How to Manage Ads in the WordPress Sidebar

One option for website owners to generate income is through the ads that are posted on their site by advertisers. It can be in a form of a code, affiliate banners, graphics, even texts. As web owner, it is essential that you must be able to manage the ads that are running through your website, not only for aesthetic purpose but to optimize the advertising space you have. Listed are ad options that you might want to consider.
Who Sees Ads
This plugin is a great option for websites that has a lot of new site visitor. It assumes that returning visitors are interested on your content while new visitors are looking for certain information thus, presenting more ads to new comers compared to regular visitors. If you want a consistent number of ads to be present to clients, this plugin may not be the best idea.
WP125
This plugin formats the banners and creats a link in HTML making this plugin more suitable for beginners. You can manage the number of partition including the number of columns that will appear on your site. There is a possibility that it will clash with the Super Cache plugin. So, a little code modification will help solve this problem.
Random / Rotating Ads
Displays ads in a rotating or random manner in any part of the site you placed it. One nice thing about this plugin is it will take any form of ad - from affiliate, banners, flash, text and others. There is no limit to the number of ads you will place.
Post Layout
It is a great plugin that can be used when you want to embed a banner ad within a post. It also allows the ad to be an opt-in form. You can also pick which part of the post you want it to appear, at the start, in the middle or even at the end of your post. There is a paid version wherein you can control the ads that will show up depending on which category you set them to. This will give you a more customize and synchronize placement of the ads and your post.
There are a lot of available plugins that can be used in managing a WordPress sidebar. The plugins that are listed below are the ones that I have used and would recommend to other people whether expert or beginners. Organizing your ads not only aids in making your website look presentable, but would also allow you to cater to more ads.
Ben is an internet marketing specialist. Spend majority of his time finding ways to optimize website and make it visible and rank better on search engines. He is expanding his knowledge in the internet marketing area by studying more about social media and social media marketing.
To get more tips on how to make your website visible to search engines, talk to the experts.
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Creating Effective Greeting Cards That Yield Good Results

Marketing is more than creating impressive products and services. It's more than offerings discounts or low prices. It's also about building relationships, showing appreciations, and telling customers how much you care for them. Remember that people often buy based on their emotions. If they don't trust you or feel good about you, they won't likely patronize your business. This is why it is important that you learn how to appreciate and build good relationships with your customers.
One good way to do that is by using greeting card printing. Greeting cards have long been the choice of business owners when it comes to communicating with their customers. But you can't just create any greeting card and assume that it is enough to convey your message to your customers and prospects. You need to think of the recipients when designing your cards. As much as possible your cards should look professional and classy. The following are tips that will help you create greeting cards that will yield the best results:
1) You need to decide on the message you want to convey to your customer or prospects. Is it to show them your appreciation, thank them for their patronage, or simply to keep in touch? The purpose of your cards will help you come up with the perfect design of your cards.
2) You need to prepare your mailing list. It should contain the correct name and contact details of the recipients. It would help to update your list regularly so you can make the necessary changes in address or contact details of your customers and prospects. This will help avoid the costly mistake of delivering your card to the wrong address or having the card sent back to you.
3) It's important that your cards look as personal as possible. A handwritten signature and message would help create the customized look and feel. If you can't write the message yourself you can hire someone to do it for you. This will ensure that people get a good impression of you feel that the card is customized to them and not part of a mass mailing. It would be easier for you to gain their trust if they feel comfortable and close to you.
4) Make sure the recipient won't be offended with your card or your message. Take time to research about your recipients. Perhaps they belong to a religious group that doesn't celebrate the holidays, so you might want to take them the list of your holiday greeting cards.
5) You can include the name of the spouse in the address of the greeting card templates. It would be best if you make them feel that both the husband and wife are part of your business.
6) Consider also using tags like Mr., Mrs., and Miss instead of just writing the name of the recipient. This will add value to your cards and make it more impressive to your recipients.
7) When you want to create holiday cards, make sure to prepare then in advance so you can mail them in time for the holiday season. It's always best if you can send your cards before and not after the occasion. This will also avoid the rush and getting your cards prepared haphazardly. If you want less hassles and get your greeting cards delivered on time, then prepare then ahead of time.
Michelle Abreu has been writing articles online for about 2 years now in a trusted printing company. You can visit this website for more practical ideas about creating custom greeting card printing online, and get your free greeting card templates carefully crafted for you.
http://EzineArticles.com/6512594

The Right Bag for an Economical and Effective Promotional Campaign

You are a business owner who is looking for a way to really promote your products. But your available budget are small that you cannot afford expensive advertising methods. Plastic bag is the right choice for you. Plastic bag is a great way to get your message into your customers' hands and heads. It is not always essential for you to be a big business owner, small retailers can provide customer with a bag as a giveaway to carry their purchases. Plastic carrier bag with large imprint area in both side to locate your brand name, logo and marketing message is perfect item to catch the notice of customers. Because promotional bags are designed very eye-catching, people often do not throw these bags away after bringing their purchases to home but they use them some more times to carry their stuff everywhere and in many other activities. From that fact, plastic bags are almost like advertising billboards that move around from place to place. So now you surely want to start your promotional bag campaign, are you? But the question is that what kind of plastic bag is the most suitable for your business. Here are some choices for you.

1. LDPE (low density polyethylene) plastic bag.

LDPE is commonly recycled and has the number "4" inside the three arrows arranged in a triangular shape as its recycling symbol. LDPE has more branching than HDPE, its tensile strength is lower, and its resilience is higher. Also, since its molecules are less tightly packed and less crystalline because of the side branches, its density is lower. Bags made of LDPE are often soft, silky and vanishing. Therefore, they can use as high quality promotional carrier bags of luxury goods like clothes, gifts, hand-watches. Therefore, if your products are premium and branded, this type of bag is a good selection for you.

2. HDPE ( high density polyethylene) plastic bag.

HDPE is commonly recycled, and has the number "2" inside the three arrows arranged in a triangular shape as its recycling symbol. Although the density of HDPE is only marginally higher than that of LDPE, HDPE has little branching, giving it stronger intermolecular forces and tensile strength than LDPE. Bag made of HDPE is the best choice for business owners who care seriously about the cost. You can use this kind of bag with color print and beautiful handle as economical promotional carrier bag, because it is cheaper than PP woven bag. Moreover, HDPE plastic bag is flexible for diverse kinds of goods because it can be produced in thinner thickness.

3. PP woven or non woven plastic bag.

Polypropylene is normally tough and flexible, especially when co-polymerized with ethylene. Polypropylene has good resistance to fatigue. Bags made of PP is thick, strong and at high melting point, compared with many other plastics. Besides, it is easy to color, which gives companies a large number of color choices. This material is also very friendly to environment because less energy is used to produce these bags than while manufacturing other tote bags. Moreover, PP woven or non woven bags are reusable. With this kind of bag, customers can wipe it clean with soap and water, let it hang out to dry in the air. Then, they can use it for other purposes.

There are only some private suggestions. To find the best promotional plastic bags for your products, you can visit the website: http://www.hanoiplasticbag.com/. Here, you can find the widest selection and lowest wholesale prices on all kinds of plastic bags in Vietnam.

http://EzineArticles.com/6500258

Van Stickers

Businesses, companies and individual workmen commonly use vans for purposes including the transporting of goods, for deliveries, for carrying tools and equipment to and from a work site and other uses. The large storage space in a van makes it a practical vehicle for these uses. A sight you will often see is a van displaying a name, a company name or a brand sticker. The purpose of this is so the company or name becomes known to as many people as possible. Sometimes a phone number or contact details and a logo are displayed alongside the company name.

These van stickers can be printed in any size, with any name, number, picture and design of your choice. Many people choose a fairly large design of sticker, so their design is clearly visible to passers by and other drivers. It can also be a good idea to make your stickers as bright and colourful as possible in order to attract attention.

You can choose from both permanent and temporary designs of van stickers; Self adhesive stickers are a permanent option. These stickers are usually made from vinyl, a hardwearing plastic material, and are fixed to your van with a long lasting sticky adhesive. For a temporary van sticker option, window cling stickers are ideal. These stickers cling to smooth surfaces including plastic, metal and glass, and do not require any adhesive to keep them in place. If you want to have the option of removing or changing your stickers, window cling stickers are the perfect choice as they are easily removable and leave no sticky residue to clean up.

Using van stickers is a cheap, easy and effective way to promote your business or product. Your van is likely to be on the move a lot of the time, as well as parked in a lot of different areas, ensuring your name is seen by a large number of people and in many different areas. In this time of economic hardship, it is advisable to promote your business as much as possible. Unlike other forms of promotion and advertising, once you have bought your van stickers, this type of advertising involves no other costs.

Van stickers are available from a number of retailers. Many companies offer a service in which they print your design in whichever material, shape and size you require, and deal with the smallest and largest of orders.

I have over 18 years experience in various capacities of marketing, customer service and event management in the public and private sectors. This has placed me into specialising in online marketing and SEO, and as part of my SEO, I write articles for my clients.

On a private level, I enjoy a healthy lifestyle, cycling, horse-riding and running. I have two teenage children and two poodles, who are my wonderful companions.

http://EzineArticles.com/6509626

How to Choose the Best Light Boxes

The key behind advertising and marketing campaigns is attracting notice to your goods and services. One of the easiest ways to reach this goal is to implement light boxes. A light panel is recognized as a wonderful alternative to conventional displays. These backlit displays brighten up dreary or old showcases with a bit of illumination. Retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters, cosmetic counters, and many other establishments attract passersby with lightboxes. The beauty behind these illuminated frames is that they are eye-catching without taking away from the overall message. They simply put a little light on the subject. These light boxes come in all the conventional picture and poster sizes for accommodating different advertisements.

Although the concept behind light boxes is very simple, there are many different choices currently available on the market. Different types of lighting technology needs to be considered, as does the user's expectation of the illuminated frame. Backlit and side-lighted technology, the type of bulb, and placement within the establishment are just a few things that need to be decided. The following is an introduction to the field that will hopefully provide some insight into the light box market.

The introduction of LED technology to illuminated panel displays has triggered a resurgence of lightboxes in retail stores and other establishments. These models feature smaller light bulbs for thinner profile displays. Some of the frames are just over one inch thick! In addition to the slim profile, LED illuminated displays last a long time without consuming very much energy. Users can leave these LED lights on for over ten years straight without needing another bulb or running up a huge electricity bill. LED lighted displays are available in many sizes, ranging from small 8-1/2" x 11" panels to large 36" x 72" poster frames. The LED lightbox brings displays ahead of the curve.

Before LED lighting technology, most lightboxes used T5 fluorescent lights. These lighting systems are a bit bulkier and do not last as long, but they also come with many benefits. This lighting system is much brighter than LED bulbs. T5 fluorescent bulbs reach LUX readings of over 3,000! This fact makes T5 light systems better for bigger lightboxes because they can disseminate better throughout the entire signage. Despite the chic nature of LED frames, T5 fluorescent lights may be the best bet when dealing with large advertisements.

After evaluating the two different bulbs, the next factor to consider is where to place these units. Lightbox technology has become a part of many different style frames that are designed for different uses. Of course, there is the regular mounting light box displays that showcase posters and pictures on the walls. There are also smaller frames for countertop use. However, some of these wall mounting models have particular uses. Restaurants and other eating establishments will place large, three panel boards above the counter to showcase a menu. Other restaurants may want to take advantage of the outdoor, exterior rated light boxes. Users can place advertisements on the outside of their building to get passersby inside. Malls, convention centers, and other places designed to accommodate large amounts of people can take advantage of floor standing. These models feature one of two purposes: advertising or directing. The advertising displays illuminate 24" x 36" posters on totem structures. The area below the poster often has some sort of design to further entice potential customers. Some may have pockets for brochures or other supplemental advertisements. The directional lightboxes are a new take on the mall directory. They feature maps that have been lighted up for easier reading. No matter where you work, there is definitely room for one or more of these units.

The final thing to ponder when buying a light box is convenience. How often do you plan on changing the advertisements that go into the frame? Conventional light panels and picture frames are fine for routine changes, but they are not the best for fast sign changes. For users that will be placing a new image into the frame somewhat frequently, a swing loading frame may be the best option. These models open with the convenience of swing door. Another option is snap frame technology. Both the swing door and the snap frame utilize front loading, so users do need to take the frame off the wall to get their new advertisement in place. Snap frames open at the edges and snap shut when the image is in place. Restaurants, who change their specials daily, may even want to consider a large LED marker board with neon markers. These boards feature many LED light options and attract customers to the newest dishes and drinks on the menu. Choose the frame style that is best for your specific needs.

Take some time to really think about how your lightbox should look and function. Choose the right one for you! No matter which style you pick, these units can increase spur of the moment purchases. It is like putting a spotlight on your company and merchandise.

Lightboxes.us.com is a specialized display shop from Displays2Go.com. Together these online manufacturers and distributors are known for their superior collection of lightboxes and accessories in their online catalogs.

http://EzineArticles.com/6514493

Marketing and Advertising Your Business in a Down Economy

As a Print Advertising Sales Consultant I get to talk to many business owners in a wide array of business categories. There are a couple of common denominators I have observed among these folks concerning business survival in "The New Economy":

Most agree that this is probably the worst business climate that they have ever experienced in the history of their careers. This is not a fabrication by our government for political purposes. Times are tough for just about everyone.When times are tough, most people either do more of what they have always did, or less.

Very rare is the case when I speak to someone who tells me- "We are analyzing the areas of our marketing plan that continue to work for us, and we are staying with those initiatives, and we are replacing the things that aren't working with some different strategies.

4 Steps to Creating a Turnover for Offensive Business Growth

Going on Offense for business survival and growth may be easier than you think, if you just focus on the following 4 steps to take right now to help you increase sales and keep them coming back for more:

Lead GenerationFrom Lead to Satisfied CustomerCustomer Retention - Increasing the Customer Life ExpectancyDynamic Referral Systems

Lead Generation

Although this is sometimes thought to be the hardest, most costly, and time consuming, it is also mandatory. No business can get out of the starting gate, much less survive without someone to talk to about how much your product or service can make they're life easier or better, or whatever it is your product or service does.

A lot of people ask the question "Should I spend all my time trying to generate leads online, or since I don't know much about internet marketing, should I just stick with what I know and use conventional advertising methods? I believe in doing both. I call it "The Cross Over Strategy". This means you use print media, radio commercials, television, billboards, newspapers- or whatever method you prefer and can afford, to take a prospect to your website, Facebook Fanpage, or whatever online method you use to capture the name and contact info of a prospect for your product or service. (If you don't yet have a website or fan page and don't know how to set these online venues up, find someone who does. This is not an option. It is a vital business investment.) Equally important, take your online prospects, (FB fans, Blog subscribers etc.) to your print advertisements, and offer some type of incentive for doing so. You could use a coupon, a survey or any number of things to get them to take your desired action. Once you have them where you can communicate with them, "Ask for the Order"

Customer Retention

Knowing how long a customer continues to be a customer, and the frequency of purchase of that customer, is one the most important functions of survival a business owner can take, yet one of the least practiced. In addition, it is astonishing how many businesses don't even have a data base of customers who have already bought from them.

If you don't have a data base of past, present, and prospective customers, do this step first. Start now. This could be the difference between business survival, or business failure. It can be as easy as creating an Excel spread sheet and just tracking customer names and contact information (the more info,the better, ie:phone number, email, sex, age,) the purchased item, the price of the purchase, the date purchased. Having a list of information about your customer with accurate contact information, allows you to invite them back to look at what new products or services you have that they might be interested in purchasing. You can also offer them V.I.P. discounts. The list is limitless, but the ability to stay in contact with people who have already bought from you, gives you the opportunity to improve the life expectancy of your customer and increase sales geometrically.

Dynamic Referral Systems

Remember that database you built of past, present, and prospective customers? Now that you have it, you can offer those fine folks great incentives to tell their friends to buy from you too. If you are going above and beyond what is expected in Customer Service (the way every business should anyway) your satisfied customers will go out of their way to tell their friends and family how great you are. Everybody knows "Word of Mouth Advertising" is the cheapest, most valuable, most powerful, and longest lasting type of advertising you can ever get. How much more powerful would it be to offer your customer (who you've already made a raving fan out of by treating them like royalty with superior Customer Service) a 10% or 20% discount on their next purchase, just for having a friend come in and buy from you? Very Powerful! It could almost give you a continuous flow of new customers for life.

These ideas may seem basic and old in age, but I guarantee that if you focused on these three areas, implemented strategies around them, and spent the next 30 days practicing those strategies, you not only will create the turnover you need to go from Defense to Offense, but you will be scoring new customers, increasing sales, and improving business for many years to come.

http://EzineArticles.com/6501179

How to Rent Billboard Space in a Recession

Advertisers are the same as you and me - they just want to make money. As long as you do not lose sight of that fact, you can rent almost any billboard. But it's all about dollars and cents.

Select Who Can Gain From Advertising On Your Billboard

Not all advertisers are created equal. Some are better candidates for your billboard than others. There are two key criteria in judging the best advertising candidates: 1) geographic proximity and 2) profitability per sale. Let's go over each of these.

The two most powerful words on a billboard are "Exit Now". This is the biggest strength of a billboard - to allow you to use it as a point-of-purchase weapon to get people to get off the road and go to the business. No other form of advertising can do this; not newspaper, radio or television. So the most likely advertisers are those that are indeed at the exit nearest the sign, or maybe the "Next Exit" down the road. A business that is 10 miles from the billboard would certainly not be well-positioned to utilize it.

Not all advertisers also make the same profit on each sale of their goods or services. For example, a motel that charges $100 per night probably makes the full $100 in profit, since their costs for renting that extra room are zero. They already have a maid, hotel clerk, etc. on staff. That's why motels are great advertisers - they can make money off the billboard with just a few customers per month. Add in the "Exit Now" motel slogan, and you've got a winner. Other businesses with high profit margins are car dealers, home builders and the like. Would a hobby shop be a good candidate? Hardly. The sale of one toy train might be $40 with a profit of $10 - it takes a lot of sales to pay for that sign.

Look for Programs to Reduce Cost Further to the Advertiser

Many advertisers have funding available through "coop" programs in which product manufacturers will pay a portion of the billboard (often 50%) if they put their logo in the ad. Learn about these programs and let advertisers know about them.

Also, it might be possible for two advertisers to share a billboard and split the cost 50/50. I just drove by a billboard that featured a Wendy's and a Shell Gas Station. They have a common exit and are sharing the cost of the sign. That's a great way to do it.

Only Use Great Creative

Don't ever let an advertiser put up boring, hard to read copy on the billboard. They won't sell anything and will be very unhappy. In today's world of printed vinyl, the advertisement should feature an attractive graphic or photo, bold copy with contrasting colors, and a strong message.

There are several national companies that print vinyls, who will handle the design for you for only $50 to $100. Take them up on this offer.

It's All About the Price

Anyone will advertise on a billboard for free. So it's a given that every advertiser will rent the sign if the cost is right - it's all about the price. So really, you're not selling the concept of a billboard as much as acting as a broker to locate the best advertiser with the best price for the sign.

The key here is to talk to the advertisers on what price would work for them, and keep notes on what the offers are. At the end of the day, you want to have offers from a handful of different advertisers. If you do not get offers, you are not trying hard enough. One of my slogans is "what do I have to do to get you on that billboard?" Many advertisers think the sign costs a lot more than it does, or that you're not negotiable. A smart billboard owner is far from stubborn.

Conclusion

Every billboard has an advertiser that was just meant for it. Find those advertisers, help them make money with the billboard, and you'll stay full in recessi

Frank Rolfe is the author of the book; Big Bucks From Big Signs and just recently finished a new series on how to succeed and make money in the Billboard Business. A series of 6 one hour tele-seminars to teach you about the Outdoor Advertising Industry is available on our site.

Rolfe started his billboard empire from his coffee table, as a fresh graduate from Stanford University. It began as a resume builder for graduate school applications, and ended with a sale to a public company 14 years later.

Using unique strategies he developed from desperate competition with much larger adversaries, Rolfe eventually owned more billboard units than any private individual in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Along the way, he fine-tuned the techniques to find billboard locations, rent advertising space, and sell signs and leases.

http://EzineArticles.com/6512401

How Personalised Hoodies Can Make a Difference to Your Business

If you are thinking of means to promote your business, you can use personalised hoodies to do the job for you. With these products you will be able to reach a huge number of audiences in no time without too much effort. Hoodies that are custom printed are great to let the community identify your logo or corporate message as the items catch every person's attention. The chance and excitement of walking around with your company's name on your shirt is limitless.

To make your hoodies very captivating to the eyes of your audience you may want to come with something that has many colors and varying designs and styles, the choice is yours. Say, younger clients are likely to be attracted to bold and colorful texts while the older group of clients are likely to love earth tone and straight colors. Personalised hoodies are in fact useful to keep a person warm or as an outfit for a certain activity. Attractive hoodies tend to be liked most by users as they will look not just an ordinary corporate giveaway but something that they could be proud of wearing.

When doing your promotional activity, it is important to hold the event in crowded areas so you will have a greater chance of getting more of your targeted audience. You can purchase personalised hoodies in bulk to save some bucks, making sure that you will not run out of your budget. When it comes to promotions, these hoodies are a sure way to deliver your message to everyone.

Apart from using personalised hoodies for personal use, these items can also be used during non-profit fundraising, service and product launches, marketing research and incentive programs. By giving out personalized audience, you are telling your audience that it is a part of your business to think of what your customer need and you are willing to do what you can to give them happiness.

Moreover, personalised hoodies can also be perfect reward for employees and clients. Receiving these items will allow them to feel that their effort and participation are truly appreciated. So when you are holding an incentive program, it makes sense to include customized hoodies as one of your prizes. These items can be brought along by the recipients wherever they go which means a farther reach of your promotion. These items are more valuable and lasting compared to trophies and cash vouchers. They may cost a bit of investment, but their worth is more than just a mere gift but a show of appreciation and value.

http://EzineArticles.com/6509493

Ad Placement Ideas To Get You To Earn Some Extra Income

Ad placement on your website can be the difference between earning a respectable income or having a site that fails to bring you any money. While there are many different beliefs on ad placement, and all may be legitimate, I'm going to show you where to put your ads to effectively monetize your site.

There are many different ways to have your website set up. The more common ways to have it set up is to have the article body on the left with your navigation panel on the right hand side, or the opposite... the article body on the right hand side with the navigation panel on the left. This may surprise you, but effective ad placement is a little different for each one, and are also different between your home page and interior pages.

For your home page with a left-handed navigation panel, you should:
Have a leaderboard image ad that is approximately 728X90 at the top of page, before the content. This brings a higher clickthrough rate, or CTR, and also a higher brand value.
Put another leaderboard ad that is approximately 728X90 either in the middle or at the end of your page content. This will depend solely on the length of the page, as you don't want to put an ad in the middle of the page if there is only a few lines of content on either side of the ad.
Place a wide skyscraper ad that is approximately 160X600, set to display both text and image ads, underneath the navigation panel which will be on the left hand side of the screen.

For your home page with a right-handed navigation panel, you should:
Also put a leaderboard image ad that is approximately 728X90 at the top of your page, exactly like the left-handed navigation panel setup.
Have two medium rectangle ads that are approximately 300X250 underneath the main navigation panel (which could be your categories, etc.), and one at the bottom of the bar (which could be under the archives, etc.). These will help to direct your readers' eyes in that direction with the hopes of them clicking on one of your ads.

Interior pages are usually set up similar to your home page, but the ad placement will be a little different. Here are the recommended ways to set up your ads on the interior pages of your site.

For interior pages with a left-handed navigation panel, you should:
Place a wide skyscraper ad unit that is approximately 160X600 and set to show both text and image ads directly under the navigation bar.
Embed a large rectangle ad that is approximately 336X280 directly in your content post. You should configure this ad unit so that it is in the upper left-hand side of the article, with the main content wrapping around the ad.
Put another large rectangle ad, approximately 336X280, right under the blog post. You will want to center this one, and it will go between the article and the comments section of your page.

For interior pages with a right-handed navigation panel, you should:
Embed a large rectangle ad that is approximately 336X280 inside of your article in the upper right hand corner, with the main article content wrapping around it.
Place another large rectangle ad that is approximately 336X280 after your article. This one will also be centered and before the comments section of the page.
Put a medium rectangle ad that is approximately 300X250 and set to display both text and image ads below the navigation bar on the right side of the screen. This should be at the bottom portion of the top half of your screen so that it can be easily seen by someone reading the article.

Making money online can be easy if you know how to monetize your site with advertising. More importantly, ad placement is key to bringing you the most money possible from your website. Visit us at http://www.earnsomeextraincome.com/ to learn more about how to earn some extra income.

http://EzineArticles.com/6493023

What You Need To Know To Create Adverts That Work

Many people have the perception that advertising is about building a brand. General thinking is that if you have a great product then all you have to do is get your name out there, and people will buy your product. Many adverts have the company name, show a few features of the product and maybe provide contact details. But that's where it ends. There is no call to action. If you think about it, that characterizes most of the adverts that you see out there. This type of advertising is fine if you are a large corporate with lots of money. But smaller businesses don't have that luxury. Your advertising needs to work for you.

How to Make Every Cent Count

In business people often learn how to create great products and how to perfect their service levels. There is a lot of emphasis on systems and management. Now these are all good things, but if you want your business to grow you have to learn how to market it better. Generic brand building advertising requires a lot of exposure. People need to see your advert and brand name repeatedly before they may consider purchasing your product. This strategy requires you to spend a lot of money initially without seeing any kind of return. Most small or medium sized business can't afford that type of strategy; you need every cent you spend on advertising to work for you and bring your new business. The only way you can achieve this is to be very smart and focussed in your efforts. Here are some tips:

Know how your clients find you. It's simple to ask: "Where did you hear about us?" or "Did someone refer you to us?" You may think your clients find you in the yellow pages but actually someone mentioned your name and they've simply looked your number up in the yellow pages. When you know where your clients are looking for you, you can focus your efforts in that area.
Know the lifetime value of your customers. In this way you can calculate if your advertising is working for you. If, for example, an advert costs you £1,000 a month and your average customer spends £200 with you, then you know you need to get at least five new customers from that advert every month.
Test and monitor your adverts. Before committing a large budget to a project, test the advert on a smaller scale. An advert may bring you lots of enquiries, but it may not bring you any sales. You won't know this unless you carefully monitor your adverts and the amount of sales they bring in directly. A lot of the time it is trial and error, so experiment with different types of adverts and mediums.
Have a clear call to action. Your advert shouldn't just tell people about your products or services, it should make them want to buy them. Work on communicating your sales message and making an irresistible offer to your customers. This way, when they see the advert, they want to buy from you.

If you are using referral programs and customer incentives, then you are already ahead in the marketing game. Adverts certainly have their place and can attract new customers. But small businesses especially need to carefully consider what advertising mediums will work best. Most important, keep a strong focus on the outcomes you want to achieve. That will ensure that you make wise investments in adverts that work for you.

Melina Abbott helps small business owners get new customers and more sales. You can download her popular free bulletin - How to Attract New Customers in 7 Easy Steps - at http://www.businessbyresults.com/free-marketing-resource/

http://EzineArticles.com/6508716

Give Your Business a Difference With Promotional Jackets

Usually, promotional jackets have been used as corporate giveaways during holidays. This could be due to the mere fact these are best to be worn in winter time. Also, these promotional items come in different colors, designs and styles and could just be put on simply.

You can just imagine how much gladness an employee or customer will have when you give a fashionable promotional jacket. This could be a good chance for you to promote your company not only to the person you gave the jacket to but also to the people who will look at the person wearing the jacket. Your opportunity definitely has no limit. However, since this promotional product is not as cheap as your common promotional torches and pens, you have to take into account their impact on your clients to make your investment worth.

Promotional jackets may have higher market cost as they are hard to manufacture. But the best thing about them is that you will make your recipient feel that they are valued. In return, you will have good chances of getting support and patronage to your product and services. These jackets can generate a statement if perfectly matched with other good accessories. They are items that most companies use to speed up brand creation.

Promotional jackets are made durable to stand any fashion trends and generation. Like T-shirts, they can be imprinted with corporate messages, logo and artwork that the society can see once sported. A lot of jackets are used by people every day. They can stand out in a mob by laying out a particular design of your choice that would really catch attention.

You can always customize your promotional jackets to come up with one that is catered to your taste and requirement. If you are the kind who wants a well-designed jacket that can be unique for your company, this is always possible with the availability of customization services in the market nowadays. You can check on specialty shops to do the job for you. Just make sure to prepare a layout of the design that you want to be followed. You can use computer graphic software for this so you can come up with an effortless blueprint draft. It makes sense to save it in PDF so it will always be possible to edit it when you want to make some changes.

Jackets are regarded as a major commodity that is why you can see a lot of people wearing them across the globe. Choosing them as promotional products for your company would make a difference to your business.

If you need high quality promotional jackets and other promotional items, visit us at http://www.promotionalproductssupplier.com.au/.

http://EzineArticles.com/6511628

How Does The Online Banner Advertising Strategy Work?

If you have spent a great deal of time surfing the Internet, then you may have seen thousands of customized web banner designs. These small rectangular ads appear on web pages and vary in appearance and design. No matter how they different they appear, they all share the same function- if a user clicks on them, the browser takes them to the advertiser's site.

Today, you can find an internet marketing solution firm that offers banner advertising as part of their online marketing package.

What is a banner ad?
This is a special hyperlink text that is displayed on a box with graphics, visual elements and other forms of animation. There are plenty of banner ads today ranging from ads promoting beauty products to electronic gadgets.

Because of its graphic content, this is similar to that of traditional ads that are printed on magazines and newspapers with the added functionality of bringing consumers directly into the advertiser's site. This is more like touching a printed ad and then being teleported into the seller's store. It also differs from printed ads in terms of capability. It is situated in one place of a page, just like a newspaper ad, but can be showcase different images, animation and change appearance from time to time.

The Purpose of Banner Ads
There general purpose to generate more traffic to the site and increase revenue. There are several ways for a banner ad to be successful.

1). Click throughs. This refers to the number of visitors who click on the banner ad link that will bring them to the advertiser's website. Most publisher sites sell ads spaces on a pay per click basis.

2). Page views. Also referred to as page impressions, this refers to the number of times a specific web page has is requested from the server. Most advertisers are interested in page views because they will show the number of people who have seen a banner ad. Although they don't efficiently measure the success of a branding campaign, they show how many users are exposed to it. The most popular way to sell banner ad space is CPM or cost per thousand impressions.

3). Click through rate or CTR. This refers to the ratio of page views to clicks. It is often expressed as the percentage of visitors who clicked through the ad. The typical CTR is less than one percent.

4). Cost per sale. This is the measure of how much money is spent on a single sale. Advertisers use a lot of ways to come up with this value, depending on their product or service. Many advertisers monitor visitor activity with Internet cookies. This technology allows the site to integrate shopping history with information on how the user was routed to the site.

Customized web banner designs are great way for you to attract more traffic to your business site. Find a reputable internet marketing solution firm for your banner advertising campaign.

http://EzineArticles.com/6502730

How to Create an Incredible Greeting Card on Your Own

Marketing gurus recommend that you hire a professional to create your greeting cards. But if you have the time and want to create incredible and impressive handmade greeting card printing, you can always do so. All you need to think about is creating the best plan, making use of the right tools, and giving enough time to your project. If you got all that ready, then you are sure to create the best greeting cards you can ever have. Here's what you need to do to ensure your handmade greeting cards come out the best way you want them to be:

1- First of all, you need to consider if you have the skill to create your card on your own. You might be great in creating handmade materials, but do you really have what it takes to create impressive greeting cards? If you know you have the skill, then go ahead and design your own cards. Show off your skill.

2- You need to also think of the interest of your customers and prospects. Would they appreciate a handmade card? Will they be pleased that you took time to create your own cards? Will your cards bring a smile to their face?

3- The type of materials you will use is also an important consideration. Will you be using special materials that will likely cost you a lot? If yes, then you need to look for other materials that won't cost more but will give you the same result. You can always look at your workbox to see if you have materials that will help you create the best greeting cards you can ever create.

4- How big will your card be? You need to think of the size of your card. Would you like a standard sized card or a big card to draw attention more easily? The size would, of course, be related to the cost.

5- Do you think you have the time to invest in creating your greeting cards on your own? If it won't affect your other activities, then do ahead. Your time is yours alone to use, so you know best if you can commit to the project to finish it on time. It would be best if you set a deadline so you can work around that time limit and get your cards ready on time.

6- Be sure to plan ahead so you know the progress of your project. Think of the materials you will use, the colors to incorporate in the greeting card templates, and the message to convey. This will save you time and make sure your cards look exactly like you want them to be.

7- Make sure to add a personal message in your cards so your recipients can better relate to it. You can handwrite your message to make it look like the card is not part of a mass mailing. This will increase the chance of people reading your card and keeping it.

8- If you want to use an envelope in mailing the cards, be sure to create an equally impressive handmade design. This will surely make your card look impressive and stand out against the other mail in the box.

9- Be sure to extend genuine love and care in designed your greeting cards so people will feel it and be more comfortable with doing business with you.

Michelle Abreu has been writing articles online for about 2 years now in a trusted printing company. You can visit this website for more practical ideas about creating custom greeting card printing online, and get your free greeting card templates carefully crafted for you.

http://EzineArticles.com/6512617

How to Use Promotional Golf Gifts to Promote Your Business

The use of promotional golf gifts can help to promote your business in a number of ways, from offering them as prizes in competitions, free gifts with purchases of other products in your store and by offering your endorsement to the free gift's manufacturer can help raise the awareness of your brand or business locally.

Whichever promotional technique you use, this type marketing can be a rewarding way of spreading the word about your business, as by achieving extra exposure you have the potential for an increased level of sales.

Competition Prize Draws

A good way of gaining exposure about your brand or retail store on a local scale is by holding a prize draw competition where people have to buy something from your store to be entitled an entry into the prize draw. If you run a sports or golf related business then by offering promotional golf gifts as prizes you are not only showing your generosity to your customers, but you are also showing that you back new golf related goods by featuring them in your marketing campaigns.

Product Free Gifts

If you choose to offer promotional golf gifts as freebies with the purchase of larger more expensive items in your store then you are attracting attention to possible difficult to sell items by rewarding would be customers with something free and you are helping to promote your brand. A lot of how effective this type of promotion is will be down to what kind of free golf gift you offer as part of the deal.

Gaging How Much to Give Away

A low value item may be good news for you as you won't lose much revenue giving things away but you may find you get less interest and if it's too high a value item you may find the benefits of a minimal increase in sales does not cover the cost of the freebies you've given away. So planning the correct strategy is vital for success in giving freebies away to try to promote sales.

Product Endorsement

If you want to raise the exposure of your business within your market sector both locally to a store or nationally you may consider testing, reviewing and endorsing related product lines to what you sell and even offering your product opinions to product manufacturers as testimonials. This not only gets your business name circulation as they may show your testimonial on their website or advertising campaigns but you may be able to agree joint marketing strategies with manufacturers which help promote you both.

An example of this is they want you to showcase a large display of their products in your store and as an incentive to you may offer you a discounted trade price for stock so you benefits from the additional sales produced. This may be something you are able to employ in different areas of your product lines across your store or you may not have floor space.

Of course if space is limited there may be different avenues you may wish to consider such as window displays or posters in the windows of your store. If you get involved with the testing of products from the manufacturer regularly they may even feature your logo branding in their advertising campaigns, spreading your brand further.

Event Sponsorship

For further industry focussed exposure and if the budget is available you may wish to sponsor a local golfing event and have a presence at the event with a stand advertising your golfing business offering promotional golf gifts. This type of business promotion can be a good way of getting exposure for your business if you can sell products at the event and are able to make back the sponsorship investment in sales and increased revenue from sales through your high street store or indeed website.

This kind of marketing is typically used by larger retail organisations who have several large stores and for whom the investment in the way of event sponsorship is more affordable, so it's not a strategy which is ideally suited to small business owners.

Gain extra exposure and sales for your business by offering promotional golf gifts as part of in store deals and prize draw competitions. ProLiner Golf offer golf gifts for men, women and children.

http://EzineArticles.com/6513771

Getting Started With Greeting Card Printing

When you want the easiest and quickest way to promote your business and the products or services you offer, the best way to do that is through marketing. A good marketing campaign will let people know about your business and patronize your offerings. This in turn will boost your sales and profits. With today's tough market condition, it becomes more and more important to come up with an effective marketing campaign that will tell people about your business.

There are plenty of ways you can promote your business today. You can go for online marketing which is the latest trend today or if most of your target customers don't use the internet often, you can go for traditional printed materials. Despite being an old school strategy, printed marketing materials still prove to be an effective tool today.

If you are short on budget, a good material to invest in is greeting cards. Greeting card printing has long been used by businesses when it comes to keeping in touch with their customers. Because you need to build good relationship with your customers and send them constant reminder about your business, a greeting card will let you do that cost effectively. You can send them a card to express your appreciation or to simply keep in touch with them.

With the innovations in technology today, it would be so much easier for you to create your cards. With a minimal investment, you can get started with your print job and get to test the efficiency of your materials. If want to get started in your own greeting cards today, here are some pointers you need to know:

1 - Pick the right layout. It is vital that you pick the right layout that will fit your business. There are plenty of formats you can choose from today from funny to serious and businesslike. The more appropriate the layout is the better you will communicate your message.

2 - Choose a good image. This refers to the visual elements that you will incorporate in your greeting card templates. It is vital that you pick an image that will let your express your message in the most appropriate manner. It can either be your own artwork or an image taken by a professional photographer. Make sure that you use high resolution images to make sure that your card look as visually impressive as possible.

3 - Create a good copy. You need to come up with a catchy and interesting copy to make sure that people remember you. It can be a phrase or punch line that will make sure your customers don't forget about you. This will help you communicate your message effectively while trying to stay memorable to your customers.

4 - Use vivid colors. Colors will help you grab people's attention. It will make sure that your card looks as impressive as possible. People will surely take a look at your card and even display it if the design is exceptionally impressive. Be sure though that you pick the right colors that will fit the image and message you want to convey to your customers.

It would be best if you let a reliable printing company print your cards for you. This way you are assured that your cards will look great. With the right printer and the best printing technique, you can be sure to achieve the best and most professional looking greeting cards for your business.

Martha Killian has been writing articles online for about 2 years now in a trusted printing company. You can visit this website for more practical ideas about creating custom greeting card printing online, and get your free greeting card templates carefully crafted for you.

http://EzineArticles.com/6513791

Uniqueness Is the Key to Effective Business Cards

Although a lot of businesses are taking advantage of online marketing today, it is still important not to take traditional marketing for granted. There are still customers who prefer the old method of receiving ads so it is to your best interest to take advantage of these materials.

When it comes to traditional materials, the best thing you can have is business card printing. Believe it or not, business cards are still important these days. They are simple to produce and can give your customers and prospects instant access to your contact details. But with the stiff competition in the market these days, a generic looking card would not suffice. It's important that you create impressive card that will let your stand out against the crowd.

If your card's design is impressive, people will pick it out even if it is placed next to other business cards. It will also give you a good and lasting impression. You need not worry of wasting your investment as you can be sure that your card will be noticed and kept.

Here are some pointers to help you come up with the most exquisite and unique looking business cards:

1 - Don't forget to put your tag line in your cards. Your tag line will be the simple statement what will tell people how impressive your business is. It would be a lot easier for you to draw attention to your business if you have a catchy and benefit-laden tag line. As much as it can give your business a unique look, a tag line can also give you a lasting impression.

2 - Make use of colors. Color printing gives your cards a vibrant and catchy look. Make use of full color printing to offer a unique appeal to your cards. It would be best to understand the meaning behind each color first to make sure that you are picking the right color in the palette. You can also talk to your designer or printer on which color to pick. They can give you advice on which will look best in your card.

3 - As much as possible stay away from using business card templates. There's nothing wrong with using a template but that won't give you a unique looking business card. If you don't want your cards to look plain and boring, then it would be best to create your own custom design. Hire a graphic designer is you don't know how to create your own custom design. They have the skill and tool necessary to come up with a great custom design.

4 - Work with a professional printing company. Most business owners today choose to work with a printer than sacrificing the look of their cards in printing them on their own. You might want to do the same to guarantee that your cards will look professional, impressive, and compelling. A professional printer knows the right design, size, color, and style best for you business. They will ensure that you cards look their best.

A unique and well designed business card will bring your business to new heights. So be sure to create only the best design for your cards. Your best bet is to get the professional service of a designer and printer. They will ensure that you reap good rewards from your investment.

Martha Killian has been writing articles online for about 2 years now in a trusted printing company. You can visit this website for more information about online cheap business card printing, and watch out for more free and eye catching business card templates custom made for your taste.

http://EzineArticles.com/6508933

Some Tips on Various Meaningful Utilities of Vinyl Lettering

These days, you can see vinyl lettering everywhere. You can see them on vehicles, windows, storefronts, door front, gates; in short, they have become unavoidable in our day-to-day life. However, many people still do not know how to use them meaningfully. The reason behind this can be many. One of them is, certainly, your sloppy approach towards them. If you use them for many purposes, why don't you be a little careful about making it faultless? If you put a little more effort in designing and applying these vinyl lettering, you can successfully fulfill your purposes, no matter how demanding it is!

For instance, if you are intended to utilize them for a business advertisement, you cannot use them just like that! You need to design them professionally and have to take professional help if you are unable to do so. Perfection is required from designing to applying them so that one can find the difference of good advertising. In fact, several business firms are utilizing vinyl lettering for their advertising. They can be used in the vehicle body, on shop front glasses, on banners, on walls and on many other outdoor areas where the advertisement gets noticed by the public.

Well, when you use them on vehicle, it should be more apparent. Don't make them clumsy or smaller because it is viewed while the vehicle is on a motion. If it has done with well designed and lucid manner, it will be read easily. Make sure that your design is simple but distinguished. The font type and size should be effective so that it grabs the eyeballs around. It is sure that a vehicle advertisement is read by many because of its peculiar nature. When it is on street road, many people watch it casually or carefully. And, you gain what you exactly deserve!.

If it is for the shop front glass, you know it requires real tricky wordings. It is all about selling your product smartly so you emphasize more on your ad word. However, you can always be creative in designing it with fashionable fonts and shades. Let it not be so simple because this art work is specially made for impressing people instantaneously. And in another case, you can put them as a banner and can place out in a crowded area which really helps in popularizing your brand name. It can be a mixture of vinyl lettering and the logos and images. It works really well on banner as an outdoor marketing tool.

Wherever you choose for placing your advertisement, make sure that you have found out the quality vinyl lettering which you get at affordable prices. The vinyl market is upbeat and you can bargain for the best ones!

Nishant Shah loves to write on banners and letters. Vinyl Lettering has many utility than one and has been widely used for promotional campaign. To find out an exclusive range of Vinyl Lettering and Custom Signs visit http://www.bannerbuzz.com/.

http://EzineArticles.com/6500246

Some Great Ways to Get Free Publicity

While a great many businesses have an advertising budget and spend large amounts of money to promote their businesses, this is not the only way to get the public interested in what you are selling. Sometimes, the most effective ways to get publicity don't cost a lot- they just require some creativity and a sense of humor. Here are some things you can consider to generate free publicity for your business.

Press Releases

The press release is one of the oldest publicity tools that are seeing a new life on the Internet. Even though you can spend a lot of money on services that will distribute your press releases online, there are also several services that will do a good job for free. In addition, the usual outlets for press releases- newspapers, magazines, television and radio- remain great ways to generate publicity, especially in your local area.

Gimmicks

Gimmicks are another way to generate interest. If you have something associated with your business that is unusual or funny, it can get a lot of people to look your way, even if they're not interested in your product at first glance. Who would have thought a pink rabbit could sell batteries, or a gecko would be a great promoter of car insurance? There is a California chicken restaurant that rarely advertises, but is recognized all over the Los Angeles area by its funny cartoon chicken mascot.

Organizing Events

Organizing an event is another way to generate publicity. You might be tempted to spend a lot of money on promoting something glitzy and high-profile, but setting up something as simple as a picnic or bicycle race can call a lot of attention to your business. People are a lot more likely to regard you favorably if they associate your name with having a good time.

Using Social Media

The Internet provides a variety of ways to get free publicity. If you are adept at using Twitter, you might be able to make your business name very prominent. This requires time rather than money. Likewise, if you can put together a funny YouTube video that goes viral, you can put your company name in front of millions in a very short period of time.

If you can think outside the box and use your creativity, you can probably come up with even more ways to get free publicity. Try to be original and appeal to the public's sense of fun, and you might generate a lot of business without spending a dime.

Making the right business decisions is of the utmost importance for running your business with success. To find out more visit http://www.businesswithsuccess.com/.

http://EzineArticles.com/6493756

What Are The Basics Of Commercial Printing?

Do you know what commercial printing is? Would you care to know about what a commercial printer and what a commercial printing company actually does?

You may have never heard about these terms before, especially if you are just concerned with the paper you read every day and the glossy magazine you subscribe to monthly. While the terms above may sound foreign, these are actually related to everything printed around your house or office. Yes, you are surrounded with printed materials. It starts with your morning paper, continues with the receipts you encounter, the packaging of foodstuff at the grocery, the labels on your toiletries, and ends with the book that you read at night.

So now that the introduction got you interested, what in essence is commercial printing? Well, it is the process of transferring a piece of artwork or a sheet of text or pretty much everything else onto another material. The other material could be paper and other flat materials like wood, board, or even metal. Additionally, more printers can now print on corrugated boards and metals as well as textured wood.

The most common service that you can find in many commercial printing companies is the offset printing. The offset press machine transfers four colors, namely, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, from the main layout to the material where it is supposed to be reproduced. This system employs a color separator that creates four negatives for the four different colors. These negatives are transferred onto an aluminum plate and these plates are loaded in the offset machine, along with the ink and paper. After some adjustments, it will then just run the paper and the images will already be printed on it. Modern machines are also responsible for cutting the paper after printing into cut sizes ready for binding or other finishing procedures.

While the CMYK printing is fairly simple in that it just divides any image into the four colors, it still used until now. The only difference perhaps is that now, the newer methods are faster, more convenient, and can turn out sharper images. Kudos to the inventor of CMYK printing! After all the pages have been run, these are then passed on to the finishing department that will in turn handle all the finishing requirements of the client, such as, but not limited to collating, binding, laminating, stamping, or die-cutting. Another team handles these processes. After all these have been done, the materials are then packed either for local delivery or for shipping. When the prints need to be shipped, they are packed differently in order to protect them from damages while in transit.

The process of commercial printing is just complicated in the sense that many machines and people are involved in the operations - starting from when a client walks in and asks for a printing job quote. A commercial printing company does not only insure that its commercial printer unit is well oiled and working efficiently, the entire operations should work hand in hand in order to make things work efficiently. The client does not know the technicalities and politics behind the company of a commercial printer. All they are concerned about is the finished material. The truth is that it takes so much work in order that printed materials can get into our hands.

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in commercial printing technologies by commercial printers that help businesses in their marketing and advertising campaigns.

http://EzineArticles.com/6513040

Pump Up the Holidays With Unique Marketing Efforts

The common trend of businesses around the holiday season is to send gift certificates to their loyal customers and even prospects. There's nothing wrong with doing this marketing strategy, but because everyone else is likely to be doing this strategy, you need to be more creative and stand out from the crowd. How do you do this? Here are some strategies you can do:

1- For your existing customers -

a. You can send out greeting card printing weeks before the holiday season. This will help get your name in front of your customers. They will remember you the next time you send your marketing materials or when the holiday season comes and they need to buy gifts for friends and family.

b. You can send a coupon which they can share to their friends, family, or colleagues. A huge incentive awaits the giver of the referrer. This will help get new customers while keeping the old ones.

c. You can send out articles about gift ideas. Your customers don't need to think of the perfect gift for their friends and family. You have already done the job for them. This would surely encourage them to check out what gifts you have prepared for their friends or family.

2- If what you want if to promote brand awareness -

a. You can print cards that contain your business name, logo, and an enticing promo, perhaps a free coffee or anything that will draw people to your store. Give it to random people on the street. This will surely start a buzz about your business and encourage recipients to spread the word.

b. Partner with other businesses. Say, if you sell clothes, you can partner with shoe stores or jewelry stores. Explain to them how then can benefit from the partnership. You can recommend their store to your customers if they are looking for the perfect shoe or jewelry to match their dress. Cross marketing can benefit you both, so be sure to find the perfect business to partner with.

c. Take advantage of events to introduce your business. For example, you can organize a local fundraising event. Create invitations or greeting card templates that tell people about the event. Provide foods and entertainment. In return as people to donate old toys, clothes, or anything that you can use. Get everyone involved and it can turn out to be a successful event.

3- If you want to make it rewarding for customers to shop on your store -

a. Creating unusual products or offerings. You can tie together two of your best products in one holiday gift basket. You can also offer astounding discounts for a limited period of time. Anything unusual and creative will attract attention and interest.

b. Sort your products based on their price. This will make it easier for people on a budget to shop on your store.

c. Include free samples in your products. For instance, you can include energy bars or nutritional supplements with your best selling products. Free items are always enticing, so considering providing some freebies this holiday.

d. A punch card is also a good option. You can give out punch card for ten energy bars, five discounted consultations, or many others. People have to simple present the card every time they will avail of the item.

Martha Killian has been writing articles online for about 2 years now in a trusted printing company. You can also visit this website for more practical ideas about creating custom greeting card printing online, and get your free greeting card templates carefully crafted for you.

http://EzineArticles.com/6508938

Advertising's Nasty Four-Letter Word

Back in the good old days when parents actually corrected their children's behavior, your mother might wash your mouth out with soap if you used certain four-letter words. Today, you should do the same to whomever writes your advertising (even if that's you) if your ads contain the most offensive four-letter word in advertising, "have."

It's scary how often we hear this terrible, nasty word. "We have name brand merchandise." "We have friendly, knowledgeable personnel." "We have the latest equipment." "We have everything from soup to nuts." You don't need to look very far to see how prevalent the "have" approach is in retail (and other) advertising. Newspaper ads tell readers what the store has with pictures of items with prices next to them. TV spots show pictures of items with prices superimposed on them and an announcer telling the viewer what they are seeing. Radio commercials do the same without the pictures.

Why is it a bad practice to tell the customer what you have? Because that takes up expensive space and time that could be put to much better use giving the customer a reason to do business with you. Good ads don't tell the customer what you have. Instead, they answer the key question, "What's in it for me?" That's an important distinction to make when every advertising dollar needs to produce maximum results. The lack of worthwhile information in advertising is one of the main reasons people tune it out and why so much advertising doesn't produce results. When customers stop listening to your advertising, it's money down the drain.

Learning how to demonstrate product benefits instead of features is one of the most important skills a salesperson can master. The same holds true for good advertising. A benefit is something that satisfies one or more of the customer's needs. A feature is simply a component of the product. People don't buy features and products; they buy benefits.

Keep in mind that prices in your ads are nothing more than features of the items you're selling. And like other features, prices don't mean much out of context. So the same principle holds true: Don't just tell the customer how much it costs; tell them what benefit that price delivers. Instead of saying "All gloves are 50% off," tell the customer to "Buy two for the price of one." Or, even better, "Protect your hands two times for the price of once."

There are two exceptions to the "have" rule. The first is when you want to announce something new or exclusive-and even then a benefit should be included. The second exception is in the print or online Yellow Pages. Customers usually use this medium to find specific items, so you do need to tell them you have what they're looking for. These customers are generally knowledgeable about what they need and want--they're just looking for a source. That's also why it's a good idea to spread your listings among many headings--you increase the chance of reaching someone looking for a specific type of product or service.

Communications expert Dorothy Leeds says that every customer listens to their own personal radio station, called WII-FM. That stands for "What's In It For Me." Good advertising is like a song that gets played often on that radio station. So stop using that four letter word "have" and start telling the customer what you're going to do for them. Give them a reason to get in their SUV, drive to your shop, and open their wallet. Tell them how they will benefit from doing business with YOU.

Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, hiring, firing, and motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

http://EzineArticles.com/6512317

Are Horizontal or Vertical Banners Better for Your Website?

Straight from the point, this seems like a silly question. You might have set up a fantastic horizontal banner that just grabs the attention of your advisory committee and you know that you have it pegged down. You have the banner down and you know it will be a firecracker of advertising. Have you really thought about it? If you spend some time looking through various companies' banner placement, you find that much of it is horizontal. It seems to make sense. After all, the American eye reads from left to right on a horizontal plane! What better way to place a banner. Banner advertising is not that simple, though.

Over the years, and I can't tell you how many years because it just doesn't matter, the general viewer's attention ignores horizontal placement of ads often. Of course, it works sometimes, particularly if the client truly wants the services you offer and they are actively seeking them. I run through literally hundreds of advertorial placements, and banner advertising is something I just go ahead and block. I block it because it is usually too heavy with content and contains some asinine link that I would rather avoid the computer virus or tracking cookies that will result.

This is no joke. I would rather block all horizontal advertising content because I am ill from seeing the disgusting lack of creativity and the bogus promises. Let's face it; horizontal ad placement is not the best web banner design. This does not mean that it lacks a home in banner advertising, just that the content of horizontal web banner design is so much like the fruitcake you get on Christmas. It is flat, chewy, and simply not good.

Horizontal banner placement can be effectively used as long as it is kept simple, particularly if it is an adjunct to direct vertical ad placement. Horizontal banners are commonly 468x80 and it has been this way for many years. This is why it is so common and easy to find.

Vertical skyscrapers or vertically boxed ads draw more attention for a longer period of observation than standard horizontal ad boxes. Vertical skyscrapers and boxed ads beat standard ad sizes by creating optimal ad sizes by utilizing the best banner ad sizes and shapes.

The AdSense team at Google has determined which ad box forms and sizes have yielded the highest click rates. They published a list of these dimensions. Take note, as these are the most effective forms in which to place your business promotions:

•336x280 large rectangles: This is great for creating eye-catching vertical images and links at the base.
•300x250 inline rectangle: Here you can insert sharp, less curved images and plenty of link content.
•160x600 wide skyscraper: You can embed video or animation here.

You can provide listed links with secondary links here. That spreads a good promotion for the products and services of your company.
These optimal ad sizes will definitely override the banality of standard ad sizes and present a fresh view to all potential clients and give existing clients a confidence that you are staying up with the trends that carry positive business revenue.

Kean Graham is one of the banner ad monetization experts at Monetize More. He specializes in boosting the banner ad revenues of high traffic websites. Kean specifically specializes in online classified monetization.

To learn more about monetizing banner ad inventories or specifically online classifieds, please visit: http://www.monetizemore.com/

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Banners: Still Effective to Market Your Business Online and Off

Banner advertising is a great way to start attracting interest in your products or services. It's a more expensive method than blog commenting or using online professional networking sites, but the results typically come much faster because banner ads really are just advertising.

Banner ads are graphical images that act as advertisements to entice site visitors to "click through" to get more information. These horizontal rectangles are displayed at the top or the bottom of a website, and work well for generating traffic and branding.

Launch your banner ad strategy by conducting a search on Google for all of the places where you can buy banner advertising. Use a combination of short ("affiliate marketing") and long-tail keywords ("affiliate marketing opportunities in Atlanta") to come up with all of the sites related to your business that accept banner advertising.

Click on the sites that come up within the first one or two pages of search results. If the sites have banners showing at the top or the bottom of the page, add them to your list of potential targets. Once your list is done, visit all of the sites and contact them to obtain their banner advertising rates.

Advertising Networks

Don't limit yourself to huge websites. While most large websites and search engines sell banner advertising, many smaller, more targeted websites also sell such space online in exchange for a fee. You can also purchase banner ads via one or more advertising networks that sell this type of advertising across multiple sites.

Here are seven advertising networks that you can use to spread your ads across numerous websites at once:

Google Adwords: Display ads on websites within the Google Content Network based on keywords and demographics.

Yahoo! Advertising: Allows you to place your banner ads on websites across Yahoo!'s network.

Adify: Select from one of many different advertising networks from Adify to find specific niche markets where you can place banner ads.

Commission Junction: A large network of ad publishing websites where you can connect with to display banner ads on websites, e-mails and RSS feeds.

ValueClick Media: Another platform that caters to advertisers of all sizes and across all industries.

AdOn Network: Provides target banner ads based on a user's browsing history.

Ad Brite: Lets you purchase banner advertisement spots for a flat monthly fee or on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis.

When buying banner ads, you should know the difference between Cost-Per-Click ("CPC") or Cost Per Thousand Impressions ("CPM"), both of which are used when selling such advertising. Here's a definition for each:

CPC: You pay for each person who clicks on your banner ad.

CPM: You pay for every one thousand displays of your online ad. For example, if you were to pay $4 CPM, and if 1 percent of people seeing the ad were to click through to your website, then you would get 10 visitors for $4, or pay the equivalent of $0.40 per visitor.

With banner advertising, you'll probably get the best response from websites targeted to your particular subject area. You can also tailor your campaign to a local audience by targeting those sites that cater to people in your geographic region. An area chamber of commerce site or a local newspaper's online presence, for example, could be good banner ad candidates for an affiliate marketing firm in search of local associates. There are two different types of banner ad campaigns.

They are:

Branding campaigns that are used to get a company's name out to the public. They usually coincide with promotional advertisements in other venues, such as print, radio or television. These campaigns are focused less on the immediate or short-term results, and more on increasing the firm's brand awareness over time.

Click-through online ad campaigns are used to connect with a specific audience in a direct manner. These campaigns include a call to action that gets people to click through to your website and helps you target your audience more accurately.

As a new business owner, you'll be using click-through banner ads to attract others to your products or services.

Banner Creation 101

Next you will create your online ad, or use ones that you already have, to advertise your site on other companies' websites. The ads are 460X68 pixels in size and tend to be heavy on graphics, versus text. The idea is to attract a site visitor's attention and make him or her click on your ad to learn more, win a prize, get a free report on an important topic, and so forth.

Here are a few important guidelines to keep in mind when creating your online ads:

Use a targeted strategy: Don't waste money throwing banner ads all of the web in hopes that something will stick. Make sure they are on websites that fit your market, and link your online image ads to keywords in searches rather than just taking a "random" approach.

Get attention in a professional manner: Gaudy can work online, but a better strategy is come up with an attention-getting banner that doesn't look like a hard sell, or too garish. Check out some of the online ads on sites like Mashable.com and TechCrunch.com for examples.

Hire someone if you need help. Like any marketing strategy, creating online ads takes some finesse. Avoid some of the early learning curves by hiring a firm to develop and place your ads for you, if you have the budget for it. Or, use available banners that a company that you are associated with provides.

Test out different methods: Use a variety of banners and track their click-through rates to figure out which are working, and which need to be replaced. Concentrate only on those ads that work best, and tweak your banner ad strategy regularly to ensure you are getting the best possible results.

Always include a call to action: Don't assume your potential clients will know to "click here" for more information. Tell them what to do using works that invoke an immediate action.

Don't try to be understated: Banner ads have been around for a long time, and we all know that their aim is to sell products, services, memberships, subscriptions and other items. Make sure your viewers know exactly what the ad is for, and what they can expect if they click through.

Be forthright: Telling viewers that clicking your digital ad will put them in the running for a $100 gift card, and then not delivering on that promise, is just bad business. Be realistic and honest with your ad and you'll stand a much better chance of success in the banner ad arena.

Switch out your banners: Don't let them get stale. People online are used to fresh, relevant marketing messages, so be sure to update your digital ads regularly.

These are just a few tricks that you can use to ensure a successful banner ad campaign. Experiment with your options, test out different ads and closely track all of the responses that you get from your efforts. Integrate your banner ads into your overall marketing strategy and it won't be long before you are signing up new customers for your home business.

MatchedRate.com is a Match Rate PLUS Agent who has been marketing products and services online since 1999 to build a monthly residual income.  To find out more about the Match Rate PLUS patent-pending residual income business model, go to: http://www.matchedrate.com/.

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Evolution And Development Of Printing Technology

The commercial printing industry has already evolved so much since Johannes Gutenberg ran the first printing press in the early 1400s. Gutenberg is the one who invented the first ever commercial printer.

Thanks to the ingenuity of this guy, who attempted to mechanize printing, now we have the offset machine. During the 1900s, the steam-powered rotary press figured in the printing companies. This new machine ushered the way for the quicker turnaround of different printing jobs. More materials were being printed as people had now had more flexibility with the design using this press. Of course, you get to see the finished product much sooner. During this time, people saw the advent of printed receipts and even letterheads in the business world.

Anyway, people are just into printing that they never stopped developing Guttenberg's machine. Since people want convenience and fast buck, the newer machine should be better and faster than its earliest counterpart should. Many innovations have been done especially now that printers are already hooked up to the computer. Additionally, printed images have greatly improved because not only the machines can print sharper images but also because layouts are already done via high-resolution digital cameras already capture the computer and photographs. Everything is just so high tech.

We can also now see interesting and vibrant designs, thanks to the development of graphics design software that make printed materials so realistic. This software is easy to understand and use so even non-professionals can handle them. As long as you can read, you can do layouts, especially if you are already inherently creative. Today, the imagination is the only limit to design.

Nowadays, the competition among commercial printers is so stiff so they do not only do printing but they also offer value for money services to their clients. For example, a client may no longer hire the services of an advertising agency. They can just go to their local printer and ask for insights on how to do their brochure. They will submit their text and the photos and it is up to the staff at the press to come up with a design or concept of the brochure. This is usually done without additional cost. If you have a good graphics artist who can turn out designs and concepts fast, then for sure, you will have many clients. The printing press now functions like an ad agency in terms of providing creative to clients. Graphics artists in printing presses can now help in the conceptualization and production of different advertising materials like flyers, posters, catalogs, and mailers, aside from brochures.

Most of the printed materials nowadays are already in color and come in different finishes. Yes, not only are the developments in printing but also in finishing. Letterheads and business cards can already be embossed. Pocket folders and labels could now have gold stamps. Brochures are not only folded but also laminated. Some clients even prefer die cutting their brochures. The sky is the limit of the design. On the other hand, sometimes, it is limited according to the budget of the client. The commercial printing has truly gone a long, long way. Who knows what developments are going to happen in the next three to five years in the printing industry? So if you are a commercial printer today, make sure that you keep up with the developments so that your business will remain viable in the future.

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in commercial printing technologies by commercial printers that help businesses in their marketing and advertising campaigns.

http://EzineArticles.com/6513190

Pitting Banners Advertisements Against Text Links

Just about everyone with an Internet marketing background should know that websites can make them money through advertisements. But it is still debatable as to whether or not banner ads are more effective than text links or vice-versa. Different entrepreneurs have their own perspectives regarding that.

But a very common answer that you will get is that you won't find out until you try both. Some websites may benefit from text links while other sites are better off with banner ads. As you experiment, make sure that you track the progress of these ads and see if the conversion rates pile up.

Ad placement is a significant factor so monitor the results for different placements as well. You might notice some higher activity if the ads are found under posts that you make. Ads placed on the sidebar may work favorably too.

Whether you are leaning towards text links or banner ads, coloring is highly important. If you can customize your ads, take full advantage by making these ads match your site's color scheme as close as possible. This makes them less annoying as most people simply despise randomly placed ads that look out of place.

Using banner ads obviously gives you more flexibility since you can make all sorts of designs or even come up with an animation. However, many visitors that don't think highly of advertisements will just simply ignore them without considering your design. Other visitors may ignore these ads because they get in the way of the content.

It isn't very likely to get clicks through these banner ads unless they showcase a great deal of creativity. Banner ads that lead to shopping websites may have better results.

But if you try out the text links, you may notice greater amounts of clicking activity because visitors tend to trust them more. They do not violate the content as much and they load much faster. Plus, these links are more likely to show even if the visitors have any ad-blocking scripts running within their web browsers.

When setting up your advertisement, check the various settings so you can see what customizations you can apply. For instance, you can filter certain advertisements in Google AdSense by blocking certain categories.

Blocking ads is useful if you want to avoid irrelevant content to show up on your site. This is important especially if your site targets a family friendly audience because these people can leave your site in a flash if they are not happy with the ads that they are seeing. As long as your ads are relevant to the content, your click through rates should be good.

Ready to start working from home? Download a copy of the FREE report "Thinking of Starting a New Career - Working from Home?" today. It is a concise report I created to help you get started the right way so that you maximize your chances of business success and profitability. It will save you the hassle of having to stumble through trying to make money from home. Instead, it will set you on the right path from the start to ensure your business success.

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Advertising Appeals: How To Use Emotional And Rational Appeals

You can improve your advertising by emphasizing emotional advertising appeals and supporting them with rational ones.

Although people buy more for emotional reasons than for rational ones, the best advertising provides both.

Emotional advertising appeals tap into basic human needs like the need for safety, for social interaction, for love, and beauty. But for all except low-priced products, rational advertising appeals have to justify the purchase decision.

For instance, a small toy car requires only an emotional decision. The child wants the car, and the parent wants the child to be happy. So a $5 car doesn't get much rational thought.

But when parents buy a family car, most will gather information before making a purchase. They'll askfor friends' recommendations, read consumer reports and sales literature, and read reviews online. Rationality needs to support emotional decisions. It's just too expensive and long term a decision to rely totally on emotion.

Once when I was in the market for a car, I emotionally wanted a Nissan Maxima. When I went car shopping, the salesman asked, "Don't you just love it?" I was offended and told him that I wasn't going to buy just because I liked the car. And I did not buy then.

I did my research and shopped around until I convinced myself rationally that the Nissan Maxima was the best car for my needs, and I knew what price I should pay for it. Then I bought from another salesman.

Although I emotionally wanted a Nissan Maxima, I had to prove to myself that it would meet my needs, provide me with good service, provide good value, and retain its value well. To have purchased on emotion without this rational justification would have seemed irresponsible to me.

If you sell a product that is not vital or that your customers consider expensive, you have to advertise the emotion, but provide reason to justify their emotional decisions.

You can do this though detailed sales literature or by sending your customer to a Web site with this detail. You can also provide testimonials or references to help your customers justify their emotional need to purchase your product.

But don't fill your advertising with rational reasons to buy. That will leave your customers cold. Instead advertise to your customers' emotional needs and support their desire with reason.

Emotional advertising appeals more effectively create a desire for your product. But you need to provide access for information to provide needed rational advertising appeals.

Linda P. Morton, Ed.D, APR is Professor Emeritus, The University of Oklahoma. She writes on marketing and other topics of interest to Small Business Owners on her blog at market segmentation.

http://goarticles.com/article/Advertising-Appeals-How-To-Use-Emotional-And-Rational-Appeals/1113181/