made once you already have the customer’s interest.

By delivering valuable information to people, you win their trust and overcome their natural skepticism. Thus, your opportunity is seen as a much better idea to them than one offered by someone else.

The biggest successes in network marketing have gotten where they are not by selling their product or service, but by selling their knowledge. Information, which tells people how to do it themselves and is relevant to their business success, is what will make sales for you.

If you would like to learn additional techniques on how to attract more prospects to your primary program without selling your primary program, visit my training site for more tips and techniques.

About the Author:

Robert Cummings is a professional Internet & network marketing business coach assisting beginners and leaders on how to be successful online. In order to get the most out of your business and avoid failure, I highly recommend you go and check out his website and grab a copy of your FREE download at: Network Marketing Success Tips!

Technorati Tags:mlm, network marketing, multi level marketing, network marketing training, network marketing success, attraction marketing, network marketing internet business, start an mlm business, the renegade network marketer, free network marketing advice
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How and When to Present Your Business Cards

2008-05-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

Author: Joel Owens

In the world of business where corporate image is very important, the first impression you make on prospective business partners or clients will make or break your chances on getting the project that you want. So just how important are business cards?

Go ask any businessman attending business meetings or any social gathering for that matter. Smart businessmen realize that a business card provides you with a quick and easy way of advertising yourself or your company.

Unlike a brochure or a poster, a calling card is relatively small and you can easily bring it anywhere. Hand them out in any occasion - more formal businessmen have card holders but the most important thing is that your calling cards are with you. It wouldn’t really be much of a problem since your compact business cards can easily fit in all places - your bag, your wallet, presentation folders, between the pages of your books, and even in the pockets of your suit.

Be in the Game: Present Your Calling Cards

• Imagine, you are sitting in a bar and just struck up a conversation with a fellow businessman, what will you do next? Exchange your calling cards of course. A small gesture that potentially leads to bigger things.

• Exchanging calling cards may not be an actual transaction but it can technically be that with you swapping information. This is what a simple exchange of calling cards can do. You can even be more hopeful if your prospects tell you “Give me a call.”

• Nevertheless, callings cards are more than that. It is a gesture that you observe, initiating a step towards building relationships. It makes business more personal and intimate. It is the human side of business for it is not just about numbers or figures. It gives your company a human face making it easier for a person to remember you and your company.

• All the more, window of opportunities with exchanging cards allows you to interact in a more friendly approach. It lets you put your foot in the door – gaining your clients’ trust and confidence. And that, as any businessman should now, is what you have to earn.

• Always have a few words to say and end it with a handshake. Even when the other person hasn’t or wouldn’t allow you to finish talking, always initiate it. Your words and your gestures all contributes as to how effective you can be in pursuing clients, even if it began with a simple calling card.

• If your calling card is designed as an appointment card, persuade the other person to make good on that. Set-up a meeting with your client and write the details all down on that appointment card. This is especially useful for service-oriented businesses like ahir salons, wellness or spa centers, and more.

You must always take advantage of that vital moment when a person takes a glance at your business card. That is why it is imperative for any business to have professional-looking business cards that will grab the attention of the person that you give it to.

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Stepping Stones to Custom Size Brochure Printing

2008-05-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

Author: Joel Owens

Brochures play a role in giving you faster and even better return on investment. Direct mailing with custom size brochures is an effective way of stretching out across to your desired audience - but then it would all depend on how you make them.

Good brochures are one of the key factors that can give companies great results, raising them from a bad slump to a ladder of success.

You can easily create the brochure you need to turn your sales and business activity around. Know that brochures are a platform you can use to send out your message and ideas. This can be used as your letter to your clients and patrons with your promotional offers or discount coupons, as a pledge and information sheet in support for a cause or upcoming activity, a campaign material, and more.

These are but some of the most basic guidelines you should keep in mind when shaping you brochure. This should make it a lot easier and smooth-going along the way.

Size

When designing your brochures, always set the size you want to make it. Strictly define your design within the confines of the size you opted for. Whether it is a standard size or custom size brochure you want, nothing wastes your time and effort than resizing your design just because you realize the size is all wrong.

Make sure that the images you need and want are perfectly translated in the space provided by the size you choose. Be always aware that resizing the images affects the resolution or sharpness of the images.

Give Some Space

Place a bleed area for your brochures. Allocate this space and extend your design to at least 0.125 of an inch. These small spaces are a precaution against the blade that cuts your paper. If and when the stack of paper moves, the bleed area is the one that secures all the vital elements of your design are never ever compromised – by this we mean accidentally cut off.

High Resolution

Digital images are easier to incorporate into your brochures. If you want to scan pictures, choose the right resolution setting so you can preserve and maintain a sharp digital image.

Brochures, among other, are a visually captivating material. So if you want to be able to come up with good visuals, your photos and images must always be crisp and clean.

Be Unique

Use your creativity when it comes to just about every detail of your brochure. Carefully add accents that can complement your message, desired theme or concept. Use details to enhance your brochures and not clutter it.

One simple way of knowing how certain layouts and details work is by reviewing several brochures you see around you.

Take the time too to think about all the details of your brochure because this may well spell its effectiveness – how can it arrest the interest of your readers, how it rises from the competition, and how it can deliver your message with impact. So use these tips, among many others, and let them be your stepping stones to make your custom size brochure truly convenient, easy, and successful.

About the Author:

Technorati Tags:marketing, printing, brochures, brochure, design, digital, custom, designing, size
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Is MLM a Scam?

2008-05-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Author: Tony Bernard

MLM, or Multi-Level Marketing, businesses have gotten a bad rap for being scams. People are promised alot of money in a short period of time, or "sold a dream", and end up getting burned. When this happens, it leaves people wondering if MLM is a scam.

Well, to answer the question, "Is MLM a scam?", the question is no. There are thousands of legit MLM opportunities out there that are worth investing in. However, from time to time, there are MLM scams that arise. It's usually the new company's that are in pre-launch selling a dream, with no tangible products or services being sold.

The two types of MLM scams to look out for are:

1. Pyramid Schemes- when the MLM company emphasize more on bringing in distributors, rather than consumers. And in most cases doesn't have products or services.

2. Ponzi Schemes- when there isn't a product or service being sold, and the money that's being made off new enrollees are used to pay off the guys at the top.

A great way to find out if the MLM company you're considering to join is a scam, call the company. Get phone numbers of distributors, as well as consumers. This will help you get a feel for the company and whether or not they have a product or service that's being sold.

Also, check the company's track record. View over their financial reports. This will help you figure out if the MLM company is a scam or not.

Oh, and don't be fooled by the whole concept that, "you have to get in at the top", or when the company first launches to make any money. That's a total lie. You can make a ton of money with a company that's been around for 25 years.

So, don't fall for that. Or the lie that, "the timing is so right. Get in now!" People use that as an urgency to get you to take fast action. Don't fall for that. Thoroughly review the MLM company you're considering. It'll be well worth it in the long run.

You also need to get with a team that has great training. You need marketing skills in order to grow a successful MLM business. It's not hard to learn marketing. But, it will take some time. MLM is not a lottery ticket. Nor is it a way for you to just get "plugged" in to a system and make a 6 figure income with no work. It will take work.

You have to look at it from a realistic approach. You can, and it is possible, for you to generate thousands of dollars your first few months in a MLM business, but the training has to be good and effective. Oh, and on a side note, making lists of friends and family isn't effective.

Use this information to evaluate the company you're considering joining. And if you're already in a MLM company, re-evaluate your company to be sure that it isn't a scam.

About the Author:

For information and secrets on growing a successful MLM business, visit:

http://www.SucceedEasy.com

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Lead Qualification and Its Effect on the Success of Your Business

2008-05-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

Author: Denise MacDougall

When your lead qualification method is funneling credible prospects into your business pipeline, success is inevitable.

Here are a few questions you need to consider:

Is your lead qualification process targeting WalMart or Saks Fifth Avenue? In other words, are you looking for the bargain variety? The quality of your leads reflects the quality of your business. In my opinion, this is not the place to be cutting corners.

How do you capture new leads? For example, if you’re using a lead capture page, you need to be sure that your campaign is using the correct keywords and that there are some filters in place so that only credible prospects are being collected.

If you are talking to live leads, are you adequately trained in the screening aspect of the lead qualification process? The single most important rule is learning to listen. Is the prospect looking for a get rich quick scheme? Your ideal prospect is somebody who will be excited to work with your team to achieve targeted goals and eventual success.

Once you learn to screen and prioritize your leads, you STOP wasting your valuable time.

Lead qualification is the front line in the battle to secure your share of the market. When you execute a distinctive lead qualification process, your business pipeline will produce the credible prospects and quality leaders that will help you business to flourish.

To learn more about effective sponsoring, this website has proven to be very informative. http://www.EZ4UNOW.com

About the Author:

Denise MacDougall is a professional recruiter for an internet driven global business system. You can visit her website at http://www.go-4-success.com or you can email her directly at s3revolution@gmail.com.

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Be Aware of Your Image

2008-05-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Author: Kaitlyn Miller

There’s a lot that goes into a good company image.

I once went into an interview with a small company. The building I entered was almost entirely void of pictures, had hardly any furniture, and the office I was greeted into was largely bare. The very look of the place around me felt shabby.

I left that interview with no interest in working for the company. I was left with the impression of a very temporary kind of business that wasn’t going to be around for very long.

I couldn’t honestly say if they were, but that’s the impression I was left with when the interview as over.

Now, this was a rather extreme example, sure, but it’s still important to be aware of. Everything about your business is going to go into the image you present to the public. I don’t know how good those people were at what they do, and I never will. You can do a great job but if people don’t have trust in you it doesn’t really matter.

The bigger your business is the more this is going to apply to the kind of store you run and the people you hire. The type of clothing they wear to the design and layout of the building are all going to be taken into consideration by a person shopping there for the first time. People like to feel safe with a place, and you need to give off that image.

If you have a smaller business how you present yourself is going to be even more important. Think about the kind of body language you use and how you carry yourself through conversations. You’ll need to really step back and analyze how you act when you’re doing business.

Business card printing is also going to be a must. Not only is it going to look a lot more professional to have some full color business cards ready to hand to people whenever you need to, but it gives them a means of remembering you.

Another important factor when dealing with business card printing is that it shows people that you’re willing to spend the money on the small, but important details. A lot of small business owners strapped for cash might rely on a great impression to be enough to make a person remember them.

It’s always great to make a good impression, but it still can’t compete with the tangible nature of a full color business card when it comes to staying with a person.

Take a step back with your business and consider exactly what kind of image you’re putting forward. Stop to consider every angle that you can, because all of it comes together when people are taking a good look at you.

About the Author:

For more information, you can visit this page on business card printing and full color business cards

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Is Attraction Marketing Working for Your Business Online?

2008-05-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

Author: D Sterlin

The best thing about building a home based business on the internet is the time it allows you to be free. Creating free time otherwise for those who we care about is sometimes nearly impossible.

The hum-drum of life for non home based business owners is wrapped around making money rather than living life.

Enjoying life can mean so many things and generally it’s about living it without any restrictions, the freedom. When you invest into your home based business seek ways to build it on the internet.

You are setting an example, a constant action and desire into the world. This can be very powerful and is often referred to as attraction marketing.

An awesome way to use attraction marketing is with social networks like Myspace. These networks can create huge amounts of steady traffic.

Begin by searching for successful marketers on the internet, read these web pages until you have instilled the exact format in which they used.

Now go to Myspace or any social networking community and open an account. After you do this, you'll want to now edit your profile and used the formats you gathered.

Now you’ll need to do things like add blog posts, friends, and comments to get active within the community and learn where you'd like to invest your time.

Every social networking site has several ways to communicate between its users, your job is to learn them all and use them respectfully with your partners. Eventually you'll see what specific means work for you and which ones don't.

This is how you build your business on the internet social networking. Make yourself known by being yourself, with everyone you encounter.

Any business owner on the internet who establishes relationships and makes friends is bound to residual income. This is so awesome and can be set up as many times you'd like forever!

If your looking into creating multiple incomes with your home based business using the internet, you'll have to set up "income streams" within yourself that you market.

This can include anything and should be on auto pilot. Internet surfers should be able to come to your site and get more information about you and what your doing, different things you offer, and a way to contact you.

But the most important factor about your page is the holy area where the surfers can enter in their contact information.

Think about the way you introduce yourself in person to people who you'd like to know more about. This is what you do with the people that come to your site.

When they reach your website and your marketing is just, they have been "qualified" and your goal then becomes to grow with them as a friend period. Offer them what you know and how you know it, hobbies, or whatever; just be you.

Investing into your home based business growth by learning how to use the internet is simply a great choice.

I congratulate you on this step regardless of where you are, at this point. If you continue to seek the knowledge you will learn it, so go use it!

About the Author:

D Sterlin is known for newsletter The Dot! which provides tools, programs and more to business owners free. She is an advocate of taking action and is directly contributing to the community with her insght and marketing techniques.

Technorati Tags:social networking, small business, attraction marketing, business owners, web 2.0, d sterlin, array home based business
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Create Drupal 6 Modules With New Book

2008-05-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Author: Shriharsha Bhat

Learning Drupal 6 Module Development is a new book from Packt, which acts as a practical tutorial for creating Drupal 6 modules with PHP. Written by Matt Butcher, this book will help users to walk through the development of complete Drupal 6 Modules.

Drupal is a free and open-source modular web application framework and content management system (CMS) written in PHP. It can run in many environments, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and FreeBSD. It's a modular system, with an elegant hook-based architecture, and great code. These are a few of the perks that make Drupal a choice platform for developers who want the power of an established CMS, but the freedom to make it work for them. From social networking to AJAX to e-commerce, the hundreds of existing modules attest to Drupal's flexibility.

If users are eager to start creating modules for Drupal 6, this is their book. They will walk through the development of complete Drupal modules with this primer for PHP programmers. Specifically written for Drupal 6, this book will get users coding modules as quickly as possible, and help them add the features that will give their work that professional gloss!

This book will give users a clear, concise and, of course, practical guidance to take them from the basics of creating their first module to developing the skills to make them a Drupal developer to be reckoned with. Learning Drupal 6 Module Development covers the new and updated APIs to guide their transition to Drupal 6. The new menu system, the Forms and Schema APIs, and many core revisions are covered in this book.

This book is written for PHP developers who want to add custom features to Drupal. Users will need to know the basics of PHP and MySQL programming, but no experience of programming Drupal is required, although they will be expected to be familiar with the basic operation of Drupal.

About the Author:

Matt Butcher is the principal consultant for Aleph-Null, Inc., a systems integrator that specializes in Free and Open Source solutions.Matt has worked on a wide variety of projects, including embedding Linux in set-top boxes and developing advanced search engines based on artificial intelligence and medical informatics technologies. Matt is involved in several Open Source communities. He is also a member of the Emerging Technologies Lab at Loyola University Chicago, where he is currently finishing a Ph.D. in philosophy. Matt has written two other books for Packt: Managing and Customizing OpenCms 6, and Building Websites with OpenCms. Matt has also contributed articles to Newsforge.com, TheServerSide.com, and LinuxDevices.com.

Technorati Tags:drupal, php, open source, content management, modules, drupal 6, packt publishing, drupal 6 modules
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Musicdish Network & Partners Launch Groundbreaking Consulting & Marketing Service

2008-05-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

Author: Eric de Fontenay

Three influential U.S. music marketing and promotional companies have come together to provide indie artists a vast array of personalized marketing and consulting services.

MusicDish, Inside the Music Business (sm) and Serchlite Music have announced the Music Consulting & Marketing Collective (MCMC) - a full marketing and promotional service providing a new arsenal of cutting-edge offerings and avenues for indie artists looking to break into the music industry.

MCMC is designed to offer a new voice for emerging artists seeking access by developing a substantial suite of hands-on consulting and content-based marketing products and services. Each partnering company will bring their respective specializations under the joint venture, providing an unparalleled foundation of more than 40 years of music industry experience.

"While many labels and artists often lack the supporting marketing and on-hand expertise necessary to succeed in one of the most competitive music markets in the world," noted MusicDish president Eric de Fontenay. "The combined assets being assembled through MCMC provide a comprehensive solution for international artists by tapping into a network of leading music industry professionals as well as offering a comprehensive marketing package."

MCMC will integrate all its collective resources to provide access to leading industry professionals, including attorneys, producers, A&R reps, distributors as well as cutting edge marketing - exposing the artist to an international base of industry power players and music fans. On the marketing side of the equation, MCMC will combine promotional opportunities through mobile, online, video, television and radio to impact its clients' careers in a tangible, measurable way.

"With our collective reach, relationships, experience and desire to help the next generation of musicians, I believe MCMC will quickly become the 'go to' place for artists who are committed to getting to that next level because our focus is about providing tangible, usable feedback along with result-driven marketing, says Eric Kline, producer/director and founder of the Inside the Music Business brand of products and services. "I'm really excited about joining forces with Serchlite Music and the Music Dish Network, two companies that I have tremendous respect for and who continually make things happen for artists - a tall order in today's changing music business climate."

"The Music Consulting and Marketing Collective is a new and exciting venture for Serchlite and I share a vision of representing and connecting with the independent artist, the hip-hop culture and the community in an honest and responsible way," says CC Carnie. "This partnership with Inside the Music Business and Music Dish is a natural business pairing. I look forward to sharing ideas and breaking new ground once again in a new area. We are not looking to just have another marketing company, we are looking to perfect our relationship with indie artist and the music consumer."

For more info please visit http://www.MusicDish.net and visit the artist services section.

About MusicDish
MusicDish Network is the artist development department of MusicDish LLC, a leading music magazine publisher and marketing firm. Launched in 2001 as a marketing service for independent artists, MusicDish Network has grown into a complete artist development program, leveraging brand development, saturated and relationship marketing, digital distribution, event planning and industry outreach to support emerging artists' and bands' careers. MusicDish has supported the careers of hundreds of independent artists as well as emerging music labels and companies.
http://www.musicdish.net

About Inside the Music Business
First created and used in 1999, Inside the Music Business is a multi-platform concept created by Producer - Director Eric Kline (who served as Sr. Producer at the Box Music Network through the 1990's). The company and brand provides unique opportunity and 'tools for success' for aspiring unsigned artists and music industry "buffs" while also delivering the core music consumer directly to record retail, local radio and to major recording artists and labels. These include a book 2 CD set, music business consulting, a multi-disc DVD set and forthcoming syndicated radio programming.
http://www.insidethemusicbusiness.com

About Serchlite Music
Serchlite Music was founded in 1999 by Hip Hop mogul and visionary MC Serch to maximize the numerous business and creative opportunities he perceived within the entertainment industry. In 2003, CC Carnie, was brought in as partner and President and now runs its day to day operations.

From his roots in music - MC Serch helped to bring hip-hop into the cultural mainstream through his founding of the legendary Hip-Hop group 3rd Bass. From here he diversified his interests into publishing, executive producing, fashion, film, and most recently, television. Serchlite Music's success rests on its unique ability to identify, interpret and develop provocative synergistic content. Among its flagship businesses is its marketing and promotion arm which has achieved great success over the past 10 years working with over 120 artists, both @ major labels as well as independents. Serchlite Music also pursues involvement with charitable organizations like VH1's Save the Music, The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and The Hip Hop Summit Action Network, which all work to empower and enlighten urban youth across the country.
http://www.serchlitemusic.com

About the Author:
Eric de Fontenay built in 1997 what has become some of the leading voices in the growing debates shaping the entertainment industry through its trade e-publications MusicDish and Mi2N. He later expanded MusicDish LLC into brand development and artist development, while diving into personal management with World Calypso band Kobo Town. Eric is a regular speaker at conferences worldwide ranging from MIDEM to the Harvard Law School as well as in print with his last paper "Peer-to-Peer Networking and Policy" published by Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Technorati Tags:music, marketing, promotion, artist, independent, consulting, indie
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Viral Marketing Is Topping The Scales In Popularity

2008-05-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

Author: Davin Ogden

Viral marketing strategies are becoming implemented more as we've come to know more about it's power to propel a business faster. Viral marketing has really taken off in the last couple of years and with it, so have many of the viral marketing examples and strategies in which people are utilizing. In the course of just the last year we have seen some amazing software products and several programs in which to spread your viral marketing campaign farther.

In any viral marketing campaign, there are certain things that a person or company has to keep in mind. For one thing, behind every campaign there has to be some type of gain or incentive for the person to want to pass the message on. Campaigns that don't really give back to the sending party, most likely won't benefit from viral marketing advantages.

For example, if we are speaking of cases of viral marketing for list building, many viral marketers have taken to using tell-a-friend forms. But, regular tell-a-friend forms are not usually enough to give a person the needed incentive to push a campaign along. It's for this reason we started seeing products such as Viral Friend Generator come into play. With Viral Friend Generator, we seen that by adding a third step to the process, we could add a bonus of some type to the sending party. Prior to this, regular tell-a-friend forms weren't really hitting the mark.

In some cases of viral marketing it doesn't always need an incentive such as material goods to be effective though. In fact, the most successful viral campaigns are the ones that are created with emotion being involved. People that have been touched either by compassion, laughter, or shock are usually the most effective. If a person can have some type of profound experience by receiving a message this can spark a huge viral campaign. We don't have to look very far to find campaigns of this type online. With the advent of video being used so much in marketing these days, it has completely impacted the way in which viral campaigns are developing.

Blogs are becoming much more viral friendly as well. Some of the Wordpress plug-ins that have been developed for boosting people's posts in many of the Social Bookmarking sites, or RSS submission services are really getting amazing. It's so great to see some of the technology that's coming out with helping in viral marketing. But, remember to use some of these plug-ins you do need to have a Wordpress blog hosted on your own hosting account. Otherwise, most aren't created for use with such blogs created on Blogger or on Wordpress's own servers.

There are a few very good products and strategies that have come to very good use for marketing viral. Definitely one of my favorite outlets these days for re-branding and creating my own versions of viral marketing software came with a membership I got with the guys at IMBuzz softwares. Each month I get a brand new one, and each of these has always been of very good quality. It's one of the best memberships I think I've ever been a part of. Since I'm in the viral marketing niche, these softwares suited my business like a glove with some key advantages for viral marketing! I'm also a huge fan of Viral Spiral. It's helped a very good friend of mine and myself to create a good sized mailing list, and also provided a place to help people along with their online marketing careers. It's great to be able to do this virally, plus help people at the same time.

If you have ever been interested in implementing what is now available to you with viral marketing, there really couldn't be a better time than now. We are living in a perfect time with access to some very powerful platforms and programs to help with your viral marketing campaigns.

About the Author:

Davin Ogden owns and operates several websites on the internet. You can learn more about him on his Viral Marketing Strategies blog. Download a very helpful viral free software called The Groovytastic Forum Blitz here.

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