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Effective or Irritating : The Use of Pop Windows in Internet Marketing

Are you always annoyed and irritated by the pop-ups on your desktop when you’re working on a serious work like I do?

This article provides you the insight on the so-called pop-ups and a solution this vexed problem. A Must read for all Internet entrepreneurs.

Keywords:

home business, home business ideas, best home business, best home business ideas, home business opportunities, best home business opportunities, online business, internet marketing, website promotion,

Article Body:

A few years ago, pop-up windows were all the rage in Internet marketing. What is a pop-up window? It's a window that suddenly pops up when the visitor clicks on a hot linked graphic or hyper linked text. Pop up windows are often smaller than the existing browser window and display on top of the existing page the visitor is viewing.

It seemed that every time one opened a web page they would be bombarded with offers for this or that. It had gotten to the point where surfing the Internet was almost like playing a video game; when the ads would pop-up one would try and close them out before another one came. This is precisely why we have seen the decline in the use of pop-up windows on the Internet today;

Internet surfers simply do not even look at the pop-ups anymore. They close the windows out before even reading the ad. Very often, a surfer will even leave your site if there are too many pop-up ads. They do not want the hassle of closing those windows while trying to obtain the information that your site has to offer. This information, while valuable, is not as valuable as the surfers' time. However studies have shown that even with these set backs, pop-up windows are still an effective method of Internet marketing.

Is there some way that pop-up windows can be less irritating and still be effective? Yes!!! What if the pop ad were seen upon exiting your site instead of entering? This would allow the surfer to obtain the information that they need from your site, feeling that they were able to come and go quickly without being hassled by other ads and offers all the while making the surfer happy.

You have left the surfer with a positive attitude and therefore are more likely to respond to the pop advertisement. This is being accomplished more and more by using what is being called pop-under windows.

When the surfer comes to your site, the ad is opened discretely behind the your web page. Then, upon leaving your site, after obtaining all the information that they need, will see the ad and therefore be more likely to respond. Since the surfer has the information, he has achieved his objective and is now open to do other things; ideally respond to the pop under advertisement.

Not all pop-windows are created equally. There are some things that you can do to make your pop-windows, whether pop-up or pop-under more effective. The pop-window should be easy to “escape” from. If the surfer does not want to see the ad, but has a hard time closing it out, they will likely become frustrated and could leave your site all together.

You can either use a button to that will allow the surfer to close the window or be sure that the “x” is easily visible. Another good idea is to use a script that utilizes cookies. Cookies will prevent pop-windows from overloading the surfer since you can decide the frequency of the pop-windows, rather than each time a page is opened. Also be sure that there is no more than one pop-window per page.

When creating a pop-window, you will be asked to fill out a short information form, select the length of cookies, and choose the layout of the pop-window. When choosing the design of the pop-window, you can increase the effectiveness by creating a large
headline that includes benefits that will be most appealing to the customer. You should also consider using incentives and lastly do not ask the customer to read a long and drawn out advertisement. Keep the message simple yet powerful and your pop-ads will be sure to generate profits for your site.

Discover the Secrets of Effective Marketing

This article reveals the simple, yet powerful secrets of effective marketing. Whether you're thinking about Internet marketing, search engine marketing, or marketing in general, you can't afford to miss out on these techniques.

Keywords:

marketing direct marketing internet marketing mark

Article Body:

The discipline of marketing can often be complex and confusing. As a marketing veteran, I have seen countless marketing professionals get hung up on various aspects of marketing which have little impact on actual marketing results.

Based on my experience, there are four critical elements to an effective marketing campaign. Whether you’re looking to improve your search engine marketing results, internet marketing, or marketing in general, be sure to follow these simple guidelines which I refer to as the A.T.O.M approach.

A.T.O.M – Audience, Timing, Offer, Message

1. Know Your Audience. No one can effectively market, communicate, or sell without knowing their audience or what motivates them to buy. Is your potential customer male or female? Young or old? A first time buyer or frequent purchaser? Are they the final decision maker? Do they have preferences for a particular product, service, or delivery method? The more you know about your audience, the more targeted and relevant your marketing can be.

2. Timing is Everything. Even with the most convincing marketing campaign, prospects will have no interest in your product or service if you aren’t communicating to them at the right time. Be sure your marketing message is in front of prospects when they’re ready to buy. This could be at a particular time of year or perhaps prior to a life event.

3. Finding the Right Offer. In direct marketing, experts say that results are 40% dependant on your list, 40% on the offer, and 20% on your creative. The same is true for internet marketing, search engine marketing, and the like. Test your offers and find the one that out performs all the others. This offer should continually be tested and refined to improve your results.

4. Its all about the Messaging. If you know your audience well enough, you should be able to craft a message that addresses their needs and differentiates your product or service from the competition. Additionally, be sure to stress benefits over features. This will give your audience a reason to read, try, and buy.

The next time you are conducting a marketing campaign, use the A.T.O.M. approach. Knowing your audience, ensuring that you reach them when they’re ready to buy, experimenting to find the most productive offer, and communicating to them productively, are essential for any marketing campaign to deliver results.

Cost Effective Business Marketing

Learn how a scratch card promotion can help increase sales for your company.

Keywords:

scratch and win,scratch and win cards,scratch and win tickets,scratch,win,cards,tickets,scratch off card,scratch off cards,card,scratch off

Article Body:

Looking for a profitable and cost effective to market your business? Try a scratch and win promotion.

Scratch and win cards are the best and most cost effective way to promote your business. Customers are always looking for an extra value in their purchases. A scratch card promotion will give your prospects the chance of winning something - in turn, your business itself will be a winner.

Scratch and win cards are perfect for promoting a new or existing product in order to increase excitement and traffic for your business. By using a scratch and win direct mail promotion you can give your customers an opportunity to earn a percentage of savings off their first purchase. A scratch card employee incentive program that will increase employee prouction and boost employee morale. By giving everyone the opportunity to win prizes, scratch and win cards generate enthusiasm amongst employees within your company.

Through the use of scratch and win cards, your company can also attract potential customers to further learn about your products and create your very own database of prospects.

Your company can generate its own creative edge against competitors rather than typical advertising. Scratch and win fundraising is a low cost, highly effective opportunity for your company to utilize scratch and win cards. The production rate of both your business and that of your business will greatly increase as a result of a scratch card fundraising program.

Overall, a scratch and win promotion will create excitement, promote growth, and increase sales!

You can have your scratch cards in your hands in as little as 10 days. Specialists are waiting to help assist you. Let your customers feel the excitement of winning with a scratch and win card!

For more information, visit the following link:
http://www.scratchoff.com/scratchandwin.htm

Home Based Business – Offline Marketing Strategies

The Internet has become the largest medium of communication; and has presented a lot of business opportunities.

Keywords:

marketing strategies, home based business, internet marketing, affiliate marketing

Article Body:

The Internet has become the largest medium of communication; and has presented a lot of business opportunities. Online home based business owners tend to limit themselves to online marketing methods. Nevertheless, there is a huge potential to promote your home based business through some cost effective offline marketing strategies. So what are the most effective offline marketing strategies for your home based business?

1. Word of mouth in your circle of influence
Word of mouth is one of the best free advertising channels. We all have people we interact with on a daily basis, and these are potential customers. Make a list of all the people you know or interact with and how can you best tell them about your internet business. Be passionate about your internet business and always be prepared to tell someone about it when an opportunity to do so presents itself!

2. Mail-out newsletters and flyers
Mail-out newsletter or flyers can be effective if you target it to a specific 'group'. You could create one to distribute to local day care centers just as an example - and in your newsletter or flyer, highlight the benefits of an online business to the targeted group, for example earning money at home for stay at home moms or dads. Posting your home based business URL on bulletin boards can also be effective.

3. Use and give away free branded ‘stuff’
You can promote your business by having your URL on all your stationery, all written communication and other items you can give away for free. If you want to get a lot of people to know about your home based business, you will need to come up with some creative ways of promoting your URL. You can be limited only by your imagination. Have your business cards with your home based business URL. Give them out to people you meet, leave them about where you can, such as in your local coffee shop.

4. Newspapers and magazines
Local newspapers are good for advertising your online business. Most local papers have ‘home business opportunities’ section, so you run a regular classified advert. In addition, contact your local newspaper or business-oriented magazine and let the business editor know you have a new business and web site and what you offer. Local newspapers are frequently interested in featuring local business people and their accomplishments. This is free advertising and should always be used. You can also contact your local magazine and offer to write a monthly or weekly guest column for them, and include your ‘author bio’ and home based business URL.

5. Joint ventures with offline business
You can get into a joint venture partnership with an offline business which sells a complementary product or service to your home based business. If you can identify a partner that best fit your business, this is an important offline marketing strategy that can help you succeed in your home based business by enabling you to reach potential customers that you could not reach before. As an example, if you have a website selling fitness/health products or tips, you could prepare a leaflet and make a deal with an offline local fitness/health shop where they giveaway your leaflet to their shoppers with each purchase.

The offline marketing strategies outlined above can help you grow your home based business. I have used these strategies alot and they work well. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and promote your business offline!!

Dramatically Improve Your Marketing Results With These 6 Simple Steps

What if there were a few simple things you could do right now that could help you to market more successfully in the future? Even if you didn’t have your marketing act together over the past year. Well, there are.

Keywords:

marketing effectiveness, marketing results, marketing plan, marketing

Article Body:

What if there were things you could start doing now that could help you to market more successfully in the future? Even if you didn’t have your marketing act together over the past year. Well, there are.

(1) Review your past marketing activities and results

Take some time to review all of your marketing activities and try to understand which ones worked best. And when I say “worked best” I mean, which ones resulted in more clients, more customers, more sales, or more growth for your business?

Your goal each year should be to understand which marketing activities bring you more business and which ones do not, so you can concentrate on the activities that work, and delete the ones that do not. Even if you did not have an organized marketing plan, or marketing activities that you implemented consistently during the past year, if you are still in business today, then there must have been some form of marketing going on.

(2) Broaden your definition of marketing

Marketing isn’t only things like running an advertisement, or sending out a direct mail piece. It's anything you do that puts your business, product or service in front of the prospects you are trying to sell to.

You may be surprised to realize you’ve been marketing more than you know!

Any time you talk to someone about your business, product or service, in person, at an event, over the phone, or through a brochure or some form of media, you are marketing. Any time you send someone an email or a thank you card from your business, you are marketing.

Be aware of any time you are communicating with current customers, or potential customers. Take the opportunity to make them aware of new products or services, special offers or programs, or even milestones or changes in your business.

Do you include your business card every time you mail a letter to a client or prospect? Do you have an email signature that includes your business name, your phone number, your email address, your website address and possibly even your tagline? You should. You are reminding people about your products and services and making it easy for them to find out more if they so choose.

If you truly believe that your products or services can enhance people’s lives, then it should be easy to share the word at every opportunity. After all, if people don’t know about you, they can’t benefit. Put this way, it is almost a disservice to NOT market.

(3) See if you can track your sales to your marketing, either directly or indirectly

Take a look at the marketing you did do, taking into consideration all of the activities mentioned above. Can you directly or indirectly track any new or increased business to these activities? An example of direct tracking might be: You attended a networking event and someone you gave your business card to, contacted you or made a purchase.

An example of indirect tracking might be: You attended a networking event, and someone you gave your business card to, referred you to a friend, and that friend contacted you or made a purchase. For each marketing activity you did over the past year, ask yourself the following questions:

(a) Did I get any new clients, customers or increased sales as a direct result, or an indirect result, of this activity?

(b) If the answer is yes, quantify the result by asking yourself: How many new clients, customers or sales did it generate?

If you can't seem to track your past marketing activities, consider asking your current customers how they found out about you.

You could do a survey that includes a number of customer satisfaction questions, but also includes a question to determine how they found out about you.

If you have a handful of clients that you work closely with and you really don’t know how they found you, pick up the phone and ask them.

At the end of this exercise, you will have a list of all of your marketing activities, and the results connected to each one.

(4) Separate those activities that resulted in business from those that did not

Are there any activities on your list that did not result in new or additional business? If you gave these activities a good opportunity to bring you business, then maybe it's time to consider dropping these activities and trying some new ones. After all, there is no sense continuing to spend money on marketing that has not proven to be effective for your business. Even if it has worked for someone else, it may not be a good marketing activity for you and your business.

(5) Use this information to plan your marketing for next year

Plan to spend more time, energy and/or money on those activities that brought you business and sales. These activities have proven themselves to be effective for your business, product or service. So odds are if you commit more to them, they will result in even more sales. And, if you really don’t have any way to track your sales or new clients, don’t beat yourself up. You are not alone. In fact, one of my biggest challenges as a marketing consultant has been to get my clients to track the effectiveness of their various marketing activities. Just make sure to remedy this now, once and for all. Commit to never implementing a marketing activity again without some way to track how effective it is.

(6) Set up a way to track all future marketing activities

Recognize the importance of tracking and make sure that you have a plan in place to track all of your future marketing activities. The simplest way to track is to simply ask each new customer where or how they found out about you. You may also want to consider including a code on any flyers or brochures that you distribute, and providing a reason for the customer to bring that flyer in when they come to make a purchase. Reasons to return the flyer could be to take advantage of a special offer, or to get a discount or free bonus gift.

You can also do this by phone or on the Internet if that is how your customers make purchases. Simply ask them to provide you with the code on the brochure or flyer that they are calling or ordering from. Make sure the code is specific to the location or group of people that you distributed the flyer to. If you are networking or speaking to a group and someone gives you their business card and agrees to receive your free report or e-newsletter, make sure you include a reference in your contact database of the event where you met them. For every marketing activity you do put a plan in place to help you track all them. Effective tracking is by far one of the easiest ways to improve your marketing effectiveness. And when you zero-in on what marketing activities are most effective for your business, you will be able to focus your efforts on only those activities, and will be able to spend less and get more as a result.

(C) 2005 Debbie LaChusa

Business Marketing Online

Keywords:

web business, online business, starting an online business, business

Article Body:

Many people are starting Online Businesses, but learning on the fly, so to speak, how to get traffic to their sites. A big factor to be considered is how much will it cost to get the traffic to your web site. I recently wrote two articles, one about specific landing pages and the second about matching keywords to specific landing pages. This time I am going to cover the cost of each keyword. In other words how much should you pay for each phrase or keyword?

You can recognize the demand for online business by looking at the searches made on the search engines. They are phrases like business conferencing meeting online web, advertising business online web, business free online site web, online web business opportunity, business hosting online page web, online business web hosting and business create online site web opportunity just to mention a few.

There is much that is to be learned about this topic and I'm only going to scratch the surface in this article, but it should get you started off correctly. There are many factors to consider that can make a big difference in your profit.

You should ensure that you have a different landing page on your site for each area of you business. For example on my site I have a landing page for Work At Home, Top 10 business, Home Based Business, Moms Jobs, Affiliates, Data Entry, Online Paid Surveys and a link to my real time newsletter.

If you are utilizing one of the tools available to us called (PPC) Paid Per Click Advertising, whereby we pay a search engine pennies to show our ad when someone types in particular keyword. As I mentioned in my other article you must break up your keywords in such a manner as to have all of your keywords on a given topic sent to the specific landing page. For example you should have all Work At Home keywords go to your landing page, which is mostly about Work At Home ideas. Like wise have you keywords on Home Based Business go to the landing page that highlights Home Based Business Opportunities.

In addition you don't want to bidding against your self so you want to make sure that you don't mix and match your keywords. You will want to advertise only the keywords that match a specific landing page when using (PPC) Paid Per Click Advertising. Don't have Work At Home keywords mixed in with Online Paid Surveys sending people to multiple landing Pages.

You will want to use multiple variation of a given keyword. Think about the conversation going on in your customer's head. What would you type in if you were searching for the same thing? What would others type? Don't just set you campaigns to run on a maximum price per click. Do some research to see how much a particular keyword is being searched for. If it is not one of the most popular decrease you bid amount. Once you have done this monitor it over a couple of weeks or a month so you can see if you getting the same amount of clicks. Search engines are not always going to give you the best price. Some of the big ones are pretty fair, but I want control of these things myself. Many of my keywords are half the price of some of the major ones. Before I learned this though, many search engines were charging me full price when it was not warranted.

Every subtle change in your website landing page, keywords, keyword bidding, no matter how minuscule, has an effect on your customer. I always recommend change, monitor, analyze, modify and keep continuing the process. Compare the new change to the old one so that you can see which landing page converts best.

Once you have had your website going for awhile there is always much more fine tuning to do.

Please feel free to read more of this article by visiting my link in the resource box below. I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles or my site. Your feedback is important to me.

Home Based Business and Work at Home Marketing

Important Tips on Home Based Business and Work at Home Marketing

Keywords:

home business,work at home,home based business,home business marketing,website promotion

Article Body:

Let's face it, if you work at home and operate an online home based business, the number one goal has to be "website promotion". If you don't have a good Internet marketing plan in place, You will fail! Let's talk about ways to get traffic to your website and get the kind of sales you deserve.

Now, over the years, I have tried just about every home business and work at home idea that I could find on the Internet. I have spent thousands of dollars on scams and schemes. I have spent countless hours, days, weeks, months and years trying these programs. Why, you ask? Well, I am sure you have heard the term "trial and error". I have always considered these tasks, not as a loss, but as "Priceless Experience". I have been able to weed out the losers and find the winners!

There are several ways to promote your website or online home business that can easily fit into most any budget. Let's take a look at some methods that I have found to be extremly effective.

-Traffic Exchanges:
Some of these are useless! But if you do your homework, you can find the sites that will have an option to "upgrade" to some type of "Pro" membership, which generally comes with alot of bonus credits each month and many different ways that you can get massive traffic to your website or online home business.

-Articles for Content:
One of the best ways to get links to go to your site (which will increase your search engine ranking) is to write articles. Whatever your home business is, create the articles utilizing keywords that relate to your website. You can submit these articles to article directories and other webmasters will gradually place them on blogs, ezines and newsletters. They will also be used for content on websites.

-Blogs:
Once you have your articles written you should create your own blog. Blogs are a very key method to promote your business online. People are always looking for information, and blogs have become some of the most popular websites on the Internet.

-Newspaper Classified Ads:

Yes, that's right! Newspaper ads. This is a great way to get traffic to your website. It is a very economical method of advertising. When you do this, make sure and be consistent. Run your ads for several weeks.

-PPC Advertising:

This is a very good way to get traffic to your website. It is neccesary, especially when your website is new. It will get traffic to your site while you work on climbing up the search engine natural rankings.

-Search Engine Optimization:

Make sure you find a reputable company to help you with this. Ask them to email you with at least 12 websites that they have optimized and are ranking on the first page of Google and Yahoo! Don't use them if they cannot provide this information! Remember, "the proof is in the pudding".

Creating Meteoric Successes in Marketing

The Marketing Hits' Formula and its implementation method allows for marketing innovation that will be accepted with immediate enthusiasm by target consumers and will spread virally.

Keywords:

strategy,management,differentiation,competitiveness

Article Body:

From time to time the marketing world is taken aback by huge, quick, unpredictable and seemingly inexplicable successes. These hits are products or services, entertainment locales or vacation spots, shopping malls or specialty stores that enjoy puzzling immediate popularity. There are incognitos that become hot celebrities, there are events, festivals or concerts that capture the masses, real estate development projects that evoke huge demand, or styles that become trendy. In nearly all cases, there are also new brands that are immediately adopted by the target population. For example, Harry Potter or The Da Vinci Code, Apple's iPod and the Blogs, the Hamptons in Long Island New York, Toyota's Scion brand, the Crest electric toothbrush and many more examples.

There are cases in which the reasons for a product's success are obvious. The success of Viagra, a product that has solved a serious problem for millions of men worldwide - is hardly surprising. Even the success of vacation resorts in Turkey - that have made accessible once a luxurious vacation style to a new middle class segment, is not a mystery. In contrast, in other cases the success of a specific product, place or person over the competition remains unclear. We have all observed the phenomenon of a packed and trendy caffe surrounded by apparently equally attractive but relatively empty coffee bars.

Research of marketing hits is not a new endeavor. Certain categories have accumulated much knowledge enabling planning and launching of hits with a practical probability of success. In the leisure and entertainment segment, companies such as Disney, Warner, HBO, and others have demonstrated such consistent capabilities in theater, television, music, toys, electronic games, and more. On the whole, secrets are kept closely. Many have tried to crack the formula of marketing hits successes.

Short sweet success

In the last few years, more and more sectors have become as high paced and as changeable as the fashion industry. The importance of hits for the success of companies has risen in sectors such as the following: automobiles, food, grooming, hotels, construction, entertainment electronics, software, and the list goes on. It even includes unexpected categories such as financial services.

Personally, I have begun my work in the marketing hits field in the latter half of the 1990's. I identified a radical change in consumer behavior and a dramatic rise in a new motivation that I coined "The Fear of Missing Out - FoMO". In extremely concise terms, FoMO turns consumers into serial seekers and adopters of the new (while inevitably forsaking the not-so-new). As such, one consequence among many is that FoMO nibbles at customers' loyalty to well-established brands.

Upon realizing that our efforts to preserve customers' loyalty are, more often than not, futile, I concluded that we were now in need of new tools to deal with a new consumer reality that is here to stay. Therefore, I have developed a comprehensive 'technology' of rules and tools for the development, launching and management of profitable, "Short-Term Brands (STB)". STB are planned short-term successes. During this development process, I conducted an extensive, in depth analysis of over 150 marketing hits in various and diverse categories. In parallel, I studied the accumulated experience in sectors that have learned how to methodically develop and generate such hits. In mid 2004, the results culminated in the "Marketing Hits' Formula" which is now a part of the STB armory.

The Marketing Hits' Formula and its implementation method allows for marketing innovation that will be accepted with immediate enthusiasm by target consumers and will spread virally. This formula has two major advantages: First, it is applicable to almost all categories. Second, it does not necessitate enormous marketing and advertising budgets (the most common method of attempting to instigate success within a short time frame).

Success has its Rules

The formula postulates that each marketing hit comprises of the following four elements:

1. Marketing hits are usually not large innovative leaps. The new product or service should be based in as much as 80% on a format that has been successful numerous times in the same category. The format assures familiarity, promises consumer satisfaction and minimizes adaptation efforts on the part of the consumer.

2. The product or service should be innovative by approximately 20%. This 20% provides the new experience, the uniqueness, the additional benefit or any other reason to switch from the current product, or to at least try it. This novelty should uphold the following two rules (3 and 4).

3. The product's novelty should address one of the "unsatisfiable" or "regenerating" needs (explanation to follow).

4. The product should include an element of "Cool", "WOW", and/or a "Twist" that creates a "viral motive", or in other words, will supply buyers with a good reason to tell other potential buyers about the product.

- COOL means 'right', fashionable and utterly current, perhaps even a bit edgy.

- WOW means arousing awe and excitement through an amazing design or by an outstanding and an unexpected level pf performance.

- A TWIST means something unusual in a surprising, intriguing and often amusing manner.

Hits are planned and managed short-lived successes (the duration of 'short' varies among categories) that are replaced by new hits. It is of utmost importance to realize that hits satisfy two types of human needs not catered for by long-term established brands:

"Unsatisfiable needs" - these are wishes that cannot be realized (not to a full extent), however, human beings will relentlessly attempt to fulfill them, while deceiving themselves that it is possible to do so. Amongst the unsatisfiable are the needs for eternal youth, irresistible sex appeal, grandness, omnipotence, domination, an ever-exciting life, and adventure (without investing the effort, taking the risk or paying the price). It is understandable that brands supporting such fantasies are bound to disappoint eventually and must be replaced by new solutions.

"Regenerating needs" - needs that require ceaselessly new fulfillments. Some of them are regenerating psychological needs, such as the need for attention from the environment, the need to renew oneself, to remain up-to-date, to discover, and to be tempted or seduced. There are also regenerating social needs including the need to signal involvement, belonging and openness.

We put the Marketing Hits' Formula to practice during the last half of 2004 and since then have gained experience in such diverse categories as pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, food products and TV shows, to name but a few.

Cool Advertising Balloons For Your Marketing

I really am a throw back. In this day and age of Washington Concensus minded, self-persevering valued folks, I’m just an old fashioned egalitarian.

Keywords:

Cool Advertising Balloons For Your Marketing

Article Body:

I really am a throw back. In this day and age of Washington Concensus minded, self-persevering valued folks, I’m just an old fashioned egalitarian. This doesn’t mean that I think we should all sew up some Mao-style unisex suits and eat from cans labeled in black in white. It just means that I don’t think that the playing field is level and it needs to be and then measures need to be enacted to maintain equal opportunity. Well it means some other things too, but that’s neither her nor there for this little chat. In the end, my support for equality comes down to equal opportunity and respect. And that’s how I try to approach people today.

I feel that everyone has something positive to share with me and the world and I try to approach all in this manner until proven otherwise. I have spent time with some wonderfully intelligent and caring wealthy people and I certainly have ample experiences of sharing time with those less fortunate that have taught me much about life with their wisdom, patience and sense of humor.

This is why I like balloons. I feel like their the egalitarian activist in the world of toys and advertising. So many other toys and advertising gimmicks typically associate themselves with one segment of society or another. This is not the case with balloons.

Although balloons boast an incredibly low and anachronistic price, both rich and poor kids want them at their party. Middle school kids still let off balloons to carry messages of goodwill to its unknown recipient. Even Colombian mules count on balloons as an integral part of their import/export businesses.

So, if you truly believe in equality, put your money where your mouth is and drop socially stratifying toys like PlayStation or Homies and get yourself some balloons. Let’s play and advertise in solidarity. Land, Liberty, Balloons!

Finding A Legitimate Network Marketing Opportunity

Keywords:

mlm, network marketing

Article Body:

Commonly referred to as multi-level marketing, network marketing is a concept where individuals come together with a parent company and act as independent contractors in the sales of a product or service. In return for helping to promote and sell the parent company’s product or service, individuals are financially compensated in an amount that has already been determined. The actual amount of compensation will vary from one network marketing opportunity to another and will be strictly dependant upon the company’s policy.

A legitimate network marketing opportunity will not grant money for recruiting new members, which are required to pay sign-up fees. Instead, they should be paid based on the commissions that they earn from the sale of a product or service. One of the main problems that many network marketing companies face is their comparison to illegal pyramid scams. However, there are a large number of legitimate network marketing companies that operate regularly in every state and in dozens of countries. Today, they are commonly referred to as affiliate marketing or programs.

The best way to distinguish a legitimate network marketing program from a fraudulent operation is through the company’s policy. First and foremost, questionable operations will require high entrance fees and/or the requirement for members to purchase expensive products. Typically, these types of companies fail rapidly when the merchandise cannot be resold for profit, which leaves the members in financial distress and the founders with a large bank account.

With the increasing popularity of the internet, it is important that entrepreneurs be able to recognize the differences between a legitimate and fraudulent company. As a general rule, affiliates should never have to pay a sign-up fee in order to help a company sell it’s products. Simply put, it makes no sense to pay money in an effort to help someone else promote and sell their products. Instead, it is more realistic that the sign-up be free and the individual be paid based on the sales that they generate for the company.

The majority of large internet retailers offer affiliate programs, which allow members to track their commissions and log in to their account at any time. One of the best ways to ensure a network marketing opportunity is legitimate is to know the parent company’s reputation by checking with the Better Business Bureau and through speaking with other entrepreneurs and gaining feedback on their experiences. Every day, individuals find great success or simply a way to earn extra cash through a combination of the internet and a legitimate network marketing opportunity.

Crucial Considerations about Marketing Postcards

Postcards give us joy, inspiration and motivation. They can touch our pride, ego, psyche but most of all they touches our soft spot – our heart.

Keywords:

custom postcard printing, discount postcard printing, business postcards printing, postcard printing services, create-a-postcard printing services, po

Article Body:

Postcards come in different kinds. The first one is called view postcards. This type of postcard offers reference to historic landmarks, buildings, towns, streets. View postcards have been existent since the onset of postcards.

Next, we have historical postcards. These postcards commemorate historical events, politics and social problems such as war, wrecks, floods, epidemic, conflagrations and other worth remembering events from the past.

Another type is the greeting card. This type of postcard is the center of attraction during the holidays. Come Christmas day, Thanks Giving day, New Year’s day, Valentines day, Graduation day and all the red dates in our lives, greetings postcard will come to liven up the special day.

Fourth, we have photographic postcards. These postcards are made up of real pictures of women, lovers, children, landscapes, seascapes, still life and the likes. Photographic postcards have been popular at the time photomatage was made available. This popularity continues up to the present time.

Photomatage technique allows photos to be changed or transformed into artsy masterpieces.

Lastly, we have promotional postcards. This type of postcard is popular to savvy businessmen and marketers. They are used to publicize and promote new products or services. One factor that made it a sure hit is personalization. Personalization allows incorporation of company logos, company pictures and unique and business stingers. By this, the postcards appear more personal, thus warmer and more effective in conveying a marketing message.

It is necessary to know the types of postcards so that whenever you decide to market them or in case you are assigned a postcard printing project, you know exactly the concept.

Another crucial consideration is the materials to be used. Paper, ink and printer must be of good quality in order for your output to be high quality as well.

Finally, you have to consider the commercial printer to trust to. It will be better if you choose a printer with create-a-postcard printing services.

Now, you are ready for the next postcard printing task.

Finding Your Niche In Niche Marketing

Keywords:

niche marketing

Article Body:

You know, if you ever took a middle school earth science class, what a niche is. If you didn't well...a niche is an area where a person (whoever the niche is for) is able to survive and thrive. It has many different specific types but the fundamental idea is that is a place specially suited for a thing to not only make it but succeed in it. So niche marketing is finding a particular market where you are able to find success marketing your specific product. Some people have a product and find a market and some find a market and develop a product but the general idea remains the same.

So how do you find your niche in niche marketing? Well the answer is both straight forward and complex. First you need to find an area where the knowledge and/or skills that you possess make it possible to develop a product that is sought after. For example a person who has been raised on a farm in the middle of South Dakota will more likely find his niche in agriculture rather than fashion design. It also must be a place that you have energy for. You must want to get up and work hard on something in order to succeed at it and there is nothing harder than working hard no something that you despise.

Another important concept in niche marketing that should be kept in mind is that it is helpful to find an area where you can be at the top of the competition. So burgeoning fields where you have the latest and greatest knowledge are natural areas to exploit. The laws of supply and demand in economics are very helpful for finding a profitable niche. That is to say that you need to find an area where the supply is low and the demand is high in order to get the best profit scenario. This is why professional sports players are able to make so much, if you have ever wondered. It's because there are only a few people in the world that are able to play that particular sport at that level (the supply is low) and people absolutely love sports (the demand is high).

The beauty of the internet is that it literally gives you instant exposure to every market that there is in the world. This allows you to take advantage of whatever your particular skill is (for example making surf boards), even if your geographical area would otherwise limit you (for example you live in Siberia).

Harness the Sales Power of Niche Marketing

The major challenge for the small business marketer is discover what motivates their target audience, and then to speak as directly as possible to those fears, desires, goals, priorities, and needs. This article offers some insights into how to capture people's attention, get them interested in your product or service, and soften their sales resistance. It presents some new angles, fresh ideas, and thought provoking concepts.

Keywords:

target marketing, niche marketing, sales and marketing, direct marketing, marketing strategies, sales objections, direct mail marketing, marketing resources, marketing tools

Article Body:

Copyright 2006 Joel Sussman

The key to attracting new customers to your business, whether online or off, lies in understanding a few simple things about how the brain works. Usually at an unconscious level, people are constantly scanning their environment to separate the relevant from the irrelevant, the safe from the potentially hazardous, the desirable from the unappealing. The major challenge for the small business marketer is discover what motivates their target audience, and then to speak as directly as possible to those fears, desires, goals, priorities, and needs.

But it Worked in the Movies

You’re only kidding yourself if you think you can be all things to all people. That insidious form of self deception falls in the same category as ‘If you build it, they will come’. Woody Allen is quoted as saying that ‘Eighty percent of success is showing up’, but bear in mind that comedy (and sometimes drama) is often based on exaggeration. Showing up -- which can range from creating an Internet presence to attending networking meetings -- is a good start, but it generally won’t get you too far unless you throw in a dash of originality, competitiveness, and a strategic plan of action.

Since people are constantly looking for specialized information, services, and products, a strategy worth pursuing is to devote at least 50% of your marketing efforts to reaching niche markets. Granted, marketing is no more of a ‘one size fits all’ endeavor than anything else, but what isn’t going to change is the fact that people are generally drawn to things that are customized, personalized, or otherwise geared to their personal preferences.

Are You Talking to Me?

Considering that your prospective clients and customers are continually scanning the Internet, the media, and their environment for information that’s relevant to them, why not tip the scales in your favor by tailoring your marketing message directly to the different niche markets you’re trying to reach? Whether it’s senior citizens, new homeowners, parents to be, recent graduates, newlyweds, or frustrated job hunters, capturing people’s attention can sometimes be as simple as recognizing them as individuals or as a member of a specific demographic group.

For example, have you ever inadvertently ignored someone who was saying to you ‘excuse me’ or ‘you dropped something’; but if they called you by your name, you’d immediately snap out of your haze and pay attention. Again, it’s just a matter of breaking through people’s filtering systems and being noticed. That’s often the number one step to effectively marketing your products, your services, or yourself. Actually, I’d break that down into three parts: get noticed, connect with your prospect, and put them in a receptive state of mind. If you convey the impression, right off the bat, that your service or product is tailor made for their needs, wants, or specific situation, then you may have fulfilled all three requirements in one fell swoop.

Once you’ve clearly and compellingly presented your case for making your prospect’s life easier, more secure, healthier, more comfortable, prosperous, convenient, happier, or more problem free, your remaining challenge is to anticipate objections, lower sales resistance, and inject your offer with a subtle, yet perceptible sense of urgency. If you’ve painted a vivid, benefits-filled picture of your service or product, their motivation to experience those advantages will help you convert them from a prospect to a customer.

Five Unstoppable Tactics For Demonic Viral Marketing.

Keywords:

marketing, promotions, customer management, customer relationship management, persuasion techniques, business promotions, marketing techniques,brand awareness, brand building

Article Body:

Does marketing your start-up company petrify your checkbook? Tri-media advertising does wonders for corporate brand building but it's not the only way to spread the good word. With non conventional promotion, you avoid costly tri media expenses and create an almost demonic cult-following for your new product or service. All you need is a bit of unconventional thinking.

Let's get down to brass tacks.

Since 1999, I've been launching successful start-ups. Most were pure online initiatives, but two are click-and-mortar hybrids. Today, each business unit makes enough to pay the utility bills, indulge in fancy dinners, and fly off on exotic vacations. Just key my name in google and you'll have an idea of my different passions.

Skyrocketing my pursuits to niche dominance doesn't take a Ph.D degree. Allow me to bare my secrets:

1. ESTABLISH A PRODUCT-CENTRIC ONLINE COMMUNITY. eGroups, yahoogroups and google groups allow the establishment of virtual families where people of like minds converge. WIth just a group of twenty active participants, you create a massive product buzz that eventually snowballs into unstoppable viral marketing.

My earliest endeavor revolved around business NLP, mind advancement and dating. Coaching was my passion and TV advertising would have cost a bleeding arm. I tackled the challenge by deploying an eGroup account and posting free self-help articles. At the 10th post, curious websurfers began signing up and participating. They left comments, added suggestions and invited other friends to jump in. The forum then grew exponentially and I witnessed a living, organic group of 8000+ members. People traded stories, joked, passed on tips and even flirted outrageously. For me, this meant a goldmine of targetted advertising: I would post one product announcement every quarter to a community already avid on the subject!

2. GIVE THEM FREE LUNCHES. Everybody loves a freebie; I snap up product samples at the mall or grocery store. When I get home and try that free shampoo sachet, I'd eventually come back and buy a bottle at a bloodcurdling $19.95. Mall owners were on to something!

Free eBooks, articles and mp3 recordings are hot downloads on the web. To target the army of freebie addicts, I jumpstarted Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Audition. Every month saw me marching out armadas of pdfs and mp3s. They were my eager footsoldiers, poised to strike at at freeware download sites.

So how did this benefit me? Each pdf and mp3 is armed with a resource segment containing my URLs and services. As these marketing warriors circulate the web, they stir up a storm of awareness... and direct traffic to my sites.

3. GIVE LIFETIME MONEY BACK GUARANTEES. What would do if you saw a product that trumpted "Unlimited Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee?" Of course you wouldn't think twice about buying it. There's no risk on the part of the buyer... after all the product can be returned ten days-- or ten months after purchase. Let your confidence in your product show by backing it up with unconditional guarantees.

4. TREAT CUSTOMERS LIKE FAMILY. Avoid canned responses. Reply immediately. Offer solutions, not qualified excuses. Throw in value-adding surprises such as unannounced freebies and 24/7 tech support. Friendly gestures might cost a bit of money, but it goes a long way in building warm customer relationships. You want to create friends out of your clients.

5.PRAISE THE COMPETITION. You may be the best at what you do, but if you bad mouth the competition, you cast a pall upon your reputation. Share the glory with others by giving praise and credit where they're due.

In my businesses, I prominently advertise the competition on my websites. I empower my clients with CHOICE. Don't worry about lost sales; customers will naturally appreciate your impartiality and quickly realize that you're after their welfare.

Business isn't always about making money. It's about nurturing relationships and building social networks. Once word of your superb business practices spread, revenue will follow.

Does Your Marketing Plan Need Changing?

How does “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” apply to marketing?

Keywords:

direct mail postcards,direct mail,marketing,direct mail marketing,marketing,postcards,business marketing,joy gendusa

Article Body:

Change is good, right? Not always. But when is it bad? Is it a question of good or bad? Sounds philosophical. Maybe it is.

Philosophize on this…why would one take something that is going good – no.. great – and change it? Obvious answer is to make it better. Not!

In business or in marketing, change is not always good. When you have certain promotional actions that are in place making things happen, or in better terms, making you money – don’t change them! Why do I say this? Because I see it time and time again. Someone has a marketing campaign that is bringing in a good return on investment and they up and decide to change their postcard! What?!?!?!?!? Change your postcard – why??????? “Er uh, we just decided to do something different.”

And then some three or four months down the road, they call back with their tail between their legs and ask – no demand to have everything back the way it was before. In this latter case – change is good.

I am not just saying that to say that one should always keep their postcard marketing campaign the same and never change it. Quite the contrary. Change your marketing, change your habits, change your way of life when it warrants it. There is really some truth to the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Maybe it is human nature to want to change everything once something gets going just the way they planned it. Who the heck knows? All I can say is step outside the human-nature box. Change only when things are drastic or when change is warranted.

Drastic circumstances deserve drastic measures. But how do you determine drastic? Sometimes that is really easy. Your company’s income is crashing. Do something! Change! Or better yet, figure out what you changed and get it back to what was working.

How about a plateau? Does that deserve change? Depends on how long that plateau lasts. I have never seen things leveling off and staying level forever. It either goes one of two ways – up or down. I know an optometrist who had a very successful practice in small town USA. He never really marketed. He never really had to. People knew of him from miles around. Mainly he did PR stuff – a fundraiser here, networking there, etc., etc. His good works made him well known and respected and the community ooo’ed and ah’ed over him so much the paper loved printing it.

But things changed. Malls started opening up. People started shopping out of small-town USA and into the bigger cities. The environment changed. But he didn’t. He still kept a good practice, but you could see something interesting – his gross income started to plateau. And over time – many years – that plateau gradually started to show where it was really going. I actually don’t have to say where – you’ve got the picture.

Now, would that demand drastic measures? Taking into account inflation, cost of living and other factors that are on the rise – yes, I would say that would demand drastic measures. Did he take them? Not until the direness became all too apparent. But yes, he finally did take them. He started postcard marketing his you-know-what off!

I have another client that is just a dream. They have had the same list for the past 5 years, ever since they have been in business – thirty thousand physical therapists they mailed to over and over and over and over and … They never changed. They figured if it was bringing in the income it was the thing that was working. And it worked and it still works. And today – they made Entrepreneur’s 100 Hot List for 2005.

So, next time you think about changing your marketing plan, look to see if it needs it. Look at your numbers. Are they improving? Declining? If your income is going up – don’t change one single thing. But if it is going down or flat lining – for heaven’s sake, change!

Do I Enjoy My Online Home Marketing Business?

Keywords:

home based business, work at home

Article Body:

If you’re thinking of starting your own online home marketing business make sure you start something that you will enjoy.

This is really just common sense and would apply to many things in life both online and offline. However, often people associate an online business with “easy money” or “quick success”. In reality, very few online businesses are this kind (at least none that I’ve found). So what does enjoyment have to do with this?

Most people starting a home business do not realize how much time is going to be required. It may not be a lot at first, but it needs to be consistent probably even daily. Committing this amount of time to something you have no interest in is not going to last very long. Something other than money needs to keep you interested and motivated. Money is certainly a factor, but should not be the only satisfaction.

Since an online business requires a computer you first need to decide if you enjoy using a computer. Now granted, computers have become a necessary part of most people’s lives - everybody uses them. A home business however requires hours of time working with a computer. “Strange” problems while emailing and clicking websites, working with multiple windows, and so forth are part of normal procedures.

Secondly, the process of internet marketing requires a set of skills that you will need to develop. Most people starting out do not have all of these skills. That doesn’t matter; most people can acquire these skills. You just need to enjoy stretching yourself and learning new things. You may not do them right the first time but perseverance will help perfect them. An ability to grow in this area is a requirement.

There are many “help” books, materials and online tutorials available to help you. If you’re initially skeptical about spending money online for these resources many, if not all, bookstores and libraries will have the tools needed to assist you in learning how to develop these skills.

Finally, the product or service itself that you are marketing needs to interest you. If it is something that you do not believe in or recommend then find something else. Yes, which products that generate the most money will get more of your attention, but if multiple products result in similar earnings you will focus on the one you are most interested in.

If you think that maybe starting an online marketing business is for you, then start with a well established organization which has other people available to assist you. This will help you to grow and learn various marketing techniques.

An online home business can be a rewarding experience, both financially and other.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Ebooks As Powerful Marketing Tools

The article looks at how a simple ebook can be a powerful tool to expand and market your business.

Keywords:

ebook, business, commerce, powerful, technique, sales

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Ebooks are Promotional Powerhouses

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Ebooks are part of the new frontier of cyberspace.

They are an entirely new medium for sharing marketing

information, ideas, techniques, and expert knowledge.

Each day the number of people accessing the Internet

grows, causing the exposure of your ebook to increase

incrementally. It's obvious why electronic

self-publishing has become so popular so quickly.

The publishing industry, I hope, does not intend to

forever banish the printed word to the dustbin of

history. Books in print have their own special

qualities and merits, and the world would be

diminished by their disappearance.

Having said that, let's look at what makes ebooks so

important and so unique. Ebooks have certain abilities

and qualities that other mediums do not possess.

For example, ebooks are fairly easy to produce, and

their production cost is inexpensive. Just think about

it: you don't need a publisher, an agent, a printing

press, offset film, ink, paper, or even a distributor.

You just need a great concept, the ability to write it

or to hire a writer, and the right software.

Additionally, ebooks are easily and rapidly

distributed online. They are also easily updated; they

do not require a second print run. All you need is to

go into your original creation and modify the text or

graphics. Because of this flexibility, ebooks can

change and grow as fast as you can type.

Ebooks are also immediately obtainable. You don't have

to go to a bookstore or search through endless titles

at an online bookstore. All you have to do is download

it from a website, and presto! It's on your computer,

ready to be read.

Ebooks are interactive. This is one of the most unique

and specific qualities that ebooks offer. You can add

surveys that need to be filled out, order forms for

customers to purchase your products or goods, sound

and video that draw your reader into the virtual world

of your ebook, even direct links to relevant sites

that will expand your ebook outward. The potential is

virtually limitless.

Ebooks have a particular kind of permanence that other

mediums do not possess. Television shows and radio

shows air once, and then may rerun a few times. Ebooks

remain on your computer for as long as your choose,

and they can be read and reread whenever you choose

to. They can even be printed out and stored on the

shelves of your traditional home library.

Another wonderful quality is that ebooks have no

barriers in terms of publishing. You don't need to go

through the endless process of submitting your

manuscript over and over again, and then once you land

an agent, having the agent submit your manuscript over

and over again. Nor do you have to shell out thousands

of dollars for printing a self-published book. All

ebooks require is a writer and appropriate software.

Figure out your market, write your book, post it on

your website, and with the right business savvy, your

audience will come to you.

Finally, you have creative control over your ebook.

You don?t have to compromise with an editor or the

publishing trends of the time. You don't have to

haggle with a designer or wait for copyedited galleys

to arrive by snail mail. You are in complete control

of the design and the text.

How to Use ebooks for Marketing and Promotion

There are innumerable ways to use ebooks to promote

your business and drive quality traffic to your

website. Once posted on your site, you can turn them

into a daily course, which brings your customer back

to read the next chapter. You can use them as a free

gift for making a purchase or for filling out a

survey. Put your ebook on a disc, and you will have an

innovative brochure. Blow your competition away by

inserting the disc into your sales packages.

The most effective marketing products are those that

are unique. Copyright your ebook, and immediately, you

have a powerful tool that you, and you alone, can

offer to the public. People will have to visit your

site to acquire your ebook, which increases the flow

of quality traffic and the potential of sales and

affiliate contacts.

Make sure that you keep your ebook current. Update it

frequently as the market and trends change. Add new

advice and techniques to show your prospects how your

goods or services can enrich their lives. By

constantly keeping abreast of new trends and

techniques, you can continue to see profits from your

ebook for years after your original creation.

Another phenomenal advantage of ebooks is that you can

test their marketing potential without putting out

hardly any cash at all. You can even produce an ebook

one copy at a time, each time you receive an order,

eliminating the need for storage and inventory. By

this method, you can gauge the saleablity of your

ebook, and make adjustments as necessary until the

orders start pouring in. Ebooks allow you to learn

about your market and customer habits and motivation

over a period of time, without risking your precious

financial resources. They also provide you with an

invaluable way to gather marketing information, which

you can use in many different facets of your business.

Use your ebook to discover what the specific goals and

problems are in your specific industry. Then figure

out how to solve these problems, and publish an ebook

with this invaluable information. This will increase

the value of your business, upgrade your reputation,

and get you known as an expert in your field.

You can extend the value of single ebook by breaking

the book down into chapters for a serial course, into

special reports available on your website, or into

audio or visual tapes. Ebooks can be broken down into

several different promotional materials by excepting

some of the articles and using them to promote your

product. You can include a catalog in your ebook to

promote all the products or services you sell. You can

include a thank-you note for reading your book and an

invitation to download a trial version of your

product. Or you can include a form for your audience

to contact you for further information or with

questions, thereby building your business

relationships and your mailing list.

Using ebooks in this manner helps to cut the cost of

individually producing separate promotional materials.

You can use a single ebook to entice new prospects and

to sell new products to your current customers.

No other medium has this kind of flexibility and

ability for expansion. Think of your ebook like a

spider spinning a beautiful and intricate web. Now go

and create that web, and see how many customers and

prospects you can catch!

Direct Marketing Support Services and Lettershop Services: A Key Role in Your Marketing Campaign

Keywords:

direct marketing support services, distribution logistics, database management, mailing list database management, marketing,

Article Body:

Most marketing firms do a lot of direct marketing. One might even suggest it's traditionally the bread and butter of a marketing firm's income. However, in order to properly manage a direct marketing campaign your firm will need to have adequate direct marketing support services, including lettershop services. These support elements will do the grunt work in your direct marketing campaign.

Direct marketing support services many involve such things as printing, mailings database management, and campaign management. While lettershop services handle issues tied to the distribution of your direct marketing campaign. This includes many mundane tasks such as labeling, presorting, folding, tracking and so on. However, as mundane as these tasks may be they are critical to the completion of a successful direct marketing campaign.
In most direct marketing campaigns, direct marketing support services, and lettershop services are handled by an outside vendor. As with the selection of any outside vendor, we suggest you do your research. But there's a problem with this. Obviously, competitive marketing firms may be loathing giving you any information about the companies they use for direct marketing support services, and lettershop services. But we have found a way around that one, and it may sound silly but it actually works.

Call your congressman.
Stop laughing. We are serious.
Why, you may ask, we are not trying to get a bill passed? We are just looking for some good vendors for direct marketing support services and lettershop services, how could our congressmen help with that? Well, it is quite simple, political candidate do a lot of direct mailings, and they usually use local companies. Also, you are a small business in your congressman's district; he will have a reason to help you.

Okay, so now you have found a good company to handing your direct marketing support services and lettershop services. Are there any other pitfalls? Of course there are. As with many other outside vendors, those dealing with direct marketing support services and lettershop services make money on volume. Meaning that quality control, though a priority, may not be their top priority. So you need to be especially carefully that all printed material, databases and instructions are given both verbally and in writing.

In our experience, if you have never worked with the vendor, we suggest you do this in person. Although thanks to digital printing a lot may be done via phone, FTP and email, we still feel that these initial contacts should be done in person. And do not give this job to a new hire or an intern. That is just asking for trouble. This needs to be done by someone who has been at your firm for at least a year. Someone who can think on his or her feet.

Another important thing about vendors who offer direct marketing supports services and lettershop services is that they see direct marketing campaigns every day. They have a sense of what works and what does not. If they question some aspect of your campaign, listen to them. They probably know what they are talking about. And, as you and vendor build trust; you may find them giving you pointers that they only share with valued customers. We might add that the referral from you congressman, might also help grease the early client vendor relations. And you thought that was a crazy suggestion, right?

Getting Results With Viral Marketing

Keywords:

viral marketing,viral trafficking,viral,marketing viral,internet marketing,marketing

Article Body:

Are you looking to find out how so many big companies are so successful? It’s a mystery to many people, but making your business what you want it to be might rely on this.

In order to remain successful on the internet, creativity is necessary. Since so much competition is going on, you should be on the cutting edge of attracting traffic to your site. Even if you’ve got an awesome product or a great web site, people won’t even know you exist if they can’t find your site. Thus you won’t make lots of profit. Your work could go to waste.

There are hundreds of techniques used in e-marketing. One of these is called Viral Marketing. Viral might sound unpleasant, but you can imagine the virus in this case to be your product. It spreads like a virus… fairly soon, everyone has heard of it or experienced it.

Viral advertising raises the general population’s awareness of your company. Companies rely on the theory that if people find the web site pleasurable enough, they will pass it on for their friends and family to see. The consumer promotes the site for you, and it is completely free. All it takes is a cool game, a funny video, story, etc... Any point at which your product is mentioned can be considered good publicity.

Viral trafficking has become a widely accepted form of advertising because of how cheap it is. Instead of being spam mail, it relies on the individuals to send the product on themselves. If you receive an email from someone you know, you’re not likely do delete it. Some companies offer incentives for passing on the viral marketing message. It’s a small price to pay for having it sent to thousands of people.

The biggest perk perhaps to viral marketing is the amount of familiarity your site receives. You begin to see lots of traffic that are all potential customers. With a bit of creativity, you can reach a huge number of people and let them know your site exists.

Many sites are getting beginning to see the effectiveness of viral trafficking. You can’t afford not to use it. If you use it alongside SEO techniques, your web site could be unstoppable! Once you generate a buzz or hype about your site, many people will visit just out of curiosity.

Comprehensive Marketing Details Not Found in Beginner Books

Veteran Marketer reveals the tricks of the marketing trade

Keywords:

business,marketing,business marketing,direct mail,direct mail postcards,postcards,joy gendusa,

Article Body:

If this is the first marketing article you are reading, go find some other more basic articles that I have written and then come back. This data is for the intermediate to advanced marketers.

I want to go over a three-step outline for your marketing which are:

1) Surveys

2) Getting Attention

3) Postage

Marketing surveys save you from flying blind in your business marketing strategies and are the best way to find out what you should be offering, to whom and how. When you don't really know what to put in your direct mail marketing it's because you haven't done your research.

In order to get the response you would like on your direct mail marketing campaign, one area you need to look at is whether or not you are using a survey to find out what to say to your public. You may immediately answer “No – I don’t survey.” But truthfully, it’s very possible you do and just don’t realize it….read on.

You know your market quite well because you already sell to them. You’re unwittingly surveying all the time. Take this example:

An optometrist has an optical boutique. He knows that the biggest market for his eyewear are women from the ages of 40 to 65 years old. How does he know that? His women’s frame inventory is constantly being restocked fives times more than his men’s frame stock or even children’s. And the types of women’s frames are ones compatible with no-line bifocals. Interesting! Let’s look at what else this optometrist knows. He knows that these women pay a higher price point for their eyewear because the products he keeps reordering are from the more upscale designers so these women probably have more discretionary income. That is what I mean by surveying unwittingly.

Now let's take an example where you are sure you have no data:

You are a mortgage broker and you don't know what to say to people to get them to refinance their property, yet this is the area you specialize in. You assume that the best deal will attract more customers. You conduct a marketing survey, or get a marketing survey conducted for you that asks people indirectly for their attitudes and emotions concerning refinancing and what would be the advantages and disadvantages. You find the majority of people would like to refinance but think it is a very complicated procedure and so they never try. From this information you are able to determine what the tone and message of your advertising should take.

So, what should your promotion say? How about "We'll take the hassle out of refinancing for you. Find out how." You will get a response. You could send out thousands of promotional pieces telling your prospects that you can get them the lowest rate, but that isn't their concern. Their concern is that it's too complicated. Do you see how you could miss? A survey is the answer.

It is smart business to design a survey (or have one designed) to send out to your past customers that will keep you in the know, and not in the dark.

Now let’s go into the next logical sequence of how to break the first barrier of getting attention, so the “button” you found from your survey hits them before they throw away your promotion before ever even reading it.

Ditch the Envelopes!

The most common question that is asked when dealing with direct mail is "How do I get their attention?" This is a major problem because, no matter what you do to them, most envelopes look basically the same. Print on them in color, make a window, stamp it urgent - your customers have seen all these tricks before. They get thrown away before they’re even opened. They can tell from the outside that it is a sales pitch and they just get rid of it. This causes you to lose sales because of assumptions made before you even try to get your message across, when if you had the chance to let the customer know what you were offering they might have gone for it. Plain and simple, the easiest way to get around this is by using postcards.

Not only does the full color aspect of postcards attract more attention than all of the envelopes in any given day’s stack of mail, but it will allow you to get your message across while recipients are making the decision of what to read and what to throw away.

Let’s use this example:

You are sitting on the subway and the guy next to you leans over and says "I have something I would like to sell you and it’s under my trench coat, are you interested?" So as any sane person would do, you move to the furthest seat from him so not to be bothered.

As you now sit in the farthest seat from the untrustworthy freak in the trench coat you are approached by a smiling little Girl Scout who holds out a box of cookies and says "Would you like to buy a box of cookies? Everyone loves the Thin-Mints!" So this time you pull out your wallet and plunk down the $3 for a box of delicious cholesterol and sugar.

See the difference? Don’t hide your message behind a trench coat. For all we know the "untrustworthy freak", as I have affectionately named him, could have had a box of Thin-Mints under there.

We may never know, and neither will your customers if you don’t stop stuffing your promo into bland looking envelopes.

Now, make the final step easy and take out the hassle of direct mail.

It’s one thing to get postcards designed and printed. It’s another to get them into the hands of the recipients rapidly, efficiently, as inexpensively as possible and without too much hassle. You have the choice of doing it yourself in house or getting someone to do it for you.

The apparent advantage of doing it yourself is that you don’t pay someone else what they charge to do it for you. The disadvantage of doing it yourself is that it’s going to cost you more in the long run.

Why?

Normally your postage for a 4.25 x 6" postcard is 23¢. Direct mail companies can lease special software from the USPS which reads the addresses and barcodes them. The post office gives a significant discount for bar-coded mail. Updating this software often (every three months) ensures that the addresses you are mailing to are good. If the person is no longer at that address then it’s a waste of your money to mail to them.

Because of the high tech equipment and software direct mail companies use, you can sometimes save as much as .04 cents per card. And you don’t have all the hassle of getting the mailing out yourself.

I call it a no-brainer: a technical term for saving money and hassle by getting someone else to do your mailing for you. If you have been doing it the hard way, switch over to a direct mail marketing company. I am sure they will be glad to help you save money, time and trouble.