PPC Tip: setup basic conversion tracking.

Make sure you put effort into getting this correct from the start. That way you can have a long-term approach, where you can learn average conversion rates and revenues, allowing you to estimate the performance of future keyword bids.

Social Media: social media or social networking is creating a greater overlap between an individual's personal and business reputations

The online craze that is social media or social networking is creating a greater overlap between an individual's personal and business reputations.

For most of us, this phenomenon is most evident from Facebook. Facebook is now the largest of the social media networks, closely followed by MySpace. MySpace, however, is a younger demographic or heavily entertainment (notably music) oriented. LinkedIn is what many of us believe is the professional's online social network of choice. Yet, my rough guess says this is only true if you were born after about 1976, or so. If you were born earlier than 1976, odds are that the vast majority of your online connections are on Facebook.

The effect is that Facebook is only going to get bigger, having already secured the mindshare of the professionals and managers of the future. ...and, although the LinkedIn crowd are not Luddites - in fact they are online in high percentages - this group can't grow at the rate of professionals on Facebook.

This matters because the social connections and activities we do, while younger, are becoming documented on communities, such as Facebook.

As one looks at the entirety of social media offerings - and see the interconnections made by the OpenSocial standards - one can see how photographs, vacations planned, sports, and many personal events are documented and commented upon within Facebook or posted across all of your social networks via interlocking feeds.

For business professionals this requires two actions: the first is to embrace, not fear social media; and the second is two actively participate.

As a dear friend once said, "a friend is someone who knows you and likes you anyway." What this really means is that people respond to authenticity - to the real you. Fearing social media deprives you of the opportunity and pleasure of knowing and working with people who appreciate you. This works for your employer, too. Customers seek the same authenticity in dealing with suppliers (vendors). Companies, like yours are comprised of real people - so be real.

Active participation is a key because you can't be authentic, if invisible. You can't get your secretary (personal assistant), mom, or child to be the authentic you online. Moreover, as social media adoption continues to take off, you as a professional, manager, or executive fall further behind in "getting it." You don't need to compete for the most connections, but you should seek out your real life friends and connect with them online.

In another blog post, I'll cover what I believe constitutes a minimal professional (and business) presence for today's social media.

http://mediafirst.net

PPC Tip: test the water across a variety of brand names, descriptive terms and competitive keywords

Identify a number of target keyword areas and bid across these. But don’t spread you budget too thin, start off slowly with a restricted campaign and then scale it up.

This helps to test the water across a variety of brand names, descriptive terms and competitive keywords to see which perform best.

Social Media: OpenSocial accelerates the pace of interconnection

What's amazing about OpenSocial is how it accelerates the pace of interconnection, previously rampant mostly within single, rapidly growing social networking communities. OpenSocial ties these fast growing communities together for a quantum leap in value and connection (to people, groups, organizations, philanthropic causes, etc.) Blogging, tagging, media (video and picture) sharing, and online personal or professional communities have become interconnected. Browser technology, such as from Flock, add to the usefulness of these ever-more useful tools. They are also ever-more intrusive and everyone should recognize (and maybe restrict) the personal information sharing, which can be automatically enabled within some of these online services and applications.

Design Tip: "Eyetracking points the way to effective news article design"

"Eyetracking points the way to effective news article design" is a story in the Online Journalism Review of the Annenberg Center for Communications at USC.

Featured finding #1: Rewrite + reformat = remember Writing (or rewriting) a story to meet an ideal format (may require reformatting) improved the reader's reading speed and retention of the information.

Featured finding #2: Precise and relevant editing = successful design

Featured finding #3: Photos edited for relevance = photos viewed An interesting aspect of this last finding is that male viewers focused on the private anatomy in an image of an animal. In other words, men stare at the crotch.

The article has a graphical presentation with fine examples that makes all these points clear. ----- URL: http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/070312ruel/ 

http://mediafirst.net

Public Relations: The mixing of editorial with advertising may damage the reputation of firms that promote themselves or their position with "fake news."

PR allows the spokesperson to take a position on industry issues or announce news. The mixing of editorial with advertising may damage the reputation of firms that promote themselves or their position with "fake news." Ultimately, undermining the value of news sources - making readers or viewers question the validity of news - is bad for advertisers, spokespersons, and the media outlets that use fake news. So far, these questions have arisen only over video news releases.

Direct risks to the stations are: (1) T"he rules were prompted by payola scandals of the past, in which broadcasters accepted money from companies to hype their products without labeling the effort as advertising." and "If the FCC decides they have violated the rules, punishment could include fines or license revocation."

http://mediafirst.net

Email:Advertise your company with every e-mail! You work hard to build your business.

Extend The Value Of Your Domain Name With E-mail

A domain name is the first step to making the Internet part of your everyday activities. However, a domain name by itself is only a place on the Internet. You can use your domain to enhance business efficiency, improve visibility, encourage collaboration, and promote and customer loyalty.

 

E-mail will become a key tool of your business. It's fast, it's simple and it's convenient, allowing you to share information both internally and externally. Most companies consider e-mail as mission-critical.

 

E-mail services extend the value of your domain identity. Get highly reliable, easy to use e-mail service with a choice of self-configuration and management and many ways to access e-mail (POP, WebMail and IMAP), as well as anti-spam measures.

 

Typically, begin with:

• Domain Registration and renewals
• E-mail or forwarding with anti-spam and Web mail
• Additional storage
• IMAP functionality

E-mail

 

Advertise your company with every e-mail! You work hard to build your business. So it only makes sense to extend your company name to your on-line communication. With e-mail service, you can send and receive messages using a professional e-mail address such as yourname@yourcompany.com from any computer, any place in the world.

 

Typical offerings are:

• Corporate identity with matching domain name and e-mail address
• Secure SSL mailbox messaging between the end-user and mail server
• Access to your mailbox from any computer via a Web browser
• Additional e-mail access using programs like Microsoft Outlook® or Apple Mail®
• Anti-virus services scan ingoing and outgoing e-mail to ensure you and your customer's data is uncorrupted
• Increased collaboration through shared mailboxes (i.e. sales, support)
• Ability to remotely access (RPOP) e-mail from other e-mail accounts
• Storage per mailbox with additional storage available
• Ability to add mailbox accounts as your business grows
• Interfaces for message management including catch-all, re-assigning mailboxes, and delivery options
• Unlimited bandwidth
• Satisfaction guarantee
• Password creation and maintenance
• Online customer self-support tools

http://mediafirst.net

PPC Tip: Check competitors, partners, suppliers and customers

Check what your competitors, partners, suppliers and customers are doing, and adjust your bids accordingly. Keep a watchful eye on competitors bidding on your brand name and avoid losing potential customers.

Design Tip: Small budgets can reproduce personal photos and copyright-free images for their printed pieces.

The low-budget project can be the bane of a designer's existence, or it can be an exciting challenge. With a low-budget project, the client usually has everything to lose. This letterhead project is probably all he or she can afford, perhaps for months or even years. It has to do the job right, or there may never be a second chance. You will find that it is possible to do a lot with a little. Make a low budget into an asset by producing a package that’s stylishly down-at-the-heels. Spend the bulk of a client’s budget on one expensive but attention-getting element: a heavy paper, a die cut, engraving, or embossing. Rely on a strong design in one or two colors, with ordinary offset printing on common paper stocks. Producing nice layouts and stunning graphics is only half the battle. Solving your client’s design problems is the other half. As a designer, you must try to create practical and aesthetic designs targeted to your client (and your client’s clients). Here are a few tips for achieving those goals:  Printing Most letterhead is printed with offset lithography, which offers more options than most people use. Die cuts, foil-stamping (a specialty printing service), varnishes, and a variety of other printing tricks can help make a piece stand out.  Logos Most established companies have corporate logos that must be included in their printed products. While corporate identity design goes far beyond the scope of this article, even an outdated or downright ugly logo can, if used creatively, be part of a fresh, new design.  Artwork Artwork gives a piece personality. It communicates without words and targets the emotions. Using scanners and laser printers, even clients with small budgets can reproduce personal photos and copyright-free images for their printed pieces.

Linkedin:Tips: Tips to use Linkedin for your business

1. Acquire new customers through online recommendations and word of mouth. Satisfied customers are the best source of new customers. Increase your word of mouth referrals by asking your happy clients to write you a recommendation, which will be published on your LinkedIn profile and will be broadcast to their entire LinkedIn network.
2. Keep in touch with people who care most about your business.Sites like LinkedIn help keep your business alive in the minds of the people who care most about your business. LinkedIn is effective for two reasons: the business intent of LinkedIn users and fewer status updates, which mean you stay on top of mind. Tip: You can also increase the impact of your status updates by syncing your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
3. Find the right vendors to outsource services you’re not an expert on. Think of the number of times you’ve asked your colleagues if they knew of a great web designer or photographer. LinkedIn makes it easy for you to find and vet vendors through the network of your peers. Additionally, you can also trade services with your vendor connections on LinkedIn; sort of a mutual referral system.
4. Build your industry network—online and in person. Search LinkedIn’s Groups directory to find industry associations and networks to take part in. For example, if you’re in the event planning or wedding industry, there are over 530 groups. In addition, LinkedIn also surfaces popular events in your industry calling out local events that your connections are attending. Imagine being able to find only industry events that your prospective clients are attending.
5. Get answers to tough business questions with a little help from your real friends. Small business owners deal with challenging questions on a slew of topics each day. LinkedIn Answers and Groups let you find answers to those vexing questions quickly by tapping into the wisdom of your network (LinkedIn tells me there are over 200 different categories on Answers including one dedicated just to small business and over 2000 groups on small business related topics). Wondering whether your recent office purchase is tax deductible? Check out hundreds of questions on related topics here.
6. Win new business by answering questions in your area of expertise. Use the many forums on LinkedIn to share the knowledge you’ve gained in your area of expertise. This is a great opportunity to win new business or at least find prospective clients to pitch your business to. Prospective customers will find your answers when they use LinkedIn’s advanced Answers search. And don’t forget, what goes around comes around. Don’t forget, this is a great way to soft pitch your skills and expertise.
7. Raise funding. You can use LinkedIn to find mentors or potential investors for your startup because there are over three million startup professionals and over 12M small business professionals on LinkedIn and it’s always good to stay in touch with folks who’ve been there, done that and willing to mentor you. Once you’re connected, your participation on LinkedIn (answers, status updates or group conversations) may even cause them to consider investing in your small business.
8. Network with peers in your industry for repeat business referrals. LinkedIn Groups is a powerful medium to find peers in your respective industries to network with and to find complimentary businesses to share referrals with. For example, mortgage brokers can find real estate agents to partner with on relevant groups and as most small businesses know, these partners are your best source of referrals that can turn into repeat business. With over 2000 groups dedicated to small business topics, you’re sure to find a relevant group to network.
9. Convince potential customers of your expertise by sharing unique blog content.Small businesses smart enough to create unique content on their expertise (either with a blog or twitter account) should link to it from their LinkedIn profiles. Or take it one step further by promoting featured blog content to LinkedIn members on the site (for e.g. withsmall text ads). You can specify exactly who will see your ads—Executives or VPs—and include a link to your profile so they know who’s behind this content.
10. Keep your friends close and your competition closer. Over 150,000 companies have a company profile on LinkedIn, the “public profile” for companies. These pages surface key stats on companies; recent hires as well movers and shakers. Not only do company profiles give you unique insight into your competition, they also give you an opportunity to stumble upon potential hires by browsing through company pages.

I hope this helps you take LinkedIn beyond the usual uses and makes your small business even more successful.

Guy Kawasaki

Business Development Tip: Seven specific kinds of change that are sources of innovative opportunity

Thomas Watson, who founded IBM in 1924, placed on the wall behind his desk a single framed word: THINK. It became the corporate motto of one of the most influential companies of the century.



Think. The handiest source of new product ideas is your mind, if for no other reason than that you are always carrying it around with you. You have a mind. The next step is to open it and keep it open. What you want is to be open to change.

Management guru Peter Drucker has made the observation that most successful innovations exploit change. In his 1985 Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Drucker defined seven specific kinds of change that are sources of innovative opportunity:

1. The unexpected, including unexpected success, unexpected failure, and unexpected events. 
2. Incongruity between reality as it actually is and reality as it is assumed to be. 
3. Innovation based on process need. 
4. Changes in industry structure and market structure — especially those that catch everyone unaware. 
5. Demographic shifts. 
6. Changes in perception, mood, and meaning. 
7. New knowledge, including the scientific and the nonscientific.

We are keenly aware of the effect of change in the graphics and arts industry. Few industries have undergone as much change during the last few years as printing. While two of our heroes are Johannes Gutenberg and Benjamin Franklin, we also deeply admire Steven Jobs, Michael Dell, and Bill Gates. We anxiously embrace new technologies and see the changes as opportunities — not something to fear or dread. We just thought you needed to know.

Newsletter Tip: How to make an effective newsletter

Designing Successful Newsletters

Newsletters have become a great way for businesses to spread information, “tell their story,” solidify customer loyalty, and increase sales.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind while designing your company newsletter:

1. Content Is Important
   Successful newsletters provide interesting content for their readers, in addition to product information from the newsletter provider.
   
2. Color Draws the Eye
   Use multiple colors of ink to draw attention to important articles and information. Two-color newsletters are very effective, and full-color newsletters are gaining popularity.
   
3. Pull Quotes Create Interest 
   Pull quotes create interest and increase the likelihood that an article will be read. These quotes are taken directly from the article and focus on interesting, key points.
   
4. Good Design Provides More Room for Copy
   A well-planned and designed newsletter can contain 20% to 30% more content than a casually designed newsletter. Seeking advice from professional graphic artists is often profitable. They can help design an effective template for your future use.
   
5. Good Back Page Design Is Important
   An estimated 15% of readers start reading at the back page of a newsletter and work their way to the front page.

Design Tip: How to design a killer poster

At its best, poster design is the territory of the truly creative, and it has been used in the past as a public display of individual talent. When you are designing in this graphic form, the poster's purpose and application should be your first considerations. The poster will normally be on display in a public area, where it will have to compete both with its surroundings and with other posters. Poster Design Checklist: Establish the information to be conveyed. Decide on the size, proportion, and shape. Research the locations for your poster. Simplify the information to be communicated. Produce scaled-down versions of the design. Consider the space and its effects very carefully. Select the typefaces that work for your design. Make sure the message is conveyed clearly and dynamically. Present a number of alternative designs. When you are designing a poster, the first decision to make is the size and shape of the design area. This may be governed by the display site. For this example, three shapes have been explored: two differently proportioned portrait shapes and one landscape. Portrait and Landscape: Most common sizes are 81/2x11, 11x17, and 22x34. Large Format Posters: Most common sizes are 24" wide and 36" wide. Both are available in unlimited lengths, but 96" or less is most practical.

Copy Tip: Things to keep mind as you choose a typeface and layout the text on your next project:

Tips for Choosing a Readable Type

You’ve worked hard to create just the right look for your client’s newsletter. But will your masterpiece also be easy to read? Balancing beauty with readability can be challenging. Here are some areas to keep in mind as you choose a typeface and layout the text on your next project:

X-height. X-height refers to the size of a lowercase x in a given typeface. The larger the x-height, the denser the type will appear on the page, and the less readable it will tend to be.


Tracking. Tracking refers to character spacing. Any variation from normal tracking (narrowed or expanded text) can have an adverse effect on readability.


Serif vs. sans serif. Research shows that serif fonts are more readable than sans serif fonts for large areas of body text. This may be due to the serifs’ ability to lead the eye from one character to the next. On the other hand, typefaces with serifs that are too pronounced can have the opposite effect. Also, sans serif fonts tend to be more readable than their serif counterparts in smaller point sizes, such as those used for footnotes or fine print.


Line length. Shorter lines of text tend to be more readable than longer lines. However, lines that are too short may also prove difficult to read. Experts suggest setting line length at approximately 39 characters, or two times your point size, converted into picas (e.g. 2 x 10pt =20 picas or 3 1/3 inches). Experiment with both of these options to see which works better for you.


Leading. The leading, or space between each line of text, can also affect readability. In general, leading that is 2-3 points larger than the typeface enhances readability. Leading that is too much larger or smaller than that, however, can make the type more difficult to read.


Widows and orphans. Widows occur when the final line of a paragraph contains just a single word. Orphans are paragraphs that carry over just a single line from one column to the next. Both are visually distracting, unattractive, and reduce the readability of a page.


Point size. Body text is generally set at 9-12 points in size. This can vary, however, depending on the typeface and purpose involved, so make adjustments accordingly.

Design Tip: By being aware of the signature unit, you can reduce waste and saves you money.

Of course, we aren't talking about your autograph, but a printing concept. As you may know, printing companies don't always print documents in the one-page-per-sheet way that your office laser jet does. Instead, they may print several pages of material on a single, larger sheet (that's called a press sheet) and then fold it and cut it to get the final finished page sizes.

What that means is that one large piece of paper coming off the press (before it's folded and trimmed) could hold four, eight or more pages of material. That large piece of paper containing multiple finished pieces is called a “signature,” and the number of finished pages in one signature is called the “signature unit.”

The key to properly planning your multi-page documents is to think about the signature unit.If you have a project that is nine pages long and the signature unit is eight (meaning the signature contains eight finished pages),you would use two signatures: one signature for the first eight pages, and a second signature for that last (ninth) page. But if you were to do a little bit of editing to reduce your document page length to eight pages, you would only use one signature.

By being aware of the signature unit (the number of finished pages that can fit on a press sheet) required for your project, you can remove or add content so that your final product fits the signature, which reduces waste and saves you money.

Lead Generation Tip: four ways to make your voice mail fun, memorable, and a better marketing tool

“Thank you for calling. Today is Monday, March 17th. I’ll be in meetings all morning and... blah, blah, blah...” Voice mail is one of those “conveniences” most people love to hate. They hate recording an outbound greeting, and they hate leaving inbound messages. But using voice mail doesn’t have to be as painful as a root canal without the anesthetic. Here are four ways to make your voice mail fun, memorable, and a better marketing tool... Educate your customers. No, that doesn’t mean telling them you’re either on the phone or away from your desk. And it doesn’t mean letting them know what day of the week it is. Instead, try sharing a useful tip relating to your products or services. Let customers know how you can help improve their bottom line. Update the message frequently, with new and different advice. Inspire them. Start your message with a daily quote or quick anecdote that’s enlightening and inspiring. Your customers will appreciate the daily lift and might even encourage their colleagues (your potential customers) to call and hear the message, too. Involve them. Ask one or two of your best customers if they would be willing to record a brief testimonial to use on your voice mail message. The customers who provide the testimonials will enjoy the experience and probably encourage their peers to call and hear it. Your other customers and prospects will hear the testimonials and know they’re in good hands trusting you. Entertain them. Add a spark of humor to your voice mail message. Offer a “celebrity” endorsement, if you’re good with impersonations... or even if you’re not so good with them. (Robert DeNiro from Taxi Driver: “You talkin’ to me? You must be talkin’ to me, because Phil isn’t here right now.”) Poke some gentle fun at yourself. (In a harried voice: “The ringing. I hear the ringing... then the voices. Always the voices.” Second voice: “Hi, this is Gene’s psychiatrist. He can’t take your call right now...”) Share a humorous anecdote or (clean) joke of the day. Have fun with your voice mail message, and make it a treat for customers who call and cannot reach you.

Lead Generation Tip: You must create a balance between the emotion to trigger the sale, and the logic to justify the purchase

John Patterson, known as the father of American salesmanship, is responsible for many of the modern sales practices used today. His work with the National Cash Register Company (NCR) changed the way salespeople think about marketing and selling their products. In his book entitled The Patterson Principles of Selling, modern sales expert Jeffrey Gitomer unpacks some of Patterson’s most powerful tactics.

Patterson’s greatest sales accomplishment didn’t lie in selling cash registers, but in creating a demand for his product. He knew that sparking a desire would increase demand, and he focused his sales and marketing efforts on convincing consumers of the importance of obtaining a sales receipt. When consumers began to ask for a receipt from store clerks, the store managers felt obligated to purchase a cash register that would produce such receipts, and Patterson was poised to sell them one of his machines.

The same can be done in your business. Gitomer says in his book, “You must create a balance between the emotion to trigger the sale, and the logic to justify the purchase.” What is one thing your company could do to create a demand for your products or services?

Lead Generation Tip: wasting your time tracking down lukewarm leads and prospects?

What exactly is a TIP, and how does it work? In his book Getting the Second Appointment, author Anthony Parinello describes this sales weapon as, “a tool that helps you to eliminate individuals and organizations that are likely to waste your time.” TIP stands for Template of Ideal Prospects, and it works to qualify your sales leads by comparing your current prospects to the qualities you see in your top current customers. 

Here’s how you can create your own TIP sheet:

• Take your company’s current customer list and study it very closely. You may need to break the list down into sub-groups, industries or niches in order to get the best understanding of what lies at the core of each company.
  
• Ask yourself: What do my company’s best, biggest, and most profitable current customers have in common? Then write down your answers this question for each top current customers, being very detailed and deliberate about what you record.
  
• Develop a worksheet that lists these common factors, along with a way to record whether your prospective customer meets that criteria (see sample TIP sheet below). The longer the list of common factors, the more accurately and completely you will be able to prequalify your prospects.

Once you have created your TIP sheet, you can begin filling it out for your prospects. In the beginning, it is best to only spend your energy pursuing the prospects that meet all of your criteria. Remember, the criteria you have established was gathered from your top current customers, and offers a reflection of the type of companies you want to do business with. Don’t compromise on what you deem to be most important.

If you have been wasting your time tracking down lukewarm leads and prospects, this TIP sheet is sure to give you a fresh perspective on landing hot sales.

Copy Tip: Creating intriguing headlines will revolutionize your advertising and will have a great affect on your company’s success.

If you want to get prospective customers excited about doing business with your company, creating eye-stopping, mind-grabbing headlines is a great way to do it! While the content of an advertisement is helpful for relaying information about your company’s products or services, it’s the headline that creates the initial relationship with the reader, and entices them to read about what your company has to offer. Here are six types of headlines that will boost inquiries about your company: 1.) The problem/solution headline. Readers are looking for products and services that will make their lives easier. By writing a headline that poses a problem many readers may have, and offers the solution your company can provide, you have created a situation that will most likely encourage the reader to take a look at the remainder of your advertisement.
2.) The historical event headline. If there is something newsworthy about your product or service, such as it is the world-premiere, or a limited-time offer, it can prove to be an effective draw.3.) The testimonial. Providing a testimony from a person that has used your product or service encourages prospective customers to think, “If it worked for him, it can work for me, too!”4.) Product claims. Include statistics and percentages in your headline to increase a product’s credibility. It is important to credit the source of the information you use because it gives your prospective customers a piece of mind about using your product. Even if the source is not well-known by the public, it should be included.5.) Outrageous statements. The purpose of writing a headline is to provoke curiosity in your readers - making an outrageous statement relating to your product or service will almost force your readers to see what you have to say.6.) Questions. Posing a question to your readers allows them to take an active role in your advertisement. The key is asking a question that most people will feel compelled to answer because it is relevant to their lives. People will naturally want to know what their answer to the question has to do with your products or services, and will continue reading your ad to discover what your company can do for them.Headlines are a key component to successful advertising. Creating intriguing headlines will revolutionize your advertising and will have a great affect on your company’s success.