Advertise Advertise Advertise

Writen by Alicia Bodine

Many people sign up for affiliate programs with the hopes of making some serious money. They advertise a few places and then wait for the money to start pouring in. When it doesn't, they blame it on the program and quit.

I am convinced the only way to make money online is to have a consistent Advertising plan. A plan you are willing to work hard on and commit to for a selected period of time. When making this plan, you need to do two things. First, you should pick a few affiliate programs that are of interest to you. Second, you need to decide how long you want to work these programs. Once you decide on a time period (I recommend 6 months to a year), you must make a promise to yourself that you will not stop advertising until that time period is up. This is perhaps the most important factor in your success.

Next, you need to consider your advertising options: traffic exchanges, classified ads, e-mail campaigns, ezine articles, posting to forums or message boards, chatting with others who are interested in what you have to offer, and posting flyers around your town. Now you see the many possible advertising avenues you can choose from. I recommend doing all of them. It may sound like a lot of work, but when broken down into a plan, it is not.

One possible plan may look like this: Traffic Exchanges-1 hour per day. Post 15 classified ads per day. Make 5 posts to a message board or forum per day. Submit an article once per week to an ezine. Visit chat rooms and distribute flyers as you have extra time during the week. This all can be accomplished by spending 2-3 hours per day. You will be surprised how much you get done when you have a plan. You may also choose whether you will work 5 or 6 days per week. Make a checklist for each day of the week, and mark each task off as you finish it. That will keep you on focus, and will make you feel good that you are one step closer to reaching your goal.

Make a commitment to your new plan and don't get involved in any other programs until your current programs are making you money consistently. Don't give up. Sticking with this plan will significantly improve your success. Remember, Advertise, Advertise, Advertise.

This author, Alicia Bodine, is a specialist in working from home to make money online. Her website, http://www.homebusinessesthatprofit.com has a complete, legitimate list of work at home opportunities. Having her own internet business allows her to be a stay at home mom, while earning a massive residual income. Alicia also teaches others how to get their own website setup free.

What The Hell Was That All About 2

Writen by Sasha Masand

Like I said there shall be enough material to make this ad busting into a series. In fact I have to restrain myself on most occasions when watching some of the "new" stuff on air at the moment.

Millions of Rupees and in some cases Dollars are spent on a few seconds and the following is sometimes what gets dished out. We start with the Fanta commercial with Rani Mukherjee making some weird sounds to an equally obnoxious soundtrack/jingle. The visual realm also suffers here with what seem to be the single most barf inducing graphics ever in an ad. There is no thought behind this project. If there is please let me know and put me out of my misery.

The high point of the ad is when they rhyme the words, "P.K. Bose" with, "Fanta ka dose". How this ad ever got on air is anyone's guess. My heartfelt condolences to the client.

Next on this list of shame is the latest Clipsal switch ad where, this lady seemingly a helper dressed in an over sized white frock is going about doing her dusting albeit rather grudgingly. We see a horrible Plaster of Paris statue scaring the crap out of her as well as us, and then for apparently no reason what so ever she flings some books towards this switchboard on the wall. Then again for no reason at all, the entire house begins to crumble. Things around the house come crashing down as if she has hit a switch that controls high magnitude earthquakes. Once again what's going on here and more importantly why - has got me in a right twist. Maybe one day I shall have answers to my humble queries.

What has to be my favorite or should I say my anti-favorite recently though has to be the new Indica Diesel ad. You know the one that takes forever to setup and flashes you the actual product on sale so quickly that it seems like they almost don't want to show it to you. Usually teasers are only 5 to 10 seconds long. What we have here is like a 50 second ad with a 45 second setup. And a 5 second product shot, which is so blurry that you, cannot see much anyway.

Why oh why is this happening. May be TATA has too much money and they don't know what to do with it. Showing a guy setting up a fishing seat in the middle of a lake for so long and then barely showing the actual product that's on sale seems like an unsuccessful attempt at hoodwinking the masses. Why do we have to be so clever? Why do we need to waste 50 seconds selling something we don't actually show?

I am full of questions swimming around in my head that are drowning me…. Help!

Sasha Masand the founder of Indian Voice Overs is an award winning Television Producer who has been part of the Indian media industry for over twelve years.

Why 95 Of Yellow Page Antique Ads Really Stink And What You Can Do To Be In The Top 5

Writen by Michael Temple

Did I get your attention? That's exactly what I intended to do. I wrote a compelling headline that concentrated on a problem, created interest and desire, and offered a solution...all in a few short words!

It's a fact, most antique advertisements in the yellow pages are really lame! Oh, the "yellow page man" that sells you this crud will tell you that your ad "looks good", but does it generate business for you?

What's the bottom line?

The bottom line when you spend any amount of money on marketing your antique shop, mall or "offer to buy" must always be the same; did you get a good R.O.I. (return on investment) for the money that you laid out? If the answer to that question is "no", or "I don't know", you need to pay attention!

Are you a "me-me, we-we" yellow page advertiser?

Take a look at your yellow page advertisment. (Look at someone else's if you don't currently have one running). What do you see? Does the headline have the name of the business in it? Does the headline say something like "Business Name Antiques?"

If it does, you are looking at a "me-me", "we-we" headline. A majority of antique dealers, shops and malls that advertise in the yellow pages have a mundane, "run-of-the-mill" yellow page ad that lists their business name, what they sell, how many dealers thay have, blah, blah, blah.

Ask this one question and you will be well on your way to making your ad more profitable!

You can change the way your ad looks and the way it pulls, by asking a simple question about each element in the space. That question? Who Cares!

Look at your headline and then ask, "who cares?". Look at the elegant, sweeping fonts and ask, "who cares?". Look at the list of items that the ad says that you sell and ask, "who cares?". If you can't come up with a good answer to those questions, maybe it's time to look at other ways to build a yellow page ad!

Here are more questions that will help you design a winner.

1. What am I trying to accomplish with this ad?

Your ad should only attempt to accomplish one thing. Sound ridiculous? It's not!

Are you trying to get people to sell you their unwanted items? Then build your ad to make that happen. Don't try to sell, buy, and build your image all in one ad. Customers will get confused when you try to "pack" too much into an ad.

2. What do you want people to do after reading your ad?

Should they call for a free "no obligation" offer? Should they ask for your "wanted" list? Land on ONE action you want the reader to take, and tell them what to do in the ad.

3. How will the reader benefit if they take action?

Your ad should follow the A.I.D.A. formula. (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action). Go back and read my headline. It contains all of the above elements. If you do not have a definite benefit in mind that the reader will reap by doing business with you, it's time to go back to the drawing board and get one! Present the benefit in easy to understand terms.

4. Is it simple enough?

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sweetie). No one likes to look at "antique-speak" if they are not an antique enthusiast. Use simple, "plain english" words and statements that the common, ordinary individual can understand.

Being honest with your ads.

If you are truly honest with your yellow page ads, you won't worry about what the other antique people think about how the ad looks. It's more lucrative to design an ad that performs a task, than it is to allow the yellow page salesman to write a "lame" ad that fuels your ego.

Hey, if your ad sucks, admit it and move on. Learn from it this time, and never go back to writing another lame one, no matter what the "yellow page man" says!

I'll write more in the future about how to get the best "bang for the buck" with yellow page marketing, but for now, go through the above exercise and start building a better ad. It will pay big dividends!

Michael Temple is a retired auctioneer, and operates the Antique Power Dealer web site at http://www.antiquepowerdealer.com. You can receive his FREE report "Six Costly Mistakes That Antique Buyers and Sellers Make...and How to Avoid Them" by sending him an e-mail at: michael@antiquepowerdealer.com

How To Use Your Advertisement Space Judiciously

Writen by Gijo George

Now you have a good website featuring your products or services. You may want to generate additional income from the Advertisement space available in your website. Of course for many, it's the main source of their income. But, if you place your advertisement without any parameters, you will end up spoiling the reputation of your website.

Some of the guidelines to place your advertisement are the following:

Never give advertisements more prominence than your own content. Your content must be clear and should adore the center of the web page. Advertisement can go on the right side of your content or at the bottom.

Never place the Advertisement on the left side of your web page. Since we start reading from the left side, the content should be noticed first. You can place menu on the left side, if you choose to.

Place advertisements in such a way that it should match with the content you have published in a page. In other words, the content should be able justify the advertisements you are providing. This will prompt the viewers to turn their attention to the advertisements also. Contextual Advertisements helps a lot in this direction. These advertisements, select the advertisements automatically and to the context, which best suites the current content of a web.

Try different layout and analyze the result. Adhere to one, which is able to generate more advertisement income.

Gijo George Visit www.giftsspace.com for Unique Handmade Gifts from Around the World

Make Your Business Memorable With Business Cards

Writen by Terri Seymour

With new innovative marketing strategies business cards are not like they used to be. Remember when a business card would have name, address, phone number and that's it? Well today's business cards have so much more!

Because of its cost, size and versatility, a business card can be a powerful marketing tool. Design this tool wisely. Your business card is a reflection of you and your business. Don't just have the standard name, phone and address.

*Add your company logo, use clear & easy to read text, a picture of yourself smiling, texture, etc.

*Have the card double as a coupon or gift certificate. Be sure and clearly explain what your company does.

*Have all your contact info including email and url if applicable.

Don't forget to utilize the space on the back of the card. Ideas for the back of the card:

Motivational quote
Special sale or discount
Business or other tip
Your newest products/services
Your business motto
Write a personal message
Client testimonials
Ask for referrals
An entertaining (clean) joke
Use your imagination!

Have your business cards them with you always. Leave them at restaurants. Send them with your monthly bills. Post them on bulletin boards in laundromats, grocery stores, banks, etc. Hand them out to people you talk to. Give people more than one to pass on to a friend or co-worker.

Ask banks, stores, and other businesses if you can display them by the cash register or counter. Add them to all your mailings. Send them with orders. Try leaving them in library books for other people to find.

Be sure and put one in every mailing you send out. Get one of those card holders for your car and display them on your car for the taking. Leave a few in your motel and/or hotel room when you leave. Ask about leaving them in hair salons, nail salons, spas, gyms, etc.

Put a couple in your catalogs when handing them out. Leave them in rest rooms. Leave a couple at public rest areas. The possibilities are endless. Always be aware of an opportunity.

Make your card stand out from the rest. Make it unforgettable. Have some red on it. Cards with red on them stand out more. Add a picture of you or one of your products. Make the background a different color such as black. This will really stand out.

Make your card plastic or laminate it so it will last much longer. Make magnetic biz cards. People will stick you on the fridge for more exposure. Try different designs and code them so you can track the results. Offer an additional discount if they mention the code. Be sure and record all codes in a notebook. Staple a sample (if possible) to your card.

Your business card can be one of your most valuable marketing tools if used as more than just an address card.

Find lots more tips, articles, and resources and a chance to own your own profitable ebook store with unlimited support at http://www.SeymourProducts.com Seymour Products offers a huge selection of ebooks and software only $1.00 each with resell rights. Business Marketing Bulletin loaded with resources, tips, fun and more! mailto:subscribe@seymourproducts.com

Offline Advertising Secrets Using Offline Advertising To Get The Most From Your Name Squeeze Page

Writen by Liz Tomey

Many people online are not using one of the best advertising methods around. I'm talking about offline print advertising. I've been using it since 1998, and I have a secret to share with you. Over 60% of my online business comes from offline print advertising. I know that 60% sounds very high, but it's because I use offline print advertising as my main advertising method.

Before we go any further, I'd first like to tell you to not give up on your online advertising methods. You just need to learn to use online and offline advertising methods together.

Here is how I used offline print advertising to drive people to a struggling "name squeeze" page.

I know that many of you are frustrated with your online advertising methods. Email advertising, PPC advertising, website advertising, and the like can all be very over whelming. A few years ago when I was new to Internet marketing, I tried everything under the sun to get people to a "name squeeze" page I had built to promote a product. I finally decided to go back to what I knew worked. Offline print advertising!

I took all the copy that was on my "name squeeze" page. I opened up Microsoft Publisher (All it is, is a word processor program.) and pasted all of my copy from my "name squeeze" page into Publisher. I took the ad copy and made it into a full page (8x11) ad. It's very easy to do, so don't let this part scare you.

Now, I had an ad that looked just like my online "name squeeze" page, but without the email sign up box. Instead of the email sign up box, I directed the reader to my website address.

I looked for places I could now advertise my ad in. Since I had been using offline print advertising, I knew exactly where to go. You may be new to this kind of advertising, and that's okay because I have one of the only websites that will thoroughly teach you how to use many offline advertising techniques like this one at little or no cost. It's loaded with resources on where and how to advertising offline.

I placed my "name squeeze" website ad in several publications. The total readership was about 200,000

Once my ad for my "name squeeze" website hit, my site was flooded with visitors, and I had people signing up left and right via my email form on my website. It's a little harder to track when using offline advertising methods. When I ran the ad to promote my "name squeeze" page, I made a special page just for my offline advertising people. That way I could track my ROI.

When it was all said and done, I had spent $120 on advertising. The counter on my special page for my offline advertising people showed that I had gotten almost 16,000 unique visitors to the site. Out of those 16,000 unique visitors, almost 2,000 of those visitors signed up for my offer on my "name squeeze" page. Out of those 2,000 people, 156 of them bought my $9.95 product. I made a total of $1,552.20. I only spent $120 on advertising, and the product only cost me $2.83 to fill and ship. My total profit was $990.72! Now that's not a bad ROI at all!

As you can see, using offline advertising methods is very powerful. There is an art to it, but once you get it all figured out, you will be making incredible profits every time you start a new advertising campaign!

I wish you much success in all of your offline advertising adventures.

Liz Tomey

Liz Tomey has owned a direct mail advertising business since 1998. She runs two different networks of sites. One in the direct mail advertising niche http://www.Mailorder-HQ.com and one in the Internet marketing niche http://www.TomeyMarketing.com. If you would like to learn how to use offline advertising as part of your marketing efforts, stop by her super informative site at http://www.OfflineAdvertisingSecrets.com

Digital Signage Concepts And Terms

Writen by Gary R

Over the past two years, digital signage has really taken off as a new way to reach consumers when they are out of their homes. We are seeing the digital signs pop up in retail, government, health care, and education. While the larger institutions can outsource the task implementing a digital signage solution, some smaller firms may not have the bandwidth financially to hop on the dynamic signage bandwagon.

If you belong to one of these institutions, you will need to prepare yourself to possibly do some of the work yourself. In order to do the best job possible, you will need to learn the basics of the digital signage concept. Luckily for you, it can be broken down in to a few general categories;

• Equipment
• Content
• Administration
• Installation
• Maintenance
• General Marketing
• Scheduling

The equipment category is self explanatory. It involves the selection of equipment, a decision which should be made based on your space, and on compatibility analysis. Content is also self explanatory in nature. This category involves deciding what content you will show on your screens. This category includes decisions like what mix of normal content to advertising will you run, and whether or not you will outsource the content creation. Administration involves the day-to-day operation of the digital signage solution, and is normally done by using specific software. available for purchase. Installation and maintenance go hand-in-hand, but are very important. Screen placement should be well-thought out and strategic to meet your goals for the project. Scheduling is perhaps the most important post-install task. Some firms have been timing the schedule according to consumer habits at different times of the day. For example, firms with menu boards built on digital signage can instantly change a creative between breakfast and lunch to offer something different and create an up-sell opportunity.

If these basics make you weary about considering digital signage, you will want to look through a digital signage terms glossary to become more familiar with the concept, and with some of the common terms.

Executive Editor, Digital Signage Resource http://www.digitalsignageresource.com/ Digital Signage