Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

Get A Head Start With Promotional Items

The business world both online and offline is becoming congested. And so more and more businesses are trying to come up with fresh and innovative ideas on how they can make their business to rise from among the great number of competitors. In the case of online companies the fight for page ranks is furious since they know that their site can only become profitable if it can be found in the firs. . .

Creating Event Magic through Planned Video Production

Once upon a time, there was a young, stressed out corporate events planner called Tanya. She was organising a large-scale event for her firm’s biggest client.In the midst of organising the guest list, Tanya's boss told her that the client had requested some video footage be edited together to open the event. It had to be done in a hurry.Tanya asked her boss, “What do they want the video to te. . .

AdWords Ads: To Syndicate or Not to Syndicate

When running ads on the AdWords network, one of the first decisions you will need to make is on which network or networks your ads will run. You can run your ads on either the Google "search network" (Google, Earthlink, AOL, AskJeeves, etc), the Google "content network" (About.com, New York Times, Lycos, Business.com, Infovillage, etc) or both. There are plusses and minuses to both that you wil. . .

Trade Show Videos need to be Planned

At a recent Austech 2005 Expo, it was noticeable that many of the 500 manufacturers who were selling machines, equipment and systems had pre-planned their exhibition marketing. Around 40% of the exhibitors had a trade show video running. It was inspiring that so many companies understood the power of video to quickly convey how their products work. Made us feel warm and fuzzy inside.Unfortunate. . .

Get No-Cost Publicity With Audience Hot Buttons

Media is constantly giving away free publicity. Every time you see a business mentioned in your local newspaper, or on TV news, or in an ezine, you can bet their sales jump.Media editors almost never give free publicity just because they want you to sell more products or services. Instead, they use your story when you offer one of the things their audience is interested in.Here are three top ho. . .

Website Promotion Secret: How To Explode Your Website Sales

The secrets on how to send a floodgate of traffics to your website and explode your sales.Why do hundreds of millions of people from all over the world have websites today which are not making any money for them?They have tried many different types of website marketing, internet promotions such as search engine optimization and promotion, banner ads, ffa ads, e-mail marketing, link exchanges, e. . .

AdWords: Setting Your Max Cost Per Click

We've received many emails from customers over the past several years asking how high we recommend setting AdWords' max cost per click. Generally, we recommend that our customers set the price somewhere moderately high, between the "base" rate and the max rate suggested by Google. For this entry though, I've decided to discuss a few options that may help you decide where to set your max cost pe. . .

How to Know if Direct Mail Will Work for Your Business

Here's a great lesson that applies to direct mail. Ready? Some people say one thing and do the opposite. In other words ...One shouldn’t pay attention to what people say they’ll do as much as what they actually DO. For example, it seems most readers of the National Enquirer don’t want to admit they read it. Just ask people, “You read that tabloid stuff?” "No way! Not me."Maybe they’re afraid. . .

AdWords Campaign Set Up Tips - Part Two

Ready for more tips on how to make your AdWords campaign work more effectively for your business?Start with a Modest BudgetJust as you should start with a smaller geographical region, start with a modest campaign budget. Spend a few days or a few weeks fine tuning your ads before you really decide to pump up the budget. The more "finished" and tuned your ads are before you start spending seriou. . .

AdWords Campaign Set Up Advanced Tips

Make Your Ads DifferentYour completed AdWords ads are going to run right along side everyone else's. You need to use words that will make yours stand out. Again, here is where you need to look at your competitors ads to see what they are saying. Once you've done that, you need to figure out how to make yours stand out.Don't use the same terms at beginning of titles and sentences. Think of synon. . .

AdWords Campaign Set Up Tips

It's easy to overlook the basics of a strong AdWords campaign. Without them though, your AdWords campaign can be doomed from the very start. Follow these tips and you can be sure that your campaign will have a strong foundation for both short term and immediate success.Use Proper Grammar and SpellingIt may sound basic, but ad text that uses slang, has misspelled words or doesn't read clearly is. . .

Fax Advertising : Hitting Your Target Immediately

In the business of marketing and advertising, it used to be that companies that wanted to get the word out quickly to key customers on a new development would rely on email with follow-up phone calls. But with the new technologies available in fax broadcasting, fax advertising has taken over as the advertising medium of choice when it comes to contacting your customers at the speed of light.Fax. . .

How To Make Your Market Throw Their Money At You!

The use of free, relevant and meaningful content can single handedly grow your business into seven figures while making you the star of the lives of thousands of raving fans (customers and clients).Using free content is not a new concept. However, out of the thousands who actively send out free content to their list, less than 1% actually get it right.Building a Learning Relationship with your . . .

Develop a Foundation Second to None

Looking to start a new business? Starting a new business can be a complex, exciting time. There are many aspects to explore. Consider this startling statistic approximately 97% of small businesses fail or under perform. There are certain areas that need to be addressed and it may be overwhelming at first. You have to develop an action plan. A new business requires marketing strategies, operatio. . .

How You Can Create Advertising That SELLS!

Businesses spend too many dollars, however, on ads that simply will not result in increased sales and profits. These ads are poorly conceived, poorly written, poorly designed, poorly targeted, and poorly placed.Sounds like a poor way to do business, doesn’t it?I often ask clients (as tactfully as possible), why they have run a particular ad. I get a lot of blank stares. A few tense moments will. . .

Put The Selling Power of Testimonials To Work to Increase...

Among the variety of techniques available to you as a marketer, there is one that is virtually guaranteed to increase your business...testimonials !To clearly understand why testimonials are so powerful we must first look at the basic perceptions of our audience.Here's how "John Q. Customer" might describe his attitude:"In addition to making me an enticing offer, you must prove to me that you a. . .

A Business In One Sentence

Marketing expert and author, Geoffrey Moore, has a useful fill-in-the-blank method for creating a theme and positioning statement for your business. I prefer to use his same system for creating clarity for myself in what I'm selling, creating an elevator or introduction speech, and also material for my website, brochures and business card. Using this same method for each niche I have also keep. . .

Limited Time Only (Shh! It's A Secret)

Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After all, when you have something urgent to say, you want others to know about it, right? But when it comes to “limited time only” offers, lately I've noticed a disturbing trend. Copywriters seem to actually be hiding the phrase! Let me give you some examples.I received a fabulous email from a ladies clothing site at which I lik. . .

Chicago Real Estate: Is It Overheating?

Chicago real estate is one of the greatest success stories of the recent boom in property prices. With low, low mortgage rates for Chicago home (http://www.bestchicagomortgage.com/mortgage-calc.html) mortgage loans, demand for real estate is going through the roof as people rush to snap up great homes on the beautiful Chicago lakefront, as well as in Chicago's many attractive suburbs.More than. . .

Web Site Traffic Strategy To Get Targeted Visitors And Co...

Targeted web site traffic is crucial for every web site. But there are many web sites, and all they are different. Is it possible to make a universal plan of actions for getting targeted web site traffic to any type of web site? Actually such plan of actions already exists.This universal plan to get targeted web site traffic can be split into three main stages:(1) Getting Targeted Web Site Traf. . .

Creative Ideas To Profit With Autoresponders

An interested visitor who has been strolling through your site has finally come to just what she is looking for and is about to make a purchase. It's a sunny afternoon, and her cat, who happens to be sitting on the moss under the visitor's large fifty-year-old snow-rose bonsai tree, suddenly jumps down, and the priceless tree topples over. In the blink of an eye, your visitor exits your site, a. . .

What The Heck Is A Campaign And Why Do I Need To Do One?

Many people ask me, “What is a postcard campaign, exactly?” “And why do I need one?” As I have been educating my clients one on one for years now, I suddenly had the bright idea that I needed to explain this for more than just one at a time and in further detail. So here goes…Campaigns for marketing are, in a nutshell, a series of repeat mailings that are strategically planned so that there is . . .

Tradeshow Booth Cures - Knick-Knack Knockouts

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of positioning objects in conjunction with the movement of "chi', or natural energy, through our environments. Chinese philosophy purports that every object is capable having an effect, either positive or negative, on the energy inherent in all things as it flows and pools around us. Strategic use of Feng Shui elements like light and color of can do a gre. . .

Tricks of the Trade: Design your Booth for Maximum Impact

The fight for your customer's attention at a tradeshow has never been so intense. Budget cutbacks in the travel sector means that buyers spend less time than ever at shows. To make the most of their time, they pre-plan their agendas and do their best to stick to them. The rules of the game are forever changed.Since so many buyers are on a tight schedule - frequently, they're only at the show . . .

Tradeshow Booth Cures - Living Color

Feng Shui is the Ancient Chinese practice of configuring home or work environments to promote health, happiness, and prosperity. By utilizing elements such as light and color, Feng Shui Masters used their skill to promote the flow of "chi", or vital energy , to protect and enhance the prosperity of the Imperial Dynasties. Widely practiced today, Feng Shui theory focuses on methods to manage t. . .

What’s the Mystery behind Large Format Posters?

Why is large format poster printing a big hit? Perhaps you are also wondering why large format posters are swarming the business and marketing industries. Well, you are not alone with the craving to know what’s behind it.Our natural tendency as a person is to unravel the mystery of every phenomenon. That is quite normal to all of us. To suffice this urge and to make it easy for you, I will give. . .

Tradeshow Booth Cures - Ancient Cures for Modern Day Prob...

At first glance, nothing seems more chaotic than a trade show floor. Jaded buyers rush by, hell bent on seeing the people on "their list", while the newcomers seem a little bewildered by it all. The noise from the crowd rises and falls in a steady drone while flashing lights and other cheap tricks add to the confusion. But in this apparent disorder, a simple truth exists. The tradeshow flo. . .

Autoresponse Plus, The Email Marketing Solution To Increa...

Autoresponders in GeneralAutoresponders have been around for quite some time. The Internet is overflowing with companies offering them packaged up with various features at various monthly fee levels. As more and more people do business on the Internet, autoresponders will take a special place in the overall marketing plan of any business on the net. They are the number one mechanism that helps . . .

Probate & Obituary Marketing

Marketing to probate and obituaries can be a wonderful opportunity to investors but for me the key to success is to avoid dealing with the issues of death and to stick to the issues of dealing with the property.I start my marketing with obituaries followed with probate filings and find it just another effective way to acquire property.Short of courthouse research you can go to your local librar. . .

Do You Make These Terrible Internet Marketing Mistakes?

I have been involved in Internet marketing since the world-wide-web began and I consider myself to be an Internet marketing expert. From my experience helping clients build successful websites, I have learned what works and what does not work when selling on the Internet. To help you avoid costly mistakes, I have listed what I have found to be the biggest Internet marketing mistakes.Mistake 1: . . .

Writing A Business Website Sales/Marketing FAQ

Everyone on the web thinks they can write a FAQ. But then why are so many FAQs so lacking? How often have you read a FAQ and thought, "that didn't tell me anything I needed to know!"?Two Worst FAQ Writing Faux Pas Many websites don't separate their FAQs for existing customers who need support from their FAQs for prospective customers who just want the information they need in order to decide wh. . .

How To Get a Better Web Site ROI

How to increase your business profitability by hundreds of percent Websites are ubiquitous these days and everybody is trying to get a better web site ROI. With millions upon millions of sites all trying to appeal to the same traffic, what can you do to improve your web site ROI? What's In A Name You can use Google Adwords to very quickly and cost effectively improve your business profitability. . .

The Swank Meter - What Does Hilary Swank Have To Do With ...

Some of the Top Internet Marketers will tell you that Name Branding is key to earning Money online. We all can't be Oscar Winners like Hilary Swank so we need to find other Methods to Brand our Names and Increase our Page Rank. The Swank Meter is a fun and simple Tool you can use to easily measure how well your Name Branding techniques are working. We even throw in 5 Simple techniques anyone ca. . .

Short Term vs Long Term Marketing Efforts

Short Term Vs Long Term MarketingIn order to create consistent sales cycles and a positive growth trend businesses usually engage in both short and long term marketing efforts. Short-term marketing efforts tend to cause sudden sales spikes which rarely last. These sharp sales increases are usually the result of a targeted marketing campaign or time limited offer. While short-term marketing prod. . .

How I Get Hundreds Of Daily Website Visitors For Free

Know about "Viral eBooks"?It's not a new concept I'll admit, but it works like absolute gangbusters. In fact, over the past three years it has personally been responsible for bringing me hundreds of thousands of visitors to just one of my websites. AND - 100% for free.Getting traffic with Viral eBooks is a "free traffic tactic", which means you're not paying for advertising. But, because you're. . .

Is Your Company A Member Of The Community?

One particularly hot south Texas day, I was making a routine sales call to a family Mexican restaurant. Angela, with whom I had an appointment, is a real "hands on" lady. She can't sit still in her restaurant and let others do all the work. Therefore, it's always a bit of a wait to talk to her. But, this place has great iced tea, so I didn't mind the wait. I finally got some of her time, w. . .

Review: Michael Masterson's Accelerated Program for Six-F...

I have to tell you, I was very skeptical in the beginning. Nervous even. I had one finger on the "buy now" button, and one finger poised, ready to request a refund. I guess, when I bought Michael Masterson's course, I was anxious that this would be one of those screaming, ranting, raving sales letter courses that tells you that you HAVE to write all copy the same way with a tone that sounds . . .

What Makes Full Color Format Poster Printing Services Uni...

Full color large format poster printing services is a one-of-a-kind. It is the reason why we see bigger yet clear and catchy pictures hanging in the façade, displayed in tradeshows, printed on banners and other attractive marketing materials. Large format poster printing is a sure and efficient way to generate full-color, high quality and oversize graphics. Generally, the graphics involve in t. . .

Remarkable Impact of Large Format Poster Printing

We like everything to be at their best. This is the reason why we want to bring out the best yield possible. In connection with our printing needs, we find reputable printing presses; use the most suitable materials and the right printing process to be sure that we are doing the right thing...A smart customer knows what he wants. If what he desire is an effective, catchy, durable and affordable. . .

How Technological Advances Envelope Large Format Posters

The need for variety is a consequence of the advances in technology which carries with it the increasing demand for quality, durable, creative and affordable products and services. In connection with posters, the trend is - the bigger, the better!Bigger, faster – better! In the advertising and marketing industry, size does matters. This is the reason why the bigger the posters are the better. L. . .

Powerful Four-Step Method To Easily Discover And Profit F...

Powerful Four-Step Method To Easily Discover And Profit From Niche MarketsDo you want an easy way to find profitable niche markets online?If you answered yes to that question then you should focus your market research efforts on peoples wants and problems.You need to realize that one of the most common reasons people use the Internet is to find solutions to their most pressing problems and to f. . .

Picturesque Framework of Large Format Posters

Pictures influence us. It can frighten us. It can appease us. It can make us happy. It can make us blue. Excited, angry, anxious, perplexed, ecstatic – name it, pictures can very well work its magic spell on us.Life is ironic and this irony can be reflected in the picture right before you. Take a glimpse and be amused by the things that it is telling you. Its voice may be inaudible but its la. . .

The How’s And Why’s Of Article Marketing

The Internet has opened so many channels of communication in our world that marketing has evolved because of it. No longer does a business have to spend thousands of dollars to inform other people about its existence, the World Wide Web provides for numerous ways by which this can be done for free. Spreading the word has never been so easy and cost-effective, especially when you decide to liter. . .

How To Increase The Link Popularity Of Your Web Site.

Link Popularity is the term used to describe how popular your web site is by examining how many other web sites link to it.For example, if you only had one other web site linking to your site, then your link popularity would be one. In other words link popularity is a measure of how may other sites are willing to "vote" for your site by adding a link to it.Is Link Popularity Important?Yes. Sear. . .

Having an Opt In List As an Affiliate Marketer Is Crucial

What is an Opt-in List and what is its significance in Affiliate Marketing? This may be the question playing in your mind, especially for Affiliate Marketing neophytes; and it is a question worth asking.Opt-in list building and lead capture is one of smartest and most effective strategies that affiliate marketers can use. If you want to generate more click-throughs to your site, email marketing. . .

17 Mistakes Professionals Make with Their Blogs

Are you getting results from your business blog? Is it getting harder for you to spend time on your blog because you’re just not seeing how it is going to pay off? If so, you’re not alone. Hundreds of blogs are started each day and many of them are abandoned after several months because it takes time and energy to keep a good business blog going.Make no mistake, blogs are a great tool for build. . .

Aggressive Marketing

If you get an email with a title like ' Don't Ever Trust Me Again!’ and continues along the lines of '... then you don't have to take my advice ever again!'My advice is - Don't *Perhaps it's because I'm skeptical of the number of "miracle" products, "great deals", 'limited time offers' or 'incredible packages' that are advertised online every day. Perhaps it's because I have bought more product. . .

There’s More To Marketing ROI (Return On Investment) Than...

All too often people look at marketing ROI in terms of response rate: in other words, “I sent out 10,000 pieces of direct mail and only got 39 responses which is terrible.” This is wrong think.When it comes to marketing ROI, you have to realize that the term means Return On Investment and the return is measured in dollars (or your local currency). Let’s say you spend $2,000 to get out a bulk ma. . .

The Importance Of A Marketing Plan

There aren’t many things in life that you would get into with out a plan. Marketing is no different. Your overall marketing plan should cover about a six month period, and should be made up of weekly and monthly marketing schedules.This is how you do it:1. Figure out how much money is in your budget.As we all know, marketing of any kind costs money. How much money you are willing to commit to t. . .

Stay In Touch With Leads And Get More Closes

How many leads have come into your business since the beginning of time that never closed? That is a salient question. Who knows how many, but I bet there are a lot.Whether a small company or a large one with a sales force, the leads that are always best are the ones that are easy to close. But what about the prospects that were reached but never closed? They are in an abyss - The Unclosed Sale. . .