Phone words - Top 5 Tips to Help Maximise Advertising Spending
May 22, 2008
For those who don’t know the lingo, a phone word (or vanity number) is the alpha numeric equivalent to a phone number. For instance, 1300 CREDIT = 1300 273348. For more than 30 years, phonewords have been a phenomena in the United States. Three years ago they entered the Australian market and have shot to popularity in advertising because of their memorability and demonstrated results when it comes to customer recall. If you have a phoneword - or are contemplating getting one to boost your marketing efforts - here are 5 handy tips regarding how to use it effectively to maximise its impact - and your advertising spend. 1) Use your Phone word throughout all your marketing activities ? on promotions, throughout advertising, even on your business stationery and building signage. 2) Phone words are particularly strong in radio. If your business suits radio advertising, use it and ensure your Phone word features prominently in the broadcast. 3) Create fun little direct mail pieces for customers and prospects that connect back to your Phone word. For instance, send your prospects a packet of ?lifesavers? with your name and Phone word as a solution to their problem. 4) Ever get a jingle stuck in your head? Create your own fun jingle featuring your Phone word and include it as ?on hold? music when customers and prospects ring. 5) If you advertise in the Yellow Pages, make sure you feature your Phone word largely in your listing. Once a customer remembers your name, they don?t need to look you up any more, and that?s bad news for your competitors. There are so many ways you can use your phone word and each time you use it, it grows stronger and stronger. A phone word is a valuable marketing asset and you should actively use it in your promotional activities to make the most of it. Gavin Scholes is CEO of Australia’s largest provider of phone words and smart numbers, 1300 Australia. Talk to 1300 Australia for access to expert advice and the broadest range of high quality phonewords in Australia.
Advertising Ideas for office cleaning business
May 8, 2008
Advertising Ideas for office cleaning business Even if you have built an ultra efficient state-of-the-art home office, polished your image with the finest of Armani suits, equipped yourself with the newest cell phone, PDA and laptop, and drafted the most exemplary of business plans, you are not going to go anywhere in the business world without some entities to do business with. “how to secure cleaning contracts” Establishing your clientele can be the most time consuming and intellectually challenging part of the office cleaning business or any other business. There are many issues and approaches to consider, and like many other challenges in life, there is no one single way to go about it. Everyone will have their own methods for acquiring business that will work well for them, but most businesspeople will agree that taking a multi-tiered or multi-pronged approach is the best way to go about it. That is, dont put all your eggs in one basket, so to speak, when approaching the cleaning business advertising issue. To be successful, you will need to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that as they say. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Although it can be costly in some forms, advertising is perhaps the most common form of marketing and self-promotion. Television ads and full-page spreads in mainstream publications will most likely be out of your reach (unless Donald Trump is funding your consultancy), but there are plenty of other more affordable options out there. Like we have mentioned before, it is all about getting more bang for your buck, so it will be in your best interest to maximize on your advertising dollar. Advertising in local magazines or the local newspaper can be cost effective when addressing certain demographics. Purchasing a short prime time spot on the radio is another method, but costs several orders of magnitude more than print to get across its message. When done properly, radio can be an awesome advertising vehicle, I also call this “The next step in advertising”. Perhaps the most significant bang for your buck outlet for your advertising dollar is the web. Web sites are very affordable (even free if you know what you are doing). A web site is an excellent method of advertising because you can attract many entities on a global scale (a little search engine optimization can garner 1000s of page views a day) and you can reach the widest audience possible (potentially, anyone with an internet connection). Be sure to print up a healthy portion of business card and in addition to land-line telephone, mobile phone and fax numbers make sure the URL (uniform resource locator) for your web site is displayed prominently on the front of the card. Even if you have built an ultra efficient state-of-the-art home office, polished your image with the finest of Armani suits, equipped yourself with the newest cell phone, PDA and laptop, and drafted the most exemplary of business plans, you are not going to go anywhere in the business world without some entities to do business with. “how to secure cleaning contracts” Establishing your clientele can be the most time consuming and intellectually challenging part of the office cleaning business or any other business. There are many issues and approaches to consider, and like many other challenges in life, there is no one single way to go about it. Everyone will have their own methods for acquiring business that will work well for them, but most businesspeople will agree that taking a multi-tiered or multi-pronged approach is the best way to go about it. That is, dont put all your eggs in one basket, so to speak, when approaching the cleaning business advertising issue. To be successful, you will need to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that as they say. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Although it can be costly in some forms, advertising is perhaps the most common form of marketing and self-promotion. Television ads and full-page spreads in mainstream publications will most likely be out of your reach (unless Donald Trump is funding your consultancy), but there are plenty of other more affordable options out there. Like we have mentioned before, it is all about getting more bang for your buck, so it will be in your best interest to maximize on your advertising dollar. Advertising in local magazines or the local newspaper can be cost effective when addressing certain demographics. Purchasing a short prime time spot on the radio is another method, but costs several orders of magnitude more than print to get across its message. When done properly, radio can be an awesome advertising vehicle, I also call this “The next step in advertising”. Perhaps the most significant bang for your buck outlet for your advertising dollar is the web. Web sites are very affordable (even free if you know what you are doing). A web site is an excellent method of advertising because you can attract many entities on a global scale (a little search engine optimization can garner 1000s of page views a day) and you can reach the widest audience possible (potentially, anyone with an internet connection). Be sure to print up a healthy portion of business card and in addition to land-line telephone, mobile phone and fax numbers make sure the URL (uniform resource locator) for your web site is displayed prominently on the front of the card. ABOUT THE AUTHOR khali S. - http://www.office-cleaning-business.com Learn How To Start & promote Your own office cleaning business, Free mini-course “How To start Cleaning Business”
Does the Expression “Cheap is Expensive” Make Sense When Advertising a New or Small Business?
April 23, 2008
Most business people are under the misconception that to advertise their products and services needs to cost them a fortune. I am a firm believer that does not have to be the case. Over my years in business I have been faced with same problems most startup or existing business people have to deal with, when considering advertising their products or services. My main objective was always to try and reduce my advertising expenses to almost nothing, but still get the same results as someone else spending thousands. Simply by using a bit of ingenuity, I figured out ways to save big dollars on advertising my endeavors. Here is an example of just one of the ways I accomplished it in a coffee business: In the mid to late eighties I created my own brand of coffee. The selling points were it had no fillers or chicory, but a pure smooth blend of the world?s finest coffee beans. I knew that once someone who was a coffee lover had tried it, they would desire it again and again. The product was a tad more expensive then the usual coffee, because of the quality. The challenge was how to promote without spending a fortune. I realized that trying to go into the retail grocery stores would be too costly. So I did some research on the office coffee business. Most companies who had a coffee service had yearly contracts that forced them to purchase not only their coffee, but all the fixings. To add insult to injury they were also obliged to make minimal monthly purchases if they needed product or not. In return they received a coffee maker to use until the duration of the contract. I saw a wonderful opportunity to get into the office coffee business. My company?s platform would be as follows: No contracts, no minimal monthly purchase, they could get their fixing cheaper locally, and my coffee pouch was set for 12 rich cups, not the usual 10. As a special introduction offer by just purchasing three boxes, they would receive a 12 cup coffee maker free. The coffee was priced at $79.00/box, or .79 cents a pot with shipping included. The cool part is that my advertising and promotion was just long distance and coffee makers. This was built into the price. My cost per box with my logo on each package was $29.00. After awhile I built up a great business with happy clients giving me regular orders. You could have the best product, service, or business going, without exposure nobody will even know you exist. In my opinion, I definitely believe when advertising a new or small business, cheap is not expensive!! The trick is finding a ways to advertise without it costing an arm and leg. If you are looking for inexpensive ways to advertise, or need a how too guide, check us out our advertising section at Startup business doctor. Arnold Nadler is the founder and CEO of The Startup Business Doctor, a highly successful collection of effective how too guides, business education courses, consulting, low cost advertising, and free expert tips on the website, can assist anyone build a thriving and profitable business from the ground up. For more information, visit us at Startupbusinessdoctor.com
Online Advertising. What To Look For In An Emagazine Publisher.
April 4, 2008
Emagazine advertising is one of the most popular ways to market yourself online. Not only is your advert or article going out by email, if your publisher is archiving each Emagazine, the search engines are looking at it as well. Search the Internet, sign up for a few relevant Emagazines and choose your publisher carefully. Ensure they maintain the following standards: MAILING LIST MANAGEMENT Each Emagazine must have a mailing list, which is double opt in, with an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each issue. If your chosen publisher does this, then you know they offer a quality service. Furthermore, each reader will have gone through 2 processes to get on the mailing list. That is dedication and they are definitely interested in reading the publication. This is good news for you and your advertising campaign! QUALITY CONTENT Each Emagazine should have quality content that is relevant to the publication. Content is king on the Internet and search engines love it. Look for editorial, articles and quality features. Is the content friendly? How well is it written? EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES Does your chosen publisher archive their Emagazines online? If they do, then this is a sure way to get real value from your advert. Each of your adverts, that has a link to your site in, will remain online and work for you well into the future. SUBSCRIBER NUMBERS Check how many subscribers your publisher has and how established the Emagazine is. Review this carefully. 1000 + is a good number to start with, but depending on the publication, even 100 well placed subscribers can be good for your exposure. TESTIMONIALS FROM OTHER ADVERTISERS Does the publisher offer any testimonials from previous advertisers? The more of these the better, it means that the Emagazine works. HELP WITH YOUR CAMPAIGN Designing a campaign that doesn?t hurt the pocket or give you a headache is an art. Does your publisher offer you a suggested campaign that is within your budget? How have they helped others with their advertising? QUALITY PRESENTATION Check out the archives of the Emagazines that you propose to advertise in and rate them for quality. The last thing you want to do, is to be associated with a publication that does not have any design sense or worse still, typing errors! You will not go wrong if you look carefully at each of these items and use this list as a checklist, before you decide where to advertise. Good luck! *About the Author*: The author of this article, Roz Edwards, established The Friday Team in 2001. The Friday Team is an online publisher, who produces quality Emagazines for locations in the UK and Malawi. The Friday Team can be found online at http://www.fridayteam.com
Custom Company Tv And Radio Advertising Jingles? Commercial Production!
March 12, 2008
Custom Company Tv And Radio Advertising Jingles ? Commercial Production!Submitted By:Tom Gauger The Creative Underground states that, ?Price is not a unique selling proposition. Fans of Hummers and Escalades know these vehicles are expensive gas-guzzlers. Many of us buy a pricier latte from Starbucks when we can get a cheaper cup of coffee from another shop close by. It appears to defy logic. But in reality, purchasing decisions are not rationally-based. They?re emotionally-based. That?s why price is never really a strong brand position. Price is based in logic, not emotion. And as soon as somebody else comes out with a cheaper product, your so-called ?advantage? is lost anyway.? If price is not a unique selling point, then what is a unique selling point? Better yet, what can I do in my next TV or radio spot that will create that unique selling point? Let?s take a peek at a few ideas that while not secrets, are truly not utilized by the average company advertising on radio and TV today. Practically speaking your end goal is increased sales with a great ROI. What?s it going to take to get there? While on the surface, it might seem practical to cut back on production costs and use the in-house voice over guy and the in-house production music, you should be aware that while cutting your production costs to increase your ad frequency, is really to your detriment. Increasing frequency over the quality in your production will yield poorer results than if you had run the ad less often with better quality ? It?s a fact. Keep this principle as your number one rule. People buy out of emotions. While ramming your ad a gazillion times a day might make the phone ring, in the end you will have spent far more on advertising than the guy who had a great commercial written and produced and might even spent less with a greater ROI than you. The other fact is that your competitor who spent more on production and a great voice over, now has credibility with the public. You must consider that your ad needs to impact your buyer on the emotional side whether sad, happy, funny, you name it. Once you have connected with your buyer on an emotional level you will connect on a sales level. You?ve heard the expression that people buy from whom they like. Here?s another cool fact ? 98% of the buying public buy from who they think of first. Who are they going to think of first, the company that doesn?t stand out but rams out the advertising,? possibly, but more than likely they will think of the company who made an emotional impact with them and buy from that company. You want increased sales with a great ROI, than start by putting together a great radio and TV commercial that connects with your buyer. Not cheap, cheesy music created by some company claiming to be a music house because they own a computer, keyboard and a mic, but one that has the experience and a deep appreciation for your product or service and one that can truly communicate that with a jingle and production that your buyer can own. *About the Author*: Mr Gauger is an accomplished radio and TV writer with too many credits to list here. This author may be contacted at tgauger@reelmusicianpro.com or 615-300-5030. Mr Gauger works with small business to very large national brands and you may visit his website athttp://www.reelmusicianpro.com
Interaction Is Where The Outdated Idea Of Mass Marketing, Advertising Together With Broadcast Media
March 6, 2008
Because no longer is the Marketing message, “We want your money”. Today the Marketing message has to be “We want your opinions”. Because the moment you put that into real practice you can have everything you’ve always wanted, sales, customer relationships and also Brand loyalty. And the next time you hear those words “Let’s research it” remember that research works against the very thing you desperately need in your Marketing efforts, creativity and risk taking, both crucially necessary to the successful development of your products or services. However replacing research with interaction changes all the opportunities to successful marketing. “Yes”, you can say,” “Interactive Events will create my new products” However at the moment Big Business is not making the correct decisions regarding interaction. Maybe some people within these organisations know and understand what’s happening out there in consumer land. But the dreadful fact is that giving their voice to such statements would, more probably, seriously damage their career growth!
These days I search everywhere for the headline “Interactive Communication is a winning combination for all?The Client?The Media? and last but by no means least your customer!” It never appears. Interactive Communication finally allows the revolution to commence. The revolution against one-size fits all advertising; the bland all-knowing corporate voice, the lack lustre politicians busily furnishing their own nests?from our money. The fact of the matter is your customers, you, me and everybody else, do not trust business. We find it highly insulting to be treated this way and we mistrust you in numbers far greater than you or your advertising/marketing people allow for. Dialogue, two-way conversations, would start to change these hostile attitudes. You really do need to commence interactive events ? right now. And you can do so in existing media. Before I go on, I must emphasise that on no account let your Advertising Agency tempt you into spending big bucks on the Web. Already the Advertising-as-Usual crowd is pouring billions into the Web, however be warned, as they said in the “Cluetrain Manifesto”, ”
So you advertise on the Internet… so what”? If you think you are wasting money on Advertising-as-Usual be very careful. The Internet, possibly is a bigger waste of money than Advertising-as-Usual, and, as we all know, right now that is one Mother of a huge waste of money! “Why?” you may ask “has it all changed from the safe secure way of marketing in the past”. Simply put, Advertising-as-Usual, together with its handmaiden Broadcasting-as-Usual have treated us with too much contempt.
According to a recent article in the Times, TV executives commonly think of viewers’ phone revenue as “moron tax”. And this attitude of utter contempt pervades the executives of advertising and Broadcast-as-Usual, and expresses itself in all the offerings of a rip-off culture, from government to TV companies. And bear in mind that Advertising-as-Usual and Broadcast-as-Usual hold Clients in great contempt as well. They rejoice in removing large chunks of your Marketing Budgets, to then waste them in rip-off ventures that only worsen the publics’ contempt for you?so in effect they are spending your money to get you into a ever worsening situation.
Trust is a must have asset. You now must harness interactive communication to get the trust, and results, because if you don’t somebody else will and they, in turn, will drive you out of business. Trust based relationship lies between the extremes of command and control and empowerment in business. Interactive marketing communication, using existing media, is a practical way of reaching out and building up a powerful relationship, and trust, with every single person you need to make your business successful.
Paul Ashby pioneered interactive communication to the advertising and marketing communities some twenty-five years ago. The communication issues he addresses have been neglected during the explosive grown of advertising in the 60s, 70s and 80s, these are Cognitive Dissonance, Selective Retention and Selective Exposure. Would you like to discover the incredible results to be attained by using interactive communication? Well these are revealed for FREE athttp://effectiveaccountablecommunication.blogspot.com or contact Paul directly on paul.ashby@yahoo.com
