March 3, 2007
Getting started with web site promotion is not nearly as difficult as some people make it out to be. Sure, there are a lot of details that go into this, but actually getting started is not a hard thing to do. If you have a bit of direction and are willing to work hard, you can have your web site promotion strategy in place within a matter of hours. And then from there you will be able to carry on, and hopefully reach a high level of success.
The first thing to remember about web site promotion is that you need to have an actual site for this to work. After all, if you do not have a web site what are you going to promote? In today’s day and age it is quite easy for anybody to build a website. You can do this yourself, or you can hire a web designer to assist you. Either way works. Just remember, this is the first step to promotion.
Once your web site is in place you are then ready for the actual promotion process. Many newcomers to the internet are under the impression that just because they have a website they will attract visitors. In 99 percent of cases this is far from true. If you want to drive traffic to your site you are going to have to become familiar with web site promotion.
The first step in the promotion process is to draw up a plan. You will want to consider every type of web site promotion that is available, and then work this into a strategy that you are comfortable with. Remember, there is nothing wrong with using a couple of promotion techniques at the same time. Just make sure that you do not get too far out of control.
Finally, the key to success with web site promotion is to never get comfortable with what you are doing. Even if your technique seems to be working there is always something that you can do better.
As you can see, getting started with web site promotion is an easy process and can be quite beneficial.
About Author
http://aballantyne.blogspot.com/ is a blog about web site promotion tips and strategies.
I hope anyone starting to promote a website online will find the information here helpful in building their traffic.
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Marketing, Internet | Comments (0)
February 24, 2007
The debate over how much of a companys large reserves of spending power should be spent with greedy, oafish design agencies rages on and is not about to be resolved in this trite article, however we can suggest some alternatives to the usual company logo ideas and perhaps for once bad could be the new good…or something.
A company logo should make you stop and think…
How many times have you heard your design manager or someone from the marketing/advertising department going on about the need for a clever logo or a design that ‘thinks outside the box’? In marketing terms this is met by much consternation by people with any sense of reality and nodding agreement from the rest of the clueless saps who pass off as the workforce these days. Thinking outside the box in this day and age is what all your competitors are doing. To move with the times we either have to think ‘over’ the box or get on a retro trip and think yourself back inside the box, now that everyone has gone outside to think.
A company logo should stick in your minds eye
Continuing with our theme of going back to basics in terms of logo design. The trend that is emerging and proving highly profitably in certain quarters is the ’so bad its good’ theme. Easyjet, Pot Noodle, Tango, Spam… I’m thinking off the top of my head here but allthese brands once languished in obscurity and given a little bit of a trashy makeover have seen sales rocket. The same can be said for the previously unheard of Cillit Bang cleaning brand - design so off putting it makes you want to punch yourself in the face and with the most ridiculous name imaginable but hey whats happening, it’s stuck in shoppers minds and bingo like groaning zombies they’ve bought the product without actually realising what it is and why they’ve just paid for it.
When good logos turn bad or how to undesign a logo
Built in obsolesence plays a big part in todays quick turnaround world. In a similar way to consumable products like mobile phones and cd players having built in components that only last a year or so before needing to be replaced by the latest model, cheeky graphic designers and logo designers have started to build in ‘dated’ fonts and styles that will make the company logo you spent 10,000 dollars on and proved a big hit at the time, look like a piece of bumfluff this time next year. Solution: Design it to be as bad as possible in the first instance and the vague whims of the fashion cognescenti shall sooner rather than later pronounce it a hit - meaning big time pay off for you. So there you have it in a nutshell, don’t listen to your head when it says you are committing an atrocious mistake in combining stripes and polkadot patterns with some electric blue neon fonts, listen to your greedy heart and think of those filthy bank notes that will soon be piled up in your bank vault..
About Author
Mindtap Graphic Design Resources is your single point entry into brochure design. A unique site where you can access information on UK graphic design
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Graphic Design | Comments (0)
February 20, 2007
One of the best ways for you to increase targeted traffic to your website when you don’t want to spend a lot of money is to join some free traffic exchanges and start surfing. (Most traffic exchanges also have a paid program, but we will be focusing on just the free aspect in this article.) Your first tendency might be to think that these are not worth your time since they are free. However, you’re about to see that they can bring you large numbers of targeted traffic in a relatively short amount of time.
Free traffic exchanges work on the principle of bartering. If you view a certain number of websites, then your website will be shown to other folks who are surfing at the same exchange. It usually works out that if you surf (or view) 2 or 3 sites, you get 1 credit, which means your site will be shown to other surfers 1 time. That’s also called a surfing ratio. Most traffic exchanges express this as 2:1 or 3:1. So after viewing 2 sites, you get 1 credit in your account. Also, there is ordinarily a timer which is used so that you must view the site being shown, for example, 20 seconds before you can move on to view the next site. The only “expense” required on your part is the time that it takes to view these sites online.
After joining a free traffic exchange, you’ll set up your account and include your website which others will view on the traffic exchange. There are categories which you will select as areas in which you are interested in viewing websites. You will also select categories which best apply to the theme of your website. These selections will direct the traffic exchange to have your website shown in front of people who have indicated an interest in seeing your category of web site. This ensures that the traffic being sent to view your website has an interest in the type of website that you have. And this is what is defined as “targeted traffic.”
The trick to using free traffic exchanges is to join many different free traffic exchanges and then do multiple surfing. For instance, open up 8 different browser sessions (Internet Explorer or Firefox, etc.) and login to 8 different traffic exchanges. Start surfing for credits in each session. By the time you go through all 8 of your browser sessions, (clicking in each session to view the next site) you can start at the first session and work your way through the remaining 7 sessions again. Repeat this process for ½ an hour and build up credits in each traffic exchange.
Recently, I joined 10 new traffic exchanges and started surfing using the technique described above. Note that some traffic exchanges will give you bonus credits just for joining. So with the bonus credits and the credits made from surfing, I received over 12,000 hits to my website that day. Yes, that was a lot of traffic. And the best part was – that traffic didn’t cost me anything except the time required to surf.
So if you’re ready to get some free targeted traffic to your website, just go to your favorite search engine and do a search for “free traffic exchange”. Click on some of the results and join the exchanges. Start surfing using the technique outlined above and in just a short period of time you’ll increase targeted traffic to your website for free.
About Author
Mark Krusch has been a webmaster since 1998 and helps others get traffic to their website everyday. Want more ideas to help increase targeted traffic to your web site? Visit Traffic Hits and Clicks.com.
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Marketing, Internet | Comments (0)
February 20, 2007
Are you interested in web site promotion? If so, there is a good chance that you own a web site of your own. After all, anybody can put together a web site in their spare time. In other words, you do not have to be a web designer in order to figure out this industry. But with that being said, a web site does not do you any good unless you have people visiting it. And the only way that you can begin to increase traffic is through web site promotion. While this may seem easy enough, the fact of the matter is that web site promotion is one of the most commonly discussed issues among webmasters.
When it comes to web site promotion there is one thing that you should keep in mind. You should do whatever it takes in order to drive traffic to your site. Of course, you want to do this within the rules, but the fact of the matter is that web site promotion is something that is different for everybody. Just because one method worked for you does not mean that it will be the same for somebody else, and vice versa.
Another important detail of web site promotion is that you need to closely track your progress. In other words, make sure that you know what is working and what you can stop doing. The only way that you can do this accurately and effectively is to track your web site promotion techniques. The more detail oriented you are as far as tracking your results is concerned the better chance you will have for success when it comes to web site promotion. This will allow you to do more of what is working, and less of what is not.
Overall, there is a lot that goes into web site promotion. The best way to get started with web site promotion is to build a site, and then begin to try the many different methods that are available. And of course, if you need any assistance with your web site promotion you can always research this process online.
About Author
http://aballantyne.blogspot.com/ is a blog about web site promotion tips and strategies.
I hope anyone starting to promote a website online will find the information here helpful in building their traffic.
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Marketing, Internet | Comments (0)
February 14, 2007
Setting up a website is the very first step of an Internet
marketing campaign, and the success or failure of your site
depends greatly on how specifically you have defined your
website goals. If you don’t know what you want your site to
accomplish, it will most likely fail to accomplish
anything. Without goals to guide you in developing and
monitoring your website, all your site will be is an online
announcement that you are in business.
If you expect your site to stimulate some form of action,
whether it is visitors filling out a form so a
representative can contact them, or purchasing a product,
there are steps you can take to insure that your website is
functioning at peak efficiency. One of the first indicators
of how well your site is working for you is finding out the
number of visitors in a given period of time. A good
baseline measurement is a month in which you haven’t been
doing any unusual offline promotional activities.
However, just because hoards of people have passed through
your gates does not mean your site is successful. Usually,
you want those visitors to actually do something there. It
is equally important to monitor the number of visitors to
your site who made a purchase. This figure is called the
site conversion rate, and it is an essential element of the
efficacy of your website.
To find the site conversion rate, take the number of
visitors per month and figure out the percentage of them
that actually performed the action your site is set up for.
For example, if you had 2,000 hits to your site, but only
25 of them purchased your product, your site conversion
rate equals 1.25%. To get this figure, take your number of
visitors and divide that figure by the number of visitors
who made a purchase. Then divide that result by 100 (25 ?00 X 100).
If your website is set-up to get visitors to fill out a
form, make sure to then figure out what the difference is
between your site conversion rate and your sales conversion
rate. This is because not everyone who fills out your form
will actually become your customer. However, whether your
site is set-up to sell a service or product, or to get the
visitor to fill out a form, the site conversion rate will
measure the success or failure of your website whenever you
make changes to the site.
You may find that you need to implement some additional
marketing strategies if you find that traffic to your site
is extremely low. There are several effective methods to
improve the flow of traffic to your website, particularly
launching a search engine optimization campaign. This
campaign is targeted at increasing your position in search
engine results so that consumers can find your pages faster
and easier. You can either research the steps you need to
take to improve your search engine rankings, or employ a
search engine optimization company to do the work for you.
In either case, after your have improved your search engine
positions, make sure you keep on top of them by regular
monitoring and adjusting of your efforts to maintain high
positions.
Another factor to examine is how easy it is for a visitor
to your website to accomplish the action the site is set-up
for. For example, if your goal is for the visitor to fill
out a form, is this form easily accessible, or does the
visitor have to go through four levels to get to it? If
it’s too difficult to get to, the customer may just throw
in the towel and move on to another site. Make sure your
buttons are highly visible, and the path to your form or
ordering page quickly accessible.
Finally, have a professional evaluate the copy on your
website. The goal is, of course, to get your visitor to
make a purchase or fill out your form. Website copy must be
specifically geared to your online campaign and not just a
cut and paste job from your company brochure. The right
copy can make the difference between profit and loss in
your online campaign.
About Author
Zaak O’Conan discovers and presents information on to enhance your site, newsletter, marketing and other Internet related topics. You’ll find his other articles that expand your horizons at http://WebWorkersWeekly.com
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Marketing, Internet | Comments (1)
February 13, 2007
You put a lot of effort into developing a professional image for your store. Attractive displays, educated sales people, well thought-out merchandise selection. Maintain your image at the check-out with an attractively designed, sturdy register stand that reflects your commitment to excellence.
The best designed register stands are durable, and will support the heaviest cash registers or point-of-sale computers without shifting or wobbling. Outstanding design also provides a recessed top shelf for power cords and cables to be concealed and stored without a tangled knot on view to the customer. This not only promotes your image, but provides protection for your costly business machinery.
A register stand with adjustable shelves, also out of customer view, provides convenient storage for telephones, gift boxes, shopping bags, hangers, and returned merchandise. A built-in drawer keeps office supplies, charge slips, sales records, and personal items organized and within easy reach of the cashier. The bottom bin of the register stand can be used for storage of bulky items or as a handy trash receptacle.
Point-of sale displays are easy additions to a register stand. Configurable candy and snack displays, greeting card racks, and gift card bins, often of matching material, can be attached to a register stand, not only to take advantage of impulse buys, but to remind cashiers of suggestive selling and add-on opportunities.
The customer-facing side of a register stand is attractive by itself but it’s also valuable real estate for store promotions. Generally in excess of three feet tall, with a minimum width of two feet, the space is ideal for a sales poster, banner, or vendor co-op advertising.
Sturdy as they are, register stands offer the benefit of being movable. Unlike permanent fixtures, they can be relocated anytime you wish to change your store layout. This provides versatility for special events and sales, and also provides an easy and flexible way to direct traffic flow through your store.
About Author
Barnes Newton is a professional retail display specialist and teaches store owners how to gain profits from proper store fixtures and displays.
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Business, Marketing | Comments (0)
February 10, 2007
Has anybody suggested enforcing your brand identity through promotional pens? ‘What? Pens, as promotional items,’ – was this your reaction? Think before making that exclamation! Nobody can deny the importance of pens even in the age of emails and mobiles. Whether it’s scribbling an you need to jot down an important phone number on a post-it or put your that valuable signature on an agreement or on a check, the importance high demand of pens is still very prominent. Has not died down nor will it in the future.
So be it increasing your exposure or creating awareness, promotional pens can be very useful. Promotional pens can be used for several purposes. You can thank your customers for patronage by gifting logo pens, introduce new products and services by distributing gel pens, or you can even generate sales leads by gifting designer pens. Whatever is your purpose for of Promotional pens, take comfort in the wide selection PromotionalLogoPens.com carries. Have a wide range of pens in its store to offer.
Advance your brand visibility by presenting potential customers with contemporary and effective pens all under a dollar. Big Industry Promotional Pens, Visage Promotional Pens, Clip-N-Color Black, Promotional Pens, and Ultimate Sport Chrome Promotional Pens - to name a few - will carry across your message vividly. If you require customized promotional items for giveaways or tradeshows then the wide range of Promotional Logo pens has a lot to offer. If brand awareness is a key ingredient in your marketing strategy, then try out logo pens. Endorser Business Logo Pens, Class Ballpoint, Business Logo Pens, Cushy Business Logo Pens, Mini Key Tag Logo Pens, and Anodized Twist Action PDA Logo Pens are among the best. A little above a dollar, they are eye-catching and will enable you to bring more attendees to a tradeshows.
Keeping the interest of its customers in mind, a Promotional Logo pen has introduced sleek and classy pens into its portfolio. Ranging between three to four dollars, each of these pens is produced with quality and effectiveness. These pens can be used as gift items for your employees and executives. The pens are stunning in design and usually made of brass to give that feel of class and style. Executive Chromium.
Promotional Pens, Beacon, Promotional Pens, Executive Promotional Pens, Twist-Top 2-in-1 Promotional Pens are some of the pens in popular demand under this category. Designer pens, like solid brass, designer pens are special for your special and loyal clients. A truly original design, the Neu-Liquid Highlighter Promotional Pen is a clever and versatile marketing tool for anyone looking to brighten up their marketing campaign.
About Author
Chris Shetler is a well known author who writes articles on business promotional items, gifts, etc. For further details please visit the site www.promotional-logo-pens.com
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Marketing | Comments (1)
February 9, 2007
I saw it on I-75 South heading into Atlanta, Georgia. It was exciting to see — like spotting the nearly extinct ivory-billed woodpecker. But this was no rare bird; it was a perfect ad. Perhaps just as rare. Five words in black print against a pale purple ground. No design. No graphic device at all. No need; the words said it all. Two of those words were from the top-ten list of words that generate the strongest response.
The ad presented a clear benefit. It made a powerful offer. It was aimed at a specific target audience. All that in five simple words. The ad was on a billboard, but its message would work in any media: TV, newspaper, radio, magazine, internet, direct mail, or… restroom stall.
It called out only to people who could benefit from the company’s products and services. It did not need to entertain anyone. It was not trying to win any awards. It did not waste the time of anyone to whom the message does not pertain. I have no doubt that it has been extremely successful. Here it is:
20/20 or FREE
Lasik Guarantee
www.woodhams.com
800-639-8474
It’s beautiful isn’t it? I’d say pure poetry, but you’d think that I was referring to the fact that it happens to rhyme — that’s just a bonus — it doesn’t need to rhyme. Those five words communicate volumes. To the person who has been dithering over whether or not to have eye surgery it says, “Relax, we are so skilled at Lasik — you will have perfect vision when we’re done.” An effective sales pitch must dispel the consumer’s doubt and instill confidence in its place. This ad does both. By the way, I did not write this ad. Congratulations to the person who did!
But, you’re thinking: “Sure, that ad is fine for a specific service like corrective eye surgery, but my company offers a common product with lots of competition that nearly everybody uses. I can’t use straight-forward advertising like that. I need to be funny or clever to get attention. Or, I have to speak to the emotions of my customer and get them to relate to my product on a subconscious or visceral level.”
Nonsense! That’s the image-advertising trap. And, unless you’ve got millions of ad dollars to spend, I’d stick to the scientifically proven formula of benefit driven advertising. Every product or service — no matter how generic — can advertise a benefit. Yes, soft drinks too! I can replace the above billboard with the following:
Driving is Tiring
Coke is Refreshing
QuickTrip
Exit 112 — Now!
I’ve selected a specific audience. I’ve offered a clear benefit. I’ve even snuck in a Call-to-Action. Brilliant! (I might also include a mouth-watering image of a sweating bottle of Coke — the right graphic device can communicate a benefit even faster than words). Coca-Cola actually used to advertise this way. I’d encourage them to test a quarter of their advertising budget (maybe a billion dollars or so) on it again.
What powerful compelling benefit can your company offer? Put it in words; be concise and specific; then run with it. The results will be amazing.
Copyright 2006, Robert Evans Wilson, Jr., www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com
This article may be freely published. Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way.
About Author
Robert Wilson is an advertising speaker at www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Marketing | Comments (0)
February 7, 2007
Copyright © Kevin Freeman
Do you know how to use google adwords? if not you’re
not alone it took me months before I know how to Use pay per click advertising to market my business. This is one of the quickest and most effective ways to get targeted, low cost traffic. You can do this by opening an account with Google Adwords and testing out their advertisements for as little as 10 cent per click until you get the hang of it and are willing to pay more.
Consider using radio advertising for your site. You can start by recording an advertisement to play in late night slots, which are cheaper than commercials during the day. Contact local stations and as them for a price estimate for the cheapest times. Once you have developed a commercial that converts well, make an attempt to advertise in different time slots.
Create an affiliate program and find partners to help promote your product. One easy way to setup and administer an affiliate program is through Clickbank, which handles all of the checks and data recording for you. Other excellent affiliate program services include Sale Flurry, and 2 Check Out.
Use some type of tracking system for your website promotional activities. Preferably, you will want to find one that allows you to track visitors on multiple levels – not just on one. For instance, you will want to know who is coming to your site to begin with (and where they came from); and from there, you will want to know how long they stayed on the page and if they made the purchase.
Consult with a marketing expert to determine how you can best use your time when promoting your business. While these sessions can be quite costly – as much as several hundred dollars an hour – they can radically change how you go about your daily business. Additionally, they will give you the confidence to market more effectively.
Consider purchasing some form of “cost per action” advertising. This form of advertising only charges you when someone takes a specific action, such as opting-in or purchasing a product from your sales page. This is one of the better forms of advertising, since it virtually guarantees a return on your investment.
News paper advertising are effective and you have some good cheap ones to advertise your business
too Generally, you’ll want to place your ad in the “Business Opportunities” or “Work at Home” section of the newspaper. Of course, each publication has it’s own section categories and sub-categories so you’ll want to review this and decide which sections to place your ad in. If you call the publication on the phone, a customer service representative will also be able to guide you accordingly.
TIP: Newspaper classified advertising is relatively cheap. For example, where I live it’s about $20 per week in one paper and around $60 a week in another. Just decide on your budget, review the classified ad rates and setup your campaign accordingly.
About Author
About the Author:Love’s helping other people succeed,
if I accomplish this I will definitely be successfu, if you
believe in your heart, that you will be successful then you
will be,if you are not sure, then you will not succeed.
I believe you are what you think, this is in the book
called Imaginations.
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Marketing, Internet | Comments (0)
February 6, 2007
These past years, many new digital technologies have emerged. However, many people would still prefer using the old ways, especially in terms of advertising. Here, many businesses would still have printed documents such as vinyl signs as their business tools rather than advertise through television or radio.
Why?
Well, this choice may be due to the fact that advertising through radio and TV costs a lot than having printed materials. Using vinyl signs is a much better way to advertise or promote your company, products or/and services. First, they are much more inexpensive. Second, making them is easier, faster. Third, they have almost the same level of effectiveness like TV or radio ads.
However, making effective vinyl signs can be quite difficult sometimes. You have to exert enough effort, time and budget just to get what you really want, which is effective advertising vinyl signs.
So how do you make sure that your vinyl signs are efficient?
First, to have efficient vinyl signs, you have to make attractive layouts. Using reliable software like adobe, just about any type of user can create layouts. Design software will provide you with many different options.
Most software allows users to use images with different file formats. Design software provides user enough flexibility to create layouts that will satisfy your artistic taste. It will also allow users to create layout for vinyl signs as the user imagine it to be.
However, if you think that this is too much work or if you don’t have enough time to design your signs, you can just hire a professional to do it for you. You can find many designers out there who are well skilled and experienced to create satisfying results. Nevertheless, it will be better if you hire a printing company.
You see, most printing companies are already equipped or capable of offering design services. This will be a good way for you to save time and more. Hiring a printing company will allow you to avail of not just design but also printing services.
You will be able to have signs that contain better color saturation, thus, making your signs’ images and layout livelier and more attractive. You can also have vinyl signs that contain accurate and very detailed layout. Just remember that in hiring a printing company, you should not only think about the quality but also your budget. For this reason, remember to always perform shopping comparison.
About Author
For comments and suggestions kindly visit Vinyl Signs
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Posted by Tim Hoffmann under Vinyl Signs and Banners, Signs | Comments (0)