Creative And Affordable Way For Small Businesses To Attract New Customers

One of the biggest challenges that any small business faces is finding creative ways to attract new customers.

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Creative And Affordable Way For Small Businesses To Attract New Customers

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One of the biggest challenges that any small business faces is finding creative ways to attract new customers. Without the marketing clout of a Fortune 500 brand, it's hard to get the word out about a product or service. Yet, with so much competition in the marketplace, a business can't afford not to.

The most effective marketing campaigns include a combination of different media. The more places a potential customer sees a brand or message-from TV, radio, newspapers and online-the more likely they'll remember it. However, small businesses tend to rely primarily on local print and Yellow Pages advertising because they believe TV advertising is out of their reach.

Now there are new companies using technology to make TV advertising easy and affordable. One such company is Spot Runner, a unique new ad agency that has dramatically lowered the cost and complexity to develop an ad campaign. By putting the entire process online, the agency can provide a complete TV ad campaign for as little as $500 a month.

Creating the campaign takes just a few days. Clients start by logging on to Spot Runner's Web site and selecting an ad from a library of thousands of professionally produced ads. The agency personalizes the ad with the business' specific information and then, using its proprietary technology, creates a customized media plan. Clients can advertise on any broadcast and cable channel available, such as CNN, ESPN and Lifetime. Once the client approves the ad and the media plan, the agency gets it on air.

"We're a small boutique firm and TV advertising allows us to compete on an equal footing with the larger firms in town," said Ryan Lapidus, founder of the Lapidus & Lapidus law firm. "To see our ad on TV, side by side with Fortune 500 companies on major channels, is really exciting."

Spot Runner offers these five important tips to creating an effective marketing campaign:

1. Understand your audience and the messages that will resonate with them. A campaign geared towards homeowners is very different than one geared to teens.

2. Pick a campaign to fit your objectives. A campaign to raise brand awareness will require a different strategy than one to promote a new product or sale.

3. Choose an ad that reflects your company's brand values and image.

4. Make it easy to understand. People are thinking of other things when they see your ad. Don't make them think. Make them act.

5. Invest in your company's growth through a sustained marketing campaign. Advertising works over the long term by increasing awareness of your company among new customers and serving as a reminder to your existing customers.

Whether you're a professional, a retailer or a service provider, television advertising can fit into your budget and be an essential part of your marketing activities.

CD Replication: An Affordable Way to Get Your Voice Heard

CD duplication and DVD replication isn't as expensive as it might seem, so even individuals and small businesses can use multimedia in their marketing efforts.

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CD replication, DVD Replication, FlexDVD, DVD duplication, CD Duplication

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Whether you're a motivational speaker in search of an audience, a musician in search of a recording label, or a company in search of customers, using CDs or DVDs is an extremely effective means of communicating your message. Marketing and advertising professionals understand the power of audio and video to leave a lasting impression, and frequently insert CDs or DVDs into mass mailings, magazine polybags, and press kits. They know something that those who are just making a name for themselves aren't aware of: CD duplication and DVD replication isn't as expensive as it might seem.

Whether you're putting together your own press mailing, developing a demo CD to send to movers and shakers, wish to sell video of your performance, or want to showcase your products and services, you can add an extra touch of professionalism by working with a company that specializes in CD and DVD duplication. When it comes to cost, it works like other forms of printing: the higher the quantity, the lower the per-piece price.

For example, if you want to produce a CD in a printed cardboard sleeve, you could get 1,000 made for about a dollar a piece. Up the quantity to 10,000, and the price drops to around 56 cents a piece. This price typically includes replicated discs with full-color offset or silkscreen printing, a printed cardboard sleeve, insertion, and shrinkwrap.

Bulk quantities of CDs and DVDs are even less expensive. One thousand CDs run only about 45 cents each, while DVDs are priced as low as $650 per thousand, or 65 cents per DVD. As for packaging, a printed paper sleeve adds only about seven cents per CD or DVD, while a jewel case is about 20 cents per case.

DVD box packaging is also an option at around $1.20 per DVD for 1,000, and about 67 cents per piece for 10,000. This kind of replication and packaging typically includes printing, a full-color case wrap, assembly, and overwrap. A top spine label generally costs a few cents more.

If you're planning to do a mailing, you can use a CD replication service that will duplicate your CD, then insert it into a cardboard mailer and shrinkwrap it. Pricing for the replicated discs and mailers runs about $1.60 each for 1,000, or about 50 cents each for 10,000.

If you want to go the extra step and take advantage of cutting-edge technology, the best DVD and CD duplication services have products like FlexDVD, which is a DVD that can bend without snapping or cracking. This is perfect for cover mounting and mass mailings. Another new and intriguing technology is called "Rub 'n Smell," whereby a scent is embedded into a varnish that covers the printed side of the disc and is activated when the recipient rubs the disc's label. Now, that's the sweet smell of success!

The bottom line, though, is that whether you're marketing yourself or your business, you can take advantage of the same techniques that huge marketing firms use - without breaking the bank.

Here’s an Affordable Internet Business!

An affiliate marketing business is a simple home-based business using the Internet that is low cost and good for beginners.

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web-based business affiliate marketing program internet marketing online business home-based business

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This year, trillions will be made and spent over the internet. Web-based businesses such as web content development, retailing programs, affiliate programs, and freelance services are driving web growth to ever-increasing levels. With an abundance of opportunities and work available online, more and more people are turning to the internet as a revenue source. Unlike what most people think, however, working online is no walk in the park. You will need to spend a lot of time and effort to achieve your financial goals, especially during the inchoate stages of your venture. Because of this, you will want to minimize your expenses by finding an affordable internet business.

One of the advantages offered by online businesses is that they require but a minimal investment in terms of money, yet they can become huge money-earners in time. If you are reading this article, you obviously already have a computer and internet access – and that’s really all you need to get started! Starting your own home-based business is literally just a few clicks away.

One type of affordable internet business is to join affiliate marketing programs. They’re affordable for a very simple reason: they’re free. Obviously, everyone can afford free. An affiliate marketing program allows you to act in the capacities of an advertiser and salesperson for a particular company or organization. In return for the results you deliver (i.e., sales and advertising campaigns), you will receive a hefty commission.

If you are new to internet marketing, it is likely that you don’t have the technical knowledge needed to create your own site. While it’s recommended that you have your own site to better serve your potential customers, it’s not exactly necessary. In the absence of a website, you can still do affiliate work by using targeted e-mails.

Advertising in the form of targeted e-mails is very cost effective; they will cost you only your time for the most part. Your biggest obstacle is really to collect a good number of e-mail addresses. E-mail addresses can be obtained in a variety of ways. If you have no means of collecting the addresses yourself, consider buying a list from someone else.

Once you have a good number of people on your list, you’ll want to start sending them messages that they will find useful, as well as those that they will like. If you have freebies like e-books or software available, offer them to your new subscribers. The goal here is to build an online community that will serve as your future market. To this end, you should build relationships and increase the level of trust between you and your subscribers. Cultivate the image of someone who is interested to help them solve their problems without expecting anything in return. (At least in the beginning.) Make friends whenever possible.

With a good customer base in hand, it shouldn’t be too hard to make money. If you have done your subscribers a favor or two, they are more than likely to grant you one themselves. Find and sell products that you know are useful, and sooner or later you will start making some money!