Category Advertising Tips

Jun 26 2016

More Brains Than Budget? Steal These $0 Marketing Strategies.

Ten years ago, Chris Dingman launched his company on the flimsiest of grounds. It’s called The Dingman Group, and it relocates professional athletes — so, say, if a guy is traded from the Miami Heat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, The Dingman Group would arrange to sell the house in Miami, pack it up, move the stuff and find a new home in Cleveland. It’s a clever, one-of-a-kind service, but there was a hitch: The “Group” was just Dingman, and he had no experience in real estate or professional sports. Also, he was damn near broke — and it took him almost a year and a half to find his first client. “It was gnarly,” he says. “No matter how much you’re struggling as an entrepreneur, you have to put a face on.”

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Nov 17 2015

Why the Bloomingdale’s Ad Was an Inexcusable Marketing Mistake

In a recent Christmas advertisement, Bloomingdale’s startled the world and sparked a slew of complaints on social media.

A woman is laughing, with her head tossed back at a holiday party. The man on her right, however, is strategizing, and even has a creepy look on his face. The caption?

“Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking.”

As a direct-response marketing copywriter, my first response was, “Who the HECK allowed this to be green-lighted?” Any project of this size has to go through four to six people to even go to print. So I’m wondering where the managers were on this case. I’m wondering where anyone was.

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Oct 6 2015

6 Things First-Time Entrepreneurs Need to Do Next

stepSo, you had a great idea that you managed to turn into a business. You have a few partners-in-crime, your product has launched and maybe you even raised some money. But now what?

If you are starting your first business, you may feel a little lost when it comes to maintaining your personal drive and helping your company gain momentum. Here are six lifesaving tips to give you some direction and inspire you to move your big dream forward.

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Apr 7 2011

Four Tips for Raising Your Google Rank

A rundown of need-to-know basics for improving search-engine results.

To increase your visibility and authority on the web, you need some knowledge of Google rankings. Learning how Google’s ranking system works can help you make important changes that can move your website up the ranking ladder. What follows is a quick primer on need-to-know basics for improving your site’s                                                                                              Google ranking. Continue reading →

Apr 7 2011

Do’s and Don’ts of Securing a Domain Name

Consider these six tips from small-business owners and experts before deciding on a website name.

Navigating the world of domain names can be a daunting task if you’re not up to speed on how to get one. With countless caveats and hosting companies out there, it’s easy to be overwhelmed or worse, make a mistake that could ultimately cripple your business.

Consider these do’s and don’ts from small-business owners and experts to help secure your company’s domain name.

Do: Include a location or keywords in your domain name, if you can.

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Mar 15 2011

Smart Marketing Without Added Expense

Although many business owners are still hesitant to move away from snail mail or the phone for marketing, others are rapidly discovering that e-mail marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate sales. Research conducted in 2009 by the Direct Marketing Assn. found that e-mail outperforms all other forms of direct marketing. If you’re new to e-mail marketing or want to crank it up a notch, here are three tips to help you build and grow your e-mail marketing list without having to look for additional budget.

1. Leverage the marketing programs you already have in place. No one can opt in if they don’t know you have valuable information to share, so don’t forget to:

• Include a line in your e-mail that links to the sign-up page on your website.

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Mar 11 2011

10 Business Investments to Make Now

Business owners reveal the expenditures that paid off — big-time.

Salaries, technology, supplies. Every day, you spend money and time on yourbusiness. But do you know which investments are giving you the most bang for your buck?

Taking a close look at what is actually helping your business grow and generate revenue can help you make wiser decisions that pay off for your company.

Here are 10 of the top investments in which business owners can get the best return for their money.

Feb 25 2011

Ten Inexpensive Ways to market your website

People sometimes really miss the boat on simple ways to market their web site. Your URL IS part of your company and should be incorporated into ANY marketing you may do. I have a client with a retail store who proudly showed off his new T-shirts to me one day. To my dismay, no URL was present anywhere on the shirts. It doesn’t cost much to add a URL to anything that you currently use to market your business, but some of these you may have forgotten all about. The tips below are CHEAP and EASY ways to get traffic to your site.

1. T-shirts/Uniforms/Clothing

URLs don’t occupy much space. A lot of companies put it under the logo or even on the back under the collar in small letters. Try a cap with just the URL; maybe even as a giveaway.

2. Stationary

Do you have your URL on business cards, letterhead, invoices, bills, and checks? Print that URL on anything that you would put your phone number on. It doesn’t usually cost anything additional, and it will put your name in front of thousands. Ever think of putting your URL on your cash register receipt? It’s probably quite easy to do. The GAP even goes as far as to put there URL on the cash register display. (see Silicon Alley Reporter Magazine, issue #25, p70)

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