Use Digital Signs to Target Your Audience

To market a product or service and to stay ahead in the business, you often require an effective advertising medium. A digital advertising platform like a digital signage or digital sign is an innovative and powerful way to reach out to the public. They are more eye catching and informative and can be easily mounted on any public or private spaces that capture more audience's attention. Shopping malls, retail stores, colleges, and corporate buildings are some of the ideal places to install a sign.

Unlike print or banner advertisements, you can effortlessly change the targeted message or information on a digital signage. This is done with the help of a server or personal computer, installed with a public domain or proprietary software. These days, digital signs are used for a wide range of applications. It is very common to use signage to display public information such as weather, news, and traveller details. In retail shops, the pricing and other related information of various products can be exhibited.

Generally, digital signs are categorized into four - indoor displays, digital posters, digital menu boards, and outdoor signage. Indoor displays are used to display either the list of products or services of a company. As the name suggests, these displays are kept on public environments such as shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, universities and much more. On the other hand, a digital poster utilise a high definition or HD display, which is often connected to a media player. These systems can be operated either wireless or hard wired. The content or information in a digital poster can be updated with the help of a USB flash drive that is connected to the media player. If you prefer to have a networked display solution, then digital menu boards are the most ideal option. Another great alternative is to use an outdoor dynamic digital sign with an LCD display.

Besides using it as an advertising platform, digital signs are highly effective in improving the employee communication. It can be used to inform your employees about various benefits, sales opportunities, team activities, news, holidays, events, and other details concerning with your company.

Digital signs thus offer a multitude of benefits to its users. These advanced gadgets are highly interactive and cost effective. It can include everything from text, audio, video, and graphics. The signs can also incorporate high resolution images, animation, websites, and live feeds. Moreover, digital signs can be easily customised to serve your purpose.

Does Your Business Stand Out From The Crowd?

If your business is struggling, then you may find that it's very easy to blame the wider economic environment. You may feel that things could improve for you, if only the general economy was performing a little better. This feeling that it's better to blame the wider situation is tempting, but can also be wrong.

The reality is that some businesses are extremely successful, despite a recession or some form of economic downturn. You need to think about whether your own business manages to produce success in such a situation. If not, is there something that you are doing wrong?

It's not always nice, or easy, to admit that you are making mistakes. It is true, however, that none of us are perfect. If you're able to identify errors and correct them, then you'll be in a great position. The worst thing to do is to ignore problems, in the hope that they will go away.

So what's going wrong for you right now? You may feel like you are failing to compete successfully. If this situation sounds familiar, then you'll need to look more closely at your existing marketing efforts. Why are other businesses more successful in this area? What can you learn from them?

I have, as you may have noted, immediately assumed that you actually have some sort of marketing strategy in place. If this is an area of your business that has been completely neglected, then I would suggest that you need to be making changes pretty quickly. It's too easy to fall into the trap of assuming that marketing will handle itself, or that it doesn't require much effort.

The reality is that the best businesses are constantly thinking about the marketing approach that they are taking. They are always looking to improve things and to stand out from the crowd. They want to make sure that they are shouting loudly about the great products and services that they're able to offer.

You may feel that you don't need to take the same approach, since your business is ticking along. What you need to think about is whether you will continue to have success over the coming months and years. Do you have a suitable strategy in place to be attracting new clients on a regular basis?

There are plenty of approaches that you can take, but one of the most important ideas is that you should be making time to carry out marketing. This means setting aside a few hours each week and ensuring that you are dedicating time to such tasks. If you're not already doing this, as an absolute minimum, then you're in danger of falling behind your rivals.

Make sure that you are in a position to compete successfully. Ensure that your marketing efforts are putting you ahead of the competition.

SMS Marketing - Makes Your Business Easy

SMS marketing has emerged rapidly into the business environment, having especially pronounced impacts on the way small, appointment-based businesses operate. Understanding what it is, how and by who it is being used, will allow you to implement the service in your own business.

Get started with SMS marketing straight away and increase the number of touch points and quality of service given to existing clients. After all, it is a well-known fact in the business industry that selling more to current clients is far more time and cost effective than trying to draw in new customers. SMS marketing can help you achieve this and promote your business.

What is SMS Marketing?

SMS marketing does exactly what the name suggests, using the Short Message Service to market the business to customers, either through informing them about deals or simply engaging them with notices and reminders. Businesses are using the tool to increase reach and effectiveness of promotions, and to develop interactive, valuable relationships with clients at the same time.

Why is SMS Marketing effective?

SMS marketing enables businesses to send timely, targeted offers to current clients. Marketing campaigns have been shown repeatedly to be more effective when targeting a specific group of clients, for example, offering 10% discounts for Seniors who come in on a Thursday or special offers for VIP club members. It is also elicits a positive response as it has the advantage of communicating the message in 120 odd characters so clients don't feel bombarded and pressured by "advertising". Once you have the SMS marketing system in place, the same tools can also enable more general announcements, such as "Our Salon is flooded and all appointments for today are cancelled!"

How you can get started?

There are a number of tools around that enables businesses that run on appointments to send automatic text message reminders to their clients about upcoming appointments. Taking this further, businesses can create and send text message (SMS) marketing messages to their clients.

These tools aim to assist appointment-based businesses, such as hairdressers, salons, therapists or personal trainers (just to name a few), in achieving their maximum marketing and customer service potential. Ultimately, any business that utilizes appointments, wants to save money and increase sales can benefit from SMS.

Depending on the nature of your business, you may find some services more pertinent to your businesses needs, as a medical practice will not likely be advertising products to their customers, but only need the reminder function. Look for a tool that allows you to custom design what services you receive, how often and how they appear to the client. Make sure that the tool you choose gives the option for clients to opt out at any time, so the customer is happy regardless of whether they require the service or not.

Building the Outline for a Good Website

Having a successful web presence is key to taking your company from local to global. Creating a website can expand your customer pool from the areas around you to the world around you. It makes your business accessible to customers 24/7 with the click of a button. The potential of your company's web presence is great, no doubt about it. But in order to turn potential into results, there are a few things your web presence has to have in order to be successful.

Homepage: The first thing your website design should have is a homepage. This is the place where customers get their first impression. It has to be catchy, comprehensible, and organized. The homepage should give the viewer some basic info on what your business model is. What does your company do? Why are you reliable? What do others have to say about you? You should have some captivating images, maybe a few quotes, and the basic layout of your website. Use tabs or infographs to show your other web pages. Make sure they are easily accessible and interesting as well.

About: The next thing your web presence needs is an about section or company info page. This is the place where you can really shine. Explain to the customer why, specifically, you are the company they want to invest their time and money into. Show that you are trustworthy, reliable, and confident. If your customers were impressed with your homepage, this is where they will probably go next. Continue to impress them with details about your business model and your company's m.o.

Testimonials: If there's one thing customers trust, it's the word of a fellow customer. Include a section of laudable reviews or quotes on why others have been pleased with your company. If someone is browsing your website and sees real life testimony of your previous customers, it's bound to help your company gain their trust and peak their interest.

Blog: Don't underestimate the power of the blog. Having a blog is a great way to enter into a conversation with your customers. Blogs usually have a laid back feel and a conversational tone that is appealing to customers. They also help prove your credibility; if you are a pet sitting business writing blogs that offer tips on how to train your dog to stop barking when the mailman comes to the door, people will trust you know what you're talking about. Blogs are also constantly changing and being updated. This will keep customers coming back to your website to see the latest post.

Social Media: Don't forget to incorporate social media into your web presence. Add share buttons for Twitter, facebook, Google Plus, and other social sites so that viewers can share your company's website with their friends. In addition to share buttons, create a presence on Twitter and Facebook so that you can connect with customers on a social level. Become one of their likes, interests, or favorites.

How To Find Customers For Your Business And Market Effectively To Them

The question of how to find customers still looms large for every business that opens. No matter what type of business a person has, in order to be successful they need to reach their target market plus effectively promote the company to these consumers.

The first step in finding customers is actually knowing who the target market is. For example, a technology company is not recommended to pitch their latest and most advanced gadget to individuals who don't use computers. They need to advertise themselves in areas where there are individuals who use the latest technology. Many of these consumers are online already using technology. In such a case, the company may want to create a free application and offer it to the public.

In doing so, the company asks for the email addresses of the individuals who are interested in the application. With such details, they have an email list started and can send the news of their advanced gadget to these interested individuals.

Of course, these promotional techniques vary according to the product and this above scenario is just an example. The answer to how to find customers depends on what the company is offering. Other methods of finding the customers include using social media networks to browse profiles; utilizing business directories if a company deals in wholesale or business services; sponsoring events for relevant charities or causes; attending meetings with potentially interested consumers; joining forums that discuss topics relevant to the business; and the list goes on.

With any of these methods of finding customers, it is important to keep in mind that a company will only find consumers if they are in areas where the two find a common ground. For example, a single individual with no children is not as likely to be found looking at large family sized vehicles as would the parents of four children.

Once an entrepreneur finds the customers, they need to start marketing a small business in such a way that catches the attention of the consumers. The right words, advertisements, and free offers often work. Marketing in business isn't usually focused on one area so several types of promotion is generally advised.

The budget for the marketing has to be realistic. For this reason, a person must research the costs for marketing and may utilize as many free promotional tools as possible while still being effective.

Marketing a small business takes careful planning and good strategies. It is important to relay to the potential customers why a company is unique and why that business should be chosen over others.

Marketing in business requires a plan to organize all of the elements. It doesn't take a complex plan but one that helps to focus the attention and track the promotional elements that are giving positive results.

While creating a plan, a person should list the target market, how to find these customers, the marketing techniques to be used, how much money is allocated to each promotional method and how to track results. This will help in the long run to make the most of any marketing strategy as well as to assist the business in being successful.

Mobile Marketing in a Shinny Object World

Is mobile marketing right for your business?

It depends on what your overall strategy is and what type of business your running. Unfortunately today we have seen too often business owners get caught up in a "tool" trap. They focus on some sort of shiny object that is supposed to make life easier but they fail to look at it from the consumer's point of view.

I always approach a situation with a perspective of "market onto others the way I would want marketing done onto me" sounds familiar doesn't it! Unfortunately that isn't always remembered when it comes time to think about your own business.

For instance a common "strategy" that a mobile media firm may suggest is using an SMS campaign to blast out your specials to your unsuspecting consumers. Many of these consumers are initially offered some sort of a bribe to sign up to be included in the campaign. That may be a free drink, a certain percentage off, or VIP treatment for the day. That works out great for everyone involved today but in the future how many times are they going to be in a situation where they can use your offer when you blast it out to them?

Ask yourself if you would want to receive messages from the restaurant down the road while your relaxing watching television? How would you feel if you're at the gym and your work out is interrupted by the grocery store's new coupon offer? That service probably would not last long on your phone right?

This give and take relationship is one that your consumer should be able to take allot more then you give. This can be accomplished by creating mobile marketing campaigns that have one thing in common, they require the user to be within certain proximity of your location or they make the choice when they want to receive your content.

The type of business or service your in is also going to weigh in on the specific process that you'll need to take. If you're in an industry that a consumer frequents regularly such as a grocery store, you're going to be better off creating your own branded application. If you're in a business that is more service related where consumers may infrequently need your business you might consider creating a co-opp relationship with other businesses in your area. This might include electricians, a plumber, or landscapers. This allows the local consumers to gain a more value form your application.

In all of these cases you're going to want a digital marketing firm that allows for proximity marketing campaigns to be launched in your mobile application. These should allow you to specifically target areas to customize your offers.

Always remember "market onto others as you would market onto you" in doing so you'll enjoy more success and better engagement with your consumers.

Mobile Marketing Helps Food Waste

How does a mobile phone save food from being tossed in the trash?

If you're anything like most businesses your probably looking at mobile wondering how it can be effective in your business. One of the best uses can perhaps have a huge impact on a problem that is estimated to cost about 47 billion per year in the US alone.

We are of course looking at the huge problem that we as a society have of throwing out food simply because we have not seen it. Sounds strange right, unfortunately it happens all too often. Our grocery stores and markets fight is battle everyday. How can they draw attention to products that need to be sold soon or else thrown out?

In the past they have had few options except for posting signs and calls to action in locations through out the store. Unfortunately this also has an adverse effect on consumer because all of the "sale" signs all end up bending together and work to desensitize a consumer to the special.

Recently we interviewed a select group of grocers and found that the average grocery store lists about 2300 "sale" signs at one time... there is no possible way that they can use that many and expect to draw any bit of attention to the products.

Fortunately using a properly configured location based marketing platform that all can change. In a recent survey conducted by Flurry analytics they concluded that mobile is growing 10 times faster then computers did in the 80's. These are staggering figures. This means that for the first time retailers and in this case more specifically grocers have a direct channel to consumers eyes

This channel also can be managed to control inventory on a store by store basis. The smartphone knows where it's at a grocer can publish their specials where a consumer can now see each of the valuable offers in their immediate area. Unlike printed material these offers can be updated as often as needed or changed on the fly once the special inventory all has been sold.

Unlike many other mobile marketing strategies these also are completely permission based offers. Meaning a consumer walks into the store and opens your app to receive the specials. You deliver valuable content when the consumer needs it the most. They are also 20-60% more likely to make a purchase when they walk in your door so it makes the most sense to make certain that they see all of the offers you have for them.

Marketing Your Medical Practice With an Effective Web Presence

When it comes to marketing your medical practice, consider spreading the word on the World Wide Web. The results are staggering, and you'll be rewarded with patients' trust. We are living in the 21st century, and no longer can a medical practice survive merely on the basis of advertising through local media. The reason being, a majority of the world's population is shifting toward the Internet for all their medical concerns. Gone are the days when finding a relevant doctor was a hassle. Being a medical practitioner, you should be delighted as the power of the Internet makes your practice more visible. It has not only drastically reduced investment as compared to other means of marketing, but also provided high-quality online presence to healthcare professionals.

One of the crucial roles web marketing plays is that you can reach a wider audience. Considerable numbers of physicians try to achieve online presence on their own. However, if marketing is not your forte, you can always outsource it to reputed medical marketing agencies. Easy accessibility to the Internet has compelled healthcare professionals to hire Internet marketing companies. Simply put, seeing the current marketing trend, doctors from the past are also moving forward with the change.

There are multiple options for marketing through the web. All you require is a computer and an Internet connection. Spreading knowledge about your practice with a custom-made website is one of the most timesaving methods. A content-rich website including crucial information about operational hours, facilities provided and services can help you reach the target base. No matter how much you invest in other marketing techniques, you cannot neglect the influence of web marketing on the patients.

The success of your web promotion totally depends on how efficiently you use search engine optimization. There are certain keywords or phrases that patients search to find your practice online. Your web content should be composed of these keywords, as leading search engines will "crawl" for this content and subsequently determine your website's page ranking. Experts in SEO, who have deep knowledge of ever-changing Google algorithms, can help you achieve better online visibility. Once you hire SEO professionals, you can be certain that your website will be featured among the top pages of Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

Another method, which has been dominating the world of medical marketing for the past few years, is social media. Understandably, drawing attention is different from building awareness. You can draw attention with custom-made websites, but you can expand your practice with social media. When you create your practice's profile at Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, you connect with existing and potential patients. These websites are meant for social activities, and as a physician, you can use them to your advantage by sharing information about breakthrough cases, innovative policies, and modern facilities. The reason these sites have become a huge success is that not only do they give you a medium to interact with patients around the clock, but patients can also resolve their queries instantly.

Thousands of medical practices have attributed their success to an effective web presence. So what are you waiting for? If you don't have a web presence, establish it immediately. Now is the time to step up and give those prospective patients the medical information they deserve.

The Benefits Of Custom Printing Promotional Material

Custom printing allows any business to produce the types of displays, material, and products necessary to get a message out. Though word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing, the use of printed products can encourage brand development and recognition. This is one of the most important components to any successful campaign. Not only do you want to tell people about the products and services that your company has to offer but you also want to ensure they have the ability to think about your company as soon as they need a product or service like your own.

Where Is the Target?

The first step in creating custom printing that delivers to the target market. This means creating materials designed to achieve the goals of the company by finding out who the most likely customer or client is. Then, you can create customized creations that are exactly what those groups need.

For example, if you are targeting mothers, offering coupons and flyers is a great way to get attention. Placed in daycares, grocery stores and even as direct mailers, they can get the attention of the right group of people. If your target is a business client, on the other hand, then you need brochures that communicate the message necessary.

Making It Stand Out

Professional marketing is one of the most important elements to any marketing campaign. If the final printed material is not done well, the outcome will be a wasted investment. Rather, look to hire a professional organization with plenty of skill and experience, not to mention the latest equipment and technology, to complete the project. You also want to use their skills to create a piece that will stand out.

* Consider color as a factor in getting attention and building brand recognition.

* Determine what an ideal logo for the business is and incorporate it.

* Work with the company on the paper type, such as the thickness and size.

* Determine if a glossy shine is necessary to elevate the perceived value.

* Aside from paper products, where else can you use your marketing design to create interest and buzz?

A custom printing can create exactly what you need and want. You do not need to do the work to create it either. By working with a professional organization with the abilities to create exactly what you need, you will minimize the overall cost to you while increasing the chances of getting outstanding results from the project. This could ultimately, help you to launch your business and to create the brand that people instantly think about when they pick up a product like yours or call for service. The right printer can help you to accomplish any of your goals.

Mobile Email Marketing

Mobile email marketing is a less expensive way for companies to advertise their services and/or products with potential and existing customers. Before digital marketing was available as an advertising tool, businesses would use direct mail in order to reach individuals about specific services and/or products they offered. However, in today's economy companies are beginning to use mobile email marketing to advertise due to it being a more rapid, cost efficient and easier way to communicate with potential and existing customers. Digital marketing can have a positive impact, no matter what type of business it is.

Basic email best practices were established to optimize email for desktop users viewing through Web browsers or email clients. However, more often than not, emails are being read using mobile devices. When doing mobile email marketing businesses must use caution when creating designs for their emails in order to decrease the chances of the email being sent to a spam folder. Therefore, it is imperative to use best practice design for your company advertising in order to ensure your customer is able to view the email in its entirety, no matter what type of device they are using to read the email. Implementing the best practice designs allows you to create an email that is compatible for viewing, even on a mobile phone or any other type of mobile devise besides using a computer.

Companies reap many benefits by using mobile email as a marketing strategy in order to reach prospects and existing customers. However, the more important perks include the ability to generate repeat customers, increasing sales, and the ability to gain valuable, honest feedback from customers quickly. When using digital marketing, not only can you generate repeat customers, but you are also increasing your sales by being able to communicate with individuals on a more relevant level.

Traditional advertising tends to reach customers as a whole, whereas mobile email marketing may be able to reach potential and existing customers on a more intimate level making it more likely an individual will use the products and/or services of a company due to receiving an email rather than seeing a billboard advertisement.

Digital marketing also allows for customers to give valuable, honest feedback regarding the products and/or services used by a specific company. This feedback is also available for other potential customers to review before deciding to use a specific company or their products.

In today's market, mobile email marketing has become one of the more popular ways for businesses to grab the attention of potential and existing customers.

How To Be More Energetic In Telemarketing

Let us face it. Telemarketing is a real killer of energy. The endless calls you have to make, the number of prospects that fail to turn into qualified B2B sales leads, and the fact that you have to close the deals with those that do. It certainly is something, right? But that should not be a big concern for you. If you know how to invest, then invest in something that can make your work easier. For example, you can always get the services of a professional lead generation company. But you also have to keep up in the business as well, since you are the one who will be handling the meeting part of the appointment setting process. So, how can you stay energetic during your campaign?

1. Talk to your best customers - one way to motivate you during the campaign is talking to your best customers. Really, nothing beats the feeling of hearing your customers praising the products or service that they have purchased from you. You can use this as a boost for your own morale when you are going to meet prospects later. Inspiring yourself is very important if you want to be at the top of your game. It might even give you a clue on how to clinch that deal, too.

2. Change your surroundings - this is especially true where productivity is concerned. Whether it is the ambience of the place or the people surrounding you, but the emotions and feelings in your environment can affect your performance. If you feel like your place is not helping you get any job done, then that is the time for you to move to a different spot.

3. Learn a new skill or lesson - why do you think children are so energetic? It is because they always see and learn something new. Translate that to your business as well. If you want to keep the energy to properly convert business leads into an actual sale, then try learning a now skill or lesson. Who knows, you might discover something that can help you close the deal.

4. Take a break - seriously, if you want to do more, take a break. Working non-stop will not only exhaust you physically, it will also drain your brain. When you rest, it will recharge your brain and body. Do some stretching, read a book, anything that will take your mind off work. Once you get back, you can certainly be good to go.

5. Eat better food - yes, this is also important in boosting your energy. What you eat will determine if you have the stamina to keep going during the day. In fact, it can have an effect on your over-all health. Eating whole grains, fresh fruits, lean meat, nuts and legumes, and drinking lots of water can help you get the job done.

As long as you have the energy, you can always do the task required in telemarketing campaigns. You just have to be ready for it.

The Economics of Online Advertising

The current online advertising ecosystem has in many ways become very complex, featuring a host of contenders with heavy pockets. They are stranded in a crowded value chain all across the web with limited transparency as to which ads were visible and where they appeared. Unlike other forms of media, in digital marketing, it's possible for ads to be served, but not appear in front of a consumer. In fact, some served ads never make it into a consumer's viewport, and are therefore never have the chance to be seen. In addition, the cost of producing an incremental digital ad is either zero or near zero. These dynamics have created an unlimited supply of display ad inventory with a gaping inability to differentiate high quality inventory from low or no quality inventory.

Most of the Digital Marketing agencies attribute it to the "served impression" standard, which has historically been the basis of buying and selling digital ads. While it's understandable that this came to be the currency as there were no better alternatives, the reality is that when each of the players in the ecosystem gets credit for an ad simply being served as opposed to actually being viewable by a consumer, the incentive is to promote quantity over quality. The result is that the average web page is cluttered with ads in every corner of the screen, many of which never have the opportunity to make an impact. Low quality or non-visible ad impressions leads to weaker campaign performance, providing advertisers less incentive to advertise and ultimately leading to lower CPMs for publishers.

At the closing of an ad run schedule, these digital ad agencies set out to radically improve and simplify the measurement of display ad campaigns by determining when an ad is actually viewable, delivered legitimately to consumers absent non-human traffic, in the right geography and in a brand safe environment. When ad campaigns are validated across these dimensions, advertisers can ensure that the only ads being counted are the one with an ability to impact their target audience and that their campaign performance is not being polluted by the existence of wasted impressions. Having greater confidence in the medium helps advertisers justify increased investment in digital.

For publishers, the increased transparency around the viewability of certain ad inventory incentivizes them to remove ad clutter and optimize their design to deliver an improved aesthetic for users and a better canvas for advertisers. This increased transparency will also enable publishers to 'unearth the gold below the fold' and better monetize their existing inventory, particularly those ads which appear further down the page but still draw a strong audience and maintain high viewability.
The long-held promise of online advertising is that as the most measurable of all media it would inevitably pull advertising budget from print and TV. While it has clearly been able to do so from print, the same cannot be said of TV, in part because of the uncertainty that has continued to surround the performance of digital ads. With validated impressions and validated GRPs, the digital channel now offers metrics that are truly cross-media comparable with TV because ad impressions are predicated on the same 'opportunity to see' standard.

It's time for the Digital Marketing Agency to get its fair value as an advertising medium, and that will only happen through improved transparency and better accountability for the ads that are delivered. Embracing digital scarcity will necessarily change the supply-and-demand equation for online ads, and with it the fundamental economics of an industry ready to realize its fulThe Economics of Online Advertisingl potential.

The New Business of Online Marketing

Put your website to work.

Your website and how you work it can help you reach out to prospective customers economically. Be prepared to state what your business does, what services you provide and what products you have for sale. Specifically show how your current customers use your products and services. Explain why people need your products and services. Now show how your products and services differ from the competition. In marketing lingo, this is your value proposition.

Your website must attract potential customers, keep them interested in your products and services, and make it easy for customers to use and share with others. Does your web page have something for the visitor to read or download for free? Does your web page have a form customers can fill out to get more information? Put up all the social web icons so your customers can share your site with others. Submit your website to the search engines using Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the varied techniques and practices used to get more traffic from search engines

When you put a word or a phrase into search engine, the search engine goes out looking for those words in the description of websites. Put "underwater basket weaving" into a search engine and look at the full first page of the results. If you sell supplies for underwater basket weavers, you want to be in this first page results. If you have written a book, give tours, sell t-shirts or teach underwater basket weaving, you want to have your website come up in this first page of results.

Get busy with article marketing.

You know a lot about 1957 Chevies or parachutes or grooming poodles. Write about what you know. Open up your word processor and just type down anything and everything you know on your subject until you get to 600 words. Now go back and make the spelling, grammar and punctuation corrections. Open up your favorite search engine and type in "article marketing" and make a list of five directories. Open up an account on each one and submit your article. Keep track of how long it takes each one to approve your article. Once it is approved, write another. In fact, write up 5 more and submit as many of them as you can.

Ramp up your e-mail marketing.

Sending out an email to prospective customers is maybe the easiest and one of the best ways to grow your business. Just learn the right way to do it. That customer form on your website is where you get the email addresses. Make your subject line attention getting with "FREE" or "REVEALED" or "SECRET" along with 4 more words. The message inside tells the customer 3 reasons why they should get your products or services. Those articles from the marketing steps above turn into a free eBook once you have 45 pages of reading material.

Social Media Marketing

Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit and the list goes on. You need to get an account set up on each social media site and put the linking icon on each page of your website. When someone reads something interesting on your website make it easy for them to share it with others. You want to have the communication device that others seek. If you have a 3 minute video of upholstering a footstool, put it up on your website with all the social media links. If you have a 6,000 word eBook on nuclear plant effluence effects on migrating salmon, put it up on your website with all the social media links. Do you have still shots of how to install a zip line in a rain forest? Put up a slide presentation on your website with all the social media links.

How To Do Your First Direct Mail Marketing

While direct-mail marketing might be one of the fastest and most effective ways to reach new customers, it is sometimes a tricky adventure. You have seen the letters and flyers come in the mail for products and services you do not want and will not use. Those are direct mail pieces. What do you do with those? Those go in the trash or paper recycling and the person who sent them will never know that you have seen them. Some of them catch your eye and you actually use them. This is the direct mail world you are about to enter.

Sales letters, brochures and postcards deliver your exact message the way that you want your customer to see it. It is important that you do your first direct mailing yourself to cut down costs and so that you will understand the costs involved in having someone else do it.

You can plan on mailing out 1,000 marketing pieces and getting 100 new customers. Why such a low result from such a high-cost marketing?

Take a look at the cost to get that mailing piece out in the mail. First, look at your client and prospect list and make sure you have complete mailing addresses for all of them. You will be literally throwing money away if you do not have a good address. If you have to call them to get the address, be sure to get their email address, too. Next, decide if you will have a three folded printed sheet with a white stick on mailing label. It's pretty easy to do a mail merge from an MS Excel spreadsheet and MS Word so you'll need to buy the printer labels. Keep track of that cost. If you are going to have a flyer custom printed, keep track of the cost of that printing.

Take your sample flyer down to the post office and ask them to put it on their scales and find out how much the postage will be for mailing out 1,000 of them. Is this a first class mailer or can it go out bulk rate? Get all the information you can and study it so you can make a decision to mail less than 1,000 or more than 1,000.

Printing your single sheet sales letter black and white at home:

Cost of white paper: $8.00

Cost of white printer label: $12.95

Cost of printer ink: $17.00

Cost of bulk postage: $22.00

Total cost of your first direct mailing: $59.95

Now figure out how many products or how many services you will have to do just to cover the cost of that first direct mailing. Remember, have a up to date mailing list, keep your direct mail costs down and learn as much about it as you possibly can.

The Beginner's Guide to Forum Posting

An online forum is a website where people gather to exchange ideas on a certain topic. For every possible subject out there from designer shoes, barn wood and vent cleaning there is a forum where people chat, communicate and share knowledge and ideas.

Register and Read The Forum Rules

After setting up your account take a look at the forum rules and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). These contain lots of how-tos and might make a highly enjoyable experience of forum posting.

Read Through All The Threads

A thread is a message about a topic from a poster. If one thread about growing watermelons is right below a thread about watermelon fertilization and is right below another thread of seedless watermelons, you want to post along the thread of watermelons. Your viewpoint on asphalt roofing shingles compared to tin roofs belongs in another topic thread.

Compose And Write Your First Post

Many posters are out to improve your ideas with their thoughts and opinions. Getting those thoughts and opinions into good grammar and simple sentences is the difficulty. One girl commented that she thought she had found Mr. Right until he wrote a love note with horrible grammar, run-on sentences and no punctuation. Make yourself someone who is sought after in forums with your witty posts, excellent sentence structure and shining ideas.

Subscribe To The Forum News

If you have found a delightful forum that satisfies the poster in you, see if there is a newsletter or newsfeed subscription and enjoy the forum on the go. Be careful of setting up instant updates as your email might get clogged with posts. An alternative is to designate a weekly newsletter.

Post A Picture To The Forum

Verify that your forum allows you to post pictures. Reddit is one example of where you can post pictures. Upload your image into an Image hosting service like Photobucket or Flickr. Once the photo appears in your album you will see the image code starting with "img". Copy the image with (Control+C). Start your forum post and put in the code wherever you want your image to appear (Control+V).

The prime activity on forums is posting and commenting. Check out any signatures with backlinks. See if you can create an avatar for a more personal representation. Select your own sorting and viewing preferences. Look at sorting posters into friend groups and find out how to use a block list. Find topic specific groups and memberships for fashion, auto racing, cooking and dogs. Take a look at the profiles area to learn more about individual posters. Exchange a private message with someone who seems to be like-minded. Participate in polls and surveys and be sure to tag your likes and dislikes.

How to Be More Decisive in Your Business

Today I'd like to talk to you about how to be more decisive in your business. I speak to thousands of entrepreneurs each year and I have been for 12 years now. Every time I get together with a group of successful entrepreneurs, I see they're people who take decisive action. Successful people take decisive action.

But I also meet entrepreneurs who like to over-think and they might make a decision but then they change their mind. There's this waffling effect. I meet people who have a lot of self doubt. They tend to listen to that inner critic a lot.

I would like for you to be successful. This is why I do what I do. Part of that is to be more decisive in your business because the longer you take to make a decision, the longer you delay the results that you are looking for.

Here are my six steps that I'd like to share with you about how I am more decisive in my business each year.

1. Get all the facts. This sounds simple but when you have this mapped out as a formula, it really helps. Here's what I often say to my clients, "So tell me, you have this decision that needs to be made. What's going on? Tell me all the facts."

A lot of times they don't have all the facts. Without them, you are making a non-informed decision. Non-informed decisions are bad decisions. So get all the facts.

2. Make a pros and cons list. You've heard this before but I actually find that some of the biggest decisions I've had to make in my life were made much more easily when I had a pros list and a cons list; pros of doing it, pros of not doing it. Cons of doing it, cons of not doing it.

Then I can actually see just by the number of things on the list, "Wow, there are so many pros to doing this and so very few cons to doing it." Sometimes that will sway my decision very, very quickly. So do that.

If you'll allow me to get a little spiritual on you for a second (because you know we can be spiritual in business too), often the pros of doing something come from you being pulled into your future. Your soul is being called to do something. That's why your list may contain so many positive things.

If you look at the cons list, usually the cons are based on fears - fear of losing money, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of overwhelm, fear of criticism, and the list goes on.

You're being pulled into future if spirit is asking you to do the next right thing. Fear is the opposite. It's your ego pulling your back. I only make decisions based on faith, not fear.

3. Trust your intuition. You know that feeling inside that says, "Oh, I really should be doing that," and then you try to talk yourself out of it? I always say to trust your intuition. I'm going to get spiritual on you again, but your intuition comes from Source. It comes from the Universe. It comes from God, or whatever you may call it. It's like your red phone direct to the big guys upstairs.

When you listen to your intuition it's like getting advice straight from Source. Your intuition is a softer, kinder voice and it's usually quieter than the fear voice of the ego. So if there's a faint voice that says, "Do it," then that's usually Source rather than, "Oh my God! Don't do this! You might lose money. You might fail." That is not your intuition. So, trust your intuition.

4. Ignore your fears. I have to be very careful when I talk about that. There are some good fears like, "Don't jump off that bridge." But there are also the fears that are stopping you from doing the next best thing for your business - whether they've come from your upbringing, or from other people's irrational fears and a slew of other things that we talk about in my mindset workshops but the remember idea from the pros and cons list: Make decisions based on faith.

5. Look at your return on investment. If you know that this is something that's going to get you the result that you want in your business, then be decisive and look at the return on investment. Whenever I am investing in my own business, I look at, "Am I going to get my money back on this?" "Yes." "Am I going to get two times, four times, ten times my investment if I do everything that it says?" If the answer is yes, I say yes and I don't turn back. I want the same thing for you.

6. Flip a coin. Finally, if you just cannot make a decision but you would be okay with either way, than just flip a coin. I know it sounds silly but you've got to be okay with what comes up. The key is to take decisive action and to do the things that you know are going to move you to the next level.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Try my six steps when faced with any important decision. They will lead you toward becoming more decisive in your business because remember, successful people take decisive action.

Mobile Marketing or Balance Sheet Liquidation - What Do You Need?

If your in business today there is no doubt that you have been bombarded with new tools or ways to push your wares on unsuspecting consumers. You probably have 3 or more social media profiles each with their own "way to work the system", a collection of handouts screaming how keywords are so important, or maybe you even have a few seminars under your belt that you had to travel across the country for.

It's most likely that these tools do have a place in today's connected world, it really is important to be found and available in as many places as possible, but what most of these techniques fail to focus on is your actual physical store, you know the place where people actually come to buy things!

These tools do a great job of getting your name out there but when it all boils down, how many people are sitting at their desk asking to be sold something? Does it really make sense to you?

Research and experience has shown that consumers who walk into a store are 20-60% more likely to buy (depending on the type of retailer), compare that just 1-3% for an online store. In other words it's most beneficial to get people in the store then make sure they see everything that you have for sale.

Using a properly configured mobile strategy you should be able to organize the information based on where a consumer is and provide him value that he can immediately use.

Unfortunately many digital marketing agencies simply do not have the tools or resources to deploy a location based marketing system.

A properly optimized system should allow you to designate specific content, offers, sales, or opportunities for each one of your locations. This allows you some freedoms that you never have been able to enjoy before.

Each location has it's own inventory and assets carried on your balance sheets. Lets say you have 5000 TVs with a price of $300 each. You would have 1.5 million in assets. Now as time goes on new technology comes out that replaces the older technology. In many cases you'll need to discount the inventory to liquidate the stock. A 10% discount would mean that you lost 150 thousand dollars. The question is, how many TVs could you have sold during the time t if more people knew the offer was there?

Perhaps your inventory has a much shorter expiration date like a grocery store where you only have a few weeks or less to sell the product, in this case speed is the most important part of the equation. You want to give every consumer who walks into your store every opportunity to see every offer you have for them.

The real problem is that a consumer may walk into your store but do they "see" everything that they want or could use? Today's smart phone saturation allows the online and offline worlds to "blur" together for the first time.

A location based mobile marketing campaign can help your business run more effectively, will eliminate waste, and will ensure that you have control over local inventory.