I had a great discussion with a fellow entrepreneur recently about dressing for success. He wears a suit to practically every networking group. I wear fashionable jeans. So how are we both perfectly capable of running a professional business? (more…)
What’s Wrong with this Card? April 28, 2008
As I rifle through the business cards I picked up from the Women’s Show this past weekend, I couldn’t help but notice a few cards that were undoing my desire to call the proprietor. So I thought I’d share my opinions with you. No names, of course! (more…)
How to Determine the True Circulation of a Magazine April 28, 2008
One of the questions you’ll invariably ask when deciding whether to purchase magazine/newspaper advertising is how many people the publication reaches. Read this great report from the trenches after the jump.
News & Observer to buy out 200 more workers. April 28, 2008
Facing steady decline in readership (which is important for those of you considering advertising in this publication) with readers getting their information online, the N&O is offering a voluntary buyout to 200 workers. This comes after laying off about 90% of its ad sales team after N&O outsourced those jobs overseas.
Newspapers dealing with mergers and layoffs is nothing new in the face of the competition from the internet. Watching newspapers seemingly (in my opinion) go against their own business model by going on line in an attempt to retain market share has been almost like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
The problem with newspapers, and thus the snowball effect they are now dealing with, is the attitude that persisted for a long time that A) the internet was not going to become any kind of competitor, let alone a formidable one and B) people still liked to hold a newspaper in their hands.
Wrong on both counts. I like to hold a magazine as well, but if it’s easier to get the info online, that’s where I’m going to go–at the moment I need it and am going to make a buying decision. For me, a magazine is a leisure thing. And that’s why the internet is such a force to be dealt with now. People want what they want when they want it. The internet provides that. (That’s also why WellthyLifeStyle.com is strictly online.)
So why am I talking about this with you? What does this have to do with you?
It affects where you place your advertising dollar. Also bear in mind that four out of five magazines fold within the first year, then three out of those may make it to the three year mark. Owning and running a magazine is just as dangerous as a newspaper in many ways.
If you plan to include print advertising in your budget you simply must keep tabs on what is happening with these publications. Signs are given off well before the train jumps the tracks. Here’s one of them.
The article regarding these buyouts (read: severance pay) from the Triangle Business Journal after the jump.
Want to know where to spend your advertising dollar? The question you’re not asking is costing you money and opportunities. April 26, 2008
It’s easy to overlook the most important question you can ask of each and every person who patronizes, or even calls to inquire about, your business. What do you think that question is?
A) Were you satisfied with our service today?
B) Did you find everything ok?
C) Would you like to sign up for our email list?
D) How did you hear of us?
Marketing in a Downward Economy April 26, 2008
Something you’ll always hear me say is that marketing can never stop–ever. Not when you are losing money, not when you are making money. Not when there are no buyers, not when there are too many buyers. (more…)
You CAN get professional business cards for the home-printing price. April 15, 2008
Back in 1999-2000 or so, Avery and other brands came out with what was then a godsend: perforated sheets of business card paper designed for the self-employed or home-based business owner who couldn’t afford hundreds of dollars for professionally made cards.
Did you see what year I put in there?
It’s 2008 and I still see homemade business cards. And nothing says “home-based” like a perforated card with blurry inkjet print. And all that says to potential customers or clients is:
I don’t make any money doing this
I don’t have any customers
I don’t have the time or inclination to make something even Kinko’s could do
You can’t be in business without a business card, and yet many small business owners are walking around committing business suicide every time they hand out this type of card.
“Fly someone else.” April 15, 2008
Southwest Airlines has arguably the best customer service of any airline. You can be well assured of being treated equally and wonderfully–I’ve certainly never had a complaint. But those customers who create trouble, mistreat the employees, or otherwise make the experience a pain for those around them get a hand-signed letter from the CEO of Southwest Airlines himself: “Fly someone else.”
Remember the adage “the customer is always right?”
We’ve all seen and heard horror stories where the customer took that adage a little too close to heart.
You’ll always come across “that” customer, or even a few at the same time, who make frivolous returns, scream in front of other customers over the most minor of infractions, harp on you about your prices, haggle for a discount, and then go across the street and buy from your competitor anyway.
Email Marketing Done Right April 15, 2008
from MarketingProfs.com
Email marketers must keep in mind that consumers who decide to opt in to the brand’s email channel is likely a fan of that brand. Do not lose those consumers by making the following mistakes.
Information Overload
Is it really necessary to send four emails each week about the latest sale? Think long and hard about the number of touch points. Retailers are notorious for overdoing it.
I once asked the director of CRM at a national retailer why the brand is not more list-frequency conscious. His reply was that email is so cheap that for them no matter how much they burn their list it’s still profitable to maintain such frequent contact with their entire database.
That might be so, but they programmed the majority of their consumers to shop with their weekly email coupon in hand, which has effectively devalued the brand and caused a high rate of consumers opt-outs.
Forget Advertising Trends – 80% of Your Advertising Will Be Wasted If You Make This Common Mistake April 15, 2008
It is a scientifically proven fact that 5 times as many people read headlines as read the body copy of an ad. So with the headline, you’ve spent about 80% of your advertising dollar. So from there it’s pretty easy to make a case that the headline is the most important part of any ad.
Yet, a very large percentage of advertising that you see out there doesn’t even carry a headline. Those that do tend towards cute, catchy slogans. By headline I mean a benefit rich offer that grabs you by the throat.
It doesn’t matter what format your advertising takes – postcards, letters, print ads, radio or TV ads and even web sales copy. When you understand this then you begin to realize that should use 80% of your marketing time and energy getting your headlines perfect.
Now I must admit I have found a way to cheat. Oh it’s not really cheating. Creating great headlines takes practice, patience, and a fair amount of creativity. I have found a software program that does the hard work and allows you to create power packed headlines in seconds. You can do the work yourself but this makes it much more fun. The program is called Headline Creator Pro. I use it daily!
The headline is the first thing that your reader or prospect sees when they open your letter or flip your postcard. In that moment (about 5 seconds) your reader decides whether or not to read any farther.
