My Marketing tips

Archive for August, 2009

Your Business Card Can Make You Rich!

Your business card can bring you more leads more clients and more richesbut only IF you know how to leverage its full potential. The humble business card has got to be the most underutilized marketing tool of allyet it has the power to churn out riches into your bank account like a turbocharged cashflow machine.

When Im at a networking event Im amazed that only 5 of the business cards I see are truly effective. The rest miss the markbadly. First off I invite you to rethink the function of your business card

Dont think of your business card as an ugly functional parking lot for your name and address. Think of your business card as an elegant invitation to a fantastic party youre having. You want lots of people to come and enjoy the fun. With this mindset here are five keys to leverage the full power of your business card.

1. Put a Call to Action on Your Business Card

When someone hands me their business card the first thing I do is flip it over. Im usually shocked. 95 of the time I see the same massive mistake being madethe back of the card is blank! Or worse it has a small advertisement for the printing company which indicates the person didnt want to spend the 10.00 to remove the printers logo.

Use the back of your business card to present an irresistible offer and reason why someone should go to your website or contact you again. Offer them a free special report eCourse or audio with information your target market most wants. The 1 purpose of your business card should be to invite them to take the next step in your sales process.

2. Make It Easy To Write On Your Business Card

I like to make the front of my card glossy and the back flat. This way I can write a personal note on the back where my call to action is. This personalizes the invitation and helps people remember you out of all the business cards they already have stuffed in their pockets.

3. Put a Photo of You On Your Business Card

Get a professional headshot and make it big on your card. You know what its like having a stack of cards and not remembering whos who. But when your beautiful face is front and center people will remember you.

4. Make Your Business Card Simple

Another big mistake I see is cramming too much info on your card. Your business card isnt there to sell peopleits there to guide people to take one simple step your call to action. Dont confuse people by giving them more than one website to visit. If you give a dog two bones they go crazy with confusion. When marketing your business give your prospects only one single action to take.

Avoid odd size and shape business cards it becomes a burden for the person carrying it.

5. Make Your Business Card Easy on the Eye

Your card also needs to be visually appealing and easy on the eye. Avoid any graphic element that isnt essential in driving people your call to action.

Avoid handwriting fonts because they are hard to read. Also avoid super small print.

I use a graphic trick on the front of my business card thats literally as old as the Gutenberg Bible. Artists for the past 550 years know that the three most powerful colors in print are black white and red. The whole front of my card is black with white and red text. Its called a reversal. This way my name pops right out.

Also my headshot on the front is against a dark background and Im wearing a dark suit with a red shirt and tie again so my face pops right out. The back of my card is all white except for my call to action copy which is red and black. This style works for me. Your task is to find the right look and style that matches your brand.

I recommend you spend the extra money to get the best printing possible. You want your prospect to handle your business card and feel its weight and glossy front surface. It all adds to the positive perceived image you want to make.

The look and feel of your card is for one purpose onlyto make it easy for your potential client to take the call to action you indicate. Your business card is only step one of many its the invitation. You must decide what your sales process looks like for your business first and THEN create your business card to support the sales funnel that will makeyourich.

2008 James Roche

About the writer:  James Roche The Info Product Guy helps entrepreneurs create a marketing strategy and information products so they get more clients and generate passive revenue. He is the creator of the Info Marketing Action Plan iMap Program that shows you how to create a simple marketing plan for your business. To learn more about his simple stepbystep programs and receive a free Special Report go to: http://www.infoproductguy.com

Driving Customers To Your Website: Article Marketing For The Non-writer

If you know even the basics of internet marketing you in all probability already know the benefits of article marketing. You are most likely aware that by submitting your article to various article submission sites your articles may get high search engine rankings for certain keywords and you know that since these articles have a direct link to your site you improve your traffic. You also probably already know that overtime with frequent submissions you will gain multiple backlinks to your site thus improving your website’s search engine rankings. And most importantly you know that article marketing drives targeted traffic to your site. So if you already know all of this why aren’t you doing it?

Many entrepreneurs simply don’t have enough time to sit and write articles on a regular basis while others don’t feel the desire to write. Some business owners feel that they can’t effectively convey their message in writing because they don’t have the skill. Whatever your reasons they are quite frankly not good enough. The traffic that is gained by article marketing is the most valuable kind of traffic you can get. The individuals who read your article are people who have searched for the topic that you have written about and if they click your link they are interested in what you have to say or in a product or service you describe in your article. This is a qualified customer who is much more likely to buy from you than someone who randomly clicks on your link from another source.

So what can you do if you are one of those entrepreneurs that have the desire to write but lack the confidence? My first suggestion would be to try it. You never know you could unleash a hidden talent. Doing some research will help you to gain confidence in your abilities. Read books and articles on writing and on how to write articles that drive targeted traffic to your website. Of course not everyone can write effectively and if you discover you are in this category or if you have no time or no will to write you still don’t have to miss out on this opportunity. Consider hiring someone to write for you. Outsourcing will allow you to get your message out and gain the benefits of article marketing while saving you the effort of actually composing the article yourself. A ghostwriter will write articles for you allowing your name to appear as the author. The resource box will link back to your site and the ghostwriter’s name does not appear anywhere in the article. Since you are paying for the writer’s service these articles will belong to you not the writer so you can use and reuse them as you see fit.

Of course you are the expert in your field not the writer so it’s always most effective if you provide the points you want to make in the article and the way you want to convey your message. You can simply write a brief point by point synopsis of what you want included in your article and give that to the writer or provide him/her with a voice recording with your instructions. If you don’t even want to be this involved in the process you could also pay the writer to research the topic you would like to have written about and have the writer submit the articles to places online that your target market frequents. You can hire a professional Writer or a Virtual Assistant that offers ghostwriting services. Some Virtual Assistants also offer internet research services and many are knowledgeable about the best places to submit articles online.

Before hiring anyone to carry out your writing for you ask for samples of their work. You don’t want to hire someone to write articles in your name when their writing style does not suit your personality or if you simply don’t enjoy reading their work.

In short just about anyone can use article marketing to increase their search engine rankings and drive qualified traffic to their website. If writing is not your forte you don’t have to miss out on this opportunity. Hire someone to do your ghostwriting for you be they a professional Writer or a Virtual Assistant. Just be sure that you are hiring the right person for the job and that you have them writing articles on the topics that your target market would read. Not being a writer shouldn’t prevent you from taking advantage of opportunities to drive countless potential customers to your site.

About the writer:  Kelly Sims is a Virtual Assistant and President of Virtually There VA Services. To find out more about virtual assistance and how using a Virtual Assistant can simplify your life visit her website at => http://www.virtuallythereva.com . While you are there don

Tennis : Mauresmo Conquers Nerves

PARIS: Frances Amelie Mauresmo finally shed her chokers tag as she claimed her first Grand Slam titles in 2006 but it was battling Belgian Justine HeninHardenne who stole the show ending the season as world number one.

The two players met in three major finals during the season.

And 27yearold Mauresmo so often condemned for big occasion meltdowns opened her season with a first Grand Slam at the Australian Open seven years after reaching her only previous major final in Melbourne.

Doubts remained however about her ability to win when it counts after her victory came when 24yearold HeninHardenne retired through gastrointestinal illness when 61 20 down.

An early exit followed once again at her home tournament in Roland Garros.

But Mauresmo had her chance to hit that winning point in Wimbledon just weeks later when she became the first Frenchwoman to lift the womens singles title since Suzanne Lenglen 81 years ago.

I dont want anybody to talk about my nerves any more said Mauresmo after her 26 63 64 win over HeninHardenne.

But while Mauresmo had the best season of her career winning four titles and holding the world number one ranking for most of the year HeninHardenne came in at the death to take the number one slot.

True to her battling image the Belgian came back from an injuryplagued season to win six titles bringing her total to 29.

She reached the final of all four Grand Slams to become the seventh player in the Open Era to achieve the feat and the first since Martina Hingis in 1997.

She won her third French Open title but lost the US Open to Russian Maria Sharapova.

And after missing the past two editions of the WTA Championships because of injury she won that title for the first time beating Mauresmo 64 63.

The hardship of the past year has only made her appreciate the number one ranking even more than when she first took it in 2003.

Its the best season of my career admitted HeninHardenne whose retirement with a knee injury in the doubles of the Fed Cup at home Charleroi in September had handed the title to Italy.

Ive had an exceptional season and I think that yes I deserve this.

I was the most consistent player. Of the 13 tournaments I competed in this year I reached the final in ten. And its not easy to reach the finals of four Grand Slams. I feel really proud to have been so solid.

Ninteenyearold Sharapova meanwhile proved the most consistent of the Russian contingent who made their breakthrough in 2004 by winning three of the four Grand Slam titles.

The Russian revolution has however run out of steam since then but Sharapova added to her collection beating HeninHardenne to win the US Open two years after winning Wimbledon.

Her defeat to the Belgian in the WTA Championship meant she missed the chance to end the season as the world number one.

But having matched her best season in winning five titles including a Grand Slam and having doubled her career prize money Sharapova was pleased.

Not being number one is not really a disappointment said the number two ranked Russian after the WTA meet.

Ive had a fantastic year. Im really pleased with the way I played these last few weeks. I hope to continue like that in 2007.

Meanwhile US veteran Martina Navratilova once again bid farewell to the circuit after winning a 59th Grand Slam title the US Open mixed doubles with Bob Bryan just a month before turning 50.

Her countrywomen had however one of their worst seasons in tennis history as they failed to reach the semifinals of any of the Grand Slams.

And for the first time since rankings began there is no US woman in the seasonending top ten.

To add to the gloom their highestranked player Lindsay Davenport the world number 25 announced that she is to hang up her racket as she is expecting her first child.

As Davenport bows out and Belgiums former US Open champion Kim Clijsters says she is ready to retire at the end of next season former world number one Hingis rediscovered her killer instinct four years after she was forced to quit the game because of foot and ankle injuries.

The fivetime Grand Slam winner returned to win titles in Rome and Kolkata bringing her total to 42 and finishing the year as world number seven.

Published On:http://www.americansportsblog.com : American Popular Sports News and Tournaments

Courtesy:http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2006/12/22/sports/16390368sec=sports

About the writer:  I am a SEO Analyst working with A1 Internet Design.