March 31, 2005
4 Tips for the Summer Slowdown - How To Pick Up Sales
You may have heard about the "summer slowdown". You may be experiencing it right now, or you may not be affected. Regardless it's important to pay attention, and do something this time of year.
If sales are slow and weren't in the spring, most likely this means your target market isn't spending as much time online as they were before (this could be due to vacations, spending time with family/children out of school, etc). There are several different options you have now:
1. Do nothing - take a vacation yourself
While not the most practical for a growing business, if you need a break - take one while you can. Collect your thoughts and ideas and get ready for your busy season.
2. Reorganize and prepare for fall
Similar to the first option, except you are still active and preparing. Clean your desk, organize your files, brainstorm new ideas for all, write new ads, research new markets, redesign your website, finish a few marketing books you've been meaning to read, etc. There are lots of things you can do to keep yourself busy that will also help your business.
Continue reading "4 Tips for the Summer Slowdown - How To Pick Up Sales"March 29, 2005
13 Facts About Newspaper Advertising
Advertising in the paper works for many people in business. The astute merchant understands the newspaper's weaknesses and works to avoid them whenever possible.
Here are 13 facts you should know.
1 Despite declining circulation figures and increasing ad rates, newspapers still reach large audiences, daily.
2 Newspapers are considered the PRIMARY advertising medium by 99.4% of all retailers. Newspapers have been there in every step of the typical store owner's life from the very beginning. Newspapers covered his birth, his high school graduation, his engagement, his marriage, the death of his parents and everything else.
3 Many, if not most, retailers, lay out their own ads. It is said that over the years, merchants have come to believe the only way to get it right is to do it themselves. This thinking has given rise to the new breed of newspaper salesperson. No training, just a list of customers and the daily question "Gotchyur ad ready yet"
4 There is no proof full page or double-truck ads are more effective than half page ads. The savings can be spent on a concurrent radio campaign or billboards.
Continue reading "13 Facts About Newspaper Advertising"March 24, 2005
How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer
Knowing how to write, and write well, is a skill that will come in handy in all sorts of situations. And if you combine good writing skills with the persuasive selling tactics found in, say, copywriting, you'll be that much more ahead of your competition.
Of all the different types of writing I've done in my life (and believe me, I've tried practically all of them) writing radio has made one of the bigger impacts on my writing style.
Below are three ways writing radio can help strengthen your writing style. (Oh, and these tips will also help you write better radio copy too.)
1. Follow the rules. Sometimes rules are good. Especially rules that force you to write a certain way. (Think poetry -- mastering those rules can have an amazing effect on your writing style.) Rules require you to slow down and think, to analyze your word, sentence, grammar, punctuation, etc., choices. And that can be very beneficial to your development as a writer.
Radio is short. You have to write something that fits into a 30- or 60-second slot. Not a lot of time or a lot of words. In that 30 or 60 seconds, you need to capture the listener's attention, explain why they should be interested in buying what you're selling, then let them know what you'd like their next step to be. Oh, and did I mention you need to have the business name in there at least twice and probably a tag line as well And don't forget about music. Or sound effects.
Continue reading "How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer"March 23, 2005
Targeting "Locals" on Search Engines
Surprisingly, 22 million small- and medium-sized businesses spend 46% of their advertising budgets on Yellow Pages marketing and allocate only 3% for search engine keywords.If you or your clients have a click-and-mortar or brick-and-mortar business and are not taking advantage of the new local search engine marketing (SEM) programs, you are missing out on highly targeted traffic for a fraction of the price of national SEM.
A New Kelsey Group survey of 3,887 online consumers in early September revealed the following:
-- More than 74% of survey respondents said that they had conducted local searches
-- Among local search users, 27% of their total search behavior is for local information
-- Approximately 45% of local searches had a buying intent
-- The survey also found that 20% of all searches among this population are local Google or Overture
Continue reading "Targeting "Locals" on Search Engines"Blog Your Customers
Blogging is the newest method and fastest growing trend for businesses to connect with their customers because the blogs (web logs) allow customers and businesses to instantly publish to theweb to share ideas, concepts and news.
So, What Is a Blog Directly from the people who started blogs at www.Blogger.com, "A blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically-like a what's new page or a journal. The content and purposes of blogs varies greatly-from links and commentary about other web sites, to news about a company/person/idea, to diaries, photos, poetry, mini-essays, project updates, even fiction. Blog posts are like instant messages to the web."
How Businesses Are Blogging With Their Customers
Companies are using the blogs is some highly creative ways! Check out
these four examples:
- Nokia
Nokia recently used https://www.projectblog.com to find ten bloggers, who they asked to take pictures with a free new Nokia 3560 phone, along with two months of cell service. Eight of the ten bloggers posted positive reviews on the blog. This fall, Nokia intends to roll out a bigger campaign at five colleges where advertising students will make a 30-second Nokia commercial and journal their progress on their own blogs hosted on a Nokia microsite.
March 22, 2005
Sell With KISS, As In "Keep It Simple, Stupid"
One of the most useful and fundamental communications lessons that has been repeated to me over the years, ever since my earliest days of formal business training, is the fabled, famous, and fabulous "KISS" formula.
In my college marketing class we were told "Keep It Simple, Stupid!" When I entered my three-month sales-training orientation at New York Telephone way back in 1968, it was a more refined "Keep It Short and Simple." New York Telephone didn't want us recruits to hear negative words like stupid. In Army OCS we were given a variation of KISS. KIFSS wasn't quite as short and simple, but it left its firm, indelible training mark with a greater sense of, uh, military bearing. Even though he was never in the service, I see from recent news items that Veep Dick Cheney has picked up that same military jargon.
However we choose to use it, simple messages have the greatest impact. That is why concept slogans like "Intel Inside" are so successful.
Think about how the major players in today's highly successful technology sector apply the KISS formu-la. Microsoft simplifies its message in its definitive product names: Word, Office, At Work, Excel. These are all KISS names that don't require you to think too much to figure out what the products are about.
If your product or service is not already a household word in your vertical niche market, rather than rely on words like fast and easy, what you really need to convey is a word that you can brand that tells it all.
Continue reading "Sell With KISS, As In "Keep It Simple, Stupid""March9, 2005
Reap Incredible Profit with This Simple Strategy
Why is it some people are incredibly successful at utilizing the power of the Internet in their marketing while others can't seem to figure out the winning formula
How often do entrepreneurs and salespeople look for that next magic formula to build their business and increasing revenues, never quite making any of it work Many people make it much more difficult to succeed than it need be while others know exactly what to do ... and they do it.
Ask anyone who has effectively integrated the use of the Internet into their overall marketing strategy and they will tell you success in building your business, both online and off, is about systems. Simple as that.
Developing and utilizing systems is nothing new. Yet, the great search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and getting rich quick continues.
The place you'll find more gold than virtually anywhere else is in doing something many people just don't find appealing. It is in developing and maintaining a solid database. Unfortunately, many people don't find database management sexy enough. So they continually buy into that next secret formula.
Fact is, with a well-groomed database you can increase your revenues and decrease your marketing costs. You can build customer relations and keep your name fresh in the minds of your market by keeping in touch. This establishes excellent position within your market.
Continue reading "Reap Incredible Profit with This Simple Strategy"March7, 2005
What Are The Barriers of Implementing E-Commerce Solutions
What is electronic commerce
"Electronic commerce is about doing business electronically. It is based on the electronic processing and transmission of data, including text, sound and video. It encompasses many diverse activities including electronic trading of goods and services, online delivery of digital content, electronic fund transfers, electronic share trading, electronic bills of lading, commercial auctions, collaborative design and engineering, on-line sourcing, public procurement, direct consumer marketing, and after-sales service. It involves both products (e.g. consumer goods, specialized medical equipment) and services (e.g. information services, financial and legal services); traditional activities (e.g. healthcare, education) and new activities (e.g. virtual malls)." (European Commission, 1997).
Web commerce transactions are often unprofitable because companies fail to change their back-end fulfillment process. Below are some fallacies, in order of importance:
· Our logistics operation can handle web commerce fulfillment
· We can now sell effectively around the globe
· Our existing supplier relationship will support e-commerce applications
· We are selling over the web so we must be making money over the web
· We can always integrate e-commerce solutions with our existing activities
Continue reading "What Are The Barriers of Implementing E-Commerce Solutions"March5, 2005
Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing
Given the inherent problems with traditional marketing techniques, it`s important to master the BASIC STRATEGIES FOR INTEGRATING EMAIL into your overall campaign.
As I`ve just shown you, sending out an EMAIL CAN BE MUCH CHEAPER than other marketing methods. Proceed with caution, however. Email can also cost you a fortune -- in lost opportunities AND cold hard cash -- IF you don`t know the basics.
So that`s where we`re going to start.
First, always keep in mind that your "primary objective". the master key that unlocks your "Success Vault" in Internet Marketing is to build your mailing list - your EMAIL MAILING LIST. (Often referred to as your "In-house list.")
The addresses you collect are going to mean the difference between the middle-of-the-road results that Average Joe and Jane are achieving and the through-the-roof, over-the-top, to-the-moon-and-back MEGA-success that top online sellers achieve. (The difference really is that dramatic.) So don`t miss the boat: The time is NOW to start building your list of email addresses (prospects).
Continue reading "Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing"March3, 2005
The Facts You Should Know About Internet Marketing
I wakeup this morning and see my lovely wife. She was sleeping and looking like angel. I thought probably I am the luckiest guy in the world. I have a gorgeous wife, a cute doll (my daughter). I have money and time to enjoy life, and I dont need to worry about my future. Suddenly I remember those days when I started Internet marketing.
I can't forget those worst days when I used to work 16 hours a day. I come from my JOB (Just Over Broke) and started working on my computer till 4.00 o'clock in morning. I had dark circle under my eyes. I had no time for friends, family and even for my love. I did every thing I read and almost exhausted my Credit Card but I couldn't make money.
It happens with almost every newbie's. So the question here "what is the secret of Success in Internet marketing" The answer is your own OPT-IN LIST and Targeted visitors on your website.
OPT-IN LIST: Youve probably heard about "The List" many times. This is the only fact that there is nothing more valuable in your online business than your email list. EVERYTHING you do online should grow your list, even if it's one person at a time.
Think about it... if you've got a list, you can send valuable content, and then create lots of product offers as time goes on. But if you DON'T have a list... it doesn't matter how many offers you create, because NOBODY will see them.
Continue reading "The Facts You Should Know About Internet Marketing"March1, 2005
11 Powerful Marketing Tips
Each of these 11 marketing tips is based on a marketing strategy or tactic proven to boost sales. How many are you using
Tip 1: Your customers buy your product or service to feel a certain way after their purchase. Keep this in mind as you develop your ads, web pages and other sales tools. Use vivid word pictures to dramatize the pleasant feelings your customers experience when they use what you are selling. It intensifies their desire to have it and motivates them to buy now.
Tip 2: Continually test new advertising and marketing methods...and old methods you never tried before. A good guideline to follow is to allocate 80 percent of your budget to proven promotions and 20 percent to testing new things. Most businesses using this formula keep growing regardless of changing market conditions and intense competition.
Tip 3: Reduce the size of your ads so you can run more ads for the same cost. Don't be surprised if your short ads generate a higher response than long ads - giving you a bigger return for your expense. One of the most effective ads I ever used was only 11 words.
Tip 4: Print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your targeted market. People read postcards when the message is brief. A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your web site and generate a flood of sales leads for a very small cost.
Continue reading "11 Powerful Marketing Tips"PR and the Small Matter of Results
As a business, non-profit and association manager, how satisfied are you when the public relations people assigned to your unit spend the bulk of their time on someone's favorite special event, brochures, press releases and talk-show mentions
Especially when you'd rather have a public relations effort that creates the kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives
You know, PR that does something positive about the important outside audiences whose behaviors most affect your operation. And, in the bargain, helps persuade those key external audiences to your way of thinking, helping move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.
After all, what public relations boils down to are these realities: the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you succeed. Your public relations effort must involve more than parties, videos, booklets and column mentions if you really want to get your money's worth. And you need a simple blueprint that gets everyone working towards the same external audience behaviors insuring that the organization's public relations effort stays sharply focused.
Continue reading "PR and the Small Matter of Results"