BUSINESS AND MARKETING ARTICLES
1) Gain Publicity for Your Business
If you own a Web site, you probably understand the importance of continual promotion to receive targeted visitors. Publicity is one of the most inexpensive and effective ways to help consumers learn about your home business.
What is Publicity?
Unlike advertising, publicity is getting others to talk about your business in an objective way because of something unique you are doing. Anyone from the news media reporters to local magazine writers might be talking about your business. This type of advertising gets attention for your company because no pushy advertising is involved. People will read or hear about your story because it's interesting.
How to Get Publicity
Your main goal is to do something spectacular to help others or to solve a tremendous problem for consumers. Below are just a few examples of how some companies have received tons of free publicity:
1. Offering assistance in times of disaster, or helping the needy each holiday season.
2. Creating an innovative product that solves a widespread problem in a
particular industry.
3. Giving away extravagant prizes.
4. Donating portions of their funds to a needy cause.
5. Getting involved with politics.
6. Offering free expert advice.
7. Breaking a record in their field.
The above methods have worked for years, and they still work today. Just read your local newspaper or online news headlines. Most stories about companies fall into one of the categories above. Reading can give you some great ideas too!
Motives of Publicity
Some say that publicity should only be won unintentionally. However, newspapers and magazines are continually searching for interesting stories. The public enjoys reading interesting stories as well. Providing an interesting story adds to the content they're looking for.
How to Apply Publicity to Your Home Internet Business
The Internet makes gaining publicity much easier. Technology enables "media companies" to publicize any story at the click of the mouse. You will have to pay to use these services, but for the price of one newspaper ad, your company might receive thousands of dollars in publicity. It's worth the money to take advantage of new press technology.
An Internet business can do unique things online. For example, a percentage-per-purchase donation campaign can be set up for every online purchase your visitors make. You can give away extravagant prizes from your Web site. You can offer expert advice through articles on your Web site, and make the articles available for reprint. Online and off line magazine publishers might decide to use your articles and give you free publicity.
Steps to Maximize Publicity
Once you plan an event or something unusual that the media might find interesting, the steps below will help you maximize your publicity efforts.
1. Write a press release about your story (or have a professional write it for you).
2. Contact a company who specializes in publicity campaigns (press release
distributors).
3. Publish your press release on your own website, and submit the page to the search engines.
4. Submit your story to small, but targeted e-zines online.
5. Have someone (doesn't have to be a media person) to interview you, and publish the interview on your Web site. Link the interview from your press release page and make it available for reprint also. This makes life a whole lot easier for the media person who's thinking about interviewing you.
There's no amount of money that can equal free publicity. A news story about your company can be far more valuable than advertisements.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you own a Web site, you probably understand the importance of continual promotion to receive targeted visitors. Publicity is one of the most inexpensive and effective ways to help consumers learn about your home business.
What is Publicity?
Unlike advertising, publicity is getting others to talk about your business in an objective way because of something unique you are doing. Anyone from the news media reporters to local magazine writers might be talking about your business. This type of advertising gets attention for your company because no pushy advertising is involved. People will read or hear about your story because it's interesting.
How to Get Publicity
Your main goal is to do something spectacular to help others or to solve a tremendous problem for consumers. Below are just a few examples of how some companies have received tons of free publicity:
1. Offering assistance in times of disaster, or helping the needy each holiday season.
2. Creating an innovative product that solves a widespread problem in a
particular industry.
3. Giving away extravagant prizes.
4. Donating portions of their funds to a needy cause.
5. Getting involved with politics.
6. Offering free expert advice.
7. Breaking a record in their field.
The above methods have worked for years, and they still work today. Just read your local newspaper or online news headlines. Most stories about companies fall into one of the categories above. Reading can give you some great ideas too!
Motives of Publicity
Some say that publicity should only be won unintentionally. However, newspapers and magazines are continually searching for interesting stories. The public enjoys reading interesting stories as well. Providing an interesting story adds to the content they're looking for.
How to Apply Publicity to Your Home Internet Business
The Internet makes gaining publicity much easier. Technology enables "media companies" to publicize any story at the click of the mouse. You will have to pay to use these services, but for the price of one newspaper ad, your company might receive thousands of dollars in publicity. It's worth the money to take advantage of new press technology.
An Internet business can do unique things online. For example, a percentage-per-purchase donation campaign can be set up for every online purchase your visitors make. You can give away extravagant prizes from your Web site. You can offer expert advice through articles on your Web site, and make the articles available for reprint. Online and off line magazine publishers might decide to use your articles and give you free publicity.
Steps to Maximize Publicity
Once you plan an event or something unusual that the media might find interesting, the steps below will help you maximize your publicity efforts.
1. Write a press release about your story (or have a professional write it for you).
2. Contact a company who specializes in publicity campaigns (press release
distributors).
3. Publish your press release on your own website, and submit the page to the search engines.
4. Submit your story to small, but targeted e-zines online.
5. Have someone (doesn't have to be a media person) to interview you, and publish the interview on your Web site. Link the interview from your press release page and make it available for reprint also. This makes life a whole lot easier for the media person who's thinking about interviewing you.
There's no amount of money that can equal free publicity. A news story about your company can be far more valuable than advertisements.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2) Having The Right Attitude To Earn An Online Income.
How much do you really want to make money online? Do you want to develop a business which can make money for you 24 hours a day 7 days a week almost automatically?
I am sure you do...Or else you wouldn't be reading this article right this minute. I have good news...and bad news for those of you desire this for yourself.
The Good News is...YES, you can make money online. Many others have created full-time incomes while only working part-time online. It is within your grasp. Plus, many of them have started with little or no money!
The Bad News is...Many of you will need a change of attitude before you will be able to reach your goals.
Yes...Even with the right information and the right foundation, many people have still failed in their online ventures just because they did not develop the right attitude. An old statement that comes to mind right now for me is "Your Attitude determines your Altitude."
Your success in life cannot bypass your attitude about life. If your mindset is that you are poor and always will be poor, it will show itself in anything you do. No matter what you do, your results will be poor in your online business.
Having a positive mentality about yourself and about your business is a part of this right attitude, but that is not what I want to focus on in this section. I want to focus on your reasons and vision for your online business.
If your vision for your online business is to just make enough money for a little extra income or to just produce a full-time income for yourself, you will be severely limiting your results. If that is you, you need a change of attitude.
Those who are the most successful people in online business are the ones who LOOK for problems and develop solutions to them. They have a vision which is bigger than just to make a little money. They have a vision to solve problems for others.
YES, you need to learn about Internet Marketing Techniques and about how to write killer ad copy. Yes, you need to know how to produce sales, BUT what is it that you are selling?
Are you selling just another product OR are you selling a SOLUTION to people's problems. Are you just in business to make a little money or do you honestly care about helping other people? The ones who become the most successful in their online business are the ones who find a NEED and fill it. They develop the answer that people need.
This factor is true and can be applied no matter what type of online business you are in. For example, if you run a network marketing site, are you just trying to hype people up in your program OR are you becoming a source for information on how they can succeed through this method of distribution.
LOOK for problems...
People are frustrated with learning how submit to search engines!
People are frustrated with learning how to use certain software!
People are frustrated with not being able to produce sales!
People are frustrated with health problems!
Look for these types of problems and frustrations and develop or find products which have the answers. In other words, DON'T just try to think of new ways to make money...Think of ways to solve more problems for more people! Then, the money will come once you learn the marketing side of the equation.
Too often we want someone to just hand us a completely developed business or a business-in-a-box. The truth of the matter though is that most of the time, these types of plans just don't exist. Any type of online business you get involved in will require you to begin thinking of new ways to advance it if you want to be as successful as possible.
The Good News is that all you have to do is start changing your attitude over to being a problem solver. What problems are still out there in your specific market? What problems do people have when they order from your competition? What can you do to make your product or service a better answer to people's needs?
When you ask yourself these types of questions you are often taking the first step to success. You are recognizing the problem. Now, with the right attitude, you can start looking for the solution. You have the question. Now, Apply the thinking, brainstorming, research, and work to find the answer.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3) Put Your Marketing To The "So What?" Test
For many service business owners, marketing can be a real mystery. We don't really know exactly how it works. We're not real sure about what works best for us. And probably because of some past frustrations, we're not even sure where to start.
Most seem to at least have a notion of what's involved in marketing...a web site, Yellow Pages advertising, brochures, direct mailings, networking, seminars, trade shows, etc.
But if that's all it took, wouldn't we all be attracting enough clients?
I'm sure you've tried one or more of these things at least to some degree. And I'm sure you've had at least some successes now and again. But are you able to make it work consistently for your business?
If not, what could be going on?
First, let's agree to a definition of marketing. Here is my favorite one for small, service-based businesses:
"Marketing is the use of strategies to generate a constant supply of high-quality leads for your service business." Simple to understand and speaks directly to the results we want.
OK, so doesn't this definition take us right back to what we said we already knew about marketing... a web site, Yellow Pages advertising, networking, etc.? Well maybe, but first it's important to understand why your current marketing activities aren't producing consistent results.
Put your message and materials to the "So What?" test.
Start with your core marketing message. Pull out your most frequently used marketing tool and read it out loud. Put it to the "So What?" test.
After you read it out loud, is it possible that your intended audience could respond with... "So What?"... "Why do I care?"... or "What's in it for me?" If your message doesn't tell your intended audience what solutions you are providing to address their issues/problems/challenges, and how it relates to the benefits they'll receive from your services, then a "So What?" response is exactly what you might expect.
Messages and materials that are all about who you are and the history of your company and what services you offer and why you're so qualified to provide these services and how you partner with your clients to achieve superior results, etc. are likely to fail the "So What?" test.
Challenge all of your current marketing materials. Remember, it's the intended audience that counts. What's in it for them? Why should they care?
Listen, if your marketing is consistently generating all the high-quality leads you can handle, then don't change a thing. But if you haven't quite figured out how to generate a constant supply of leads for your service business, then you owe it to yourself to challenge your current marketing tools by putting them to the "So What?" test.
Try these ideas:
* Challenge all of your marketing tools that aren't contributing to consistently generate leads for your service business - even the ones that have worked in the past. Could you improve the message and get a higher return? Put it to the "So What?" test.
* Try the X's and O's test (especially with the last letter you wrote). Mark an X every time your marketing piece mentions your name, company name, or the words "I" or "me". Mark and O every time it mentions the prospects name, company name, or the word "you" or "your". If the X's outnumber the O's, rewrite it before using it again.
* Try gathering up a group of people you can trust to give you very honest feedback. You're not just looking for proof readers, but individuals who will give you honest feedback on whether your materials pass the "So What?" test.
* Be prepared for some negative feedback, but more importantly, be prepared to do something about it.
* Don't just accept opinions, but try to get down to realistic response. For example: "I think this part is too wordy and detailed." (opinion) versus "I got pretty lost and confused with the level of detail in this part." (response)
* Remember that it is the intended audience that counts. If it's not clear who the message is intended for when it's received, then how can it pass the "So What?" test.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
4) Stand Out in the Crowded Marketplace By Branding Your Name
Have you ever wondered how big corporations such as Sony and CBS are able to establish their corporate images? How important are these images in promoting their respective products or services? The answer is simple: by creating a unique and impressive identity. And how are they able to do this? By hiring brand identity designers. Now, what is this brand identity design and who are these brand identity designers?
It has been said that a good and strong brand identity is the most potent weapon in the marketer’s arsenal. Creating a brand that is timeless, distinctive and powerful can help your business or product stand out among your competitors. Brand identity design is associated with the visual aspects of a company or business identity or brand. Brand identity represents how a company wants to be seen and how the company illustrates its image. And how and where it is seen, what it looks and feels like depends entirely on the product of the company.
A company’s brand identity can be represented through a unique logo or signage that is often incorporated on all the company’s materials such as stationery, business cards, packing and so on. The brand identity design is what often helps the customer to remember the company and the right brand identity design can be one of the company’s best marketing tools as it transforms the company’s vision and values into an image that customers become familiar with. A good visual identity or imagery is also important for almost all businesses as it often what attracts people who aren’t drawn in by words and numbers alone.
To be able to create good and effective brand identity design, many company’s hire brand identity designers. Brand identity designers create logos, promotional materials, and advertising programs that promote and establish a corporate identity. Their job is to provide new and innovative ways to combine images and words to express the key message of the company. A good brand identity designer should possess innovativeness and problem solving skills. Typography and illustration are key areas in which a brand identity designer should excel. Additionally, a brand identity designer uses design and strategic thinking to help companies find the right brand identity that will help them stand out in competitive marketplaces.
Simply put brand identity design is an artistic and practical approach that focuses on the needs of the companies in areas such as marketing, packaging, product branding, communications and website design. Thus, if you are a business owner wanting to create a good and lasting identity in the market, perhaps the professional help of brand identity designers can benefit you a lot.
How much do you really want to make money online? Do you want to develop a business which can make money for you 24 hours a day 7 days a week almost automatically?
I am sure you do...Or else you wouldn't be reading this article right this minute. I have good news...and bad news for those of you desire this for yourself.
The Good News is...YES, you can make money online. Many others have created full-time incomes while only working part-time online. It is within your grasp. Plus, many of them have started with little or no money!
The Bad News is...Many of you will need a change of attitude before you will be able to reach your goals.
Yes...Even with the right information and the right foundation, many people have still failed in their online ventures just because they did not develop the right attitude. An old statement that comes to mind right now for me is "Your Attitude determines your Altitude."
Your success in life cannot bypass your attitude about life. If your mindset is that you are poor and always will be poor, it will show itself in anything you do. No matter what you do, your results will be poor in your online business.
Having a positive mentality about yourself and about your business is a part of this right attitude, but that is not what I want to focus on in this section. I want to focus on your reasons and vision for your online business.
If your vision for your online business is to just make enough money for a little extra income or to just produce a full-time income for yourself, you will be severely limiting your results. If that is you, you need a change of attitude.
Those who are the most successful people in online business are the ones who LOOK for problems and develop solutions to them. They have a vision which is bigger than just to make a little money. They have a vision to solve problems for others.
YES, you need to learn about Internet Marketing Techniques and about how to write killer ad copy. Yes, you need to know how to produce sales, BUT what is it that you are selling?
Are you selling just another product OR are you selling a SOLUTION to people's problems. Are you just in business to make a little money or do you honestly care about helping other people? The ones who become the most successful in their online business are the ones who find a NEED and fill it. They develop the answer that people need.
This factor is true and can be applied no matter what type of online business you are in. For example, if you run a network marketing site, are you just trying to hype people up in your program OR are you becoming a source for information on how they can succeed through this method of distribution.
LOOK for problems...
People are frustrated with learning how submit to search engines!
People are frustrated with learning how to use certain software!
People are frustrated with not being able to produce sales!
People are frustrated with health problems!
Look for these types of problems and frustrations and develop or find products which have the answers. In other words, DON'T just try to think of new ways to make money...Think of ways to solve more problems for more people! Then, the money will come once you learn the marketing side of the equation.
Too often we want someone to just hand us a completely developed business or a business-in-a-box. The truth of the matter though is that most of the time, these types of plans just don't exist. Any type of online business you get involved in will require you to begin thinking of new ways to advance it if you want to be as successful as possible.
The Good News is that all you have to do is start changing your attitude over to being a problem solver. What problems are still out there in your specific market? What problems do people have when they order from your competition? What can you do to make your product or service a better answer to people's needs?
When you ask yourself these types of questions you are often taking the first step to success. You are recognizing the problem. Now, with the right attitude, you can start looking for the solution. You have the question. Now, Apply the thinking, brainstorming, research, and work to find the answer.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3) Put Your Marketing To The "So What?" Test
For many service business owners, marketing can be a real mystery. We don't really know exactly how it works. We're not real sure about what works best for us. And probably because of some past frustrations, we're not even sure where to start.
Most seem to at least have a notion of what's involved in marketing...a web site, Yellow Pages advertising, brochures, direct mailings, networking, seminars, trade shows, etc.
But if that's all it took, wouldn't we all be attracting enough clients?
I'm sure you've tried one or more of these things at least to some degree. And I'm sure you've had at least some successes now and again. But are you able to make it work consistently for your business?
If not, what could be going on?
First, let's agree to a definition of marketing. Here is my favorite one for small, service-based businesses:
"Marketing is the use of strategies to generate a constant supply of high-quality leads for your service business." Simple to understand and speaks directly to the results we want.
OK, so doesn't this definition take us right back to what we said we already knew about marketing... a web site, Yellow Pages advertising, networking, etc.? Well maybe, but first it's important to understand why your current marketing activities aren't producing consistent results.
Put your message and materials to the "So What?" test.
Start with your core marketing message. Pull out your most frequently used marketing tool and read it out loud. Put it to the "So What?" test.
After you read it out loud, is it possible that your intended audience could respond with... "So What?"... "Why do I care?"... or "What's in it for me?" If your message doesn't tell your intended audience what solutions you are providing to address their issues/problems/challenges, and how it relates to the benefits they'll receive from your services, then a "So What?" response is exactly what you might expect.
Messages and materials that are all about who you are and the history of your company and what services you offer and why you're so qualified to provide these services and how you partner with your clients to achieve superior results, etc. are likely to fail the "So What?" test.
Challenge all of your current marketing materials. Remember, it's the intended audience that counts. What's in it for them? Why should they care?
Listen, if your marketing is consistently generating all the high-quality leads you can handle, then don't change a thing. But if you haven't quite figured out how to generate a constant supply of leads for your service business, then you owe it to yourself to challenge your current marketing tools by putting them to the "So What?" test.
Try these ideas:
* Challenge all of your marketing tools that aren't contributing to consistently generate leads for your service business - even the ones that have worked in the past. Could you improve the message and get a higher return? Put it to the "So What?" test.
* Try the X's and O's test (especially with the last letter you wrote). Mark an X every time your marketing piece mentions your name, company name, or the words "I" or "me". Mark and O every time it mentions the prospects name, company name, or the word "you" or "your". If the X's outnumber the O's, rewrite it before using it again.
* Try gathering up a group of people you can trust to give you very honest feedback. You're not just looking for proof readers, but individuals who will give you honest feedback on whether your materials pass the "So What?" test.
* Be prepared for some negative feedback, but more importantly, be prepared to do something about it.
* Don't just accept opinions, but try to get down to realistic response. For example: "I think this part is too wordy and detailed." (opinion) versus "I got pretty lost and confused with the level of detail in this part." (response)
* Remember that it is the intended audience that counts. If it's not clear who the message is intended for when it's received, then how can it pass the "So What?" test.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
4) Stand Out in the Crowded Marketplace By Branding Your Name
Have you ever wondered how big corporations such as Sony and CBS are able to establish their corporate images? How important are these images in promoting their respective products or services? The answer is simple: by creating a unique and impressive identity. And how are they able to do this? By hiring brand identity designers. Now, what is this brand identity design and who are these brand identity designers?
It has been said that a good and strong brand identity is the most potent weapon in the marketer’s arsenal. Creating a brand that is timeless, distinctive and powerful can help your business or product stand out among your competitors. Brand identity design is associated with the visual aspects of a company or business identity or brand. Brand identity represents how a company wants to be seen and how the company illustrates its image. And how and where it is seen, what it looks and feels like depends entirely on the product of the company.
A company’s brand identity can be represented through a unique logo or signage that is often incorporated on all the company’s materials such as stationery, business cards, packing and so on. The brand identity design is what often helps the customer to remember the company and the right brand identity design can be one of the company’s best marketing tools as it transforms the company’s vision and values into an image that customers become familiar with. A good visual identity or imagery is also important for almost all businesses as it often what attracts people who aren’t drawn in by words and numbers alone.
To be able to create good and effective brand identity design, many company’s hire brand identity designers. Brand identity designers create logos, promotional materials, and advertising programs that promote and establish a corporate identity. Their job is to provide new and innovative ways to combine images and words to express the key message of the company. A good brand identity designer should possess innovativeness and problem solving skills. Typography and illustration are key areas in which a brand identity designer should excel. Additionally, a brand identity designer uses design and strategic thinking to help companies find the right brand identity that will help them stand out in competitive marketplaces.
Simply put brand identity design is an artistic and practical approach that focuses on the needs of the companies in areas such as marketing, packaging, product branding, communications and website design. Thus, if you are a business owner wanting to create a good and lasting identity in the market, perhaps the professional help of brand identity designers can benefit you a lot.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5) Does Every Business Need A Web Presence?
Many small businesses today are undecided whether or not they should have a website to allow customers to purchase products online or further advertise their services. After all, building a website takes both time and money and hiring someone else to do the job for you costs even more. Some business owners may even think that since their company only consists of an employee or two, they really have no need for an online presence. Still other companies may not even want to sell their products online. What one factor do all of these businesses have in common? Believe it or not, they can all benefit from having an online presence. Fortunately today there are web builder tools available that allow even those with little technical skills to design their own website. With options like these, there really is no reason why you shouldn’t have a website to promote your business.
If you think your business is too small to need a website, think again. Even a small business run by just one person can benefit from an online presence. The more people you promote your products and services to, the more sales you are likely to make. Without a web presence, you are losing out on valuable customers. Just like large corporations, small businesses need customers in order to make a profit. If you don’t have a website, you are losing sales to other companies that offer a product similar to yours. There are several small companies today that make the majority of their profits from online sales. Your small business could very well be one of those companies in the future. First of all, there are not too many products today that aren’t being sold online. With the emergence of bidding sites, even larger items such as automobiles and real estate are being sold. Ecommerce in many cases has become the way to do business. By creating a web site, you can start cashing in on some of this online revenue.
All businesses can benefit from online marketing even if they don’t sell online. Just because customers cannot use their credit card to purchase online from your company, many will still be inclined to contact you if you present your products in a professional manner. By giving out your company contact info such as email, fax, phone number, and physical address, customers have a number of methods in which to contact you. Many people still prefer to pick up the phone and talk to person, It is always a good idea to list your street address even for customers who are located out of state or in a different country as this often makes people feel more secure about ordering from you. Once customers have contacted you about purchases, you can then make payment arrangements for products. Some customers may even be within driving distance of your business. By having a website, you have made your presence and your product known.
