Posts Tagged ‘list’

7 Tips for Writing Business Card Copy That Sells

Friday, March 18th, 2011

How much effort do you put into writing your business card copy? Do you add the “traditional” information – company name, tagline, your name, and a phone number – or do you really dig into the copy and develop a headline and a strong call-to-action? If you’re not using every bit of your business card to market your business, you can rest assured that it will likely be tossed into a forgotten pile of other unmemorable business cards.

Think of your business card copy as prime real estate for marketing your business. Every space on that card has the potential to turn a profit or turn away a prospect. Use it wisely, and you can rest assured that your cards will work for you. Waste the potential, and all you have is hope that you’ll get a return call.

If you want to add more bang to your business cards, here are seven tips that can transform your card from a piece of simple cardstock to a money-generating mini billboard:

Use color. It’s always a good idea to use color on your business cards because they’ll stand out in a stack. Chances are that the recipient has a few other business cards in his or her desk or wallet, so you’ll want to make sure that your card draws attention. Avoid being overly showy; just find a card that makes the statement you want to convey with eye-catching designs that aren’t too complicated.
Add a headline. Do you want your business card to be a calling card or marketing media? When you add a headline, you’re pulling the recipient into your sales message, not just telling them who you are.You’ve got limited space, so be sure that your headline grabs ‘em by the eyeballs and pulls ‘em into your marketing message.
Add sales copy. While you won’t have a lot of space to write a full-blown sales letter, you can add a tagline that encapsulates your sales message. For instance, my business card says, “Deb writes. You profit. It’s that simple.” The copy gets straight to the point and lets the recipient know how they’ll benefit from my services.
Use both sides of the card. Business cards are inexpensive these days, so it pays to take advantage of two-sided printing. Use the back of the card as a continuation of the front, highlighting how your business can benefit the recipient.
List your services. The back of the card is a good place to list a full menu of the products and services you offer. If there are too many to list, highlight the biggest sellers, and be sure to indicate that there’s more available at your website, storefront, etc.
Add your picture. Adding a picture is very important to your branding strategy. You want the recipient of your card to identify YOU with the product or service you’re selling. You don’t have to take a professional photo. Ask someone to take a picture with a digital camera, crop it to a headshot, and upload it to the front (or back) of the business card. Online print shops make this easy to do.
Add a website address. Today, potential customers and clients are more likely to check out your products and services online before they contact you. If you don’t have a website, don’t worry. It’s easy to do. Buy a domain name and a hosting plan, and you can use a website wizard that will do all the hard work for you. Some will even write the copy for you. By having a website that sells, you’ll get more mileage out of your business card.

Don’t overlook your business cards when it comes to developing a powerful marketing message. Consider them prime real estate for marketing your business. Make them stand out, develop a sales message that rocks, and then step back and watch your business grow.

Deborah Mills is a copywriter, marketing strategist, and the owner of Mills Marketing, LLC. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in English from Marshall University and has been a professional ghost writer, copywriter, and marketing strategist since 2006.

Deb uses Attraction Marketing with her clients to increase their ROI. To learn more how you can find your marketing mojo, contact her at Deb@debmills.com or visit her website: http://www.DebMills.com.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deb_Mills

Continued here: 7 Tips for Writing Business Card Copy That Sells

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Choosing a Name For Your New Business

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Congratulations! After years of dreaming about being your own boss and signing your own paycheck, you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and start your own business. In this day and age, who can blame you?

It’s a safe bet you’re feeling pretty excited about all the new opportunities that lie ahead and you probably have a wealth of ideas to put to use. That’s good, too, because you’ll soon be facing a seemingly never-ending list of things that need to get done. All of them are important, of course, but there’s one task in particular that you should put at the top of your list: a name.

What’s in a Name?

Believe it or not, but your business name is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in these first few months. What you ultimately decide to call your new business is going to affect the way your customers perceive you — whether you’re fun-n-funky or Seriously Serious. It’s important to choose a name that conveys the “feel” of your product or service and the “texture,” if you will, of your brand identity.

If you already have a name in mind, that’s great. If you don’t, though, don’t worry; it may actually save you some time. Think about it: your business is going to need a website. That website will need a domain name. And, ideally, that domain name should be the same as your business name.

Let’s say, for example, you’ve decided to call your new business “Super Deluxe Widget Store.” You get business cards printed up, you pay for a listing in the yellow pages and then you get to work on your website. But when you go through the domain registration process, you find out that superdeluxewidgetstore-dot-com has already been taken.

I don’t need to tell you how that’s going to feel.

Avoid an Identity Crisis

So how can you avoid such a disaster? Easy: when you’re deciding on a name for your business, confirm its availability as a domain name first. You might discover that your first choice is available, which is great, but it’s more likely that your initial choices have already been claimed. It can be a little depressing, especially when you’re just starting out. But it’s not the end of the world.

To overcome the frustration, grab a pen and a sheet of paper and start writing down every single possible name you can think of for your business. You’ll be tempted to leave the “bad” ideas off your list, but write those down as well. So-called “bad” ideas often have a way of triggering a break-through. Just keep writing until you have at least 25 or so possible names. And, yes, variations count. “Super Duper Books” and “Super Duper Book Store” are two distinct ideas.

Now, when you have that done, take a break. Put your list somewhere out of sight for a day or two. Focus your mind on other endeavors and when your list has had time to simmer, go back and re-read it. Highlight or underline the names you like. Jot down any other ideas that come to you. Have fun with it!

Then, when you’re ready, visit your favorite domain registration service and start testing your list of business names. If one you like is available, get it registered. If you don’t, you could come back a day or two later only to find that competitor has nabbed it.

On the other hand, if you’re not thrilled with any of the names that are available, don’t settle. This is your business, after all. Just go back to step one and start over. Make a new list. Choose some new names. Try a new search. Repeat as necessary.

Call in the Reserves

It can be a lot of work. It’s worth it, but if it sounds like too much to deal with or you just can’t seem to come up with any names that really strike your fancy, consider hiring a professional copywriter to help you out. That’s what copywriters are for, after all: to put the right words together.

No matter how it gets done, though, whether by way of sheer will or professional copywriting help, make sure you give top priority to choosing a business name that you can register as a domain. In the long run, you’ll be glad you did. A clear, consistent business identity builds credibility and significantly enhances your market impact. And, besides, would a business of any other name operate the same?

New Business Success With SEO Search Engine Opportunities

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

When any person is planning to avoid the limits of the traditional working environment, 1 of their key resources of possibility is found with the internet. The web has become a leading supply for people looking for a new primary resource of income or even with generating a supplementary supply of income for their financial profile.

Though for the new business owner, on line success is not guaranteed which is why when an individual is looking to start an online business they look into comprehending the concept of SEO Search Engine opportunities. With these Opportunities a new site could speedily become a leader in regards to the goods or services they provide.

A brand-new online business owner may question how this quick opportunity for online superiority is achievable with SEO Search Engine Opportunities. To realize, this person ought to initially identify the purpose of this Engine and after that interpret the psyche of the on-line consumer. The SEO Search Engine is an on line feature utilized by consumers to find web sites that are relevant to them through the use of inputted keywords.

Once these keywords are inputted into these Engine it produces a list of results for the customer based on a sites keyword and SEO Search Engine Optimization. These lists often have 1000s of results with the websites and the most efficient SEO Search Engine Optimization at the top.

Now that you have recognized the role that SEO Engine Opportunities play in the online atmosphere, it is essential to consider the psyche of the on-line consumer. The internet has helped in producing an era of convenience that most individuals are now used to. With this idea of convenience securely planted into the mentality of the on line consumer you can see how they would interpret the SEO Engine results.

Its rare to find a consumer who will travel past the top five results of a SEO Engine search. This means for a company to succeed in bringing new consumers to their business they ought to accomplish a high SEO Optimization level so as to become a top 5 SEO Search Engine results competitor.

With this understanding acquired, this is how a new on line company could become a quick online leader through the usage of SEO Search Opportunities. It is important to recognize though that achieving those high Search Engine Optimization levels is not easy to achieve. With that understanding it is important to find a resource that can aid your company in quickly becoming an on-line leader.

To discover more on SEO Search Engine Opportunities and how you can become an on line leader in your field of business head to http://publicidadeninternet.vox.com/.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_D_Molano

Excerpt from: New Business Success With SEO Search Engine Opportunities

Naming a New Business? Itemize and Prioritize!

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

One of the most common refrains I hear when naming a new business is “I’ll know the right company name when I hear it.” That may or may not be true. It also may or may not be wise!

Why is that?

Because it makes the assumption that you know exactly what you want. In reality, most aspiring business owners have only a vague notion of what they want in a brand name. These notions are unarticulated, not written down anywhere, and it’s in no certain order. If you were to ask, it would sound like a free flow of consciousness…

• Something creative
• Fits with my industry
• Has a matching.com available
• Describes what we do
• Sets us apart
• Not too long
• Start high in the alphabet
• Sounds cool when you say it
• Says what it is

In reality, these are both branding criteria and branding considerations. Must-haves and want-to-haves. And they are all mixed in together. It’s like trying to hit a moving target. One company name idea might accomplish two of the things you want it to do but then miss on three other counts. Another business name might sound cool but is a dead end in regards to building the brand message. The issue comes down to itemizing your wants and needs into two lists, and then prioritizing them in order of importance.

1. Branding Criteria

These are the things that are vital to your brand. Ask yourself, “If my new business name could only communicate one thing, what would it be?” Make this your top priority. Then go on from there in rank order of what’s next in terms of importance. Here are some good examples…

• Must convey our core strength of (fill in the blank)
• Must be memorable and engaging
• Must provide a platform to tell our story
• Must have a matching, or closely matching,.com domain name

2. Branding Considerations

These are things that find themselves on the list of criteria that don’t really belong there. For instance, having alliteration in the words (i.e. Dunkin’ Donuts, Pay Pal, Best Buy) or having a name that rhymes or having the name start high in the alphabet. These are linguistic pluses, nice perks and possible tiebreakers if all things are equal, but they shouldn’t drive the process unless it’s determined that they are truly vital to the outcome.

Once you have both your branding criteria and branding considerations, then make sure you prioritize them. You may not get all your wants and needs, so determine which ones are most important. Our company name of Tungsten Branding is a metaphor for brilliance, clarity and insight associated with the light bulb. It works on the level of conveying our core attributes and providing a story to tell. It doesn’t do well in terms of spelling (Tungsten, Tungston, Tungstin, etc.) but we were willing to live with that. Because we are not a high volume, mass merchant business, the occasional misspell was not a big issue – clients find us if they type anything close. For our purposes, it was more important to demonstrate what qualities we bring to the table when naming a new business or developing a brand identity. The point is, don’t let a minor issue rule out a potentially strong naming candidate. If a potential company name accomplishes 85% of what you want it to do, and the remaining 15% is something not all that vital, (i.e. can’t get the matching 1-800 number with the name) then you have a viable candidate.

Bottom line? If you are struggling with a business naming decision, it might be time to itemize, prioritize and then capitalize on a company name that’s the bright choice for you.

Phil Davis is president and owner of Tungsten Branding, business naming consultants specializing in brand creation, product naming, tag line development, corporate identity and comprehensive brand repositioning. Phil’s client list includes PODS, Team Logic IT and Sea Of Diamonds to name a few. His complete client list and company naming philosophy can be viewed at http://PureTungsten.com

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phillip_Davis

Original post: Naming a New Business? Itemize and Prioritize!

How to Find Most Profitable Business Opportunities

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

How to make millions by turning problems into opportunities:

Everyone has their share of problems. They could be related to business or could be personal. They all require some solutions to their problems and will be ready to spend their money for their solutions.

Say, certain parents may be facing problems with their children being weak in some subjects and would want somebody who will be able to explain and put forth the difficult concepts in a simple manner. There are people who have turned such education related problems into opportunities by introducing new and innovative concepts by which the students can earn better grades and can grasp the concepts with ease. People have made fortunes by developing various online websites or by publishing CDs and DVDs on various subjects that may be difficult for children to grasp or understand. Similarly, some people might face certain weight related problems like being over weight and want to reduce their weight without resorting to dieting or exercising and are looking for some sort of solution.

People have turned these weight related issues into opportunities by manufacturing and providing low calorie foods and supplying flexible and efficient exercising equipments. The story of Gillette is a good example. He was a salesman and he often faced problems like getting cuts on his throats while using regular razors. This problem led to the idea of twin razor blades and today, he is running a billion dollar company. Another salesman noticed his wife having problems managing a diary of her daily personal expenses. He introduced software called Quicken and today it is used by millions worldwide. Similarly, you could start making a list of various problems related to your home, society, people etc. and then try to look for a solution and earn millions with these ideas. The solutions could be in the form of a product, software, service or whatever suits the requirements.

Every product solves certain types of problems and once a basic product is developed, people gradually expect to see more improvements in the features of the products. In 1956, the first ever mobile weighed over 42 kg and today, a mobile weighs a mere 50-100 grams and includes features like SMS, camera, music system, video recording, vast storage space, email facility and more. So, you could make a research and read about the history of the related products and may know more about its step-by-step developments till date, and may then think of what more you could add to it. You may even think 10 to 20 years ahead of your time to add new features or to transform it into an innovative product with a lot of novel features. This will help you in creating a hot selling product.

You may pick any problems and list out the solutions that are available and may start thinking of 100′s of new features that you could add to it so that you can make it better and also more economical.

Read more here: How to Find Most Profitable Business Opportunities

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Home Business Opportunities – How To Achieve Your Goals With The Best Business Opportunity

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

By Mohamad Kamsani

Are you still in the midst of deciding if you should invest in a home business? You are not taking the step forward yet because you realize that there is always a risk in investing in any kind of business. Fortunately, there are several ways that you can take to minimize the risks in order to achieve more probability of success and personal satisfaction. You should look into the business opportunities that meet your goals as well as your expectations. You will be surprised that it is very easy to find the best business opportunities. The following tips can be useful in assisting you to get started.

Firstly, it is important to realize that the best business investment is not the same for everybody. The business opportunity which you may find best for you is not necessarily the best for someone else. At different periods of our lives, we may benefit from different business investments. Therefore, you should try to fit your present day concerns and expectations with the business opportunity you are in. It is advantageous that you make a list of all of your goals and expectations before you look for a home business. You may be tempted to list only your financial goals, but it is also important to consider your personal and professional goals. This list of your goals will enable you to retain a strong sense of clarity when deciding which business opportunities you want to pursue, and it will keep you focus in achieving your goals.

Next, you must remember that the business opportunity which you choose will reflect your personal taste and passion. This aspect is often overlooked by most people and if they do not choose wisely, they may end up feeling burned out at a young age. When you start a business which you do not have any passion for, it will finally be a burden to you. This often happens when your only intention is to achieve financial gain. In order to choose the right business opportunities, you must be willing to be discriminating. You have to pick and choose something that you really care about. The business that is best for you will be something that grabs your interest. The major advantage of working within the bounds of your personal taste and passion is that it keeps you motivated and allows you to always be in pursuit of your goal.

The third factor to look for in a business opportunity is that it must be able to offer a return on your investment. This is of course the primary goal of investing in a business opportunity. The business opportunities are the ones which present a carefully thought out plan. These are the business opportunities which you have to pursue thus it is very important that you do your research. A common mistake by home business opportunity seekers is they are tempted to invest in the first company that they come across. You have to do your homework by finding out who is the founder of the business opportunity, how much experience they have, its organization and how many people are involved. By doing a detailed research, you can save a lot of trouble and dissatisfaction in the future.

Finally, the best business opportunity will ensure that you have to remain active in business. Avoid a business that forces you into a passive role as it does not let you stay focus and therefore maintaining the interest in running the business. In conclusion, before you choose a home business, a well-planned research has to be carried out as detail as possible.

About the Author: Mohamad Kamsani is an internet entrepreneur and enjoys helping people get out of their rut and achieve financial freedom. To download free ebooks on internet marketing and find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home, visit: http://www.SuperSuccessIncome.com

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Excerpt from: Home Business Opportunities – How To Achieve Your Goals With The Best Business Opportunity