Archive for the 'Marketing' Category

Selecting the right keywords is easy

October 20th, 2008 | Category: Grow existing business, Marketing, Strategy, Success

Just as a clever tagline can clinch the deal for a TV advertisement, the same way the right keywords are crucial for a good PPC campaign. The keywords can act as the foundation of your entire campaign. Strong keywords will help make your campaign a success but weak ones can lead to disastrous results.

For an apt keyword list, make sure you do all the necessary research beforehand. Dig deep; search every nook and cranny until you hit upon effective keywords that will expand your keyword list.

To help you understand the keyword concept here is an example. Our base keyword will be “Real Estate.”

Because of high commissions “Real Estate” is a very saturated word on the Internet.

The first thing to do is create your first list. Think of all the alternatives that your prospective clients could use to interpret the base word. Now for the word real estate, people can use words like real property, investment property etc. these words are still very similar to the base keyword therefore you should continue the search.

Next you will need to enlarge your search into different niches or types of real estate. Some examples include; boarding houses, commercial real estate etc. After this you will be able to mix your new keywords with your initial ones and get some completely new keywords.

Real estate company names can form the basis of a separate campaign. Add .com to your regional extension. Do not worry if it is a domain that is nonexistent, searchers sometimes experiment with these types of keywords and you will get the chance to get some of these clients at a lower cost.

Try not to use general keywords; a better idea is to use keywords that specifically target your own niche market. Put yourself in your potential buyer’s shoes to discover the keywords that they use.

Here are some points to note:

- .com, .net etc. can be added to your keyword.

- You can capture visitors with company and domain names.

- Try adding superlatives to your base word like best, cheap etc.

- Find keywords from your web log files. Use keywords that your visitors have used to find your website.

- You can glance over the copy on your competitor’s site.

A good tactic is to make different lists for different categories of keywords, plurals in one, typos in another. If you do this you will be able to pinpoint your potential customers better.

Using the points in this article you can build formidable lists of keywords. With these strong keywords you can build winning campaigns, and nothing will stand in the way of your success. Wishing you prosperity!

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Secrets of Creating an Effective Wireless Promotions Campaign

October 13th, 2008 | Category: Grow existing business, Marketing, Success

Mobile phone marketing, otherwise known as SMS marketing, is the present evolution of direct promotion. Direct promotion has always been supported by companies as a personalized and focused way of reaching potential consumers and, with the advent of cell phones, SMS marketing has increased in usage. Mobile marketing is perhaps best defined as the practice of advertising products and services using digital distribution channels to reach customers in a fast, relevant, personalized and economic manner.

The most well-known form of mobile marketing is SMS marketing, which has expanded rapidly in Europe and Asia. It is estimated that several hundred million promotional messages are sent via SMS every month in Europe alone. SMS stands for ’short message service’ and is a communication form specific to cell phones where a short message can be quickly sent to any mobile owner. As well as sending material to consumers, marketers can often encourage consumers to join in promotional and brand publicity campaigns by encouraging consumers to SMS a selected number at an event in order to enter a competition, to receive a gift or to have their message displayed on a multimedia wall at an event. All of these techniques engages the consumer through the medium of SMS and creates brand awareness.

There are a variety of other examples of digital marketing. One variation is sending messages via MMS, which is a multimedia version of SMS, allowing customers to receive texts with color, pictures and video. There is also mobile web marketing, where businesses advertise marketing aims through websites accessed by mobiles. Publicists often make innovative use of digital marketing such as location-based services where customers are offered tailored promotions and other network-related information and promotional material based on their whereabouts. With the variety of methods and options available to marketers, it is no wonder that a recent marketing survey found that 89% of major brands planned to promote their products through digital marketing by the end of 2008.

Mobile marketing is an example of what is known within the industry as “push” marketing. The idea behind push marketing is that that the marketer has to send (push) the information to the customer in order for the information to be received. This is different to “pull” marketing, a passive form of promotion, where it is users who seek out the information from sources such as websites or blogs.

There are several advantages to digital marketing. Primarily, the attraction is that this method of promotion can be tailored to the consumer. This is the ideal in marketing as it means getting the campaign specifically to the group it’s aimed at, rather than squandering money on an unfocussed campaign. The specificity allowed by this type of promotions, which results in a more cost-effective campaign, is one example why a high return on investment is possible with digital marketing. Another advantage of digital marketing is the detailed tracking and reporting of users it permits. Through this medium, promoters can track how many customers viewed their material and also access detailed data about each subscriber such as their name, their age, their demographic and where they’re located. This permits a business to raise profiles of their users; data which then guides future promotional campaigns and, ideally, their success.

It is noted in the industry that push marketing, of which digital marketing is a type, can help drive new cash flows and brand exposure if it is executed correctly and sensitively. This is because it makes consumers aware of new developments that they may not know to enquire about already and the way a message is written, and even the fact that the material is being delivered by a contemporary, hip medium such as text, can say a great deal about a brand and a company.

There are, however, some disadvantages to mobile marketing. Inherently, it needs a mechanism – the mobile – to be able to send content. The business, as well, needs to make use of specific equipment and applications in order to send the content to subscribers, which can mean considerable outlay. Another downside is the fact that mobile marketing is heavily regulated by the telecommunications industry in response to customer concerns about what data and advertising they get shown. Most Western nations have laws in place that compel marketers to get the consent of subscribers before advertising information is received by them and must clearly give them with an ‘opt out’ clause if they request to stop receiving content. If businesses are found to be in violation of these laws, network providers can block marketing information by marketers.

As mobile technology improves, digital marketing will certainly continue to increase in relevance.

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Online Marketing – Seven Vital Steps in the Buying Process

October 10th, 2008 | Category: Grow existing business, Marketing, Sales, Success

When you understand your visitors, the problems they have, and how they want to solve them, you are on your way to having a successful marketing plan for an online business. But even more important is understanding the steps your prospects go through before they actually buy from you. After all, it’s the money from the sales that we are all seeking.

This plan I’m going to reveal to you covers everything from the very first stages of your visitor’s thoughts all the way through checkout making sure you know how to create a seamless buying process for your future customers.

Step 1: Recognizing what your prospects want or need

The buying process always starts with acknowledging a specific need or want that your prospect has. Whether they have a problem and need a solution or it’s just some frivoulous desire, your customer will need to see a personal benefit before they are interested in your offer. They will most concerned it what’s in it for them.

With all the options and web sites that are online today, your prospect is in total control of what they want to buy and who they are going to buy it from.

As an online marketer, you need to create this desire for your prospects so they can relate to it. This will get them interested in getting more information about your offer and building a long-term relationship with you.

Step #2: Researching the Product or Service

A potential customer is now searching to see what products are out there to fulfill their need and who’s offering them.

They are looking for product features, pricing, and other options so they can match it to their needs.

This would be an opportune time to discuss what your product or service does and answer your prospects questions so you can direct them towards the right product for their particular situation.

Step 3: Refining and Evaluating.

Once a prospect completes their research, they start to narrow down their choices by eliminatin out the options that won’t work the best for them. They will consider the benefits and the merchants to make sure they know what they are buying and who they are buying it from.

Offering a bonus or incentive for buying the product from you. You can assure them that your company will provide them with great service if they even need any help. Any skepticism or lack of trust at this point can often turn your visitor away and they might go elsewhere.

Step 4: Reach Out.

This is one of the latest steps in the online buying process. It has become easier for people to interact with each other as your prospects are surfing the web and they want to take full advantage of this new option.

They’re going online and asking others about their experience with a certain product, service or business before they ever make any purchase. The better the word your product or company has out there, the more at ease your future customer will feel.

It has been determined that as much 80% of people who read online product reviews believe them over your own sales material. This will either secure your sale or eliminate it so make sure your company has a good reputation online.

Step 5: Resolution.

The prospect has narrowed their choice down to a specific product or service and decides what they are going to buy and who they are going to buy from. This doesn’t mean the deal is sealed though.

The customer has almost reached their final decision but still needs to feel confident about the security of their purchase. Place logos on your purchase page that give you credibility and let the buyer know that his or her transaction is secure on your website. This can often increase sales and help retain customers longer.

Step 6: Purchase- Order is Complete Now Give It to Me

After evaluating all their options, your prospect has now decided to choose your company for their needs. They are no longer a prospect; they are your own personal customer now which is every entrepreneur’s favorite person.

To show your appreciation, the next page should be a “Thank You” page. Also, it is a good idea to send them an personal email confirmation for their order, thanking them again, and reassuring them of all the awesome benefits they’re about to receive as well as the support you offer.

Step 7: Reconsider- Did I Really Make the Right Choice?

Time for every company’s worst enemy, buyer’s remorse. It’s when all the questions and doubt really hit your customer. But all they really need is assurance that they actually can get their money back if needed.

This is the time to show your customer that you really believe in your product by reviewing the benefits and offering a money-back guarantee. You need to reassure them of your comittment. They see it as a positive; if you’re willing to risk the sale, then the product must be worth it. You can reassure them that you are there to help should any questions or concerns arise.

Be sure to review each step thoroughly so your visitor’s buying process is very easy for them. Make it enjoyable and they will return again and again!

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How a Phone Word Can Make you Thousands of Dollars

October 08th, 2008 | Category: Grow existing business, Marketing, Sales, Success

Can you believe that your customers can increase by 1400%? Get a phone word and see for yourself.

Hm What are phonewords? And do they make money? Oh. Yes. They do. But know what phone words are first. Phone words are the alphanumeric equivalent of a numeric telephone number. Phone words are made up from the various letters of the alphabet that correspond to particular numbers on a telephone keypad. These letters can form a word, a partial word, an acronym, abbreviation, or an alphanumeric combination.

Let’s step back a little. What the top priorities of business? They want a top of the mind recall for a product or a service. E.g. Burgers McDonalds wants people like you and me to remember it the moment we think of burgers. How cool will it be if 1800 BURGER rings in McDonalds? That solves two problems. The first is remembering the number. The moment you remember “BURGER,” you want to dial 1800 BURGER much better than 1800 345543 or some such number.

The other problem is of “association”. The combination 1800 BURGER has associated Burger and McDonald’s. So it also increases the brand association that is required by your business, by many folds.

Let us tell you about some other advantages now. When you buy a phone word, you become the exclusive owner of that particular phone word in the entire country. You can have customers from a single postcode, multiple postcodes, an entire city or even the whole country. You select a territory and all calls coming from there are put through to your existing telephone line. The online business also finds it useful, as their huge geographical reach doesn’t get wasted since you service only a small area.

Phone words communicate what you do in a punchy and economical way. When you say 1800 BURGER, they know what you do. You don’t have to explain anything. They KNOW it. But the crispiness that comes with it is fascinating. Somehow, with so few words, it conveys about quality.

Not just that, Phone words are an easy way of projecting your business as being bigger and more professional than your competition. Add to that, a phone word is an easy way for you to enable word of mouth marketing. 1800 PENCIL or 1800 RENTAL is easy to convey and easy to remember.

Many businesses find it difficult to get the recall for their product or services. Phone words are indeed a simple and interesting way to remember it. And the best part is that you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars in creating ad campaigns and burning all your profits in billboards etc.

When people do remember you, they are more likely to call you than any one else. Phone words increase “stickiness” of your product or service and can save and make lot of money for you. Every new call that a phone word brings you increases your profits, utilization of your assets, your people and does many more things to contribute to your business. Research has shown that a phoneword can increase your lead generation by 14 times. That means getting 14 times more customers than you have right now. What are you waiting for? Get a phoneword now!

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The Six Things That Top Telesales People Do Before Every Call

October 03rd, 2008 | Category: Grow existing business, Marketing, People, Sales, Success

Business to business telemarketing can be a challenging profession. It takes specific skills to be able to close sales over the phone and to relate to customers in a way that instills confidence. Top telesales people often use the same techniques to be successful.

Many telesales people are looking for ways to increase their conversions, subscriptions, or other sales goals. If you are one of them you can use the common tactics of top telesales people to increase your telesales success. Before you make your next call, review this list of top telesales preparations.

The first thing successful telesales people do before a call is review their script or call plan. Even if you are not using a conventional script, top telesales people go over what they are going to say and how they will respond to questions before they make the call.

The next thing you should do before the call is to think about your target market’s point of view. Successful telesales people appeal to the way their customers think by relating to their customer’s specific demographic.

Before you make a call you should also analyze your customer’s needs. Knowing what products or services your customer is likely to need will help you to suggest the best solutions for them.

Before you make a call record the date, client or customer name, and any other pertinent information that will make it easier to keep track of the call. Recording times, dates, what was discussed and follow up plans will make it easier to manage your many customer accounts.

It is also a good idea to review your goal before you make a call. Remind yourself what you want to do during the call, whether it is closing a sale, getting more information, or setting up an appointment, so that you will be more likely to meet your goal.

Something that you should do before making any calls after you make changes to your script or call technique s to test your new sales script or dialogue technique. Make sure your new way of communicating will be effective with a test call before you contact customers.

There are many things you should do before making calls to ensure that you will have the most success. Business to business telemarketing can be challenging, but if you remember these tips of top telesales people you will find greater success with your calls. Before you make any calls be sure to review these important steps.

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How To Encourage Businesses To Apply Sales Training

October 03rd, 2008 | Category: Grow existing business, Marketing, Sales, Success

Sales training is the act of developing a agent in the act of sales. Sales, which can be done individually or as part of a team, is where a person sells a goods or service to a buyer. It is often believed that selling is the same as marketing but there is a distinct difference – marketing exists to advocate a product by making it of use to a prospective customer and, through this, may inactively generate a sale. On the other hand, a sales agent actively speaks with a prospective customer, demonstrating directly how their product or service can assist the customer by offering them detailed information. The best sales team is someone who works together with their customer and acts to meet the client’s wants and goals with the goods or service to be sold.

Sales is an important part of contemporary work models. Not only does the sales agent sell a company item or service, they also labor to generate new business prospects and generate buyers for their business, thereby sustaining and growing their company’s client base and reputation. Sales is often the community face of a company so it necessary that correct new business development training is provided to the sales agent so that they can do well in their selling role but also know how to be the best promoter possible for the goods and the corporation.

There is a plethora of approaches a corporation can use to connect with their client. Direct sales – where the company interacts directly with their client – is probably the most familiar. The most well-known direct selling approaches are door-to-door selling and telemarketing; in both cases the corporation directly connects with the buyer at home or at their place of business to tell them about the goods. Another form of direct selling is ‘consultative selling’ whereby the company interacts directly with the buyer but initially starts by consulting the client about what merchandise or services they need and developing answers in collaboration with the buyer. Companies also traditionally sell merchandise through retailers – so called ‘middle men’ – and through mail order, while the rise of the web has given companies a new medium in which to deal with potential buyers. As can be seen, there is a large variety in the way companies contact, connect and potentially sell to a buyer, which has increased the necessity of sales training.

Sales training concentrates on the range of methods a sales agent can use when directly dealing with the customer, so important in these days of direct selling. Although there are a range of particular approaches tailored for different ways of selling, the main thought behind exceptional sales practice is five-fold: analyze a client’s needs, offer solutions to the buyer, discuss the benefits of the goods, overcome any questions the buyer may have and close the sale. This practice can sometimes be condensed to a three-part methodology: discover the customer, present to the customer and finish the sale.

Sales development courses are extensively available with many training schools and specialist businesses offering courses that you can take in person or via correspondence or the internet. Many large businesses have also developed their own in-house sales training programs. There are also a plethora of books available on the topic.

Exceptional sales development will always stress the need to ask customers questions in order to better provide them solutions, will always stress the importance of understanding your product and will include motivational material, as selling is a high-pressure occupation that not only needs a lot of self-motivation but also deals with a lot of rejection as well.

Incentive programs, what they’re for and how to use them are also included in a lot of sales development. These ’sales incentive programs’ or SIP’s, are a method used to encourage a sales agent and sets out specific goals for achievement, which aims to concentrate selling activity.

Sales development will show you self-motivation, focus and great communication skills and, as such, would stand any person in good stead for any managerial role outside of sales, as well as within.

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Trade Show and Event

October 01st, 2008 | Category: Marketing, Sales, Start new business, Success

Advice for Trade Show Achievment

Trade shows are a waste of money … unless you know how to do them accurate! while face-to-face selling is definitely the fast road to gaining sales, whats many times missing is the little known details and opportunities.

The hush-hush method to maximizing results in this business is to learn from the masters – experts whose everyday focus is on developing trade show products and campaigns that earn large significant amounts of money for their clients. The goal of this article is to ensure your success, whether you’re making a safe orvery big investment in trade shows and events.

Did you know? Most trade shows offer some combination of advertising opportunities in all price ranges. Here’s some that can provide a significant increase in your results: 13 Tips for Better traffic explain Results:

* Inside and outside banners

* Floor decals – put in aisle ways on major traffic aisles

* Hotel keys – sponsor hotel keys so everyone who stays at the event hotel sees your ad daily

* Turn down service – your ad or promotional item is placed on every guests’ pillow

* Trade Show bags

* Lanyards

* Advertising in show guide and show dailies – a newspaper published each day for show attendees

* Sponsorship of directional signage

* Sponsorship of coffee breaks or luncheons

* Cab signage – light boxes on tops of cabs

* Shuttle bus signage

* Literature displays (kiosks) in lobbies – you restock literature yourself

* Inserts for show badges – every badge has your name on it

Stay away from the standardized look of other rental exhibits. Get an expert look and a unique style that will make a statement.

Consider renting an exhibit booth. Purchasing an exhibit booth is a long-term commitment. If you rent your booth you escape all of the ownership costs like storage, maintenance and exhibit house prep charges for each show you attend. As well you can have a new look every year when you can refine your look, and your booth.

Currently there are lightweight and flexible booth walls that can be packed up into small shipping containers and be easily and economicallyshipped anywhere in the world. These types of exhibit booths make a fantastic starting point for those new to trade shows and exhibitions, as well as quick setups for any tiny or large business ventures.

The main thing is to get people into your booth and catch their attention in your products. Be creative. Think creative. Why not set up a whole little office where you can sit with people for short courses, seminars and be able to present a show. Don’t limit yourself to a simple booth when pushing the envelope can provide you with new customers who will remember your corporate image and products.

There is a lot more to consider in gorwing traffic at your trade show show booth. From pre-show direct mail programs to business worthy giveaways, drawings, advertising in show guides, show site banners, etc. All these things will come together to make your show booth have a great deal of impact.

ExpoMarketing.com – Expo Marketing works with 100% of trade shows and similar convention exhibition booths sales, rentals, setups and tear downs.

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Choose a Style of Web Hosting Service

September 30th, 2008 | Category: Marketing

There are a number of kinds of web-hosting services available, and what matters is what you are trying to achieve in creating your company’s website. The options that you have depend on several unique factors.

How complex is your website? You should discuss the complexity of your site with a developer, they are good with graphics and admin of databases. Obtaining help from an internet specialist will assist in determing the appropriate type of hosting.

Some web hosting services are provided for free but you have to put up with ads that are on the top or bottom of your web site and those ads might not be conducive to the web site that you have developed. If you are going to get a site with ads, then get a free web hosting package that matches with the online ad that’s already there.

In addition, no-cost hosting possesses a smaller bandwidth online since a great number of people utilize the service that doesn’t charge a fee in comparison with the ones that do. Along with your free web hosting service you also receive a free web based email account.

Then there is hosting that you pay for that you have more control over when you load and host your web site. You get POP mail access and can create as many emails as you want to which depends on the type of account that you pay for.

There are special packages with every company, for each and every need. Depending on your goals, personal, business and specials kinds of servers can meet your needs.

Pricing is tied to the amount of space you need for data as well as the server load that your applications will require, so it important to consider what you will be putting your website.

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Shoreham Town Association Christmas Event 9th December Video Clip

September 24th, 2008 | Category: Grow existing business, Marketing, Success

About the author: Paul Stanford http://www.paulstanford.co.uk/blog  has provided practical advice to hundreds of entrepreneurs for the past 5 years helping them to successfully start-up, transform and sell their businesses. Get in touch to see how his business http://www.4momentum.co.uk can help do the same for you. You have full permission to reprint this article provided this box is kept unchanged.

Copyright 2008 Paul Stanford

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Website and Domain Names

September 22nd, 2008 | Category: Grow existing business, Marketing, Start new business, Success

Your website communicates with other computers and the internet by using its network adapter or NIC (Network Interface Card) that is within the server. This card and thereby the server uses a unique address known as an IP address. An IPv4 ip address is a address annotated as four numbers segmented by dots. Each segment or octet can have a value between zero and 255, so your dedicated server or business computer address format would look similar to this: 172.16.65.17 On a Windows Server you can determine what the server ip address is by selecting the start button then selecting run. Type in ipconfig and click “OK”, a black command prompt should appear in which you can type ipconfig. On a Linux Server you can open a terminal window and type ifconfig. You can use the same command on your home Windows or Linux system to determine your static dedicated ip address.

When you browse for websites on the internet your browser communicates with web servers via their IP address. Methods have been devised to assign human readable names or hostnames to ip addresses. On a local windows or linux computer this translation can be accommodated in what’s called a host file. On most windows systems the hosts file is located in c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\ directory; on Linux or Unix servers the hosts file is commonly stored in the /etc directory.

Have you ever been to 3111 World Dr. in Orlando Florida? Do you know where that is? You may be able to figure out what location I am talking about but wouldn’t it be easier if I said have you ever been to Disney Magic Kingdom? That is essentially name resolution 3111 World Dr. Orlando, Florida 32830 is equivalent to the IP address and Disney Magic Kingdom is equivalent to a hostname. The server space or website hosting is equivalent to the land that the theme park sits on. So when you register for a domain name you get the name but you also must rent or purchase some “land” or server space for your website to reside. Likewise if you rent or buy the server space but do not register a domain name or an address, no one will know how to get to your website.

Hostfiles are typically used to translate names for a small number of computers. A hostfile contains lines that look like this: 192.168.20.34 www.npsis.com . This tells your computer to look for www.npsis.com using the address 192.168.20.34 whenever you try to access http://www.npsis.com using your web browser.

DNS (Domain Name System) is commonly used by Internet Service Providers to translate hostnames to IP addresses. When you type www.npsis.com or any other web address URL, your computer contacts a DNS server to find out what IP address is assigned to that domain name. All websites and servers have domain names if they are accessed over the internet.

If you are selecting a domain name or website name for your business it is to your advantage to select a domain name that is easy to remember and if possible reflects what your business or service is (ex. tomsgarage.com). You can also register multiple domain names and have your website design store optimize your web pages for those keywords. Then you can have multiple domain names point to your web site. So you could have tomsgarage.com, bestlocalgarage.com, and wefixcars.com all point to your website.

Website domain names are reserved on a first come, first serve basis. So if you have an idea for the perfect website address, you should reserve it before you’re your good idea is taken by somebody else. There are many companies and individuals who potentially popular domain names and resell them for a profit.

If you are dealing with a website design store or a web designer you will want to absolutely make sure that you own the domain name and not them. When you purchase a domain name yourself you better protect yourself from predators looking to take advantage of you.

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