Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

10 Tips to Use Giveaways Effectively

Walk around any trade or consumer show and you will be able to collect a bag full of advertising specialties, or giveaway items all designed to promote. But look a little more closely. How many really do an effective job? How clearly do they get a message across? Is the message sufficiently visible? Is the giveaway useful or unique enough that you would want to keep and use it? All these questi. . .

17 Tips for Bringing Your Event to Life

Your job as an event planner doesn't stop with the meeting in the company boardroom. You may be called upon to organize an employee appreciate event, an awards dinner, a product launch, the celebration of a company milestone, a gala recognizing a longtime employee's retirement, an incentive event for company's sales force, a fundraising event, a holiday celebration…the list goes on and on. On. . .

The Buzz About Links - What About Yours?

These days, if you pay any attention to even a small portion about what goes on with web advertising, you're sure to hear about getting more links for your own web site. I want to discuss a little something called internal links: See, most sites that I visit are well on their way to getting a great (GPR) Google Page Ranking for their site. Whoops, wait a minute, I mean their main page! Only: ww. . .

8 Effective Ezine Publishing Tips To Put You Ahead Of The...

1. Swap sponsor, feature, or solo ads with other ezine publishers.Your swaps will create a win-win situation as both you and the other publisher will successfully get profitable promotion at no cost. Swap your ads for at least three issues in a row or three solo ads for three solo ads to get the greatest results from these swaps.2. Provide your visitors with a bonus for subscribing to your ezin. . .

12 Tips to Network Your Way to Success

Lots of people network but few reap the rewards of zeroing in on their potential when it comes to networking. Here are some tips to help fill the gap between where you are now and where you can be. 1- Be Generous- Give without expectations and you will be surprised at how it returns to you. It may not come from the same source but a new client, referral, or opportunity will show up because of . . .

3 Reasons to Tap into the Power of Publicity

Publicity is obtaining editorial coverage or features for your business. Publicity is getting your business reported as news. Examples of publicity are newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television interviews and Internet forums and much more. These are just a few reasons you should consider letting your business tap into the power of publicity. 1. Effective – Publicity has been proven . . .

Don't Baffle Me. Talk to Me.

Congratulations, all you Internet marketing people you. You now command a whopping 3% of total advertising and marketing budget. Hey, it's better than, well...2%. And the number is trending higher. That's good too. But what if I told you that people spend nearly as much time on the web as they do in front of the television? Did you know that TV commands almost 40% of all ad spending, whil. . .

How to Choose the Autoresponder Right for Your Business?

Let's give a definition to autoresponder first. So, what is an autoresponder? Think of it as a 'fax on demand' service. When a customer sends an e-mail to the autoresponder address, this smart 'robot' sends back an e-mail response, usually informative letter.You can set up hundreds of autoresponders. You can use them literally for anything you can think of, including customer support, new produ. . .

Why USPs Don't Work

The USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is based on the assumption that if you can't be better than the competition then being different will usually suffice. It is true that most businesses scrape by in the midst of mediocrity. The bosses of these firms see an industry or profession that looks lucrative and join the ranks in a 'me too, I'd like some of that action', kind of way. If there's enoug. . .

3 Fastest Ways To Get Traffic To Any Website

After all the debate over website design, shopping carts and credit card processors, every website owner eventually comes to the startling realization that they need one more thing to survive - website traffic! Without website traffic it's the same as building an expensive billboard and, instead of placing it alongside a busy highway, hiding it in your *basement* where nobody can see it. Upon. . .

Creating Great Charts for Persuasive Trade Show Presentat...

A well-designed chart can be one of the most persuasive elements of your trade show booth display and literature. It illustrates to your customers why your product is the obvious solution to one of their specific needs. It can communicate major benefits or features more clearly than words can.To make a great chart, you need to create a clear, compelling picture of the data that will call your. . .

Five Tips for Trade Show Success on a Small Budget

No matter how small your marketing budget, your business can afford to have a successful presence at trade shows without incurring big expenses. Here are five tips for exhibiting in trade shows inexpensively:1) Have a sales representative exhibit your line at a trade show. If you can't afford a booth and travel expenses, a sales rep who exhibits in trade shows or gift marts in your industry c. . .

Does your Book Cover Pass the “Ignore” Test?

Your book cover is the first impression a potential client has with your book. The book cover design and message will determine if your book will be ignored or bought.Go to your website and have a look at your current cover. Ovi Dogar has put together the ultimate book cover test. Learn if your book cover will pass or be ignored.Color Test: Colorful covers can add to your professional image. To. . .

Build Relationships

Personal marketing makes it easier to sell, by building relationships nurtured on awareness, value and trust. Make your relationships more fruitful by making them personal. Use these powerful yet simple tips from the book, Secrets of Power Marketing; Canada's first guide to personal marketing for non-marketers. Say thank youEveryone wants to hear 'thank you'. The easiest way to say thank you is. . .

Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way.“Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After looking at his home page and evaluating his target audience, I didn’t feel a sales letter would be the best type of copy for his site. When I sent him. . .

Secrets of Building and Maintaining Marketing Momentum

SECRETS OF BUILDING AND MAINTAINING MARKETING MOMENTUMBy Charlie Cook Some people seem to steadily increase their income whileothers just make enough to pay the bills. What's thedifference between the people who make millions and thepeople who struggle all their lives to get ahead?If you want to attract more clients in order to build amore profitable business you need three things. You needclea. . .

How to Reach Purchasing Agents of Big Corporations

Now business owners and sales professionals can develop a Faster and Easier method of selling to big corporations, Hospitals and Universities, Government Agencies (State, County levels), and other medium enterprises... as well as K-12 (Kindergarten through 12th grade).This Sales Lead Database will link you directly to the purchasing, procurement, and materials managers/agents of Corporations Un. . .

Optimizing Online Catalog Copy for the Search Engines

It only makes sense. You have an e-commerce catalog site. You want lots of visitors to come to your site and buy. The best (and most cost-effective) way to do that is with great search engine placement. However, search engines are text machines, and most catalogs don’t have a lot of text, so herein lies the problem.The obvious answer is that you need more copy on each page. However, the pict. . .

How To Get Slightly Famous in Print

Early in my career, I wrote an article for a small business magazine about self-publishing as a marketing tool for businesses. Because I specialize in helping businesses get into print, the article only took a few hours to write. A few months later it was published. Almost immediately, my phone began to ring and my email box filled up with inquires. As a result of “Be An Expert, Get More Busine. . .

To Lead or Not to Lead?

Working with Leads or Opt-In Clients can be very confusing at times, Some people will tell you that Leads are not a good source of advertising while others will say that you can not get much better ways of Advertising..It all depends on what source of leads you are using that will give you the best results. FFA and Classified leads are ones that you should NOT use. The reason is that most of th. . .

9 Tips for Great Design of Your Marketing Materials

1) Don’t just hire a good designer. Hire someone who has had plenty of experience designing business collateral. Your designer needs to ask you the right questions about the project. And he/ she needs to be able to turn the design round reasonably fast too. 2) Write the copy first. I believe the copy drives the project. (Unless this is a print ad, in which case the visual and headline wi. . .

Get Viral...

Hey, using eBooks, eReports and eCourses is a fantastic way to build a list. You can use these things as an "incentive" for joining your affiliate program, as a "thank you" for visiting your site, a "bonus" when someone purchases a product/service from you. The possibilities are endless!! Many eBusiness people use them, however, some are making TWO HUGE MISTAKES when they do use them. Here is w. . .

Winning Sales Proposals

Your proposal is selling for you when you’re not there, so it must reflect your standards of professionalism.Like it or not, sales proposals are a tool of the trade, and writing a well-crafted proposal can mean the difference between winning and losing a client’s business, especially if you are selling to major accounts. Decisions can take months. Multitudes of people at different levels in t. . .

How To Get Qualified Visitors to Your Site

Having an eBusiness isn't just about getting gobs of people to your site and hope that a number of them buy. Having your little web counter screaming 50,000 visitors a day doesn't mean "jack" if no one buys from you. It isn't about the quantity of your visitors it's about the quality. Steve Boutelle has realized this and it sparked this question from him... Steve Boutelle here . . . LOVED t. . .

Yardstyle Marketing

It is just crazy. Every time I open my mouth to talk about Internet marketing, it is like I am speaking a foreign language to my audience. My local audience that is. Here in my country of Jamaica, the average person does not even know how to send an email. Ezines, search engines, optimization and the like are non-existent to the ordinary man on the street. Some people even look at me as a geniu. . .

Building Web Pages That Move People To Buy

The purpose of your marketing is to attract prospects and help them make a series of decisions that lead them to purchase your products or services. The sequence of information you provide on your web site and its visual presentation can drive clients to contact you about your services or buy your products - or it can send them away. Many small business owners have web sites but few are making . . .

4 Ways In Which You Can Achieve Critical Mass

Critical Mass Website Promotion is the elite goal rarely attained by website marketers in any industry. Reaching critical mass and getting targeted website traffic on autopilot (meaning you don't have to promote your site for 6 months and the traffic NEVER declines) is the Holy Grail of internet marketing.When you hit critical mass in your market, things change drastically for you and your busi. . .

Alarming Marketing Trend

One key discipline of successful direct marketing has been to test marketing communications tactics to continually improve results. There is now an alarming trend according to a recent survey that we conducted among business-to-business marketers who are readers of Sales Lead Report. Only 24% of the marketing professionals surveyed said they usually or always test their marketing communications. . .

Effective Website Design For Massive Traffic

STEP 1:Do your homeworkPlan and think about your content. Think big, have a vision of at least a 100 page site. The pages should have "real content", as opposed to link pages, resource pages, about/copyright... etc pages.STEP 2:Buy Domain name: Invest in an easily brandable domain. You may want "google.com" and not "mykeyword.com". Keyword domains will go no where, whereas branding and name rec. . .

Today's Definition of Marketing. Has it Changed?

With the continued proliferation of the Internet, the meaning of the word "marketing" also proliferates. There seem to be as many definitions of marketing as there are marketers. Many see marketing as a series of tactics or gimmicks. Some push pyramid programs [multi-level marketing (MLM) or network marketing] as the way to successful marketing.Others may say the Web has made traditional market. . .

Use These Highly Effective Terms In Your Marketing Copy T...

It is always important that you use the right terms when marketing your product to potential buyers. The right term may mean increased enquiries for your product and possibly more sales. Failure to use these terms may leave potential customers undecided or going to the competition to satisfy their needs. Your competitors may be making more sales by using these terms intelligently while you are . . .

The Hidden Technique to Blast Your Subscriber Numbers Thr...

Hosting a contest is often an underutilized but effective method of attracting more subscribers to your list. A contest puts leverage to work for you because you're using the resources of many people to obtain one goal which is to obtain subscribers and traffic to your site. You might want to know that a contest involves skill and while a sweepstake takes luck. Many people do not know the diffe. . .

How To Succeed In Network Marketing (PART 1)

How to succeed (and fail) in Network Marketing. (PART 1) When I first got involved with Network Marketing, I was so excited that I didn't know what to do. I had signed up the same day that I first heard the plan and was going to be rich! I was ready to run outside and holler my program details to anyone in shouting distance. Instead, I decided to make a plan. My plan was to place an ad i. . .

Turbo Charge Your Sales Calls

Do you want to be a sales champion? There are a few small secrets that will help you achieve these goals.Commit to your goals. Write down your sales goals for this week, this month, this quarter and this year. I urge you to use specific numbers that challenge you, but are attainable. Post these goals in your office, commit yourself to meeting or exceeding those numbers. Commitment is the founda. . .

How to Gain Credibility and Sales By Writing Online Articles

Writing is one of the most powerful secrets you will find for bringing in new business and gaining credibility among your peers and potential clients. Writing articles in online publications that cater to your ideal client will put you heads and tails above your competitors. Most competitors feel they are incapable of writing or feel they are too busy focusing on other parts of their businesses. . .

Virtual Marketing in a Tangible World

One of the greatest challenges facing business owners and managers is finding a way to cost-effectively communicate frequently and consistently with their target markets. It is nearly impossible to remain profitable while employing enough people to maintain frequent contact with existing clients, let alone seek new clients. And even for companies with deep pockets, hiring outside sales reps, t. . .

"Don't Call Me"

The March, 2004, issue of Psychology Today reports on an experiment involving identical business negotiations between test subjects. The only difference was that half started the transactions with a brief phone call and completed it with email. The other half used only email. The transactions beginning with a phone call turned out much better. So we should all foster our business relations. . .

How To Succeed In Network Marketing (Part 2)

So, you've found a company that you truly believe in. You’ve researched it and learned the business plan.Now it’s time to build your business.This is the part of networking that many people have real trouble with...talking to others.Why?1)They don't fully understand and believe in the company2)Fear of rejection3)Fear of failureThat's why you must do your research first. That's why you must full. . .

How Laws of this Universe can Skyrocket your Sales...

Most people follow a fixed formula for selling online. They create a product, try fervently to market it and then get frustrated at the results. If you happen to fall into this same pothole, do not get frustrated because you're not alone! In fact, hundreds to thousands of products and websites every year never earn any money, and the creators of these products have to end up paying advertisers . . .

Attracting New Business on a Shoestring Budget

In a recent marketing workshop I attended, I discovered that most business owners rely on just two or three strategies to attract new business. Even well-established companies tend to rely on one or two strategies. However, there is a multitude of ways to drive new business to your door. Here are a few:Networking. Perhaps the most commonly used approach by small business owners. However, it is . . .

You Can't Direct The Wind But You Can Adjust The Sails

Dear Friend, Today I would like to provide you with a new perspective and new insights to help you define effective marketing strategies and tactics that will insure the growth of your online business. First of all, let's take a look at the meaning of the word "metamorphosis" and how it can possibly be of interest to marketing. Metamorphosis: Noun (plural metamorphoses - say metuh´mawfuhseez. . .

Overcoming Objections to Price

How much more could you earn if your prospects didn't object to your prices? You'd close more sales and be more successful. Like most service professionals and small business owners chances are you struggle with objections to pricing on a daily basis. You lose business because prospects get stuck on price. Your pricing will never satisfy everyone but the following ideas will help you eliminate . . .

SMS for the estate agent - Targeted marketing tool, or Le...

Imagine having at your disposal a means to immediately inform house buyers that you have just the property they are looking for. Potential buyers have given their details and their preferences - imagine that you can send them this information no matter where they are or what they are doing, they can read it at a time that’s convenient and can act accordingly in their own time. Imagine that you . . .

Deal Sites for Consumers: Service or Spam?

The internet has spawned yet another class of web sites designed to save consumers money by helping them to locate the best deal on the internet for products and services. This is how it works. Entrepreneurs at web sites such as www.bargainminder.com search the internet for deals on consumer products. These so called “deal sites” can list any product under the sun, or some will specialize by. . .

7 Card Tricks That Improve Your Personal Networking Power

CARD SHARK7 Card Tricks That Improve Your Personal Networking PowerThe humble business card has been a mainstay of business and industry for years. But despite it's small size and cost, it's one of the most powerful marketing tools you will ever possess. Because of it's low cost many people take the business card for granted and don't even think of the effect it can have on their networking and. . .

A Lesson From “The Apprentice” That Can Make You A Master

I have to admit, I was curious. When I saw previews of a new show called “The Apprentice,” it made me want to at least watch the premiere to see what was going on. Immediately, I was hooked. The whole idea of candidates - from all walks of life, not just college grads fresh from their commencement ceremonies - vying for a position in one of Donald Trump’s organizations piqued my interest. Wh. . .

3 Things You Should NEVER Do in a Joint Venture

A joint venture can be one of the most profitable and fastest ways to make money on the Internet. It can also destroy your reputation, get you ignored, or worse, accused of spam if you if you don't take the proper care to create a valuable offer. There are three things you should NEVER do when creating a joint venture proposal for a potential partner. Below are three things NOT to do, with seve. . .

7 Traffic Generating Sites You Never Heard of But You Sho...

There are tons of free traffic generators you can use to build traffic to your site. Some are better than others, but before you go signing up for 50 accounts, let me give you a couple of tips, as well as seven sites I think do the job better in getting you the traffic and sales you want. My joint venture partner, Steven Boaze, http://www.boazepublishing.biz, gave me this one: BUILD YOUR LIST. . . .

Tooting Your Own Horn

"If he who has a thing to sell Goes and whispers in a well, He won't be so apt to make the dollars As he who climbs a tree and hollers!" -- Anonymous Every day in your business, something happens that others should know about. You give exceptional service to a client; you reach out to a new type of customer; you demonstrate your expertise on an important topic. Yet most of the time, the only pe. . .

How To Achieve Success With Your Own Money - Making Newsl...

Writing and publishing a successful newsletter is perhaps the most competitive of all the different areas of mail order and direct marketing. Several years ago, there were 1500 different newsletters in this country. Today there are well over 10,000, with new ones being started every day. It's also interesting to note that for every new one that's started, some disappear just as quickly as the. . .