More about advertising from BIG Mike McDaniel

It makes no difference what media you use to advertise, the rules are the same. Benefits, benefits, benefits.

Advertise benefits and your advertising will be a success. Take a poll, they don’t care about car dealers, banks or tire stores. All they care about is "What’s in it for me?".

The fact that your dealership has been number one in the mid-region for 3 straight years is not advertising - it is bragging!

Explain what you have done for others. Tell what you can do for them. Remember the rule - it is always about them - not about you! Look at the advertising around you. Egads! Most of it is about the advertiser. Especially that 20 foot mug shot of the car dealer on the billboard.

Think benefits and you have a leg up on advertising that works, rather than advertising that gets the neighbors to say "Hey, I saw you on the billboard", or "..saw your picture in the paper again." Trust me, strangers won’t mention your picture. And that giant billboard pic won’t bring a sole through the door or get them to buy your product.

The reason you see so much bad advertising is that "ego" sells and the newspapers and billboard people know it. You even hear people who can’t read stumbling through their own radio commercials. Three friends mention it and they think the advertising was a success and sign up for more.

You don’t need a picture of your building, you need a description of what is inside and what it can do for me. Don’t tell me you have the largest selection, or latest styles and colors. Tell me if you don’t have it in stock you can get it overnight. Don’t tell me you have 20 years’ experience. Tell me you’ll show up on time, smell good and fix my toilet, or I don’t pay.

For more about advertising, get my article "What The Newspaper Ad Person Won’t Tell You" Send blank email to my article-robot. Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com

Let the other guys flush their ad money with giant pictures of the staff, or TV commercials with the grand kids shouting a slogan. You concentrate on WIIFM, What’s In It For Me, and your advertising will work harder for you.

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small Business Consultant with over 30 years experience, http://BIGIdeasGroup.com

Subscribe to "BIG Mike’s BIG Ideas" Newsletter MailTo:subscribe-956603364@ezinedirector.net

Big businesses get instant credibility with their well-known
company name or brand name. But small companies have to
create their own credibility. One of most powerful tools you
can use for this is customer testimonials.

Here are 5 tips to help you get persuasive testimonials
…and use them to convert prospects into buyers.

1. Continuously Collect Testimonials

Start by setting up a file to store the positive comments
you get from customers. Many good testimonials are hidden in
the casual comments customers make during normal
communications.

Don’t overlook the positive comments you get by phone or in
person. Write them down and add them to your file.

Next, look for some ways you can stimulate customers to give
you testimonials. For example, send a postcard or email
message to recent customers asking what they liked best
about your product or service. You’ll be surprised at some
of the glowing comments you get.

You don’t need a lot of testimonials before you can start
using them. Three is normally enough unless your sales
message is unusually long.

2. Try to Get Varied Testimonials

All of your prospects and customers are not exactly the
same. Different aspects of your products and services are
likely to appeal to different prospects.

Try to get testimonials that mention a variety of results
achieved by your customers. The more benefits you can reveal
with customer testimonials, the more business they will
generate for you.

3. Some Testimonials Are Better Than Others

Avoid using testimonials that are not specific. For example,
"I really liked your service a lot", is nice for you to
know. But it won’t stimulate many prospects to buy.

Instead, look for testimonials that describe specific
results. For example, "In just 2 weeks I lost 9 pounds, feel
years younger and still continue to enjoy my favorite
foods." That testimonial will motivate anybody who wants to
lose weight to get your program fast.

4. Get Permission to Use Testimonials

Always get your customer’s permission before using their
testimonial. And tell them how they will be identified with
the testimonial. For example, I usually include at least my
customer’s name, city and state (or country).

If you sell to businesses instead of to individuals you may
want to include some other things about each customer with
their testimonial. For example, your customer’s title, the
company name, the type of industry or anything else that
would appeal to other customers like them.

5. Highlight Testimonials When You Use Them

You can group all testimonials together in your sales letter
or web page …especially if the message is short. Or you
can scatter them strategically throughout your message
…especially if the message is long. But always highlight
testimonials so they stand out from the rest of your
message.

For example, display them in italic letters enclosed in
quote marks. On web pages you can further highlight them in
yellow or some other color that contrasts with the
background color of the page.

The 5 tips in this article revealed how you can get
persuasive testimonials - and use them with maximum impact.
Start applying these tips now in your business and you will
quickly start converting more prospects into buyers.

(c) 2004 Bob Leduc  http://BobLeduc.com

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find
new customers and increase sales. He just released a New
Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast
With Simple Postcards …and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a
newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You’ll
find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com
or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

 “There’s nothing new under the sun” is probably the one phrase no inventor wants to hear, seldom believes, and is always trying to prove wrong.

 However, moving too quickly to prototype stage and first disclosure can turn out to be costly for the inventor who doesn’t take the time to find out if his or her invention is already patented.

 Yet, with over 3000 utility patents being issued each week in the United States, that can seem like a daunting if not downright impossible task.

 So, what can the inventor do to get the information – and assurance – he needs to proceed with his work?

 The first thing to do is conduct a preliminary search of patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Public Patent Search Room, which contains U.S. patents arranged according to the U.S. Patent Classification System of over 460 classes and over 136,000 subclasses. The Patent Search Room, located in Arlington, Virginia, is open to the public from 8 AM to 8 PM, Monday to Friday, except on federal holidays.

 If you don’t live near Arlington, you don’t need to make travel reservations. Instead, you can access the searchable database containing patent information for all U.S. patents granted since 1976 and all patent application publications (first published in March 2001), on the USPTO web site at http://www.uspto.gov/go/pats.

 Inventors can also perform a  preliminary search of patents at one of the Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) established throughout the United States. These libraries have copies of patents in microfilm and/or optical disc format arranged in numerical order. They have classification search tools, automated search aids, and photocopy facilities available to the public. For information on your nearest PTDL, you may visit the PTDL web site at http://www.uspto.gov/go/ptdl.

 Another option is to use specialized software like Patent Hunter™, a program which is designed to simplify the search process and to allow you to conduct a more complete search. For information about Patent Hunter, go to www.patenthunter.com.

 You can also have a patent attorney or agent conduct a complete search for you. If you do not yet know a patent attorney or agent and would like to retain one, there are several ways to do so.

 If you are a member of an inventors’ organization, networking with other inventors to learn which attorneys in your area get rave reviews can be one of the easiest and most effective ways to find good counsel. And, if you don’t find using the Yellow Pages appealing, you might also want to contact your state the law association for a list of attorneys practicing IP law. Finally, if you choose to conduct an internet search, you will want to check out the USPTO listing of registered patent attorneys aand agents by going to http://www.uspto.gov/do/oed,.

 Whatever method you use to verify that your invention is unique and hasn’t been patented, acting early in the invention process can save you significant time and money. Or, if you discover someone already holds the patent, reviewing their design may inspire your creativity and lead you to add some “bells and whistles” that takes the idea to the “next level” and allows you to secure a patent on a superior product.

© 2004. All rights reserved. Impact Coaching International™ You may copy or distribute this article free of charge as long as it is kept intact and sent in its entirety including copyright notice and full information about contacting the author, Rosemary Hauschild.

Rosemary Hauschild is a business coach serving creative individuals developing intellectual property. Impact Coaching International™ offers a year-long program showing creative individuals how to protect, promote and profit from their innovative ideas in less time and with more profits. This coaching program is delivered through quarterly workshops, teleconference calls, web casts, fax and email. Individual coaching services are also available. To learn more about how to protect and promote your intellectual property, you are invited to subscribe to the free e-zine, Creations Of The Mind™, by sending an email to impactcoaching@msn.com with the following phrase in the subject line of your e-mail: subscribe creations list.

Ezine Articles - they’re everywhere!

And little wonder. They’re one of the fastest ways of building traffic to your website.

But what many people overlook is the Resource Box. It’s almost as important as your Article. After all, your traffic comes to you through your Resource Box.

Writing your Resource Box is an art in itself. You have very little space (5 or 6 lines) and you want to make the most of it. Here are four key elements your Resource Box should contain.

1) Your Name

Remember, one of the reasons Ezine Articles are such a powerful promotion tool is that brand your name, they establish your reputation as a an expert.

So the first line of your Resource Box should be a short sentence that gives your name and tells the reader what you do on the Internet.

2) Your website URL

This is pretty straightforward - you want people to visit your website. But there’s another reason for including your website URL.

As well as being published in Ezines, your Articles will also be published on websites, often with a live link to your website URL.

And that’s going to do wonders for your link-popularity. Remember, the major Search Engines are making link-popularity one of the key factors in ranking their search results.

3) Your Newsletter subscribe address

A given reader may not purchase your product, they may not even click through to your website, but why not at least capture their email address?

Remember that the average person has to see your message seven times before they buy your product.

4) Something FREE!

Your Resource Box is probably one of a dozen other Ads in the same Ezine, all clamoring for attention. Offer something free and you’ll vastly increase the chances of a reader clicking through to your website.

————————————————————
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
————————————————————

One of the keys to strong positive mental attitude is what you compare your personal performance to. Do you compare your sales results to the top producer in your industry? Do you compare your basketball playing ability to Michael Jordan? Do you compare your last presentation to a speech delivered by Ronald Reagan or JFK?

Or do you compare your results today, to those you had yesterday?

Sports, sales, and the media teach us to compare our success against that of others, living or dead. Consistently successful people however place their primary focus on their own progress, using the achievements of others as inspiration for what is possible.

By comparing yourself to others you risk feeling like you’re a failure, which could cause you to avoid working towards your goal. When you are comparing yourself to yourself, you create momentum behind your actions towards your goal because you feel great as you realize the progress you are making.

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown’s sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/

Typical methods of advertising-newspapers, radio and television are effective if used properly, but there are other, less expensive ways to get your company’s name out.

Local or cable television is an inexpensive alternative to the traditional forms of advertising. Even if you have no experience advertising in this medium, there are companies who specialize in lending a helping hand. Even if finances are a concern (as they are for most of us), you’ll be surprised to discover a 30 second spot television ad can cost as little as a few hundred dollars.

Many areas have public auctions on local stations that will advertise your product, if you donate up to a certain dollar amount. The number of advertising spots will depend on how much you donate.

Remember also to send press releases to your local television and radio stations. Many times they will come out and do a story on you, if it is of interest to the public.

We volunteered to do resumes for people out of work and sent releases to all the radio and television stations. One of the three major networks in our area, sent someone out to interview us, and we were on the 6 and 11 o’clock news.

As for radio advertising, check your local stations for rates. You’ll be surprised at how low some of them are. Again, if you send press releases to the stations, sometimes they will call you as an expert in your area, or for an interview. We sent releases to all the stations in our area when we started our support group, and this generated three times the number of people we expected for our first meeting.

Since most major newspapers are expensive to advertise in, check with the smaller local papers. You can advertise in many of these for as little as $25 a month. You could also offer to write a column for these publications, as an expert in the area, if appropriate.

We all need to advertise in one way or another. Which medium you choose will depend on your particular business.

Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2000

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it’s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com

In order to sell more products and service, you need master customers’ mind. Put youself into customers’ shoes and think what customers want. You will make more profit by master these skills.

1. Use the word "fast" in your ad. People want fast results, fast delivery, fast ordering, etc. Nowadays, we usually value our time more than our money.

2. Use the word "guaranteed" in your ad. People want to be assured they are not risking their hard earned money buying your product.

3. Use the word "limited" in your ad. People want to own or receive things that are exclusive or rare because they are considered to be more valuable.

4. Use the word "easy/simple" in your ad. People want easy ordering, easy instructions, easy to use, easy payments, etc.

5. Use the word "testimonial" in your ad. People want to see believable proof before they buy your product. It should be reputable and specific proof.

6. Use the word "discount/sale " in your ad. People want to find bargains. They could be rebates, one time sales, percentage offers, get one free offers, etc.

7. Use the word "free" in your ad. People want free incentives before they do business with you. They could be free books, accessories, services, etc.

8. Use the word "you/your" in your ad. People want to know that you are talking them. This’ll make them feel important and attract them to read the whole ad.

9. Use the word "important" in your ad. People do not want to miss important information that could effect their life. People will stop and take notice.

10. Use the word "new" in your ad. People want new products or services that will improve their life like new information, tastes, technology, results, etc.

11. People want to make more money. They may want to start their own business, get a higher paying job or invest in the stock market. This will make them feel successful.

12. People want to save money. They may want to invest for the future or save for a big purchase. This will make them feel more secure.

13. People want to save time. They may want to work less and spend time enjoying life’s pleasures. This will make them feel more relaxed.

14. People want to look better. They may want to lose weight, tone their body, or improve their facial features. This will make them feel more attractive.

15. People want to learn something new. They may want to learn how to change their car oil or build a deck. This will make them feel more intelligent.

16. People want to live longer. They may want to get in shape, eat better or gain extra energy. This will make them feel healthier.

17. People want to be comfortable. They may want to relive aches and pains or want to sleep in a more comfortable bed. This will make them feel relieved.

18. People want to be loved. They may not want to be lonely anymore or want to start dating again. This will make them feel wanted.

19. People want to be popular. They may want to be a famous celebrity or be more popular in school. This will make them feel praised and admired.

20. People want to gain pleasure. They may want satisfy their appetite or sexual desires. This will make them feel more fulfilled.

Print this list and keep it in file since it will help you make more profit.

Julia Tang publishes "Smart Online Business Tips" Newsletter which helps people to start, run and grow Internet businesses. To get tips, tactics, reliable business opportunities and promotional tools, plus over $200 free bonuses, you can visit http://www.best-internet-businesses.com

As I was searching through a kitchen drawer the other day, I found dozens of pens, pencils, letter openers, sticky-note pads, oversized paper clips, rulers, dental floss, calendars, magnets, whatsits and thing-a-ma-bobs, each with the name of a business on the front. In looking through my "collection" I discovered some things I love and use and others that I can’t imagine why I picked them up. Some, I’m not even sure what they are!

They are all advertising specialties. You know, those giveaways that are going to bring customers swarming to your door. Advertising specialties can put your name in front of prospective customers and keep it there. That way, your name will be on their minds and in front of their faces when they decide to buy. But too often, they don’t work the way you expected them to.

The trick to using advertising specialties effectively is to understand who your customers are, what they value, how they will use your giveaway, and where they will be when they make a buy decision.

Pizza delivery restaurants give out lots of refrigerator magnets. Where are you when you decide to order a pizza? You probably just looked in the fridge for something to fix for dinner, didn’t find anything and are closing the door. At that moment, you spot a magnet and say, "Pizza!" Some of the magnets even come with detachable coupons.

Where will your customers be when they make a buy decision? At home, at the office, in their cars, on the phone, at the computer . . .use a specialty that will be in front of them there.

Or maybe you just want something that they will use a lot to keep your name in their minds. A mug. Or something like a wall calendar where your name will be in front of them 365 days. (366 in a leap year!)

However you hope to influence your customers, make sure you choose an item they will actually use. Will they want another ball point pen, pocket calendar, or stress ball? How many wall calendars do they get from other sources? Will yours be one they are willing to put up on the wall? Does your item look or feel "cheap" or of poor quality? If so it won’t give a good impression of your business.

If you use advertising specialties, choose something that is unique, doesn’t look cheap, will be used by your customers, and will be nearby when they make a buy decision. That doesn’t mean you have to give away expensive items. A couple of my favorites are ball point pens. One, from British Airways, has a clip that folds out to look like wings on a plane. It’s not great to write with, but it’s really cute. Will the pen cause me to fly British Airways? Probably not, but it is one more positive impression I have of their airline.

Want to try something a little different? Why not get tote bags, t-shirts, sports bottles, or other items made up and sell them. If you have a clever logo or slogan, people might be willing to pay. For example, the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston (yes, a museum about funerals) sells mugs and more with their slogan, "Any day above ground is a good one." If you are actively creating a brand people respond to, you might be able to start a whole new product line. One source for image products is http://www.cafepress.com/.

Oh, one last thing about using advertising specialties. You have to actually give them out. Buying them and leaving the box in the closet won’t bring you a single customer.

Copyright Cathy Stucker. As the Idea Lady, Cathy Stucker can help you attract customers and make yourself famous with inexpensive and free marketing ideas. Get free tips, articles and more at http://www.IdeaLady.com/.

There are several ways to advertise and get the word out about your business online and the best of them include f-ree search engines, pay per click search engines, writing articles, utilizing press releases, doing joint ventures/ad co-ops, and posting to message boards and forums related to your target market.

But one advertising method that’s neglected by most online marketers is off-line advertising.

There are several low/no cost ways to advertise off-line and I want to share 3 of them with you.

1) Business Cards

If you are serious about your business you must have business cards. They are cheap and are a great way to attract potential prospects or customers. Simply hand them out to people who you feel may be interested in your business.

Also, whenever I visit a restaraunt, bar, or club, I’ll leave my business cards in all of the bathroom stalls. (Just make sure nobody is in there of course… lol!)

And don’t laugh at this! It really works. When I visit the bathroom an hour or two later, I’ll find that all of my business cards are gone and I’ll have a fresh new set of sales the very next day.

You can get f-ree professional looking business cards at VistaPrint.com, all you have to pay is shipping and handling:

http://www.vistaprint.com

2) Flyers

With today’s technology, flyers are very easy to make. You can simply design a flyer online and just print it out and make copies. Then you can post them in area businesses where you feel your potential customers may hang out. (Just make sure you ask permission from the business owner.)

Or simply hand out your flyers to people you meet on the street. Many bars and clubs don’t have a problem with posting flyers in their establishments either, especially if you are a patron.

And don’t forget about supermarkets! Many have bulletin boards, at least here in New Jersey where I live, and you can post your flyer there. There are hundreds of people walking into supermarkets everyday and they are in a buying mentality. Take advantage of it and post your flyers often.

Here’s a site that lets you create and print flyers or brochures online for f-ree:

http://www.mybrochuremaker.com/

3) Automobile Advertising

What… ? Yes you read that right! Your car is not only a driving vehicle but a great advertising vehicle as well. You can stick magnetic signs or plates on your car with your company name and/or domain name for all to see.

Your business can be exposed to hundreds, if not thousands of people everyday whether your car is parked, you are driving, or even when you are stuck in traffic. It’s fairly inexpensive and a great way to "drive" home your message.

Here are a couple of sites to check out for this very sort of thing:

http://www.iditplates.net

http://www.magneticsigns.com

Those are just a few of the ways to advertise off-line. I’m sure you can come up with other clever ways as well.

You’ve got a brain… use it!

Al Martinovic runs a successful "niche" business at http://www.ineedsmokes.com and publishes a popular internet marketing newsletter at http://www.milleniummarketers.com