Mar 27

Traditional marketing and advertising assumes that all of your customers are traditional people. Even newer technologies like email assume that the best way to reach people is when they are at their computers. But think about it – there are plenty of people who move around and work on the go. Checking email may be a lower priority, and may be a task they only tend to once a day, once a week, or whenever they get around to it. When your target customers aren’t checking their email, your email advertisements aren’t being seen. Fax marketing can help reach this niche of customers by matching their fast-moving, real-time work style.

Fax Marketing Can Uncover Hidden Sales

Your fax marketing will tap into the hidden sales that can come from these people on the move because a fax is something physical, and seems to command a sense of urgency by its nature. Think about it. When you see a fax machine generating a fax printout, you assume its urgent. Your natural urge is to grab the fax off of the machine, and read it to see what’s up. A paper fax just can’t be ignored as easily as other electronic communications, like email and voicemail which can be stored and considered later. This is why fax marketing is perfect to get your message noticed, because if you can just get enough people to take a second and read what you have to say, the law of numbers says that a certain number of them will turn into sales.

A paper fax marketing message can’t be easily stored for later reading by your target customer like an email either. Your customer’s tendency, if they want to follow-up in response to your fax communication, is to keep the fax on their desk or other place in front of them, because most people are worried about “out-of-sight, out-of-mind”. This means your message will be sitting right in front of your target customer, while your competitors email or voicemail messages float around in electronic storage, forgotten until a later time. When the customer gets in a buying mood, guess who they’ll remember?

Don’t pass up these incredibly lucrative niches of potential customers who are often bypassed because traditional email and voicemail don’t match their on-the-move work style. Hit them with your fax marketing, and you’ll guarantee that you’re the one they’ll remember. A paper in the hand is worth a hundred emails in the electronic in-box.

Chris Bradley is V.P. of 3 Cent
Fax Broadcast.com, where they help business save money and increase profits with their do it all fax service, where they do all the work and you can concentrate on your business. To learn more about their money and time saving service by clicking here … fax
broadcasting.

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Mar 14

Internet marketing is fast becoming the advertising method of choice of small businesses. They get maximum exposure and internet traffic from prospective purchasers and customers. In fact, according to ISP Interland, small home businesses and medium scale companies (SMBs) are getting returns that are significantly higher because of their online marketing strategy. Also, more than half of business owners are saying that the increase in their monthly revenues are due to online purchases. Aside from this, most of their offline sales are due to the influence of their websites and online marketing.

However, it is surprising that not all are using search engine optimization when in recent years, search engines are essential tools for buyers. Instead of companies and businesses looking for clients online, it is the buyers that are looking for worthy purchases on the internet. Studies and surveys show that over two-thirds of SMBs’ online and offline sales are fueled by online researches. It is therefore crucial for SMBs’ products, services, and company names to appear in these searches. Visibility in search engines is part of a good and efficient internet marketing plan, but merely appearing on these searches. What these SMBs need are effective keywords that draw customers in and not just visitors.

Visibility in search engines is effectively linked to credibility and brand awareness. Sally Falkow, an online marketing specialist suggests that optimizing press releases gives SMBs excellent visibility and keep them on the consumers’ radar. Falkow provides another useful tip: giving these releases “news” appeal gives them credibility. Aside from these general tips from a specialist, there are other guides that SMBs rely on in internet marketing.

Researching and testing keywords is an effective way to find the most popular combinations. Sites like WordTracker and Overture help in selecting keywords. Internet marketing optimization benefits from the use of phrases rather than a single word as keyword. Jill Whalen, search consultant for High Rankings, says that more specific keywords draw and attract real customers and not just people who are browsing around. It is also important to mix general terms and specific words as keywords; this way, SMBs draw in all prospective clients. It is also a good idea to include the company name and title tags as part of the keywords. The use of jargon is also a good idea especially if the SMBs’ products are industry-specific. Linking keyworded articles to other articles or sites is also an effective strategy. Lastly, it is vital that SMBs be honest about the service and product that they offer to avoid disappointed buyers. It is one thing to advertise a product and a completely different thing to exaggerate about its features.

For more valuable information on Internet Marketing, please visit http://www.a2zcomms.com

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Mar 01

By selling your home on your own you are known in the real estate world as a “FSBO” or “For Sale By Owner”. Some buyers specifically look for FSBO listings because they assume they can deduct a standard real estate professionals fees from the price of the home so they tend to make lower offers. Others believe that FSBO homes are easier to deal with than trained real estate professionals. Obviously, neither case is always true but it happens enough to be aware of it.

Your advertising is what drives potential buyers to first, become aware of your home, second, to gain interest, and finally, to make an offer for your home. It is only reasonable to assume that the more interested buyers you have the higher selling price you can expect.

In this era of highly accessible information there are many options available to you as a seller of real estate. As in any project you undertake, it would be wise to sit down and think out a strategy before spending any money, in order to avoid wasting money on ineffective promotional tools. Some questions you might ask yourself are the following:

  1. How much time do I have to sell my property?
  2. How much cash do I have to spend on advertising?
  3. How many buyer leads do I expect, per dollar spent on advertising?
  4. How much time do I have to devote to advertising daily and weekly?

After assessing your personal situation you will be better prepared to develop your promotional strategy. There are several advertising options out there, some more expensive than others and some deliver more leads than others. It’s reasonable to assume that the most valuable advertising resources are those that deliver the most leads to you for the least amount of money. Some of the most popular and effective methods follow.

  • Posting an ad in the local newspaper
  • Conducting an open house
  • Distributing flyers around the neighborhood
  • Posting a yard sign in front of your house
  • Posting an ad on an internet real estate website (or on multiple sites)

Naturally, there are no guarantees that you will get attention by merely participating in the above promotional methods, because a lot depends on your ad copy, the presentation of information, and your asking price. Buyers simply won’t contact you if your price is too high. However, the right combination is essential to selling real estate by owner successfully.

Once you have decided where and how to advertise, you’ll need to write your ad copy and organize facts about your property. Following are a few tips on writing your ad.

Writing your ad
Keep in mind that many people seek out FSBO properties when you write your ad. Be sure to take advantage of this by making it clear you are selling by owner.

Here is a list of things to do when writing your ad:

  • Do indicate you are selling by owner
  • Do indicate you have a complete property listing on the internet, and where it can be found
  • Do describe the structure, style, and number of bedrooms and bathrooms
  • Do describe the neighborhood
  • Do list the sales price
  • Do highlight any special features your home may have, such as a pool, hot tub, fenced yard, etc.
  • Do include your phone numbers and email and indicate the best time to reach you (if by phone)

By not including the property address in your advertisement, you encourage potential buyers to call for more information, which gives you an opportunity to set up an appointment to show them your home.

The author is involved in several online businesses, including FSBO3k.com, one of the leading for sale by owner websites in the United States.

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