Using Promotional Products to Market Your Small Business

Source: AllBusiness

In today’s information-intensive world, it’s hard for any business to attract potential customers. But promotional products offer a unique opportunity to get your company's name out to its target market — and keep it there.

The promotional items you pick are limited only by your own creativity. They can range from market-proven goods such as calendars, coffee mugs and baseball caps to innovative items such as candy and nuts, stadium blankets, toy cars and trucks, and first aid kits, all bearing your logo and contact information.

But no matter what route you take or what items you select, be sure you maximize your investment. Here are a few tips to make the most of this time-tested sales and marketing resource:

Set clear goals for your promotion. Think about what you want these products to do for your business. Should they build awareness of your company? Boost sales? Provide a way to thank your customers? Have clear goals in mind from the start so you can purchase items that make sense for your business.

Set a budget and stick to it. Putting your logo on a coffee mug or a mouse pad tells customers that you’ve arrived and you’re in business for the long haul. Avoid overspending: Identify your costs up front, factor them into your overall marketing budget and pricing strategy, and keep careful track of all expenses — especially indirect costs like shipping and handling and storage.

Seek out partnership opportunities. If you'd like to offer gifts at your event, ask one of your suppliers to share the cost. In exchange, recognize them by placing their logo on the gift. Joint promotional efforts strengthen relationships with suppliers and make a statement about your commitment.

Recognize the limited shelf life of most promotional products. Don’t buy more than you need. A lot of businesses have stockrooms full of outdated promotional items.
Promotional items can be a silent salesperson for your products or services. Keeping these tips in mind will help you make the most of your promotional items' potential.

Top 10 Internet Marketing Mistakes

Source: AllBusiness

Internet marketing can be very powerful, but it needs to be done right to be effective. Many Internet marketing rookies -- and even some veterans -- continue to make the same types of mistakes in their online marketing efforts. Here are a few marketing mistakes to watch out for and avoid.

1. Making viewers wait. People expect the Internet to be fast. If your server is slow or use graphics that take two minutes to download, you can say goodbye to your potential customers. To market yourself effectively, you need to put your information in front of people quickly. See Three Rules for Building Fast-Loading Web Pages for more information.
   
   
2. Technical arrogance. Do not assume that everyone has the latest version of a program to view your site. Not everyone has Macromedia's Flash installed, for example. Always have plain HTML and text versions at the ready for these users.
   
   
3. Not marketing offline. The goal is driving traffic to your site, but no one is online all the time. To successfully market an Internet site, you need market offline, too.
   
   
4. Not listing your site with search engines. It is surprising how many people use search engines constantly but do not bother to get their sites listed on these very same search engines. You should manually list yourself with each search engine to make sure you are listed where you want to be. Since search engines are different, find out how to move up on their listings. For more information about search engine submission and optimization, see the Search Engine Optimization & Marketing section.
   
   
5. Not remaining timely. Far too many businesses let their Web sites go fallow. You need to stay current if you hope to attract customers. If you’ve got marketing material on your site about a Memorial Day special and it’s June 15th, you’re losing customers.
   
   
6. Poor partnering. Be very careful with whom you align yourself. Some spammers and spyware companies operate co-registration and affiliate programs that violate the CAN-SPAM act and other rules and regulations. Before you sign an agreement with any third party, investigate your potential partner and be sure they are operating above board.
   
   
7. Giving users the third degree. If you are trying to interest customers in signing sign up for a newsletter or make a purchase, do not make them jump through hoops or answer a battery of questions. Each question you ask subscribers, beyond name and email address, will cost you 10 to 15 percent of your potential customers.
   
   
8. Not using viral marketing. Having your customers market for you is very cost effective. From a simple “forward to a friend” link to two for one offers to offline marketing on t-shirts and other accessories that your customers can wear, you can benefit by the use of viral marketing – also known as "word of mouth" marketing in the offline world.
   
   
9. Not collecting email addresses. To market successfully online, you need people to market to. Take every opportunity to collect email addresses from your visitors to create a permissioned list to continue marketing to your target audience.
   
   
10. Spamming. Do not succumb to the temptation of spamming. Market via permissioned lists only. If you have any doubts or you are not sure whether or not you are spamming, do not send your mailing. Even one questionable mailing could be enough for you to get labeled a spammer by ISPs, which will make it difficult, if not impossible, for you to do email marketing in the future.

What is Brandable Software?

Brandable software is typically software created by one company for the purpose of allowing other companies to obtain resell/redistribution rights to the software, change the Brand associated with it, and sell/give it as if it were their own. It may also be referred to as Private Label software or Rebranded Software.

8 Writing Tips for Your Promotional E-Mail

Source: Entrepreneur.com

The art of writing e-mail marketing messages is a valuable one. So why haven't you mastered it yet?

E-mail marketing is the hottest ticket today, and mailings to opt-in lists now yield higher results than direct mail, and at a lower cost. Everyone's looking for that magic formula--the perfect message that will electrify opt-in campaigns. But the proliferation of e-mail makes it tough to stand out. Here are eight tips for writing e-mails that produce top results.

1. Choose a great subject line. Steer clear of misleading or mysterious subject lines. Nothing screams spam louder than "How are you?" An effective subject line includes a benefit and relates directly to your offer, such as "Save 60 percent on tape stock."
   


2. Have a solid hook. The first few sentences contain your hook and are the most critical part of your e-mail. The hook is the central message of your mailing. It should be clear and intriguing. Be sure it focuses on what they'll get, not on what you offer.
   


3. Tell them what to do. Your e-mail should have two or three paragraphs-no more. Total length should be less than 250 words. The body should support your hook using benefits, then close with a call to action. Tell readers what you want them to do and include hyperlinks such as "Click here to register."
   


4. Use clear, direct language. A well-written message uses the active voice and has short, concise sentences. This is crucial because as many as half of your recipients will read just the first few sentences before deciding to continue. If writing isn't your strong suit, consider hiring an e-mail copywriter.
   


5. Focus on your offer. Your e-mail should have one subject and one subject only. Resist the temptation to make multiple offers, which may confuse your recipients and dilute your message.
   


6. Don't drop the ball. Some e-mail marketing messages fall short because they fail to include all the information customers need. Be sure to include vital data, such as pricing and deadlines. It's unreasonable to expect customers to visit your site to get the information they need to evaluate your e-mail offer.
   


7. Include a P.S. While a postscript isn't mandatory, it grabs attention. Often, recipients will read the subject line and the hook, scan key elements and go directly to the P.S. It should restate your hook and highlight your offer. After the P.S., give recipients a way to unsubscribe from your list. This is generally the last link at the bottom of the e-mail.
   


8. Make it readable. Even the best copy can't sell if your e-mail looks too dense. Keep paragraphs to three or four lines and double-spaced. Use bullets or stars to emphasize key points, but avoid text in all caps or multiple exclamation points. Set text width at 68 characters or less per line so it displays correctly in e-mail applications. Also, avoid breaking or wrapping URLs into two lines--it may cause technical problems. By eliminating these barriers, it'll be easy for customers to take advantage of your offer and dramatically boost your results.

What do you think of these 8 points?

Promotional Software Gifts

Putting your logo on pens, mugs, bags, or t-shirts to get your name in front of your customers is not a new concept. Promotional products are designed to increase awareness and business. Branded merchandise is a cost-effective, practical way to round out an intelligent marketing campaign.

Computer age created a need for some more sophisticated promotional tools. With Eshasoft promotional software gifts you can put a logo on users desktop at the same time giving them something of far greater value then a mug or a bag. Give your customers and prospective customers a fully functional software solution for everyday problems (like Windows compatible diary, calendar, planner, address book, browser, pop-up blocker, etc.).

Build customer loyalty and boost your website traffic with your own branded eCalendar! Think about it!

Use Branding to Increase Your Market Share

By Gauher Chaudhry
http://www.ecomhelp.com/KB/Branding/kb_branding.htm

When you think of branding, the first thing that must come to mind is a farmer taking a hot iron and burning a distinctive mark onto the side of a cow. Farmers do this so that their cows will not be confused with another farmer's cows.

But branding has evolved over the years and has now become a common term used in marketing. Branding is essentially burning your company or web site name or slogan into the minds of potential customers.

Many offline companies have been quite successful in doing this. Kleenex is a brand name for tissue as is Band-Aid for adhesive bandages. These companies have incorporated into the customer's mind to perceive these items by their brand name. Branding is important on the Internet, especially with all the cut-throat competition.

In the real world, it may be just a matter of convenience why some people shop at a closer discount store than going that extra mile to the next discount store. But on the Internet, any web site is just a click away. You need to differentiate yourself from the rest. Branding can create this difference.

One of the most important decisions when it comes to branding is deciding the domain name that you want to use. You want to pick a name that is short and snappy that will "stick" into the minds of visitors and potential customers.

I remember about a year ago, a few Internet marketers were making a huge hoopla about the domain names that allowed you to have 67 characters. This fad has died down because people are not going to remember long names such as:
www.marketing-reports-that-will-make-you-money-fast.com

People find it easy to retain short URL's such as yahoo.com, snap.com or eBay.com. You should pick a name that is short and yet at the same time will give a potential visitor an idea as to what you are all about.

For example, if you pick a name such as www.autolube.com, people will automatically associate your name with automobiles and oil.

Branding can be also used in slogans. I bet you can pick out these companies real quick:

• "Quality is Job 1."
• "Finger-lickin' good."
• "The milk chocolate melts in your mouth - not in your hand."
• "Have it your way."
• "It keeps going, and going, and going..."

If you guessed Ford, KFC, M & M's, Burger King, and Energizer, then you probably understand the importance of branding.

If you decide to use a slogan for your web site, researchers have suggested that rhymes are easy to remember. For example:

"We are number one, because we like to have fun..."

Okay, that was kind of cheesy. But you get the point. ;)

Another method of branding is with your online classified ads. If you use consistent headlines and words in your ads, then customers will be able to identify the ad to your web site or company very quickly when they see it again.

Statistics indicate that customers need to see an online advertisement at least seven times before they will buy. If you are constantly changing your ads for no valid reason, you may be losing your identity with potential customers.

The Internet has created a level playing field for all competitors. Competitors need to differentiate themselves to win the customer. A good brand name translates into a bigger market share on the Internet. A bigger market share means larger sales and bigger profits.