Marketing, Search-Engine-Marketing, Video Marketing, Internet-Marketing

Online Marketing Tips For Newbies - What is the Very BEST Advice For Internet Marketing Beginners?

2008-12-29T10:31:00.000-08:00

In this article we are going to talk ONLY to online marketing newbies. People who are JUST getting started, who have BIG dreams but only a little bit of actual experience on the front lines and thorny trenches of the online entrepreneurial battle zone. The simple truth is making money online is REALLY easy.....but finding a proven and profitable path, along with some good old fashioned honest advice is not.

Fact: Most of the internet marketers who are SELLING their stuff right now, don't even really USE the strategies they're promoting to make their money. Instead, where they REALLY profit is from selling you on the IDEA of using their tactics, which you'll pay them for, USUALLY through your nose, not theirs..:-)

So with that in mind, I'm going to give you some REAL advice you can USE, along with a strategy you can implement IMMEDIATELY and largely for free, so you can get a taste of the internet marketing mind set, and lifestyle to boot.

The advice comes first: keep it simple - and DON'T overcomplicate things to the point where they become confusing. Einstein said something years ago which is VERY true about making a living online, and I paraphrase, but - " any fool can overcomplicate a simple process to the point where it APPEARS more difficult than it really is, whereas true genius lies in embracing simplicity and it's resulting success".

The strategy is this: Concentrate on FREE traffic. I use article marketing as a HUGE component of my own business, and it allows me, in large part to dominate just about ANY market I choose in ways that would cost tens of thousands of dollars if I was paying for traffic. Article marketing is largely free to execute, is IMMEDIATE in terms of it's impact, and can literally be implemented by ANYONE.....regardless of their experience or income level out of the gate.

Follow these 2 simple precepts, and you WILL succeed where others fail, of that I am certain..:-)

Internet Marketing Tips - How to Create a 'Future Proof' Internet Marketing Business

2008-12-29T10:30:00.002-08:00

Several years ago, you could slap up a half-decent sales page or website, send traffic to it, and you will make money almost inevitably. However, times have changed. Competition has really sprung up in many major niches. Now, most of the competition are from people who are clueless about how to run a proper business, so you don't have to worry too much about them. They might drive up pay per click costs but they won't be a long-term threat.

These days, though, people have almost infinitely more choices. Compare the supermarket of today to that of 30 years ago. There are literally dozens of choices for ham you could choose from, when there were only a few all those years ago. People have more choices these days, and it is up to you to make sure they choose you.

It is the same for the pay per click search engines. It used to be that you could rank easily for any competitive keyword and get tons of traffic at a low-cost. That's not the case these days. Trying to rank on the first page of a highly popular keyword is almost tantamount to throwing money away. So the key is to go for those long-tail keywords that have decent amounts of traffic, but not too much competition.

So what is takeaway from this? The takeaway is that you have to differentiate yourself from the competition. If you make the biggest connection with your target audience, and form a strong relationship with them, you will stand out from the crowd.

Internet Marketing - What's New For 2009?

2008-12-29T10:30:00.001-08:00

Internet Marketing is also referred to as web marketing, online marketing or e-marketing is the marketing of products or services over the internet.

Internet Marketing brings together the creative and technical aspects of the internet, including design, development, advertising and sales. It is not limited to building and promoting a website nor does it mean just placing ads on different websites.

A sophisticated definition will be drawing up a comprehensive plan or strategy that marries your business goals and sales goals with your website(s) function and appearance but focusing on your targeted market(s) using advertising, media and design.

What ever that means; is not as important as finding out first what's new in 2009 so you can be ahead of the pack is what you must thinking right now.

Just when you think the Internet Marketing Niche is saturated then out comes something so unique and yet so basic that it appeals to the wants and needs of many.

Something really unique that promises to take this niche by storm is launching in January 2009. It makes use of cutting edge technology.

Like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay and Skype after a few years we will be wondering how we survived before its advent.

This complete system helps you build your internet business by offering a complete suite of communication tools that you use in your business regularly.

The plus is all the applications are web based. This means you can use them from anywhere in the world provided you have access to an internet connection. Our lives just got better and simpler!

With the meeting tool alone you can meet 100s of entrepreneurs anytime, anywhere by phone or web conference. You can hold high powered training sessions with interactive screen sharing and whiteboarding.

How would you like to be able to meet face to face with customers and prospects from all over the world to build relationships and credibility from the comfort of your home?

Keyword Optimization in Website Content

2008-12-29T10:28:00.001-08:00

In search engine optimization keyword optimization is extremely important to construct website content. Prior to it you should make list of what keywords and phrases has to be put in the content. These keywords are search terms that are used by users to locate your website. Another important term in SEO is 'keyword density'; it signifies the percentage of keywords that has to be used in a web page. However its percentage differs from one search engine to another. The normal range of keyword density is 3-7% for important keywords.

The number of time any keyword/phrase is shown in a web page is known as keyword frequency. More number of times a keyword appears in a web page, chances of it getting crawled by search engine spiders increases. Usually the keyword or phrase that is used repeatedly in a web page is the most important one. Try to avoid using it again and again so that the system is not abused.

Keywords can be categorized into two forms- primary keywords and secondary keywords. Primary keywords are the main keywords that put more emphasis on from search engine perspective. Whereas secondary keywords have lesser importance than primary ones and are used for marketing of primary keywords.

Finding the right and good keywords is the topmost priority for any website owner. Hire an SEO expert to help you out in this job if you are new to it and don't know professional aspects of search engine optimization. Consult with your friends or people that do regular net surfing on the internet, and know what type of keywords people use for searching products and services.

Search for your competitors, the keyword Meta tags it would facilitate forming the list of keyword optimization. You must have up-to-date list of the products and services provided by your website to the customers. In case the products/services being offered have any technical or complicated name, choose a simpler or general term/name for it.

Placement of keywords play vital role in keyword optimization. They can be placed in paragraphs, image alt tags, heading tags, bulleted lists and so on. You may consider making any definite words in bolder font or italicize it.

The content should be high on readability statistics. It has to be meaningful with proper use of targeted keywords and key phrases. Do not create the content that is only search engine centric but should be user-friendly.

How to Select Search Engine Keywords

2008-12-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

Search engines are by far the best way to drive potential customers to your websites. But to drive those potential customers to your site you need to provide them with signs to direct them to your site. To do this you need to select some carefully chosen keywords.

Finding the right keywords and you can have tons of traffic pouring into your website. However, if you're keywords are too general or has too much competition then your number of visitors that make it to your site can decrease dramatically.

No matter how good your website or your product is, without having great keywords that you have chosen with great precision, then your website or product will be of no use. Your keywords play a very high role in your marketing strategy.

The best way to find the right keywords is to look at it from the view of your customers. Otherwise, it can be hard to be objective if you are looking at it from the business side. You need to be able to think like your customers.

A good way to start of is to actually ask your customers. Ask for words and phrases from as many potential customers as you can. You will quite possibly find that many of the words or phrases that your customers come up with will be words and phrases that you hadn't even thought of yourself.

Once you have a list of keywords and phrases from your customers, and then add your own keywords to the list. Then once you have your completed list you will need to evaluate your keywords.

The reason you need to sit down and evaluate your list is to narrow down the list to a reasonably small number of keywords and phrases that will be likely to direct the highest number of good quality visitors to your site. Having lots of traffic coming through your website is no good if the quality of the visitors is not high. With low quality visitors you are not likely to make many sales. You need to have good quality, targeted visitors who are much more likely to make a purchase.

Popularity is one of the ways to evaluate your keywords. The more popular the keyword then the more often you will have potential customers typing that keyword into the search engine.

However popular keywords may also have a great deal of competition so your website may rank quite lowly for that keyword and will therefore not receive that many visitors.

Popularity is good, but it isn't enough. You also need your keywords to be specific. The more specific your keyword is to your product, then the more likely that a potential customer can find your site. Also the more specific your keyword is then the more likely that your potential customer is a good quality, targeted customer.

The last factor to take into account when evaluation your keywords is motivation. Once again you will need to think like your customer. Try to think about what it is that would motivate someone to search for your product and what keywords they would search for. You don't want a ton of visitors that are just browsing and very unlikely to purchase, so stay away from keywords that you think will attract browsers. Use good motivational keywords that will attract the customers that know what they are looking for and have already decided what they want, now they just need to make they purchase. This is the motivation that you are looking for and that will give you targeted visitors and many sales.

Once you have your keywords selected, you will need to continue to evaluate your keywords. If you aren't seeing the results you want then re-evaluate and possibly choose some new keywords. Trends are always changing and so to is the way people talk or the lingo they use, so always keep that in mind and keep updated with your keywords and phrases.

Search Engine Optimization - The Key to Your Success Online

2008-12-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Search engine Optimization (SEO) has revolutionized the way web based companies use marketing. SEO is a way to attract more visitors to your site and create a greater awareness on the World Wide Web. Obviously, the higher up on a search engine (Google, Yahoo, etc.) list the better chance of increased visitors to your site.

The basic way SEO works is the search engine uses crawlers (programs that scan the internet) that look for keywords. For example, if someone types in, "used baby clothes" the search engine will send out crawlers, scanning millions of websites in a second for the key words "baby, clothes." The more accessible and search engine friendly the website is the better chance it will return the site in the top ten to twenty five on the results.

Websites that ignore the need for SEO go unnoticed and are difficult for people to find. Many online business owners aren't aware of the incredible benefit and need for SEO on their site. SEO is the most affordable and easiest way to attract new visitors. It doesn't cost anything and it has the potential to send your website to the top of the charts.

One of the most important aspects of SEO is to develop user friendly content that actually assist search engines in discovering your site. The content of your SEO should be easy to read, conversational and enjoyable. One mistake many people make when writing SEO is they try to fill the article with keywords to point that it is overwhelming and quite annoying. You'll want to stay away from over stuffing the article and make clean and understandable. By providing interesting articles you invite visitors to become regulars and continue to visit your site for education and information on the topic you're selling.

Placing the particular keywords someone may look for in the right location will also increase your chances of getting noticed by search engines. It's important to place the keyword in the first sentence and last sentence of the first and last paragraph. This will help the crawlers of search engines find your site easier.

Webcam Secrets to Becoming Famous by Morning

2008-12-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

Lonely Girl 15 - the story of Bree, a teenage girl (16) video blogging about her life from her bedroom.

Starting off with seemingly normal video posts about various 'normal' teenage issues, the storyline soon started to diverge.

Talk of strange occult links and the disappearance of her parents, lonleygirl Bree, had her audience hooked with a combination of titillation and intrigue. This soon was led by skepticism and investigation.

The Lonelygirl15 series ran four to five video blogs a week for a little over two years. In that time the video series boasted in excess of 110 million views, a popular MySpace page and numerous copycat video posts.

It was later discovered that, what was thought to be a real diary of a 16 year old girl, was actually revealed to be a fictional series created by three amateur filmmakers and a 20 year old New Zealand born actress named Jessica Rose.

Rather than being outraged and turned off the audience was hungry for more. That resulted in the spin-off series "KateModern" which aired on Bebo.

So what was it about Lonleygirl15 that made it so popular? Was it just a fluke or was it carefully planned and implemented marketing strategy?

As it turned out, it was point number two. Whether the creators had an exit plan at the beginning of the venture I am unsure but they definitely profited with product placements and an injection of $5million dollars in venture capital.

And the secret to lonelygirls success? Let's make a list (and being Christmas time, we'll check it twice ;):

1. The allure of looking in on a pretty sixteen year old girls bedroom had to be high for a number of viewers. Let's face it, sex sells.

2. The initial storyline created empathy with young teens and discovery for those of other ages.

3. Once the storyline started to morph into bizarre and unusual twists it captured viewers and started discussion.

4. The hype created by whether lonleygirl15 was real or not even drew media coverage and speculation.

Once dissected you see that Lonleygirl15 had all the traits of a well thought up and executed marketing plan. An initial point of attraction (pretty girl), familiarity (to create empathy) and a twist.

A model that anyone can copy (and numerous people have) to generate personal or business publicity.

So put on your thinking cap and you too can soon be Famous By Morning!

A Video Marketing Plan - Lights, Camera, Action!

2008-12-29T10:25:00.001-08:00

As you began to implement your video marketing plan the first issue was quite clear - you needed a decent camera capable of delivering good quality internet video. So, now that you've got one (you didn't pay too much, did you?) it's time to begin to place your video marketing strategies into action. More appropriately, you might say: Lights...Camera...action! It's time to get creative. Here are some tips for you.

Video Marketing Plan... It's Free

Using video to implement social marketing strategies is perhaps the most cost-effective method of advertising and exposing your business or other enterprise. With a little time and effort you can drive new traffic to your website or blog virtually (no pun intended) cost free. Posting your video on websites, on blogs, or on sites like You Tube, is a net positive for your social marketing plan. Where else can you gain this kind of exposure? It's impossible to achieve in conventional avenues like newspaper, or even television, regardless of dollars invested. If your video marketing plan produces a video that goes viral the rewards will outweigh the costs (time) invested incalculably. Remember, it's free!

Video Marketing Plan... It's Creative

Let's face it; we all get in a rut now and then. Why not do something to get your creative juices flowing? Why not challenge yourself, and/or your compatriots, to come up with a social marketing plan that creates a video that goes, you guessed it, viral. Here are a few tips for coming up with that knockout video for your social marketing plan:

* BRAINSTORM - that's right; alone, or with friends or associates, give serious thought to your social marketing strategies. Come up with some ideas for a video that makes you excited... so excited that you can't wait to do it! Take notes. Say anything, crazy or not. Put it on paper. Then discuss your brainstorms.
* K.I.S.S. - this popular acronym usually means "keep it simple, stupid." But in this case you need to be a little more focused that just simplicity. Sure, conveying just one main theme is effective in your video. But, you'll want to expand the acronym to include proper social marketing strategies: keep it short, stupid. Internet attention span is short, at best. There's so much for the surfer to see and so many places to visit. As you create your video marketing strategies , don't go beyond three minutes in your video. Between one and two minutes is optimal.
* GET IN, HIT HARD, GET OUT - create an opening in the first few frames. Usually, in the first ten seconds or less, you need to catch the viewers interest to keep them watching. After capturing their attention, soundly give them your message. Then close with a link to your website, blog, etc. so they can have further contact with you. Effective social marketing strategies include ways for them to interact with you personally.

Video Marketing Plan... It's Fun

Most people use the internet for relaxation and for exploring things that interest them, or catch their eye, or in some other way captivate them. If they wanted a sermon, they'd go to church. If they wanted a sales pitch, they'd go to a car lot. You get the picture. You're video marketing strategies are free... they are creative... now, why don't you make them fun? You won't catch anyone's interest talking about how great your particular skills are. That comes later. Pique their appetite with something fun... or funny. Show a short "how to" video in a fun way. Or depict something really funny that doesn't even relate to your expertise, but comes with the personal blurbs at the end. Your "message" in your video marketing strategy isn't necessarily what you do so much as what makes you laugh, or what makes you feel good. It's a look into your character, or your conscience. It's not a look into your tool chest (unless you're doing a "how to" video).

As you develop your social marketing strategies you begin to see the big picture. The internet is the most awesome tool any business, enterprise, or special niche partisans have ever had at their disposal. Your congregation is literally the whole world. And your pulpit is free. Just remember... don't preach.

YouTube Traffic Secrets - How to Channel Floods of YouTube Traffic in Your Direction!

2008-12-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

The popularity of video sharing websites, the massive hits and page views that they receive, etc. is all very well documented. What is not is the fact that you have the power to redirect that traffic in a direction of your choice! It could be your own website, that of the affiliate you market for...just about anyone or anything. Simply follow the following tips to assist you in your efforts towards redirecting YouTube traffic.

Tip 1: Synergize Your Affiliate Marketing Efforts

Assuming you are already running your own affiliate marketing business successfully. With YouTube and online video sharing, you in fact have the power to combine your existing affiliate marketing business with video sharing. What you could essentially do is, create an interesting and exciting video around the products or services that you are promoting. Give the description of your offering in the textual content around the video. You will yourself be amazed at the sudden surge of interest in your offering.

Tip 2: Embed Your URL in the Video

Right through the video, or in the beginning or towards the end, you could in fact have the URL of your website featured. That would in turn have a positive, spiral effect on the hits on your own website. Additionally, those unfamiliar with you or what you have to offer, would gain that much needed familiarity.

Tip 3: Encourage Reposting

Display the actual URL of your video prominently, alongside the video. That way, enthusiastic viewers could bookmark the link and easily keep coming back. They could also copy paste the link and put it in their social networking profiles, blogs, etc. If the requisite code is provided along with the actual URL, viewers could also embed your video in a destination of their choice.

Tip 4: Watermark Your Videos

That way you will not only promote your website as well as your own self, your videos will also get certified as your product. Since capabilities for downloading videos from video sharing websites have been suitably built, you would even be protecting yourself this way, from potential piracy. It would also serve as a sort of marketing and branding tool for you, since you could do the watermarking in a certain, distinctive way.

As you would have figured out by now, redirecting YouTube traffic in a direction of your choice is not that difficult after all!

Internet Video Marketing - Learn to Generate a Ton of Leads From Your Videos

2008-12-29T10:21:00.005-08:00

When doing Internet video marketing the way to go about it is pretty easy but you must make sure to be consistent. Just like with everything else you do online the more you do it the more you will get in to the habit of doing them. The only thing is that by doing it everyday and a lot does not guarantee you getting leads from your efforts. There is a way to start getting a ton of leads from your Internet video marketing and i will show you how to do it.

When making a video keep in mind that the person searching for that video is looking for either answers or for some sort of value to it. People love to be entertain and they love to learn something new. Now if you are able to provide that then people will come back to you and watch your videos constantly.

So the first step is to really think your video out and make sure to give some sort of values to your audience. Also once you begin to put quality videos out there people will seek for more so just keep them coming. Of course not all your videos will be masterpieces but most of them will if you follow the same routine you started with.

There is so much information out in the Internet that you are able to learn something grasp it and make a video on it. Also people love seeing real life experiences so I am sure you will be able to do that.

Make sure to be yourself and just smile do not be a serious zombie and start making some videos!

Credibility Marketing Tactics - When to Make Contact

2008-12-29T10:21:00.004-08:00

The purpose of Credibility Marketing is to generate relationships with people who become interested in you as an expert who can help them simplify and improve their lives.

How do you do that? Several things have to happen at once. First, you gather as much information as you can about the people on your list. Second, you paint a picture of you as a kind-hearted person who happens to be an expert in something that could make them a lot of money or save them a lot of money. Third, send a numbered series of letters giving high quality information on a topic the people on your list will very likely be interested in.
How often and at what interval do you send your letters? First, you must send no fewer than three letters. It simply takes that much contact and exposure to establish your presence in the relationship. However, there are several ways to space your letters. The logic you use to determine the timing tactic will be determined by many factors, such as the urgency of your message, the amount of mailbox saturation and the seasonality of your list.

Here are the common timing tactics for Credibility Marketing:

Simple. This is the traditional tactic of sending three letters at one-week intervals. It's intense, and it works. But if you stop making contact after the third letter, you will lose credibility with your target market because you will not have delivered on your presupposed promise to be in the right place at the right time with the right information.

Blitz. This is an unconventional mailing tactic of sending your mail so the first one reaches your prospect on a specific Tuesday. Send the second one a day later, so it arrives on Wednesday. Send the third one a day later, so it arrives on Thursday. Then, place a follow-up call on Friday. This concentrated exposure to your three messages capitalizes on all the icons and familiarity devices you've built into your program.

Continuous. This is a non-stop, weekly or bi-weekly mailing for an extended length of time. This tactic is also very intense, and it flirts with annoying the recipients. I have a client who mails one letter a week for a year - that's like stalking! I have a friend in Canada who places his prospects on a 10-year mail program - that's like kidnapping!

Flighting. This is a tactic you often hear on the radio. It alternates concentrated activity with periods of complete inactivity. You might send letters every week for two months; then send nothing for the next month, and then send a new two-month blitz. You might consider using this if you want to generate interest in seminars.

Pulsing. This is the most complicated timing tactic. It's a combination of different flights. For instance, you might send letters each week for the first month; every other week for the second month; and one each month for several months, only to start the process over again at a predetermined time. If your letters are written correctly and contain the right type of information, this tactic works to build awareness of you during the more intense flights. Then, it builds on that familiarity. Because of the number of pieces you mail, the cost for this tactic can be considerable. To justify that, you need to be sure your profit margin takes that into account.

Bursting. This tactic is one that is used in academic studies of direct mail concepts. You send the same exact letter several times. Studies show that the second mailing can add a significant number of responses. Then, they'll fall off for the third mailing of the same letter. This tactic works well if you're trying to generate leads. If you're mailing to your existing clients, they might think you're denying some village of an idiot when they realize you're resending the same letters. This tactic is not a good one to use when you want to build credibility.

Roadblocking. This tactic requires you to send your letter(s) to every place you can reach your target market. You'd send one to the home and one to the office. You'd also deploy telemarketing to hit both places. And, you'd run ads in all the publications your target market reads. I think of this as a business-to-business tactic.

Blinking. This is similar to timing the stock market. You calculate when your target market is preparing to make a decision and plan for your mail to arrive during that time. For instance, mailing to reach prospects who are reaching their 21st or 65th birthday. The month leading up to graduation day is another. And from January first to April fifteenth is another example.

Gearing Up For Fall - Is Your Trade Show Display Ready?

2008-12-29T10:21:00.003-08:00

Every day brings us a step closer to the hectic fall trade show season. With just a few weeks left before the hustle and bustle of shows begins, now's the time to ask whether your company's are up to date and ready for action.

The summertime lull in your trade show schedule is the perfect opportunity to take a proactive approach to your trade show displays - and ensure you'll be a step ahead when the fall season heats up! To make sure your events run smoothly, follow this easy checklist:

· Check your booth's condition. The first thing potential clients will see this fall is your trade show booth. Make sure it's in top shape by making any necessary repairs, replacing any missing pieces and reviewing your trade show graphics to ensure they are in good shape and relevant to your marketing message and brand.

· Stock up on literature and giveaways. Check the stock levels of your trade show exhibit's brochures, fliers and giveaways to make sure you have plenty for the whole season. You'll also want to review all materials to ensure information and messages are up to date. Order any refills or replacements, and give all items to your exhibit house to pack with your trade show booth.

· Check your AV equipment. Take a moment to switch on all your audio and visual equipment, including laptops, monitors, projectors and kiosks, to ensure they're in working order and ready for use.

· Research show services and deadlines. Register for on-site services early, when rates are lower, and you can save a significant amount on your show expenses. Now's the ideal time to check deadlines for ordering services, such as material handling, EAC forms, electrical and Internet, booth cleaning and carpet rental. You should also review your exhibitor manual to see all services available at your show and determine whether you need to find outside services as well.

· Coordinate your shipping schedule. Before the season starts, determine your trade show display's shipping schedule, keeping in mind warehouse deadlines. By planning ahead, you'll also have time for ground shipping - an economical, money-saving option. To avoid missing important deadlines, communicate your schedule to your exhibit house.

· Organize your labor schedule. Once your shipping schedule is determined, get quotes from your exhibit house for installation and dismantle labor and schedule them according to move-in and move-out dates.

· Develop your marketing strategy. Finally, review your trade show marketing objectives and corresponding strategy, including things like media outreach, sales and lead goals, pre-show promotions and post-show follow-up. Having a marketing plan in place before the season starts can help you better identify your objectives - and measure success.

The fall show season offers plenty of opportunities to market your company's products or services - and by planning ahead, you can ensure your trade show exhibits get the biggest bang at your event, without exceeding your budget.

How to Trim Costs at Your Next Trade Show

2008-12-29T10:21:00.001-08:00

From trade show exhibit shipping and storage to electricity, set-up, takedown and more, there's more to exhibiting at your next trade show than just booking space and bringing your display. Instead, you need to plan ahead, do your homework, and stay organized - and if you do, the savings can be significant. To get the best possible deal on services at your next show, try following these simple money-saving tips. When ordering services...

• Plan ahead. Submit show paperwork early to get the best rates; you can check on early deadlines in your exhibitor manual or by consulting your exhibit house.

• Stay organized. Keep your paperwork organized and take it with you to the trade show so you can refer to it in case of discrepancies.

• Be detailed and specific. When ordering services, especially electrical, be as detailed as possible and submit layout diagrams and instructions. If an electrician or other show personnel needs to fix last-minute issues, you'll be charged hefty extra fees. When shipping your exhibit...

• Consolidate your shipments. To save money, ship your trade show displays and accessories in as few batches as possible. Shows typically charge drayage fees per 100 pounds of materials, meaning you will be charged a minimum fee whether the shipment is five pounds or 95 pounds - so make each shipment worth it.

• Try shipping to the warehouse. Shipping directly to a busy show site can mean extra fees for waiting time. Also, pay attention to receiving hours - show management companies will often apply overtime charges to accept freight beyond normal receiving hours, which are often only 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

• Bring small boxes yourself. If you have a simple box or two of giveaways, it's easier to carry it in yourself instead of passing it through show management. When scheduling trade show labor services...

• Bring a knowledgeable supervisor. Whether it's a person from your staff or your exhibit house, a great supervisor will be able to direct labor efficiently, ensuring your trade show exhibits are set up correctly and meet show rules.

• Arrange a tight labor schedule. With a good supervisor running labor efficiently, you can keep your labor hours to a minimum while the crew is on the clock - which doesn't stop if you have an issue.

• Keep it to regular business hours. Pay attention to scheduling - regular installation hours are usually 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. If your labor crew works past these hours you'll have to pay overtime, so it's best to avoid scheduling labor for late afternoons or Fridays. Trimming your show fees can play a large role in increasing your trade show ROI - and reserving your budget for items that will help increase your leads and sales, like new or accessories for your trade show exhibits, follow-up marketing efforts or giveaways.

Psychological Marketing Basics - Part Two - How Benefits, Emotion and Values Work For You

2008-12-29T10:20:00.001-08:00

How many times have you heard someone say, "Sell with benefits -- not features!" Or, "Use emotion to sell -- not facts." Has anyone ever explained to you what benefits and emotion really mean? Probably not.

At the risk of sounding overly simple: every decision maker is a person - that's the most common element in all of business. Everyone who buys your product is a human being - politician, hockey mom, human resources manager, homeowner, CEO, widow, Boy Scout or musician.

Instead of passing that off as merely obvious, use it to your advantage. You can appeal to any human being by presenting your product or service in terms that person relates to. What are those terms? They are the person's values. In fact, think bigger - If you can discover what your target market values, you will be able to be far more effective reaching them and inspiring them to give you a try.

Psychologically, values are the umbrella under which you find specific business benefits. Those benefits are determined by emotional motivators. But the person will only take action if the motivators belong to that person and are phrased in his or her psychological language. How do you know what that language is? That's easy. Simply determine the person's Personality Type.

For example:

Driver Personality Type values control and tradition.

Analytical Personality Type values relevant information and being the expert.

Expressive Personality Type values freedom and out-of-the-box action.

Amiable Personality Type values relationships and appropriate behavior.

Now, knowing those things, can't you more easily see which Type will want your products or services? Then, merely use those words in your marketing. In fact, use those words in the headlines. The combination of values, emotion and benefits will directly affect your prospect by helping him like you. And once he likes you and what you are telling him, those values, emotion and benefits will help him take action on your behalf. How could he not take action? You speak his language, understand what he wants, and you're extending it to him. It's not a sales pitch, it's a great deal. You made this his lucky day!

When you apply this thinking to your drip marketing, or website or selling proposition, you set-up multiple opportunities for you to show or prove your value to your prospect or target market. In other words, you are serving as a magnet to attract them, rather than running after them. Which makes more sense to you?

Corporate Gift Ideas For Your Tradeshow

2008-12-29T10:19:00.005-08:00

The end of the year approaches, and it's about time to start drawing up a corporate gift list. End of the year is the best time to thank employees for a job well done and to extend one's gratitude to business clients for a good year. It's also the time when corporate officers give their thanks to stockholders and investors for their renewed trust. Strengthening business relations at year's end is easy with corporate gift suggestions from Branders' Gift Collection.

Does the idea of ordering engraved fountain pens thrill you no longer? Branders' corporate gift ideas for the home or the office, for mobile workers and for the wardrobe will make the end-of-the-year gift shopping less of a chore. One need not fret at ruining the corporate budget as gift suggestions come at all price points.

The custom wine plug with your corporate logo is an extraordinary way of thanking employees for a job well done. Made of stainless steel, the Italy-designed stopper fits securely atop wines or oil and vinegar bottles. It's a fine corporate gift that will be treasured for years. The company's top performers deserve more than just a pat on the back. Why not send them the Red House pure cashmere pashmina or scarf to extravagantly convey your pride in them? These corporate gift items will be used repeatedly, promising your brand much exposure.

At a slightly steeper price, the honey beehive pewter bank is a uniquely designed piece that's a perfect corporate gift for those in the financial industry. Your compliments can be laser-engraved on this impressive item. We beg you to overlook the price tag, as isn't $50 a small price to pay for an investor's trust? But, should you want a gift that doesn't hurt the pocket but will nevertheless be memorable, the gold envelope-shaped compact or the magnetic ball paperweight will do the job.

Do You Still Need a Paper Catalog? Here's How to Know For Sure

2008-12-29T10:19:00.004-08:00

With the growing trend to eliminate paper publications and rely exclusive on electronic media, many companies that print and circulate catalogs are wondering what to do. Should they print fewer catalogs? Should they rely exclusively on their Web catalogs?

Often, the marketing and customer service personnel are certain that the catalogs are still useful and necessary. But the finance department is pointing out that all of the catalog content is available online, so why not eliminate the considerable expense of a paper book?

This debate has raged since Amazon.com initially grew like wildfire and became a multi-billion dollar corporation - without a paper catalog! Many marketers and other executives concluded that Amazon's success indicated that they didn't need to publish a paper catalog, either. And yet, some good database marketing-driven companies are certain that circulating paper catalogs continues to drive online sales! What's going on here? How can some online marketers thrive without a paper catalog while other retailers and distributors see strong correlations between catalog circulation and Web sales?

Whether or not you need a paper catalog depends on your product category and how people best search for your kind of product. Some product categories are best searched visually and others are best searched by content or product attribute.

Visual Searches

People search for most product categories visually - in other words, they need to take in many different images in order to narrow a wide range of options down to a specific choice. This is true of clothing, furniture, stationery, jewelry, watches, most household products and most types of office supplies - along with hundreds of other types of goods.

People shopping for these kinds of products like to flip paper pages back and forth, using the "fuzzy logic" of the brain to narrow down choices until they see something that looks like what they seek. For example, let's say you are searching for a bookshelf for your office. You probably can't articulate your needs easily in terms of exact dimensions, color (you might call it "tan" while the seller calls it, "putty"), weight-holding capacity of the shelves, etc. But if you flipped through the shelving section of an office supplies catalog, you'd quickly find a picture that "resonated" with your mind's preconceived image of what you were hoping to find. At that point, you'd start reading the description and the specifications in the table to see if it was the right choice for you.

For most product categories, this is the optimal approach for the consumer: flip pages in a paper catalog to allow your brain to evaluate a number of images to get you in the "ballpark," and then read the copy to make the right choice. For some reason, this sort of visual search is simply faster using a paper catalog than any search methodology I've found in online catalogs. So, if your product category is best shopped utilizing visual search, you probably need to keep producing a paper catalog.

Content / Attribute Search

But not all products are best searched using images. There is another set of product categories where the best way to search is based on content or attributes. Harkening back to our Amazon.com example, books are best searched according to their content. The "image" of a book is almost irrelevant to the search. Amazon.com didn't need a paper catalog to thrive because people don't search for books utilizing imagery. Content, like subject matter, excerpts, user reviews, author rating, etc., drives book search and Web technology allowed Amazon to develop a deliver a superior method of searching with book content.

Remember - even prior to the Internet, there were no widely-circulating book catalogs. People bought books in stores because the books were already sectioned by subject matter and they could manually flip through various choices that were stored next to each other to make their selection. That was a cumbersome process but it was the best approach available prior to the advent of the Web if you wanted to shop for books by content.

But books are one of the few categories where product images are unimportant (music is another one). However, there are categories where the optimal search methodology is neither images or content, it's based instead of product attributes. The best way to shop for some types of electronic components, such as resistors, transistors, and semiconductors, for example, is by attribute - this is often called, "parametric search." The customer enters various technical attributes and a special search engine finds products that match.

It is of course possible that you sell different types of products, some of which are best searched visually, some that are best searched by content, etc. Regardless, how do you know - for certain - that you need or do not need a paper catalog? This is the easy part: ask your customers.

In two situations, I have been asked to resolve a heated internal debate regarding whether or not a certain company should still produce its paper catalog. In both cases, we simply called every "nth" customer from a day's orders until we had called 300 people. We asked them if they had used our paper catalog in the process of placing their order and, if so, how they used it. What we learned was that for many product categories and for many people, online ordering is a good, low-cost alternative to placing an order over the phone but it is not a good replacement for the product-search functionality inherent to a paper catalog. In fact, in both research cases I led, 85% of the people we called had used a paper catalog to choose their product and had not used the online catalog at all.

You will need to do your own research to figure out how things work in your category. Online marketing technology may someday develop a better tool for "fuzzy visual searching" than flipping through the pages of a paper catalog. But for now, if your product depends on visual searching, you probably should print more catalogs to grow your business. If you are in one of these categories and have seen sales decline, you should conduct some analysis to see if your circulation strategy is correlated to your revenues. As always, good luck in planning your success --- and succeeding because you plan!

How to Create Lasting Customers and Clients - 5 Direct Marketing Methods

2008-12-29T10:19:00.003-08:00

With the following 5 direct methods of marketing you approach potential customers and clients directly and let them know that you are available:

1. Direct mail

2. Cold Calls

3. Direct Response Advertising

4. Directory Listings

5. Brochures

With Direct Mail, You can send potential customers or clients a letter, brochure, articles, tip sheets, personal hand written thank you notes, and post cards. Use your imagination, have fun, and show your enthusiasm and passion. People really appreciate this and look forward to your mailings.

Cold calls are those made to prospects with whom you have had no prior contact. This method can be extremely effective in obtaining customers and clients. It is one of my personal favorites I have made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in my niche using this method alone. Use scripts and plan your calls with purpose. Be an actor, actress, come alive, and be a meaningful specific and focus on building relationships.

Direct Response space advertising is a great way to so make sure your ads are well written and thought out. Keep you potential clients and customers in mind at all times. Also, be certain to place your ad in a medium that is likely to be read by your target audience.

Directory Listings can be beneficial depending on the directory method used. Some are free: some charge for listings. I suggest trying all the free local methods first and see how effective those are to start off with. I have found those to be more effective myself, but that is just me.

Brochures are a nice way to advertise your type of work and second, to convince the reader that you are the most capable individual available to do this work. Write it to answer two questions: "What is it that You do?" and "Why Your The Best?" Remember this is your time to shine so hit a Grand Slam!

These 5 Direct Response Methods will certainly increase your bottom line so get going and implement them immediately and watch your sales and marketing efforts sky rocket! Have fun, enjoy selling and marketing yourself! You absolutely deserve it!

10 Tips For Choosing the Right Direct Sales Business

2008-12-29T10:19:00.001-08:00

There are many different types of direct sales companies who want you to join their team. Considering the different kinds of products and services these direct sales businesses have to offer, it is important to select the right one for your lifestyle, schedule and personality.

In order to begin narrowing down your direct sales business choices, ask yourself the following questions. As you answer them, you can start crossing off those on your list that don't align with your wants and needs in a direct sales business.

1. Do you have passion for the product?

If you're thinking of selling cat products but loathe cats, how can you enjoy it? Trying to convince someone else to believe in what you're selling will prove to be difficult in this case. Find a company who offers items you can be enthusiastic about selling.

2. Are the items consumable?

Will your sale be one time only or can you obtain regular customers due to the need for replacements? A consumable product is more likely to have repeat customers. This in turn, can easily increase sales.

3. Is the product or service practical?

If what you're selling is more efficient than an older, similar product, people may be more likely to purchase it. Efficiency can be very important, especially in this day and age where saving time and money has become a necessity.

4. Is a demand present?

If you are selling home insurance protection from hurricanes, then you'll probably get more sales in Florida than you would in Nebraska. Stop and think about whether or not the product is practical in the area you'll be soliciting sales from.

Also, take into consideration whether or not the product is something people will actually want to buy. If it is not a popular item to more than a few people, your sales will suffer. Try finding a direct sales company who offers more desirable items.

5. What competition, if any, will you have?

Consider if the area you're offering the items in is already oversaturated with representatives.

Competition can be a good thing, but depending on what you are selling and the area you are doing so, it might be a smarter idea to choose a complimentary product for those overly represented companies versus opening another of the same.

6. Is the compensation plan enough?

If the company's commission structure will not accommodate your monetary needs, you're probably better off taking your business elsewhere.

7. Will the product or service conflict with your morals?

For example, if you are an extremely devout Christian and your company is selling adult romance toys, you may find that presents a problem.

8. What, if any, costs are associated with starting or maintaining your business?

Many direct sales companies do require an initial start-up fee to cover inventory, marketing material or demonstration items. If you find these costs too steep for your budget consider other options.

9. Does the company have a good reputation with its customers?

Talk with those who have bought from the company. Find out their opinion of the products, customer service, and the company in general. Search for customer reviews online. Buyers are not shy about sharing their feelings when it comes to purchasing a product they ended up hating.

10. How does the company treat their agents?

You'll also want to find out how a company stacks up when it comes to how they take care of their representatives. One way to determine this is to chat with those who already work with them or have in the past. Keep in mind that some will be trying to very hard to recruit you, but all in all you should be able to get a sense of the true relationship between company and agents by preparing your questions ahead of time.

You don't want to get stuck selling a product you dislike or don't believe it. You also don't want a business that you have to work from sun up to sun down in order for it to be successful. Take your time and be very selective when choosing which direct sales organization you'll work for.

How to Create a Postcard For Marketing

2008-12-29T10:18:00.001-08:00

There are many services online that will allow you to create a postcard and have it printed. They usually have very low prices because they deal with large quantities. For companies trying to save money these services can be a great option, however you get what you pay for. Generally you can't do a lot of customization. The designs available or the custom designs provided may not be what you were expecting and there generally isn't a lot of interaction with the designers since they are an online company.

I recommend spending just a little bit more and working with a graphic designer or marketing firm. Look for samples of magazine ads or postcards that you like and have a design or look you like. Your sample doesn't need to be from your industry find something you like and then you can have photos of your product or showing your service. Designers have access to stock photography and can find generic photos online that range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. Having a good idea of what you want will be very helpful and cut down on several rounds of revisions. Designers usually charge by the hour like many professionals. So going back and forth can some times add up. Some designers charge per project and will usually let you know how many rounds of revisions are included in that price. If they don't, make sure to ask.

Once you've got your postcard or direct mail piece designed you'll need to get it printed and have it mailed. There are several different things to consider when printing a direct mail piece. When contacting a printer you will need to tell him the following:

• What size is your direct mail piece?
• If it folds, they will want to know the "flat" size before it's folded and the size after it's folded.
• Do you want to use 4-colors (full color) or one color? (The one color is usually black, so it will be black copy and black and white images on the white paper.)
• How many do you need? What is the quantity? Usually printers print in increments of 500 or 1000.
• How many pages? If it's a postcard it will have two sides and each side is counted as a page.
• What type of paper? There are hundreds of brands of paper but two main types - Text and Cover.

Text is light weight and usually used for inside pages of brochures magazines, etc. Cover, is a heavier weight and like its name implies is used for covers of brochures, magazines or even postcards. Cover "stock" (to understand paper weights go to theprintguide.com/poster-printing/faq5.html) is similar to poster board. They are also going to ask you if you want matte or glossy. Glossy already has a bit of a shine or finish to it. Similar to putting on a coat of clear nail polish or a lacquer on a piece of wood furniture.

If you don't know of a good printer in your area, you may want to get estimates from three printers. Make sure to give them all the same info so you are comparing apples to apples. Most you can call over the phone or visit their print shop in person. If you are dealing with an online printer make sure you read all the details of what you are getting.

The printer will most likely give you a "proof" sometimes when you see a design on the computer screen it will look different when printed. And your office printer may print colors slightly different than a professional printer. So you'll want to see a "proof" of what it will look like. Plus this gives you one last chance to check that your message is correct, the spelling is right and double check the website address and phone number. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone get one digit off on a postcard or direct mailer and then all those people are calling the wrong phone number.

There are additional costs to expect besides design and printing. They include addressing and postage. Check out our other articles for details on these.

Chrisanne Sternal is an independent marketing consultant that has built highly effective and profitable marketing campaigns for many well-known brands and small businesses alike.

Sternal Consulting helps small businesses make the most of their budgets by avoiding costly mistakes with their marketing efforts. Creating emails, websites, landing pages, blogs, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, public relations, direct mail, newsletters, social media, branding and more.

Why You Should Use Trade Show Truss Systems

2008-12-29T10:17:00.002-08:00

There are plenty of advantages to using trade show truss systems. Here is a list:
1. Fast to set-up
2. Fast to dismantle
3. Easy for shipping
4. Easy for storage
5. No need additional man-power to set-up or dismantle
6. Low maintenance
7. No need for additional costs

Trade show truss systems are quite portable. These are easy and fast to set-up. You can probably do it yourself, eliminating the need to hire additional help and thus saving you time and money. Setting up can take a matter of minutes. These are also easy to dismantle, in fact, as easy as setting up.

Trade show booth truss are light and foldable, making it ideal for shipping which incurs no additional cost. The very same reasons make it good for storage, and this is a good thing, because in between exhibits, you will need to store the trade show booth truss.

As you can see, maintenance is low and there is no need to worry of rust, as long as the tradeshow truss is not misused or stored improperly.

All the ease and convenience afforded makes the tradeshow truss possible for long term investment, that is, you may consider purchasing instead of renting if you will at least use it several times a year. In this line of thinking, you may want to get a customized convention truss instead of one of those inexpensive pop-ups. But there is no harm in your starting out with a pop-up convention truss at the beginning to test things out.

When you see positive results, you may give more thought on the type of truss you will use in the long run. You can test by starting small, but test properly, don't do it half heartedly. Put the truss system to good use and learn how you can better display your products or services. Use the consultation services provided from your shortlist of vendors. Compare the products and the pricing that you can get.

And when you participate in the exhibition, observe what others are doing for their business. See if you can find the effectiveness of using truss systems. What are most people doing and are there any that stand out from the crowd. If so, in terms of what? Find out how the truss system contributes to the selling process. Find out which are the crowd pullers or what the consumers are attracted to.

There is plenty to learn at the exhibition itself if you know what to look for. If there are no uses in using a truss system, why is it so popular? Since you are attracted to using one yourself, find out what makes it popular and what are the optimum ways of using it. There is no better way to learn than at the exhibitions you participate. How does the truss system blend in with the business and how does it enhance the effectiveness of the salesmen? For example, how do you put a 10' trade show exhibits to good use? Look at what some of the exhibitors are doing with their 10' trade show exhibits.

Ensure that your business gets the attention that it deserves with the use of truss systems. Truss systems are a good way for exposure, and to a lot of people at once. Still, you don't have to limit yourself to exhibitions. You can be the sole exhibitor. For example, you may want to set up your truss system and get some publicity for your products or services at a car-park, shopping mall, etc.

The fact that you can use a truss system as many times as you need makes it even more viable to have your own truss system. Once you have your own truss system, you only need to make arrangements for where and when to set it up and with how many of your salesmen to be in charge of. You can create even more revenue for your company with the flexibility of owning your own truss system. You already have your salesmen, you just need a sales boost for your products or services, unless of course, you are already overloaded with orders and your salesmen are too busy with on-going work. But then, all this is a matter of arrangement. If sales are not as good as expected, you should certainly reevaluate and rearrange.

Check With Your Company Before Marketing a Direct Sales Business Online

2008-12-29T10:17:00.001-08:00

Do you run a direct sales business? If so, and you have been searching for ways to increase your sales through marketing options, the Internet can prove to be a wonderful avenue. The web is fast, efficient and gets your product or service in front of thousands of people who might not have had access to it otherwise.

The Internet has opened many doors for business owners in tons of fields and direct sales businesses are no exception. Marketing your product or service online allows reps to reach a vast amount of people from all areas of the world.

No longer is it necessary to limit your direct sales business to your own town and surrounding communities. It's quick and easy to set up a website for your business and as your customer base grows so will your profits. That sounds great right?

Unfortunately, not all direct sales corporate headquarters allow their reps to use the power of the Internet for marketing purposes. Therefore, it's important that you check with the company you are doing business for before deciding to invest your time, energy or money into a marketing plan that involves the World Wide Web.

Every business typically has specific guidelines for what is and is not allowed in terms of marketing their products. Although many companies would be more than happy for you to market their products or service on the Internet, other companies may not be so thrilled.

Some businesses would prefer their products and services not be marketed over the Internet for various reasons. Many companies already have company websites that advertise their products and would like to have just that one website to market their product. Other companies will give their representatives a website that branches off of the main website to make sure that orders are placed and filled correctly.

Yet other direct sales corporations would rather not take the risk of products being misrepresented online. Then there are still more companies who may simply choose to use other methods of marketing.

Even if your company is perfectly fine with you advertising their products or services online, it is still respectful to ask permission beforehand. By asking for consent, you are showing that you value your company and that you want to abide by your company's rules, both of which are great traits of a good employee.

No matter what the reasoning may be, if your direct sales company does not consent to the marketing of their merchandise via the Internet, it is up to you, as their representative, to respect those rules.

If you choose not to respect their wishes or go ahead and use the Internet to market your company's products or services without consulting with them first, it could lead to trouble and possibly even termination of your agreement with the company. It is always better to be safe than sorry, so if you are in doubt, just read your company's policy and if you can't find the answer within the text, ask.

Transpromotional Statements - The Age of Personalization Has Arrived

2008-12-29T10:16:00.002-08:00

The Internet Leads the Way

Open Amazon.com in your browser and, assuming you have created an account, the site greets you by name and displays several items selected on the basis of your past browsing/purchasing habits. Internet users expect that many sites they visit will display ads for products specifically selected to appeal to their preferences and interests. As one industry insider has commented, "We have entered an age of personalization." The Internet has radically heightened user expectations in terms of personalized communications.

Digital Printing to Rescue

Fortunately with the advent of variable data printing, print communications can now be personalized to a degree beyond imagination just a few years ago. The result is called a transpromotional document that combines information regarding the recipient's transactions, such as a phone bill or credit card statement, with personalized promotional messages aimed at the reader.

This level of individualized marketing is made possible by combining variable data printing with CRM or customer relationship management software and data mining. The first is an outgrowth of the digital print revolution that makes it possible to produce thousands of individually customized pieces in a single print run. CRM software provides a platform to capture, store and configure detailed information about the demographic profile and purchasing habits of consumers. Data mining enables marketers sort through huge amounts of information about each customer in order to determine which offers a given customer is most likely to respond to. This information is used to determine which promotions to place on the individual customer's statement.

More Bang for the Buck

There are several reasons why the use of transpromotional statements is a very effective marketing strategy. First, everyone opens their phone bill. Unlike traditional direct mail, the marketing messages on transpromotional statements are viewed virtually 100 percent of the time. Second, in the age of telephone scams and concern over the security of online transactions, the postal service remains a highly trusted medium.

In addition, statements or invoices are usually viewed more than once by the recipient in order to pay an invoice or check the accuracy of the transactions they record. Finally transpromotional statements are cost effective since they enable a marketing message to piggyback on a regular and necessary customer communication thus reducing costs.

Keeping Things Straight

The combination of confidential information such as your credit card balance and personalized marketing messages for each statement can lead to a lot of confusion in the printing, cutting, sorting and mailing workflow. The answer is something called integrity tracking. This process ensures the right messages are printed on the right statements and that my credit card statement ends up in my mailbox. It is achieved with the use of unique identification markings on each component of the job. This can be done with sequence numbers or bar codes. In some cases privacy and other legal issue make integrity tracking an absolute necessity.

A number of firms provide transpromotional statements using variable data printing.

7 Steps to Direct Mail Marketing Success

2008-12-29T10:16:00.001-08:00

After years of spending tremendous amounts of money on television, radio or print advertising, some marketers arrive at the idea of testing direct mail marketing. After all, it's cheap and it gets you a gazillion responses for next to nothing, right? Wrong. It's amazing how many CEOs and corporate executives have mistaken ideas about direct mail (DM.) DM can be a very affordable way to reach specific target audiences in the long run, but you have to plan carefully (the STRATEGY) before you ever mail unit number 1, (the TACTICS).

1. Choose your CATEGORY correctly between two options:
a. Business-to-Business (B2B)
b. Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

Many people will laugh at this determination, thinking it's too basic. But it's kind of like deciding which half of your body your pants go on. If you're wearing your pants on your head, you'll give your audience a good laugh - but you'll never sell a single item. Some inexperienced marketers will say, "I don't care who I sell to - I just want to sell to EVERYONE!" Cute, but no cigar.

You have to know who your potential buyer is, before you implement a direct mail campaign - or any marketing campaign, truth be told. Let's say you're selling an informational guide on pet grooming. That is obviously going to appeal to consumers, not businesses. The only way it would appeal to professional pet groomers is if it contained very advanced information. In other words, professional pet groomers already know the basics - and a whole lot more. Your book had better contain some very high-level ground-breaking information to get their interest.

But if your book was a 'do-it-yourself' guide to entry-level pet grooming, consumers are you one and only target.

2. Choose your LIST. List is the number 1 cause of DM success or failure. You can invest $10 per unit into the format and design of the kit (strong tactics), but if you mail it to the wrong list (bad strategy), you'll get a bad response. Conversely, if you find the ultimate list of people who want, need and can afford your product and service (good strategy), you can scribble your offer on a sheet of notebook paper (weak tactics) and get a good response.

There are two categories of lists, business and consumer. And there are two basic types of mailing lists, COMPILED and RESPONSE. Compiled lists are gathered from multiple sources, i.e. phone directories, county property deed files, credit bureaus, surveys, etc. Response or 'vertical' lists are people who have registered a specific interest in a product, service or category. For example, magazine subscribers are a source of vertical information, because they have shown an interest in the magazine's subject category. Organizational membership lists are vertical because these people have a bond in the type of industry or cause that the organization revolves around.

3. Choose your OFFER. Your offer is more that just what you are selling; it is the way you are presenting it or packaging it to get the buyer to take action today. In other words, your PRODUCT may be a commercial space heater for warehouses, but your OFFER is 'try one for 30 days with no money down, and we'll give you a free golf putter - yours to keep even if you return the heater at our expense later." In other words, this offer removed the objection (cost / may not need it / may have a better offer elsewhere) and it added an upside (free golf putter whether you buy the heater or not.)

The standard DM success formula is that 70% of the response comes from selecting the correct LIST, 20% from selecting the correct OFFER, and just 10% from selecting the right CREATIVE.

4. Choose your FORMAT or "CREATIVE". Choosing the right format for your marketing effort can be critical to its success. There are some key steps you should take to narrow in your target audience before you write your copy, design your layout, or print the first unit of mail.

Formats that appeal to consumers are:
a. Postcards - the bigger and shinier, the better. With a postcard, no envelope needs to be opened, so your copy is read by many more people than with an envelope (at least for basic consumer offers.)
b. Invitations. Everyone likes to be invited to a party, so an invitation-size mailing - preferably an A6 or A7 envelope with a live stamp and script font in blue ink - would be opened by most of the recipients.
c. Check letters. If you use a window envelope and the letter in the window looks like a live check, many people will open it. It's a bit deceptive, so caution is the word of the day.
d. Rebate checks. We call these "snap-packs" in the industry. If you've ever gotten a rebate check from a purchase you made, you know what these are; you tear off three sides to reveal the check inside. Well, if the content inside is your offer, you've gotten through the hurdle: you've gotten the consumer to open it. It will get read by many people.

Formats that appeal to businesses are:
a. Legal Letters. These are closed-face envelopes made of high-quality, bright-white stock, personalized in a strong business-looking font. If the secretary / gatekeeper thinks it might contain personal information for the boss, you'll get your document onto his/her desk.
b. Tactile Mailings. These are boxes that rattle and shake and usually contain a gift item. Everybody likes getting a free gift in the mail - even corporate execs. If it's a toy or gimmick item, they still like to get them. Usually, they give the item to their kid or grandkid, since kids love getting gifts of any kind and it brings a smile to their face. If the secretary knows that the boss likes to give these items to his grandkids, you'll get your mailing onto his desk.
c. Postcards. These may or may not get screened by the secretary. Again, the larger the better; we typically use 6" high x 11" wide postcards, the maximum size that can be sent at Standard Class (bulk) mail rates.

Of course, there are hundreds of other approaches to take, and it's important to choose the appropriate format for your target audience. But there are many other steps to consider - style, offer, kit elements such as letter size, personalized vs. generic letter, lift note, business reply envelope or 'courtesy' reply envelope (postage NOT pre-paid), First Class Postage or Standard Class, pre-printed indicia / live stamp / meter imprint, etc. These are best implemented by a direct marketing agency or DM professional.

5. Determine your CAMPAIGN STRATEGY. Are you looking for one-shot sales, or do you want to build a long-term relationship with the prospect? One-off sales mean that you want to sell them one item (i.e. a vacuum cleaner) one time, get their money and be done with it. Long-term sales are for multiple-product or multiple-service fulfillment, i.e. vitamins or lifelong carpet cleaning. You always have to demonstrate credibility and reliability, but long-term sales require better BRANDING or POSITIONING to prove that you're the best long-term choice.

6. Next, choose your COPY POSITIONING. If you are writing to business executives, use clear and concise business language. Don't try to be clever, funny or whimsical; your audience will think your product is a joke. But if you are writing to homemakers about a product that will save them cleaning time and help them get through the stresses of managing a home, whimsy may help them relate to your product.

It's always important to focus on the BENEFITS of your product rather than focusing on the FEATURES. Every product has features, but you have to present them in a way that your audience can relate to. What's in it for them?

7. Finally, choose your FOLLOW-UP and ONGOING COMMUNICATION approach. In a long-term approach, you want to consider your choices for multi-media communication. In other words, you'll want to capture the prospects email address and/or phone number so you can stay in touch with them over time. Then, you want to plan a series of email messages or mailings to present other offers and cross-sell opportunities. For expensive items, you want to schedule follow-up telemarketing and / or surveys to make sure the customer is satisfied.

In summary, it is generally a wise move to hire an expert to guide you through the many aspects of a successful direct mail campaign. A professional has done this type of work many, many times, and can keep you on track with both your strategy and tactics before you invest your marketing dollars. The money you save by short-cutting your way through the basics could cost you dearly in the long run. As we like to say in the industry, there are 1,000 steps to producing a successful DM campaign. The only one that people remember if you're unsuccessful is the one that you missed.

Give Post the Professional Touch

2008-12-29T10:15:00.002-08:00

With profit being a business' ultimate goal, it is vital to ensure all working practices are as time and cost-efficient as possible. Indeed, the success of a business very much depends on how well it operates, both internally and externally. Therefore, it is important to ensure all company procedures are aligned, as well as being appropriate to the situation.

Take a business' postal services, for example. Most businesses, from large multi-national corporations to sole traders will need to employ the use of them at some point. And, although they may seem like a relatively small part of the business' overall operations, by having an ineffective system in place, productivity can be significantly affected.

As a result, it pays to take the time to analyse such procedures as posting, in order to see if there are ways to increase overall efficiency. It is also worth considering how to use the post you do send out to the business' advantage.

For instance, envelopes are generally used as containers for the information to be posted. And for business purposes, they are usually extremely generic looking. However, with a bit of thought, what is typically just viewed as a white envelope can actually be turned into a tasteful or interesting piece of business branding.

Envelope printers not only give post the professional touch, but they can also carry out a variety of functions, meaning it is easy to personalise a business' mail. This is particularly pertinent when you consider how influential branding can be. In reality, having a company logo or slogan on post can help to reinforce a business' image, as well as establish a strong and consistent line of branding.

Speed is another distinct advantage to printing out envelopes, especially when there is a high volume to be completed. And, for businesses that depend on post as part of direct mail campaigns, for example, having a printer do the work as opposed to either handwriting the envelopes or using stickers can save valuable time.

There are also envelope printers that allow the print resolution to be adjusted and that can print in different densities and fonts. Consequently, they offer up a large degree of flexibility, which means a business can easily switch from printing envelopes for invoices, to ones for seasonal advertising campaigns.

So, from eliminating the expense of applying labels to saving time through increased productivity, there is a lot to be said for investing in an envelope printer. Indeed, with so much competition in the business marketplace, they are a great way to easily and simply create a unique edge, as well as help improve the smooth running of a business' operations.

Direct Sales Success - Get Rid of Your Employee Mentality and Take Your Business Seriously

2008-12-29T10:15:00.001-08:00

People who are successful in Direct Sales possess several winning qualities. One of those qualities is that they do not have an employee mentality. Upon signing their agreement to begin a direct sales business, a success minded person will take it upon themselves to go straight to the company website and follow the steps they need to take even before their sponsor contacts them. Today the Internet is crucial to all direct sales businesses that are worth pursuing. It amazes me that there are still many people who sign up to start a direct sales career who do not have an email address or computer. The beauty of direct sales is that you can work with people all around the country and even globally. Company tools make it possible to conduct business via website, Tele-Seminar or email in addition to traditional face to face marketing.

A person with an employee mentality starts their business expecting to be told what to do. They are not proactive and see themselves as an employee of their sponsor rather than an independent business owner. Although they may initially sell product, hold demonstrations and attend meetings, they tend to fizzle out after a while wondering why they were not successful in their business. Only 20 percent of all direct sales representatives are reasonably successful in their businesses and only about 2 percent reach the top of their company. Here are some ways to develop a business mentality:

Realize that you have everything it takes to reach the top 2 percent of your company if you are willing to do the work. The word willing is important here. You cannot just talk about succeeding, you have to take positive action. It doesn't matter if you know zip about sales or you are the shyest person on earth. Every personality type has the ability to move up to the top if they make the decision to do it and take the steps necessary to succeed.
Do not wait for your sponsor to guide you. Read all the literature you receive in your start up package. Make a list of people you can contact to share your product. Sell something in your first 24-48 hours of business. Your sponsor may or may not be someone who will be able to mentor you to success. Certainly listen and learn from your sponsor but do not depend entirely on them.
Forget about perfectionism. If you wait until everything is ideal to begin your business, you may as well put your starter package under your bed. Nothing will ever be perfect. Perfectionism is procrastination the derives from fear.
All of your financial decisions are completely your responsibility. Listen to the facts about what the company offers you but make sure you base your financial decisions on what's best for you and not your sponsor. If you find yourself in debt because of poor money management, do not blame your sponsor. The money did not come out of his or her bank account. It came out of yours. If you are spending money frivolously on items that do not create income you are not making wise money decisions.
Your success is based on the amount of time and energy you choose to put into your business. If you start your business and do not schedule appointments you will not see a profit. Your sponsor cannot schedule these appointments for you. Your sponsor is an independent contractor just like you are. If you allow your sponsor to hold your hand, you will become a weak representative and will not move forward in your career.
Set goals for yourself that are practical and reachable. A person without a goal goes nowhere.

Direct Sales Success is available to anyone who takes their business seriously and does the work. See yourself as the CEO of your own company and not as a person who is dependent on others to make a move. Everything you need to be successful is in your starter package if you take it upon yourself to follow the steps to success your company provides.

Direct Sales can be a lucrative and very rewarding career. However, there are pitfalls and mistakes that you can avoid that might prevent you from having an enjoyable and profitable experience.

One to One - Financial Statements

2008-12-29T10:14:00.005-08:00

Digital Printing for Personalized Financial Statements

The development of variable data printing using digital print technology opens up powerful new possibilities for secure personalized B2B and B2C print communications. According to Michael Kaminski, senior product manager at Exstream Software, "The importance of providing personalized, integrated, end-to-end solutions that improve the value of printed business communications can't be underestimated."

Unlike traditional printing where a fixed printing plate is used to make multiple copies of exactly the same information, digital print technology makes it possible to produce thousands of individually customized pieces in a single print run.

Among many others, applications include direct mail, customized HR benefit statements, individually targeted appeals on monthly statements and personalized investment portfolio reports.

Turn Around on a Dime

Digital variable data printing affords almost unlimited opportunities for personalized communication with customers, savings through workflow streamlining and decreased wastage. It also offers significant reduction of turn around time, a key benefit for financial services companies in communication with their investors.

In these times of split-second automated investment transactions and exceptional market volatility, timely updates on the client's personal investment portfolio deliver a key value-added component to any customer communications strategy. Digital printing technology combined with secure data management can dramatically reduce print turn around time from several days to 48 hours or even less. Increasingly print purchasers are demanding this level of rapid response.

It's All About Management

Achieving rapid turn around while providing attractive personalized portfolio statements is all about management, data and process management that is. Dealing with sensitive confidential financial data means that the PSP (Print Service Provider) must be capable of handling large amounts of detailed information that is updated frequently. The data must be managed seamlessly, with a minimum of human intervention and with a high level of internal and external security.

Process management focuses upon coordination of all of the business processes necessary to acquire, assemble, format and process the data and then to print, finish, sort and distribute the job all within the required schedule. Progressive print service providers recognize that they must become marketing specialists that offer a range of integrated marketing services.

The development of digital variable print technology combined with the transition of PSPs to marketing specialists means that one day in the not-so-distant future, you may open a statement from your investment broker to find a personalized portfolio at a glance offering a concise and attractive presentation of your financial position with eye-popping color charts and graphs depicting your current financial situation.

A number of firms provide personalized portfolio statements using variable data printing.

How Obtaining a List From Reliable Direct Marketing Agencies Can Benefit You

2008-12-29T10:14:00.003-08:00

A leads list is a critical component of any marketing campaign. It is like the main course of a meal, you cannot do without it if you want to succeed in any sort of selling. Now we all know this, I mean, how else do you get the word out, who do you sell to or how best do you distribute your product to the market? A list is the focus of your marketing strategy, but what is important, is the quality of the list that you get. It is important that you get a list from reliable direct marketing agencies.

Do not make the mistake of allowing your campaign to be sidelined by free lists that are available on the internet. For one thing, these free lists are usually outdates marketing databases left behind by other marketing companies, or have been compiled as an 'opt in' service by companies who are trying to sell you something. What you are getting is a paper full of emails and fax numbers etc, of people randomly chosen from various online collectives. This is a bad mistake when trying to sell something. You must tailor your product to the market, or vice versa. Marketing gurus all over the world have always said one very important thing; the market that you are trying to penetrate must already have the position of buying your product.

You do not sell burgers to vegetarians, and that is just that. While many successful sellers on the internet choose a market and design a product based on their psychology and interests, not all of us have the luxury of being in that position. When you have a product or service that you do want to sell, you need to look at the demographics that are attached to it. For example, what age range of buyers would be interested in this product? What about income levels? What kind of pay do they have to be drawing to actually consider this product? Is it a luxury or a necessity? It is a niche market for people with specific interests? Does the product sell itself or does the market have to be 'persuaded' into making a purchasing decision.

These are just some of the factors you need to know about when you are trying to sell something, especially on the internet. What direct marketing agencies do is that they have a specific set of lists that are almost tailor made of groups of products. For example, if you wanted to sell a financial product, then you needed to find a list that has all the demographics of the people you need to be interested in the product; professionals, entrepreneurs, stock brokers, at home professionals and white collar workers. By having a detailed and targeted list, you would have won half of the war and would not have to work so hard to sell your product. There are many companies that offer these services online, so do a little bit of research and you will find a list from reliable direct marketing agencies that can propel your marketing plans skywards.

Where to Find the Best Direct Marketing Solution

2008-12-29T10:14:00.001-08:00

That question has been plaguing a lot of people who have decided to turn to marketing as either an income supplement or their full time jobs. Most people know that buying and selling is not easy, whether you are doing it psychically or you are tasked to perform telemarketing, or any form of direct/digital marketing on or offline. The problem lies with finding a direct marketing solution to augment your strategy. This is because there are so many people who are doing this business that the market is completely saturated.

However, opportunity in the consumer capitalist market is continually refreshed as parabolic curves on consumer demand continue to redraw themselves. This means that people will always demand for new and more innovative products, and there will always be a need for people to sell them. Going back to the drawing board, you have a product that is fresh, innovative and a seller. It has all the features of an award winning product and you have plenty of confidence in it. In fact, you are certain that it can literally sell itself. So, where to go from here? This is the crucial time that people either fail or succeed in their efforts. To market the product, you need to find the 'market' that will most likely buy it. For example, you would sell a financial product to business owners or entrepreneurs.

You would sell cleaning products to a demographic of housewives or moms to be. You would connect with car owners when you have on hand paraphernalia connected with motor vehicles. Let me remind you that this is a simplistic approach. There are so many things to think about, like income bracket, types of household, ethnicity, branding, gender etc. When you sell something, you have to base your strategy on whom you are selling to. Trying to market your product to someone who has no interest in it or has no predisposition to be interested in it is a waste of your time and in the world of buying and selling, time is money. What you need is the best direct marketing solution that is highly targeted business lists that you can use.

A targeted list is like gold in your hands, it is the battle half won when it comes to buying and selling. You do not have to excite the market because the market is already 50% on the way to buying the product. They have a need for it, all you need to do is to identify it and sway the purchasing decision. Just work on your sales pitch and your carrier and the rest should be elementary. You can find companies who offer detailed, almost tailor made lists for every kind of product and service around on the internet.

They range from fax lists, email lists, phone numbers etc, and the prices are reasonable and represent an investment into your success. Direct marketing solutions like lists are all over the internet, you just have to go out and look for them.

Three Steps to Direct Mail Success

2008-12-29T10:13:00.002-08:00

Direct mail is still the number one marketing strategy used by many successful sales companies. With direct mail, you have total control over the presentation of your message. Direct mail is a unique blend of advertising and sales. While good advertising should certainly lead to sales, direct mail allows you to present the product or service, make an offer and try to close the sale-all at once!

Here are just a few of the advantages of direct mail as a marketing strategy:

* Allows you to target your message to a very specific audience.
* Direct mail is a relatively inexpensive medium.
* Direct mail messages can be personalized to add reader appeal.
* You can evaluate its effectiveness. You can keep track of exactly who responded and from where.
* Mail readers are actively involved. People read their mail when they choose. So, for at least a second or two, your message will have their undivided attention while they open and scan it.

There are three elements to an effective direct marketing strategy:

1. The List
2. The Offer
3. The Mailing Piece

The first of these three steps to a successful direct mail campaign is obtaining the right list. Targeting the right market is the key to this marketing strategy. When selecting your list make sure you target people most likely to have an interest in what you have to offer as well as some things in common with your present clients.

This common ground might be age, sex, occupation, income, geographic area, family size, magazines they subscribe to or any number of other demographics. You can obtain lists that are specific to the demographics of your particular target market.

You should also maintain an up-to-date list of all your customers and clients. Direct mail to this list can create additional business, introduce new products and services or promote sales or special offers.

The second step of this marketing strategy is the development of a "matching offer".

The offer you make in your direct mail needs to be carefully thought out and matched as closely as possible to the interests, needs and motivation of the people on the list. The more specifically you match the offer and the list the higher the response rate.

Let me use an example to demonstrate. When I was a mortgage consultant many of the sales people in the office sent direct mail. The list that was mailed to was targeted to homeowners who had taken out mortgages with specific lenders in a specific time period. The lenders that were targeted were known to be lenders with typically high interest rates.

The response and closing rate of those mailings were higher than a mailing that was sent to all homeowners in the same area because it was targeted to a group of people that would be more likely to want to refinance.

The third element of this marketing strategy is the mailing piece or the presentation of the offer to the list.

The most common and least expensive mailing piece format used by small businesses is the solo format. It's a single sheet, printed on both sides and folded in half or thirds and mailed without an envelope.

Another solo format that's even simpler and less expensive is a postcard or oversized postcard. This can be a very cost effective way of communicating with your list of customers and clients.

The next step in the development of your mailing piece is to write the copy or present your offer. Copywriting is a valuable skill. I urge you to develop the ability to write good advertising copy. Here are some tips to get you started.

* Take proven sales letters and ads and rewrite them to fit you and your offer.
* Create a swipe file of successful ads and letters. When you see an ad that catches your eye, save it.
* Save your "junk mail". A lot of it's written by the best copywriters in the world.
* Subscribe to the National Inquirer, The Star, The Globe, etc. The ads in these publications pull in millions of dollars worth of orders.
* Make sure your message matches your market. This means your offer has to have perceived value to your prospect.
* Use lots of testimonials in your ad copy.
* The headline is the most important part of any ad or letter.
* Use multiple PS's in your letter. Restate the offer, deadline, free gift, etc.
* Offer multiple options for your services. Label them ex. Gold, Silver, Bronze.
* Before you write, make a list of all the objections a prospect could have for not buying your product or service and then answer them in your letter.

Direct mail is a profitable marketing strategy if it's used properly and all three components are well thought out. It can provide you with an endless source of targeted leads for your product or service.

A Subtle Role a Good Mentor Can Play in Your Business' Success

2008-12-29T10:13:00.001-08:00

Many factors play a role in the process of building a successful business. A novice business owner must be ready, willing and able to:

•Follow the mentor's guidelines with utmost diligence

•Acquire new skills and learn to apply them

•Put out a consistent effort

•Persist through the times of temporary setbacks

•Expand the horizons of learning through intense exchanges with people who are in the same business whenever the opportunity for that arises.

A good and dedicated mentor is able to follow the development of the mentee and make the corrections as the need for them arises.

In addition to all this, however, there is an essential element of the business success that resides within the mentality of the new business owner and influences the outcome of his or her efforts: the mindset of abundance or of scarcity.

As the Internet marketing guru Mike Dillard points out in his popular book "Magnetic Sponsoring," the reason why many people give up on the attempts to make their business successful is because they run it on emotion." As they are bound to experience ups and downs on a daily basis, since this is in the nature of the business itself, they get battered and hurt by the emotional rollercoaster, and, desiring to stop the pain they are experiencing, they quit.

Furthermore, Mike Dillard suggests that "Emotions in this industry are typically generated due to a fear-of-loss or poverty mindset." (Magnetic Sponsoring, pp. 27)

The inevitable conclusion here is this: The business is run on emotions when there is a poverty mind set involved. That leads to quitting before becoming successful.

The solution to this problem is obvious: the poverty mindset must be eliminated if the business is not to be run on emotion, that is, if it is to become successful.

This seems to be the ultimate case of the Catch 22: the poverty mindset must be eliminated and replaced by an abundance mindset before the evidence of the abundance (as manifested through a successful business) is in place! It is unlikely that the novice business owner would be able to accomplish this on his/her own!

Here is the opportunity for the mentor to play a superbly subtle role in the mentee's development.

While the mentee still dwells at the foothills of the Business Mountain with a limited view of the things below (scarcity mindset), the mentor, who is way ahead of the mentee in his climb to the mountaintop, has a much greater view and a greater vision of things to come (abundance mindset). The mentor can impart this greater vision of things upon the mentee and use it as a powerful, realistic incentive that can help the mentee break in his new hiking boots, and develop a steady, consistent upward stride characteristic of the more experienced climbers.

Without a good mentor, the mentee will likely succumb to the pain and discomfort caused by the development of the first blisters due to the overly passionate and intensive initial stages of the climb and quit before becoming successful. With the good mentor, the blisters will be allowed to become calluses that will not interfere with the climb. In the process, a scarcity mindset will be transformed into an abundance mindset, and the pursuit of business will no longer be fueled by emotions. As a result, sucess will inevitably follow.

A mentor who contributes to this kind of transformation has all the reasons to feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Web to Print - Gutenberg Online

2008-12-29T10:12:00.002-08:00

Print, like Marketing, has gone online and digital. Technology makes them powerful allies!

Web-based Marketing

There is no question that the Internet has revolutionized the world of marketing. It has dramatically lowered Marketing's cost per contact and significantly enhanced its reach. It not only provides new ways to contact potential customers, online marketing also encompasses digital management of customer data and support systems that facilitate customer relationship management. Web marketing's most powerful feature, however, is its ability to provide direct and immediate customer feedback to the marketer as a driver of the Web 2.0 phenomenon.

Web-based Printing

Long time print industry veterans often cry the blues as they see many traditional print applications replaced by online and digital technologies, including "threats" like email marketing and more recently Web 2.0. However these same technologies have driven a whole new generation of business communication opportunities, many of which still drive print. Printing is not dead by a long shot, it has just changed format and the future of the print business now belongs to the nimble and the tech savvy - printers who understand the implications of landing pages, open rates, blogs and twitter. Customers still have business communication challenges and still need innovative solutions, and in many cases the most effective solutions still involve ink (or toner!) on paper. Online digital printing, or web-to-print, does not refer to a newer generation of Internet technology, but rather to the growing trend by business to take full advantage of the Internet by building applications and services around its unique features. Web-to-print applications are an integral part of this process, for both B2B and B2C markets.

What is Web-to-Print?

Web-to-print, also referred to as remote publishing, is the new typesetting and plate making - but without the typesetting and plate making! It refers to the use of a web interface to create, personalize, approve and distribute print-based marketing collateral. The promo piece can be a postcard, brochure, letter, flyer or even a large poster. The user logs into a secure online interface, chooses a specific print product from an online catalogue, selects an appropriate pre-designed template and then customizes the relevant areas of the piece by entering text, uploading personal images and graphics or selecting them from an online library (Digital Asset Manager).

The final piece is then approved, a delivery method selected and if a distribution list is needed it is uploaded from either a client list or an integrated online CRM platform. The job is paid for with a credit card, the shopping cart closed, sent to a digital printer for production and then delivered to the shipper, often within 48 to 72 hours.

How Does Web-to-Print Work?

Web-to-print is enabled by the web but is a result of the flexibility of the digital printing press. This print technology makes it possible for each printed impression to be unique. It dynamically merges the variable data from the client database with a digital template (Portable Document Format, or PDF) from the online library to complete the personalized document, eliminating the need for traditional printing setup (plates, films, chemicals). This variable data printing process enables thousands of individually customized pieces to be printed in one run, using digital presses such as the Hewlett-Packard Indigo, Xerox's iGen and Eastman Kodak's NexPress.

The power of web-enabled digital printing is its ability to support cost-effective personalization and one-to-one marketing, either as an individual personalized print project, a standalone mailing campaign or as a component of a multi-channel marketing strategy also involving web and email marketing. Not bad for a "dying" industry!

Integrated Marketing That Leverages the Combined Strengths of Print and the Web

Printed direct mail or web-to-print can also be integrated with web response pages where recipients of print pieces produced online are provided with a unique "PURL" (Personalized URL). The PURL page can call the viewer to action in a number of ways including a request for online information or a follow-up contact, updating their contact information, answering a survey relating to the seller's products and services, registering for a promotional incentive, or even providing a link directly to an Ecommerce site where they can buy products.

Once the online PURL form is submitted the customer contact information, "click through" path and survey data are captured by the customer database / CRM platform, used to update the customer's profile and preference records, and are immediately available to drive intelligent personalization in new printed or online marketing campaigns. Analysis of this data (Analytics) provides an unprecedented opportunity for integrated and highly personalized marketing campaigns, leading to better response rates and new revenue opportunities.

The "old" and the "new" don't need to be at loggerheads when it comes to communication strategies; leveraging the strengths of print and the web together in an integrated strategy actually delivers a broader reach and stronger results than the individual technologies on their own.

What Are the Benefits of Using Expo Centres?

2008-12-29T10:12:00.001-08:00

Location, location and location. The people who decided to build these expo centres put the same amount of thought that the people who built McDonalds; on the issue of location and practicality. The whole point of an expo centre is that it is easily accessible and that the event gets the maximum exposure it deserves. This is why you should be choosing an expo centre for your next event because of the level of thought that goes into its location.

What are some of the things they consider? They consider traffic and ease of entry for people who drive. They consider the visibility of the area and whether or not people can see it from a distance. They consider the proximity of the location to public transports like the MRT and bus stops in Singapore. They build their locations with enough space for cars to park and more than sufficient taxi stands for people leaving and coming.

They consider the neighbourhood around them, they consider the potential amount of traffic that they are placing themselves in the middle of and they consider what population reach they can achieve just by their location alone. With so many factors considered even before the first blue prints are made and the first stone is cast, you know that your event will be getting the maximum benefit of location. There is also the question of exposure.

Expo's are built as a one stop entertainment location as well, with restaurants, arcades, entertainment centres and even family fun activity centres for everyone. This means that people will stay there - once you have their attention, the use of plasma T.V's, promotional flyers, banners and other collaterals can be used to full effect. Expo centres are great internal ad mechanisms for you to gain momentum on your marketing efforts for our event as well. Bundle that with the us of above and below the line advertisements, and you will be getting maximum exposure.

Expo centres also have large halls and small meeting rooms, so it is a one stop solution if you have more than a single event running on one day, or if you have one large event and need a place for your VIP's to retire and discuss further among themselves. Whether you are planning to inform, educate or entertain 10 or even 10, 000 people, expo centres have fully functioning halls and meeting rooms/VIP rooms for you to utilise. Here size does matter and hotel ballrooms and small convention centres do not give you the flexibility or the amazing AV support that you will be getting here.

Many large companies and even individuals have been using their solutions to plan and programme their events and the testimonials speak for themselves. These are just some of the benefits of using expo centres and in Singapore there are quite a few to name - Singex or Singapore Expo comes to mind quite easily, and just by glancing at the sheer number of events they have, you need not wonder anymore about their viability in any event situation.

How Do You Set Up a Trade Show Display?

2008-12-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

If you're looking to participate in a trade show, then you need to know how to setup a trade show display. When setting up your display, it is very important for you to keep in mind that there are two reasons behind your presence there. The first reason is to generate leads for your business. The second reason is to increase name recognition. These are the two things that are going to ensure you get business outside of the trade show.

Necessities

There are many parts of your trade show display that are necessary. The first is your signage. It is your signage that is going to make you or break you. This is what those attending the trade show are going to notice first. They're not even going to notice the items displayed before they notice the signage. This is why you need to make sure that your logo and your business name are prominently on display. You want these two things to be easily seen because those who see them are going to remember them. Don't think that just having flyers or brochures on your table is going to do you any good. The truth is that those items are too small. Sure, they're handy to hand out to your visitors, but your signage is what is going to pull in the visitors so that you can hand out things like flyers, brochures, and even business cards.

You need to look into having standing displays on your table or a screen behind your booth in order to ensure that your signage is at eye level. People are only capable of noticing those things that are at eye level because they look directly in front of them when walking. Even when they look from left to right they are looking at eye level. Up too high or down too low won't do the trick. Have you ever been in one of those situations in which something was right in front of your nose? That is what this situation is like.

If anyone walks up to you and asks, 'What company are you from?' That means you're going to have to rethink how it is you're displaying your business name and logo. In the meantime, make sure your products are where people can see them. Next to your name and logo, you want your products seen. There will be that occasional person who notices your products first and that's going to be the whole reason why they stop. Make sure that you have lights shining on your products. You can even use a spotlight on your signage so that people will never forget.

Getting your leads

One way in which you're really going to get your leads is to ensure you have 'eye candy.' Make your booth look great. Don't make it so loud that you look like the brightest house on the block at Christmas, but make sure you look professional. Make sure you stand out above all of the rest. You can do this buy giving away freebies, playing games with your potential customers, and have drawings. Any time a person has the potential to win something or get something for free, they are going to be drawn in.

So make sure you have good signage, great lighting, tabletop displays, screens behind you, and ways to display your product. All of these elements together will ensure that you have an effective trade show display. One cannot survive without the other. This makes your trade show booth comparable to a puzzle. You can't see the entire picture unless every piece is in place.

Why Postcards Can Win Over Any Other Direct Mail Media

2008-12-29T10:07:00.000-08:00

Direct mail marketing strategies come in many forms these days. People use brochures, thin booklets, flyers, greeting cards and of course full color postcards. Each mail marketing tool has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, when you read this article, you may discover that postcard printing for market can match and surpass all the rest. Full color postcards have the flexibility, distribution potential and eye catching appeal perfect for any marketing strategy.

Postcards are ready to mail: One of the best properties about a postcard is that it is always ready to be mailed. No special envelopes are necessary. You just need to print postcards, put a stamp in them and drop it off at a mailbox. This saves you money in buying envelopes and saves you time since you don't have to stuff each postcard into one envelope. Unlike color postcards, the post office won't accept brochures, flyers and greeting cards without an envelope with clearly marked addresses and stamps.

Postcards have a high chance of exposure: With an eye catching postcard design, color postcard printing can have an increased chance of exposure to different kinds of people than other direct mail marketing media. This is because the message of color postcard is already clearly displayed in its front cover. There are no envelopes or folds that might obscure it. Because of this, many people who take a glimpse of the postcard can read its message without meaning too. That is few people extra more than a brochure would have gotten with its pages locked in an envelope.

Postcards can be redistributed and collected: When you receive a postcard, you would not usually throw it away like a flyer or a brochure. Because of its cardboard paper and intricate design a postcard is usually kept as a remembrance. If the postcard design is impressive enough, people might even ask for it for his/her collection of postcards. This means postcards have the advantage in that it can be given away again after its main use to contact a specific person. This means the postcards have another edge over their competition, which is its ability to be redistributed.

Postcards are durable: Made from a slightly tougher material than paper, postcards are relatively harder to wear out than other media. Since it is literally made for travel, a postcard can usually survive the normal wear and tear of travel and indoor display. Because of this your postcard can stay intact longer, further increasing its chances of finding new contacts for marketing.

Postcards cannot be boring: Since most color postcards have designs that are straight to the point, postcards can never be boring. A simple glance over the cover is all someone needs to get the message. Hardly time to get bored with anything.

So when you are ready to unveil your direct mail campaign, don't forget to use postcard printing as one of the major things you can mail to potential customers. It is definitely worth the investment with the possible returns that you get.