Branding - More Than Just a Statement - A Memory Scar

Written by Dave Jones


Conjure up in your mind broad rolling meadows with runs of cattle or stock of some type, all discriminate by virtue of a registered brand. That's a most common and accepted understanding of branding.

You have just now used your mind to develop a picture that promises easy recall. You may not yet be aware but there's always a new secret marketing aid being developed and made available ... nearly every day ofrepparttar week.

I'd be one of many that could point out whorepparttar 103645 target group is for all of these hidden treasures and industrious salespeople. But if you're reading this, then take a bow and a large step forward! You are in factrepparttar 103646 "demand" component ofrepparttar 103647 supply that's being generated.

Now what happens when you also joinrepparttar 103648 ranks ofrepparttar 103649 industrious? It doesn't take a whole deal of thinking to recognize that you can easily get lost inrepparttar 103650 traffic, especially if you are starting up a business of your own. Being known as an absolute is a very real way of defeating some of that traffic; notrepparttar 103651 only way but a very effective one.

Your general copy writing and headline creation tactics certainly helprepparttar 103652 cause but in a saturated market environment you need to embrace every advantage.

Exactly what then, can you do, to be noticed? Question well asked andrepparttar 103653 answer ..... consider branding yourself.

The reason branding works is that it gives individuality torepparttar 103654 value you provide to those that come to your site. If they don't come to your site then its through your e-mails, e-zines, blogs and advertisements.

It makes folk recall your Site and perhaps even prompts them to bookmark. Do it right and they might even opt to scan for forthcoming product that carries your brand name.

You'll be far more noticeable if you can create something that settles on someone's mind. Catchrepparttar 103655 imagination of your readers, use unique or quirky themes and make that difference that magnetizes your audience.

By way of example, let me relate a branding experience using a quick story.... tangent if you will. There's a huge red rock located inrepparttar 103656 middle of Australia that was at one time known as Ayers Rock. More recently it has adoptedrepparttar 103657 term Uluru.

BUDGETING YOUR LOG HOME: Creating a checklist

Written by Mercedes Hayes


If you've read my first article, BUDGETING YOUR LOG HOME: Where do you start?, you've got a very basic overview ofrepparttar process. However, there are still a number of questions I'd like to address. Again, many of these questions will come up if you build any custom home, but I'd venture to guessrepparttar 103644 log home owners find themselves deeper inrepparttar 103645 decision-making process than someone dealing with a custom builder. After all,repparttar 103646 differences become apparent immediately asrepparttar 103647 owners have to find their own manufacturer.

Unless you have a pocket full of cash, you're going to have to followrepparttar 103648 construction loan mindset throughoutrepparttar 103649 budgeting process. I plan to devote a whole article torepparttar 103650 construction loan, but this pursuit will serve as a preliminary step before going torepparttar 103651 bank.

The biggest part of your budget will berepparttar 103652 purchase ofrepparttar 103653 land. With today's new construction market - especially in New Jersey -repparttar 103654 raw land constitutes 30%-40% ofrepparttar 103655 total project (of course, in other statesrepparttar 103656 land won't be so much but your overall costs will be less, too). It helps to purchaserepparttar 103657 land first so you know how much money you're going to have left over.

Then you need to figure out how much to set aside for your excavation, your driveway, and your septic system. Before you can get to this number, it helps to hire a civil engineer to draw up a survey and plot plan (you'll needrepparttar 103658 survey forrepparttar 103659 mortgage company anyway). This will cost you a few hundred dollars. The plot plan will diagram whererepparttar 103660 house will go (and footprint ofrepparttar 103661 house),repparttar 103662 length ofrepparttar 103663 driveway, whererepparttar 103664 septic and well will go. With this document, you can go torepparttar 103665 excavator for a quote.

Since most log homes tend to be built in rural areas, you will probably have to install your own septic and well. The excavator who does your driveway will most likely berepparttar 103666 one who will dig your septic. The well driller will probably be a different company. These are both "wild cards", becauserepparttar 103667 cost ofrepparttar 103668 septic will depend on how wellrepparttar 103669 land percs (short for percolate), and you don't know how deep your well will go. Once again,repparttar 103670 engineer will design a septic plan which will have to be approved byrepparttar 103671 county (in most states). The cost of your septic could range anywhere from $10,000 - $30,000. If you are settingrepparttar 103672 house way back fromrepparttar 103673 road, you must budget for that extra-long driveway. And if your lot is heavily wooded, you will have to pay extra for tree removal; remember that you need to clear plenty of space to accommodate bothrepparttar 103674 house and a large area aroundrepparttar 103675 house forrepparttar 103676 machinery to maneuver. You also have to consider a space to putrepparttar 103677 logs after delivery.

Oncerepparttar 103678 location and footprint ofrepparttar 103679 house is determined, you may need to use a different contractor forrepparttar 103680 foundation. Foundations are not provided byrepparttar 103681 log home manufacturer (with rare exceptions). There are several ways to go: you can build on a slab, a crawl space, or a full basement. You can use a block foundation, a precast foundation, a poured concrete foundation (these arerepparttar 103682 main choices). Poured concrete isrepparttar 103683 most expensive. These days, many people choose precast foundations for log homes, because they are so accurate and don't require a footer. If you go this route, you'll have to hire a mason to pourrepparttar 103684 floor afterrepparttar 103685 precast foundation is erected. Remember that if you choose to build on a slab, you're going to have problems routing your wiring, because this is normally done fromrepparttar 103686 basement.

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