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Marketing Articles |
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| How to Booste Your Profit Quickly |
| There are so many competitions by running business. So you must do something in a smart way. Check this list to see which ones you can use in order to pull more profits from your business.
1. Gain an advantage over your competition. You should find one benefit your competition doesn't offer and use it as your main selling point.
2. Design your e-zine so it creates multiple free advertising streams. Ask readers to forward it to people they know, offer ad trades, etc.
3. Allow your visitors to More.. |
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| Build A Successful Business By Staying Connected |
| Over the course of your business life you'll come in contact with a number of other business people. They could be lawyers, business services, suppliers, customers, etc. These people are important to your business in more ways than one. If you hired them or they bought your product or service, you can also gain their business knowledge, experience, ideas, and advice. How do you do this? Stay Connected! Network! Networking is when two or more different businesses stay in contact on a regular basi More.. |
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| Meaning and Marketing -- The Links |
| You know who you are and what you want and what it means or will mean for you to be FULLY ALIVE and you also know that you can change it it -- your definitions.
If you don't, you will. Just get on the road. That's all you have to to do. Begin the journey. It will be for you a joyous one, but also terrifying at times, not much different than a roller coaster. You will find your way. I AM is with you.
And the power of I AM is in you, if you want to access I AM.
And of course you do. So let's ge More.. |
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| The Value of a Customer |
| The Driver of All Marketing Efforts
You need to determine what the value of a customer is to your company. Answer the following questions:
How much will the average customer spend with you per year?
A = _____________
If you provide quality service and products, how many years can you expect to keep a customer ?
B = _____________
What is your gross profit, as a percentage of revenues?
C = _____________
The value (V) of a customer is:
V = A X B X C
We learned with our network consulting More.. |
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| The Advantage to Buying Promotional Products Online |
| Buying your promotional products and corporate apparel online provides five major advantages: a greater selection, better pricing, convenience, customer service, and faster ordering time.
Manufacturers often display their entire line of products on the internet, providing you with a greater selection of products. With all of these manufacturers online, you gain the opportunity to compare pricing and quality in a simple and accessible online format, instead of wasting time flipping through endle More.. |
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| Why Great Companies Survey: Martian Logic! |
| If an alien civilization from Mars was planning a friendly takeover of our planet they would seek to make sure they understood our way of life and our way of thought.
The only way they could accomplish their objective would be by asking questions which they could genuinely understand and then plan a strategy accordingly. Although this idea may seem outlandish in my humble opinion it is also what separates the great companies on our planet from the Wannabe's.
The greatest RISK in marketing lies More.. |
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| Business In 2010: A New Face of Marketing |
| The term "internet marketing" was virtually non-existent a short 8 years ago, now it is a growing phenomenon that is raking millions every year. Because of this expanding industry, the internet landscape it changing. Where are the changes going to be? I fully expect a growth in interactive end-user experiences - an online environment catering to the individual preferences of a singular visitor. I also foresee a massive change in the way we market online. A change could include "personalized" adv More.. |
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| Meaning and Marketing - The Trigger |
| In previous articles under "Meaning and Marketing", we have learned about the verb "To Be" and that the name of God is I AM.
Stephen Hawkings, the world's greatest mathematician, and author of several books on science and the Universe, was more or lessa bum during his university years in England and some years thereafter. I think he liked to drink.
Everybody knew he had the GIFT and so did he. He just wasn't using it. But then he contracted Lou Gehig's Disease and that got him moving.
What wa More.. |
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| The Biggest Needle In The Haystack |
| Hello everyone! Have you ever been curious about something, and wanted to learn about it? If you're like me, I am a pretty curious fellow, I really like to learn.
Where is the best place to start finding the information you are looking for? My choice for information gathering is the Internet!
Where do you start your search for information? I use search engines, my favorite is Google. No, I am not plugging Google I believe it is a great search engine.
Do you use key words and phrases to find y More.. |
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| Sponsorship: A Key to Powerful Marketing |
| Sponsorship is the fastest growing form of marketing in the U.S. It is still very much in its infancy, especially in the trade show arena. With this in mind, you can find unlimited opportunities to broaden your competitive advantage by increasing your credibility, image and prestige in sponsoring events attracting your target market.
Some trade show promotional opportunities include sponsorship of the press room, an international lounge, a speaker or VIP room, an awards reception, educational p More.. |
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| Promotional Products |
| As a promotions director for a lot of super markets, one of my key responsibilities was finding promotional products for the events we make. I worked with distributors to order, design and customize these items to promote the super markets image to the general public.
When it comes to finding Promotional Products for your business, you want to find items that feature your company name prominently. If you're promoting a "toys event", you don't want to give people watches, or mugs.
Promotional P More.. |
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| Every Days a Holiday! |
| You probably know that February 2nd is Groundhog Day. But did you know that it is also Kiwi Fruit Day, Laugh and Grow Rich Day, and Bonza Bottler Day(tm)? Each of these holidays was created by someone who wanted to commemorate or promote something. FYI-Bonza Bottler Day occurs each month when the number of the month is the same as the number of the day (e.g., March 3, April 4, etc.) and it is heralded as "an excuse to have a party at least once a month."
Creating a holiday is a great way to get More.. |
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| How to Save Thousands on Your Marketing |
| Marketing can be expensive. It doesn't have to be, but sometimes you will spend more than you should. Usually you'll realise this after you've done it. But here are two tips that can save you thousands of dollars.
1- Make sure you really understand your market and your distribution channels.
Sounds simple, doesn't it! For example, one client had developed an information product for small businesses. They had some assistance from another agency to check the market and confirm how they should pr More.. |
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| Developing a Contact List- Part One |
| One of the most essential things to successful networking is your Contact List. When you start a business, developing one is the first step in promoting and marketing your company. As you write your business plan, it is helpful to make this list to start to develop an idea of who your customer base will be.
The first source of clients would your family and current friends and acquaintances. Depending on your product or service, these people may actually become your clients, as well as being fam More.. |
| Read more About Developing a Contact List- Part One |
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| 15-Minute Marketing: Lots of Results in Little Time |
| Do you think you don't have enough time to market? Here's a solution that can help you get started on marketing, or any other task you've been putting off.
Promise yourself you will spend 15 uninterrupted minutes working on one aspect of marketing. Edit the copy for your brochure. Update your e-mail signature file. Make some phone calls. Revise a web page. Send a letter. Post a message to an e-mail list. Or identify a media outlet and send your most recent press release to them.
You'll be amaz More.. |
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| Making Networking Work |
| Several years ago, "networking" was the hot buzzword. Everyone was talking about building their network, because this was the secret to becoming incredibly successful. Well, yes, networking is a great way to build a business, but not necessarily the way a lot of people went about it.
Networking is still one of the best ways to get new customers, and maintain relationships with existing customers. But you have to do it effectively.
Going to every meeting you can find, and thrusting your busines More.. |
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| Avoid These 5 Web Site Blunders! |
| The Web is intended to help people find information quickly and easily. So why do so many sites make it difficult for users to get what they need? While neat design can add impact to your message, make sure the message itself doesn't get lost in the mix.
As president of a copywriting firm that writes and edits dozens of online projects a year, I've come across several common blunders that prevent effective communication via the Web. Here are my top five:
BLUNDER #1: Hiding who you are and what More.. |
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| Have You Captured Me Today? |
| There are many Web sites I visit every day and will probably never return to again. It's not that I didn't like the site, or that I wasn't interested in the topic, services, or products offered. It's just that I wasn't ready to take action right now. So I clicked away and will probably forget about them.
The danger of this happening at YOUR site is that you just lost a great prospect. After all, I'm pre-qualified. I was already interested in what you had to offer. I likely found your site via a More.. |
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| Make Your E-Mail Signature File WORK for You! |
| You're probably familiar with e-mail signature (or "sig") files - they're the few lines of contact information that many of us put at the bottom of every e-mail we send. Most e-mail software programs allow you to create and use sig files - even the newer versions of AOL.
I've heard some people who don't use sig files defend their position by saying, "All my clients know my info - I don't need to remind them with every e-mail." Stop! You're missing a perfect opportunity to promote your business, More.. |
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| What You MUST Understand About Your Web Numbers |
| Two years ago, when I first started selling online, I focused on doing what I did best: generating useful content that people would want to pay for. But I quickly learned that selling a product online required me to have to learn about ...
...my Web statistics.
"Yuck! Why should I have to do this?" I thought. "I'm not a numbers person. Such small details! I want to spend time on big ideas."
Then after a few months of poor sales, I realized I needed to learn more about my numbers so I could le More.. |
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| Why You Dont NEED a Marketing Plan |
| If you pick up a copy of the November 2003 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, you'll see my Web site listed on page 10, along with a good amount of promotional copy.
How did I get featured in a major, national magazine?
Do I have a great PR person? Did I know someone at the magazine? Was this part of my carefully-crafted marketing plan?
No, no, and um, no.
I'll tell you exactly how I did it.
Are you ready?
I picked up the phone.
A few months ago, I was flipping through a past issue of Entrep More.. |
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| 10 Awesome Ways To Attract More Orders |
| 1. Create a free ebook directory on a specific topic at your web site. People will visit your web site toread the free ebooks and may see your product ad.
2. Turn part of your web site into a members onlyweb site. Instead of charging for access, use it asa free bonus for one of your products.
3. Add a free classified ad section to your web site.You could then trade banner ads with other websites that have free classified ad sections.
4. Create two versions of your e-zine so peoplecan choose i More.. |
| Read more About 10 Awesome Ways To Attract More Orders |
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| Customers Are Like Vampires |
| No, customers aren't bloodsuckers (well, maybe a few are!) and they don't come out only at night. According to legend, vampires don't come in until they are invited. And that's true of customers, too.
You may think you've invited your customers. After all, you put up signs identifying your store, got a web site, placed ads, sent press releases, networked, put out fliers, etc.
Those things can let your customers know you exist, but to be effective they should include invitations to customers. T More.. |
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| Developing a Contact List- Part Two |
| In a previous installment, we spoke about how to come up with a list of persons you currently know. Although everyone on that list will not necessarily become your client, everyone can lead you to clients. In this section, we will talk about how to get referrals from all of the people on your contact list and what to do once you have those referrals.
Most people will not feel comfortable giving you referrals until they know how you intend to handle these contacts. No one wants to refer you some More.. |
| Read more About Developing a Contact List- Part Two |
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| Using a Contact List Profitably Part One |
| In previous articles, we discussed the generation of a contact list. This time, we look at one idea on what to do with that list once you have it.
The Survey
Your contact list can be used as a great source of information, especially about the importance and need of specific products or services. This type of survey is most effective when asking what are called "probing" questions- questions that cannot be answered by "yes" or "no". Useful questions to ask include:
1. The "Who are you?" series More.. |
| Read more About Using a Contact List Profitably Part One |
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| Using a Contact List Profitably- Part Two |
| Besides a survey, your contact list can be used to generate sales directly. Some of the following ideas must be done one-on-one and others can be done to large quantities of prospects at a time. They all have varying levels of effectiveness. A general rule of thumb is:
The more personal the contact, the greater the chances of a sale. That means that an in-person interview has a better success rate than a mass mailing.
1. The in-person interview. As the name suggests, this is something that is More.. |
| Read more About Using a Contact List Profitably- Part Two |
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| Choosing Networking Functions |
| Time is a concern for all of us. We only have so much of it to give to our work, and then some to our families, our churches and some to ourselves. In today's business climate it is essential to spent our time wisely to maximize our productivity and satisfaction with our lives.
One way that you can ascertain that the time you spend networking is most effective for you and the accomplishment of your goals is to choose your functions for networking strategically. This involves deciding on goals f More.. |
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| How Would You Handle This? |
| We have been talking about choosing groups to participate in that meet your needs and goals as a business professional. Once the decision is made on which groups to belong to, then a certain level of participation is required in order to achieve the individual goals set by the business professional.
Whenever I attend a function, I always have a goal of meeting ten people whom I do not already know, and finding out how I can best help them in their business. What happens, though if, when I enter More.. |
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| 10 Effective Ice Breaking Questions |
| hether you go to a Chamber of Commerce event, a PTA meeting, the racquetball court, the local health club, or practically anywhere else, opportunities to network present themselves constantly. But there are fears which present themselves as well. For example, we ask ourselves if we are in a situation where talking business might be considered tacky. Will I be considered a 'hard sell' type of salesperson for talking about my business at a social gathering?
Here's how to overcome that fear- ask q More.. |
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| How Can I Break Into Cliques? |
| Have you ever gone to a networking function and seen THE person who you feel could help you most there, except that person is surrounded by people ALL the time? Have you ever tried to enter into a conversation with that circle of people, only to have gotten the feeling you were intruding? How do you get an audience with a person who is constantly surrounded by "gatekeepers"? This happens often at gatherings that do not have a structured agenda- in other words in places where open networking is p More.. |
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| So What Do You Do? |
| Once you have the attention of a business prospect, at some point in the conversation, the prospect will ask you, "So what do you do?". In most cases, you will only have 60 seconds, to catch the interest of the prospect. Therefore, your response to this questions needs to be specific enough to tell what you do, but interesting enough for the prospect to ask for more information.
Here is where "bullets" about your business come in handy. Bullets are short statements about your firm that highligh More.. |
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| Networking the Media |
| The media is a business's absolute best friend. It is THE source of information distribution to the masses. Even "bad" press has been known to stimulate business.
The media is a "business" just like any other business. It has a "product" (air space, print space or television space) and therefore must sell this product. And it is a "perishable" product. Most people don't think of the media as a "perishable" product but it is. Radio stations and television stations sell "time". Once that time has More.. |
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| Networking Events - Lose the Fear and Gain the Benefits |
| "Kevin, are you saying I need to go to Networking events? I hope not because I hate them."
No, of course you don't have to go to them. You could stay home or sit in your office. But if you choose to not go, you won't have the chance to learn something, to help others, to get new ideas, maybe generate some new Clients, and yes, meet new people.
"But Kevin, I don't do well at these events, I am too self conscious and besides, you know I am shy."
It is true, some people aren't as outgoing as oth More.. |
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| Marketing to Success on a ZERO Budget |
| TOP 10 TIPS TO GET YOU MARKETING TO SUCCESS ON ZERO DOLLARS!
I come across so many people that absolutely freak out when they think about having to market their business. Heaps of questions come up like, 'Where do I start?', 'I hate selling', 'How do I market my business when I don't have any money?'?.. Most of these people absolutely LOVE what they do, but detest having to 'sell' their service to receive an income from it.
You'll love it when I say it's easy to start and anyone can do it with More.. |
| Read more About Marketing to Success on a ZERO Budget |
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| Creating a Marketing Plan for Your Website |
| Have you created a marketing plan for your Website? If not, it is time to think about developing one. An Internet marketing plan helps you make the right day-to-day and long term decisions. Without a marketing plan, it is more likely your Website will be a drain on finances rather than a business builder.
Creating a marketing plan need not be scary or difficult. It does not require a marketing degree or a lot of experience. You do, however, need to put some quality time into writing your plan. More.. |
| Read more About Creating a Marketing Plan for Your Website |
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| 10 Tips to Grow Your Business Plain & Simple |
| "Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value." Albert Einstein
Recently I heard a statistic that the majority of businesses operate at 60% of their potential. While I was unable to obtain the source of that statistic it seemed rather accurate or maybe even high. The Small Business Association reports that "2/3 of new employer firms survive at least 2 years, and about 1/2 survive at least 4 years." The language they use is almost as scary as the statistics themselves. More.. |
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| Identifying, Creating and Using Your USP? |
| What's your USP? Don't know, or worse still, you've never heard of it.
USP is an acronym for Unique Selling Proposition. It's vital for every business to identify its inherent USP or if it can't identify it, to create it.
If yours is a firm that sells gold coated widgets and there are NO other firms selling the same product, then you need not worry about your USP - you have one by default. The default being that you have a market monopoly. Provided the product is in demand, you can charge just More.. |
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| Two kinds of Advertising for a Marketing Strategy |
| Advertising is the lifeblood of any business. If you do not learn how to advertise your products and services both efficiently and effectively, you won't be in business long. While the Internet has lessened or eliminated many of the costs normally associated with starting and running a small business, and it's now easier than ever, you'll never realize significant profits if you don't grow your business through effective marketing.
There are really just two kinds of advertising - that which you More.. |
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| Todays Definition of Marketing. Has It Changed? |
| With the continued proliferation of the Internet, the meaning of the word "marketing" also seems to proliferate. Cyberspace has opened up a whole arena of new marketing technologies, techniques, and twists. Amidst the online exuberance, it seems each online marketer or salesperson changes the definition of marketing to suit his or her preference.
Many times, ill-conceived notions and perceptions reduce the meaning of the word "marketing" to a shadow of it's true self. Many see marketing as a se More.. |
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