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Archive for the ‘Marketing & Avertising’

Postcards Deliver Information the Way People Like It

November 15, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

Postcards offer an up-to-date convincing way to send information by direct mail. A postcard delivers information the way people like to get it today. It arrives open and ready to read. The message a postcard has to give is always crisp because there’s not a lot of space for it. Therefore, a postcard is quick to read and easy to comprehend.

Use advertising postcards to reach new customers and to reach returning customers. Stick to what you know best: “your business” and make use of what we know best: “designing and mailing efficient postcards” to create the best results for your business. A direct mail campaign with artfully designed postcards can offer your business a good return on the investment.

Have You Looked At Your Career Site Optimization Strategy? Start Here For Some Thoughts From An Industry Leader!

November 14, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

Any successful Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign attempts to meet two goals. When looking at your companies’ HR SEO Goals, consider the following:

1. Increase the number of highly qualified and targeted job seekers to your corporate career website.

2. Grow the employer’s brand by getting high search engine rankings for pages that contain content that’s related to the keyword strings that potential employees use when using the search engines to conduct their job search.

As the industry expands, there are more and more companies jumping into the career site optimization space. What most of these companies are selling is some version of “we can pull your jobs out of your ATS and create a micro-site optimized for the search engines, which we will use to send candidates to your ATS”.

While this approach will lead to the creation of pages that are optimized for Google and the other search engines to find, it has a major problem- it’s not meeting the two stated goals of any SEO campaign. Just being indexed in Google doesn’t mean that more job seekers will apply for your jobs. Optimizing a page for the search engines does not mean that job seekers are going to find your pages- structure is not enough, in order to build brand authority you need to get other highly-ranked sites to point to your pages or no one will see your jobs!

Let’s look at why.

You need to have optimized pages for keyword phrases that job seekers are actually searching for. If no one is typing in “pediatric nurse jobs in Chicago, Illinois” into the Google, Yahoo, or MSN search box (they aren’t), then it doesn’t matter if you spent $10,000 or just $1 on optimizing that page. If no one is searching for that keyword phrase, there will be no job seekers applying for the jobs. When was the last time you searched Google and went to Page 2 of the results? Chances are, not very often. In fact, some results show that this happens less than 10% of the time. Top 10 and Top 20 rankings are all that really matter. In fact, when optimizing for any “search string” that has 4 or more words in it, page 2 doesn’t even matter, because there are so few people searching on these phrases, (i.e. “search traffic”), that 10% of 100 searches in a month is only 10 people… That is NOT going to drive candidates to your website.

So, does anything actually work?

First, you need to perform keyword research. This entails researching a list of potential keyword search strings, and developing a list of “keyword phrases” that your job seeker target audience is currently using to find your job openings. It’s only after you’ve done this research that you can begin working on designing a “landing page” for your jobs, specifically constructed to rank highly on Google and other search engines for the keyword strings your target audience is using. It bears repeating- you HAVE to know what keyword phrases your jobseeker target audience is using to search for jobs- only once you know that can you start building out pages optimized for the strings you choose. Once your landing page is optimized, most vendors will offer to help “submit” that page to the various search engines.

This doesn’t take a lot of work.

However, you can’t stop there. The above steps will probably get you into the Google index, but you probably will not be on page 1 of the search engine results for your keyword phrase. Chances are, you probably won’t even be on page 3 or 4, depending on how competitive the keyword phrase is. The last part of the SEO process is the most critical, hardest, most difficult and expensive process. However, without the proper marketing, your landing pages and career site are identical to everyone else’s. You must get other high-quality and well-thought-of websites to point to yours, to be seen as the authority.

To close, remember, there are 3 vital steps for successful SEO.

1. Conducting keyword research to figure out how to build your brand and drive traffic.

2. Implementing web pages that are optimized for those keywords.

3. Conducting a marketing strategy for these landing pages that builds credibility and authority for them.

If an SEO strategy for HR Search Engine Optimization doesn’t encompass all three of these aspects it is bound to fail. The failure will be measured by the lack of targeted job seekers to the new micro sites or career site.

Multiply Your Efforts With Viral Marketing

November 12, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

Viral Marketing is all about giving away your own free product or service along with your ad copy (contact information, link, email, etc.). In turn, recipients of your free product are allowed to pass it along to their own clients, prospects, visitors and others as a freebie. This is a quick way to multiple your marketing at no extra expense and without extra effort on your part. Article by Online Marketing

Here are some popular viral marketing techniques to follow:

1. Ebooks – Share your no cost ebook with your website visitors. Include a nice full-color ad for your most popular product line with links to your website and email. Tell recipients to share copies of the ebook with their own site visitors and other contacts.

2. Software - Share a trial or “lite” version of your software with your website visitors as a freebie. Don’t forget to include that ad for your most popular product line with links to your website and email. And tell recipients to share copies of the software with their own site visitors and other contacts. For help creating software, hire help from online bid sites like Elance.com.

3. Web Host – Offer to host small business web sites on your server at no charge. In exchange, place your own banner ad at the top of the site for viral marketing. You can setup a fold for their site and they can choose their own domain name and have it redirected to that folder.

4. Templates – Design your own website or other templates, include your own marketing information on them and give them away as free downloads or as an electronic package. Grant permission for recipients to pass them along. Article by Internet Marketing

5. Articles – Write articles about your industry. Include your website and contact information in the byline and grant permission for others to publish as long as they keep the byline in tact. Then people can use your contact on websites, in ezines, newsletters and other places where once again, viral marketing will speed the spread of information about your business.

6. Discussion Board - Set up a Discussion Board on your website with your banner ad attached at the top. And invite others to link to it and use it for their own sites.

In summary, by using viral marketing strategies, you can reach out all over the Internet with much less effort. See which methods work best for you and repeat them as often as needed. Article by Marketing

How Businesses Promote Themselves

November 09, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

Companies need to get their names out there. You can have a well marketed, high quality product, but if people don’t trust your company then it will be much harder to sell them your products. This is why companies like Nike or Telechart 2007 work so hard to protect their brands. These companies spend millions and millions of dollars to make themselves recognizable by a mere “swoosh” or symbol. That image tells people that the product they are purchasing is of a great quality and it can be trusted to do what it says it does. It makes sense that companies don’t want other manufacturers interfering with their brands, or people may regard the symbol as less valuable.

That leads to the question about why all companies don’t establish a brand. A couple of factors go into this. To begin, creating a brand can be prohibitively costly. Companies will invest tens of millions of dollars to promote their brand to even a modestly recognizable level. That brand is fragile and can be destroyed by a few stupid mistakes or poor products. Also, not every business wants a brand attached to their products. As an example, when a company makes a cheap quality product they wouldn’t want their name associated with that product because then people won’t buy the next junk product they put out. Why would you want to build a brand in that case? Simply you wouldn’t.

Another great type of companies that like to build their brands are trading stock companies. These companies typically have very strong brands because that is all they have to go by, their reputation. Individuals trust stock companies with their hard earned cash for the reason that they have been able to provide a good return in the past. If companies didn’t have this type of reputation they could just do it alone with some simple stock stock software.

Anyway you slice it, branding is important to many companies. It is the only way they can properly market their brands and make the sales they need. That is why the law protects company brands so strongly.

Pre-selling - How To Guide An Mlm Prospect To The Sign Up Stage

November 08, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

You’ve no doubt often heard the term pre-selling but have you really sat down and tried to understand what it means and how it can help your network marketing business?

Essentially, pre-selling is taking someone from a raw prospect seeking more information through to a point in the process where you need to sell yourself, not your company, to them and if done correctly, you won’t even need to hit them with a sales pitch.

Now does that sound like a concept that makes sense. In actual fact, most network marketers don’t know what it is let alone apply it. Desperation is a trait we see in most MLMers. It’s not that they deliberately act desperate but more because they don’t know any better.

The underlying key here is to sell yourself. Network marketing success has a lot to do with being able to brand oneself. Prospects in the main want to know what’s in it for them when they first contact you. They also want an idea on how to do it. And if you can give them some idea early in the peace, then you have a good chance of them joining you.

Pre-selling Your Prospect

Did you notice I said join you? Not your company but you. And that is the answer to performing pre-selling right.

Too many network marketers lead with their company or the company’s products. The truth is, a prospect really couldn’t care less how great a company is or how powerful the products are.

They want to know what’s in it for them and this is where you must impress them enough in the early stages to convince them you’re the person they want to be in business with.

So how do you do this? Simple…you drip them pieces of information that will help them move forward in their quest to achieve success in network marketing. You begin the training process from the moment they enter your funnel. You provide them with stuff they can use right away.

What you don’t do is bombard them with messages about how great your business opportunity, your company or the products are. Do this, and they will usually run a mile. You see, in reality, it’s you who is under the microscope here not your prospect.

It’s like you’re the one being interviewed for the job. This is the time when you need to sell yourself and not your company. It’s pre-selling and because we’re in a relationship marketing business, this is the time where you need to create a relationship bond between you and your prospect.

Success In Inter-network Marketing - Shocking Truth About Succeeding In Mlm

November 07, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

The path to success in network marketing is a long one. The ability to stay true to that path is something most don’t possess. That’s not being unking…just look at the stats with more than 90% of MLMers dropping out of their businesses within the first three months.

So how does one put together the MLM puzzle? Is it really a puzzle? Well, yes and no but if you are looking for one ingredient that could almost guarantee you success then you don’t have to look far.

It’s you It’s the investment you make in yourself that is critical and pivotal to ultimate success. Yes it may sound like an old cliche but look at it this way, isn’t it strange that this is something you keep hearing and if that’s the case, surely there must be something in it.

You will make or break your success in MLM. It won’t be the company, the products or your downline but you. Sure, some companies go “belly up” and that gets back to choice and a topic for another article but while you are strong with a mindset to match there is pretty much nothing standing in your way.

How Do You Invest In Yourself?

Simple. Without a daily dose of self improvement and motivational exercise, climbing your way to the top of the achievement mountain is nearly impossible. Did you know you can just about cheat your way to success?

That’s right, hang out with those who have that millionaire or even billionaire mindset. The best way to do this is by simply reading and listening to motivational material.

There’s an old theory that if you hang out long enough with successful people then your mindset begins to change. You begin to think and act like them and before long, what you once considered a satisfactory level of accomplishment, pales into insignificance to what you’re really capable of producing.

That’s the power of listening to motivational material on a daily basis! It literally changes your perceptions about your real worth and helps remove self-limiting boundaries often put in place by yourself.

Whether it’s someone well known on the success circuit like a Jack Canfield or Jim Rohn or whether it’s somebody who is successful within your own company or in your upline.

It’s amazing. Many consider even 15 to 20 minutes of motivational stuff as simply brainwashing. When you’re building a network marketing business, the truth is, it’s simply gold.

Failure in the MLM business is horrendous. Many quit within the first 2-3 months. Failure is common in this business however, it’s part and parcel of achieving ultimate success. Motivational stuff will keep you on track and put the failures into perspective.

Developing the same mindset as the millionaires is as easy as inviting them into your home on a daily basis. Eventually, it will begin to rub off and that’s a key element in creating success in inter-network marketing.

Venue Finding - Arranging Your Party, Conference Or Event.

November 04, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

Finding a venue that suits you can take up a lot of time, especially if you have a restricted budget. We have found that these points are important in getting you the best available deal:

Event management service

Try to schedule your occasion during low-traffic seasons and days; Monday and Friday are good choices, and meetings on the weekend are always of good value. Peak seasons are more expensive and the place you choose may not have enough resources or time for your conference. Be concise and clear with your layout plans, size and other requirements, and give detailed specifications if possible. The larger your conference, the greater your power in negotiating for extra savings. Make sure you mention to them if you have multiple bookings

Corporate events management

You may be able to avoid charges for meeting spaces if they are aware that refreshment breaks and meals during the event will create revenue. If your room is provided gratis, be sure to watch out for other hidden charges like overnight holds, day and night resets, security and deliveries. Make sure that everything you negotiate or concede is put into writing so no mistakes are accidentally made. Make yourself aware of the nuances of this venue, so you can ask about particular rooms and the like. Showing you are familiar with them may offer you more flexibility with pricing.

Join frequent guest schemes. To join these you do not have to be a frequent guest. With these schemes you usually benefit from upgrades, use of leisure, express check in and other added benefits. Most hotels, especially the large chains run these. Don’t accept the first rate that they quote, ask them questions like for example ‘what is this reduced from’ or ‘what your rack rate is?’ From this you can then see what sort of saving you have made. Give the venue your overall budget and ask them look at the figures and try and put a package together within this set amount.

Conference event management organisers

Bedroom types can be negotiated; ask for bedroom upgrades, a particular view, on the executive floor, a room that has been recently refurbished or close to the lift. Simple hot lunches often cost less than a buffet. Ask for biscuits or pastries to be included in your coffee breaks to add value or taken out to cut costs. You can also ask for more than two refreshment breaks or for water and juices to be included. ASK; always ask even if it is for something you do not think they will offer you. You won’t get it if you don’t ask. If they can’t reduce costs they can add value. It is best to negotiate once the venue knows you want to book with them and not simply play one off against another. If they know they are in with a chance they are often more willing to offer you a better deal.

Mlm Opportunity - What You Need To Know About Mlm Opportunities

November 02, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

There is little doubt network marketers are your number one target market when promoting your network marketing opportunity. Why?

Simply because they already know the business and how it works and more importantly, what’s required. Network marketers are a hardy breed in the main and are generally people looking for a better way of life.

But just pitching to MLMers the old school way won’t cut it. Don’t be surprised if you get run out of town just putting it mildly. Targeting network marketers directly is frowned upon and worse still, it’s desperate marketer stuff.

When we say targeting network marketers for your MLM opportunity we are talking about putting your offer in front of people who actually want to receive it. Can you see the difference? It’s huge. Instead of harassing and chasing people down by branding yourself and putting your message in the middle of a hungry crowd will create magic as far as lead generation is concerned.

Network Marketers In Limbo

It’s true, there are network marketers considered to be in limbo. That is, they are between businesses or have tried it before and are currently in a situation where they are looking for the right opportunity.

Really, all that’s left to do is seek these people out and sell them on you. Can you see the power in going after a targeted niche who already know why it will be good for them as opposed to a group who still don’t know why they need a network marketing opportunity?

That’s why old school methods such as the “three foot rule” are detrimental to building a networking business and why it’s such a killer for a person’s confidence. It gets back to putting your offer in front of people who are ready to receive it.

If you simply put it in front of anyone then the chances are very strong the majority will reject it thus leaving you dejected because of the continual rejection and worse case scenario is, you’ll eventually become “punch drunk” from the “not interested” response and bail out of your business.

MLMers Are Responsive

So why are network marketers likely to be more receptive to your network marketing business? Because they have already bought before. It’s that simple. It’s the old principle of finding a market in a niche and selling to them over and over.

But with network marketing, if you can show you have the solution and the ability to teach the how of the business, then you increase significantly the chances that a prospect will make up their mind to join you in business.

However, the work is still to do but once you have a solid marketing system in place with a powerful pre-sell phase attached to it, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your business will grow.

Network marketers are a hardy lot. They generally believe in the concept; that’s why they may have more than one crack at it. That’s why they are hands down your best target market.

Tracking Conversions With Affiliate Prophet - 3 Secret Ways To Get More Traffic!

October 29, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

What if you could have a software that helped you to track all your Google Adwords campaigns, website traffic and article marketing efforts so you could tell which keywords brought targeted prospects to your website? Get More Traffic to your Website with Affiliate Prophet.

Wouldn’t that be really neat? Tracking is very important to your online success. Instead of marketing blindly, you need to know where traffic is coming from especially with Google Adwords campaign.

You will lose a lot of money if you don’t manage your campaigns wisely through tracking.

Keeping a closer eye on your keyword conversion rate will help you to realize which keywords are working and which ones are not. Marketing has a lot to do with testing. However, the only way you can test the market is to have a resource that will help you to measure your efforts so that you focus on your marketing methods especially the ones that are bringing more traffic to your website.

This will allow you to tweak your web page copy by adding the keywords that are converting. You would also be able to extract or remove the keywords that are not converting from your Google Adwords campaign. Get More Traffic to your Website with Affiliate Prophet.

This is called performance marketing. If a keyword is not performing, then it affects your bottom line. You can use tracking software to test and pull your keywords in a narrower time increment. Armed with this key information will give you the edge over your competitors and make your ad campaigns more effective. You will be able to improve your ads or select the best keywords for your ad campaign.

Google Adwords does offer a free keyword tool that gives a lot of information that you can use to monitor your keywords and see what other competitors are paying for each keyword. However, this is not the only aspect of performance marketing. You want to know which keywords are profitable for your target market. It is better to know the exact keyword that brings a prospect to your web page.

There are many things to factor in with determining adword conversion so having software that can track your efforts is vital for generating sales and not just visitors to your website. When you are promoting a product, you need to have organized information and details that will give you enough leverage to make advertising decisions that will make you money.

Internet marketers who engage in tracking their marketing efforts do fair better than those who don’t. Affiliate Prophet software is a new tracking software that gives you the tools that you need to be profitable online.

It is a handy tool that increases conversion and sales and allows you to organize your marketing efforts. You can read more about the concept of Affiliate Prophet and how you can use it in your online business on my Affiliate Prophet blog here at Traffic Conversion with Affiliate Prophet.

Are You Passionate About Your Internet Marketing Niche?

October 25, 2008 By: blogger Category: Marketing & Avertising No Comments →

Marketing offers many benefits that traditional employment does not including the ability to set your own hours, an unlimited stream of income, the flexibility of choosing a niche that you are passionate about, and the opportunity to help others.

By virtue of the fact that a large portion of Online Marketing revolves around the sale of information products, the opportunity to help others is by far the strongest draw that online ventures provide. Not only is the marketing professional able to make hundreds, if not thousands of dollars by pursuing their passion, in the process they are contributing to the education or training of others at the same time.

There are very few careers that afford the instant gratification this arrangement provides. Many traditional jobs provide an education or service, but the end result or the consumer that acquires the benefit is so far removed from the supply chain, that the employee never gets to see first hand the difference they are making in someone else’s life.

On the other hand, Internet Marketing professionals many times will not only see first hand the difference they are making, they are directly involved in the process while it is evolving. This is a very strong draw for those who seek and gain their gratification from helping others.

Because the claims of making an overnight fortune are so plentiful, it is often believed that it is the financial gain that drives online entrepreneurs. And while that is certainly one of the overwhelming benefits to online opportunities, more often than not you will see the people making the most money are the ones that are the most passionate about what they are doing.

This passion is what will stand the test of time. There are plenty of online marketing opportunities that fade into the background as fast as they originally appeared, but someone who puts their heart and soul into every aspect of their product or service almost always backs the ones that have the greatest longevity.

This model is one that does not get a lot of exposure, because too often the headlines we see are designed for shock value and the easiest way to capture the attention of an audience is through the income potential. But looking beyond that, if you see someone with passion, you will most likely see someone who is going to be around for quite a while or has already been around for a long time. It is a common denominator that is shared by many of the top Internet Marketing Gurus today and will remain so for a long while to come.

New entrepreneurs who aspire to reach great heights in the Internet Marketing community will do well to recognize and emulate this business model. There is no limit to the amount of ways that someone can make a living online, but if care is taken to choose a topic that is also part of your passion, then the odds of a long and successful career in this business greatly increase.