Make Money Easy For You

‘One hit wonders’ in your marketing

A client of mine just made a very important comment that I wanted to note.

“Thank you for taking the time to enhance my offer. I know you put a lot of effort into it and appreciate your time and experience in putting this together. I am starting to see the process of putting together a successful sales letter.”

Note the word PROCESS… that is what is truly important here.

Here is my comment back:

“The sales letter process is just that – a process. We start with a rough draft – tune it – tune it more – tune it more – test it – measure results – tune it – test it – etc…

Go through it again – see what you like and dislike – then send it back so we can get it out in time for holidays. Troy’”

The marketing process is NOT a one-hit-wonder. You will not get it perfect the first time you try it!

People amaze me when they believe they should be able to run a single $200 ad one time and make themselves a small fortune.

THAT, is one of the big problems with the internet marketing crowd – they honestly believe the hype they read. Making money online is no different than offline. You need a good product or service that people want to buy. You need to know how to get to the perfect market. And you need to know as much as possible about the actual target buyers.

Then you have the foundation to work with.

From there you need to sample different ideas to your ideal target market using the ideal media (online, email, offline letters, postcards, radio, newspapers, trade magazines, etc)

It is ALL about testing and finding out what works… and (just as important) what DOESN’T work.

You never know until you test. The market will tell you (a) if you have the right offer and (b) if you are in front of the right people.

If you miss either – you will not get results – period.

So try numerous things – and measure what results you get. If you get no results – you need to modify (one or the other – only change one thing at a time so measurements are accurate).

One-hit-wonders sound great (we all wish it was so easy) – but in reality they don’t work in the long term and very rarely in the short term.

To your ongoing marketing successes!

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Marketing Like A Guerilla Helps Win The War Against Your Competitors

If you are tired of failing with your internet marketing efforts, this article will give you some highly effective, yet unconventional ways to increase the response your marketing produces. To show you what this wonderful new business marketing system has to offer, let me give you an excerpt of an actual page from a new ebook called guerilla marketing 101.

First, let me define the term “target” marketing. Target marketing is specifically introducing and reintroducing your particular product to those business or individuals who are most likely to want or need it. When discussing target marketing, Guerilla Marketing 101 goes into this phase of marketing with some wonderful examples and gives the new business owner deliberate steps to take. It states: There are two steps to target marketing, which is also referred to as niche marketing. The first is to define your target, and the second is to find ways to reach them. Once you have accomplished these steps, you can incorporate this information into a guerilla marketing campaign that will give you the most bang for your buck (or more likely, your efforts).

So, how does a new business owner find their niche? There are some simple guidelines to help. Consider things like gender, age, marital status, location, climate, marital status, and how will you service the customer’s transactions? Once you determine who you want to target your advertising to, it’s time to decide how you best want to reach them, whether it will be public advertisement, news media, or one of many other methods. There are many ways to advertise your business but it’s important that you choose one that is best for your business. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose, that is, except the profits you’ll be giving away to your competition. Click here for the rest of the story. As you can see Guerilla Marketing is a great way to break free of the mold of advertising that just does not produce. Take these tactics to heart and make sure that you give them a try in your business.

Guerilla marketing used to be the big buzz word in the marketing world but recently its more like gorillas in the mist than guerilla marketing. but the great news is that guerilla marketing is back for 2007 and is worth taking a look at before the market becomes saturated again and it gets misty all over again.

Read more: Marketing Like A Guerilla Helps Win The War Against Your Competitors

Vinyl Signs and Proper Usage

When talking about vinyl signs, the marketplace is really competitive. They can resort to strategies that can enhance your outcome on the results on your banners. With a lot of things to bear in mind; colors, reflective properties, ink absorption traits, thickness, weight, etc…, having to choose the right sign for its purpose can always serve up to why it’s produced in the first place.

Even the small details can affect your strategies. If you are starting a promotion, an event, or anything pertaining to advertising, vinyl signs can always do the job well if planned correctly. Marketing strategies can most of the time sway your business stance, the vinyl signs you put up is no exception, having to intentionally use them at a given time and purpose will play out your plan in a successful way, you don’t need to buy something you don’t need would you? Here are some tips to use the right sign on the right purpose.

A large majority of businesses that buys banners always weigh price over its usage. In an example, if you need a banner to be used indoors, it is wise to keep the thickness at 10 ounces, also, with the use of grommets to hold your sign in place. Grommets are the metal rings that hold them in place. It is advisable too to sew them for reinforcement because you will never know if accidents might happen and waster your investment.

When using outdoor banners, the weather can be harsh. You should consider investing your time to tie them in place especially if the weather is windy, having to twine alongside its corners to unfasten them if needed. With a general rule of the thumb, outdoor banners must be at 13 ounces. Get it laminated, the elements won’t forgive your banner, also using UV inks is a must. When you get them plastic-coated, they can add up to 3 years of its lifespan. Using special UV ink helps to resist the print from fading.

In a natively windy are, if your banner is larger than 10 square feet, you need to consider making vents for the wind, boring holes or flaps. Flaps are the tiny holes where the vinyl can withstand the windy environment. Even a barrage of small breezes and damages your investment, so even if you’re not on a windy place, you should consider the weather a factor when having to make flaps or not.

If you are considering a banner which will be printed on both sides, you need to consider its thickness too, the sun is a factor here especially with outdoor use. The general rule of double-printed banners is usually of 16 ounces thick. A signs thickness can help blocking the suns rays which lessens visibility. Anything printed needs thickness to be visible when sunlight is a factor, banners shine through the print, and you don’t want to lose your message on a sunny day.

With all the considerations of vinyl banners, getting the right one beforehand is your priority. The weather can always be a factor if you need outdoor banners. Having to protect your investment from fading and damage is also one of your priorities after you have them obtained. Your business can always benefit from good planning and having to know the right usage of your advertisement materials.

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Money Habits: How to Build Good Ones

We all have money habits – some good, some bad. This brief article will give a few tips on how to build up the good ones and squash the bad. It all starts in your mind and heart – what you think and feel about your money habits. Lots of people feel very guilty about their overspending habit, their eating out all the time habit, or some other bad money habit. If this is you, give yourself a break right now – they’re just habits and habits can be broken.

The way to break any habit is to realize that it’s only there because you’re on auto-pilot – you’re not making active decisions. Your bad money habit started probably because it made you feel good in some way. So you did more of it – but then, pay up time arrived and you started to beat yourself up about that. Guess what? Beating yourself up about a bad money habit will actually increase the likelihood of it continuing. Why? Because you’re focusing on it and what you focus on increases in your life. Instead, focus on what you want – which is a life free of bad money habits. You simply need to decide that you’re going to build a new habit that will take the place of the old habit. Researchers say that you can build a new habit in as little as 3-4 weeks.

Focus on your new life pattern that incorporates the money friendly habits you want to build. An example: If you’re stressing your budget with eating out every night, build a new habit to eat at home a few times a week. Make it fun. Focus on learning to cook something you enjoy but have never made. You may find yourself enjoying the food more, having more fun with your family, as well as saving money! And improving your life is what building good new money habits is all about.

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Never Go Out Empty-Handed with Business Cards

There are several ways of showing your professionalism in the field of business that you have. It can be in the form of a business card, a letterhead or even a logo. Investing in these particular marketing tools would help your customers know that you are really serious about the products and services that are offering and that doing business with you would be a breeze.

The most important of all these would have to be the business cards. You don’t want to meet a prospective customer that you got interested in your line of business go home without something to remind him/ her of your business.

Every chance you lose with a potential customer would not look good for your business. Instead of having to write all your contact information on a sheet of paper that is more likely to be considered as trash.

Bringing several business cards with you all the time would definitely add more opportunities for your business to grow and expand not just in terms of profit but also in the number of customers as well. Each time you leave your business card would be an opportunity missed in expanding and getting known all over.

Designing your business card should not cost you that much nor should the printing be. You can design your own business card using the ready-made templates that you can search for online. You can even improvise it and not just put all the necessary contact information about your business. You can also add what your business specializes at so that the next time that your customer would be in need of your products or services.

If you are to design your own business card, no need to worry about the cost of labor because you can do your designing on your own time and at your leisurely pace.

Business cards should be able to represent your company to other people even if you are not there to explain to them what products and services that you are offering. So be sure to keep in mind that you need to put only the necessary details that would best represent your company.

A list of your products and services would be a start. Or you can also include images that would represent what you can offer your clients. You can also provide them with your company’s mission and what they could expect of they would be getting your products or services.

Your business card should look professional as well because you don’t want your potential clients to think that you are only wasting their time and money by getting your services.

In order to achieve this look of professionalism, you should consider hiring a reputable business card printing company that could transfer what you have envision to be the look of your business card into printed card.

Business cards don’t even have to be a rectangular piece of paper. No need to be conventional and choose a more noticeable shape. If you are for example in the business of pottery, you can make your business card in the shape of a flower pot that would definitely catch attention immediately and be remembered promptly.

So don’t hesitate to invest in business card printing because this may be just the break you are looking for.

Read more: Never Go Out Empty-Handed with Business Cards

The Role of Letterheads in Your Business

Letterheads definitely add to the show professionalism in your business. Professional looking letterheads and business cards must definitely be the first thing you should consider in investing on when you are just starting a business.

Designing your own letterhead and business card need not cost so much as you can design it on your own if you have limited budget. There are already a lot of websites that caters to help new businesses create a logo and thus creating letterhead in the process as well.

Adobe Illustrator is just one program software that offers letterhead templates. You don’t have to spend tons of money in hiring a professional designer to do the designs of your stationary for you.

Since you would be the one represented by your company and vice versa, you would be the best person to design your logo as well as your letterhead. Creating it on your own would add a more personal touch and besides, who else but you knows what your company stands for? The mission and the vision of your company and the identity that you wanted to create for your company.

No need to do it as elaborate as you can. You can stick to a simple design if that’s what you can do and that is how you want your company to be known. Also making your design personal would also make it personal for others as well. And it would also make your company as personal as you can.

However, you should definitely make an investment in letterhead printing because this is the first contact that you would be having with your potential customers. When you give out direct mail announcing that your business is already on-going, you would want them to think that you are very professional.

In choosing for the right company to do your letterhead printing for you, you may want to look at the many online letterhead printing companies available. Most letterhead printing companies offer to send you samples of their past projects so that you may see what kind of work they do and the quality of work they have.

You may also choose to ask for a quote from the printing company suited to do your printing job for you. In this way, you would know if printing your letterhead in multiple copies would still suit your budget or should you be limit it to several copies first.

Getting the services of a professional printing company to print your letterheads for you may help you save on time, money and energy than just printing it by yourself. Most printing companies even give their customers discount if they would be bringing their printing needs to them more than once. And with the case of letterheads, it is a sure indicator that you would need to have it printed more than once.

A professional printing company would also extend its services to delivering your printed letterhead right at your doorstep that would save you on the trip to their location and give you more time to spend on other things as well.

So don’t think twice about spending money on company letterheads because this would definitely mean that you are serious about your business and that you do things professionally. It would definitely pay off to invest in letterheads.

Read more: The Role of Letterheads in Your Business

Your Guide to the world’s Best Online Stock Photography Resource Center

The process of utilizing existing photographs for various commercial, advertising and media purposes is termed as Stock Photography. Especially for individuals in various creative industries like web designing, book publishing, advertising agencies, magazine editors, graphic artists, interior decorators and those working in various creative corporate groups, the availability of stock photographs in online sites proves to be a great boon. Along with providing you an easy way of browsing through thousands of professionally taken photographs relevant to your particular field of work, availing stock photographs proves far more economic than individually appointing professional photographers and obtaining photographs of different entities shot over various locales. Whereas, large databases of online stock photographs allow you to make selections suiting just your precise requirements, availing such existing photographs saves you a lot on time, money and resource investment. Epictura provides a large database of stock photographs to meet your every creative need. Professionally taken and clear in design, their stock images are tailored to suit your every creative requirement.

In most stock photo agency, you will get a wide range of images, available in high and low resolutions to serve your various web and print purposes. Clear, sharp and captured with careful attention to every detail, the stock photographs available are ready for immediate use in your advertising and communication projects. Whereas, the images are all professionally captured by competent photographers, the images are also color corrected wherever required using the latest digital equipments so that the final products you are offered are in their best forms. The stock images available at Epictura are stored as JPEG RGB files in their database so that once you make your selections and purchase the photographs you can easily download them for your work.

The image galleries of Epictura cover a wide range of subjects from holidays and festivals to various everyday categories. From pictures of various seasons like autumn and winter to those of festivals like Christmas and winter sports events, you will find stock images and illustrations in a variety of categories. At the same time, images of everyday topics like beauty, biotechnology, birth, cuisines, environment, life and security are available for your ready use. You can also search for images related to various occupations and workplaces like call centers in their stock photo databases.

Purchasing stock images and illustration from Epictura is as easy as it gets. For your convenience this stock image agency presents a database of categorized resources available under various subcategories. All you need to do is visit the relevant galleries containing photographs of the topic you are looking for and a range of thumbnail images will be displayed to you. You can select the photographs of your choice by simply clicking on the relevant thumbnail to see a larger image and add it to your shopping cart if you plan to consider it for purchase. In you virtual shopping cart you can, in this way, collect (and change) as many images as you wish. Once you decide on the images or CDs you want to purchase, you can simply click on the checkout link provided and specify all your details according to the instructions specified. At this point you enter a secure server page where you specify all your personal details and payment options. No matter how many images you plan to purchase or the financial amount it involves, you can rest assured that all financial transactions are made under the safest conditions. As the server runs with SSL (secure socket layer) whatever information you provide during your financial transaction are encrypted and not visible during the transmission process. As a result of this, your sensitive details are kept confidential. Handled by Worldpay, the world’s best secure payment gateway, all transactions made to and from the website are safe and secure. Once you have purchased your photographs, you can download the high resolution image files from your account section. In case you have ordered CDs you can rest assured your purchased products will be shipped to you within 24hrs.

Whereas, all products are checked to provide you the best quality available, in case you are not satisfied with the purchases you have made or want to exchange some defective image, you can easily do so and request for new image file. However, all requests must be made within 48 hours of receiving receipt of images and CDs. In case you want replace some product you have purchased or exchange a defective product, rest assures your replacement will be made available to you within 24 hours in addition to time required for shipping the products.

In addition to an exclusive collection of some of the best photography in the world, the CD collection available at Epictura is also one of the best that you will get today. From family, education and health to lifestyle, landscape and occupations, you will get whatever data collections you may require for your various projects. With over 800,000 images and 2000 CDs Epictura provides some of the widest collections of stock photographs available today. What is even better is that as these images are available in a wide range of prices, you can select whatever you require the most within your budget. Whereas, single images that you select can be downloaded in very short time, you can get the CDs of your choice within 24 hours of placing your order.

A collection of stock photographs is often referred as photo archives and picture libraries. Such photo archives are essentially websites where large image banks containing thousands of stock images are maintained and stored. A look at some stock library section, will give you an overall view of the large collection of stock photographs maintained by the website. Looking through the various categories of images under different sections like ‘Digital Vision’, ‘Medio mages’, ‘Photodisc’, ‘Stockbyte’ and ‘Stockdisc’ will give you a glimpse of the large number of collections the site maintains under each category. A look into the ‘inspirestock’ section will provide you a view of the large range of premium business and lifestyle stock images avialable for your use.

The image files are available in JPEG and RGB file formats in a number of sizes. As a result, depending on the nature of your work and the type of image you are looking for in particular, you can select stock photographs suiting your requirements the best. Whereas, the small files are usually 700ko to 2mb, multimedia 72 dpi and 500-800 Ko in jpeg file size, the medium ones are usually 10mb to 12mb with image size of 1/2page and 1-2Mo jpeg file size. The large files available are 20mb to 28mb, full page images and 3-5Mo jpeg file size the extra large images are 48mb to 55 mb, with double page image size and 3-5Mo jpeg file size. So, depending on type of work you are doing and the type of image you require, you can select stock images fitting your requirement and budget the best. The preview pages will provide you information on the different sizes and prices in which each of the stock images are available.

You can readily use these images in different layouts without having to change the files first. If you are planning to use tem in designing web pages, it would be better to resize the images to fit their final size before using them on your web page. If you decide to use them in offset printing work, it would be helpful for you to translate the files to CMYK mode first. A look into the prices section will inform you on the different rates charged for the various categories and types of stock images available. In all cases, you are granted a royalty free license agreement according to which on your purchasing an image you are granted a non-exclusive and non transferable right to use that image.

About the Author

Albert Mills is a freelance photo researcher based in Barcelona, Spain currently contracting for an international publishing group based in london and leading advertising agencies in Europe.

Read more: Your Guide to the world’s Best Online Stock Photography Resource Center

Internet Marketing with Postcards

On-Line Marketing Strategies

These days an internet marketing strategy plays a vital role in the overall marketing plan of any small business. Getting your website viewed is important for any size business – large or small.

Remember: You can’t put up a terrific web site on-line and “hope” that people will just arrive. You have to let your prospects know, IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY, that your web site is there. This HAS to be part of any Internet Marketing Strategy you develop. This is actually a basic marketing principle. Unless you have something as needed and wanted as the original and authentic Fountain of Youth, your customers are not going to look for you; you have to look for them.

There is a lot of hullabaloo about promoting your web site. In fact, building traffic to your web site is the subject of thousands of web sites, e-zines, books, courses and seminars. Using the web to promote your site, however, still assumes that your customers are surfers. Even though you may be an avid internet user, there is a large percentage of our population that are not as savvy with the internet as we would like them to be.

So, what do you do about this large percentage of the population who are not internet adept? They will only find out about you through traditional marketing and public relations media. This is particularly true if you serve a fairly local market. Fortunately these are the easiest and cheapest prospects for you to reach off-line.

Off-Line Marketing Strategies

Off-Line Internet Marketing Strategies are still alive. I recently read a statistic of the US Postal Service that stated that consumers spend an average of 25 minutes with Direct Mail and 30 minutes with catalogs. (There are more facts in the Mail Moment series of free white papers form the USPS.) Yes, they may go through their mail like Speed Racer and cull through the mail they want and the mail they don’t want at record velocity; but those that catch their eye and grab their attention, they actually read and spend time doing so.

You need to tap into that market and utilize that statistic. Become part of that pile of mail that your prospective consumer spends time reading. Direct Mail should be a pivotal point of your on-line marketing strategy. You need to ensure that you have a direct mail marketing campaign to drive traffic to your web site.

Other Marketing Avenues

Below is a small list of some of the ways to make your web site known (this list was taken directly from the Traffic Building Volume of Ken Evoy’s brilliant book, Make Your Site Sell!):

• TV, print and other advertising

• Stationary and business cards

• Catalogs, fliers, billboards, blimps, etc.

• Direct mail (prominently on every document)

• Telemarketing (make it part of the script)

• News releases to targeted media.

Read more: Internet Marketing with Postcards

What to Look for In an Auto Parts Seller

Beginning your search for a good auto parts seller can often seem like a daunting task, but it is easier than you might think. The same principles apply to an auto parts supply company that would to any other.

Because the automotive world is at once so near and so far away, many of us feel completely lost when it comes to looking for parts to our cars, motorcycles and trucks, especially if we know nothing about them to begin with.

A good auto parts seller will patiently take the time to explain their options and prices, and won’t make you feel like an ignoramus for asking questions. It is your car and you have a right to know what you’re choices are; if they’re a good auto parts seller, they will inform you to the best of their ability.

Here are some general tips for finding the best performance auto parts seller and making sure you get the best deal possible:

One, do you research. If you don’t feel like learning a bit about your care or the specific part, at least find out about the company you’re ordering your parts from. A good rule of thumb is to ask your mechanic what their recommendations are; usually they will know the best place to get parts for your vehicle.

Two, look the company up on the internet and check out the better business bureau just to be safe. If the company is bad or has dishonest business practices, chances are someone else will have posted about it somewhere.

Three, always shop around. If you’re uncomfortable online, hit up your yellow pages and look there, as it can be an excellent source for finding auto parts sellers. Make a brief list of questions, including ones about price and experience, ability to provide references or referrals, etc. that can serve as your guide when talking to company representatives.

Check out company websites and make sure they have a list of resources and things like articles that show you they’re interested in ensuring they’re customers are informed about their options. Bestperformanceautoparts.com is a good example of a well executed, informative automotive parts site that is worth taking a look at.

Follow just the four steps above and you will be well on your way to making an informed, researched opinion about your auto parts company and ensuring you get the best deal possible.

Read more: What to Look for In an Auto Parts Seller

Article Marketing Tips – 5 Powerful Tips You Need!

In ‘Article Marketing – 5 Winning Tips You Cannot Miss!’, my previous article, I promised to reveal more winning tips to increase your sales and traffic using article marketing. If you want to know why you should market with articles, please read the mentioned article. Otherwise, these are the few reasons why every online marketer and author should seize this powerful technique. Article marketing is absolutely free, drives laser-targeted traffic to your websites, pre-sells and warms up your audience and makes them ready to pull out their credit cards and buy your products or services. Are you ready for more gold article marketing tips?

Article Marketing Tip 1 – Post at Discussion Boards and Forums

Article marketers and other internet marketing folks often gather at forums and discussion boards to discuss about the latest developments in the internet marketing arena. Make it a habit to post regularly, even once a day would help greatly. You can post snippets of your article or the article title. But do not forget to include your signatory containing a link to your website.

Article Marketing Tip 2 – Compile Your Articles into an E-book

Since you have already spent so much time writing your articles, it would be good to recycle them. Compile the articles into an e-book and distribute them either through your website, via safelists or to your list. Give your readers the right to distribute them as well. This is viral marketing at work.

Article Marketing Tip 3 – Write a Variety of Articles

The trick to reach as many people as possible is to create a variety of articles. Now, assuming your targeted niche is article marketing. People would be interested in topics like how to write an article, how to come up with attractive article titles, what is the right format and ideal word count, how and where to distribute the articles, how to submit to hundreds of article directories within the shortest time and etc.

Article Marketing Tip 4 – Proof-Read Your Articles

The surest way to know if someone would be interested in reading your article is to test it. Ask your friends or family members, especially internet marketing friends you have made online to proof-read your articles. You want their honest opinions about your article and how you can improve on it. Sometimes, what seems enticing to you may not be to another. Tweak a little and the effect can multiply.

Article Marketing Tip 5 – Bullet and Number Your Articles

Our minds are created to respond well to organized text. Appropriate bulleting and numbering of the points we are writing about makes our articles readable. It makes the experience enjoyable for our readers. From the angle of marketing, we are also cultivating their thoughts with a seamless flow of information that pre-sells our products and ideas. Guess what that means for your sales.

Article marketing is truly one of the easiest and most powerful ways of advertising your products. And it is free. Dig my blog for more powerful article marketing tips that would ramp up your sales.

Read more: Article Marketing Tips – 5 Powerful Tips You Need!

Conversation

It has been said that one of the greatest fears people hold is speaking in front of a group of people, yet we seem to have no shortage of public speakers. There is a kind of speaking that inspires greater fear. This is the fear of having a real conversation.

Conversation is when two or more people talk openly and honestly, listen deeply to each other, and reach a common understanding. Agreement is nice, but irrelevant. The art of conversation is not about getting someone to agree with you. It is about seeking and finding a common understanding.

The first goal in conversation is to understand the thinking of the other person. The second goal is to articulate one’s own thinking in a way the other can understand. A true conversation is blameless, non judgmental, direct, and respectful. Conversation is a way of connecting.

Most of us are afraid of a real conversation. If we really listen to someone else, it may upset our world view, our self image, or our view of life. We might find out we were wrong. We might discover how they really feel about us. If we said what we really felt, the other person might be hurt, angry, disapproving, or judging. They might take action against us.

We are afraid of conflict. It poses a threat. We don’t want to be rejected, hurt, or embarrassed. The thought of conflict provokes the flight or fight response. We either avoid or attack when we feel threatened. We tend to do everything but engage in conversation.

In our organizations and families we are starving for conversation. Blaming takes its place. It’s easier. It’s easier to tell myself how wrong you are than it is to tell you I want to have a conversation. Many will say: “I tried that. I tried talking to that person.” Trying to get someone to see it your way is not a conversation. It is certainly important to state your preferences. In conversation you are willing to suspend your judgments and conclusions while you listen to the other person. You are willing to allow new conclusions to arise as products of your mutual understanding.

Conversation is responsive. In it we see the other person as a real person. We accept who they are. We see past perceived differences in gender, race, ethnicity, religion, intelligence, sexual preference, economic status, age, profession, title, or background. The person with whom we are conversing is first, and foremost, a person. You are first, and foremost, a person. Moving beyond blaming makes it possible to have a conversation. Occasionally I meet someone I dislike. I purposely initiate a conversation. More often than not, I come away with an appreciation for the person. The dislike I felt was in me, not in them. It was my projection.

How often do we give ourselves negative messages about others without actually talking to them? How often do our negative thoughts become self fulfilling prophecies when we treat people as if they have already offended us? How often do we refuse to hear the facts because we already have an opinion?

Read more: Conversation

Destinations for your next Family Vacation Getaway

When planning a family vacation getaway, the choices can be overwhelming. What should you do? Where should you go? To make life easier, these questions should be answered before you start planning. Let’s take a few minutes and help you answer these questions before you get started with the planning.

What Should You Do?
How does skiing fresh powder of Vail’s Blue Sky Basin, or relaxing in the white sand of Hawaii’s beaches and hitting a hole in one at one of Myrtle Beach’s many golf courses sound to you? Ski, beach and golf vacations are great choices for families.

Skiing Vacations
Many resorts offer a plethora of activities for you and your family. While you are skiing fresh powder, your children can be supervised by a certified ski instructor while enrolled in ski school. After that lesson, you can meet up with them and they will be happy to show you what they learned. When the day ends, be sure to explore the town. Ski towns are notorious for some of the best shopping and fine dining. If you want to take a day off from skiing to catch your breath, try ice skating, toboggan runs or just sit by a fire with a good book. When it comes time to plan a ski vacation, try to plan at least 5 to 6 months ahead of time. This is when you can find the best deals and you shouldn’t have to worry about the hotel you want to stay in, completely booked. I have found that a little research goes a long way. After you choose your hotel, see if they have any packages or specials available. Most of the time hotels and resorts will offer a bit of a discount on lift tickets and other activities. If a special or package is not available, make sure to buy your lift tickets in bulk to save some money. Try to buy a 3 or 4 day pass versus buying individual tickets each day. Often times, these lift tickets will be good for more than 1 resort in the area.

Ski Vacation Destinations.
The Rocky Mountains of Colorado offer many good resorts to choose from. Some favorites include Telluride, Vail and Breckenridge. Telluride Ski Resort was built in the 1970′s and along with it came cultural events, festivals, music and more. People come to this town year after year for the wonderful skiing and other fun activities.
If skiing is what you are all about, Vail is the place to go! It has just been named number 1 for the 14th time in 19 years in Ski Magazines “Top 50 Resort Guide”. Vail offers world class skiing, fabulous nightlife and many fine dining options.
Breckenridge is a 147 year old Victorian town. People flocked to this town in the 1800′s in search of riches in the form of gold. Now this town is a haven for skiers of all types. This town offers many activities for families and travelers.

Beach Vacations
Beach resorts can be perfect for your next family vacation getaway. Some of the best resorts are in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Hawaii.

Mexico
Los Cabos is one of Mexico’s most popular vacation destinations. It is located at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. Los Cabos features luxury hotels, championship golf courses and some of the best sport fishing in the world. Other activities include snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, kayaking and much more.

The Caribbean
The Cayman Islands offer many things for many people. 99% of the travelers visit Grand Cayman Island. It is easy to see why people go here. Of the islands this island offers the most when it comes to resorts and hotels. The fabulous snorkeling and scuba diving is not to be missed. When diving, you will think you are in a pet shop aquarium. The fish are abundant and the stingrays are gentle and fun to watch. If time permits, rent a Jeep and cruise around the Island.

Hawaii
Hawaii offers many choices for the traveling family. Each island is unique and offers something for everyone. Kauai is less touristy but still offers much to do. The surfing and snorkeling are not to be missed. Be sure to take a day and drive up to Waimea Canyon. This canyon offers many photo opportunities, and spots to get out and hike near beautiful waterfalls. Maui offers white sand beaches perfect for sunbathing and relaxing. Maui also offers great sightseeing and wonderful shopping. Of the islands, Hawaii, also known as “The Big Island” is the largest. Here you can visit the only active volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands. You will also find wonderful resorts, pristine beaches, great nightlife, fine dining and shopping.

Golf Vacations
Right about now, you may be thinking “How can a golf vacation be good for my whole family?” Well, many golf resorts offer more than just golf. While you are out hitting the lynx, your family can be enjoying a beach, pool, or shopping. When you are done on the course you can meet up and head to one of the many fine dining establishments near your resort. Many golf vacations can be combined with a beach getaway. Mexico, Hawaii and the United States offer some of the best golf near some of the best beaches. These resorts offer many different specials and packages that can be tailored to fit your specific wishes.

Whatever your next vacation entails for you, you will not be disappointed with any one of the recommendations above. Be sure to see all you can see. The bottom line is to enjoy yourself and relax!

Read more: Destinations for your next Family Vacation Getaway

The Vast Majority of Multi Level Marketers Fail Miserably

Most Multilevel Marketers fail miserably in their business ventures, but continue on, jumping from program to program, believing that one day… they would get it right. But there is some bad news: that ‘day’, for many of them, will never come. Why? Well let’s look at some statistics which clearly indicates that MLM is not an effective way for the average person to get rich.

MLM Distributors are part of a group that has an estimated 20,000,000 members worldwide. That’s 20,000,000 people chasing an impossible dream. Here’s why: Out of the estimated 20,000,000 MLM distributors around the world, there are LESS than 1,000 of them earning exceptional amounts of money each month…in excess of $100,000 per month. Only another 5,000 earn real money…$25,000-99,000 per month. Only another 25,000 earn some money…$2,000-25,000 per month. Only another 100,000 earn enough to cover expenses…$500-2,000 per month. The other 19,869,000 dreamers earn virtually NOTHING each month.

So each individual has a statistical chance of 0.5 percent of breaking even, and a lot LESS of getting rich.To put it another way. ONLY 1 out of every 20,000 MLM distributors get rich. ONLY 1 out of every 200 MLM distributors break even. The idea that one could beat those odds, are totally unrealistic.

The concept of MLM is based on “relationship marketing” or “word of mouth selling.” With the onset of Internet Marketing, relationship building took a “back seat”. Many believe a website by itself would close the sale. By an large, it does not happen. Everyone has a website spending hard earned money in advertising that is supposed to “drive traffic”. Well…think about it…if just sending traffic or doing an email blast would bring one “paid sign ups”, why would the advertiser sell or rent his data base…it would make more sense for him to market to his own data base, and get rich that way…wouldn’t it?

There is a concepts that worked before, is working now, and will continue to work. It is are also in the field of marketing, but it is NOT MLM; it is Network Marketing…THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE. One does indeed need to build a network whereby the concept of “leveraging” could take place. Leveraging is necessary for true wealth building to take place. Here again however, Network Marketing runs into the same roadblocks as MLM in terms of trying to build with only a website.

In today’s current environment there is only one sure way for an individual to build wealth on the Internet, and that is to have someone else do the work. To do the kind of ‘work’ that most people don’t have the time or the experience to do, but work that is indeed a necessity if one is to achieve major success on the Internet.

Yes indeed, there are many people making “insane” daily, weekly and monthly income via the Internet, but they are following the ‘new’ trend…they let the professionals do the ALL the selling and the talking. Network Marketing companies are realizing they need to create systems whereby “every single distributor has an equal opportunity to succeed” And guess what… it is working! Companies that have taken this initiative are experiencing massive growth and their distributors are making incredible sums of money every single day.

So that’s the answer for anyone who genuinely wants to change his or her life…who wants to generate an incredible on going income, in an incredibly short period of time, without all the headaches, and via the Internet. Simple: find a Network Marketing company that offers professionals who do all the work and leave you alone to happily run all the way to the bank.

It must be a full proof system designed to eliminate failure; yes a system designed to eliminate all the headaches and drawbacks…a system no doubt designed to create millionaires.

Read more: The Vast Majority of Multi Level Marketers Fail Miserably

Defining Guerilla Marketing And Why It Works

If you’ve never heard of guerilla marketing, the term might sound a little extreme. Perhaps it brings to mind images of camouflage-clad rebels forcing unsuspecting consumers to buy products at gunpoint, or small bands of rogue salespeople wandering Corporate America and chanting about liberation.

Fortunately, guerilla marketing is not as threatening as it sounds. In fact, when used properly, this tactic is one of the most effective methods available to today’s entrepreneur to cultivate a business and increase sales.

The Definition

Guerilla Marketing: Any unconventional marketing technique that is designed to produce maximum results using minimal resources (money and materials). This definition is broad at best. There are as many types of guerilla marketing as there are businesses
and entrepreneurs attempting to use it. From the home business to huge mega corporations, guerilla marketing strategies cover an enormous spectrum that includes a
little of everything.

However, there are a few aspects that remain common to all guerilla tactics:

• They are inexpensive, and sometimes free, to implement
• They involve a commitment of time and effort in place of money and resources.
• They are unexpected, and sometimes shocking, to the consumer.
• They concentrate on cooperation and relationship-building, rather than competition and
strong arm sales tactics.
• They promote brand awareness and customer loyalty.

The best approach to creating an effective guerilla marketing campaign is to determine where your target customers are, and find a unique way to reach them. This book will help you accomplish that goal.

The History

The term “guerilla marketing” was coined in the 1980′s by Jay Conrad Levinson. Considered the “father of Guerilla Marketing,” Levinson published his first book
on the subject in 1984 (Guerilla Marketing, Houghton Mifflin), and since then has become living proof that the tactics work.

Levinson has since written over a dozen books on guerilla marketing, and his website at
presents a wealth of information, tips, and articles on the subject. One of the earliest and most well-known examples of effective guerilla marketing is the Marlboro Man.
Regardless of your opinion on tobacco, the evidence of Marlboro’s success can’t be ignored. The company skyrocketed from near the bottom of the cigarette brand list to the top slot almost instantly with the introduction of their weathered mascot, and the
guerilla marketing campaign that brought the icon to the attention of the public.

Read more: Defining Guerilla Marketing And Why It Works

Washington State Divorce Legal Issues

People approaching Washington divorces are often surprised by the deficiency of clear rules. People ask their lawyers, ” How much alimony do I have to pay?” ”How much child support will I owe?” How long I will have to pay?” How much of my pension does she get?” With very few exceptions, Washington Divorce Online has found that the law itself cannot give you very precise answers to these questions.

Either you and your spouse will negotiate a settlement between yourselves or a judge will determine the arrangements for you. In Washington State divorce cases, there are now formal guidelines that the court must follow in awarding child support. However, on most issues, judges are unfettered to implement their own discretion after hearing evidence, and this discretion extends even to child support guidelines.

You take your chances when you and your spouse go to trial. It can be a roll of the dice. Most judges do their best to be fair and professional, but, like the rest of us, judges are susceptible to their own prejudices and biases. If you don’t like the judge’s decisions you will either learn to live with them or you can appeal to a higher court, but few people ever utilize the appeal process. Appeals are difficult to win because the burden is on the person making the appeal to prove to the higher court that the trial judge misinterpreted the law or abused the discretion permitted the judge by law. Even if you are one of the few who wins on appeal, all you get most of the time is a new trial. The only way to be sure that your Washington divorce meets your needs is for you and your spouse to negotiate the resolution yourselves.

When you negotiate your agreement, you negotiate a contract voluntarily. You sign it voluntarily. You cannot decide that neither of you will support your children, and you cannot subject your children to danger or neglect. But, within very broad limits you are free to decide together, how you will resolve the issues at hand.

Settlement arrangements are negotiated in the shadow of the law. That means, you negotiate with an eye on what you think would happen if you were to go to trial and let the judge decide. Experienced lawyers often think they can predict what would happen at trial. Washington State Divorce lawyers tend to develop a consensus or sense of industry standards about the results of trials. They may agree that the judges “always give the wife half the house” or ” a third of the husbands pension.” They might agree that in a particular case $200.00 a week for child support would be unlikely. Lawyers who have appeared many times before the same judge may acquire useful generalizations. Much of this may be true indeed, but the truth is that you cannot depend on it. You may get a particular judge, or you may get that judge on a bad day, or your lawyer may be wrong. Although most lawyers will sovereignly foretell the outcome in court, few will guarantee you the conclusion. You need to treat such predictions with healthy ske pticism.

Read more: Washington State Divorce Legal Issues

A Landscaping Class will teach you all About Landscaping

If you have always been interested in the topic of landscaping you should learn about it from the experts. While you can read various gardening magazines, the best way for you to learn about landscaping is to take a landscaping class.

You might be surprised to know that landscaping classes are an excellent option. These classes are usually something that people who are interested in botany like to take, as it is a way to implement their love of plants.

You’ll learn about:
* Plant health, soil, and fertilizers
* Servicing garden tractors and other tools used in landscaping
* Creating landscaping designs using shrubs and ground covers
* Specialty landscaping, starting and operating your own landscaping business
* And you may be able to learn it right at home

With the right credentials, you can:
* Work for an established landscaping firm or start your own business.
* Complete your training in as little as six months from today, or take longer if you wish.

If you have a basic knowledge of flowers and plants, that basic knowledge will help you when it comes to learning about the basics of landscaping. If, however, you really do not know much about either, that is not a problem, because a landscaping class will teach you all of the basic knowledge plus more.

There are usually several levels of landscaping classes that you can choose from, in accordance with your current knowledge. The basic landscaping classes will most likely have to do with being able to identify certain kinds of plants, and how they can be implemented into various landscaping designs.

One important thing that you should know about landscaping is that you will need to pay attention to the kinds of plants that work well in your climate. For example, if you like a certain kind of plant, but that plant is only right in warmer climates, and you live in a colder climate, you will need to find a plant that can work with your climate.

Another important thing to learn about landscaping is the quality of soil that you have, because it varies with the climate. The kind of soil that you have should have sufficient nutrients, so you might need to get soil that has all the nutrients that your plants need. If you decide to take a class about landscaping, that should be one of the topics.

One thing that people often want to know about landscaping classes is whether they are expensive to take. The price of landscaping classes will have to do with how advanced the class is, as well as how long the class will last. It will also have to do with the materials that you might need to purchase for the class.

If you really want to learn about landscaping, check out the programs that are available at your local community college, as community college’s often offer landscaping classes. You can also ask local landscaping companies where they would suggest. With the proper research, you are sure to find the right landscaping class.

Professional Landscaper training should include:
* All the books, lessons, and learning aids you need
* “Landscape Tools Use and Safety” videos
* Tree and shrub identification books
* 3D Home Design Suite Deluxe Software
* Instructional support and
* Some Access to InformationalWebsites

Landscaping Is A Great Career; You Will Always Be In Demand!

Read more: A Landscaping Class will teach you all About Landscaping

How to get the Most Out for Brochures in your Business

A brochure is an extremely effective marketing tool and, although it can be expensive to produce, the benefits far outweigh the initial outlay.
To gain the maximum benefit from your brochure, you need to make it as dynamic and as interesting as possible so you know it will be read. You need to ensure that everything from your illustrations to your text is appealing and eye-catching.

Before you start work on your brochure, you need to think about who it is you want to read it ie your target market. You want it to be read by people who may want to buy what you are selling or use your services. You must then ensure the content of the brochure will appeal to your target market.

If it is a product you are selling, a photograph of someone using that product is preferable to a photo of just the product. A single photo of a happy user of your product is much more likely to inspire your reader and make him want to buy what you are selling. Appealing visuals will get your product noticed so it is important to choose the content well. Remember, pictures of babies, young children, puppies and kittens all appeal to most people. Think of ways to include them in your cover photograph.

An important point to remember when using photographs is to include a caption which tells your reader who and what is in the photograph. Photos without captions only tell half the story.

Headings are an integral part of your brochure but remember that headings should not just tell the reader what the following paragraph is about but they should be crafted so that the reader will want to read on into the body text.

You could use the technique of offering a solution here such as: ‘How to make a fortune without really trying’ or asking a question such as: ‘What makes Chumpy Puppy dog food better than the rest?’ The headings should not be too long.

Failure to capture the reader’s attention will mean the prospect will not read your copy. It is worth spending time on getting the headline right and testing it on a few people before printing it in your brochure.

When you have their attention you need to keep it. Your body text should therefore be lively, interesting and compelling enough to make your reader want to buy from you or use your services.

The copy must focus on your customer, stress the benefits of using your product or service, outline what sets your product apart from your competition, prove your case, establish your credibility and build value.

It is important to make the text easy to read and get your message across. Reducing the amount of text is far better than reducing the size of the font to fit all the text in. If the text is too small, your prospects will not read so, if it is too long, rewrite it.

As attention getters, important words can be highlighted in bold or italics but these highlighting tools should be used sparingly. Overuse can be off putting.

Short, sharp sentences are easy to read and easy to remember. Long sentences make the reader quickly lose interest and you run the risk of them stopping before they have read your message.

Bullet points, as with bold type and italics, are good attention getters but overuse of those can also put a reader off.

Close your brochure with a call to action and make sure your mailing address, fax number, telephone numbers, including mobiles, email and web site are all included. It is imperative you make it easy for your potential customers to contact you. The easier it is for them to find you, the more chance you have of them actually making contact.

About the Author

Martin Print, based in Australia, have helped more than 2000 clients grow their businesses by generating more sales through creative print & design. More info: http://www.martinprint.com.au

Read more: How to get the Most Out for Brochures in your Business

How to Make Your Business Stand Out from the Crowd

No matter how small or how big your business is, many other people are in the same or similar business as you with few exceptions. And it is a sure bet that some of those businesses will fail and others will succeed.

So what will make your business one of those that succeed? It is all in the way you present and run your business.

What makes your business different from the rest and why should people do business with you rather than your competition?

Make a list of the reasons you think makes your business stand out from the competition and what it is that makes your business unique. Then look through the yellow pages and local directories and look at the advertisements for businesses which are similar to yours.

Again make a list of what selling points they are focusing on in the advertisements and compare those points with your own list. By reading and comparing those points, you will probably pick up on a few they have left out. You will also probably find that most will offer the same or similar selling points so that few of them stand out from the rest.

How do you find out what would make anyone choose your business in preference to someone else’s? It is a good idea to ask a few of your friends, family and your clients what they think to find out why people choose to buy from certain businesses. You need to talk to people who you know will give you a valid reason why they choose particular businesses. And, while you are doing this, it is also a good idea to ask them what they think about your business.

Outline what you do and the service they can expect from you. Tell them what you think makes you better than the rest including personal, reliable service, quick or even free delivery, local operator or low prices.

Ask them what they want and then develop your unique selling point from what they tell you. Your USP is what will make you stand out from your competitors. The one thing that makes you stand out from your competitors is you.

You should have a business plan which outlines exactly where your business is heading and the strategies you have in place to get you there. That plan should include a marketing strategy with ongoing promotions campaigns which will maintain a steady flow of business even in the so-called ‘slow’ periods.

Those plans will ensure the success of your business and keep you earning when your competitors are complaining about having no work.

Your USP together with your itemised business plan will make you and your business stand out from your competition.

And if you give your customers that little bit extra by over delivering on your promises, you may just keep them as customers for the life of your business. Your customers will expect what you promise them but if you over deliver by sending them a thank-you card, a thoughtful gift, a discount voucher, a telephone call to ask how your service was and if there was anything else they needed, they will keep coming back to you.

This over delivery on what you promise is a great way to stand out from your competitors. And, as long as you maintain it, you are almost guaranteed the word of mouth advertising from those satisfied customers will bring you in more new customers and keep you ahead of your competition.

Martin Print always tries to over deliver on every order with customer service and product quality. This ensures a steady flow of repeat and word of mouth business. Not to mention the joy of dealing with happy customers.

About the Author

Martin Print, based in Australia, have helped more than 2000 clients grow their businesses by generating more sales through creative print & design. More info: http://www.martinprint.com.au

Read more: How to Make Your Business Stand Out from the Crowd

How to Promote Your Keynote Speaker

Here are some tips from the National Speakers Association (NSA) on how to promote your keynote speaker:

Tantalizing Titles

Get off to a strong start by assuring the session has a catchy title, advises Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) Chris Clarke-Epstein. “Start with a short, spiffy and clever title followed by a subtitle that explains the benefit of the session.”

Successful brochures contain titles that capture attention but also immediately answer the question, “so what?” The subtitle should contain phrases such as “how to,” “10 tips,” “master five steps,” etc.

Most importantly, make sure the session matches the description. “Hold speakers responsible for delivering what they promise,” says Clarke-Epstein.

Work Your Web Site and Create a Buzz with E-Mail

Familiarity breeds attendance, and your association’s Web site is a great tool to introduce your professional speaker to your potential audience. NSA member Jeff Blackman, JD, CSP, offers the following tips to help you make the most your association’s technologies.

Post a detailed description of the session and the professional speaker on your site. Photos of the speaker in action are a good addition. You can also ask your keynote speaker to provide you with audio or video excerpts from a previous presentation to promote the program before the event. Be sure to provide your members with a link from your site to the keynote speaker’s Web site. “Members can learn more about the speaker or obtain additional content before and after the program.”

When your event is over, Blackman also suggests posting audio or video excerpts from the session to reinforce the program’s key points and educate members who were unable to attend.

If your association has an online book or tape store, feature your keynote speaker’s materials prior to the presentation. If you have a chat room or bulletin board, consider slating some time for your members to chat with your presenter. A professional speaker will use this opportunity to get to know your member’s concerns and questions and will customize his or her speech accordingly. Your members will appreciate the opportunity to learn and participate.

E-mail is another easy and inexpensive way to promote your event and your keynote speaker. Use it to remind your members to register. Send them links to information and online registration forms. Generate a pre-program buzz by sending an e-mail questionnaire to your members. The responses should go to the keynote speaker, who can reveal the findings during the presentation. Add a personal touch by having the presenter send a “welcome” message to each of your attendees.

Word of Mouth

One of the best ways to promote your keynote speaker is to get other members talking about them, according to professional speaker and former Olympian Vincent Poscente. Find out where your keynote speaker is going to be presenting between the time when you hire them and when they will be presenting for your group. Invite members of your board of directors or event committee to see the presentation when your speaker is in their city.

Consider having the keynote speaker address your chapters. Often, a professional speaker will negotiate fees when you book them for a number of presentations. Chapter newsletter editors often need additional material for their newsletters, so look into submitting an article on or from your presenter. Send them flyers to distribute at local meetings. Chapters are often the heart of an association, so don’t overlook their potential to spread the word about your presenter.

The Write Stuff

Chances are your presenter has written many articles on the subject at hand. You can also ask the keynote speaker to craft a customized article for your group or have a member of your staff conduct an interview. Not only do these articles make a great addition to your association’s publication; they might also be a good fit for the publications of other industry-related associations you are building relationships with. Provide links to the articles on your Web site as well. This builds the keynote speaker’s credibility and offers value-added information for your members.

If your keynote speaker is published, use the professional speaker’s book to build excitement for the presentation. You can give attendees the book when they register. For added panache, have a book waiting to greet members in their hotel room along with a welcome letter from your president. “Books can even be personalized…depending on the size of the group,” says Blackman.

The Media: Get Ready

Gather everything you need to promote your keynote speaker to the media. Request that the speaker provide you with photos. They can be black & white or color, either head shots or action shots. Have the photo scanned and saved as a TIFF file. For Web publishing, 72 dots per inch will be fine. For print, save the image at 300 DPI.

The keynote speaker should also provide you with a short biography and a brief write-up on the program including key points, what the attendees will learn and why the he or she is qualified to speak on the topic.

Prior to the event, send a short news release to the calendar editors at local daily newspapers and industry-related publications. Invite key editors to attend the event and make sure they get a copy of the program and other promotional materials. Contact local print and broadcast media to arrange interviews for your speaker and your key association leaders.

The Media: Get Set

Find out when your keynote speaker is going to arrive and when they are available for interviews. Keep a close eye on the news the week of your event. Is there a way to tie your speaker’s expertise into a current news peg? For instance, if your keynote speaker’s area of expertise is technology, perhaps they can talk about the latest hacking scandal. If you want local media to cover the speech, you must determine the news angle and pitch it hard. Think about what events would generate good photos or visuals for television cameras. Make follow-up calls to make sure the journalists have the information you sent them. Find out if the speaker has a publicist or PR firm and if so, partner with them on generating publicity. You want to get exposure for your association as well as the event, so give your speaker some short key messages to prepare them to discuss your group.

The Media: Go!

On the day of the event, messenger packages to key media. Write a media alert telling them who, what, when, where and, most importantly, why their audience needs to know about your event and your keynote speaker. Add some goodies such as the keynote speaker’s book, a video, a program and your association’s press kit and stuff it all in an attractive portfolio, preferably one with your association’s logo.

Finally, be prepared for the media when they arrive on site. Have one of your staff or a trusted volunteer free to squire them around. Introduce them to the subjects they need for interviews. Have a good place in mind to conduct the interviews and take photos–try to get your association’s name or logo in the background.

The Party’s Over

Professional speakers know that a program is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. They will often offer to send an e-mail to attendees with some value-added links to additional information. Your members should be able to benefit from the presentation long after it is over, and your association should continue to gain exposure as well. Look for anecdotes from your members about how they were touched or motivated by the session. How do they plan to implement what they have learned? Select the best photos and combine them with after-the-event news releases for ongoing exposure.

About the Author

BigSpeak! speaker’s bureau is the corporate world’s top resource for the most in-demand conference, retreat and meeting speakers. Whether you want a motivational speaker, a change guru or a celebrity to bring a high-profile to your event, BigSpeak! is your one-stop-speaking-shop.

Read more: How to Promote Your Keynote Speaker

How to write Marketing Communications Plans?

Marketing Communications are “all strategies, tactics, and activities involved in getting the desired marketing messages to intended target markets, regardless of the media used” (MarcommWise, 2006). Tony Yeshin (1999) defines marketing communications as “the process by which a marketer develops and presents stimuli to a defined target audience with a purpose of eliciting a desired set of responses” (Yeshin, 1999). Marketing communications are: adverting, sales promotions, personal selling, PR and direct and interactive marketing (Fill, 1999).

Consequently Marketing Communications Plan is the marketing plan which promotional plan incorporates two or more integrated marketing communications mediums aiming to reiterate the same goals and objectives. Marketing Communications Plans are considered by many professionals as an excellent way to effectively communicate with target audience.

Marketing Communications Plans are generally based on two different frameworks: Marketing Communications Planning Framework and SOSTAC (Fill, 1999).

Marketing Communications Plans consist of the following vital elements:

“Context analysis

Promotional objectives

Marketing communications strategy

Promotional mix (methods and tools)

Budget schedule

Evaluation and control” (Fill, 1999).

When writing marketing communications plan it is important to:
1. Set corporate, marketing and marketing communications objectives, which would support and integrate with each other.
2. Develop segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies
3. Develop creative message with which Marketing Communications Plan with communicate with target audience
4. Select and justify one or combination of marketing strategies (push, pull or profile)
5. Develop well-rounded and creative set of promotional mediums and allocate appropriate budget for each medium.
6. Create contingency planning strategy (in case something goes wrong)
7. Set strict set of evaluation and control mediums which would include milestones and continuous evaluation

References
Fill C (1999) Marketing Communications, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall Europe

Yeshin T, (1999) Integrated Marketing Communications, The chartered institute of marketing, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford

http://www.marcommwise.com/glossary.phtml?a=m&s=0

Please find below link to excellent Marketing Communications Plans available online:
http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprtmrk28.htm

About the Author

Copyright © 2006 Verena Veneeva. Professional Writer working for http://www.coursework4you.co.uk
CourseWork4you.co.uk

Read more: How to write Marketing Communications Plans?