Okay, let’s tackle the age-old question, does advertising really work? Is the expense productive in generating sales that significantly exceed the promotional cost?

With institutional “good will” advertising it’s difficult to assess because the end result is not based on a short-term payoff. Rather it’s based on long-range perceptions of the advertiser’s expertise and integrity. So this appears to beg the q... Continue reading

You Mean it is More Then Just Driving Traffic to Our Website?

Absolutely! Driving traffic to your website is only half the battle in making conversions. As you run your online business, remember one thing: more traffic does not mean increased sales. You need the right mix of products, compelling content, an effective lead nurturing plan and a convincing call-to-action to generate profits.

Below are 5 tips to increasing your... Continue reading

Get the point?

As in the art of good teaching, one of language’s significant purposes is to convey what the writer or speaker knows to others who are less informed. In other words, making content easily understandable. While sometimes taking liberties with word usage or proper grammar, the advertising content writer is, or should be, well adapted to making things absolutely clear. In fact these liberties are often employed to strea... Continue reading

Small and medium sized businesses targeting defined markets in particular geographic regions need local SEO to outrank their competition, generate quality traffic and sign up leads. Google uses geo-location technology to determine the results to show users, especially in relation to local business searchers. Local SEO can help your website appear high, or even multiple times, in Google results pages whenever users search for your services.

The offerings of stock photo suppliers have become increasingly better quality over recent years. This is good for designers but not necessarily for creative photographers endeavoring to make a living... which is a valid topic in its own right. Nevertheless, by definition stock photography, and stock art, subject matter has a tendency to be generic in nature. And some of it is still painfully corny. If the need calls for a standard visual such... Continue reading

The Internet offers a plethora of marketing opportunities businesses of all sizes can put to use to get the word out about their products and services. Yet it takes work and research to keep up on the best ways to use the Internet as a marketing tool. Consider the five online marketing tips below if you\'re looking for ways to build on your current Internet marketing strategies: 

1. Build communication channels
Part of your o... Continue reading

Start ups, get on the web.

The most primary communication tool is now a website. It’s become the basic centerpiece for telling the story of a company. Most important, it provides a showcase for how the firm’s product or service fills people’s needs. Whether it’s an e-commerce site or strictly informative, this is the first big step toward a public presence. Right after a name, logo, telephone number, email address and business ca... Continue reading

While most everyone in the business world is now aware of the marketing potentials of the Internet, not everyone knows enough to fully grasp the potentials. Yes, having a website and social media campaigns is a start, but the truth is an online presence through tools like these can prove utterly ineffective if not properly executed.

Your online content has an enormous impact on the success or failure of your Internet marketing campai... Continue reading

Okay, the concepts are done and presented. The client has bought into the approach and opted for their favored creative solution. Phew! Now for the fun stuff of getting the spot or campaign produced. 

Here are a few basic pointers for both advertisers and their marketing or advertising agencies that will help avoid a plethora of possible missteps. The key is anticipating them and planning ahead. Even with dedicated attention to... Continue reading

The Internet has made it easier for learners to gather information on different topics. Today, information on any subject can be found on different platforms including blogs, video sites, social networks, wikis and others. The major problem today is not really about getting information, but rather more finding the gem content from the sea of shallow content. Here is where a learning management system (LMS) comes in.

Overview o... Continue reading

Key people in companies, especially those new to promotional activities, often are inclined to let ego drive communications to their publics. Pride in what the firm has accomplished in the business world, as well as in the characteristics of its products, is entirely understandable. This may be fertile material for conversations with colleagues, friends and family, but it’s not the stuff that grows the customer base.

Customers and... Continue reading

Email marketing is a crucial component to the success of any B2B marketing plan. The 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark report by Marketing Sherpa indicates that businesses consider email marketing an important part of their sales funnel, after web design and SEO.

However, most online business owners struggle with email marketing. Without knowing what to do or having the tools to help you with your campaign, you will have a difficult time... Continue reading

Building relationships is the clarion call for businesses today. All efforts are, or should be, oriented to what consumers want, how consumers perceive situations, defining how consumer needs are filled by products or services. This focus has replaced simply exposing the features or even the benefits offered by advertisers. It’s a societal shift spawned by easy access to the vast resources of the internet. It requires an all encompassing shi... Continue reading

As an online business owner, you probably have thought about getting your website on page one of Google for various keywords. You might even have gone ahead and outsourced your SEO requirements to a search engine optimization expert to improve your rankings. However, do you know that you may be wasting time and resources on a venture that will not improve your bottom line nor provide positive ROI? Yes, Really!

SEO is the easiest and... Continue reading

Marketing offers a perplexing number of options. The selection of what’s best hinges on the task at hand. So don’t get hooked on blanket formulas that herald one method over others until the undertaking has been carefully thought through. 

Here are two of many options that require some pondering. Email marketing is a tempting tool that enjoys wide popularity in today’s digital world. It eliminates printing. It eliminates p... Continue reading

Your website is an important business asset in this internet age. Regardless of the type of business you are operating, you need a website to reach your prospects and present your value proposition. Sometimes, it is more about perception than reality and the design of your website can make or lose a sale.

Your website is the first impression that your prospect will get of your company. A professionall... Continue reading

0100 hours (1 a.m.), Island of St. Thomas, Caribbean Sea.  As the 60-foot launch plunged and rolled through moderately rough seas in the black of night, the junior naval officer in charge surveyed the 40-odd Navy men and Marines in the craft. It was an arbitrary assembly that had over indulged at the bars on the beach and straggled to the dock to catch the last boat b... Continue reading

Be a Top Dog Email Marketer

When it comes to conversions, no other inbound marketing technique beats email. The cries that email marketing is dead are unfounded. Multiple sources show that email marketing leads convert better than social media leads.

You can build your reputation and nurture trust with your prospects through targeted email marketing. However, before you begin marketing, you need leads to send your messages to.... Continue reading

Long, long ago in medieval Europe there was a dominant kingdom with a powerful army of considerable size. As one would expect, this entity menaced surrounding smaller city states. When one of the smaller neighbors was being threatened by the behemoth, it conspired with another intimidated fiefdom to join forces. The combined army would be equal to, or slightly larger than, the common foe. A winning concept, no?

As a showdown loomed,... Continue reading

Even if you\'re not a social media user on your personal time, it\'s important to take note of the potential that online social media platforms offer in terms of exposure and recognition. Such platforms have significantly contributed to the popularity of individuals and institutions who have made their mark by simply putting a popular post up on LinkedIn or Twitter.more

A feature offered by LinkedIn allows well known individuals and... Continue reading