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8 Keys To Building a Personal Brand

November 26, 2008

Ever thought what it would be like to be Steve Jobs? Forget the accumulated wealth he has. Creator of Apple, one of the biggest, brightest and the most successful brands ever. This is no small deal. But if you have your own brand, you might just feel equally happy as well. It’s just that he has succeeded in reaching out to the people through various means. So how do you create something with so much personality and grip that it works wonders for you.

capture31Marketing has evolved from being just selling techniques and plans into becoming promotion and branding. There are dozens of companies offering just the same kind of products and services, but they still hold their respective shares in the market. This is all branding. Being a successful brand means a successful you, since it stays as a part of your identity. So ask yourself a single question: Who am I? Branding is just not meant only for products and companies. In this era, everything is a brand. It is quite important for professional success today. So here’s how YOU can create your own personal brand:

  1. Vision; First step to discovering your brand: Every step in management involves some kind of a set goal or a vision. This means declaring the context of your brand. You must have a clear vision of what you think and what you want, your goal or vision. Your brand will be also responsible for representing you to the public; hence, it becomes vital that your goal stays connected to your brand.
  2. Knowing who are is the first and foremost step to becoming a successful brand. This brings about communication among the people involved, eliminates competition, and gives a better product defense. All of this proves the authenticity of the brand.
  3. Knowing your competitors follows next. Just having confidence of having a good product does not solve the problems. It is extremely important to know your close competitors. Understand them, know your own position in the market and of course, how you can stand out of the crowd.
  4. Last but not the least, knowing your target. The target audience that you are to support should be communicated the right message in the language they best understand. Focus your brand on the right people.
  5. Expression; the essence of your brand: This includes description of the essence of your product. Many products fail repetitively primarily because of the fact that they fail to communicate the essence of the brand. Have the right tagline, the right brand profile and list the attributes that fit the statement. Now that there is a clear picture of who your competitors and your audience are, you just need the right mix to communicate to who you really want to address
  6. How you present it is crucial. Make sure you leave a mark with the brand everywhere you go. Meetings, presentations, conferences, airports are just some of the examples of where you can leave an impression of your name behind. Making it visible to the right people is also very important. Even during a business meal with your client. Adopt it as a part of your lifestyle. Eat, sleep and breathe it. Make sure every action performed is in consistency with your brand..
  7. “Just Do It”- Evaluate your actions: The last thing to do is to evaluate your brand. As an employee, take feedback from everybody in the company. Managers, staff, employees etc. can give out essential details which you might just have missed out. On the client’s side, have a feedback form attached or try for a formal verbal or written way of feedback. The idea is to make sure that you are taking as much input as possible. Better results are only possible if the input is taken and acted upon.
  8. The process unfortunately is a little painful since requires commitment and time. To stay relevant to the audience, it must evolve with the times. This could mean product or line modification or new and improved methods of communicating with the audience. This ensures that your brand stays in the sight of the audience and does not lose the authenticity.

One thing that goes without saying is “Give respect for respect.” Your name is a brand and the more respect you give will alone make a huge difference in the sales or profits. It’s a technique which comes handy often more than once. Name is a treasured item, so handle carefully. So put forth your brand with confidence.

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10 Ways To Make Your Website Effective and Attractive

November 25, 2008

Unique design, user friendly navigation links and usability are some of the ingredients which help you in making a successful website. There are different schools of thoughts regarding the philosophies which should be applied while coming up with a beautiful and profit making website but personally I recommend building a website which user may want to KISS ( Keep It Simple Stupid) as it is extremely SMART(Specific , Measurable , Attainable , Realistic , Timely).

World Wide Web has today become the hottest spot to promote your products and services and what better way to start your advertising then coming up with that perfect website. So let us uncover some hidden truths about web design that will help us in finding the perfect recipe for a high traffic pulling website:

Leave Guess Work for Solving Puzzles

You should congratulate yourself for the increased number of visitors getting attracted towards your website but what is the amount of time they spent browsing through your content? Do they revisit your website? Do fill up the referrals and invite their friends, families and business associates to visit your website? All these are the key indicators pointing towards the success of your website. A visitor is usually on your webpage to get some useful information and if his appetite for knowledge is not sated he is unlikely to revisit your webpage. If you want to redirect a person, all the links should work properly. There should be a site map to help a person in case he in unable to locate the information he is searching for, if you leave the person in maze you are likely to use a potential customer. So rule number one, take your visitors directly to the information they are looking for with right links, self explanatory informative content leaving no scope for ambiguities.

Get , Set & You Are Ready to Go

So you want a user to use your software or download your e-book the trick to keep your customer happy is not making him go through a lengthy registration process which is enough to test his patience. Your web design should not include some lengthy login forms which even a first time visitor has to fill just for browsing through your services and to understand what’s up for offer. Let the visitor get his share of information without the unnecessary hassle of divulging their personal information. Ease of browsing the content without sharing their personal data and absence of those tens of annoying pop ups are the second important rule to be followed in web design.

Gain Users’ Attention

A picture speaks a thousand words and should be included along with your content to gain users focus towards what you are trying to sell. But again a word of caution avoid using unnecessary images and heavy flash work which though attractive takes a lot of bandwidth and long time to load. Use eye catching graphics, patterns and images which are appealing and also help in generating curiosity in the mind of the users about how to get more information. Also maintain a proper flow so that user is redirected to the next page without applying much thought. Therefore in a nut shell the third rule for web design is to have a proper site orientation, capturing users’ focus and attention which leads to total customer satisfaction.

Clear Vision Easy Decision

Well would you like to use an easy step wise guide that will help you solve your problem? Well the fourth important rule of web design is the clear listing of all the features before the users that will help them in making a quick decision. Guiding your visitors through your website in a simple and friendly manner while exposing them to the treasures you have in store for you will help you in scoring those important brownie points. Use a clear cut layout in appealing colors with a systematic listing of all your features helps the user gain a better understanding of what benefits they can get from your business. So use a web design that presents content in a manner that is well understood by your site visitors.

Pen is Mightier Than a Sword

Well yes marketing is nothing but the war of words and to win this war it is essential to come up with effective content. Remember you have precisely say about 30 seconds to catch the attention of the user. Generally a visitor scans and not reads through the blocks of content written in a flowery language. So rule number five is coming up with excellent web content. Simple, short and sweet sentences effectively communicate what you want to say. Try using bullets and numbers with bold headings which a user can read easily and get a gist of what you are trying to say and if it matches with what they are looking you are a winner.

KISS web design

A clean page listing down what you had been looking for with out the unnecessary clutter of useless text and the noticeable absence of any annoying advertisements on the webpage is one of the best design practices. A simple layout with clear areas for navigation, header, footer and the content body will make the user appreciate your site more even if it is in another international language as french. Complex layout will make the content less digestible to the user as complex structures are difficult to scan, understand and to even work with. You can make your web design simpler by following Simon’s law of using hierarchical structure while presenting data which helps in reducing complexity making content easy to perceive.

Credibility is Reassuring

Would you like to visit the restaurant which has received rave reviews? Same is the case with the web site. An excellent web design technique would be to promote your credentials to the potential customers in form of amazing testimonials which you had received from your previous customers or by offering money back guarantee or warranty on the product that you are selling. Also if you want to create an e-commerce website ensure that you use a secure payment gateway that will safeguard the credit card information of your clients. Provide your contact information, email address and phone numbers on your web page that will make it easier for your potential clients to contact you.

Reach Out & Connect

Using proper keywords so that your website is search engine optimized and gets a higher ranking during search results is another web design technique which is helpful in popularizing your business by generating more traffic. But there are several other ways that can be used for promoting products like providing reciprocal links, coming out with your company’s newsletter and yes last but not the least online directories. Besides these networking is a great way to promote yourself, so start discussion boards, offer advices and yes ask customers to write back to you with their expectations which will help you in coming with solutions that are an exact match to customers’ expectations.

Nothing is Permanent But the Change

Continuous improvement is the key to success. Remember a good web site is never complete. To keep the visitors attracted towards your website keep on updating the content of your website if not daily then at least twice a week. Try adding new features, new pages and some special feeds which will tempt the users in revisiting your site. So rule number nine of web design is change, change layout, change content, add new features to keep users’ interest intact.

Test Away Bugs

Taking help of the above design principles you have built a great site but keep the tenth most important commandment in mind before launching your website- thoroughly test your website. Keep performing unit testing of your website whenever you complete one feature. Errors that are detected at the earlier cycle of web designing and development are often easier and cheaper to correct. Repeated testing will help you detecting and solving bugs that had remained undetected during previous rounds. A web develop should never test his own code and he will be unable to detect the flaws in his own web design. Ask your colleague or a member of the testing team to perform usability testing which will help in presenting your users with a problem free website.

Power packed with these rules of web design go ahead and design a unique and user friendly website which will soon be ranked high by all the search engines.

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11 Ads Created By Marketers That Think Outside The Box

November 19, 2008

Marketing isn’t about pushing your message into people’s face. Its about grabbing people’s attention with creative advertisements. Marketing is about being creative and thinking outside the box. The more creative you can be the more you will stand out from the crowd. Here are 10 advertisements to inspire the marketer within you.

  1. World No Tobacco Day: A lush green field called life can turn into death by smoking. The great ad was an initiative taken to promote the “World No Tobacco Day”. The crosses indicate the deaths that take place everyday due to smoking. capture6
  2. Orion Telescopes: This is a wonderful piece of advertising. Orion Telescopes have shown what they make and the power of it. The ad shows the USA flag on the moon was made in China and tries to imply that the power of their telescopes can look into the details of things that just might be impossible to see.capture8
  3. Pepsi Twist: Pepsi is one company which has always made great and successful ads. This time to promote their new lemon flavor, they made the ad that can be seen above. The lemon on the top of the bottle taking a leak in the Pepsi gives it a comic appeal, making it a successful and creative ad.capture9
  4. Porsche: Who wouldn’t like to step on the pedal when you get a car like Porsche on a road like that. The implication of it is that speeds that the car can touch can turn something impenetrable into a lethal weapon. The half smoked cigarette gutted into the sign board is just one of the many ads that the car company released.capture10
  5. Playstation PSP: A wonderful concept and an amazing piece of advertisement shows how addictive this gadget can be. PSP claims that it can get you hooked on to it so much you wont be able to keep your hands off it. The cops interrogate while the criminal is given a PSP to play instead of wearing handcuffs.capture11
  6. Rubiks: The Rubiks cube has been there for 25 years now and they are BLOODY proud of it. In the digital age that we live where we are constantly surrounded by flashy games and gadgets, Rubiks cube still holds the top spot. The ad shows a small girl grown old trying to get the colors aligned as they should be.capture12
  7. Sprite Ice Blue: Sprite tries to show how dedicated it is to its flavors by creating this ad. It is icy blue and its quite visible. There is no zing factor to it and that’s why maybe its simplicity makes it a clear winner. The model undoubtedly has done a superb job.capture13
  8. UNICEF: The tagline goes “Don’t ignore me”. This is unfortunately the reality because this is how the children are being ignored. They are not ghosts, they are human beings and need to be given a better life. The message comes clear in simple and hard hitting manner. This is one of the best ads that the world famous NGO has come up with in recent times.capture18
  9. WMF Knives: You better be careful when you use this knife. The famous knives manufacturer has shown what its products are capable of. Carrots or wood, they will cut through almost anything.capture15
  10. Land Rover UK: Land rover is tough and they portray it well with this ad. This is one of a kind ad and portrays well the solid look of the car. Go beyond !capture16
  11. Heineken Jammin’ Festival: How could we not have an alcohol based beverage ad? Let’s face it, these guys have the toughest time in making such ads because of the competition. See it from a distance and it looks like a glass of beer- look closely and you know its locust of people cheering on in a concert. Very well thought and intriguing!capture17

Thats it for the day guys. Hope you guys enjoyed these ads. Sometimes its nice to look at ads that are creative and does not just add to the already cluttered advertising world.

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How To Create Marketing Emails That Are Personal Yet Professional

November 19, 2008

Email marketing is the cheapest and the easiest way to connect with your customers. The current statistics reveal that more then 1 billion people use internet across the world and almost 92% of them use emails. Nielsen reports further suggest that more then 70% users receive marketing emails and around 82% of the users who receives marketing emails at least make one online purchase. More striking is the fact that almost 33% of the users make the purchase as soon as they receive a promotional email. So to cash upon this figure and making your revenue grow you need to send compelling emails which should be informative, eye catching and doesn’t get deleted as junk or spam!

Marketing Emails

So here are few tips which can be used to come up with professional marketing emails with a personal touch:-

Maintain Mailing List

The first important step which is needed is to create and maintain a mailing list of all the potential customers. With the increase in spamming and virus threats more and more people block the marketing emails and send them directly to trash or junk. Therefore it is always advisable to have an authentic mailing list containing details of the potential buyers. This can be done by finding “sneezers” or potential customers who are most likely to buy your product and services in addition to your regular customer and clients and add them in your address book.

Gather Useful Data

An important fact to be considered while sending emails is the in depth understanding of the customers’ requirement. This can be collected through polls and surveys posted on your webpage or sending a questionnaire to the clients through the emails. The key is to connect with your audiences. Ask people questions, requirements and understand their needs while visiting chat rooms and once you have sufficient data use them for your advantage while drafting the marketing emails.

Decide the Email Heading & Content

Creating an attractive heading with words like “great offers”, “free” may capture the attention of the user but because of ever increasing spam most of the readers may be tempted to simply delete the email. Therefore you need to come up with a catchy title which should hold users attention and compel them to read through your email. After crossing the first barrier of opening the emails you now have to decide on the emails content. Short , simple and sweet is the sure shot way to sell your product.

Your content should be drafted in a manner that gives clear indication of what action you want the user to perform: whether he should visit your site , sign up for the newsletter or call you should all be clearly communicated in your mail. Try forming the content of the email based on the survey response of information which has been collected from the customer

Win Customers Trust By Providing Free Information

To win a client it is most important to gain his trust and what better way then proving to be his well wisher by providing them with useful free details. For example if you want a client to sign up for a weight loss program try to win their confidence by sharing your experience something which they can relate to, offer them a free e-book regarding do’s and don’t to be followed while on a weight loss program and then communicate how you can help in coming up with a personalized diet chart and exercise program based on their life style. You can also offer them 25% discount coupon if they are planning to join your program. Be available to answer their questions if any and ask the customers for their contacts and provide them with your number so that they can speak with you directly.

You can enter into a fruitful relationship with a customer once you prove your credibility and show that you will be there to help.

Regular Updates and Customer Only events

Another important step towards personalizing your professional emails would be sending the customer regular updates about any specials which has come to your store or by creating a customer only section in your websites with number of promotional offers and fun stuffs to be won only by your regular customers. The key to good business is to make the customer feel like a king and this is easily achievable by offering them special discounts, providing them hot leads and by offering them reward points or loyalty coupons which can be redeemed in your store tempting the customer in making a purchase.

Deliver a Product Electronically

So you have just come out with a bestseller, you can offer the customers an e-book at a cheaper rate to be purchase from your website and prompt them in taking a quick action by adding that the offer is for first two hundred customers or is only available for a week. Also offer them a referral bonus if they are able to convert their family or friends into your clients. Your main focus should be to attract the customers by informing them about the benefits they can enjoy when they connect with you and this can only be achieved when a personal touch like addressing the customer by name is being added to the email message that is being delivered to them.

The technological advancements has surely made this world a smaller place to live in. Just by connecting to the internet you can get connected to the entire world and with more then 90% of the Americans now hooked to this wonderful web world, this has become the hottest place to market your products. By personalizing your email campaigns you can double your business by enjoying the goodwill of your customers!

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25 Creative Business Cards That Are Simply Amazing

November 18, 2008

Aggressive marketing defines success but what is even more important is creating a favorable first impression. Clever and creatively designed business card helps you sell yourself even before you start advertising your business. Business cards are your first visual interaction with the client and helps in answering the essential 4 “W’s” – Who What, Where and When. Also an attractive business card will not only help you in expanding your business network by more then 30%, but if you have a unique design it clings to the memory of the potential customers thus increasing your chance of getting a business. Below are the examples of some of the most creative business cards which you thought weren’t possible:

1. Assemble Card of Intersection

First in the list of eye catching card is this unique card of Intersection. Nothing could be a better way to market yourself then engaging your customer in assembling your card into a beautiful sports car. Greater the time spent by user in assembling the card, more amount of time you get to attract the customer towards your business. And with card as unique as this, customer is bound to get impressed with your creativity.

assemble cards

2. Hairstylist Card


Ever thought that bob pins used for creating elegant chignons and hairstyles can be used for any other purpose? Yuka Suzuki, hair & make up artist has used this hair accessories in designing her business card. A differently style business card guarantees you a differently styled beautiful hair style and make up.

hairstylist card

3. Broken Plates Promotes Greek Restaurant

Well if you are a hotelier or a restaurant owner and tired of extra expenses because of broken plates, take tips from this Greek restaurant and convert those broken pieces into a way to promote your self by using them to make your business cards.

broken plates

4. Bottle Opener as a Business Cards

Japan has been known across the world for its high tech technology and new ideas and innovations. This is apparent from the business card which has been designed as a bottle opener. Who would like to throw away such a useful business card also adding to your business popularity?

bottle opener

5. USB Drive as Business Card

Another example of Japan’s innovation - promoting their business by making use of a pen drive! A great way to promote your brand and with the memory prices going down, an inexpensive yet a perfect way of creating that lasting impression.

usb drive

6. Go Green With Lush

Lush Lawn & Property Enhancement has found a unique way to sell what they are best at doing … landscaping and creating beautiful gardens. So when you open the Lush business cards designed like an envelop you get grass seeds a symbol of lush green lawns which you will enjoy with the help of their service.

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7. Cloth Pin Business Card

To avoid his business card getting lost in the wallet as just another business card; Cehovin Eduard came with this interesting business card in the form of a cloth pin. Now this is what reflects a pragmatic approach in order to avoid getting lost in the crowd.

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8. Divorce Lawyers’ Business Card

A card is a reflection of your personality or an extension of your profession and this has been considered seriously by divorce lawyer James in coming up with a business card. There can’t be a better way to represent what divorce lawyers can do for you.

divorce lawyer card

9. Balloon Business Card of Chest Physician

Suffering from asthma and looking for a physician who can help you improve your lungs? Visit Dr Pramod Niphadkar who has used deflated balloons to promote his practice. Details of doctors are fully visible once the balloon is blown. A creative idea which will surely help in attracting more patients!

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10. Needle Pricks to Design Card for Acupuncturist

Acupuncturists helps you get rid of body pain , stress and numerous other disorders by inserting very thin needles at appropriate points. The same needles have probably been used to design acupuncturists Dr Melissa Carr’s business cards to give you an idea of what to expect if you plan to visit her.

needle pricks

11. Cloth Tags Promoting Tony Thielsen Designs

Would you be prompted to visit a store and the label who is selling 50 dollars worth of goods for just 2 cents? Well that’s the concept which has been used by Tony Thielsen in coming with business cards designed like price tags offering huge discounts. This card is sure to hold any women’s fancy!

cloth tags card

12. Toothpick & Mirror

Uniqueness is what attracts a buyer and sets you apart. Designed by Ji Young Chun this card is a perfect collectible for women looking for a mirror to touch up their makeup.

toothpick cards

13. Edible Card by a HeadHunter

Headhunters need to be discreet and the same philosophy has been used by Aert Van Seggrerian while coming up with this lovely edible cards. Eat it after reading it to remove all visible traces , now this is one smart move.

edible business cards

14. Business Card of a Personal Trainer

The job of a personal trainer is to inspire you to stretch and sweat in order to achieve that dream look. And if personal trainer Paul Nielsen can inspire you to stretch and read his business card he can surely motivate you for body stretches.

physical trainer

15. Business Card of a Debt Recovery Agent

X-Ray of a broken hand has been used by the debt recovery agent Rajesh Rajan to drive home his point rather aggressively. Who wouldn’t like to get rid of their debts faster after receiving such a scary business card?

xray business card

16. Humor Personified in Blank Business Card

A witty line can be used to register yourself in the clients memory. And this has been used by Dave Blank while designing his business card. A simple design , a simple one liner but a tremendous impact of a small business card

humor personified card

17. Dentist’s Business Card

Dr Lance Schmidt have used the embossing of teeth to advertise his Reflections Dental Care. A simple design in white and blue with just engravings representing desired white teeth makes this card simply attractive.

dentists business card

18. Furniture Company Business Card

Taking you back the memory lane to fond remembrances of your first doll house furniture is the card of Jim Profitt promoting his hand made furniture. A small chair popping out on opening the card will surely make you visit the store to look around for yourself.

furniture company card

19. Security Consulting Firm using Lock & Pick Card

Sometimes looking at a business card just makes you say “wow” and you are tempted to possess one for yourself. Kevin Mitnick metallic card is made up of lock pick. This card is sure to cross a lot of hands.

security company cards

20. Chocolate Business Cards

Now these are one creation that will surely bring smiles to your face and yearn to see you more. Business cards designed on chocolates are latest craze and are being used not just by candy companies but also by law firms. A sure shot to bring sweet smile on anyone’s face after seeing your business card.

chocolate business cards

21. Inter-changeable card

Looking for a fresh business card with the change in your designation without spending a lot of money? Get these beautiful business cards. Made up of lovely outer envelop with interchangeable inside white sheet is what adds to the usability and utility of using this design

interchangeable cards

22. Peanuts Business Cards

Well, this business card has been included in this list just for its sheer ingenuity. Using peanuts as a medium to promote your business is screaming your style statement “Daring to be Different”

peanuts business cards

23. Forensic Experts Business Cards

Coming in a plastic sheet showing a hair strand, Forensic expert Sheryl Shikora surely makes a bold statement with these fluorescent green and white business cards with graphics suitably publicizing her profession.

forensics experts business cards

24. Wanderlust Maps & Travel Guides

Planning a travel around a city and looking for travel guide or road map? Well, Wanderlust Maps & Travel Guides with their unique business card designed in the form of location map will help you in easily reaching them. Easy location of Wanderlust Travel guides will also ease your future touring plans. A great way to promote your business using such an innovative business card!

wanderlust business cards

25. Architecture School Business cards

Belgium Architecture La Cambre uses building blocks in the form of business cards to advertise their expertise. These colorful building blocks are the samples of the creative architecture structures you will be able to design after completing your degree from this architecture school.

architectural business cards

These beautiful unique business cards take creativity to a new height. So take inspirations from one of these cards or come up with your own unique design and dare to be different.

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5 Ways You Can Use Print Media to Market During Down Economy

November 17, 2008

In this era of economic slow down, effective marketing technique determines the success of your business. With the recent internet boom there is a constant doubt about how useful would it be to promote your business using traditional methods of advertising using print media like newspapers , flyers , brochures , direct mails and other promotions. The recent survey from Okidata reveals that 91% of the small businesses still depend on the print media for all their promotional and marketing needs.

In this world of cut throat competition you have to make your mark by grabbing the attention of the public by making them aware of what sets you apart from the crowd. To make audiences aware of your unique selling proposition, you need to market aggressively using low cost printed material. About 72% of small business owners make use of their own computers and printers for creating printed material for advertising which include sending business proposals & promotional letters, flyers, brochures, marketing booklet, direct mails, advertisements in news papers and also presentations. Another important printed media used for business networking is exchanging of business cards. So let’s see how we can effectively use printed materials for promoting our products and services even during bear market:-

  1. Get a Custom Logo & Business Cards : The first step to promote your business is coming up with a logo that instantly catches person’s eye and becomes synonym with your business. Be it Ronnie of McDonalds or “just do it!” The tag line of Nike has helped them in promoting their business. Search for a local artist or a design firm online; explain them about your business and what you had been looking for. To get a better deal you can ask the same graphic firm to come up with the design for your letter heads and business cards which will help you in getting a great discount along with the relevant stationary to promote your business.

    Business Card are a reflection of who you are, what you sell and when and where you can be contacted. Research reveals that more then 33% of the business alliances are established by the exchange of business cards. All the more reasons for getting your business cards printed quickly!

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  3. Direct Mails : Ever thought how useful a cheap expensive postcard can be in marketing your business? A witty saying, colorful graphics and an overview of your business with your phone number and business address should form the basic content of your postcard marketing strategy. Everyone loves receiving mails and the mail becomes more special if it has something great to offer. To promote business you can even provide small gifts to all those customers who visit your store with your promotional postcards which will surely make the customers look around and purchase other merchandise. Use bright colors and avoid using very small fonts to create good marketing postcards which will surely help in moving up your sales.
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  5. Get Published in Trade Journals & Organize Road Shows : So you want your company’s name to be in limelight and in people’s mind, contribute white papers and successful case studies to the leading trade journals subscribed by customers and other organizations. This is the best way to send the signal of your success across the masses.

    Also come out with your newsletters and send them to your potential clients informing them about the new updates and new events that had been organized by your firm.You can further promote your business by sending your top officials as key speakers to some of the top conferences and trade fairs. Therefore by using some simple technique you can still end up increasing your revenue by using some efficient yet inexpensive promotional methods. You can even organize road shows and design attractive presentations to inform the clients about your business and success stories. Also try to rope in few of their past satisfied clients which will assist you further in getting more clients.

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  7. Brochures & Flyers : An excellent way to promote your business to the largest target audience, who are not even computer savvy, is by making use of flyers and brochures. Apply “Keep It Simple” rule while designing your brochures. A clean layout with product listing including some images and key features of each product and service which you have to offer should be placed in your brochure.Understand who would be your target audience and come up with the brochures material keeping customer in mind.

    You have a very short time span from about 30 seconds to a maximum of three minutes to capture customer]s attention, so power pack your brochure with only relevant information. With the onset of digital printing it is all the more reason to get your flyers and brochures printed at a lesser cost per unit even if you want to get only a small quantity of brochures to be printed at first. So try marketing your services using inexpensive brochures in this time of economic slow down.

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  9. Marketing Booklet : So you had sent letters, followed up with brochures and attracted a customer finally to your store, the next marketing strategy would be to prepare a 6-8 page marketing booklet for increasing business to business and also business to consumer marketing. This booklet should include details of your product along with the relevant images and graphics, FAQ’s, case study and yes the last page of the booklet should contain testimonials from the successful customers which help in establishing your credibility. Vibrant, colorful and with useful information a marketing booklet helps in reaching out and winning more customers.

Print media is an effective way to promote your business when the world is experiencing the down swing in economy. Keep the AIDCA (Attract, Interest, Desire, Conviction & Action) philosophy in mind while designing your brochures, marketing booklets, newsletters and advertisements which will help you in generating sales even when the going gets tough.

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5 Commandments To Creating a Compelling Content

November 13, 2008

Successful marketing consultant and founder of Bonita Springs Newt Barrett is right in his observations when he stated that “Compelling content generates highly qualified leads”. A likeable content, generating response from the customer marks the beginning of success for your business. The challenge in front of us today is how to create an effective content that is successfully able to attract the attention of the reader. In this era of economic slow down you can sharpen your marketing strategy and downplay recession by promoting business by developing and hoisting likeable contents.

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Following critical commandments can help you in coming up with a winning plan:-

Commandment #1 : Catchy Title Followed By a Great Story

Remember old days when we used to be enthralled by the fairytales and other stories told to us by our parents and doting grandparents? Also weren’t the stories with amazing titles selected first like Sinbad the Sailor, Goldie Locks and Three Bears? Well apply the same theory while creating content. Create an effective heading which conveys what content is about to follow without being too verbose. Creating a catchy title with appropriate keywords will also increase the search engine listing of your web page drawing more visitors. Studies have revealed that a catchy phrase used as a headline is bound to attract readers in reading the entire write up.

Following the title gives the viewer a brief glimpse about yourself and your company. Tell them about your success stories and excellent testimonials received from the satisfied clients. Your content should also convey what products and services you have them to offer and what is your unique selling proposition which makes you stand apart from the crowd. Remember it is essential to convey the benefits which your product and service can offer to a client. And yes, do allow the visitors to share their story with you for an effective two way communication which will also help in enhancing your own content.

Commandment #2 : Good Looks More Hooked

A well presented dish always tempts you in trying it so is the case with the content. Presenting your data in a clear format which is easily readable makes it attractive to the reader. Short, simple and crisp sentences are successful in holding the attention of the user. Also aren’t you attracted trying a fitness product marketed by Cindy Crawford looking svelte in a sexy swimsuit? Or you always want to pick up the protein shake which is being sold with the snap of Mr. America displaying his 6 packs? Well in a nutshell, always compliment your content with appropriate images as a “picture speaks a thousand words”. So be it while writing a travelogue to visit places in Spain, attach the photographs of the various attractions which will attract the visitor to read about them and find out the timings to visit those attractive destinations.

Also while promoting a product you can even emphasize on the products benefits by including the growing demand bar graph of the product inside your content which will compel buyers in at least starting with the dialogue.

Commandment #3 : Be Passionate & Produce Relevant Content

John Rohn the famous motivational speaker once said “Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.” Your passion is reflected in your content. A critical element needed for creating likeable content is to have a thorough understanding about the subject and also the product that you are trying to endorse. Always conduct a thorough research and understand customers expectation which will help you in coming up with the relevant content. Readers have a short attention span and if you are not offering them relevant data they will move on. To hold on to your visitors you can even provide the readers with the relevant links which that supports your facts and figures. W

While writing your content make it as useful as possible for the user, include practical tips , provide useful details and introduce relevant terms and links. Relevant data and likeable data are bum chum buddies and go hand in hand.

Commandment #4 : Consistency in Creativity & Fabulously Fresh

Consistent writing style and layout will help in forming a better association with your readers. While promoting your data online ensures that the same layout is being used in all the site pages which will prevent the user from being confused. Using a clear, concise writing style will leave no scope for ambiguities. Be adventurous while creating content, use fresh ideas; keep updating the data so that you are able to maintain users interest in your content. Sites like Ikea have come up with the concept of visual characters which guide the customers towards the relevant product by providing all the useful information. It will be the freshness of your content and unique ideas which will generate interest in the readers making your content extremely likable.

Commandment #5 : Readable, Easy to Scan & Personalized

What will be your reaction if during the course of reading you stumble upon a big paragraph with no sections or sub headings? Well the answer is simple: skip it! Same holds true for your readers. Therefore create your content in a format which is easy to read and scan as readers usually won’t have much time to scan your post. Create content using heading and sub headings, while creating a data on “How to create effective content?” give information point wise or step wise which will be easier for the user to follow. Try using italics, graphics or images to increase the readability of your content. Also try to personalize the contents, taking the example of Amazon when a user reads a particular content it also highlights the related content which might be useful for the reader. Providing a client with customized content will surely make him feel like a king!

Remember success means doing ordinary things extraordinarily well!

 

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7 Reasons Why You Should Apply the KISS Rule to Creating a Website

November 12, 2008

The latest report by web guru Jacob Neilson reveals that people have become more impatient and need quicker results while searching for a keyword on web. Another interesting fact is that now 75% people prefer to directly reach the page of their interest rather then navigating through the links from the home page. So if you feel attracted toward the websites of the entertainment firms with flashy designs and want to create a promotional website using same design, think again as the main traffic pullers are simple websites which are easier to load and navigate. To understand why Keep It Simple Stupid philosophy should be applied while creating a website.

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  1. Faster Loading of Web Pages

    Imagine a user having 56k or a modem which is still slower trying to access your page which is of 12kb size. As compared to a high speed broadband connection which may take only a fraction of second to load your page , user with a slower modem will require at least 4-5 second to view your first page. The loading time will increase with the addition of flash images and other graphics. You may make your site attractive by heavy use of flash but will it be user friendly is the question you need to ask. Therefore applying the principal of KISS design a simple website with a lighter load it will greatly reduce the transmission time which in turn will favorably affect the transmission speed making your site attractive to the users.

  2. Simple Attractive Content = More Buyers

    The main reason which attracts a visitor to your website is the search for information. The website content should be simple and easy to understand. Another important factor which can add to your websites success would be the way the data is presented: Are there too many tables, is the font size too big or too small, what is the color of the background and your font color, all these factors makes the text easy or difficult to read. What is needed to make a website success is not the clutter of unnecessary graphics and animations but the right content that can promote effective communication. Word of advice: create a simple website with clear layout, right font and simple sentences and you have a winner.

  3. Reduces Number of Clicks

    Keeping the website simple also results in ease of navigation which is one of the important factors a user looks for while browsing the content. What can be more frustrating then searching the webpage for the correct link? Therefore it is always advisable to place the links at the top or on the left hand frame of the webpage for easy visibility. Also the success of the website is also defined by the fact if the user is able to find its content within three clicks or three drill downs. It becomes all the more crucial for you to have a simple website if you are selling a product online. Nothing pleases customer more then finding the information they are searching for effortlessly. So have a clean simple layout with links placed at the same location on the home as well as inner pages to make your site user friendly and easy to navigate.

  4. Ease of Use & Creation

    One of the most important rules of marketing is “Grandma’s” Rule. If an elderly person with not much acquaintance of the latest technology is able to make a successful purchase through your website then your efforts are entirely successful. Therefore see that your website is not crowded with useless data and filled with ads which will confuse the visitor with the promotional offers and distract him from making the actual purchase. A website should be easy to access, easy to register with and should support all the major credit cards for making payments. Simplifying the look of your website will not make it more appealing but the enjoyable shopping experience will make you earn a regular customer. Also you can take advantage of one of the many simple website software available in the market to create your own simple HTML website thus saving on both the cost and the time in launching your website.

  5. Search Engine Optimization Management

    Do you know that search engines are able to process simple HTML sites and their contents faster then the contents of the complex sites? It will also be interesting to learn that the sites containing a large amount of graphics and frames gets eliminated while search is being performed using keywords in search engines like Google. This will result in lower ranking of your web page as compared to simple HTML websites, in turn resulting in decrease in number of visitors. Therefore for proper SEO your best bet will be creation of a simple HTML website with proper keywords inserted in meta-tags at appropriate places which will increase in higher ranking of your website when a search is performed using a particular keyword.

  6. Lesser Options More Visitors

    What makes Apple’s website one of the most popular online marketing destination in the world? Well the answer is minimalist design of the apple’s home page and inner pages. The inner pages of the Apple’s website only list one product per page with a simple header and informational links providing information about the same product. No unrelated products on side bars, no unnecessary clutter to confuse the buyer just plain description about the product helps in making user a faster choice. Hence always go for a simple design with only relevant information which will help in eliminating distraction thus helping to streamline the buyers’ thoughts towards making a purchase.

  7. Browser compatible and Bandwidth efficient

    Another advantage of having a simple design is that a simple HTML website is usually browser compatible. Different browsers like IE , firefox , opera or safari distorts and displays the columns , tables , formatting tags and embedded images differently. Therefore while designing a complex website lot of emphasis has to be laid to make the web page browser compatible. Also lots of formatting and images on the web page requires a lot of bandwidth proving to be very costly. Keep the website simple not only proves to be bandwidth efficient but can let multiple users enjoy your site simultaneously.

For some KISS may mean “Keep it Simple Stupid, for others it may mean “Keep it short & simple” but for us KISS refers to “Keep It Simple (for) Success. So apply KISS to website design and get a user friendly, bandwidth efficient, search engine optimized websites attracting more number of visitors resulting in more business.

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What You Should Include In Your Brochure and Why

November 11, 2008

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a brochure as ‘a small book or pamphlet, often containing promotional material or product information.’ However, brochures can be large also and their contents may vary depending on the situation. Even in this cyber age, brochures are not out of fashion. Businesspersons still like brochure marketing for the personal touch they carry in communication with clients. Customers or would-be customers can read about the company and its products at their leisure. Brochures are excellent marketing tools that give customers all the relevant information they need before making a purchase. Apart from attracting new customers, a brochure helps a business organization to stay in touch with its existing customers, build loyalty and reinforce credibility.

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In order to be effective, a brochure must satisfy certain conditions in terms of both content and design. A hastily prepared brochure without proper planning can serve no real purpose. To create the required effect among customers, a brochure must be attractive-looking and contain all relevant information.

  • A brochure is supposed to convey a direct message in a visually attractive manner from a company to its customers. The success or failure of a brochure is determined to a large extent by the quality of information it includes.
  • It is human nature to look to some visual cues first. In a brochure, a reader will see the pictures first, and then the headlines, charts and graphs, captions, before finally moving to body text. Therefore, a brochure must be so prepared that a reader can have an idea of the content by just having a look at the pictures and the headlines. The essence of the main points you want to let people know must be conveyed by the headlines and captions. People might lose interest if they are hidden in the jungle of body text.
  • Brochures mostly cover three main areas: products of a company, its services, corporate or organizational capabilities of the organization. These can be divided into a number of sections in a logical sequence such as introduction, products, services, features, benefits, applications, specifications, testimonials, FAQ, company history, call to action, mission statement, awards, contact details etc.
  • If the cover of the brochure is not attractive enough, customers may be put off even before opening it. Make the cover visually attractive and begin selling on it. List the merits of your products or services on the cover itself. Make your customers open it with some teasing offers like ‘offer valid for a limited period only’ or ‘see inside and save money.’ If you use your logo on the cover, make it smaller so that it doesn’t become the focus.
  • After the cover, the introduction section should give a brief account of the company, its products or services, its objectives etc. Products and services sections will contain a brief description of them. The above mentioned sections and those relating to features, benefits, applications, and specifications are included in most brochures for the benefit of customers.
  • Including testimonials in a brochure is extremely important. Readers will definitely be influenced and willing to try a product or service when they read those comments made by satisfied users. The user’s permission may sometimes be necessary before you can quote him/her.
  • A ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ or ‘FAQ’ section is essential for the success of any brochure. This section should answer common questions a customer is likely to ask regarding your product or service. If your company does quotes, it is better to have a separate questionnaire that the customer can fill out and send to you.
  • Remember that if your brochure only says why your company is great, or why your products are the best, people in no time will throw it into the trash bin. To make them keep your brochure longer, you should include general information that would be useful for them. For example, if your company deals in computers, you can include in your brochure a piece of writing entitled “How to improve your computer’s performance.”
  • Don’t forget to include what can be called calls to action. Examples of such calls include “Act soon”, “Log on to our website to order now!” or “Contact immediately.” A brochure is effective only if it brings in business to your company. For better results, you can also include your offer and a response mechanism on each page of the brochure.
  • Last but not the least, never forget to include your address, phone and fax numbers, website and e-mail at a convenient place in the brochure which is easily visible
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10 Reasons Why You Should Use Flyers and Catalogs

November 10, 2008

capture1Looking for an efficient yet inexpensive marketing strategy to promote your new store? Or are you thinking of an effective way of reaching your neighboring households to promote yourself as a babysitter? Or do you want to inform your customers about the latest updates in the last release of your product? Look no further and get your flyers and catalogs printed. An effective way of both online and offline advertising there are numerous reasons which make flyers and catalogs one of the most popular advertising media. Some reasons which can help you in making a decision to use flyers and catalogs for promoting your product and services can be summarized as :-

  • Easy to Create: – Bring out your creative juices and design your own flyers as no one can understand your business needs better then you. Alternatively contact one of the advertising firms which can help you in designing your flyers and catalog which can instantly grab customers’ attention. With the introduction of digital printing and advancement in web technology now it is possible to come up with delightful colorful catalogs with minimum efforts.

  • Cost Effective:-If you are an owner of a start up and you are having limited budget , then an effective marketing strategy can be planned by spending some time doing effective research and coming up with flyers and catalog of the products and services being offered by you. The flyers and catalogs will help you in reaching the target audiences with much expenditure on marketing efforts. Printing and distributing flyers and catalogs turn out to be cheaper then placing ads in local newspapers.

  • Generate Useful Leads: – Most of the printing agencies and marketing firms have a huge collection of flyers templates. Select a template and content which grabs instant attention of the customer and urges them to visit your business. Flyers and catalogs should lay emphasis on your strengths and list down the benefits which will help customer in making a choice. Also be sure to print your contact numbers and business address on these flyers and catalogs for the customers to contact.

  • Easy to distribute: – Flyers and catalogs can be distributed in numerous ways. You can circulate flyers along with newspapers or leave them in a public place or place them on the windscreens of the vehicles in the parking lots. This ease of distribution helps in reaching more target audience.

  • Comfort in carrying and sharing information :- Marking your loot on the flyers and catalogs before entering the shopping mall helps in not only reducing your shopping time but also proves to be pocket friendly as it saves you from making unnecessary purchases. If you want to inform your friend about the latest laptop which you have noticed in the electronic shop mailer, simply forward the online catalog to your friends inbox. You can also share printed flyer with your neighbors and friends.

  • Share Product Updates: – Flyers and catalogs are also a great way to promote the latest offerings of your store. So if you are introducing the new Britney Spears fragrance in your store or you are the first to introduce the new Sony video game inform the customers by sending them flyers and updated catalogs which are bound to spur your sales.

  • Have a Larger Reach:- Catalogs and flyers helps in advertising your products and services to people who have no access or no interest in computers or any other modern way of communication. Also flyers can be circulated in malls, in residential localities, parking lots and various other places thereby publicizing the project in larger audiences.

  • Effecting Listing of Product Details: - Catalogs and flyers list down all the product details and specification along with the photographs which makes it easier for the customer in reaching a decision. Catalogs list down all the technical specifications of a product which helps you in making comparison with the similar products currently available in market and you can strike a good deal.

  • Promote Business: - Neilson survey revealed that customers receiving online catalogs and flyers are 15% more likely to make a purchase. With more then 92% American households now having access to internet online catalog has become a great way to advertise your services.

  • Easy to reproduce: – Last but not the least creating a template of flyers and catalogs can be later used for printing more copies. Also the template can be used to make modification in case of any updates and changes. As you don’t have to start the flyer design process from the scratch use of flyers and catalogs actually help in saving cost, time and efforts.

So enjoy the benefits of this effective media of advertising to promote all your business needs.