How to Design a Brochure
Brochures come in many sizes and formats and can be used for
many things
- Programs - Graduation, Funerals, Church Services, School
Programs, Conventions, Family Reunions, Class Reunions
- Invitations - Parties, Weddings, Bridal Showers, Baby Showers
- Announcements - Birth, Graduation
- Menus - Restaurants, Parties, Daycare Centers, Cafeterias,
Conventions
When deciding on what type of brochure you desire to convey
your message consider:
- Paper size - letter, legal, or tabloid
- Paper type - 20 lb bond paper, 24 lb linen or laid paper,
or 60 lb offset
- Paper color - white or color
- Ink color - black, 1 color, 2 color, 3 color, full-color
- Fold type - parallel fold, tri-fold, z-fold
What kind of information goes on and inside a brochure?
- Front cover - Title page (i.e., your company name, program
title)
- Inside leaf - Contact information (i.e., address, phone,
fax, e-mail, web address, hours of operation, mission statement)
- What is your message? Think of at least 4 bullet points to
highlight in your brochure
- It is a good idea for businesses to spotlight their vision,
products and services, and programs
- Content for programs should include: schedule of events,
contact information, guest speakers
A Closer Look at the Types of Brochure
by Charmaine Joy Caro
Brochures are very common in the marketing world. In fact there
are so many commercial printers that cater brochure printing for
everyone. There are also different software tools available to
help you make unique brochure designs. But for you to end up with
the best brochure you need to be familiar with the various factors
that affect its total marketing impact.
Keep in mind that brochure
printing should be done with great attention to detail. Everything
should be taken into consideration. Brochures exist to help shoppers
come up with a smart decision in buying products. For this reason,
brochures should be created based on what you need. This is very
important to be able to turn prospects into regular customers.
Think about what type of brochure you need. There are several
brochure types that you must take into account to arrive at the
right type that will comply with your business. Specifically these
refer to the following:
1. Point-of-Sale Brochures. This type of brochures is
the ones that you usually see at the bank. If you’re thinking
on making a point-of-sale brochure, you should come up with an
attention-grabbing headline and images as well. Remember this
brochure is designed to draw the attention of the customers and
persuade them to keep it.
2. Leave-behinds. This brochure type refers to the brochures
or pamphlets that you hand out to customers. When you’re
planning to produce leave-behinds you should keep in mind to compose
a detailed description of the products that offer along with their
specific benefits. Your aim here is to make a brochure that will
stay forever in the minds of the customers.
3. Sales Support Tool. This type of brochure is comparable
with the leave-behinds. The difference only lies in the fact that
this can be utilized for selling. Brochures of this sort also
serve as a guide for salesmen when increasing their sales. Mainly,
the brochures are composed of large pictures, pages and headlines.
4. Respond to Inquiries. This brochure is what most
marketers give out to customers who are interested in buying your
products and services. This is intended for buyers who would like
to make a purchase of what you’re offering. It’s important
that the brochure is loaded with facts to entice the customers
to buy your products.
5. Direct Mail. This classification of brochure is the
one that you can include to your direct mail marketing plan. Brochures
used in direct mailing are composed of photos of your products
along with your selling points.
Being familiar with all these type of brochure, you can discover
which brochure will make you stand out. When you have identified
what you want, it’s time to dwell on what brochure printing
service you will use.
Charmaine Joy Caro developed her passion for writing when she
joined essay writing contests during her elementary years. Her
writing skills were made even more improved when she took up the
course Bachelor of Arts Major in English. Charmaine Joy Caro may
be contacted at
Brochure Price List
(20% off online discount excludes $20 standard typesetting
charge and additional ink colors)
Type
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Quantity
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500 |
1000 |
2000 |
3000 |
| 20 lb white, letter |
$84 (reg. price $100) |
$104 (reg. price $125) |
$169.60 (reg. price $207) |
$235.20 (reg. price $289) |
| 20 lb white, legal |
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| 24 lb linen/laid, letter |
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| 60 lb offset white, letter |
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| 60 lb offset white, legal |
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| 60 lb offset color, letter |
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| 60 lb offset color, legal |
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| Single ink color, each |
add $15 ea |
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| Gold ink color |
add $20 |
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| Up to 30 lines of text |
no charge |
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| Additional lines over 30 |
$.75 each addt'l line |
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Order NOW!
How to Accomplish Brochure Printing With No Trouble
by Charmaine Joy Caro
A brochure has done a great deal of good things to a company.
Specifically it can improve the sales of a certain business. But
most of the time brochures go straight into the trash can. Why?
It’s because some brochures only speak of the company. It’s
focused much on the company without knowing that the purpose of
marketing which is to entice customers is being neglected already.
This is the reality which most marketers tend to overlook.
You see brochures should be directed at the customers and not
for the company itself.
If you want to avoid the chance of getting your brochures into
the garbage can, you must observe the following brochure
printing pointers:
Who? When making a brochure, ask yourself to whom are you giving
away your brochure? It’s very critical to know your target
audience. Think of a very effective way on how you will keep in
touch with them. Determine what it is that catches their eye.
What? Determine what your purpose is in creating a brochure.
If it will be used as your main tool in marketing your business,
then, it’s vital that you print them in the highest quality
printing process as much as possible. Also consider what will
be the meat of your brochure. Will you put some general details
in it or are you just going to let it sell your products and services?
You see knowing the purpose of your brochure is important in creating
its design and text.
Why? To come up with the right brochure design, you must take
into consideration why you’re making a brochure and what
do you expect to get from it. If you don’t have any design
yet for your project, you can check out some brochures available
in the internet or those sales materials of your competitors.
Analyze them and get some design ideas that you can apply to your
own brochure design layout.
You can also get some samples of the brochures made by other
companies. Pattern your brochures from them. Know how they communicate
their message to the prospective customers.
How? To be able to attract the most attention from your prospects,
it is necessary that your brochures should tell the benefits that
prospective customers will get when they opt for your company.
Remember you’re in a business-oriented world. You must be
competitive to stay in the competition. It’s a must that
you communicate your marketing message well because the manner
by which you communicate can either influence them or push them
away.
Where? Brochure printing is a very critical task that can make
or break your marketing campaign. In view of that, you should
choose a printing company that will help you out in making your
brochures and accomplishing your projects on the dot. Several
companies offer brochure print services that can suit your taste.
Charmaine Joy Caro developed her passion for writing when she
joined essay writing contests during her elementary years. Her
writing skills were made even more improved when she took up the
course Bachelor of Arts Major in English. Charmaine Joy Caro may
be contacted at
2001-02 Business Marketing Guide
Tips on How to Market and Promote Your Business Effectively
Local Mission: To effectively spread general marketing
and business prowess to small business communities like Niceville,
Florida, located in the Florida Panhandle. Small business owners
are slow to embrace the full marketing and advertising capacities
of the World Wide Web, which offers vast potential for growth
and exposure.
Worldwide Vision: To educate all businesses, small or corporate,
in the ways of cost-effective marketing on the Internet with maximum
benefits and results for all businesses, either online or brick-and-mortar.
Targeted Marketing Promotions
In order for promotions to work, you
must define and identify your target audience. Focusing on the right customers and potential consumers
is the key to marketing
effectively on the Web. A carefully researched and well-thought
out marketing strategy is important. With millions of Web
sites on the Internet, what will make your company stand out?
How will consumers and potential clients find you? Better yet,
can you find them. Here's a quick test: can
you quickly identify your target market quickly without thought?
If not, sit back, get a pencil and pen and identify your key markets.
You cannot promote your business effectively
without knowing who you want to receive your marketing message.
Offline promotion of your business
is important. Use traditional marketing channels and media.
Incorporate your Website URL (web
address), phone number, mailing address, and fax numbers into
all of your printed and promotional materials. This increases
your penetration into your targeted market, as well as the general
population.
- Business
Cards are one of the most effective
marketing tools. Business cards are a very powerful, compact
way to get exposure for your company. They are versatile, affordable,
and portable. Business cards are a symbol of legitimacy, conveying
to business associates and potential customers your professionalism.
Business cards act as mini billboards that reflect your business
image. They have to have the right impact and convey the best
message. Extra business cards in your wallet, purse, or briefcase
increase your chances to spread the news about your business.
Distribute business cards to happy customers, place your business
card in classified sections of publications such as newspapers
and magazines, employ the help of your family by giving them
business cards to pass out to their friends and business associates,
pass cards out at parties, and exchange business cards with friends.
When you are at an appointment, leave your business cards at
a physicians's office, beauty salon, etc. Tack your business
cards on bulletin boards at schools, in your local grocery stores,
health clubs, libraries, and community bullentin boards. When
you send mail, enclose business cards, even in your bills. Effective
business cards are well-designed and include all pertinent contact
information. Over 90 percent of all business cards are thrown
away without a second glance. Professionally designed cards can
increase their effectiveness. An attractive, well-thought out
logo can "brand" your image.
- Brochures and other printed materials are high-impact ways to
increase your company's exposure. Use printing companies that
offer professional quality at lower prices. Flyers
offer an inexpensive way to jumpstart your marketing efforts
with a small or nonexistent budget. If well-designed, business
flyers are equivalent to your target market perusing a full-page
ad. A simple and to-the-point business flyer catches your prospective
customer's eye within the first few seconds. Colored copy paper
adds attention-grabbing opportunites and only costs slightly
more. Aggressively distribute your business flyers on car windshields,
under doors, on counters, bulletin boards and light poles. Get
youth groups to distribute door to door for you or exchange flyers
with other businesses.
- Letterhead
- Packaging Materials
- Postcards are
a cheap and effective way for prospective consumers to get your
marketing message without even opening an envelope.
- Surveys
- Trends
- Holidays
- Print Ads
- Magnetic Signs
- Bumper Stickers
- T-shirts
- Sales Letters
- Personalized Post-it Notes
- Direct Mail
- Premiums enhance brand awareness while increasing sales. Consumers
need a reason to buy your products or services. Premium promotions
reward them for trying your business. With premium promotions,
merchandise is used to get potential buyers to try out, purchase,
or remain loyal to your product brand or service. Value is added
to their purchase with premiums. Premiums can be packaged in,
on, or near a product brand, consumers can purchase items at
lower costs or mail in free offers which encourage brand recognition,
frequency programs give premiums to loyal customers by rewarding
them for repeat business, gift-with-purchase promotions encourage
consumers to make or increase their purchases at the point-of-sale,
and promotions with prizes
grab consumer attention and increased traffic into brick and
mortar stores, as well as online traffic. Premiums offer instantaneous,
tangible rewards to consumers. Gift-with-purchase premiums is
a popular marketing strategy because everyone wants something
for FREE. Frequency marketing attracts long-term customers.
- Promotional Gifts
with your company logo or message
imprinted on them, along with sound marketing strategies increase
brand awareness. Good items for promotional giveaways include
pens, glassware, calendars, desk accessories, clocks, watches,
magnets, housewares, tools, personal products, and games.
- Contests
and Sweepstakes. Build your online
audience with effective promotions.Web surfers are drawn to incentive
sites.
- Coupons and Rebates promote
customer loyalty and sale increases by repeat buying.
- Banner Advertising
Effective Marketing Strategies
- Consistent,
affordable, long-term ads, especially
e-zine advertising can strategically increase your profits. Locate
e-zines that reach your target market, write and submit authoritative
articles to e-zines that showcase
you as an expert in your field, and consider publishing your
own e-zine. Most businesses fail because they run out of resources
to continue marketing. Spreading your money out over the long
haul is more cost-effective. Marketing requires a clear and consistent
message delivered to your target market over and over again.
It may take up to seven times before someone "gets the picture."
- Persistence, commitment, confidence, and
patience are attributes you need to
incorporate into your self-perception of your business ventures.
Most business ideas do not succeed on the first, second, or third
try.
- Premium pricing of
high quality products and services is more effective. Consumers
are more concerned with quality versus price.
- Product tie-ins to current events and
trends
- Personable, top-of-the line promotional
materials
- Fear of loss
- Become an
acknowledged expert in your field. Experts
are always in demand. Consumers want to buy from experts.Promote
your business free on newsgroups, be a guest speaker on talk
radio, write
articles and submit to e-zines. Start an e-mail newsletter
that can greatly increase your subscriber base and customer lists.
You can either write the content yourself, or employ
the professional writing services of companies that specialize
in ghost writing content for Web sites. Good articles with
high impact may even lead your readers to forward the e-mail
to friends and associates or print and save for later. Submit
articles you have written to other e-zines for free. This is
a great way to advertise without being pushy because your byline
with information about your company usually appears with it.
Articles receive more attention than ads because people are always
searching for information.
- Offer a vast arry of useful products and
services. "Sell wide, sell deep."
Offer lots of products and services with variations on the best-selling
products. Introduce a low-priced product, then upsell to more
expensive items later, when customers have grown to trust you
and willing to pay for advanced services.
- Approach projects from customers point-of-view.
Sometimes customers request things
you would have never considered that can turn into a very profitable
avenue for your business. Unexpected suggestions by customers
and prospects are a great way to tailor your services to your
target market's needs. Client-center your marketing by showcasing
the benefits that you offer. Headlines energize all aspects
of your marketing machine. Every marketing tool that you employ
needs a snazzy
headline. Headlines should include the benefits that you
offer to your consumers.
- Be confident about your business; don't
worry about the competition
- Customer response is better to illustrations
and photos of products and services being used versus standing
alone
- Place attention-grabbing images in upper
left corner of product catalogs and business catalogs.
- Focus on smaller markets with less competition.
A tighter focus will help you stand
out in the crowd. Narrow and define your target market into the
perfect niche that complements your business objectives.
- Professional Web design. Good Web design with attention-grabbing headlines
that convey your marketing message to your target market, carefully
arranged Web pages that maximize sales, and forms that gather
e-mail responses from your visitors are important to your online
presence. If your Web site isn't receiving the attention you
believe it deserves, consider
having a professional writer rewrite your copy more persuasively
and creatively.
Marketing Research Tips
Public Relations and Customer
Service
- Customer service functions are perfect
for the Web. It is easier for consumers
to navigate a catalog on a Web site for specific questions about
the types of products sold. A step-by-step visual tutorial or
product demonstrations are the pefect avenue to feature your
products and services. Customers can track their orders. Business
owners can implement return policies via their Web site and offer
dynamically-generated interactive databases where customers can
automatically get answers to questions.
- Mail "Happy Birthday" cards to customers
- Test marketing and product ideas by phone
with minimal cost
- Know your customers and their demographics.
When customers fill out a personal
profile via your Web site, you gain all types of useful information
that can be used to increase your effective marketing strategies.
Remember to be respectful of consumer privacy.
- Contact the media
with press-releases
- Mail "Thank-You" cards to customers, clients,
and associates
- Ask
for customer feedback. Be proactive. Listen!
- Cater to customers with disabilities,
a big market that is being slighted
- Track special request and needs from customers
and clients
- Have 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days
a year customer-oriented service. Train
staff on ways to effectively respond to consumers in a timely
manner. Failure to respond to e-mail messages or requests for
information can alienate potential customers and clients. Customer
relationships must be nurtured once established. From the moment
a consumer shows interest in your business, the sale cycle begins.
Follow-throughon delivery and ongoing support. Be efficient and
encourage impeccable professionalism and customer service by
your employees.
- Collaborate with other businesses, small
and corporate. Co-marketing and brand-building
are paramount to business success. The Internet connects your
business to a world wide network of businesses - Capitalize on
it! The Internet offers the perfect opportunity for small
businesses with limited resources to place their company strategically
among the best. Strategic banner advertising on popular,
high traffic sites can increase customer perception of your business.
Reciprocal linking with other businesses is a good way to increase
your company's exposure on the Web.
- Increase credibility by business and personal
associations with well-known groups and/or organizations. Supportng charities is a great way to promote your
business while providing community service. Donation of a small
percentage of your business sales is a positive way to encourage
non-profit organizations into promoting the use of your business
products and services. An added incentive is that your name will
be placed on their promotional materials. Provide
them with a logo, short ad copy, and flyers to promote your business.
Form valuable contacts wth business, political, and community
leaders who are also involved with charities.
- Distribute
business cards to associates
- Have business cards printed for all employees
- Host a business social and demonstration.
- Ask friends and family to critique your
business with fresh views and opinions
- Glean information from suppliers and vendors
about your competition
- Attend trade conventions
- Start affiliate programs and reward other Web sites commission for bringing
your business traffic and increased sales.
Online Employee Training and
Recruiting Tips
- Recruiting. Your
business Web site offers an avenue for recruiting new employees
via a job opportunities board.
- Bulletin Boards. Password-protected
areas of your Web site can be used to disseminate employee benefit
information, such as sick leave, 401K retirement plans, health
insurance, annual vacation leave days; and company announcements
and reports.
- Internal communications. Processing expense reports via an online system can
increase the productivity and effectiveness of your business.
- Training. Posting
reports, lectures, books, and instruction manuals, as well as
graphics, audio, and video slides, give employees the ability
to learn at their own pace. Business owners save money because
you don't have to book big conference rooms for meetings or employee
orientation.
- Corporate stores save
employees time and money because they can run basic errands between
working hours, such as breaks or lunches. Corporate stores stock
logoed wearables and convenience items. Upper management can
gauge employee morale by the volume of logoed merchandise purchased.
E-Commerce
- E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods electronically.
The Internet offers an open, global
electronic cybermarketplace. Choosing to implement all or partial
elements of e-commerce technology requires good planning and
thought. Who will build your site? How will you promote
it once it is online? Have you mapped out a fool-proof online
security plan and ironed out legal questions? Can you provide
efficient, close-to-perfect online customer service? With an
online storefront you can operate 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, 365 days a year, worldwide, which can open up new markets
you would not have been able to reach with a local audience.
- Don't believe the hype! E-commerce is
not equivalent to instant money. The
same tried and true marketing techniques businesses use for brick
and mortar companies applies to the Internet. The "if I
build it, they will come" marketing
strategy is false. Visability will make or break a business
no matter whether it is a virtual store or physical store. Business
owners and investors are drawn to e-commerce because of the vast
potential for customers at low cost. Customer relations are important
at every aspect of e-commerce. First-time visitors can become
faithful buyers with the right sales and customer service strategies.
Easily identifiable
products and services are ideal for e-commerce business ventures.
Familiar, uncomplicated products that customers do not have to
try on or try out are ripe for online buying. Effective online
marketing requires extensive planning and re-evaluating sales
and business objectives. For small
business owners, cybermalls offer a cost-effective way to
enter the online business arena without full committment of all
your time and resources.
- Effective Web design
is a must to make your business Web site stand above the millions
of other business and personal Web sites. Many business owners
question the validity of operating a business on the Web. For
many, they dish out hundreds to thousands of dollars each month
to maintain a Web site and are not noticing the benefits or reaping
the rewards. But they experience a sense of "Catch 22."
Without a business Web site, they are relegated to a lesser status.
Today's market is very competitive. Business owner have to remain
innovative to stay among the cream of the crop.
- Internet
marketing an online store or company goes beyond the ability to sell goods
and services on the Web, and accepting credit cards over a secure
server. This direct-channel point of sale is the perfect business
opportunity to increase profits, because it is one more avenue
and distribution channel for business owners to operate from.
E-commerce is basically an upgraded form of telephone selling,
without having to hire telemarketers and phone clerks. Basic
marketing strategies and sound business plans and principles
are even more important in the online business arena. The structure
of your business model can either break you or make you.
- From a business point-of-view, transforming
your company Web site from static pages to interactive
customer-oriented service centers can drastically increase
your profits. E-commerce and Internet marketing offer a wealth
of technological advances and applications directly related to
business. A virtual business can expand and contract with the
growth of your company; and, it can interact closely with your
customers and clients through order processing, tracking, customer
service, and training. Online spending is at an all-time high,
despite market trends showing otherwise. Acceptance of the Internet
by the masses is prevalent.
- Maintaing an easy-to-find, clear privacy
policy is the #1 priority for businesses operating on
the Web. You have to earn customers' trust. E-commerce offers
ideal access to your target markets.
You gain the ability to collect information about your consumers,
which better enhances your ability to market your products more
effectively to them. You can forge e-mail communications, track
satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and gain feedback.
- Small businesses
have equal access to their share of the Internet profit pie.
75% of Internet businesses are small
businesses. Versatile small internet businesses can easily adapt
to a changing economy instantly. They do not have to worry about
huge inventories, retraining a huge amount of employees, or breaking
a lease.
Relationship Marketing
Strategies
- The Internet offers businesses two major
advantages over traditional media: target marketing and relationship-building.
Although traditional forms of mass
marketing, i.e. print and broadcast, still are more prevalent
than the Internet, the Web offers a greater potential to target
consumers, without the usual hit-and-miss of newspaper and magazine
demographics and with a less expensive investment of business
funds. Voluntary submissions of consumer e-mail addresses are
an easy, spam-free way to communicate with your target market.
- Effective sales and marketing strategies
take priority over high glitz and glamour. Your
Web site design should be styled in a way that your target audience
will develop an interest in returning periodically, preferably
when they are in a buying mood. Be clear on what you can offer
your target market. Tell them why they should visit your Web
site over your competitors.
- Static sites that act only as electronic
brochures, product catalogs, and organization histories are out-dated. Dynamic sites that require interaction with consumers
offer an economical way to build a consumer and visitor database.
What other medium offers you the perfect way to communicate with
people directly interested in your products and services, who
voluntarily give you information about themselves and buying
habits? Interactive sites are an innovative way to build your
consumer database. Surfers will provide e-mail and home addresses
without a second thought, in exchange for the ability to ask
questions, play games, socialize in chat rooms, and redeem incentive
offers.
- Content
is King - people access the Internet for three reasons: as
a source of information, online shopping, and entertainment.
Surfers of the Internet can find what
they want, when they want with the advent of the Internet. Develop
your Web site content into pages potential consumers and clients
will want to visit and re-visit repeatedly. Offer useful, timely,
and objective information about your products and services, as
well as up-to-date related information on closely related topics.
- Launch your business worldwide. The web expands your business into the four corners
of the word. You can conquer your particular target market.
Online Promotional Tips
Advertising
- Traditional Advertising is still important for online business ventures. Corporate
Web sites employ print, TV, and radio to maximize their exposure
with minimal effort. A
small print ad and short commercial can have great results.
Inclusion of your Web site address with speical offers is one
avenue. Commercials can convey your marketing message quickly.
Once the consumer visits your site, they can tap into the details
of your business. Traditional formats already have an established,
loyal audience. Print Ads in daily newspapers can become
very costly. Small, cheaper ads in Sunday
issues can increase marketing productivity. Contact media
and public relations departments of media you are interested
in advertising with and ask for a rate card. Broadcast Advertising
with radio is an inexpensive way to target specific age groups
and lifestyles. Cable television is a low-cost alternative that
gives you access to a wide audience; rates are similar to radio
advertising.
- Banner Advertising on the Web.
- Yellow Pages
- Internet Classifieds are a low-cost way to reach your target audience.
- E-zine Advertising
Web Site Traffic-Building Strategies
- Content is
King. Good
Web site design increases repeat visitors. Choose a target audience
and capitalize on its interests. Engage consumers when they are
in an information-seeking mode, so that when they are in a buying
mode your business Web site will be at the forefront of their
memories. Web surfers go online for free information. Post articles
on your site to feed their hunger for instant information. The
most common reason for failed Web sites is that no one visits
their site. A working plan is required to drive traffic to your
business Web site. Good Web site design includes conveying in
a clear and concise way what
your site is about. Your ordering infomation must be easily
recognized and comments from satisfied customers can peek potential
consumer interest.
- Search engine Web site Positioning. Search engine positioning results have long-term results
because when someone enters your site from one of them, they
are a valuable potential customer, versus someone who simply
surfed to your site. Register with the top 20 search engines
and directories first, these include Google, MSN, Altavista,
Go, Excite, Lycos, HotBot, GoTo, Iwon, and Northern Light. When
consumers search by subject on a category they are interested
in, through effective Web site design, your business should appear
in the top 20 searches. If not, consumers might not ever notice
your business. They will only scroll the first couple pages of
a search results page before moving on to the next big thing
on their Web surfing agenda. Get listed in directories and speciality
search engines. Trade strategic reciprocal links with other Web
sites. Prominant search engine listings are a must for a vital
Web site. Search engines make up over 70 percent of Web traffic.
Search engine optimization requires a skill and web-savvy. If
you are not successful in this endeavor, consider
outsourcing. Search engines rank sites based on certain criteria:
the Web page title, actual words on the Web page, the Web page
URL, and Meta-tags. Even after successful ranking, your
placement can be affected by new listings and various ranking
formulas within one search engine. It is important to keep track
of the rise and fall of your rankings, so you accomodate your
pages accordingly.
- Advertise.
Drive traffic to your site with
minimal cost by employing banner advertising campaigns on the
most popular sites. In all your business endeavors, including
offline ventures, promote your Web site
address. Put your URL on letterhead, business cards, checks,
and e-mail signature files.
- E-mail. Opt-in
e-mail lists are a spam-free way to reach your target audience
and build Web site traffic instantly. Search engine listings
produce a steady flow of traffic over time. For short term solutions,
e-mail promotions can greatly increase your traffic significantly.
The most effective e-mail promotions are targeted to well-defined
markets and focus groups. The best way to collect e-mail addresses
is through everyday online business practices. Existing web visitors
make qualified prospective buyers. There is power in e-mail.
Artful use of autoresponders deliver your marketing message each
time someone e-mails you, plus allow you to automatically respond
to all e-mails. Information via autoresponders is welcomed if
it includes information valuable to the potential customer. Use
your own domain name e-mail, so that each time you send out e-mail,
or pass it out on busines cards and other promotional materials,
you are advertising your Web site address for FREE. (i.e., info@dvercity.com )
- Promotions. Build
your online audience. Send press releases to the media
who can increase your press coverage at no cost to you, but the
price of having a press release drafted. Increase the number
of visitors to your Web site and you will notice an increase
in sales.
- Newsgroups and e-mail discussion lists. Become a valued contributor to discussions and an
expert in your area by providing genuine information of value
to those who ask. This good relationship can lead to positive
word-of-mouth interest in your company. Don't overtly promote
your business, leave that to your Web site. The key is in getting
traffic to your business - good Web design should do the rest.
Media and Public Relations Tips
- Press Releases distributed
to news professionals, Web sites, and newsgroups offer greater
exposure of your business. Web site traffic will increase and
email inquiries will skyrocket. Target newspapers, magazines,
radio and television stations, and news wires. Press releases
are an effective way to announce a new Web site, recent awards,
introduce new products, and promote
an event. A well-written, professional press release can
stimulate business in a positive way. Factors that contribute
to an effective press release include timeliness and newsworthiness.
Publicity is the most cost-effectve marketing tools, plus it
builds credibility. Consumers are not interested in overblown
hype. As "readers", they will put their trust in reviewers,
columnists, reporters, and broadcasters. Press releases influence
media heavy hitters into covering your company.
- Position yourself
as an expert in your field. Radio
stations will be glad to have you on as a guest speaker and the
media will love you, and guess what? That's free publicity.
Direct Mail
Basic Internet Tips
Tips on How to Start
a Business and Finance Start-up
