marketing methods

Marketing products and services is not an easy job anymore. At one time, selecting marketing as your career goal was a popular choice, but these days, it's a tough job and only the ones who are really good at it will get the results they want. The tactics have changed and now there is a greater emphasis on using tactics such as guerilla marketing giveaways which have both the impact of newness and winning something for the viewer. While you would assume they would work well only with a certain set of items, this is a popular tactic even with high end brands, where the clientele is at the cutting edge of seeing and hearing new things all the time. Making an impact on such a customer base is not easy, since it must be new, it must be unique and it must create a buzz, and that's exactly what these campaigns do.

Creative niches

I came across an interesting concept this morning. A networking and dating site specifically for artists. Now that is getting really segmented and niche, but it makes sense. Why waste time networking on a general site where you really have to hunt to find people with similar interests? It just makes sense to have a specific site like this. The Whole9 was created to give a meeting ground for all creative souls, a place where they could interact with other artists, promote their work, collaborate on projects and much more. The Whole9 differentiates itself by being a hip and upscale boutique style dating site for creative people rather than a generic run of the mill meeting ground. Users are able to create a space to display their art work and connect with other artists, giving them a new place to display their talents.

Last chance emails for event registrations

As we rely more on the web for business and recreational activities, the ways to connect are increasingly becoming more streamlined. Take registration forms for example, they used to be cumbersome and complicated at one time, but as newer systems are being created these processes are becoming not only simpler but also better managed. I find that when I'm interesting in registering for an online event which has a registration process that is too long or asks too many details, I just lose interest.

The main things I look for when registering for events on the Internet, is that the process is quick and that I receive a confirmation letter immediately, giving me all the details of the event, such as the date, time, cost due or cost paid etc. I also like having a 'remind me' option which sends an email reminding you of the event a day earlier.

A new feature on registering for events is being offered by Regonline who specializes in event organization software, that consumers who do not complete the registration process, can still be sent a sort of a 'last chance' email with special promotional deals such as price discounts or specialized customer service help. I'm not so sure I would like to receive one of these though. If I haven't completed the form, it means that I have changed my mind. Although, price is a factor is a lot of these decisions and if a discount was offered, it could tilt the balance. I think overall registration could be increased from 15-25% by sending such a letter out.

looking for sales jobs?

Since I write quite a bit on retail on another blog, I get a lot of inquiries about finding sales jobs. While I don't run any kind of business myself on this front, I am really getting inundated with inquiries for jobs, franchising offers and supplier queries. A lot of people are not getting the point of blogging or differentiating it from news sites or company websites. Clarifying the matter hasn't made any difference at all and the queries still continue. Oh well!

The marketing behind the product

I constantly am amazed at how much difference there is in the way the different products are marketed by companies. Since electronics are deemed to be a masculine area, these ads are always edgy and manly, while for things like bedroom sets, the format is usually more feminine. That is how the marketing and consumer worlds function, but what I find interesting is that they almost have a sort of sociology undercurrent going on. Interestingly, more and more companies are realizing this bias and changing the way they make their ads, and focusing some of their ads more towards women.

Don't you just love funny t-shirts?

One of my earliest assignments for my marketing class was a really fun write-up on funny t-shirts on campus. I got myself a nice spot where I could watch people and read their t-shirts and try and figure out why they were wearing it; was it something they loved or were they making fun of it and how many people were wearing similar t-shirts, such as fraternity based funny t-shirts or those affiliated with some other club or bar etc. As consumers go, there is no other group of individuals who love wearing something written on their t-shirts than college students. They are willing to try out a variety of trends as long as it fits in their budget, which is the primary deciding factor.

the official age for anti-wrinke creams

Last month I did a lot of reading and one of the books I read was about three young working girls who have come to the big city to work, earn some money and find someone to love. What was so interesting is that the main character states that 28 is the official age of women that marketers target anti-wrinkle creams. I found that very interesting since a lot of women buy wrinkle cream based on advertisements in fashion magazines as well as based on their friends and colleagues usage of these creams. This is a new trend, of marketing these products at such a young audience and it seems to be working out quite well.

Marketing to niche segments

The market for niche products is really picking up and pretty much anything targeted at kids such as kids curtains or bedding easily becomes a hit if marketed right. Most marketers are experts at marketing products and services to children and the kind of marketing campaigns and advertisements is getting really interesting. I love watching new advertisements that are kids centric as it a a great commentary of sorts of the way kids are today.

Google launches low cost search tool

Google announced that it will be introducing a low cost search tool for small and medium businesses which will cost only $100 a year. The new service will be called Google Customer Search Business Edition and will allow users to search up to 5,000 webpages; while for access to 50,000 webpages the price will be $500. The service takes just 10 minutes to set up and is easy to follow even for those who are not tech savvy. The company had introduced a customized search service late last year which sent ads along with search results. The new system has the ability to turn off the ads and also has a search box that matches the look of the site for improved results.

“Millions of businesses have a web presence but offer users no ability to search their site,” says Dave Girouard, vice president and general manager of the Google Enterprise unit that provides the site search services. “As Google continues to make search technology more accessible to businesses of all sizes—first with our appliances and now with hosted search services—we are reducing the hurdles of cost, complexity and time so that small businesses can help customers find what they need every step of the way.”

Generating specific lists

How does one go about creating a reliable list of clients and potential clients? Direct Marketing is the way to go about it and now is the best time to start working on it. The entire approach to direct marketing has changed in the past few years and it has become a central part of every company's marketing initiatives. One of the most popular ways to start off on direct marketing is using Martin Worldwide's ResponseCom system which combines data from several databases using demographic and psychographic factors and creates an entirely new list that will be suited to your product or service. So, if you are in the travel business and need some Travel leads, ResponseCom will be able to get the list for you. It's really as simple as that, and once you have the specific lists that you need, your business is sure to show positive results.

Its all about the marketing

Marketing is what it all comes down to these days. For any product to be successful, it needs to be marketed well and only then there is a chance that it will reach its full potential. LA Management provides exactly this kind of expertise and know how to such an extent that it has gained quite a following. This Multimedia Company Produces Online Videos for small Businesses and shows that it is possible to get it done right even on a small budget. With their range of services such as online marketing, advertising, video production, website design and multimedia production, LA Management is fast emerging as one of the best known companies to take care of all aspects of online marketing.

Having been in the field for over 30 years and have experience in specialized fields such as medical practices, LA Management has become one of the companies taking care of cosmetic surgical practices across the nation. It's definitely a good time to be in the industry as there is no other more vibrant and dynamic industry as are the advertising and marketing industries. The power that resides in these sectors is what controls how products and services ultimately fare. With clients such as the Make A Wish Foundation and Koch Entertainment International, the company is well on its way of creating a reputable name for itself.

@List: a user friendly online directory

Marketing a brand or a company on the web just got easier as there is a new Online directory that works on a local and nationwide basis to list companies so that consumers are able to make an informed decision. Say, you're an artist looking for a museums and art galleries in Maine, so you can send them information about submitting your work for an upcoming show. @List makes it the simplest thing in the world to find out their addresses and phone numbers for you. Locating a plumber in your local area is also just a simple. Finding quality technicians and service people is one of the hardest things to do if you are new to the area, but a service like @List makes it quite simple indeed.

Targeting niche segments

One of the hottest areas of the retail industry is marketing to niche segments, targeting religious communities, residents of specific countries, or kid specific marketing. It's no use to target a general audience, when you have niche products and you might not be even making any headway with them, right? Targeting niche segments on the Internet is a really great way to really reach audiences. So, now it is easily possible to get confirmation gifts and other such items on the Internet.

Realtors use creative ways to lure clients

With the real estate market facing a bit of a crunch lately, marketers are using creative ways to sell properties. Michael Shvo of SHVO Marketing, a real estate marketing company says that he sells lifestyles rather than houses. Agenda writes about real estate developers are relying increasingly on marketing their services and creating "identities" for their properties, with glossy brochures, parties and gifts. Nowadays, realtors are not bothering with newspaper ads or floor plans, they are instead tying up with celebrities to promote their properties and their brand. Other ways that realtors using is Internet video tours, and online advertising which is expected to grew from $2 billion or 17.7% of total advertising in 2006 to $3 billion, accounting for 32.1% of total advertising in 2010.

One way to draw attention to a property is to brand it with a celebrity name. Donald Trump has been doing this for years, but now other bold-faced names not traditionally associated with real estate are tacking their names onto buildings. One of the prime examples—and a Shvo client—is the Jade, which takes its name from project designer Jade Jagger, daughter of Rolling Stones singer Mick. The Jade targets the young, hip, and prosperous in New York's funky Chelsea neighborhood. In the building's glossy and colorful brochure, Jagger calls the Jade a "fusion" of her love for "the rural beauty of Ibiza, the glamour of London, and the nonstop energy of New York." The brokers assigned to the Jade were cast and groomed to be as sexy and dynamic as Jade herself—right down to their outfits.

Testing this directory out

Never hurts to submit your blog in as many directories as possible right? Well, I heard this one called LS Blogs is pretty good, so I entered my new blog there, to see if it makes any difference in the rankings and visitor counts. I think the results should start showing in the next couple of weeks or so. They have all the regular categories of business, travel, humor etc, but enough specification though, so you are likely to find lots of listings under wider categories.

Ads in subway tunnels

Residents of San Francisco, Boston, London and a few other cities might already be familiar with this phenomenon. The tunnel walls of the subway are one of the newest forms of advertising. Canada's SideTrack and New York's Submedia are some of the companies who are focusing on advertising on subway tunnel walls and some of the biggest brands like Microsoft, Target, Coca-Cola, Rebook and Honda are advertising on them.

SideTrack installed the system on San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system last month as a trial. How it works is that a long series of still photographs are installed in a subway tunnel which are illuminated by rapidly flashing spotlights as the trains go by, resulting in a movie like effect. Campaigns are 15 seconds long.

Michael Swistun, CEO of SideTrack, explained that his company's technology is designed to present riders with a 24- or 30-frame-per-second "movie," depending on the speed of the train.

The technology requires that trains pass the ads going at least 25 miles per hour. If they're going slower, the lights stay off and the tunnels stay dark.

Submedia has project pending in Paris, Prague, Singapore and India currently. Here is the Submedia India site.

Bloggerwave makes its debut

The newest kid on the get paid to blog platforms is Bloggerwave, which is absolutely brand spanking new. It's actually so new that there are just a couple of advertisers on board as yet. The format is great, bloggers sign up with them and register their blogs, select opportunities to write up on and get paid by them. Yes, there are lots of other sites doing this already, I know, but Bloggerwave seems to be taking in all the inputs from earlier editions and coming up with an improved version. Bloggerwave will be using statistics from Alexa, Technorati, Google Page Rank etc to judge how a blog is rated and paid. It definitely the right time to be a blogger, for sure!

Reebok's social networking initiative

Reebok has launched its new social networking and interactive website Run Easy to directly interact with consumers of its RunEasy campaign. Reebok hopes to convey that running is not just for serious marathoners and is a casual sport that can be taken up at different levels. Consumers can now connect with others, upload photo's of themselves running, listen to music to run to and find running trails using Google Maps.

The “Run Easy” campaign and interactive site were debuted during a press walk from Reebok’s Sports Club in New York through Central Park. MTV VJ and former Miss SA Susie Castillo, Atlanta Falcon’s football player DeAngleo Hall and Reebok’s chief marketing officer Uli Becker led the walk to demonstrate the casual nature of walking and talking. “Everybody has different potential and the Reebok brand is about getting the individual to live to their specific potential,” Mr. Becker said.

It automatically detects where you are and pulls up a map in the browse runs section. Unfortunately, it did not find any trails here in the city, but it was nice to look them up for Providence,RI where we used to live and had been on most of the trails it pulled up for the city.

Cost effective ways to communicate

As business expand globally, it is essential for them to update technologies of communication and networking. VoIP is one such new technology, that can save a lot of money as well as maintenance requirements, and is very well suited to small businesses. Using this technology, a small business that has branches across the country can use the same phone system and have the same private list of phone extensions in all branch offices. There is also an additional 4-digit dialing system between branches, to take care of all inter-office communications. The cost of such small business phone systems has been significantly reduced and the benefits such as free support and improvement on long distance as well as international plans have made it a very viable option, especially for small business owners.

Marketers target Wal-Mart's in-store TV network

Wal-Mart's initiative for it's in-store TV network is being noticed for its huge target audience. Marketers are increasingly realising the value and reach of retail-based TV networks to target new and hard-to-reach consumers. Wal-Mart has 125,000 screens in 3,100 of its stores, giving marketers an audience of 127 million shoppers each week. Wal-Mart's in-store TV network system offers much more than store discounts, it has the news, weather, entertainment programs mixed in with paid advertisements and has become the country's largest and most sophisticated in-store TV networks.

The network, operated by Premiere Retail Networks, is about to get even more sophisticated with a systemwide upgrade from satellite broadcast TV to an Internet-based system. The change will give advertisers, who now can deliver messages to different store departments, the ability to target individual screens, says Keith Daly, PRN head of programming strategy and broadcast production.