Advertising: Show Your Cards

Show Your Cards

Written by Dave Balch

I just found a stack of business cards hiding under some papers on my desk. I had collected them at a recent speaker's convention to add to repparttar

distribution list for my free electronic newsletter. (I invite you to sign up for it at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com )

I was amazed at how little I remembered about these people! I met them, shook their hands, and conversed with them; but all I have to remember them by is that little piece of card stock. It suddenly dawned on me that those business cards have a big job to do. Is yours doing a good job?

Whether you realize it or not, whether you like it or not, people get an impression of you just by repparttar 101065 card you give them. Oh, sure, many times you've already met them face to face (like I did at repparttar 101066 convention) before you even whip out that card, and a first impression has been made, but what about when repparttar 101067 card appears three weeks later and they say "Who WAS this?" What do they do?

First, repparttar 101068 quality of repparttar 101069 card speaks volumes about you. Not only repparttar 101070 quality of repparttar 101071 paper, but repparttar 101072 print quality as well. Flimsy cards that look like they were made on a copier leave an impression all right; a bad one.

Colors/patterns/designs: do they convey an image that you want to have? Professional? Fun loving? Dignified?

What is on repparttar 101073 card is important too. Here are just a few things that your business card has to include. (Some are obvious, some are not.)

Advertising Costs Getting Too High? Start Your Own Ad Co-op!

Written by Diane Hughes

Everyone knows that advertising is essential to growing a business. One problem that small business owners have always faced is repparttar

high cost of marketing. Most, however don't realize that there is an effective way to reduce repparttar 101064

cost of your advertising while - at repparttar 101065

same time - increasing its reach.

Advertising co-ops are nothing new. Usually they are a "perk" offered by major manufacturers to encourage retailers to promote their products. Because repparttar 101066 retailer has direct access to customers that would want to buy certain products, it only makes sense that they should do joint advertising. You've seen it - McDonalds mentioning Coke in their commercials, Dell stating that you get a free Epson printer with purchase and so on.

The retailer doesn't make repparttar 101067 product repparttar 101068 manufacturer is providing, but it IS a great match with what they DO offer. Nobody would want to eat a Big Mac without something to drink, and a computer wouldn't do a lot of good without a printer.

Now you can use this same strategy to create your own advertising co-op to increase repparttar 101069 reach of your ads and drastically reduce repparttar 101070 cost, too.

--->> How It Works

Generally speaking, repparttar 101071 cost of any advertisements (bulk emailings, ezine ads, banners, newspaper, etc.) would be split equally between all participants. If you and two associates decide to purchase a solo ad, you would each receive equal mentions in repparttar 101072 ad and you would each pay equal portions of repparttar 101073 cost.

So if repparttar 101074 solo ad were going to a list of 200,000 and cost $150, each of repparttar 101075 three would pay $50. You get to reach 200,000 people for 1/3 repparttar 101076 cost you would have normally paid. And, because this ad relates you to other types of businesses, you actually expand your advertising reach.

--->> Getting Started

So who would be qualified to enter into an ad co-op with you? It depends on repparttar 101077 nature of your business. Think of others that reach your same target customer and make a list. If you design Web sites, you might approach hosting companies, graphic artists, copywriters or programmers. If your business is landscaping, you could invite yard maintenance companies to join you.

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