Yours Advertisingly : VALAYAM

Effective logos

Friends

Its been little long since I  updated my blog. ( I was learning some life lessions in the meanwhile – I will share with you those moments in my next article under Personal excellence category)

In this article lets talk about LOGO of your business.

A Good Logo is one of the most essential element of your marketing tools – have you create one? is it really worth attracting your prospective clients / customers.

A logo is actually a visual icon that provides a unique identification element to a business or product

Here is your recipe for an effective LOGO

• Use WARM / BRIGHT COLORS
• Should be SIMPLE with very few lines or curves.
• NATURE OF BUSINESS should be conveyed in the logo keeping the logo simple without making it too complicated.
• Restrict it to ONE / TWO colors with simple CONCEPT
• Can be a SMALL AND SIMPLE modification in the name of the brand name or company name.
• CORPORATE COLOR should be a part of the logo.
• Could be 3D or 2D
• If the logo is for a brand of one the product range of the company Logo can be associated with the parent logo.
• Make sure your LOGO is not similar to your competitors.

I am always there to help you design an effective LOGO You can view our portfolio here

The moment I say  am an advertising professional, whether in a friendly gathering or in a business meeting, one straight question am asked is – which media is right media to advertise?

 Some  say “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted” Especially small-business owners on shoestring budgets. Unlike big-name advertisers like Pepsi, Nike, Apple and Ford, small-businesses can’t afford to throw Lakhs of Rupees or dollars producing fantastic commercials or glossy magazine ads. Whether your ad budget is Rs5,000 or $50,000, you’ve got to make every buck count.

And that means doing the math to calculate the return on investment (ROI) on every advertising campaign you run.

What’s ROI? Think of it this way: Let’s say you make a targeted list of 100 dentists in your local zip code and send them each a package containing free samples of your revolutionary new dental product. After adding up the cost of printing, postage and samples, you may end spending Rs150 for every package you mail. This means that your campaign will have to bring in at least Rs15000-00  in profit in order to break even and Rs30,000-00 to double your money.

Here’s the good news: With the recession and the Internet hurting traditional media channels like newspapers, magazines, TV and radio, there’s never been a better time to buy premium advertising at bargain-basement prices–even for a small-business buyer.

The key is finding the advertising channel that best fits your company and your industry and use it to get the biggest bang for your buck. At the end of the day, it’s not about how much you spend or how many eyeballs you reach. It’s about how many customers you can bring in the door while still making enough money to float your boat. And, while no advertising strategy is foolproof (there’s always going to be some initial trial and error before you figure out what works), you’ll get better results and waste less money if you do your homework ahead of time.

E-mail marketing, television, search marketing and yellow pages typically yield a better ROI for unknown or unbranded direct response offers, Banner advertising, print and social media are better for companies with existing visibility. For example, HDFC bank will do better with a banner ad while a one-time ‘act now’ offer would excel in print or television.

Here’s a quick guide to help you decide which advertising strategy is right for you:

Print
Despite the gloomy predictions of the death of the newspaper and magazine industries, print can still be a great way to target a niche market. For example, if you’re looking to sell a product to a certain community local ethnic newspapers can be a low-cost way to reach the entire community in one shot and to deliver discount coupons that let you track response to your offer. Likewise, a targeted local or national magazine can offer an inexpensive way to reach quilters or new parents. Depending on the size of the market and the size of your ad (quarter page, half page or full page), newspapers will typically charge on basis of Sq. CM
Broadcast
No media outlet reaches more people than television, which is why it’s still so popular among advertisers but also why it’s so difficult to measure ROI. While TV may be a great way to market a product targetting millions of prospective customers. It’s not a cost-effective way to reach your target market–even if you could afford Rs 50,000 for a 30-second spot.  TV is more effective when you want to create awareness to a huge target of people about your product or an offer your company is offering. Most importantly do not forget the cost for producing the ad spot.

Direct TV is a better bet for small-business owners, especially inventors who have a blockbuster new kitchen appliance or fitness machine that must be seen to be believed. Both broadcast and cable television networks offer 30-, 60- and 120-second direct response commercials at a fraction of the cost of traditional spots. Because DRTV spots usually contain a “call to action,” you can flash a toll-free number or Web address that will let you measure your ROI to the penny. If your product is hot, you may even land a deal with a DRTV production company to foot the bill for your infomercial in return for a share of the revenue. These DRTV spots are generally available during non-prime time.

If you’re looking to reach a targeted demographic while they’re commuting to work in the morning or driving home at night, there’s nothing like radio.  radio is a low-cost way to reach loyal listeners of popular  talk show hosts. Radio advertising packages offer more than just a pre-recorded spot. They often include on-air introductions to your ad plus interactive contests and giveaways that can help you track and monitor the effectiveness of your campaign.

Directory
Advertising in the Yellow Pages may be old school, but, if you’re a plumber, electrician, locksmith or other emergency repair technician, you can’t afford not to be there. According to the Yellow Page Publishing Association, 96 percent of U.S. households have at least one copy. When a pipe bursts, a toilet overflows or someone locks himself out of his house at 2 a.m., you want to be the first to get the call.

But there’s more to advertising in the Yellow Pages these days than listing your phone number in big bold numbers. With consumers and businesses increasingly turning to the Internet to find the service providers they need, it may also pay to list your business in online directories Like Just Dial, ASL LAILA etc. TATA YellowPages.com claims it generates over 140 million monthly searches and that 55 percent of their users have purchased a product or service from a merchant they found there. Merchants can enhance their listings with interactive features like video profiles, premium inventory listings, websites and search engine optimization.

Outdoor
Outdoor advertising – the signs you see on billboards, bus benches, subways, trains, airports, even elevators – is almost impossible to quantify in terms of ROI, but it can work wonders for dentists, lawyers, podiatrists and trade schools looking to reach busy commuters.
Internet
No longer an experimental ad vehicle, Internet advertising will total $24.5 billion this year, up 4.5 percent from 2008, according to research firm eMarketer. Unlike print and broadcast, Internet advertising is easy to measure thanks to tools that track site traffic and click-through. And it’s often cheaper than traditional media because many online publishers charge on performance, not traditional CPM-based metrics.

Internet advertising falls into three basic categories:

Banner Advertising
The online sister of print and broadcast, banners can give your ad constant exposure on a popular website or advertising network, letting you associate your brand with a publication that your prospective customers already trust. Banner ads generally work best for e-commerce companies that sell directly from their web pages and boast well-established brands. These are the types of companies that can take advantage of the fact that their next customer may be just one click away. Banner ads work well for branding campaigns and established brands with a simple call to action.”

To get the most out of banner advertising, it’s best to run your banners on the kind of sites that target your desired demographic–working moms, sports car enthusiasts, business travelers or senior citizens. If you’re selling luxury trips or expensive watches, But beware: Click-throughs on banner ads are notoriously low, so make sure you’re not spending more on banners that you can realistically recoup in sales.

E-mail Marketing
Unlike traditional direct mail with its hefty postage, printing and handling costs, you can blast out an e-mail marketing campaign for little more than the list rental cost alone–and start ringing up sales within minutes. Depending on how narrow the market you’re trying to reach you can spend a tenth of a penny to more than $1 per e-mail address for a targeted list of permission-based e-mail addresses.

Once you’ve picked your list, the rest is easy. Just whip up some copy, remember to pop in a link to your website and hit send. Whether you send out your e-mail campaign to loyal customers or hot prospects, you can easily track ROI by inserting a URL in your message that contains a special tracking code or which sends recipients of your mailing to a specific page on your website. A word of caution: “Spam lists” containing e-mail addresses compiled from websites, directories and other sources without their recipients’ permission continue to circulate on the Internet. Beware of bargain-basement lists that promise millions of e-mail addresses–or else you may find your mailings blocked and your company booted off your ISP.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
On the Internet, every store is only one click away. That’s why one of the most cost-effective ways to drive customers to your site is sponsoring search terms on Google, Microsoft, AOL and other popular search engines. Unlike banner advertising and e-mail marketing, which are typically sold on a CPM basis, pay-per-click marketing requires you to pay only when a prospective buyer types in the relevant keywords and clicks on the link to your website.

Search is now the tool of choice for shoppers, replacing both local newspaper advertising and yellow pages

Even so, it’s important to choose your keywords carefully and closely monitor your budget. Because popular keywords like “toys,” “shoes” and “travel” can be  expensive, it’s often more cost-effective to sponsor more targeted terms like “extra wide women’s shoes” or “luxury hiking trips Nepal.” Make sure to test the ROI of the keywords you sponsor (along with your ad copy and landing page) before you roll out your campaign in a big way.

In addition to paid advertising opportunities, the Internet also offers the chance to conduct no-cost grassroots marketing campaigns through blogs, social networks and bookmarking sites. But don’t expect the kind of ROI from Facebook or Twitter that you get from banners, e-mail or search engine marketing. According to Weinstein, social media marketing “is a great forum to communicate with your customers, but it takes constant care and feeding and isn’t suitable for marketers looking for an immediate return.”

Whether you choose an online, print, broadcast or directory advertising channel for your next campaign, it pays to do the math before investing your company’s hard-earned money. A little planning now will ensure that you’ll know which half of your advertising budget is working–and which half you’d be better off employing elsewhere.

Pretty graphics, wonderful colors and everything aesthetic, but do your potential customers know what you are trying to say?

I think the biggest mistake we make in marketing is making everything so difficult for consumers to understand that they don’t get it. Literally. And if they don’t get it, they usually don’t feel compelled to act, buy, etc. … you see where I’m going with this.

Marketing is about informing consumers about your products and services and telling them why they should pick you over your competitor – it really is that simple.

Are you doing that? If you are not it’s time to really analyze your marketing strategy and evaluate the point you’re trying to get across.

I daily watch small businesses try to market like big companies, when in fact they’ve missed the core components that will get a person to buy their products or services. My first piece of advice is stop trying to compete with the “big dogs” – find your own niche and your own market and become one of the big dogs.

How do you do this? It’s by moving a customer from the point of just attracting their attention to inspiring them to actually take action – which is making a purchase from you. There are four steps to doing this.

•Step 1: Get their attention

You have competition, it doesn’t have to be a lot of competition – but you have competition. It is up to you to get the attention of your consumers. Do you know how to do that? You speak to their need. You inform of them of the solution that you provide. If you don’t provide a solution – it’s time to get back to the drawing board.

•Step 2: Create a marketing message that speaks.

 You know your solution, now you have to create a message that says “I’m your answer.” Have you done that with your marketing message? If not, why do you think they will buy your products or services? If you don’t inform them about your product who will? Craft your marketing message so it’s easy to understand and a consumer doesn’t want to walk out of a store without purchasing your product or service and taking advantage of it right away. Your marketing message has to speak about the solution as well as creating an urgency for the need. Have you done that? If not, again take it back to the drawing board!

•Step 3: Evaluate different marketing methods

You have to evaluate the different marketing methods and really evaluate which ones will work for you. For example do you serve a market that is more drawn to the Yellow Pages or Twitter? Do they spend more time watching television or surfing the internet? Be aware of and informed about different marketing methods and which ones will work with your market. It’s not a one size fits all deal.

•Step 4: Use marketing methods that are visible

 The reason you need to evaluate the different marketing methods are so you can select the methods that are more visible to your potential purchaser. Why advertise in the Yellow Pages if your consumers are searching the yellow pages? Why spend money on television advertising if they are spending more time surfing the internet? When you select the right marketing methods, you create a placement that your potential consumers will see. When you select the wrong methods of marketing, you might as well throw your money out the window.

FOLLOW the steps and and reap the success benifits. Article extract from aboutdotcom

Many entrepreneurs try to do it all, and this does not help us to walk an extra mile. No matter how gifted, skilled, and talented an entrepreneur is there are still things that are required for a successful business that others do better than they do.

I have been into advertising business for last 10 years, and I often think why am I stagnant achieving certain growth.

Team, you build, is what that makes the difference!!

Without someone to fill these critical roles an entrepreneur’s business may stumble along, but it will not take off the way the entrepreneur envisions. Entrepreneur needs to understand their own skills and talents, but also the information necessary to know what skills and talents are needed to compliment the entrepreneur, how to position current team members’ talent to fill the gaps they are best suited for, and how to evaluate prospective team members to determine if the talent they bring fills the needs the team has. All this from a simple but powerful assessment.

SOLDIER : SIR WE ARE SURROUNDED FROM ALL SIDES BY ENEMIES ,

MAJOR : EXCELLENT ! WE CAN ATTACK IN ANY DIRECTION.

This is one of the excellent lines from  Dictator Adolf Hitler. The above line shows the level of commitment one has. Soldier’s duty is to intimate and Major’s duty is to motivate and get results.

Using POSITIVE WORDS  is one good habbit one has to learn. ( Eg : Excellent, Good, Possible, We can, I can). It sounds like a story that  exists in the articles of personality development, isn’t it? But practice it for few days or practice it for just few hours you can see a change within you.

CONFIDENCE is the consequence of the truthfull efforts putin. Without watering the seed we cannot expect the seed to sprout. So start working towards your goal – confidence develops – and you will work more to reach the goal post faster. Follow the rules to gain more confidence.

Take every low tide of life as an OPPORTUNITY. Seed falls back to ground to sprout again. One seed – one plant – turns into a big tree to give many seeds. Important point to observe is only a healthy seed survives, means only a heathy mind and body can survive the tides of life. If you are weak even an opportunity turns into a curse.

Every lession is good to listen but do you miss to practice when needed??  – here is the solution

When you wake up – recollect what you need to do if the day goes wrong and start your work with great hope to achieve. It just takes 5 mins.

GOOD LUCK!!

 If you want to have a successful online business, you can no longer afford to ignore social media and if you are starting a new business or stepping up your marketing activity you cannot afford to neglect Social Media.

Whether you’re talking about sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, or the millions of blogs, forums, and groups that exist online, social media continues to dominate the Internet landscape.

If you want to be a part of the conversation then you need to know how to use these sites effectively to engage with your audience and build authentic relationships with them.

In this article, you’ll learn top six tips on how to do just that… But first, let’s talk about why a social media presence is so important to your business.
What You Need to Know about Social Media
According to Nielsen Research, social networking has become the fourth most popular online activity — surpassing even email!

In fact, an incredible two-thirds of all Internet users regularly visit social media sites.

Check out these stats:  Social networking sites and blogs are the #1 most visited category of websites.As of February 2010, Facebook had over 400 million registered users. Twitter users send over 50 million tweets a day to each other.

In December 2009, global users spent five and half hours on sites such as Facebook and Twitter — an 82% increase from the same time last year. In the U.S. alone, 142.1 million unique visitors went to a blog or social networking site in December 2009

Because of their growing popularity, social media sites have become an especially attractive marketing tool for both online and offline businesses. By engaging with customers through a blog or Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, businesses can spread the word about their business to their target audience, manage their online reputation — and cultivate a deeper relationship with their established customer base.

And the most amazing thing? Most social media users welcome a closer relationship with the businesses they enjoy.

According to Cone Research and Insights, 85% of social media users want their favorite businesses to actively engage with them through social media. But here’s where it gets tricky.

There is a right way to engage with people on social media sites — and there is a wrong way.

The right way will help you cultivate a meaningful relationship with your audience, and convert interested visitors into lifelong loyal buyers. The wrong way will inevitably drive people away… and could even provoke them to badmouth your business to others.

To help you avoid that fate, here are six “rules of engagement” on how to use social media the right way…
Rule 1: Do Your Research
Before you dive into the world of social media, do some research to discover which sites are most popular with your audience. Are they spending time on Facebook or on Twitter? Are there any popular forums or blogs they tend to visit and comment on?

All the major social media websites have search tools that allow you to search on your keywords to find users and groups talking about the things you’re interested in.

To find forums and discussion boards, enter your keywords into Google with “discussion” or “forum” tacked at the end. Google will point you to groups where your market might be hanging out.

Then plug your keywords into Google BlogSearch to find blogs with content relevant to your business. Once you discover some good ones, remember to check their blogrolls — the list of other blogs they link to in their sidebar, or on a separate page on their site — for more great spots to check out.

Make a list of the places where you find the greatest representation of your target market — and then you’re ready to get started.

We recommend you spend some time checking out the discussions already in progress, joining relevant groups, following and “friending” interesting folks you meet, and building up your identity as a trusted participant by providing solid ideas and information (without a pitch!)

And don’t worry about joining every single group you discover — start with three or four to help you get your feet wet, and then expand your presence from there.

If you try to become involved in too many communities at once you might find yourself overwhelmed before you even discover the potential of social media for your business!
Rule 2: Create an interesting, memorable profile
Now let’s talk about how to set up an engaging presence that builds trust in your potential customers right away.

In your profile on each social media site, be sure to include:  a friendly picture of yourself (or your company logo)A pitch-free description of your business , your website URL

…along with some non-salesy information about your interests and passions to confirm to potential new connections that you’re a real person worth getting to know!
In fact, we recommend you use the same information and photo or logo for all your profiles — that way, people who meet you at one site will be able to easily connect with you at another!

As you start to engage with people on a social media site, make it your goal to maintain a warm, helpful, professional stance. By offering friendly advice and tips, and pointing them to places they can find more useful or interesting information, you will gather a loyal community of people who value your input and trust your recommendations.
Rule 3: Listen before you talk
When you sign up for a social media site, blog, or forum, take some time to listen first.

If you jump into the conversation with a sales pitch, and start blasting people with messages about how great your product is, they’re going to react in exactly the same way that people would if you started handing out business cards and trying to score new customers at a friend’s casual dinner party.

Spend some time reading posts, messages and tweets — and while you do, ask yourself the following questions:
What are people most excited about?
What topics come up again and again — and why?
What are the most common problems people are facing?
What problems aren’t being solved by existing products?
What are your market’s biggest frustrations?
What products are they talking about — for better or for worse?

By listening first, you’ll get a feel for the tone of the conversations already in progress, which will help you strike the right note when it comes time to join in.

You’ll also send the message that you value the information and opinions people are sharing with one another… and that you’re not just there to do a “drive by” sales pitch. .

Now, if you find people speaking directly about YOUR product or service, it will undoubtedly be tempting to jump in right away and respond to them. If their comments are positive, feel free to offer a quick “thank you!” or note of appreciation. If their comments are negative, however, respond politely and briefly to let your customer know you want to provide them with a positive experience — and then take the time to write an email or send a private note offering assistance or support.

Disputing their account publicly or engaging in a war of words will only make you and your business look bad — which is exactly the opposite of what you’re trying to do.
Rule 4: Engage with your market — don’t just try to sell to them
To understand the true value of social marketing, you need to understand why people spend time hanging out at social websites.

Generally, they’re seeking diversion and entertainment, or pursuing information about their passions and interests. Popular activities include…  corresponding with friends and family meeting and socializing with online friends
watching funny or informative videos, recommending interesting articles to fellow readers, listening to entertaining podcasts, playing addictive real-time games
… In other words, they’re looking for FUN — and not for something to buy.

And they can smell a “pitch” a mile away.

If you’re planning to waltz into an online community and start talking about your product and how great it is, you’ll likely end up getting nothing but the cold shoulder in response!

Instead, spend time observing how people interact with each other, and tuning into their conversations — and then follow their lead. Make it your mission to provide lots of useful free advice and interesting information, and you’ll generate a much warmer welcome from your new online friends.
Rule 5: Give them information they WANT
Once you’ve done some listening, you can start sharing information with your market through social media — as long as you focus on providing value above all else.

Here’s what we mean…
Give expert advice: Establish your expertise by answering common questions about your industry, and offering valuable information in related discussions and groups. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should answer every question by pointing to your product, even if it seems like the most obvious solution!

You want to earn trust first… and let that lead naturally to sales.

Share thoughts about your industry: Share your own ideas about what’s happening in your industry through blog posts, microblogs and group posts. Start discussions that matter to you, and invite other people to share their ideas alongside yours.

Be transparent about your company information and mission: Share who you are, how you got started in your industry, and your passion for what you do and why you do it.

Spread public relations-style information: Put the word out about new product releases, new product features, press mentions or awards you’ve received.

Provide great customer service: Post common problem solutions, product bulletins, problem solving, best practices, training and tips for using your products. Don’t be scared to solve a customer’s problem publicly if they post it publicly. It’s not a bad thing for customers to see that you stand behind your products, and that you’re eager to solve problems!

Tell customer stories (with permission!): Share stories of people who have had positive experiences with your products, or have overcome difficulties as a result of using your products.

Have a little fun: Post games, contests, and interesting pictures or videos related to your products or industry.

Offer special deals: Create offers just for your social media “friends” — but not with a heavy pitch, please! Just a link with a discount code will do — let your site speak for itself!

Encourage feedback and research your market: Questions, polls and surveys targeted towards your community or customers can be a great way of getting great market research data, product feedback, and information about the right direction for your business to head in future.

Rule 6: Participate!
If you want to build up a loyal community on social media sites, you have to focus above all else on being someone worth knowing.

People are drawn to those who care about what they have to say, and who contribute in valuable ways to the conversations that matter to them. If you respond promptly and politely to people, and provide great information, they’ll love you.

On the other hand, if you only participate sporadically, and neglect to offer information people find entertaining or helpful, you’ll find yourself hard-pressed to establish a connection.

Above all, when you communicate with your audience on social media sites, the most important thing is not to sound “spammy.” It’s perfectly fine to let people know what you do and what you offer — but not to hit them over the head with a sales pitch.

Few people head to social media websites looking directly for items to purchase — but they do appreciate coming across people who provide great information and great service. And if they are looking directly for product or service recommendations, your active presence and solid reputation will put you at the top of everyone’s list. 

That’s the power of social media!

SLOW – YET VERY POWER FULL MEDIUM which will fetch you lot of loyal clients, and they can recommend you to large group.

Hope you enjoyed the article – Please leave a feedback

IF YOU ARE TOO BUSY TO handle it – entrust me the job, Just at a nominal service cost, feel free to write to me.

 email me : sagar@valayam.com