The Brain Food Session, Social Networking for Business, at the Kansas City Chamber is SOLD OUT for the live audience tomorrow.

You may watch the webinar live at the KC Chamber website.

Or you can read the articles by Michael Montague here.

Labels: marketing, websites

• Create an up-to-date and professional profile
• Invite your contacts and grow your list
• Join groups by internet and industry
• Build your online relationships with your contacts
• Integrate your marketing strategy

Labels: marketing, websites

1. Spend every day with at least one internet marketing activity on daily, monthly and quterly basis.
   
   
2. Collect an email list related to your profession and use it.
   
   
3. Always update your services and display it in your website.
   
   
4. Always mention the complete profile and website name in your signatures so that let the people know about it.
   
   
5. Collect your competitors ideas, ads and literature. Study their products, features and strategies implemented.
   
   
6. Promote your website and optimize it on the basis of targeted keywords to attract required customers.
   
   
7. Write articles related to your website and circulate its reprints.
   
   
8. Make a practice to always reply to your customers and enquiring visitors and people making comment on your website. That may be in the form of thanks giving.
   
   
9. Try to increase the inbound links on your website by asking for them and posting in forums and other websites.
   
   
10. Track and check your online performance and website rankings in search engines.

Labels: marketing, websites

Online News Content

Media companies are at the center of a fierce debate over how to best monetize digital content. In recent years, they swung from one extreme to another—first charging the consumer for access to content, then opening the floodgates to free, ad-supported content (with a few notable exceptions).

Now, some media entities with premium offerings are again contemplating paid-content experiments. As these play out in 2010, we’ll see what works and what doesn’t. Our prediction? Consumers will resist paid systems, and competitors will capitalize on the negative sentiment with ad-supported content. In the end, there will be islands of paid content (The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times) and hybrids of paid and ad-supported models, but on the whole, the digital media landscape will be predominantly ad-based.

Digital Video Convergence

One of the keys to transitioning the US home video audience from DVDs to digital streams and downloads will be the emergence of technology that bridges the gap between the computer and the TV. The Consumer Electronics Show in early 2010 will usher in TVs with direct Internet connectivity, or with on-screen access to content portals such as YouTube, Blockbuster and Netflix. As online video becomes intertwined with the living-room TV experience, download and streaming services will take on a prominent role in the home entertainment ecosystem.

Earned Media Takes Center Stage

Marketers will demand better ways to manage and measure the impact of earned media—the additional unpaid exposure a brand gets when consumers share about the brand online. Agencies will need to establish earned-media goals for every paid-media online ad campaign.

Social Plus Search Will Equal Better Results, More Ad Opportunities

Search will get more social in several ways: by including real-time content in results (e.g., Twitter posts), adding information from social network friends to results, and using collective information from other Web users to hone search relevance. These trends will yield new ad formats that may incorporate friends’ viewpoints or interactions directly into the ad—and will raise new red flags among privacy advocates.

Social Ad Networks Will Expand

Expect more momentum—and regulatory scrutiny—behind advertising that is targeted based on information from social network user profiles. News Corp.’s Fox Audience Network (FAN) and services from startups 33Across, Media6° and others are already up and running. Meanwhile, some advertisers, such as Discovery Channel, have tested ad formats that are personalized on the fly by using Facebook profile data.

Twitter

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to guess that 2010 will be the year in which Twitter turns its focus toward building its business. So far, it has concentrated on audience growth, and by any measure it had a spectacular year. (eMarketer estimates that Twitter’s US user base tripled to 18 million in 2009.) The questions now are: What kind of business will Twitter build, and will it succeed?

The revenue streams that have been discussed include paid corporate accounts, celebrity authentication and temporal search. Of these, search seems the most realistic as a revenue generator. There will be formidable challenges, however: After all, how does a marketer insert itself into a short, time-sensitive conversation without disrupting the flow of that conversation and alienating the user?

It’s not clear how, or if, Twitter will overcome these obstacles, but co-founder Biz Stone offered a tantalizing hint when he told Reuters that the company has a novel form of advertising up its sleeve. Expect Twitter to roll this out in 2010 as the cornerstone of its temporal search business.

Labels: marketing, websites

Google Adwords is an incredibly powerful marketing tool with an instant global reach that can take your business from nowhere to an overnight success.

So why wouldn't a new marketer take advantage of such a powerful tool? I can answer that question with another question. Why wouldn't you let someone with a new driver's license behind the wheel of a race car? Because, unless they are extremely lucky, they are going to crash and burn. Google Adwords is the Formula One of marketing online and it is not for beginners.

As advertising goes, the reasons to avoid Google Adwords early on in your education is overwhelming.

1. First, it can be very expensive and most new marketers will exhaust their ad budget before they can successfully bring in revenue. This is mainly because Google Adwords can be deceptively difficult to master. The basic formula is to identify keywords, write an ad that uses the keywords and have a landing page that completely delivers on what your ad promises. Most beginners pick general keywords, and send everyone to their home page.
   
   
2. Next, Google rewards advertisers who solve the problem their searchers are trying to solve. If you fail to do this you can expect high cost per click and low traffic.
   
   
3. Further, Google purposefully keeps the exact formula for success under wraps. If you are not getting the results you are seeking, the support you receive from Google will be general at best. Expect Google to suggest "improve your landing page" or "tips for writing ads." On top of that, Google periodically change their rules requiring you to change your campaign or face the prospect of high cost per click or low traffic.
   
   
4. Finally, the instant global reach of your Google Adwords campaign is accompanied by global competition with a wide variety of skill levels and budgets.

Keep your chin up though. There are many options that exist for the new marketer.

Initially most new marketers have more time than money and that can be a good thing. There are many low-tech approaches that have worked for decades and still do. These alternatives allow you to learn how to market affordably which will allow for some trial and error without spending your whole ad budget.

Call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. today at 816.228.1123 to get professional help with your Internet marketing, or discover some new off-line approaches to generating phone calls without Pay-Per-Click advertising.

Labels: marketing, websites

How can you do better marketing in 2010?

We both know you’ll spend some part of your holiday time it thinking, wondering, or worrying about growing and improving sales and business in 2010.

Why not finally invest in some of these proven marketing items?

5. Upgrade your website and Internet Marketing.

A simple upgrade to your website and optimization of it's look and code can improve your traffic by 15-20% instantly. Along with a clear call to action, you could improve your sale by that much too!

4. Fill your sales pipeline will Email Marketing & Social Networking.

Email and Social Networks allow you to automate and simplify your customer communication. You can also closely monitor your reputation and feedback. Using these marketing tools in 2010 can boost your sales, re-sales, up-sells and cross-selling, and bump your bottom line by 25%!

3. Improve your company and product informational materials.

You can probably improve your sales materials, packaging, business cards, logos, brochures, and all the rest of the marketing materials. A new consistent and focused message to all your materials can improve conversion by 20% in 2010.

2. Create an professional and consistent look with corporate apparel.

It may not sound important, but imagine what it would feel like to launch your company into 2010 looking good and feeling good. Announce to your staff that the battles of 2008 and 2009 are over and 2010 is the year of growth and prosperity. New shirts, polos, caps, or jackets sends the message to your staff and prospects that you are a quality and reputable company that is here to stay! The boost in moral and message will pay for itself...

1. START 2010 WITH A WRITTEN MARKETING CALENDAR!

REVIEW your current marketing efforts. RESEARCH new and additional sales opportunities. DEVELOP creative and effective promotions. ORGANIZE your new marketing plan. EXECUTE hassle-free and cost-effective promotions.

Start maximizing your marketing budget and
increasing your profits today with a plan for 2010!

Labels: marketing

Thin LED Light Boxes

Stock Sizes Available for LED Light Box in Black Frame or Brushed Silver on Sale Now!

• Very thin profile - 1 inch depth
  
• 6 Stock sizes. Custom sizes available
• Black or brushed silver frame
• Uses "Snap-Lock" frame for tool-free, easy front access
• No UV - Doesn’t yellow content
• Extremely bright - high light output
• Hangs horizontal or vertical
• Made in the USA

24" x 30" - 20"w x 24" - 20"w x 18"


20" x 30" - 24" x 24" - 24" x 18"

These LED light bozes are very environmentally green:

• Uses 1/5, (20%) of the electricity of a backlit fluorescent light box.
• There is no harmful mercury used in LED bulbs as opposed to fluorescent bulbs.
• Lasts for 50,000 plus hours compared to 2,000+ hours for fluorescent.
• LEDs run cooler than fluorescent bulbs eliminating heat pollution.
• Entire light box is 95% recyclable.

Labels: deals, marketing, printing

Common Sense Social Networking Rules For Business

1. If you wouldn't say it to a client or boss - don't say it where they can read it either.
2. If you wouldn't say it to your grandmother - don't say it on your public posts.
3. If you wouldn't say it to a police officer - don't post it on your social networks. For that matter, don't do it either.
4. If you plan to lie to your boss - don't put the truth where they can see it.
5. If you plan to go out and get drunk and know you have a tendency to post while drunk - give your phone to a friend to keep for you.
6. Learn how to use privacy settings and understand how visible your posts are on different social networks.
7. If you want a place to vent - create a completely different identity for yourself to do that. Name no names in your posts, and make no connection to your other profiles or email addresses.

For more help with social networking call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. and ask for our Internet Marketing Director, Michael Montague. Call 816.228.1123.

Labels: marketing, websites

Our list of the top five ways to ready for Black Friday:

1. Measuring, measure, measure.

There are countless things you need to test before Black Friday. Test your marketing message, your sales offer, your sales capacity, your website functionality, your delivery and customer service. Don't wait until Thursday or Friday to find out you can't handle the volume that comes from the holiday season, or that your offer wasn't good enough to attract attention...

2. Don’t rely on your customers to point out issues.

Here is the stat: 95% of customers do not complain about issues when making a purchase. They just don't return. However, in a survey 45% said they would purchase again if the issue was resolved to their satisfaction. Don't just handle complaints, aggressively test your customer service and make sure every customer leaves happy.

3. Test the limits of your website.

Do you sell, list prices, or make announcements on your website? We probably don't have to tell you that more and more people are shopping, comparing prices, and buying online. Up to 45% of people check prices online before making a purchase. You need to make sure your site can handle the volume, function correctly, and is updated with the Black Friday offers and current marketing messages.

4. Take time to role play.

Before Black Friday hits, you need to test, re-test and role play for all possible scenarios... It sounds cheesy, but it works. Playing the part of your customers helps you see things from their perspective, and helps your staff prepare for possible troubleshooting. Test your buying experience, customer service, product performance and website functionality. It may look good to you, but does it fulfill the needs of your customers?

5. Have a back-up plan in place.

We all know Murphy's Law: if something can go wrong, it probably will. Especially during the holiday rush and Black Friday, when your staff and business system is being pushed to the limit something will go wrong. Make sure you have your back up plan in place. What happens if sales are low? What happens at record highs? What happens if your staff gets the flu? What happens if your supplier can't get you enough product? Who do you call if you website crashes? You will need a back-up plan and you will be happy you have one.

In conclusion, use the Boy Scout motto:
Be Prepared for Black Friday by doing the things on this list.

Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. can help you set up and test the perfect marketing plan for the holiday season, as well as help you sell online, but time is running out. With less than a month left, now is the time to take action and get those ads ready for Black Friday!

Labels: marketing

Use The Best Hand Sanitizer On The Market For Your Promotional Product This Flu Season

Promotional Hand Sanitizer stays on and in your prospects hands, and keeps your information at their fingertips.

This is not your typical cheap promotional hand sanitizer. CLEANpHIRST has new technology that is far superior not only to Alcohol-Based Sanitizers but to other Alcohol-Free Sanitizers that use BZK as the kill agent. Our inert ingredients and blending processes open up the cell walls of germs and enable the BZK to go in easily and kill these cells.

CLEANpHIRST Hand Sanitizer also stays on the hands and keeps on working for up to 30 minutes after application. Alcohol based sanitizers evaporate after 5 seconds and stop working leaving your skin open for contamination right away. Not only is our product better for your skin, it has proven superior effectiveness against MRSA, Staph, Norovirus and C-Diff at 3 times the kill rate of alcohol based sanitizers and is backed up by extensive testing. This promotional item is also NSF-E3 approved for Food Service which means that you can apply the product and immediately prepare or serve food.

CLEANpHIRST Custom Labeled Promotional Hand Sanitizer will last longer, protect more effectively, give you 3 times more applications than a gel without the negative side effects associated with alcohol based products.

• 1-time art charge of $83.00
• FREE art on orders of 500 or more
• 4-color process full-color label
• 5 - 10 day lead time from art approval
• Contains 125 applications.

Call for volume pricing on Promotional Hand Sanitizer
Ask for Mark at 816.228.1123!

Labels: deals, marketing, products

Use marketing to grow through in the recession!

Have you stopped spending... stopped moving forward... because you’re convinced that everyone else has too? Stop thinking like that and start marketing!

1. Market to the people who aren’t affected by the recession: change your business model or set up a direct marketing campaign which goes to the rich people and companies that are going to be least affected in tough times.

2. Improve your advertising: Most advertising is pathetically weak. If you’ve noticed a 30% drop in business, simply improving the copy in your advertisements could cause you to be doing better despite the slow economy.

3. Address the message upfront in your marketing: Have a sale because you’re trying to help people cope with the recession and figure that if the cost of food, petrol and mortgages is rising so much… you’ve got to help offset it by offering some substantial savings. Your customers will love you for it!

4. Contact your existing customers: That’s right. It’s five times easier to sell to an existing customer than to create a new one. So send out letters or jump on the phone to your existing customers and pay them a “how’s things” call.

5. Study marketing: If you’ve got some spare time, use it to soak in and study more information about marketing and business. After all, just learning a few new tricks could make you that much richer in the months ahead.

6. Do joint ventures: Find other business owners who have similar clients to you and recommend each other. It costs you virtually nothing and is probably the most effective and profitable method of promoting your business.

7. Apply the power of 10: Contact 10 times as many new prospects. Follow up 10 times as many existing customers. Make 10 times as many “touches” with your client base.

8. Measure everything: Make every ad… every marketing campaign… and everything you do 100% accountable. If something is working for you and profitable, run it more. If an advertisement or marketing campaign is losing you money, get rid of it quickly.

9. Use Synergy: Have a singular purpose with all your marketing efforts. Don't use the shotgun approach and blast you marketing out to the masses. Have a single message on all your mediums to make the biggest impact.

10. Take advantage of FREE opportunities: You can post fee listings in online directories. Speak at chamber meetings. Volunteer for charities. Join groups and communities. There are countless ways to market without spending a dime if you take the time to do what it takes.

In closing, remember that your competitors are going to PANIC and SCRAMBLE and this represents an enormous opportunity for anybody who holds their ground and finds the tools they need to get ahead despite the recession. To start using these marketing tips to your advantage, call us today.

Labels: marketing

Here is a cool business card idea...

Don’t have a business card. Have a personal philosophy card. In order to do so, ask yourself the question, ‘If everybody did exactly what I said, what would the world look like?’ Come up with 5-10 answers, then print them on a nice, thick, laminated card. Include your contact info, picture, branding, etc. Give it to EVERYBODY. It will be the only card they will not throw away. This marketing tool has made me well over $50,000 in new business...

Get your Personal Business Cards Today!
Call us at 816.228.1123.

Personalized Business Cards For Only $100 for 1,000 cards!

Labels: marketing, printing

It seems like there's an over-abundance of social sites nowadays. For a newbie, it can be quite intimidating when first joining a network or two and building a community. A handful of questions may run through your head:

• Which networks to join?
• How to participate?
• What's enough, or too much?
• How will it help my business?

1. Social media is a chance to be at your market's finger tips when they look at their phone or get online in a friendly and non-obtrusive way.
2. You can quickly address customer service issues by communicating directly with the customer.
3. Prospect new clients.
4. Learn about trends in your industry, stay up-to-date with competition and network with power players in your industry.
5. Provide existing customers incentives, coupons or interesting information to keep them tuned in to your brand. 

How to Participate Effectively In Social Networks:

Labels: marketing, websites

There is no denying that both methods can be effective. However, which method is better? Which gives you a bigger bang for your buck? Pay-Per-Click or Article Marketing?

There is always a big discussion when it comes to comparing two of the best ways to advertise online: Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising and Article Marketing, otherwise known as "organic" or "natural" search engine optimization.

In figuring out which of the two is better, you have to consider cost-effectiveness as well as click-through-rates and direct conversion from visiting user to paying customer. We are going to review some statistics a little bit later on. For now, let's consider some logical points that illustrate how PPC and article marketing differ.

In figuring out which of the two is better, you have to consider cost-effectiveness as well as click-through-rates and direct conversion from visiting user to paying customer. Search engine result pages display more listings than PPC results, which does have a psychological effect on the user. For some users seeing ten search results (each one relevant to the search) is enough to convince them that there is enough web information on the subject and that "fishing" PPC ads might not be necessary.

The catch is that in order to actually rank in the Top 10 SEO results for your keyword, you have to have relevant website content, not to mention technical prowess in HTML coding. Search engines will be focusing on their proprietary algorithms, or the most relevant websites based on the search term queried. There is no "bribery" here, whereas in PPC, it is quite the opposite: whoever bids highest for each word usually gets the top listing. A quality algorithm definitely plays a part in PPC, but in the end money talks. In article marketing, we haven't quite come to the point where "money talks". The best websites still win the search engine contest and that is an important factor to consider in your marketing campaign.

Even PPC proponents will admit that PPC is largely style over substance. With PPC advertising you are trying to grab attention in just a few loud and occasionally obnoxious words. You direct the user to a carefully crafted page that "sells" the idea. This operation contrasts with article marketing, which doesn't necessarily sell an idea on a single page, nor does it grab attention with a few words. With article marketing, there is an entire article waiting for the visitor, which uses a methodical and "indirect" approach. Assuming you are listed in the Top #10, your listing means that the search engine agrees that your website is the best authority on the keyword subject - for the time being. People in a hurry or on a whim will probably click on PPC. People on a mission will be looking for relevant content on their chosen keyword.

Therefore, the question now becomes which methodology works better for your business? Are you appealing to the fast clicker or the thoughtful user? Let's now consider two sources of statistics for a clearer view of the issue.

In Favor of Article Marketing

Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D. and principal founder of the Nielsen Norman Group researched the behavior of users who found search engine results pages and noticed some trends. Forty-two percent of users selected the #1 search listing for their result, leaving 58% that selected another Top 10 Result. The #1 site listed held the majority of clicks. This indicates that almost two thirds of Internet users were not content to choose even the #1 listing on a natural SEO search. That means that these users (and the majority of all users) are actually using independent judgment in deciding what links are most relevant to their needs.

Other related statistics (with sources from ComScore, Webxico, iProspect, SEOResearcher and Hotchkiss, Garrison, and Jensen) concluded that 77% of search users choose organic listings over PPC ads. There were also studies that suggested organic click-through generated 25% higher conversion rates than equivalent PPC click-through.

In Favor of PPC Advertising

Now to be fair, we have to consider some advantages that PPC advertising has. The best feature PPC has is that it gets instantaneous results. SEO advertising takes time, especially if you have a new website just submítted to the all of the major search engines. Yes, this can be frustrating. PPC brings you immediate traffic and sometimes brings in thousands of users. Seeing your Alexa ranking take a drastic jump certainly pumps up your adrenaline!

ComScore recently published statistics in favor of PPC, stating that their studied users had an 18.3% click-through-rate on "paid" search results versus a 4.3% click-through rate for organic search results. The conversion rate was also higher according to ComScore, stating that PPC had a 1.4% versus SEO's 0.6%.

The Real Issue: Longevity

However, the downside here is that instant and high volume traffic is, frankly, cheap and not as exciting as it first appears to be. Remember that when you use PPC ads you are making a pitch and capitalizing on your audience's curiosity. When that curiosity fades, they forget your website - especially if it's just a glorified advertisement. PPC campaigns can also be costly and time consuming when you consider your duties as a manager.

Another problematic scenario with PPC is that they have no staying power - unless of course you have thousands of dollars a month to blow in this recession. With article marketing you get more quality traffic, and perhaps more importantly to you, you earn customer trust over time. Internet users aren't stupid, the popularity of Yahoo Answers notwithstanding. Most users know that PPC ads usually aren't relevant to their search - they're just there because someone is consistently paying to get noticed.

You can consider article marketing as an investment that continually pays all through the life of your company (or until you shut the website down) since it generates traffic forever. You can easily spend thousands a month on a brilliant PPC campaign and soon run out of money, meaning your ads go extinct. Therefore, we can conclude that article marketing does have specific advantages over PPC, which are intrinsic because of the differences in operation.

• Article marketing generates traffic forever
• Article marketing improves your natural SEO ranking and backlinks
• Article marketing establishes trust - you appear as a professional in your industry
• Article marketing doesn't cost you extra on top of fees spent on landing pages and superfluous domains

How About Return-On-Investment?

ROI is another key issue, as short-term and long-term profit must equal out. Article marketing, by some authorities appears to have a slower ROI -(especially if you make revenue on CTRs). However, studies suggest that organic ROI is more consistent than PPC. Consider some independent research conducted by popular blogger Gord Hotchkiss who explained the situation in crystal clear terms. Let's say you have 50 high traffic search terms. Now for these 50 terms, there are 2.8 million searches being launched in a month. If statistics like ComScore's are correct and unbiased, that translates to 456,000 visitors thanks to PPC and 153,000 visitors thanks to article marketing.

The total cost of those 456,000 PPC visitors would amount to over $500,000 with an average CPC of $1.18. Even if you work with an SEO company that charges top dollar ($10,000 a month, let's say) you're still paying $10,000 compared to half a million. That means article marketing's virtual CPC amounts to $0.07. Even if you apply PPC's higher conversion rate, 3,647 converted visitors, you are paying $147.08 for each individual person. Compare that to 611 visitors you earned through article marketing - you are paying $16.37 for each visitor. And in doing so, you are also earning a higher quality of customer and generating traffic until the end of days.

Does your final ROI number take into account your total expenses? Absolutely! While both methods of advertising have their place online, when it comes to earning quality traffic, article marketing gets the last word.

Call Ad Trends Advertising to get started with PPC or Article Marketing today!

Labels: marketing, websites

When a local business owner and lifetime Blue Springs resident approached the new executive director of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce to help tackle a new ‘buy local’ program, the sparks quickly began to fly.

The result was the formation of a Buy Blue Springs campaign and formation of a local task force.

Mark Whitlow, owner of K&M Office Products and chair of the Buy Blue Springs Committee, said over a period of time he had thought of different programs that may stimulate the Blue Springs economy and help keep more dollars within the city limits.

“I came up with it through my industry trade magazine,” said Whitlow, a 15-year business owner and lifelong resident. “There are communities throughout the country doing this and I thought I would start to look around locally and see what was going on locally and there really wasn’t something of this scale.”

Through its committee and with the help of a local marketing company, Ad Trends Advertising, Buy Blue Springs soon had a mission, logo, slogan and even a Web site: http://www.buybluesprings.com

“Buy Blue Springs. Because Next Door Means More” is the official slogan for the campaign. The task force came up with four goals, including partnering with local merchants, educating the community, establishing a buy local rewards program and bringing members of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce. Continued at: http://www.bluespringsjournal.com/home/story/22937.html

Labels: adtrends, marketing

What, exactly, is your core marketing message?
It's the message you want to get across to your potential customers. It's the thing that will convince potential customers that you have the answer to their problem. The success of your business will, ultimately, depend greatly on how clear and effective your core marketing message is.

Introducing Yourself:
One of the reasons you're marketing your business is so that people will choose to hire you. That sound's rather basic, but it can be overlooked. Your marketing message needs to say who you are. Making sure your name, or your business name, is included in your marketing efforts will help insure that, even if the potential client doesn't hire you right away, they'll remember you for when they are ready to buy.

In the process of introducing yourself, don't get carried away. Talking about yourself can distract your potential customers and, in many cases, push them away. They're not interested as much in who you are as they are in what you can do for them.

In some niches, it can be useful to provide some biographical information. For example, you might say, "I am Dr. Rogers, and I am a physician at State Hospital" or "I am Jan Smith, a certified clinical psychologist." If your niche has recognized certifications or associations, you can certainly include this information in your marketing. As a general rule, however, brevity is best.

Identifying ProblemsThe next thing you need to focus on in your core marketing message is a problem that needs to be solved. People buy things, and they pay consultants and coaches, to solve problems. This is true for just about any consulting business. If you're a writing coach, your clients have a problem with their writing ability (or with selling their writing, perhaps.). If you're a weíght loss coach, your clients probably have a weight problem. If you're a back pain coach, your clients have back pain.

It seems basic, but identifying the specific problems that your coaching solves is integral to your core marketing message. You want to reach people that have a need, and then say, "Hey! You there! I can fix that!" That is how you get clients' attention. That's how your potential clients know you're talking to them, and how they know you have something that they just might want to listen to. Think about some of the most effective commercials and marketing campaigns you've seen.

Acne medications don't start out their advertisements by talking about ingredients. Instead, they say, "Are you tired of not looking your best?"

They identify a problem right away: with acne, you don't look your best. Your core marketing message should address a problem or problems of your target market. Make a list of the top problems in your target market - perhaps three to five problems - and decide which ones you can solve. Focus your marketing efforts on these.

Offering Outcomes:
The natural thing to do, once you've identified a problem, is talk about solutions and processes. However, when it comes to your core marketing message, solutions and processes need to take a back seat.

You see, people out there who have a problem aren't looking for methods. They aren't looking for a process. They aren't even looking for solutions.

What they want are outcomes.

The person with back pain doesn't want medicine. They don't want exercise, physical therapy or coaching. They want to be free from back pain. The person with acne doesn't want hydrocortisone creams or UV treatments. They want to get rid of their acne. It's not enough to identify problems; potential customers know they have problems. Identifying problems is just how you get their attention. You need to tell those potential customers exactly why they need you. You have to be able to identify specific outcomes. You need to know what your potential clients want to get out of the situation, decide if you can provide it, and then give it to them.

As the next step in the process of developing your core marketing message, you need to consider each of those problems you identified previously. For each problem, ask yourself, "What is the ideal outcome your potential customers are hoping for?" Once you've identified those outcomes, they become an impressive tool in your marketing efforts.

Putting it All Together
So, now that you have identified the various components of your core marketing message, it's time to actually formulate and articulate that message. Your core marketing message says something along these lines:

"I am _____. I work with _____ who have this problem_____. I help them to _____."

So, you might say, "I am John Sebastian. I work with older men and women who have lower back pain. I help them to manage their pain effectively and lead normal, productive lives."

Establishing a coherent core marketing message that identifies who you are, identifies the problem you can solve and gives the potential customer a look at what life looks like after their problem is solved is key to success in your consulting business.

Labels: marketing

If you think Twitter, Facebook, and other online social networking site communities are only for teens, you're missing out on valuable and free marketing platforms for your brand (business or product). Further, if you're not on social media, you're risking losing your potential clients/customers to those smart business people who are utilizing social media.Which social media platforms you focus on depends a great deal on what your brand is.

Here are seven excellent reasons why you must use social networking sites no matter what you are promoting:

Reason 1: It's the Most Cost-Effective Online Advertising
The current most popular social networking sites being used for business are free: Twitter.com, Facebook.com and LinkedIn.com. (LinkedIn does have an upgrade that costs, but it's not necessary to get this upgrade.) And this is "relationship" marketing to targeted markets. "Free" is definitely more cost-effective than spending money on online advertising techniques such as Pay Per Click or banner ads.

Reason 2: You Can Have Global Reach With Social Networking Sites
The world is now a global marketplace. Why not reach this global market? Many of the most popular social media platforms have this global reach, and you can see this clearly illustrated on Twitter. At any time of day or night you can see real-time "tweets" from people in Japan, England, the U.S., India and many other countries.For example, if you have a book that might appeal to anyone in the world who reads in English, why limit yourself to just promoting in the U.S.? Thanks to Amazon people outside the U.S. can buy your book even if it is only available in U.S. stores.

Reason 3: You Can Attract Targeted Groups of People as Potential Clients/Customers for Your Brand
Social networking sites enables you to join groups of people with the same interests and goals. On LinkedIn and Facebook you can join groups as varied as Children's Book Writers to eMarketing. If you choose groups to join based on your brand, you'll be putting yourself in front of the exact groups of people you want to reach as potential clients/customers. This can pay off in increased sales for you.

Reason 4: You Can Form A Community by Using the Community Aspect of Social Networking Sites
Once you are active on social media platforms and have people who are your followers (Twitter), your friends (Facebook) and/or your connections (LinkedIn), you can start groups of highly targeted interests. You can create a niche market in your brand, book or business and share your knowledge with others who join your community. These people can become your loyal followers, friends and connections - and they can help spread your marketing message to their followers, friends and connections.

Reason 5: You Can Use Social Networking Sites to Establish Your Expertise
People like to do business with people they know, like and trust. By sharing your knowledge for free online with the people in the social media groups you belong to, you can establish yourself as an expert. This can pay off in increasing potential clients/customers' trust in you.And you can also receive invitations for blog "interviews" or BlogTalkRadio show interviews or podcasts. And these interviews lead to more free exposure for your brand and more free exposure for your expertise.

Reason 6: You Can Use Social Networking Sites To Find Cross-Promotional Partners
Amazingly in the world of social media, people who would be considered competitors in the off-line world are teaming up to provide products and services to their combined clients/customers. And these clients/customers are very responsive to these cross-promotions (often called joint ventures) - especially when introduced to a second expert by a first expert they already know, like and trust.You and your cross-promotion partner can each get access to the other person's "list" (the names of interested clients/customers collected at a website) and thus you've greatly expanded your potential client/customer pool.

Reason 7: With a Few Keystrokes You Can Announce New Updates of Your Activities
Your updates on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn take seconds - and you've announced to your followers, friends and connections what you're doing or what you're offering or what you're speaking on. And there are even online applications that allow you to update your status across several of your social media accounts simultaneously. So it is as easy as 1-2-3 to keep in front of your potential clients/customers.

In conclusion, once you become active yourself on social networking sites, you'll find many more reasons to promote your brand, book or business on social media in order to attract targeted potential clients/customers. And you'll look back at your pre-social networking days and wonder how you ever did marketing without using online social networking sites.

Labels: marketing, websites

Custom Web Stores

Only 3% of all business sell their products or services online...
While 50 Million people will shop online this year!

Click on the images to the right to view
a couple of our custom web stores.

Custom Web Store With
10 Products Only $1000!**

Creating custom web stores to showcase your products or sell them online can be a great solution for your business. We customize and upload a full shopping cart to your web site, and can set you up with PayPal to accept credit card payments, if you do not already do so.*

Call us today and get your web store up and running before the holidays!

* PayPal charges not included.
** Additional products are 10 for $100

Call us at 816.228.1123
or click here for more information:
Website Development

Labels: deals, marketing, websites

Networking, whether online or offline, is a great use of time when done properly. As with anywhere you spend your time, knowing why you are doing it, how you will measure success and having a plan is the best approach.

Social Networking online is a good idea for these reasons:

1. There Is No Direct Cost
There is no direct cost unless you opt for an upgrade, if one is offered. I haven't paid for an upgrade and have steadily increased my list to include over 1000 followers between just three social media outlets, and without much effort.

2. Build Your Business by Connecting With Peers
Are you interested in finding joint ventures, affiliates, guest experts or other peers you can bounce ideas off of? In the last few weeks alone, I have located one large joint venture partner and have had several other partnership opportunities cross my desk. Business owners just like you are using social media to connect with others who are interested in using your articles, hosting you as a guest expert on teleseminars, webinars and live events, and even creating projects together!

3. Build Your Business by Following People You Are Targeting
Would an article written by a certain reporter make your year? Follow them on Twitter or Facebook and see what is of interest to them and what they are writing about. You don't know what golden nugget you'll find by following them online that may open the door at the right time. Follow them and invite them to follow you as well! Or with LinkedIn you can find out how many degrees you are from them. You may surprise yourself by being only one or two degrees away from your target!

4. Showcase Your Expertise, Build Your Platform and Attract New Clients
Social media is an interesting animal. While many people use it to grow their businesses, you must be mindful about outright promotions. Generally speaking, heavy marketing of your products and services on these sites is a big no-no. Here's how I do it. I'll post something like this: "Just got off the phone with social networking guru Nancy Marmolejo. Now I'm off to finish writing my sales page for the Business Breakthrough Series." People who are intrigued will check you out and may end up deciding to follow you and ... bingo! They have just entered your world!

5. Reach Large Audiences
The world is your oyster in social media. There are only a few businesses that are truly limited by geographic boundaries, especially if you are in the information marketing business. Being active on social networking sites eliminates geographic boundaries and allows you to reach a vast number of people from all over the world. If you have products and services that can be purchased by anyone in the world, being active in social media is an absolute must for you. I recently held a teleseminar with people from over 10 countries in attendance, all from the comfort of my home office! And my sweat pants!

So, is social networking worth the time?
It depends. Social media is absolutely the wave of the future, and you will need to know something about it at some point. However, whether you work it into your plan for 2009 depends on your goals. If you have a goal of increasing your reach to prospects either locally or internationally, you can do that quite effectively through social media. However, if you can cannot and will not commit to learning how to "tweet" on Twitter or communicate on Facebook or use your connections on LinkedIn, it will not be worth your time.

Ad Trends Advertising can help you get started with Social Networking for as little as $250. Call us today for a FREE 1-Hour Marketing Consultation with our Internet Marketing Director 816.228.1123!

Labels: marketing, websites

As the online market place continues to warm up to the idea of SEO, link building campaigns have become center stage as they tend to be the most time consuming and crucial part of any internet marketing strategy. Link building services are the most commonly outsourced aspect of SEO. This process involves finding qualified and thematically relevant one-way linking partners who will link back to your website.

At first glance this sounds easy and there are hundreds of automated products out there that claim to add thousands of back links overnight. The truth is there are no short cuts in cultivating authoritative back links for a site. Link building campaigns spend many hours link building by hand in order to get the best results. Spammy automated products often don't cultivate valuable links and tend to do more harm than good. Here are a couple quick suggestions to help you get started:

1. Know What Keywords You Are Targeting.
• Make sure that the anchor text of the link has the keyword you are targeting. For example, if you're targeting the keyword "baby names" you'll want to place that keyword in the anchor text of the link. I've seen many companies go after links by using their company name.
2. Know What Kind Of Websites You Are Targeting.
• There are many strategies link building companies use to source qualified back links to their clients. The most tedious but often most rewarding method is manual linking requests also known as "cherry picking". This method allows you to obtain exceptionally qualified links which can really help boost your position in the search engine results page (SERPS). A good place to start with manual link building is to look at your suppliers, vendors, clients, related organizations associations and more.
3. Determine Where The Link Will Be Placed.
• I try to get my links no more than a few clicks away from the homepage. The page must be thematically relevant and recently cached by Google's search engine (this lets me know that the page has been indexed by Google). I also take a look at the number of external (outbound) links leaving that page. I try to keep the number of external links below 50 as it will dilute the effect of the page.
• Try to avoid placing your links on a "sponsored" or advertisers section that runs throughout the entire site. Also avoid footer links as rumor has it Google has devalued links buried in the footer of the site.
4. Determine What Value The Link Will Have.
• Within the last 5 years Google developed the concept of the "no-follow" link. The "no-follow" code is inserted into your link and instructs the Google spider to ignore it. The "no-follow" link can be seen used most commonly in blog comments and forum posts. This initiative was set forth to combat spam and automated linking mechanisms that would throw links automatically on blog comments and forum posts.
• There are a lot of SEO professionals that will only place a link if it is a "do-follow" link, meaning it doesn't have the "no-follow" attribute. I tend to disagree with this notion especially when the link in question is on a highly trafficked authority site. If it makes sense for the link to be there, then add your link. Even though Google won't give you any credít for it, it will be seen by thousands of people who may visit your site and link to you themselves because your site is highly relevant. I call this concept indirect link building. You are influencing and promoting your site to potential linking partners.
5. Request Links Only On High Value & Relevant Websites.
• Search engines see links as votes of confidence for your site. The more relevant and authoritative the site, the more consideration is given to the link and the subsequent keyword in the anchor text. It really pays off to focus on the quality of your links rather than the quantity. It is also important for your link building to look natural and not an attempt to deceive search engine spiders in search of links. Try looking for sites within your industry rather than general, unrelated sites to get links from.

Link Building Campaigns are a very time consuming process and link building companies spend a lot of time researching, testing and improving their techniques. Link building services are available for companies that don't have the time to invest in manual link building. The bottom line is that with a little help anyone can link build and move their site up the SERPS.

If you need help with your Link Building Campaign, give us a call today!

Labels: marketing, websites

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is holding thier annual business showcase on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 from 3pm - 6pm at Union Station's North Hall.

• Free Admission
  
• Open to the Public
  
• 100 Tabletop Exhibits
  (Including Ad Trends Advertsing)
  
• Networking Opportunities
  
• Build Business Relationships
  
• Purchasing Available
  
• Cash Bar & Free Appetizers from 5p-6p

Labels: adtrends, marketing

The Facts:

• 70% of Americans are online almost everyday.
• 50 Million people will shop online this year.
• Adults spend 3 hours a day more online than watching TV.
• There are over 400 Million websites online.
• Only 3% of all business sell their products or services online.
• 16% of small businesses see the Internet as a threat.
• Only 18% of small businesses have an Internet Marketing Plan.

The Fix:

• Get a professional website and offer your products online ASAP.
  • Add pictures, facts, articles, product benefits, customer comments, stories and testimonials.
  • Have a clear call-to-action or special offer on your home page to get sales.
• Super-charge your website with an Internet Marketing Plan.
  • Start a blog to post articles.
  • Build your own fan club in social networks.
  • Entertain, get feedback, be yourself, show personality, and do something to get attention.
• Keep a customer database.
  • Imagine how easy it would be to sell a prospect if you already knew what they wanted, how much they had to spend, and they already knew your company... Those potential sales are in your existing client list.
  • Re-sell, up-sell, and cross-sell through email marketing and your website.

Call us today and beat 85-97% of your competition with an Internet Marketing plan!

We can make Internet marketing easier by creating an open line of communication where you become more educated on Internet Marketing and we become more educated on your products and services. Working together this process becomes easier and more effective.

Call us at 816.228.1123
or click here for more information:
http://www.adtrendsinc.com/website-development.html

Labels: adtrends, marketing, websites

10. Know Why People Buy

When you sell a product it's not only important to know who bought it, but also why they bought. Why they were motivated to buy your product over your competitor's product. When people feel like they are saving money they are more likely to buy now, rather than wait a while and eventually forget about it.

9. Follow Up On Customers

What is the BIGGEST mistake made in marketing? A salesperson receives a lead, sends a brochure or letter, calls about a week later, and if they don't receive an immediate sale, they hang up and never call back. They assume their campaign has failed.

8. Be Aware Of The Cluster Principle

People with similar demographic and psychographic profiles have a tendency to cluster together in the same geographic areas. Identify these cluster groups of businesses you need to target. This will help you select the right audience to target.

7. Boost Your B-to-B Sales

Here are a few tips to help you improve your business-to-business sales: Email to different job titles - decisions can be made on many levels, Provide complete information - big decisions need more detailed specifications, and Avoid corporate brochures - a brochure should always have a specific purpose.

6. Boost Your Loyalty Program

Establish long-term relationships with customers that will build their trust, and ensure that they will return again. Always communicate with your members and find out what they do and don't like about your program, and keep a creative focus so participation won't decline.

5. Keep Customers With Good Customer Service

Successful companies provide proactive customer service. Proactive customers service leads to increased business and loyalty. Go out of your way to please your customer by checking on the status of their order. Offer helpful solutions to their problems. Always go out of your way to exceed their expectations.

4. Don't Be Afraid To Go After Large Accounts

Although large accounts present special challenges, they are far from unapproachable. Here are a couple of things that people tend to get wrong about large accounts: They won't change suppliers - If you remain persistent and give them good reasons to switch to your company, they will more than likely warm up to the idea. OR They're usually happy with their service - WRONG! Prices, quality, and service are constantly changing. Keep your eye out for new buyers in your target market. New buyers mean new ideas, policies and even new vendors.

3. Know Thy Product & Prospect

Know your product, and explain it in simple, every day language. Learn as much as you can about the products and services you are offering. Explain it in a way that the customer would use it, not in the perspective of the manufacturer.

2. Use Cross-Promotions With Other Companies

The idea is to work with other companies to offer each other’s products and services to each other’s customers. It’s reciprocal and it is profitable for BOTH companies.

1. Your Best Customers Lead To Your Best New Prospects.

When searching for new prospects, always remember that they will always closely resemble your best customers. The best prospects on any consumer list are those who make frequent purchases in significant amounts. Identifiable by computer search, they fit into the RFM formula: Recency of purchase, Frequency of purchase, and Monetary value of purchase. What traits do your prospects have in common with your top customers? Use this information to find prospects who resemble your top customers' profile. Also, your customer's may be able to introduce you with a refferal.

Labels: marketing

Even in the best organizations the sales and marketing departments often work in parallel, though separate tracks. And, in most companies the sales and marketing departments actually work against each other, with each group planning their strategy, training their team, and implementing their plan without:

1. Considering each other's plans.
2. Gathering their input.
3. Providing unbiased feedback.
4. Gaining buy-in and support from each other.

How many times have new marketing programs or materials been developed—at great effort and expense—only to fizzle in the sales process because sales refuses to use them? Or how common is the scenario where marketing generates leads they feel sales does not follow-up on and sales deems these leads "unqualified?" Sadly, in these scenarios everyone loses.

Integrating the magic of marketing with the science of sales is KEY to sales and marketing efficiency and effectiveness. Without joining the often-disparate efforts of sales and marketing into one cohesive approach, your strategies are only realizing one-half of the equation.

To avoid this all-too-common trap, start by including the sales perspective into your marketing process by:

Understanding Your Sales Process. We find that the biggest reason sales and marketing teams don't integrate well is because they don't have the same understanding of the sales process and/or they don't have the same defintion of the concepts within the sales process (For instance, what EXACTLY defines a lead? What type of communication is necessary at the lead qualification stage vs. the presentation phase). To remedy this misunderstanding, start by defining and documenting your sales process and make sure both teams agree to operate within and support those definitions and requirements.

Implementing a Sales Advisory Committee. As you begin your annual marketing planning and budgeting, develop a sales advisory committee. The sales advisory committee meetings should be lead by the marketing department, while the sales department should decide sales representation. Use these meetings to strategize, plan, and establish sales buy-in into every aspect of the marketing approach. Also, solicit feedback from individual salespersons by posting a web poll to ensure your plans, materials, and vehicles aren't missing the mark when it comes to actual usability from a sales perspective. Make this poll anonymous so that you get the real scoop (and not just what they think you want them to say).

Co-traveling with sales representatives. Attending all the trade shows and industry events in the world will never provide the same perspective and opportunity to understand your customers' and prospects' needs from your marketing efforts, as calling on them. Ask the territory representative to plan a day (or two) for calling on a mix of current and previous clients and prospects. Be specific about who you want to call! Otherwise, you'll end up with a tour of the "A" accounts, with very little insight beyond your top customers.

Sales and marketing are not independent disciplines. And, it's not enough to "be friends." Integrate the two disciplines in a meaningful way and you'll find your sales and marketing efforts will be all the more successful.

Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. has it's own partner
in the Sales Department.

We highly reccomend Effective Sales Development for Sander Sales Training in Kansas City. We can help make the phones ring and the customers coming in, but eventually you have to sell them something to grow your business. We believe there are two easy ways to be more profitable in any market climate:

Get More Prospects or Close More Sales!

Labels: adtrends, marketing

1. Send an email newsletter for customers and prospects.
2. Develop a brochure of services.
3. Give customers two business cards and brochures - one to keep and one to pass along. Business cards aren’t working for you if they’re in the box. Pass them out!
4. Produce separate sales literature for each of your target market segments (e.g. government and commercial, and/or business and consumer).
5. Create a calendar to give away to customers and prospects.
6. Print a logo, slogan and/or one-sentence description of your business on letterhead, fax cover sheets and invoices.
7. Develop your own website and social network profiles.
8. Create a "signature file" to be used for all your e-mail messages. It should contain contact details, including your Web site address, and key information about your company that will make the reader want to contact you.
9. Include "testimonials" from customers in your literature, on your website, and in your presentations.
10. Announce free or special offers in your direct response pieces. (Direct responses may be direct mail, broadcast fax, trade show material or email messages.) Include the offer in the beginning of the message and also make it stand out by being creative.

Labels: marketing, websites

Work Apparel provides an opportunity to promote your brand and increase your visibility. While business cards, billboards, flyers, and banners, also do a similar job, work apparel especially if it is professional and useful, helps people remember you more.

Remember how specific cereal brands stick with us until we’re grown-ups? That’s because since we were children, we’ve been exposed to their marketing messages. Work apparel is another way to get that message out.

At Ad Trends Advertising, you can choose from a wide range of work apparel from all major brands. With thousands of items in our catalog, there’s one that will fit your promotion and your staff. Looking for corporate giveaways for business clients? Send them apparel that looks great and they can make use of - these range from cheap t-shirts to logoed Tiger Woods and Greg Norman polos.

To maximize your investment in work apparel, map out your plan. You need to set a clear goal on what you want to accomplish. Is it to advocate a cause or to thank clients for their business? Knowing your objective helps in narrowing down your choices of apparel. Setting up a budget should also be part of the planning process, as it will help you trim down your choices. Factor in your shipping and imprint or embroidery costs so you don’t overspend.

Labels: apparel, marketing

A 5 Step Marketing Research Process

Step 1. Defining Your Target
If you are considering conducting marketing research, chances are you have already identified a problem and an ensuing informational need. In marketing research process, this is always the first one. Your target or issue will likely be recognized by one or more levels of management. Sometimes, further definition of the problem or issue is needed, and for that there are several tools you can use. The target market with specific demographics should be the main focus with clearly defined objectives for research.

Step 2. Developing Your Approach
Your approach should consist of an honest assessment of your team’s market research skills, establishing a budget, understanding your environment and its influencing factors, developing an analysis model, and formulating hypotheses. Based upon a well-defined approach, a framework for the designing your marketing research program should be apparent.

This step is the most encompassing of all steps in marketing research, requiring the greatest amount of thought, time and expertise - and is the point at which the less experienced will obtain assistance from an internal/external market research experts. Since the intelligence eventually gained from the research is so closely related to the selected research design, this step most vulnerable to the typical research errors. Research design includes incorporating knowledge from secondary information analysis, qualitative research, methodology selection, question measurement & scale selection, questionnaire design, sample design & size, and determining data analysis to be used.

Step 3: Data Collection
This is the point at which the finalized questionnaire (survey instrument) is used in gathering information among the chosen sample segments. There are a variety of data collection methodologies to consider, but it should be fairly straight forward based on your marketing and information needed.

Step 4: Data Analysis
All analysis that can be performed, from complex to simple, depends on how the questionnaire was constructed. Less complex analysis on smaller data sets can be handled with any of a number of office suite tools. More complex data analysis may require a trained marketing professional or mathematician.

Step 5: Presentation
All business critical information and knowledge that comes from your market research investment are limited by how they are presented to decision makers. There are as many reporting styles as there are research reports, but usually simple graphs, charts, or PowerPoint presentations can get the point across. The key is to not bombard management with numbers, but rather explain the insight gained from the research and the recommended changes in marketing strategies.

Contact us if you’d like to explore the marketing research process for your company in more detail.

Labels: marketing

Your company's Internet marketing strategy should consider two time frames and several key components when creating your marketing plan. There are short-term strategies and there are long-term stategies for Internet marketing.

Short-term Internet marketing strategy - Produces instant results, but they may be more expensive or difficult to maintain for years at a time. These strategies are also considered short-term because if you stop doing them, you usually lose the results quickly. They include:

• Pay-Per-Click Advertising
• Email Marketing
• Link or Banner Exchanges
• Promotions & Contests
• Posting links in Forums or Chat rooms

Long-term Internet marketing stategy - Takes longer to produce results, but often will continue to grow and be effective long after the activity stops. These Internet marketing stragies may take months or years to be truely effective, but once they do, they are much more powerful and often free to maintain. They include:

• Search Engine Optimization & Marketing
• Online Social Networking & Bookmarking
• Blogging & Article Marketing
• Opt-In Email & News Feeds
• Link Building Campaigns

You may notice that link strategies are in both lists. Link exchanges trade links between both websites and they other person will usually take it down if you do, and the reward is not as great. With Link Building, you create attractive content and encourage one-way links to yoursite that will remain on the web forever. They are much more powerful to the search engines when they are one-way links too!

By creating and implementing a balanced Internet marketing strategy, using both short-term and long-term strategies, you will drive a steady stream of targeted traffic to your web site.

Here are 10 Internet Marketing Strategies that will help you busines grow online:

1. Start with an effective web design and development strategy for updates.
2. Practice good search optimization techniques for all pages of the site.
3. Learn to use email marketing effectively for existing customers and prospects.
4. Dominate your marketing niche and specific keywords first, then expand.
5. Request website analysis from an Internet marketing professional at least quarterly.
6. Blog and interact with your visitors.
7. Create and build relationship in online social networks.
8. Publish articles and get listed and linked in news stories on the web.
9. Facilitate and run contests and giveaways via your web site.
10. Use pay-per-click advertising as a last resort to increase traffic.

Labels: marketing, websites

Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. is a full-service marketing company dedicated to helping you grow your business. We get to know our clients and their businesses to develop custom marketing services. We have the resources to provide your company a true marketing solution which will help you achieve your goals for growth in 2009.

These marketing services will generate a significant return on your marketing investment:

• Marketing Calendars
• Website Development
• Promotional Products
• Corporate Apparel
• Business Printing

Our goal is to maximize your marketing budget by saving you time and money while executing creative, professional and effective promotions.

Here are the top 5 reasons why companies use our marketing services:

Labels: marketing

Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. is proud to announce we have partnered with the Blue Springs Chamber to help create a buy local campaign for the Blue Springs area!

We are currently developing the logo and website, and heading up the Marketing Committee. If you are interested in joining the Buy Local Task Force, or just having your business be a part of the Buy Blue Springs campaign, please email: Jeff@AdTrendsInc.com

For more information, look here or on the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce Website: www.bluespringschamber.com

Labels: adtrends, marketing

In 2008, only 15% of businesses had an Internet Marketing Plan! In the past, it was the web designer's sole responsibility to enter the right keywords to market your website. Now it is a company-wide effort to write press releases, articles, email blasts, blogs and tweets. Internet Marketing is about providing the advice, direction and tools necessary to help your company take advantage of the online marketplace. What A GOOD Internet Marketer Can Do For You: Create RSS feeds for the dissemination and syndication of news. Submit your articles to high-value republishing sites. Update the meta-tag keyword information and copy where appropriate to target specific key phrases. Create a presence in the Facebook community. Set up a Twitter account to post weekly news as well as breaking news. Develop an on-site blog with regular updates, and link the headline from the home page so the search engines see more new content. Submit your site and content to blogs related to your industry. Manage a Pay-Per-Click advertising campaign. When it makes sense, post regular podcasts, including YouTube videos. What A BAD Internet Marketer Will Promise You: Guaranteed ranking on the first page in search engine results. Submission to THOUSANDS of search engines and directories. A lot of FREE links to your site to boost traffic. Instant results in organic search listings. You don't have to do anything but pay a monthly fee. You have to use Pay-Per-Click advertising to reach top placement. Changing a few keywords will dramatically boost your ranking. Internet Marketers can set up the blog, profiles, and other gadgets, but only you can provide the information and personal interaction necessary to make these tools generate revenue! We can make Internet marketing easier by creating an open line of communication where you become more educated on Internet Marketing and we become more educated on your products and services. Working together this process becomes easier and more effective. Call us today and beat 85% of your competition with an Internet Marketing plan! LinkedIn Twitter Facebook MySpace Plaxo If you need help with Internet Marketing, call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. - 816.228.1123

Labels: marketing, websites

5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Changeby Stephen R. Covey 1989

Having developed the concept of this groundbreaking, long-term bestseller by studying literature going back more than 200 years, Covey bases his approach on relatively immutable personal human values. Unlike many a self-improvement author, however, he doesn’t promise a quick fix; rather, he calls for a paradigm shift—a revolutionary change in one’s perceptions and interpretations of how the world works. And with different thinking comes different actions that will profoundly affect one’s productivity and effectiveness.

Be proactive. Begin with an end in mind. Put first things first. Think win/win. Seek first to understand. Synergize. Renewal. With penetrating insights and cogent anecdotes, Covey presents a highly structured, holistically integrated methodology for creating balance, and hence success, in one’s personal and professional lives. Click here for more information on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

4. The One-Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson 1981

Millions of managers in Fortune 500 companies and small businesses around the globe have followed the timeless principles of this first mega-bestselling business book, presented as a parable. Concisely elegant, this narrative reveals three practical management secrets: One-Minute Goals, One-Minute Praisings, and One-Minute Reprimands—a concept that has spawned numerous “One-Minute” titles, for endeavors from parenting to golfing.

Blanchard and Johnson ground their ideas in studies in medicine and the behavioral sciences to explain why the one-minute techniques work with so many people, in so many environments. Click here for more information on The One-Minute Manager

3. How to Win Friends & Influence Peopleby Dale Carnegie 1937

Having sold more than 15 million copies, this seminal self-improvement book continues to guide managers in the universal challenge of face-to-face communication.
A master of human nature, Carnegie advises that “[w]hen dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity.” He argues that success is only 15% professional knowledge; the remaining 85% is “the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people.”
Click here for more information on How to Win Friends & Influence People

2. The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Failby Clayton M. Christensen 1997

Examining a variety of leading well-managed companies that have failed to capitalize on innovative technologies, Christensen explains, with striking clarity and style, how to manage breakthrough products successfully when customers may not be ready for them.
His argument that overdependence on customer needs, or on the most profitable products, can damage a company’s success challenges the marketing and customer service books that put customer focus at the top of the corporate agenda. Considered a paradigmatic marketing visionary, Christensen highlights the problems inherent in what appears to be sound decision making, and rigorously demonstrates that companies will fall behind if they fail to adapt or adopt new technologies that will meet customers’ unstated or future needs.

Illustrating his points with anecdotes of historical figures, business leaders, and ordinary folks, Carnegie instructs the reader in how to change people, how to win them over to your way of thinking, without causing offense or resentment, and without making them feel manipulated. He teaches these skills through the underlying principle that people want to feel important and appreciated. Carnegie was the first to create a flourishing, credible, long-term business out of his ideas. Click here for more information on The Innovator’s Dilemma

1. In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companiesby Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr. 1982

Highly influential when global competition, largely from Japan, had brought Western business to a low, this quintessential business book describes eight enduring management principles that made the forty-three companies surveyed “excellent.” The authors focus exclusively on big companies, namely big manufacturers, but ironically condemn the excesses of modern management practice and advocate a return to simpler virtues. They have since come to feel that their ideas are better embodied in smaller companies.

Through lively case studies, this very readable classic forces a look at the fundamentals, at “first principles” that give a company its soul: Attention to customers, an abiding concern for people (productivity through people), the celebration of trial and error. A driving force in the subsequent deluge of business books, this trailblazer established customer service as a key form of differentiation and advantage, and launched the author-as-consultant/speaker/celebrity phenomenon. Click here for more information on In Search of Excellence

Sources: Perseus Publishing’s The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Management Books You’ll Never Have Time to Read, Forbes, Business Week, U.S. News & World Report, a variety of lists located around the Web, and our own subjective reading experiences. From: http://www.businesspundit.com/25-best-business-books-ever/

Labels: marketing

A custom light switch is a great idea for schools, large corporations, and energy saving companies. There are so many applications for this product. What makes it special is the longevity of the product, once installed the switch plate could be there for years.

It could be used for a district wide promotion for a reading program imprinted with “I Learned to Read at Franklin Smith Elementary School.” It could be used an energy savings program at a large facility or as a promotion, imprinted with, "Be Green To Save Green."

For individual school promotions or sports fundraisers, the product with a full color imprint is prices as low as $1.69 at 1,000, the one color glow in the dark version is as low as $1.00 at 1,000. A school could easily sell the glow in the dark model for $2 each and make a $1,000 or better yet sell them 2 for $5 and make even more.

Northwest Missouri State University used our custom light switchplate in the dorm rooms of the university.

During summer break the plates were installed in every room to remind students "Please Turn Off" when not using. A simple message for them to help conserve energy and reduce their "carbon paw print".

The university linked the idea to the product, made from 100% Biodegradable recycled plastic to conserving energy & being environmentally friendly.

With the increasing cost of energy, this is an effective way to remind students that they are paying the bill for wasted energy through their tuition.

WHAT A NEAT IDEA!!
Give us a call to learn more...
816.228.1123

Labels: marketing, products

Companies are starting to wake up to value of social networks. They are realizing that the web offers an amazing opportunity to manage your reputation and provide personal customer service.

When C.C. Chapman noticed a blemish in his high-definition television's reception during the NBA playoffs recently, he blasted a quick gripe about Comcast into the online ether, using the social network Twitter. Minutes later, a Twitter user named ComcastCares responded, and within 24 hours, a technician was at Chapman's house in Milford to fix the problem.

"I was so floored," said Chapman, who runs a digital marketing agency and advises companies to do what he experienced with Comcast - listen to what customers are saying about them online and respond. "When it actually happened to me, it blew me away," he said.

Chapman's experience is one example of the ways customer service is changing in an age when a single disgruntled consumer with a broadband connection can ignite a crisis. It also shows the potential of the Internet to turn miffed customers into fans in a more organic way than an advertising campaign. Chapman, for example, made a podcast about his visit from Comcast.

Comcast is not the only one. Google, Southwest Airlines, Dell and many other companies have started to monitor how their brands are perceived online, by tracking blogs and social networks to find where people are talking about a company.

With powerful and comprehensive search engines and tools like Google Alerts, it is not hard to find out who is writing about your company online. Taking a proactive approach and responding to these posts is simple good business. The best part might be that these tasks are best performed by younger workers who are cheap, yet more knowledgeable about these social networks.

If you need help managing your online reputation,
call Ad Trends Advertising today! 816.228.1123

Labels: marketing, websites

A good Referral Marketing Plan has 5 key ingredients: Target Market, Core Message, Follow Up, Trust Trial, and a Reward. Without a clear plan, you will continue you get whatever random referrals you are getting now. So take a second and map out a plan right now...

Target Market:

Before you start asking for referrals, you need to know who your ideal client is and be able to communicate that quickly to your clients and network. Start by writing down a short two sentence description of your target marketing. Then, tell everyone you know about it. It is like putting up a big "WANTED" poster for all your clients, contacts, friends and family. With a good description of who you are looking for, they will easily be able to identify your ideal client and refer them to you.

Core Message:

Now that you have found these ideal clients, what do you want to tell them? This should be a very quick simple description of what is in it for them. How would they profit from your services? You don't need to list all your products and services, just your core mission statement or 20 second commercial. It should be short enough that your network of referrers can remember it, or it can be placed on the back of business card. You want your network to be able to tell these targets what you do in a powerful way, but not sales pitchy or intrusively.

Follow Up:

Most people are not going to stop what they are doing and call you on the spot, so a follow up plan is crucial to converting these introductions into clients. Ask your network to get you a phone number, email or some way of contacting the people that can use your services. You should also make sure everyone in your network has about 5 of your business cards or marketing pieces on them. They should know that they are expected to give the prospect one of your cards, and ask for one of theirs. Do you want them to set up a mutual meeting? Do you want them to bring the prospect into your location? What is the ideal next step for business? Make sure it is taken.

Trust Trial:

The trust trial is a pretty simple concept. People don't trust people they don't know. People hate to fail, look silly, and do things that are uncomfortable. After the initial contact, you need to make sure that it is as easy as possible for the prospect to start using your services. You can only do what works for your business model. Think about what you can do to make it easier to get prospects using your products or services. Can you do a free trail? Can you do a low introductory rate? Can you do a money-back guarantee? Can you do a coupon or free sample?

Most people think of these things without the psychology behind it. Sure some people just want a deal, but others are worried about risking their hard earned money on something they don't know yet. Your "Trust Trial" doesn't have to discount or cheapen your product, just provide an easy way for people to get started. Providing your best service and keeping them as clients is your job, and why you are still in business.

Reward:

The reward is for the people in your network who gave you the referral. Think about the "WANTED" poster again. There is always a reward for finding the person, and the higher the reward, the more people willing to look for them. The same goes for referral plans. Again, this should be based on what you can afford in your business model. If you sell Girl Scout cookies, you can't give away a car. If you sell $100,000 pieces of medical equipment, a thank you card is probably not enough. Make it just painful enough for you that you feel a little uncomfortable. A new client is extremely valuable over their lifetime with you. If you don't care about giving away the reward, most likely, the receiver will not care about getting it.

You should also be aware that some of your referrers will be clients and others will not. A gift card or free service works well for customers, but not for business contacts who don't use your services. Make sure you have a reward that will be useful and appreciated by the person receiving it. The referrer will be more likely to refer you again, and speak even more highly of you.

Conclusion:

Think about the possibilities one more time... If every one of your clients, friends, family, and business contacts had 5 of your cards to pass out to qualified people they meet, you could end up with THOUSANDS of new prospects and clients.

For the plan to be successful, you must clearly give everyone you know specific instructions for how to refer people to you. Let them know that referrals are a part of regular business practices with you and they are expected. Make sure they can articulate your target, message and trust trial. You can even rehearse it with them. If they don't know what to do or what is expected, you WILL continue to get whatever random referrals you get now...

Call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. today for help with your Referral Marketing Plan. We offer as little or as much assistance as needed to help your business grow.

Start with a FREE 1-Hour Marketing Consultation. Call: 816.228.1123

Labels: marketing

Labels: apparel, marketing, printing, products

1. Have you written down your business goals for the next 12 months?
2. Is one of your goals to grow your list of qualified prospects by 5% each month?
3. Do you have a written marketing plan that guides your daily, weekly and monthly marketing activities?
4. Is the first and most prominent element in your marketing materials a one-sentence explanation of how you help your clients?
5. Do you feature client testimonials or case studies that provide proof of the results your products and services generate?
6. Is at least 50% of your marketing copy in your materials focused on your prospects' problems and concerns relative to your products and services?
7. In your sales materials and on your web site, do you use a free offer with a clear call to action to prompt prospects to contact you?
8. Does your free offer prompt hundreds of people to contact you each week?
9. Do you reply to each prospect inquiry with an immediate response and have a follow up plan for the next 5 communications?
10. Do you continue to stay in touch with qualified prospects and your current clients at least once a month, sharing an idea they can use and demonstrating the solutions you provide?

Count the number of your "Yes" answers and to calculate your marketing strength.

1 to 3: You're a marketing wallflower. You have limited data gathering or marketing systems in place. You may be brilliant, and you may have great products and services, but your prospects have probably never heard of you and aren't buying from you. Make a small business marketing plan and discover how to create a steady stream of prospects.

3 to 6: You are on your way to becoming a successful marketer and growing your business. However, your data gathering and marketing systems need attention. Expand your marketing plan and create a marketing calendar to generate more leads and more sales

7 to 10: You're an aggressive marketer and have strong marketing systems. You've been in business for at least five years and understand the core marketing techniques that provide results. You may just need to tweak your message or execution and focus more on consistency.

Call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. today for help with your marketing plan. We offer as little or as much assistance as needed to help your business grow.

Start with a FREE 1-Hour Marketing Consultation. Call: 816.228.1123

Labels: marketing

Where's Social Networking Headed?

Millions of consumers are using social networks now.
Just like email and voicemail those now archaic technologies that we don't even think about, social networking is becoming mainstream. Social media marketing is here to stay and can bring tremendous value to those who know how to leverage it. From gaining new clients, to gaining visibility, branding, and credibility, not to mention leads, social networking is becoming invaluable for businesses. It is also fun, quick, and a cost-effective way to get visibility and it provides the ability to connect with anyone, anywhere in the world.

Many small businesses remain offline and are positively scared of using social media websites.
Business owners are worried about the lack of privacy and a misconception that they need to be technically savvy to use such websites as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. They also mention lack of time and lack of trained marketing resources which prevent them from taking the social media marketing plunge. However, social networking is one activity that everybody needs to "find" time for and "create" a budget for. It means visibility at a very low cost, and your competitors will be taking advantage of it sooner or later. Doing nothing is not an option!

Social Networking means buzz, visibility, website traffic, leads and sales!

To take advantage of social networking you will have to:

Make time. Either make time for social media marketing for yourself / business OR find an expert who can do it for you. Here at Ad Trends Advertising, Inc we help business all over the US start and maintain social networks. We will offer as little or as much help as you need.

Be professional. If you don't want to end up fired or end up in jail, be careful about what you say online. Professional behavior should be the norm (even for teenagers who don't realize the impact of what they put out there on Facebook). Prospective employers, prospective clients, current clients, and anyone who wants to look you up, can and will. Once you've put something out there, it is out there forever.

Have a clear target or goal. Remember the impression you want to cultivate online. You wouldn't go to a face-to-face networking meeting and complain "how tired you are", "how sleepy you are" etc. Then don't do it online either. Online networking has reached a new level and you need to show your "networking" savvy by creating an impression which will land you the next connection, a new client or whatever you seek.

Know frequency matters as much as content. Blogging at least once a month, writing a tweet at least once every week, and posting a status at least every other day is the only way to grow your visibility. All marketing activities require frequency, consistency, and long-term effort. You wouldn't expect one advertisement in the Kansas City Star to generate leads immediately and ongoing. Similarly, marketing online requires consistent, frequent, and long-term effort.

Reap what you sow. This saying applies very well to Social Networking. If you don't begin leveraging social media websites to promote yourself or your business and especially if your competition is, you'll be left behind in the dust of their visibility & buzz. Sow the seeds of communication in social networks, and make sure you follow up to reap the rewards of your time and effort.

On a regular basis, you should aim to:

1. Write about your industry in a way that is useful to your audience, especially with articles. Keep on subject and submit it to the major article sites. If your blog has an associated RSS feed, such as WordPress, all the better. Enter it in the major social media sites as well.
2. Then Tweet it. Twitter is in its infancy, albeit a precocious little chap, and you may see no point in publishing your story as your "followers" are mainly unknown to you and therefore unlikely to read about what you have to say. Do not be deterred as this is the wrong approach: Twitter is here to stay and develop. If the Economist is backing Twitter against CNN, this medium has to be taken seriously.
3. Blogging and article writing should be done regularly. Just writing the odd story on a casual basis is not good enough. You should be consistent in the posting your articles and thorough with your research.

Set up your profiles today and start networking!

We will be your first friend! Find us on these social media sites:

Labels: marketing, websites

We hate the word "recession" and all the talk about the down economy. Some businesses are having tough times right now, and others continue to grow and position themselves for the future. It is your choice whether you want to sit back and blame the economy, or you want to work hard, grab more market share, and grow your business. Here are 10 marketing strategies that will help you right the ship, or just take advantage of the down market:

10. Market harder.
The additional spend of advertising and marketing dollars when others are pulling back propels you onto higher ground and into higher visibility, way past others, to the top of the "Hi! I'm over here!" visibility peak.

9. Market smarter.
Market with greater precision. Take precise aim at your best fundraising sources — you know, the ones on the list you don't share with anyone. Spend the additional time up front, and don't waste hindsight expense by going after people on the edge who "may possibly buy if they are in the right mood and if they feel like it that day." Dig deep. Aim for the low-hanging fruit.

8. Invest in your own success.
An investment in marketing dollars at this time is worth more now than when everyone else is also in the mix, (and mediums have fat ad contracts.) With less competition for your buyer's attention, you stand front and center.

7. Take advantage of the better deals.
For example, the pulling back of the giant media-buying machinery of the sinking automotive industry has left great media, ad-space, direct mail and cut-sheet paper deals on the table for the rest of us. Look around. Great deals abound. Find them or...

6. Negotiate.
Make your own deals. Lots of firms that were so, so hoity-toity and steadfast on price now will negotiate. Go after them.

5. Go ahead, make a ridiculous offer.
Don't be afraid to call and make a low-ball offer. You might not get it at that price, but you might wind up paying much less than list.

4. Remember that not everyone is in a recession.
Not every industry suffers. Some industries flourish in recessionary times. Head over to those markets. "Studying the markets" has meaning outside of the traditional mumble jumble of the stock market — where, you know, your investments just tanked.

3. Some firms you dislike are in the blender — enjoy it.
If only the phone companies, big software companies and computer-hardware firms would get out from under their foreign-made products, poor service and unpatriotic out-sourcing of telephone help lines offshore to people who, when the going gets tough, hang up on you. Was there really a reason I was on hold for over an hour besides, "We are experiencing higher than normal call volumes?" How about, "We need to increase our telephone staff to actually give you quality service." Doesn't that fit a little better? Yeah, there are some firms I’d love to see go belly up. Get even in the new year - buy from the smaller firms in the USA that really do care.

2. Hang in there.
Shorten those buying cycles. Market with greater accuracy and effectiveness to reduce costs. Test smaller cells, and read and interpret results more closely. Market more frequently to your current clients - they already know you and like you. Call them just to say hello or to let them know how their money is being spent. Don't be foolish in your marketing, but don't be afraid, either.

1. And stay cheerful.
Reminds me of a sign I saw: "Cheer up — things could get worse!" So I cheered up, and, sure enough, things got worse. Seriously, if it ain't fun, do something else. Life's short - work hard, play hard, have fun.

Labels: marketing

The Perk of 'Buying It Forward'

Check out an Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. marketing client making the national news! You can see the awesome publicity the Steamin' Bean is getting, our cool logoed apparel, signs, and cups, and learn a little generosity in the process...

Labels: marketing

You can also use this formula to determine if a marketing campaign is a good idea before you invest in it. You can use estimated response rates and averages for close rates. If you want to determine what cost per acquisition you can afford for pay-per-click or other advertising, you can run this equation backwards:

Cost Per Acquisition = Life Time Value X Close Rate X Response Rate

Example: $10,000 X 0.90 X 0.01 = $90 per Lead

If you average client is worth $10,000 over the course of a year, you close 90% of your leads, and 1% of your clicks turn into legit leads, then you can afford to spend up to $90 on marketing to attract that client.

Conclusion:

If your total marketing profits are more than your investment in the campaign, it is probably a good idea. There are always intangible benefits too like brand recognition, residual leads after the campaign ends, and good will generated from the campaign, but generally a good marketing campaign will cover its costs within the first third of its run.

To learn more about our Total Profit Marketing Plans call816-228-1123 or email: customerservice@adtrendsinc.com

Labels: marketing

Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. specializes in Total Profit Marketing Plans. That means that each and every product or service we reccomend is specifically designed to generate profits for your company. Sure there are other benefits involved like branding, goodwill, and others, but when we design a marketing plan for you, you can be sure that we expect it to directly generate profits. So, how can you tell if your marketing campaign is making you money?

Definition of Terms:

• Impressions:
  The number of times your ad will be seen during the campaign.
• Response Rate:
  Total number of impressions divided by the number of leads.
• Leads:
  The number of people taking the desired response from your campaign.
• Close Rate:
  The number of leads divided by the number of actual sales generated from the campaign.
• Life Time Value:
  An average of all your clients – profit-per-order multiplied by orders-per-year multiplied by the duration-of-loyalty, number of years you retain the customer.

Formula:

Impressions: ________

X Response Rate: ________

= Leads: ________

X Close Rate: ________

= New Customers: ________

X Life Time Value: $________

= Total Market Profit: $________________

Example:

10,000 Impressions x 0.01 = 100 leads x 0.75 = 75 New Customers x $4,000 = $300,000 in Profit

If your marketing campaign reaches 10,000 people, gets 1% response rate, you close 75% of the leads, and each new customer turns into $4,000 profit over the course of the year, then you will generate $300,000 in new business. So, if you spent less than $300,000 on your campaign, then you will make a profit!

To learn more about our Total Profit Marketing Plans call
816-228-1123 or email: customerservice@adtrendsinc.com

Labels: marketing

A well thought out, cost effective promotion is extremely powerful in attaining your company’s sales goals. High impact promotions can be simple to execute, and can make your sales explode. Now you can run the hassle-free promotion you have always wanted. Stop worrying about lack of funds, time or resources and start marketing today!

• Hassle-free promotional execution
  All execution details are planned in advance including sales presentations and follow-ups.
  
• Cost effective delivery of the promotions
  Promotions are designed around delivery methods that are high impact at lowest possible cost.

High Impact Promotions + Low Operating Cost = Big Profits

Maximize your marketing budget and increase your
profits today with a Total Profit Marketing Plan.

Call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.
816.228.1123

Labels: marketing

Determining how much to spend on marketing can be a tricky, but there are ways to do it logically. The following formulas will help you determine how much to spend on marketing and whether your efforts are turning a profit. First, there are a couple general guidelines and statistics may be helpful:

2009 Marketing Dollars Spent In the United States

• 33% of companies spend 3-5% of total revenue on marketing.
• 30% spend 1-3% of revenue.
• 21% spend 6-10% of revenue.
• 16% spend 11-20% of revenue.

For a start-up company, initial investment may be high and then come down as the company grows. Also, you will need to consider your profit margins. That is why a percentage works well for most companies. If you can set out a budget based on your company’s structure before the year starts, it will help you decide which items in your marketing mix you can afford. Here are the top 5 mediums for your marketing:

2009 Marketing Mix In The United States

• Email Marketing
• Thought Leadership
• Direct Mail
• Search Engine Marketing
• Mass Media

Last year, 25% of marketing dollars moved from direct mail, while about 15% moved from mass media to the Internet. Many businesses are choosing pay-per-click advertising and email marketing over Valpak ads and the yellow pages, because these results can be tracked and adjusted quickly. Thought leadership is quickly growing in all business marketing because of its affordability and results. Thought leadership is publishing newsletters, blogs, white papers, articles, or webinars to position your company as an expert in a certain area. It often has great results in search engine marketing and branding simultaneously. Choosing the right medium for your advertising is the key to turning profit.

Coming soon on this blog, we will discuss the formula for calculating your marketing profits.

Labels: marketing

Top 20 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Hit Send:

1. Does your headline speak directly to your potential customer and give them a strong, specific benefit of your product or service?
2. Did you start with the strongest benefit of your product or service, then work your way down to include the least important benefits for your potential customer?
3. Do you explain how your product or service is better or different than your competitors?
4. Does your sales letter speak directly to your prospect?
5. Do you use "you" twice as often as "I" in your sales letter?
6. Is your sales letter easy to read using short sentences and paragraphs?
7. Do you use power words and write with the goal of keeping your reader's interest?
8. Do you show your potential customer their problem; agitate it by telling them how troublesome it is, then offer your product or service as the solution?
9. Is your copy clear, easy to understand, and follows a flow from one paragraph to the next?
10. Are your strong words and phrases highlighted or bolded to draw attention and keep the reader focused?
11. Is your sales letter written in a friendly, active, conversational," me to you", tone of voice?
12. Have you used specific numbers and facts in your copy to build instant credibility?
13. Have you included credibility creators, like why you're an authority on the subject?
14. Are you confident about your grammar?
15. Does your sales letter have a nothing-to-risk guarantee that shows your confidence in your offer?
16. Do you include a reason why you're making this offer?
17. Does your email give your contact details and a call to action?
18. Do you make it easy for your potential customer to act on your offer?
19. Are you offering bonuses to increase response or do you create the perception of high value for your product or service?
20. Did you create a sense of urgency in your letter, explaining that the price is for a short time or quantities are limited?

Labels: marketing, websites

	The Art of War by Sun Tzu
	Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
	Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive by Harvey B. Mackay
	The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
	Over the Top by Zig Ziglar
	The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
	Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
	Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson
	Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
	Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins

Labels: marketing

The development of creative and effective sales promotions is not just a guessing game for us. After we have taken the time to review your business' marketing systems and researched your customer base, we are able to develop your new marketing plan based on facts. Develop creative promotions Is the promotional message quick and to the point, easy to understand and remembered? Develop effective promotions Is the promotion increasing sales? Maximize your marketing budget and increase your profits with a Total Profit Marketing Plan today. Call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. 816.228.1123

Labels: marketing

• Market Area
  What is the potential of your current market area?
• New Sales Opportunities
  Is there a possibility to attack a new market?
• Additional Promotional Opportunities
  Can your products or services be packaged differently in your marketing plan?

Using the information gathered in the review process we spoke about last week, new areas of opportunity for sales most often come to light. For example, a new sales opportunity might be to focus more attention on a particular type of customer by offering a value added promotion.

A “value added promotion” is simply the process of offering an additional service to the main promotion that increases the perceived value of the promotion. These types of promotions are widely used in the retail market, Buy One - Get One, free tire rotation with tire purchase, etc. They also work very well in the B2B markets if the promotions are creative and well thought-out.

Cross-promoting with other companies is becoming a very successful marketing trend. Taking the added value concept and having the added value element offer from a partner company. Example: $10 oil change at Quick Lube with tire purchase at ABC Tire Store, or $5 lifetime car wash discount with new car purchase. The possibilities are endless.

Creative cross-promotion opportunities and added value promotions give your services a much higher perceived value by offering more to your customers for less! Researching additional sales opportunities will increase your companies sales 100% of the time.

Labels: marketing

Everyone is talking about social networking, and many businesses are looking for a more cost effective and direct way to market. Marketing on social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter can help you boost the size of your email list and help grow your business. The keys to success with this strategy is making sure members of your target market are in your network, building relationships, and establishing yourself as an expert in your field. You never know which lead will turn into your next big sale.

Many of these social networking sites are strict and very particular about how its participants contact each other. Many sites limit the number of new invitations allowed in a given day or week. If you exceed this amount you can get penalized or removed for spamming. If you stick with about 50 per day, you should stay within most limits. If you ever receive a warning, you should stop immediately for that day and reduce your efforts moving forward. Secondly, some networks have a limit on your total number of friends, so you may need to create a waiting list or another page if you become really successful.

Whether you're an experienced social networker or just a newbie, here are 10 secrets to growing your target market network online:

1. Create an up-to-date profile and/or fan page

Before you begin a "friending" (i.e. request to become another's friend), be sure that your profile is up-to-date with an accurate description of what you do, your interests, and your contact info. Make sure you include your website addresses. If you have multiple businesses invite people in your appropriate target market to become fans of your niche-specific fan page

2. Follow the favorites

Follow leaders in your field/industry and "friend" them. This includes popular products, TV shows, or other specific interests of your target market. Anytime you make a friend request, include a personal note, as that will improve the likelihood that they will accept your request. Say something like, "I'm a big fan and I'd love to have you in my network on Facebook." Once they have accepted your invitation, make comments about their status updates to help you get on the radar and in front of their thousands of friends.

3. Friends of friends

Take a look at the people in the network of your industry leaders, as they are probably part of your target market as well. Send friend requests to those of interest to you. When you friend someone that you only know by association, send a personal note as well, like "I discovered your profile in 's network and would like to get to know you better by adding you to my network."

4. Use groups

Look for groups that may contain your target market. In your search for groups, use keywords that describe your niche, industry, geographic area, interests, or whatever other terms you might use to find members of your target market. Join and begin to participate in the group so that they begin to get to know you. Then pursue the member lists for good prospects, start with the members you've connected with or have commented on similar posts.

5. Invite your existing email lists and address books

You can use your existing email database to add people from your clients, prospects, and other current contacts if they fall within your target market definition. Add a note to the invitation and make sure you are clear and professional about your motivation.

6. Recommended friends

Most of the popular social networking sites will have a suggestion list for people you might know. These recommendations are pretty solid, because they are based on similar work history, mutual friends and interests. Take them up on their recommendation and add these to your network.

7. Add by interest or industry

Do a people search by job title, industry, geographic location, or interest. People with those terms in their profile will show up in your search, and you can request to add them based on common interests.

8. Build the relationship

Once you friend someone, you need to begin to get to know them and start building trust so that you become their top-of-mind expert in a particular area. Begin building the relationship by posting a quick "thank you" note on their wall, as well as a comment about something on their profile that interests you or in which you have in common. Watch for their status updates, as well, and comment on these when appropriate.

9. Create a group

Once you've got about 500 followers, create a group for your target market. Provide the group with useful content and ask questions to stimulate discussion and get the members to return to participate in the group. You can post articles, links to blog posts, or videos you have created. Invite group members to any free virtual or face-to-face events you're hosting. This is where you really establish your expert status and credibility.

10. Integrate your marketing strategy

Once you have a good list of friends and credibility on the site, you can begin mixing in your marketing messages. Social networking sites are designed to be casual and personal, so don’t just copy an advertisement or sales messages. All you want to do is keep what you do and who you are on the top of your prospects minds. You can casually mention what you’re working on in your status, announce events, and make comments offering to help people with your product or service. Remember, people can remove or block you as easily as they added you in the first place.

No marketing strategy works unless you consistently implement it over time. As a newbie to Facebook, you might want to spend as much as 60 minutes per day researching friends and participating in groups. As your network grows, you may spend only 15 minutes 3 times per week on Facebook. The key to success is to put this strategy on your calendar and make it a routine part of your ongoing Internet marketing tasks.While social networking is an inexpensive marketing tool, it can be effective in helping you grow your business. You should maintain your other marketing strategies, and simply add this strategy to your marketing mix.

Labels: marketing, websites

Written By Peter Koeppel

Have you noticed a slump in your sales? Are you having trouble establishing your new business in the marketplace? Or maybe you're established, but you just can't seem to get the word out about your new product? If these situations sound familiar, then your marketing may be to blame.

So what can you do if you suspect your marketing efforts are less than satisfactory? First, understand the top ten marketing mistakes businesses make, and then learn how to avoid them.

Mistake #1:
Not Developing a Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is a critical part of every successful business. It helps you design your product and service to fill a market niche, identify your target audience, and then see what you need to do to get your target audience to buy your product or service. Also, when creating a marketing plan, you design the objectives and tactics to further develop your marketing efforts in the future.

Mistake #2:
Not Planning a Marketing Budget

You need to spend money to publicize, market, and advertise your business to make it successful. As a general rule of thumb, you may spend at least ten percent of your revenue on marketing efforts. Essentially, these costs keep your company going and your products selling. No matter what size your company, you need to have a marketing budget.

Mistake #3:
Not Targeting a Specific Target Audience

You need to understand that your market doesn't include everyone. No matter what product you have, not everyone is going to want to buy it. So decide your target demographic and use appropriate media outlets to reach that audience. For example, if you have a diet product, you may target women ages twenty-five to fifty-four, who are ten pounds or more overweight. Then you need to advertise in women's magazines or during women-oriented television and radio programs. Trying to appeal to everyone doesn't work.

Mistake #4:
Not Developing a Clear and Consistent Marketing Message

All your marketing materials, advertisements, and promotions need to convey a consistent look and message. You want your target audience to know what you do or sell no matter where they see your name; you want to be recognizable. This helps you achieve more from your marketing budget because the message is reinforced throughout all the mediums you advertise in.

Mistake #5:
Believing Your Product will Sell Itself

Many companies make the mistake of thinking that their product is so great and so different that they don't need to market it at all. However, no one will know how great your product is, or that it even exists, if you don't tell them. Word of mouth and referrals can only take you so far. No matter how great your product, you need to advertise and market to get it sold.

Mistake #6:
Not Clearly Defining the Product Benefits

The highly competitive marketplace is constantly changing and offering consumers more and more choices. For example, if you need laundry detergent, you have a whole aisle of different brands to choose from. So how do you base your decision? Something has to get your attention to make you choose one brand over another. And you need to create this differentiation in your product as well. Defining the unique selling proposition for your product will help your target audience differentiate it from your competitors. Then work this uniqueness into your marketing plan and strategy to reach the specific audience who will buy your product.

Mistake #7:
Not Diversifying Your Media Mix

At one time, you could advertise on the three big television networks and reach eighty percent of the population. But now viewers have hundreds of different networks and channels to choose from just on television. Plus consumers can choose from satellite or cable television, print, radio, satellite radio, and the internet. Media today is very fragmented, so you need to reach your audience through more than one outlet.

Mistake #8:
Not Understanding the Lifetime Value of a Customer

If you can earn a customer and keep him or her for life, then the value of that customer multiplies. For example, imagine you sell cars. If you have a customer who spends $10,000 a year to drive one of your cars, then over the lifetime of the relationship that customer will have given you $200,000. So what is it worth to earn that customer's business? If you spend ten percent, or $20,000, to get the customer's business, you'll earn a ten to one return on your investment.

Mistake #9:
Not Having a Back End Revenue Program

A back end revenue program creates additional streams of income for your business. For example, if you sell someone a cosmetic product on television, a back end revenue would be to sign them up for a continuity program where you send them more of the product on a regular schedule and charge their credit card automatically. This type of program allows you to bring in additional revenue and maintain your customer relationships.

Mistake #10:
Not Up-Selling the Customer

Up-selling means taking advantage of the sales opportunity and incremental revenue by adding additional or related products to a customer's purchase. For example, adding fries to an order at a fast food restaurant or adding additional features, such as a sunroof on a car sale, are up-sells.

Avoiding Marketing Mistakes in the Future

Marketing is critical to the success of every business. Unfortunately, many businesses discount the effect it can have, and they forego their marketing efforts for other activities. They make one or more of these mistakes, and their marketing efforts become ineffective.

Perhaps this is why nine out of ten businesses end in failure. But your business doesn't have to be one of the nine that doesn't succeed. When you avoid the ten biggest mistakes, you can market your business successfully and increase your bottom line as a result.

Labels: marketing

We review your current marketing efforts and evaluate the results or sales you are getting versus the money you are spending. We take a close look at your business systems so we have a clear understanding of your products or services. Finally, we review your target demographic and research the buying tendencies of that group. We will review your: Past marketing efforts – What image does your client base have of your company? Business operating systems – Does your current operating system deliver the best possible customer experience? Demographics – Are you reaching your target market? Customer base – Do you understand your customers’ buying cycles? Is your customer data base organized and updated? Maximize your marketing budget and increase your profits with a Total Profit Marketing Plan today. Call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. 816.228.1123

Labels: marketing

The Total Profit Marketing Plan:
Our simple marketing solution which is calendar based that keeps your marketing efforts organized and easy to execute!

We will work with you to:

• REVIEW your current marketing efforts.
• RESEARCH new and additional sales opportunities.
• DEVELOP creative and effective promotions.
• ORGANIZE your new marketing plan.
• EXECUTE hassle-free and cost-effective promotions.

Labels: marketing

How would you like FREE advertising or how about a FREE qualified referral?
Links to your website are Internet's version of referrals. The more frequently people link to your website, the more they tell potential customers and the search engines that you are trustworthy and they recommend you. The more links you get back to your site, the more sales and traffic will come your way.

How do you decide if a link exchange is worth your time?
Target Market - Will the site get you in front of your target audience?
Location - Is the company or directory local?
Relevance - Is the company or directory related to your business?
Price - Is there a fee to be listed on the site?
Traffic - Does the website or directory have more or less traffic than your site?

How many websites are linking to your website right now?
There is a simple test to see how many other sites are linking to your home page. Go to http://www.google.com/ and type link:www.yourwebsite.com into the search bar. The results will show all the sites with links to www.yourwebsite.com. Try this with your website, your competitors and some of your favorite websites to see how your website compares.

If you don't like what you see or need extra help with your website, call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. today.

Labels: marketing, websites

Increase the size, popularity and effectiveness of your website immediately! Publishing and syndicating articles to a blog is no longer optional, it is now a "must have" tool for your website. Create posts for newsletters, press releases, educational articles, product tutorials, new product promotions, or just about anything else. Search engines and human visitors love blogs and articles because it is often the freshest and most helpful content on your site.

Each article you post:

• Educates your prospects and encourages them to take an action.
• Validates your company’s expertise and brands you as a resource.
• Adds a page to your website increasing its size and power in the search engines.
• Adds fresh content so your website is different for returning visitors and search engines.
• Acts as an online press release or ad that draws in new visitors from around the web.
• Gets republished around the world adding links and referrals back to your website.

1. Top 5, 10, 50, or 100 Lists
2. Case Studies
3. FAQs
4. Interviews
5. Trends In Your Industry
6. Product Tutorial
7. Event Announcements
8. Press Releases
9. Job Recruitment
10. Interesting News Stories

Labels: marketing

There has been a significant increase in the popularity of social networking over the past few years. With it has come a shift in the way that people search for information and how they share and consult opinions on the internet when making purchasing decisions.

Social networking targets users by promoting content through bookmarking, blogging, online video sharing to potentially expand audience and drive traffic. Businesses should understand the power of these influences when it comes to establishing a reputation and growing their online business. Social networking strategies can help to generate branding power and a personal connection with its users.

One of the most important social networking methods includes posting business profiles on social media websites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Instead of waiting around for consumers to come to you, you have to reach out to your target audience. Solidifying your presence in the social network community creates a direct interaction between business and consumer that may not dramatically increase conversion rates but is definitely capable of establishing branding power and credibility. The valuable feedback consumers provide promotes insight in determining what business strategies are working and what could be re-evaluated to make a website more user-friendly.

Join Social Networks. Social networking provides a means to promote association and the exchange of knowledge while also establishing business contacts and connections. Post your business profile in the popular social and business networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn, but also make sure to concentrate your attention on your niche audience by joining social networks that represent and support your business or company’s ideas. Blogging enables you to provide information and updates about your business to customers.

Businesses that incorporate social networking into their conventional marketing plan have the advantage of reaching audiences using a whole new approach. The benefits of branding and traffic are just the tip of the iceberg. Establishing your business as a leading authority in your industry promotes good quality links and better search engine placement, which in turn increases sales.

Labels: marketing

Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing has been one of the most highly visible forms of marketing. Millions of businesses employ search engines to gather information on a daily basis. Search engine placement under targeted keywords or phrases is an important tool to generate new business. Companies that properly place themselves under the right keywords can see great success. Your keywords and phrases need to be relevant to the products or services provided in order to attract visitors. When you don't have a solid working knowledge of search engine marketing, choosing the right keywords proves to be very difficult, and achieving placement on the first page of results can seem impossible.

Have You Tried Pay-Per-Click Advertising?

Pay-per-click advertising is the fastest growing advertising medium in the United States, quickly replacing Yellow Page Ads, Val Pak, and many other mass marketing techniques. This is an advertising method for which you pay for each click on your ad that is displayed on a search engine results page. Advertisement rates are based on an auction format in that the highest bidder obtains the top placement. If your bid is $1.00 for every time someone clicks your link while your competitor bids $1.50, your competitor will gain a better placement than you. However, if you write an effective ad you can get higher placement, because if twice as many people click on your ad, you are generating more money for the search engines. You should also understand that at a bid of $1.00, you will owe $100 for every 100 people that visit your site whether they buy from you or not. You will need to set a price per click limit and a monthly budget that fits your needs.

Pay-per-click advertising clearly requires a full understanding of your conversion ratio to determine the budget necessary to commit to such a program. Many people just go nuts trying to get their pay-per-click advertisement absolutely perfect. And, if you don't read the small print, you could find that your budget is exhausted quickly. But if you set it up sensibly you could attract many hundreds of paying visitors on a daily basis. To be effective, you will have to understand your cost per click, conversion ratio for visitors to customers, and your profit margin on each sale.

Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. helps companies execute their search engine marketing by creating targeted keyword lists and managing Pay-Per-Click advertising campaigns. One of our clients, a used medical equipment dealer, was receiving only about 75 visitors a month for $100 spent on Google Adwords. After we researched and adjusted his keywords and wrote new advertisements for him, we were able to get close to 250 visitors per month for the same $100. These visitors were also more targeted and likely to use his service.

If you need help with your search engine marketing, call us today at 816.228.1123 and speak with one of our Marketing Executives. Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. manages websites from small businesses to international franchises, and we've spent years studying search engine marketing. Call us today and find out how we can help you grow website traffic for your business!

Labels: marketing

Email Marketing & Customer Feedback Tools To Grow Your Business Instantly...

This powerful solution includes email marketing, survey tools, and a customer testimonials feature for your website. You will be able to easily connect with your customers, cut costs, communicate quickly, announce upcoming events, and help your company go green.

Boost sales, track results, and grow your business instantly.
Many of our clients see sales results from the very first email blast. With the low cost of sending emails, most companies pay for the yearly service within the first month. The fact that you are reading this right now proves email campaigns work!

Stay in contact with customers and encourage repeat business.

• Select from hundreds of email templates to quickly build and send great looking surveys, email newsletters, promotions and requests for reviews.

Use customer surveys to gauge your Customer Satisfaction Index, or test the waters for a new idea.

• Create and send surveys to your entire database and see the results online.

Manage all your reviews and testimonials on the website.
This program verifies all reviews to ensure that the feedback is real, and provides your business with the opportunity to respond to unsatisfied customers or negative feedback before it’s posted online.

• Develop a built-in testimonials section on your website and create a positive online reputation. With a single click, publish reviews and promote your business featuring reviews on your website.

Up Next:
Search Engine
Marketing
4/15/2009

Labels: marketing

Get The Top Five Internet Marketing Services Set-Up & Ready For You To Start Growing Your Business Online!

Business owners are facing a harsh reality: A website in itself offers no assurance of business.

Labels: marketing

When I started Ad Trends Advertising, Inc., I could have been this owner and in some respects I was. After four quick years, my business reached a plateau. I decided to take a proactive approach instead of continuing with the status quo. I put my business in a holding pattern and reached out for knowledge over the next year. I felt to grow, I needed to understand and learn more about the one thing that had been drilled into my head but I never really completely understood. Success is based on the ability to form and maintain relationships.

So the fifth year was my worst year ever in business, but at the same time the most profitable. I call it my year of breaking out. I completely stopped talking at people about what I did and started asking questions and listening. By listening I was able to understand their business which allowed me to make logical marketing recommendations. The relationship grew stronger and so did my companies profits. Sounds simple until you think of it this way; stop worrying about money. Once I completely understood the concept of “the more you worry about making a sale the less sales you will get” or “the more you worry about money the less money you will have,” my business started to change and change quickly. The business doubled in the sixth year and I have never looked back since. I have instilled this philosophy with all of my employees also. Today as I’m writing this, the country is in the most troubling economic times of my career, but my company continues to grow.

What does all this have to do with Small Business Marketing? For any plan to work, a new business strategy needs to be developed. Much like how the owner mastered his product or service, they also need to master a good business system. Part of implementing a new business system is creating a philosophy in which to operate under. How a product is sold is just as important as how it is made or how a service is performed. Learn to listen so you can understand your clients and prospects needs. Never try to sell anything without considering the needs first. Understand that long-term relationships are based on trust. Finally, remember lasting relationships take time, so be patient.

In Small Business Marketing Part 2 “Building Relationships” I will talk about how to ask important questions and what to do with the information.

• Faith
• Finding business owners and asking questions. Example question; if you were starting your business today what would you do differently? (I learned a great deal from this approach and I have in return offered my thoughts to others many, many times.)
• Reading, reading and reading more.

• Swim With the Sharks – Harvey Mackay
• The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People – Stephen Covey
• Anything from Zig Zigler
• The Richest Man in Babylon - George Samuel Clason
• Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

• Wall Street Journal
• Local Business Journals
• Trade Publications

• SBA
• Qualified, Small Business CPA

• Browse the internet to find great marketing ideas, guidance for setting a marketing budget, and creating a marketing plan.

Labels: marketing

By John Groves
Marketing Director

Labels: marketing

What is your goal for your website?
When it comes to business websites, a return on investment expected. To get any kind of return, your site needs to have a goal to which all actions will be compared. Do you want your website to inform, share news and information, communicate with different locations, entertain, or make a profit by selling information, services, or products? Imagine that you can have only one action on the website. What would it be? That's your website goal. Beyond this, only you can define what exactly you want other people to do on your website. From this goal, you can research and develop your audience, keywords, site structure, site design, content, and promotion for your website.

Ask yourself:

• What am I offering?
• Who needs this?
• Where are they online and offline?
• What action do I want them to take?
• What sets my site apart from others like it?
• How can I attract more attention?
• How much time can I invest in updating my site?
• How much money can I invest in Internet Marketing?

How do you plan to reach that goal?
The marketing goal is always to attract and convert your target market into customers. Internet marketing techniques are a little different than conventional marketing, but the general strategies still apply. People still buy based on their needs and you still want to make it obvious that your product or service will fulfill one or more of these needs. People are also tired and annoyed by intrusive advertising, so you will need to be natural in your techniques. Instead of trying to break through barriers and blast your message through the clutter, try earning your target market’s trust by building relationships.

Internet Marketing Strategies:

• Provide Value To Your Market – On the web, people can leave you with one click if you do not provide them with what they want.
• Communicate Respectfully – No one likes SPAM. No one wants to wait on hold when they call Customer Service. No one wants to wait a week for a response to an email.
• Be Trustworthy – People buy from people they like and people they trust.
• Be Personal – Websites are visited by individuals not organizations.
• Build Relationships – Your customers will feel comfortable with you and talking about you to others.

Internet Marketing Techniques:

• Network – Online and Offline the best way to grow is through personal connections and interaction. Online social networks and communities can be a powerful resource for finding customers and creating relationships with them.
• Create An Email Marketing Database – Sending regular emails create and maintain relationships with your customers. It is very important to be trustworthy and honest in these emails. DO NOT SPAM! Do not sell your client’s information, and do not send mass emails more than once a week. DO provide value, do allow people to opt-in and opt-out of every email, and be personal in your communications.
• Create A Network Of Links – Links are the key to the internet. You want to make sure you only add outgoing links on your site if you are sure they are useful to your customer. Only link to helpful and trustworthy sites. The same goes for sites linking to yours. Every link to your site is an online referral for your business. While you can’t stop anyone from linking to your site, you can seek out and develop relationships with your vendors, online communities, and other trustworthy and helpful sites that your customers visit.
• Create Attractive Content – Content has always been king. Write a blog, post articles, make a Top 5/10/50/100 List, create a photo gallery, or any other content that will attract your customers, links from other sites, and attention from the search engines.
• Organic and Paid Search Results – Search Engine Optimization techniques can only get you so high in the rankings. However, you can always jump to the front of the line with a little cash. You can buy Pay-Per-Click ads on your core search terms; you can hire a good, trustworthy SEO expert, or buy links on popular websites and directories.

When are you finished?
Never! Unless you close up shop or sell your site to Google for millions of dollars, you are going to want to continually update your website, evaluate your marketing plan, add new techniques, expand your niche, and continue to grow. The minute your site becomes stale your audience begins to move on. With the millions of websites available in the world, someone is posting new information or creating new techniques to reach your target market every day. Developing an effective online presence is becoming more and more similar to any brick and mortar store. If have to use the old elbow grease, network, and actively seek out new customers to grow your business.

Keeping Your Website Fresh:

• Share your news and press releases on your site.
• Ask your customers and vendors to share information.
• Take part in blogs, forums, and social sites online.
• Post to your own blog on a regular schedule.
• Create a space for your customers to help you improve your site.
• Reward active participants on your site with gifts and gadgets.
• Watch your competitors and other experts in your field.

Labels: marketing

A declining economy affects many businesses. Many times these businesses cut the marketing and advertising dollars first in an attempt to trim the budget. Sometimes this is justified, but most of the time it is a huge mistake.

When the economy is slow, it is the perfect opportunity to reach new prospects and grow your market share while your competition is doing nothing. Most likely, much of the clutter and noise in your market has cleared out, and you will have a much stronger voice. When the economy turns back around, and it will, you will be in a much better position than your competitors!

However, in a slow economy, it is more important than ever to squeeze every last penny out of your marketing and promotional dollars. Taking a more targeted approach with your advertising effort is the key. Use your broad format advertising dollars from print, television, or radio and use it in a marketing campaign where you can track results and focus on a key demographic. If you are still purchasing media, now is the time to lock in long term rates, as these entities are hurting and will likely accept a low rate with a long term agreement from you.

Explore a referral marketing plan where you have absolutely no risk. Qualify your referrals so that you’re not spending a dime unless you’re getting additional business from a referral. Now is the perfect time for this, as your customers want a reward, and you want another customer. Referrals often increase your market share, because your customers will think of people already using your product or service. All you need to do is come up with a worthy referral gift, start calling your customers, and ask for a referral. Once again, qualify all referrals before you reward them. A referral is deemed qualified when they have spent an appropriate amount with you.

Do you have hunters or gatherers on your sales staff? In tough times, you are going to need people who seek out the new business, cold call, and work your prospects effectively. It is more important than ever to keep your sales teams focused, so explore ways to incentivize and reward them for hitting goals. While all other companies are making cut backs, show your employees that you’re still willing to reward those who perform. This easy step will motivate your team, raise morale, and will ultimately drive your sales higher and higher. Once again, this in an expense that pays for itself with low risk, as you spend nothing unless a sales goal is achieved.

Form partnerships with compatible companies. Opportunities to save money are everywhere, you just have to ask. Chances are that at least one company you know is interested in a co-op campaign or event driven marketing activity. After all, everyone needs new marketing opportunities, and they are looking to save money just like you!

When the economy turns around, there will be winners and there will be losers. Have you positioned your company to be one of the winners?


Author’s Note: John Groves has over 10 years experience in marketing and promotions. He has been a Promotions Director for several broadcasting outlets, and has executed hundreds of events for small businesses and franchises including the largest free concert event in the state of Missouri.

Currently, John is a Marketing Director for Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. in Blue Springs, MO. He develops and manages marketing campaigns for several companies. Ad Trends Advertising, Inc is a full-service marketing company specializing in promotional products, corporate apparel, printing services, graphic design, and custom websites. Previously, he worked for Cumulus Media Partners in Kansas City. He can be reached at 816-228-1123 or preferably by email: John@AdTrendsInc.com

Labels: marketing

Dear Customer,

The month of October is nationally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In recognition of this great cause, Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. is donating 1% of all October sales to the American Cancer Society. Cancer is a devistating disease that has affected many families including mine. The research and support that the American Cancer Society offers to promote early detection and prevention of this killer disease is my reason for supporting them each year during the month of October.

Feel free to browse our website at http://www.adtrendsinc.com/ and find out how many ways your company can get involved in the Think Pink Campaign. We have hundreds of Pink Ribbon products to choose from, or you can give us a call and see how one of our Marketing Executives can assist you with implementing a Think Pink Campaign for your company.

As 4th Quarter is upon us, it’s never too early to be considering Year-End gift ideas for your customers and employees. Purchasing your appreciation gifts in October will not only give you the satisfaction of getting this task completed early, but it will also give you the satisfaction of helping out a great cause.

In closing, I want to personally thank you for your continued support. I look forward to further assisting your company in the New Year.
Sincerely,


Mark Cromwell
President
Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.
816.228.1123

Labels: adtrends, marketing