Marketing

It has become fairly common place to see Id badges dangling from a persons neck on a short cord, and on the cord or small rope itself, is printed the name of a company, or a school or an event on it. When you spot one of these, you can be sure you''re looking at a lanyard.

Why is that? Well - a promotional lanyard belongs to that bag of tricks a marketing person uses to promote their business. Technically known as promotional marketing products, they can be rather serious gadgets or as silly as one can think of. It''s common to find watches, hats and t-shirts, key chains, note pads, etc, etc, and now the promotional lanyard, recruited to deliver a message to the customer. A lanyard that has been custom printed to ensure your company''s logo and message are visible to current or potential customers. They''ll give your company an marketing edge, because they are free, they generate lots of good will while adding awareness about your product or company, all for minimal costs.

Just walk around any trade exhibit and you''ll soon find yourself gravitating towards the booths that offer free promotional items. You''d better hurry too, as they are often crowded and you could miss out on these items.

Why then has the promotional lanyard emerged as one of the marketing world''s most popular promotional gadgets? Here are four good reasons why you should consider using promotional lanyards:

Cheap - even if you need to consider the material the lanyard will be made of, you can buy 500 pcs. Lanyard, with your company''s name or event printed on it, for as little as $110.00. It can also be as fancy as you''d like it to be.

Useful - who doesn''t need an Id holder? And if your client base uses lanyards, you''ve got a foot in the door.

Eye-catching - you can''t help but notice a lanyard dangling from someone''s neck.

Versatile - these are some of the features a promotional lanyard can have:

* retractable badge holders attached * reflective lanyards for safety * multicolored * many materials * height adjustable balls locks * many different attachments available * individual names printed on the promotional lanyard itself

What are some of the events or activities where you can use promotional lanyards?

At trade shows-, your promotional lanyard will have a visible message, and be an identification holder. Also, while show organizers use imprinted lanyard badge holders to promote their show, the sponsors can have theirs with slogans that motivate customers to stop by their booth. The organizers can use the lanyards as identification to enter the show floor.

We''ve all heard that "free advice is worth what you pay for it..."

Shakespeare put it a little more eloquently in King Lear, when the aging monarch admonished his daughter Cordelia, "Nothing shall come of nothing..."

And when it comes to distributing press releases online, I now know from first hand personal experience that "if you''re going to play, it''s best to pay."

But the good news is, you don''t have to pay much. In fact, compared to the return you get, your cash outlay is extremely well spent.

Here''s what I''m talking about.

Last March I distributed a online press release through PRWeb.com

I paid $1.00, even though PRWeb''s actual minimum is $0.00.

Now, PRWeb tracks results. You can find statistics on how many people actually accessed your press release, opened the link, printed it out, forwarded it to someone else, etc.

I was pleased with numbers. The link to the release was opened 4780 times.

Pretty good, huh?

But wait!...as they like to say in all those infomercials you watch when you have insomnia.

I submitted a similar release Tuesday morning, August 23rd. I paid $80 for it.

By noon Wednesday morning, August 24th, the release had been "accessed" 41,090 times.

Plus, when you searched for the word "publicity" on Yahoo News, links to my press release came number two *and* number three.

In other words, for 80 bucks I got a chance to tell more than 40,000 people about the Publicity Pro website.

Plus, think about all the one way, incoming links I got that will help raise Publicity Pro''s search engine ranking.

Not a bad return on my investment, wouldn''t you say?

All things considered, it''s a whole lot of bang for 80 bucks.

I''m not the only one who believes in the power of online press releases.A number of friends and colleagues have enjoyed similar success using PRWeb and similar services.

All of them would agree, free is good. Free is very good.

But there''s another proverb that you''ve undoubtedly heard, and it applies to online press release distribution.

"To make money, you have to spend money."

As much as I hate to admit it, I guess it''s true sometimes.

Donors will stop responding to your fundraising letter appeals for many reasons. Some of which you can manage, but many of which you cannot. Use these findings to retain as many of your donors as you can.

1. They forget
I suppose you could call this a case of "poor institutional memory." Donors simply forget your institution. They read your letter, decide to give, put your letter down somewhere, and then forget to mail you their gift.

2. They get distracted
Some stop sending gifts because they get sidetracked by other priorities, such as the arrival of children, or grandchildren. Or a hurricane hits their home. Or mum gets diagnosed with breast cancer.

3. They lose interest
Perhaps through a fault of yours (you''ve strayed from your mission, perhaps), but also perhaps because their interests change, some donors stop their support because your mission no longer excites them.

4. They suffer financially
In some families, the breadwinner loses his job, and the first thing to be cut is discretionary spending, such as take out food, movies and charitable gifts.

5. They die
You have no control over this one, or shouldn''t have. A percentage of your donors will pass away each year, and their gifts in the mail will cease the same day they do. That''s why you are wise to invite your older donors to include you in their wills.

6. You mail them too often
Some donors grow weary if they receive too many solicitations in any year. A letter each month might be too many for some. One a quarter might be too many for others. Either way, they stop giving because they feel you are hounding them for their money.

7. You don''t mail often enough
Other donors fall away because you are never on their radar screen. Your letters arrive so infrequently, or so unpredictably, that you never make a lasting impression in their minds--or wallets.

8. You don''t listen
The donor made a complaint or a suggestion, and then decided that your organization did not respond properly. So they took their gifts elsewhere.

I think selling and marketing today often feels a bit like talking to a brick wall and that in interesting metaphor to help grasp the importance of niche marketing especially when it comes to small business marketing. Imagine for a moment that you are attacking that brick wall with a hammer, randomly hitting it everywhere. What would be the effect? Practically no effect at all. You might knock off a few chips but come back a day or so later, there will be no evidence you were even there.

And that''s the effect of any broad marketing and advertising campaign. You may make the odd sale, but overall nothing will happen and a day or so later people will not even remember your name. But back to that wall again, imagine you took a different strategy. Instead of hitting all over the wall, you concentrated on just one brick, or you searched the wall to find a brick that was already weak. Now you are going to have a much better result.

And that''s really the secret to small business marketing. Without the resources to reach millions of people, you have to concentrate your efforts on a small tightly defined market or research the market carefully and identify a small group with a similar urgent problem you can solve. Lets face it few small businesses are going to become global household names and even if they did, most simply don''t have the capacity or the desire to support a huge market. Amazon.com may have been built in a garage but it was backed by a $300,000 investment and plans to build an international distribution business.

I have friends in the speaking business who deal only with dentists, yet their business turns over millions of dollars a year. In their market they have a huge presence and high reputation. They know everyone and everyone knows them.

But more importantly, watch what they do. If you do much online shopping, you''re sure to have seen some great, and not so great, sales letters urging you to get that oh-so-fabulous product that will solve all your problems right now.

Some of those letters probably make you want to whip out that credit card from the moment you start reading. Others -- well your card never sees the light of day.

But that''s okay. Use it as a lesson for your business. You can learn how to create a good sales letter by studying both the good and the not so good. Next time you''re tempted to buy something as a result of a sales letter, don''t just purchase the item. Print out a copy of the sales letter and study it.

Identify exactly what it was about the letter that tugged at you to whip out your credit card. And do the same thing with soggy sales letters too. Figure out what it was that made you hesitate to buy.

Mark up the printed version to see where it was strong and really pulled on your wallet. Make a note of the words and phrases that had the most power.

Take those nuggets of wisdom you discovered and apply them to your next sales letter. I guarantee you it will be better than the last one you wrote.

About the Author

Denise O''Berry frequently speaks to professional organizations, is the author of three booklets, and several "how-to" manuals. She writes a weekly small business column, hosts an online small business owners forum and is called upon regularly by publications such as Entrepreneur, Bank Rate Small Business, Florida Trend, Inc., various newspapers, radio and television to provide expert comments on small business issues.

http://www.whatspossible.com
http://www.justforsmallbusiness.com
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You will always have more people that turn down your offer than actually buy. They might not have bought because of your price, payment options, or any other possible reason. You will just end up loosing all these potential lifetime customers. However, there are many ways you can minimize the loss of these prospects.

One way is to accept barter offers for your product. Maybe the person can''t afford to buy your product. They may have something you could use in your business or personal life. If the barter deal isn''t fair enough, either of you could add in some cash. You may not make money but, they might buy other products you offer.

Another way is to include a negotiation offer at the end of your ad copy. Tell your reader if there is something they don''t like about your offer, they could contact you and negotiate a different buying offer. They may not like your price, guarantee, shipping methods, payment options, etc. You can gain a potential lifetime customer by being flexible with your offer and negotiating instead of loosing them.

A simple way to attract lifetime customers would be to give people a freebie. The freebie should be related to the other products or services you sell. You may not be getting paid for the freebie, but you will get a lot more people using one of your products because it is free. If they are impressed by your free product there is a high chance they''ll buy your other products in the future.

The last way is to sell your product at the price it costs you to produce or buy it. You will usually sell more products at a lower price than your competition which equals more potential lifetime customers. You will break even in cost but you''ll make your profit from the upsell and backend products you sell your lifetime customers.

It has become fairly common place to see Id badges dangling from a persons neck on a short cord, and on the cord or small rope itself, is printed the name of a company, or a school or an event on it. When you spot one of these, you can be sure you''re looking at a lanyard.

Why is that? Well - a promotional lanyard belongs to that bag of tricks a marketing person uses to promote their business. Technically known as promotional marketing products, they can be rather serious gadgets or as silly as one can think of. It''s common to find watches, hats and t-shirts, key chains, note pads, etc, etc, and now the promotional lanyard, recruited to deliver a message to the customer. A lanyard that has been custom printed to ensure your company''s logo and message are visible to current or potential customers. They''ll give your company an marketing edge, because they are free, they generate lots of good will while adding awareness about your product or company, all for minimal costs.

Just walk around any trade exhibit and you''ll soon find yourself gravitating towards the booths that offer free promotional items. You''d better hurry too, as they are often crowded and you could miss out on these items.

Why then has the promotional lanyard emerged as one of the marketing world''s most popular promotional gadgets? Here are four good reasons why you should consider using promotional lanyards:

Cheap - even if you need to consider the material the lanyard will be made of, you can buy 500 pcs. Lanyard, with your company''s name or event printed on it, for as little as $110.00. It can also be as fancy as you''d like it to be.

Useful - who doesn''t need an Id holder? And if your client base uses lanyards, you''ve got a foot in the door.

Eye-catching - you can''t help but notice a lanyard dangling from someone''s neck.

Versatile - these are some of the features a promotional lanyard can have:

* retractable badge holders attached * reflective lanyards for safety * multicolored * many materials * height adjustable balls locks * many different attachments available * individual names printed on the promotional lanyard itself

What are some of the events or activities where you can use promotional lanyards?

At trade shows-, your promotional lanyard will have a visible message, and be an identification holder. Also, while show organizers use imprinted lanyard badge holders to promote their show, the sponsors can have theirs with slogans that motivate customers to stop by their booth. The organizers can use the lanyards as identification to enter the show floor.

Change is good, right? Not always. But when is it bad? Is it a question of good or bad? Sounds philosophical. Maybe it is.

Philosophize on this?why would one take something that is going good ? no.. great ? and change it? Obvious answer is to make it better. Not!

In business or in marketing, change is not always good. When you have certain promotional actions that are in place making things happen, or in better terms, making you money ? don''t change them! Why do I say this? Because I see it time and time again. Someone has a marketing campaign that is bringing in a good return on investment and they up and decide to change their postcard! What?!?!?!?!? Change your postcard ? why??????? "Er uh, we just decided to do something different."

And then some three or four months down the road, they call back with their tail between their legs and ask ? no demand to have everything back the way it was before. In this latter case ? change is good.

I am not just saying that to say that one should always keep their postcard marketing campaign the same and never change it. Quite the contrary. Change your marketing, change your habits, change your way of life when it warrants it. There is really some truth to the old adage "If it ain''t broke, don''t fix it." Maybe it is human nature to want to change everything once something gets going just the way they planned it. Who the heck knows? All I can say is step outside the human-nature box. Change only when things are drastic or when change is warranted.

Drastic circumstances deserve drastic measures. But how do you determine drastic? Sometimes that is really easy. Your company''s income is crashing. Do something! Change! Or better yet, figure out what you changed and get it back to what was working.

How about a plateau? Does that deserve change? Depends on how long that plateau lasts. I have never seen things leveling off and staying level forever. It either goes one of two ways ? up or down. I know an optometrist who had a very successful practice in small town USA. He never really marketed. He never really had to. People knew of him from miles around. Mainly he did PR stuff ? a fundraiser here, networking there, etc., etc. His good works made him well known and respected and the community ooo''ed and ah''ed over him so much the paper loved printing it.

1. Personal
Fundraising letters are about as personal as you can get with a donor without meeting face to face or talking on the phone. Unlike special events, fundraising letters let you have a one-on-one "meeting" with each donor.

2. Can be passed along
Unlike personal visits, phone calls and special events, fundraising letters can reproduce themselves. Your appeal on paper has the opportunity to reach more than one donor, potentially doubling or tripling your efforts. Member-Get-A-Member letters are a perfect example of this dynamic at work.

3. Can be tested
Because you can measure your direct mail results, you can also test your mailings. Test one package against another, one list against another, one ask against another, and you''ll discover what works and what fails. That way you''ll spend your dollars where they are most effective (without relying on guess work or hunches).

4. Measurable ROI
Direct mail is one of the best mediums for measuring the return on your investment. Simply code your reply cards, and count how many return to you in the mail with a gift. With fundraising letters, you can know immediately--and exactly--how effective your mailing has been. Direct mail numbers never lie. Some simple calculations will tell you the following:

• Your response count (number of donors who responded)
• Your response rate (percentage of donors who responded)
• Average gift
• Gross income (before expenses are deducted)
• Net income (what''s left after expenses are deducted)
• Cost to raise a dollar

5. Quick
Unlike capital campaigns, major gift campaigns and special events, fundraising letter campaigns can be conceived, planned and launched within weeks instead of months. Results (donations) are just as quick, usually arriving within days of your mailing.

6. Build your base of support
The majority of non-profit organizations receive 80 percent of their income from individuals. Since the average gift sent through the mail by an individual is $35, you need a broad base of individual donor support for your existence. You will want to attract gifts from foundations, businesses and government, certainly, but for long-term survival you need to build a large following of individual supporters who send you small gifts year after year. The most cost-effective way to build and sustain this base of support is a comprehensive, well-planned, well-executed, annual fundraising letter program.

Direct Mail Campaigns

Despite the proliferation of communication facilitators--mobile phones, faxes, emails, PDAs--the mail still plays a vital role in successful marketing. Direct mail marketing continues to be one of the leading methods for effectively reaching prospective customers because it can be focused, predictable and economical.

Direct mail is effective and efficient because it is a pinpointed approach. Basically, the campaign is an arrow shot at one individual at an individual location. Through careful mailing-list selection, you can make a personal connection to a consumer who likely needs or wants your product. Mailing lists are the key components to direct mail efforts. The most well-executed mailer or letter will have little effectiveness unless it falls into the hands of an interested or potentially interested person. There are almost endless sources for acquiring a mailing list that is specifically targeted to people or businesses that need or want your product.

In addition, with direct mail campaigning, new sales and contacts are measurable and predictable. There is no need for repeated hit-and-miss guessing and guestimating. Accurate adjustments can be made in subsequent mailings based on tracking responses (i.e. sales, inquiries and reply cards) to each campaign. This ability to track your responses allows you to further refine your mailing list, as well.

Email Campaigns

Email marketing can be a tremendously valuable tool for web businesses. Because it is so fast, cheap and easy, and because it is everywhere, email lends itself ideally to direct marketing. In this day and age, to say that the whole world is on the Web is not a stretch. Hundreds of millions of people plug into the Web on a regular basis.

Most regular internet users have an email address. Now that access to the Internet is available on PDAs and mobile phones, people can literally be reached anytime and anywhere. The capacity to send and receive email, and thus communicate with a large audience about your product, is huge and ever-broadening. Even though you only want to focus your email campaigns on those who have expressed an interest in your product, the way of attracting and finding large numbers of those targeted prospects is easier via the Internet.

There is no faster way to get your marketing message into the homes of consumers than through email. Additionally, no other method is less expensive. Other than internet access costs, which are likely already incurred for general use, emailing costs nothing. Unlike with direct mail, there are no printing or postage costs. Email allows you to reach potentially large numbers of people instantaneously for free.

Optimize Your Email Campaign

There are ways to optimize any email campaign. Valiss can help you direct your campaign to a targeted group of consumers and avoid crossing that line between responsible consumer communications and annoying spam. Our experts know how to use email marketing to enhance your web presence and convert prospects into loyal customers.

We live in a world of noise ? not just auditory noise but total sensory overload. Everywhere we go marketing messages are shouting at us day and night. Hundreds of TV and radio stations, thousands of newspapers, magazines and books, millions of ezines, brochures, and leaflets, billions of emails and web pages. And unfortunately much of it is junk so it''s hard to find the important stuff.

You have got to cut though the noise and get people to see and hear your message. If people don''t see you or hear you then there is no way they are going to buy from you. If people don''t visit your web site, read your articles, brochures or sales letters, attend your seminars etc., why even bother to produce them.

Now I know this is going to sound blindingly obvious, but most important ideas are just common sense things that we have stopped doing. The key to Getting Attention is to give people what they are looking for. Find a bunch of people with the same problem keeping them awake at night and offer to take away the problem. People buy for two reasons only:

Desire for Gain or Avoidance of Pain.

The one that motivates us most is avoidance of pain, removing a problem. What problem does your product or service solve? Look for people who have that problem, market to them and you will get their attention because that problem is on their mind, they are thinking about it they are looking for a solution so they are much more likely to see your message. This is what gives pay per click its potential and why it''s so important to build tightly targeted mailing and ezine lists.

Write these words on a large poster and stick it up on your notice-board.

Get Attention ? Be Remembered

I am a great believer in the keeping to the basics ? the totally obvious things that we all learn in Running Your Business 101, and then promptly forget. I often have people come up to me after a speech and say, "This is all blindingly obvious, just common sense." And they are right, but my immediate response is always the say, "So are you doing it??"

This question is usually followed by a moment of silence before they explain they have moved on to other approaches now. You cannot forget the basics, because if you do you stop marketing. So if you find yourself by the end of this article saying "this is just common sense," do a reality check, and see if you have stopped using your common sense. I know I often do.

The most important basic to remember is that Marketing is an Attitude to Business that Puts the Customer First. If you and everyone in your business understands this then everything else about marketing falls into place. You have to make your entire business marketing oriented. It''s seems not to be a popular concept in the west, but we are here to serve our customers. If we don''t they will go elsewhere. Let me relate a story.

Some years ago, late on a Saturday afternoon my eldest daughter remembered she didn''t have any school shoes for the start of term the following Monday. Panic! We rushed to a nearby and surprisingly empty major chain store where three members of staff were wrestling with a till roll. I waited... and waited... and waited... Eventually I said, "Can you help me please; my daughter needs some new shoes?" A girl looked up; surprised and apparently irritated by my presence, she pointing across the store said, "The children''s shoes are over there, if you find a style you like I''ll see if we have her size."

Have you read anything in the news lately about childhood obesity, Jose Canseco and steroids, or fat free foods? Where is the truth in any of that?

If only we lived and shopped in a pure world where labels told the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But while consumers rely on labels to make wise nutritional choices, food manufacturers use labels to sell their product. Remember when we used to read the label before making an informed purchase decision.

The two functions of a label -- providing accurate information and enticing someone to buy the product -- conflict and send mixed messages.One the one hand we read buy me and on the other is this product good for me?

Labels can be misleading, especially if you don''t learn to read between the lines and examine the fine print. today''s labels are very complex with statements that make claims or tout benefits that may not be true.Knowing what the words on the label really mean is a big step in learning to make nutritious and the right choices at the supermarket.

Through the years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has attempted to make sure that the food products made available to the American public are safe for consumption. For most, the likelihood of suffering a food or drug related illness is remote. That was until bio-terrorism threats reared its ugly head.

Yet, for those with specific food allergies or unique health conditions, proper labeling on products is imperative in order to avoid potentially dangerous situations. The addition of supplements and additives to food products poses another risk to consumers if it is discovered that the substance in question is harmful. It is therefore extremely important that consumers are made aware of specific dangers associated with food and food products, through accurate labeling, published warnings and their own investigation. Think about all the food products lately that have been recalled due to mislabeling at the manufacturers.

Here are a few popular product statements to consider:

It''s a startling fact: almost all entrepreneurs aren''t marketing their businesses effectively. Marketing goes much deeper than advertising. It begins with having the proper mindset. These five ideas will send you on the right path to building a solid marketing foundation for your business.

1. Start with yourself
Ask yourself this: are you passionate about the product you''re selling? If you''re not, you have a long way to go before you can bring in the masses. But if you are, congratulations! You''re ahead of 90% of small business owners out there. When you''re passionate about your product, you can ignite that same passion into your customers. Who wants to buy a product from a boring company? Probably not a lot of people. To interests your potential customers, you''ll have to interest yourself first.

2. Surround yourself with the right people
One person can have many great ideas. Yet, working with a dozen other people can give you a thousand more marketing ideas. When you surround yourself with tremendous people who understand how to bring in customers, your marketing efforts will increase exponentially. You will draw out ideas out of one another. You will also build upon ideas.

3. Give Value
Give and you receive. It''s a saying that our mothers always taught us. It''s as saying that most of us forget. It''s something that we ignore because we don''t know the psychological effect of giving first. When we give genuinely, and I emphasize genuinely, we create a welcoming environment for the customer.

4. Build Relationships
A lot of business owners only think about the first transaction. Great entrepreneurs think about the fourth transaction. Your marketing efforts should be based on building as many relationships as you can. I can guarantee you this: the more relationships you build, the more profits your company will receive. All you need is one customer to start. Build a fantastic relationship with the customer, and watch your business grow.

Do you ever wonder how some businesses always seem to be doing so much business? And how they seem to do all that business without really trying that hard? Most of us would like to have business come to us, rather than chasing it. Think of a magnet ? pulling business towards your company, effortlessly and naturally. Sounds good, right? But how do you actually become a company like that? Here are some ways.

1. Have a clear vision. What do you want your company to be? Lasting companies have a large vision that can be true now or 100 years from now. While the vision always remains the same, these companies can adapt their products and services to fit what is profitable in the current market. That''s why these companies are more successful than their competition that focuses on a specific product or service. If your company has a clear vision, it will stand out, since very few companies have one. Good examples of successful companies with a clear vision are: Walt Disney (to make people happy) and Merck (to preserve and improve human life).

2. Make sure everyone in your company buys into that vision. Every person in your company should agree with and be able to articulate that vision. Each person should also understand his/her role in that vision.

3. Be special. Your company should have a niche that lets you stand out from the crowd. Again, everyone in your company should be able to articulate it, whether at work or in casual conversation with family and friends.

4. Treat your employees well. Great employees make a business. Offer great benefits, training, recognition and feedback. Not only do happy employees help your profits increase, but they also help you develop a great reputation as an employer, so that more great employees want to work for you.

The most crucial aspect of having a high response rate to any direct mail marketing list is to keep your business'' name in everyone''s mind, constantly. But how do you do that without annoying your business customers, or divvying up a lot of time and money?

A full color postcard can easily fit the bill if you send one every month or so. It keeps you at the forefront of their thoughts so that when they require something your business sells, you are the first one they call. Plus, they work hard for their money, because:

1. They are very inexpensive to produce compared to other direct mail marketing tactics. A letter, folded, stapled, stuffed into an envelope and mailed costs a lot more time and energy than a two sided, small piece of cardboard with the address and stamp pre-printed right on it.

2. Postage is a lot cheaper when mailing postcards, especially if you are doing a bulk mail out.

3. Full color postcards can be sent quickly ? as quickly as regular mail, and may even get there faster because of their size.

4. Small or large full color postcard mail outs cost about the same, unlike full blown direct mail pieces, which can cost dramatically less as the numbers increase.

5. People are less likely to throw away a full color postcard then a direct mail marketing piece. Even if they only glance at it, if they are in need of your services, you''ve gotten farther than the letter that never even got opened.

Some of the research that has been done today gives us a lot of information on the values of today''s society. What I''m referring to is a lifestyle in which there is more to do in generally less time in which to accomplish it. There''s more to spend money on so there''s less disposable income. Quite often there''s just one parent instead of the traditional two parents. Safety and security is important, Quality and value are more important than ever. People are willing to pay more for desired quality. People are also willing to withdraw from the unnecessary and focus on essential stuff, and Convenience is extremely important. Consumers are having a wild time with technology.

The 90''s have been characterized as the "Decade of Decency" and such trends have been projected as cocooning and burrowing (staying at home), socializing with similarly-minded people in smaller groups, backpacking, 4-wheel drive vehicles, antirich, anti-big, anti-professional backlash has been happening.

Dumping the corporate grind for small-town quality life. Self service niche type products and services and self indulgences such as fresh flowers and Godiva chocolates. Adults are acting like teenagers. Golden Oldies now appeal to the youngsters as well as the 40''s crowd. Fitness buffs are on a super quest for health. Vigilante consumers who read the labels, protest and boycott. People want it now.. People are becoming socially responsible.

If you use these items in your marketing, given this new lifestyle, and you wish to sell these people who make up this new lifestyle, you need to be prepared to target your marketing efforts toward these segments.

Some of the characteristics you need to address are making your business products and services appear to be necessary when this market is with drawing from the unnecessary. You need to compete for the potential customer''s time and attention when they''re already overscheduled and subjected to too much stimulation.

This list contains 25 powerful strategies to improve your direct mail results. It would be wise to use this as a checklist to ensure you''ve included as many as possible in your advertising. Any one of these strategies could measurably boost your response. How many of these are you using?

Have a strong, powerful headline that promises a benefit.

Offer a strong guarantee or warranty.

Put a dollar value on free offers. Example: "$500 off Your New Deck!".

Have a strong call to action ? "Call now".

Offer free information ? a consumer guide, free report, design guide, etc.

Include your address.

Include a toll-free number.

For a large ad, use a coupon. Give the coupon a headline that affirms positive action. Example: "Yes, I''d like to cut my energy costs by 50% or more."

Give the reader multiple response options ? call, fax, mail, email.

Use graphics that make the ad easy to read.

Include your web site address.

For a smaller ad, put a coupon border around the entire ad.

Give compelling, specific reasons why your company is the right choice, superior, etc.

Offer a free audio tape, video, catalogue, etc.

Include an eavesdrop line ? recorded testimonials that clients can hear on tape or a voice line.

Have a strong offer. Bright line rule: the better the offer, the better the response.

Include your personal or company "story".

Include your photo with a photo caption ? people like to see who''s "talking" to them to see if they look friendly and trustworthy. Smile!

Advertising on the radio can be an effective lead generation strategy. But like all marketing tactics, success or failure lies in its implementation. Here are 15 important tips to help make your radio advertising more profitable.

1. Make sure you match the station to your intended target market. For instance, if most of your projects are sold to an affluent middle-aged clientele, it''s best to advertise on a station who''s audience is comprised of this same demographic. To pick the right radio station, poll your best clients and ask them what station(s) they listen to. If you begin to see a consistent station pop up in your survey, there''s a good chance that you''ll find more clients amongst that station''s listeners.

2. Use a first sentence that grabs the listener and demands attention, preferably by leading with a benefit or asking a curiosity-provoking question. Example: Would you like to have the nicest home in your neighborhood?

3. Make your spot easy to understand. Be straightforward (not clever or funny).

4. Use a compelling voice. Having a popular radio personality deliver your spot, if possible in a loose, conversational way, often works best. This works even better on a talk format, or call-in style program. The transition between "show" and "commercial" is often seamless, making the spot seem like "news" from the radio personality.

Let''s be honest, when you''re writing sales material for a product, there are a frightening number of things that can go wrong, aren''t there?

Remember Murphy''s Law: what can go wrong will, and at the worst possible moment. Well, we''re going to try to gain some control over events and the best way to gain control is to know what makes things tick ...

The Communication Process

There are four recognised steps in the communications process:

1. The message originates as an idea or concept
2. The sender transmits the message
3. The message is sent
4. The message is received

(Academics get paid thousands of dollars to come up with earth-shattering findings like these!)

As with most things in life, the system can break down at any one of these stages.

The Idea

In marketing, the source is usually a product (or service) concept that the sender wants to tell potential buyers about. The key point at this stage is to be certain that your product is going to meet the needs of your target group.

Some time ago, a manufacturer of cake mixes came up with a mix that he was certain would appeal to busy housewives -- all they had to do was to add water and they could bake a perfect cake every time.

The product failed miserably. Follow-up research indicated that women felt guilty that they were not giving their families nourishing food -- all they did was add water to what looked like flour.

There are many different ways to increase your traffic on the web. Just as there are get rich quick schemes, there are get traffic quick schemes. These can backfire on you just like any other shortcut to results.

As part of your overall strategy, it is possible to create a plan that will get your steadily increasing traffic, increasing visibility and results. The more employees you have that use a computer the better.

Here are the key elements to getting your employees to create some Internet Buzz for you.

# 1 ? Prepare

The first key is to create a clear document on what your employees can and cannot say about the company. What is the vision that you want to make public? What is unique about the organization? What stories can they tell? Collect examples of good and bad posts from employees in other companies.

#2 - Coach

Once this is done, have a meeting and explain that if everyone spends a short amount of time each week participating on the web, they can significantly increase the visibility of the organization and all its employees. Clearly state if this is to be done on the clock or outside of business hours.

Explain that this is not sales. Each employee should participate in online communications and add something of value to wherever they are posting information, and work in where they work if they can. Links are the best, but do not force it.

#3 ? Set Minimum Goals

Wake up women (and you men too). I think we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Madison Avenue is getting real about advertising campaigns for women. Following the unparalleled success of Dove line of personal-care products sold by Unilever, the company introduced what it calls a "campaign for real beauty." I predict others will follow suit.

This week Nike unveiled a campaign using women with big butts and thunder thighs -- no kidding! Why? It is because that image represents the majority on the US female populace. (FYI, the average size woman is a size 14-16, not a 0.)

Remember when I told you that women aren''t influenced by celebrity endorsements on the product package. Well, they are influenced by real women who they can relate to. They are not impressed by the thin, waif-like creatures that have been purported to represent the average female consumer. Nor are they in awe of the horse like runway models seen in TV commercials clunking down the stage.

Two drivers impacting this change include the fact that women are the primary purchasers of products and that women over 50 are finally being recognized as a significant purchasing demographic.

How well do you understand the needs and wants of these two target groups? Do you want to sell more products and connect with consumers though your product packaging?

We know what these buyers want in packaging. Our special report: Is your Packaging Female-Friendly? can be in you hands in 24 hours. This groundbreaking research and report is available now for only $25.00.

Find out what the representatives of the leading consumer goods companies learned about product packaging for women. Email the PackagingDiva@aol.com for an order form

Every day a new issue related to packaging such as food security is in the forefront of the news? JoAnn Hines The Packaging Diva knows what business needs to know about packaging. How has Walmart impacted the packaging industry? (The Diva knows.) What is the fastest growing consumer segment for product packaging? (The Diva knows.) Will new products on the horizon change the way we shop and eat? (The Diva knows.) How can packaging protect us from an act of terrorism? (The Diva knows.)

If you need answers to these questions and many more related to the packaging industry email the PackagingDiva@aol.com', 177, 'Package Your Products for Thunder Thigh Women - Big Butts Too, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Package Your Products for Thunder Thigh Women - Big Butts Too plus articles and information on Marketing'

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Not all benefits are created equal. Knowing which ones to use when can make a big difference in the credibility -- and success -- of your marketing campaigns.

There are three basic levels of benefit to any product or service. The first is just one step away from a feature, and is generally called a "Product Benefit" (because it is still centered on the product). Peanut Butter is made with natural ingredients and contains healthy proteins and monounsaturated fats.

The second level is stronger. It''s called the "Consumer Benefit," because it focuses on (you guessed it!) the consumer, and the positive result she gets from the product benefit. My children get extra nutrition that tastes good -- so they''ll eat it.

The strongest level is called "Values." It''s the internal reward that comes from the Consumer Benefit. I''m a good mother because I serve healthy Peanut Butter to my children.

So if Values are the strongest level of benefit, you should always use them, right? Not necessarily.

The problem with selling to Values is that it''s easy to sound like you''re full of hype. Not only that, but coming right out and saying, "You''ll be a good mother if you serve Peanut Butter," is downright insulting.

That''s why it''s best to hint at Value Benefits. "Choosy Moms Choose Jif." See how the benefit is implied, rather than overtly stated? And isn''t it much more effective than, "Be A Good Mother! Choose Jif," would be?

Marketing is all about getting the benefits across to your prospect. Unfortunately, there''s no single answer to which level to use when. It all depends on the product or service, and who it''s being sold to. But knowing more about them can help you choose the right one -- or mixture of several -- that''s just right for your situation.

Does your marketing forge an emotional connection with your prospects? It can. Lisa Packer delivers persuasive, targeted copywriting that dramatically increases your business. Unleash the power of words on behalf of your business by visiting http://www.dramatic-copy.com today.', 177, 'There Are Benefits... And Then There Are Benefits, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'There Are Benefits... And Then There Are Benefits plus articles and information on Marketing'

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Benefits! They''re what marketing is all about. No doubt you''ve heard the mantra over and over: "Benefits, not features.. Benefits, not features."

So how do you tell the difference, anyway? And how do you choose which ones will get your prospect''s heart pumping?

First, let''s set the parameters: A feature is a raw fact about your product or service. You''re open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Your widget slices, dices, and then folds flat. Your cleaning service uses Chemical X to clean carpets.

A benefit, on the other hand, is the specific advantage of your product or service. It stirs the emotional desire within your prospect, and connects him with what you are selling. It tells him What''s In It For Me.

Your convenient hours make after-work shopping a breeze. Your widget makes dinner prep simple and saves counter space. Chemical X leaves carpets sanitary enough for babies to crawl on.

Every feature provides at least one benefit, often several. So discovering benefits is just a matter of finding out what each feature does for your prospect.

Take a sheet of paper and divide it in half. On one side, list all the raw facts about your product or service. Include everything you can think of, from size to color to every service you perform.

Now, change hats. Think like your prospect, and go back over that list. After each feature say, "This means that I..." and finish the sentence. What can your prospect do, or get, or save because of that feature?

Some benefits will be stronger than others, and most likely there will be two or three that you just know are power-packed. These are the ones you''ll want to use in your headlines and leads.

Your prospect discovers What''s In It For Me, and you discover that more prospects are becoming customers. That sounds like a benefit all around.

Does your marketing forge an emotional connection with your prospects? It can. Lisa Packer delivers persuasive, targeted copywriting that dramatically increases your business. Unleash the power of words on behalf of your business by visiting http://www.dramatic-copy.com today.', 177, 'Discovering The Benefits That Hook Your Prospect, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Discovering The Benefits That Hook Your Prospect plus articles and information on Marketing'

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It goes against the grain, especially for those of us used to "business at the speed of light." But bear with me. I''m not trying to teach you Zen philosophy. But I am going to show you how working backward can move your business forward.

Let''s start with a purchase. That''s a great place to be, isn''t it? The moment when your prospect has become your customer. When money changes hands and your widget or service finds a new home. It''s beautiful.

But what got your customer to this point?

I can actually hear a few of you saying, "Who cares? All that matters is that she''s here." Well, that attitude may work for a garage sale. Or even a going out of business sale. But if you want more customers, and more moments like this one, it really helps to know what got us here.

So you can do it all over again.

Go ahead and ask her some questions. Get her to fill out a survey. Analyze your web logs. Act like a secret agent if you have to and find out what brought her to you. Find out things like:

How did you hear about us? You absolutely have to know what methods of promotion are working, and what isn''t. Otherwise you waste money.

Of course, there are ways to track responses to your marketing without asking. If you''re using direct response. If your ad/ commercial/ sales letter asks your prospect to call, use a different number for each ad. Then see which ads bring in the most phone calls. Use coupons, and put a code on each one that tells you where it ran. Have special landing pages on your web site for each and every ad or commercial you run, and track the traffic.

Now you can see what marketing messages are working, and should be increased. And, what isn''t working. That you can cut out.

What made you choose us over our competitors? You both know competitors exist, so there''s no point in denying it. But your customer has rejected them in favor of you. Why?

Use what you discover here to differentiate yourself in your marketing. That doesn''t mean attacking your competitors. It just means calling attention to your more favorable aspects.

What put you in the market for a widget? Find out what problem your product or service is solving. Don''t just guess, get the facts. You may be surprised at what you discover. Use this powerful information to craft sales messages that speak to the needs of your prospects.

There are all kinds of ways to get this information. If you have a retail store, you can train your employees to strike up a conversation and ask. You can always give out surveys, and a few customers will fill them out. Offering an incentive, like a discount on their next purchase, is a great way to get more.

Finding out what led your customer to your cash register takes a bit of time and effort. But once you know where the journey started, you can meet others there. And you''ll have a much better idea how to guide them to a purchase of their own!

Does your marketing forge an emotional connection with your prospects? It can. Lisa Packer delivers persuasive, targeted copywriting that dramatically increases your business. Unleash the power of words on behalf of your business by visiting http://www.dramatic-copy.com today.', 177, 'Work Backward And Make More Sales!, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Work Backward And Make More Sales! plus articles and information on Marketing'

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