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Archive for marketing

Marketing Success is Inevitable

When you take the time to work on your business marketing on a regular basis, you will succeed.

I’ve been in business over 30 years and am forever reading up on the latest trends in online business and marketing. I’ve found I must constantly “update” my marketing ideas in order to keep up.

Teach yourself how to promote your products and services. There’s a wealth of information online. The more you read, the better able you will be to figure out what works for you.

Be careful of what you read

Always be aware that there are many people promising you success and wealth, as long as you buy their product or service. Make sure you are not throwing your money away. A little research goes a long way in being web savvy and avoiding scams.

Take Action

Sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring is not a good option. But it is easy to do.

Instead, check out these interesting articles and get started on increasing your business today.

56 New Digital Media Resources

25 Stories You May Have Missed from Mashable

57 New Digital Media Resources

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Marketing 101 Online Marketing

18 May

7 Helpful Tips on Choosing a Domain Name

Your website is probably going to be your most important marketing tool. It should be the hub of all information related to your business. That’s why it is very important to have a domain name (url) that is descriptive of your business, easy to memorize, hard to misspell and of course available. Here are some easy tips to help you decide on the best domain name for you.

Try to use your company name / brand in your domain name.
Keep your domain name simple, short and easy to remember.
Avoid using hyphens and underscores. They can cause confusion.
Use key words related to your business. It’s best when your url describes what it is you do and what people would be searching for.
Use dot com whenever possible. It’s the most recognized url extension.
Avoid using numbers. Again, it’s confusing not knowing whether to use the number or to spell it out.
Don’t add an “s” to an existing popular domain name. The “s” is easily forgotten and your potential client will end up at your competitor’s site.

For more helpful information on domain name selection and search engine optimization check out SEOmoz.org.

16 Apr

The Power of Social Media Marketing

You can find hundreds of books to talk about Social Media Marketing, formerly known as Web 2.0. And I’m going to give you crash course in just a few paragraphs.

Blogs

Your blog is an extremely powerful social media hub. If done correctly, it can boost the visibility of your business in ways never before possible. Think of it as an online magazine. You’re in charge of design and content. Your blog can help promote your company’s website or it can be a part of your website.

Setting up a blog is very easy. You can try using a free blogging system such as WordPress.com or Google’s Blogger. But if you want to appear really professional you need to go for a self-hosted blog. The most popular and easiest way to do this is through WordPress.org. You have lots of options for design themes and plugins. Of course a professionally designed unique theme that utilizes your company’s brand identity is best.

Maintaining it regularly can be a challenge. You have to constantly come up with copy that is interesting, relevant and remarkable. This could be once a week. Daily would be great. A few times a week is good too. The trick is to write posts that people want to read. Show your personality and have fun.

Facebook

Facebook is the most popular online social network today, with over 400 million active users of all ages creating a home page and making “friends”. Facebook is a place where “friends” gather. Let everyone know what you’re doing. It’s easy to set up and is free. Show photos, play games, network, add applications. What’s your status? Your Facebook profile can be made public or private. You control the settings of who gets to see your page.

If you have a business you need a “Fan” page. A fan page is part of your original Facebook account. It is visible to everyone, registered or not, including all your customers. While a Facebook Group is better for hosting discussions, for long-term relationships, a “fan” page is best. Personalize your fan page with your company brand or image.

In order to get people to become a “fan” of your company, you need to drive them to your Facebook fan page. Therefore it is important to link your social media together. Create a button on your blog and company website, inviting visitors to become a Facebook fan. You want your fan page to be a fun place to visit. Create content and invite discussion and participation. Make your fan page a resource of information about your company and related products.

Another way you can entice users to join your fan page is by creating contests or coupons specifically for your Facebook fans. This could include discounts on products, free shipping, or other special deals. The goal is to get people to join your fan page and come back often. You need to give them a reason to participate. Encourage comments and input.

Creating a successful fan page takes planning, time and dedication. It’s not something you can set and forget.

Twitter

Twitter can be a very powerful business tool with over 17 million users, a large number of which are older professionals with high incomes. It is called micro-blogging because your “posts” are limited to 140 characters. But you can create an unlimited number of posts.

With Twitter you have access to immediate feedback from people all over the world, 24/7. When you need help, just ask for it. You’ll be surprised at the number of people who will answer your questions and offer assistance. This is also a great way to do market research.

Use Twitter to let people know who you are. Your tweets can include links to photos and video. Send links to helpful or interesting websites. Promote contests, specials, sales, new products, whatever. Inform people when you make a blog post. Direct people to visit your website. And don’t forget to create a unique Twitter backdrop with your company brand and information.

Coming soon to Twitter will be “Promoted Tweets”, a way of advertising on Twitter. And you will be able to pay for a Commercial Twitter account which gives a business detailed analytics tools and the ability for several people to post to the same Twitter account.

LinkedIn is a business social network with over 65 million professional business users with an average income of over $100,000 a year. If you’re selling to other businesses you’ll want to have a LinkedIn presence. It’s a great way to drive targeted traffic to your website and further build your social network by exchanging “information, ideas and opportunities”.

Building Buzz and Getting Noticed

The best way to get noticed is to remain consistent. That means you must post to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and write your blog posts on a regular basis. If you don’t, people will stop following you. That’s not good. Sign up with HootSuite and you can write one post and send it to any or all of your social media at one time.

The more followers, friends and fans you have, the more you’ll get. It’s kinda viral. People want to follow popular people. And when you give people what they want in terms of information, tips, discounts, promotions, contests, customer service, etc., they’ll keep coming back for more.

When you’re involved with social media marketing, you’re also a part of the exciting new world of mobile marketing. Facebook, Twitter and Blog news-feeds are a huge part of mobile phone apps. Even Apple has entered the arena with it’s new iAd concept coming to an iPhone or iPad near you. Imagine interactive mobile ads and videos that are graphic and enticing. Google already has a big presence in mobile text advertising. You don’t want to be left out of this new marketing frontier.

So that’s the essence of Social Media Marketing. It’s all part of Search Engine Optimization. The goal is to get people to your website or social media hub. This can also include being part of social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon, Delicious, Reddit, Digg; photo sites like Flickr; rich media sites like YouTube and Spoink and don’t forget MySpace.

For more information on how you can become a part of this exciting and powerful world of social media marketing contact Chuck at Creative Juices.

Advertising Blogging to promote business. Business Practices Helpful Hints Marketing 101 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Technology Website Design

18 Feb

Niche Blogging is Fun and Can be Profitable Too.

Does your pet have their own blog? It’s can be rewarding and you can make money through affiliate marketing and selling merchandise. You can also use it to market your own business. Why not?

I set up a blog for my Chihuahua using WordPress. It’s called AllMyChihuahuas.

If you want a unique WordPress template created for your little pet, give Creative Juices a call at 310.791.5803.

Business Practices Creative Juices News Marketing 101

07 Jan

Creative Juices 29th Anniversary

Today marks the 29th anniversary of Creative Juices. We have seen many changes in the graphic arts industry. We have lived through the days of typesetting, paste up, hand inking, negs and veloxes. Then came the Mac and desktop publishing. Remember Pagemaker? Then came e-mail, the World Wide Web, Quark, Adobe and AOL. Now we have Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and of course the iPhone.

As technology changes Creative Juices changes too. We have many new services, including designing WordPress templates, Twitter backdrops, search engine optimization, marketing and blog copywriting. Of course we still do logo designs, brochures, websites, ads and printing. Don’t forget we can also host your blog or website and set up your domain name. I am in the process of converting my website and blog into a WordPress format. I will be adding new and exciting features which I will soon introduce. Look for more updates here.

As always, we are dedicated to giving our clients personalized, one on one service and free advice on how to improve your business image and online presence.

Feel free to call any time or stop by and visit (appointment required). Lucy the Chihuahua is always eager to greet you. Keep up on her latest musings at AllMyChihuahuas.com.

I thank all my past, present and future clients for their patronage and friendship and look forward to working with you all again in 2010 and beyond.

Creative Juices News

11 Apr

How Terrific is Twitter?

I’m just starting to delve into Twitter so that means something newer is about to take it’s place. Well maybe not really. But sometimes it takes a while for new ideas to take hold of my consciousness.

Twitter has become THE place to go to market your business. There are scores of books on just how to do this as well as tons of info online. Twitter is the latest in micro-blogging. What are you doing now in 140 words or less. Of course you can keep adding 140 word entries until you run out of things to say.

As far as a business marketing tool, from what I’ve learned so far, Twitter is used as a form of socializing. People getting to know each other, cyberly speaking. Not so much as a place to sell products or services directly. You can direct people to your website, offer specials, contests, tips, links to articles, websites and more.

It seems everybody is following someone. Or thousands of someones. And it could be overwhelming. Just how much information do you need to know in a day? I personally am suffering from information overload.

I admit I’m addicted to my iPhone. I now follow people I don’t know on Twitter. I’ve set up a page on Facebook, MySpace, Linked In, Merchant Circle, Plaxo, Ning, Xing, and others I have forgotten about and have no time to add content to. I’ve got this blog using WordPress and have set up one on Google’s Blogger too.

I follow all the news I need to know on my iPhone too. There’s AP Mobile News, USA Today, Yahoo, NY Times, CNN, Easy News, and of course a ton of RSS feeds including the LA Times, E! Online, CBS, KFWB and many, many tech news feeds.

I’m also reading Twitter Revolution on my iPhone Kindle App, Twilight from Iceburg, Murder List on my Stanza App and real hardcover books Twitter Power and a Doris Day biography.

Plus I read the antiquated LA Times and local Daily Breeze on real newsprint.

Yikes. It’s a wonder I can’t sleep at night. There’s just too much information to process.

As I grow with Twitter and other social networking sites I will keep you informed. And if you are looking for something to fill up your time, why not follow me on Twitter! @cjuices

Advertising Blogging to promote business. Business Practices iPhone Marketing 101

11 Jan

Don't Panic… Market. Now.

Unemployment may be at 7%, but that just means a greater majority of people who want to work, are working.

Anyway, the point is that there are still employed people spending money. Sure a lot of people have cut back. But the best way for you to increase your sales is to let more people know what you do. What is your service? Where are you located? What do you do that’s better than anyone else? How can you help them?

If you don’t advertise or market your business in some way, no one will know you exist. Or worse, they’ll think you’ve gone out of business. And these days there’s a lot of that happening.

Update your website and let people know what is going on with you and how you can help them. Promote your brand. Keep your image at the top of people’s minds.

If you don’t already have a website, you’re missing out on one of the most cost effective ways to showcase your business or service.

If you do have a website and it’s out of date, you need to update. And fast. A tired, out of date website show’s you are not on top of your game. You may be perceived as irrelevant.

Remember, when you cut your marketing and advertising, you are essentially giving your competition a clear advantage. Is that really what you want to do?

Don’t forget to call Creative Juices if you need marketing and advertising advice. 310-791-5803. Did you know weekend appointments are now available?

Advertising Business Practices Marketing 101 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

03 Dec

How to survive the recession…

First thing, don’t panic. The economy may be tanking but your business doesn’t have to. Unless you let it.

Now is the time to market your business. Actually marketing your small business should never stop. The trick is to focus your marketing. Now more than ever you have to budget your money. To be successful you need to figure out what types of marketing to do, and then do it.

Direct mail pieces such as postcards, sales letters or brochures are a great way to reach your target market. Create your own mailing list. You can find dba’s in the newspaper for new businesses. Or you can look in the phone book (the old yellow one) or online. Send out a few each week.

E-mail blasts are great. And there’s no postage. Or printing costs. Add a form to your website to collect e-mail addresses from people who want to subscribe to whatever you have to say.

Don’t forget ads in local newspapers and throwaways. Ads need to be seen a multiple of times before people remember them and respond. Placing an ad once in a while will be a waste of time and money.

If you must cut costs, don’t skimp on your marketing. Just focus your efforts.

Advertising Business Practices Marketing 101

24 Nov

Now's the time to promote your business!

The economy really sucks. Big time. You need to save money and advertising your business seems like a good place to cut back.

Wrong. Just the opposite is true. Now is the time to do whatever you can to promote your business. You certainly don’t want people to forget about you. If you are advertising in a newspaper or magazine on a regular basis and suddenly disappear, people may think you’ve gone out of business.

I’ve been advertising my Creative Juices business in the Easy Reader for over 15 years. In my experience, people remember these little ads. They may not remember whether it was in the Easy Reader or the Beach Reporter, but they remember. Some have even clipped the ad and saved it for years until they finally needed my services.

So advertising does pay.

Other ways of getting new business are:

Updating (or creating) your website.
Add a link to your website for a newsletter.
Create a regular newsletter, kind of an eBlast (include useful info and perhaps a special offer).
Write a blog about your business.
Join a networking group (either in person or online).
Write an article about your business and submit it to a local paper.
Hire someone to do all of the above.

The bottom line is that you must always be visible to your potential customers. By not promoting your business you cease to exist.

Advertising Blogging to promote business. Business Practices Marketing 101

20 Nov

10 Reasons why you should use E-mail Marketing

E-mail marketing is relatively easy to create
The fundamentals of e-mail marketing are relevance, strategy and testing
Most recipients accept and even welcome targeted, opt-in e-mails
A survey from Jupiter Research says “60% of business decision makers prefer e-mail and the internet over other mediums for receiving marketing messages”
E-mail is cost-efficient for nurturing your existing leads
E-mails are personalized
Using an e-mail service comes with built-in tracking features with statistics on bounce rates, delivery and open rates, click-through analytics and more
Using e-mail is a quick and cost-effective way to test market your messages and offers
Sending an e-mail message before delivering direct mail pieces helps boost awareness
A great way to follow up on direct mail deliveries