When I started my business and I didn't know enough about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It takes time to learn the ins and outs of website design and copywriting to know how to get to the top. But I read something that helped me get on the first page, without even tweaking much of my site. And that was to get into the local advertising directories.
The directories themselves take on the SEO, you get to float on their hard work. The first advertising I would do as a new business would be to make sure your business is listed in the local online directories. To be uber helpful, below is a list of local directories and their links for you to visit and list your business. It will take some time, but is well worth it. Best Deals on Bing BizJournals.com Biznik Brownbook CitySearch CitySlick CitySquares CityVoter Dex Knows Discover our Town Foursquare Genieknows Infignos InfoUSA Judysbook Justclicklocal Kudzu Local.com LocalEze Local Site submit Magic Yellow Manta Mapquest MatchPoint Merchant Circle Metrobot MojoPages Myhuckleberry Navteq GPS Outside.in Supermedia TeleAtlas ThinkLocal twibs UsCity.net Whitepages Yahoo! Yellowassistance Yellowbook YellowPages.com Yelp Zipweb May your listings be easy and profitable.
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A few years a go when I read up on how the QR codes were going to explode in the advertising industry, I was excited about the idea of someone getting immediate information with a simple bar code scan. And although I did see more QR codes in advertising, they are less exciting now.
Augmented Reality (AR) will soon take over the QR Code. Which seems like a very broad term. The computer science world's definition of AR is the interaction of superimposed graphics, audio and other sense enhancements over a real-world environment that's displayed in real-time. It is not a new concept and has been around for a long time, however with the AR mobile apps that are now available it is a rapidly growing conversation and one that should be deemed exciting. My earliest face to face with AR came when I was at a hair appointment in high school. The year was 1989 and my stylist had just started her new business around a computer application. And not only were the computers big, but the hair too. It was a application that took a picture of you. You then were able to load your photo in and try on hundreds of hair styles and colors to choose from, giving you a good idea of what haircut is best for your face. The application was a little primitive, but effective. Another popular example is related to football games and how the text and graphics cover the games being played. And lets not forget the otherwise invisible line of scrimmage. All considered AR. For an example of what's possible, one of the new AR apps is called SnapShop Showroom. It actually allows you to try on furniture as you would clothing. You can pick your couch from the menu and bring up your live camera. It allows you to resize, move the couch around the room and change the fabric choices. Once you've chosen your couch, the app then directs you to the site and you purchase your couch. A couch you already know looks good in your home. Pretty damn convenient if you ask me. You can't get all of the out of a QR code. Below is a link to an article featureing the top 15 Augmented Reality Apps. Click the link below. http://www.pcworld.com/article/253530/top_15_augmented_reality_apps_for_iphone_and_ipad.html I have a customer who has a great model for print advertising reinforcement and I wanted to share it. It's a wonderful and effective way to get the most out of your print advertising. Dan Taylor of A Advanced Hearing Care, is a great example on how to reinforce advertising while building credibility and brand. Every month I come up with ads for AAHC, which includes a catchy headline, art and his business information, all usual stuff. And Dan comes up with the reinforcement. The thing that is so special about him is that Dan is not only a audiologist, he is a writer. So, for each of his print ads, he writes a story to accompany it somewhere in the periodical as well as in his blog. He's not selling hearing aids in the articles. He writes about hearing aids, care and general information. So he is selling without selling.
With the articles, it helps keep the site ranked high for original content as well as adding to the credibility of both Dan and the business. Not to mention the fact that the articles are filled with helpful information for the hearing impaired, family of the hearing impaired, as well as other hearing professionals in the industry. He has a good following, making his advertising even more effective. Below is the ad we chose for the month of September. To read more about Dan or A Advanced hearing care, please click here. Below is a list of facts for you to consider when wondering about radio advertising for your business. Just food for thought.
If you're thinking about where to spend your advertising dollars, you should consider radio. Radio is one of the more affordable solutions with proven results. Many businesses use radio because it offers speed, flexibility and immediacy. Also, when your customer hears the ad, it is usually in a more intimate setting. Most people listen in their car or at work, so the message is heard.
Some things you should know before getting started: 1. Radio stations typically have "Day Parts." Day Parts are how they split the day with different advertising demographics and fees. 6am to 10am Breakfast or morning drive— usually attracts the largest audience. It is also said that the morning drive market tends to be the most responsive, as people are more active in their listening at this time of day. This, of course, will be the highest cost, but with a higher response. 10am to 3pm Midday—Still considered prime day part, many listeners tune into music at work, but may not be as attentive as the morning drive. This is good for advertisers targeting female products/services. Limited Advertising budgets should not select this time to compensate, they should spend the money during the AM and PM drive times. 3pm to 7pm Afternoon Drive or PM drive—2nd largest audience. When people are driving from work to home. This is another great time to solicit retail products, planning for travel, dinner eating arrangements, running errands or focusing on diet. 7pm to 12M Evening—This day part is not the strongest. Llistenership usually drops off after the first hour, and responsiveness drops as well. This day part should only be added as part of your plan to be added with your morning and evening day parts. 12M to 6am Overnight—The least desireable inventory. Listening is very low, unless the ad targets this particular audience. Radio programming during this time is very background. This is prime time for adult content.... Male enhancement, for example. 2. Reach— Reach in the number of individuals that hear a particular campaign. This is expressed as a percentage. 3. Frequency—number of times an audience hears spot. 4. Effective frequency— Number of times a listener must be exposed to a radio spot before it has an effect. The number for radio is 3. That's 3 times hearing your ad before it sinks in. 5. Comulative Audience— Number of people who listen to a radio station for at least 1/4 hour during course of chosen times period or day part. Each person is counted once. 6. Station Share—The total audience in a given time period that is tuned to a particular radio station. This is expressed as a percentage of total radio audience for the same period. 7. Gross Impacts—Sun of the 1/4 hour audience for all spots in campaign. The number of times a radio spot was heard. This usually includes listener duplication. May your radio advertising be effective and bring you lots of business. These three terms, are extremely important to every advertiser. Even if you do not handle your own advertisements, you need to understand the importance of each and what they mean. In this blog, I am going to briefly touch on each term, which I will later explain in further detail in another post.
Reach Reach is a percentage that measures the accumulation of audience exposure over time. Basically, the total number of people exposed to your communication. It counts the unique percentage of people exposed. GRP—Gross Rating Points Gross Rating Points measure the total amount of exposure of your communication. An example would be if 24% of househols had a particular baseball game on and you ran your ad three times during that game, you would multiply 3x22, giving you a GRP of 66%. GRP measures the total exposure. Frequency Frequency is the ratio of GRP over reach. Frequency measures the repetition. The formula for Frequency is: Frequency= Gross Rating Points/Reach This is a common question. Because it depends on many factors. The rule of thumb is one and a half times your seating, however that does not leave a whole lot for anything else. Because you will want to promote your business with your menu, I would recommend that you print your restaurant menu using a high grade of material, like the EndurAce material (a water resistant surface for longevity), then add a less expensive delivery grade printed menu for promotions. You'll want to send your menu to the businesses in the area around your restaurant as well as to writers/media, hotels, etc. So don't scrimp, make sure you have enough to go around. Your menu will be the driver of your traffic. What is the 5 mile rule? It is a rule that says you should not spend advertising dollars in any market outside your 5 mile radius.
The 5 mile rule applies to many types of businesses. Why? Because people want to purchase locally. They don't want to drive 2o miles for insurance when there is an insurance company 2 miles down the road. If you were to plot your customers on a map, you will find that at least 85% of your customers do not travel more than 5 miles to get to your business. So, why would you spend advertising dollars over 5 miles away? You shouldn't. You should advertise locally and make sure that you're not wasting dollars on trying to get people to travel to your business. I use this rule in my own advertising and when I advertise for my customers. This is a great advertising "rule of thumb" because it will save advertising dollars. If you think of the distance that you would normally go to the bank or other retail shops that you frequent, chances are, nothing is over the 5 mile mark. There are a few exceptions, but not many. It really depends on the type of business you have and whether you can talk your customers into traveling. Everyone who starts a business should know the value of a ribbon cutting. It's an opportunity that should be relished and fertilized so it will make your business grow. It is an occasion that you actually get to talk one on one with people. There is not better platform to talk about your business.
There are a few things to think about when preparing for one. Below is some basic information for how to prepare and what to do to make it a success. 1. Give yourself plenty of time to promote it. The suggestion is 6 to 8 weeks out. This will give you plenty of time to have stuff printed and organized for your event. 2. Scheduling can determine how many people actually show up. Try to schedule your event Monday through Friday and right at the end of the day. That way people can hit it on the way home from work. Also check your local city schedules and the local chamber groups to see if there are any other events scheduled on that day. You don't want to schedule your event in conflict with another event. 3. Happy Hour is always an attractive after work offer. Many people like wine or beer after work and what there is no better way to get people to stay a little longer. Also, it's called "happy" hour for a reason and you want your business to be associated with "happy." There are some exceptions. There are some businesses that would show bad etiquette for serving alcohol, so use your best judgement. 4. Food. Have food, any kind of food. Small bites, sandwiches, a dish or snacks. It doesn't matter. People want to eat with their happy hour. 5. Invite everyone & know who's there. Invite your friends, family, co-workers, competition, all the businesses around you, people you know, people you don't know....invite everyone. This is an event that will be more successful with more participants. Make sure you have a sign in sheet so that you know who attended. After the ribbon cutting you will want to thank everyone for coming. 6. Have giveaways. People want to be entertained. Give them something they can talk about. Give away something you offer. Have other businesses give away stuff so that they also get exposure. Partner with a non-profit and do a 50/50 raffle. 7. Have helpers. Make sure when you are inviting people you have you key spots filled. Who's going to bartend, who's going to handle the 50/50 drawing, who's going to make sure the food in replenished. Your job is to get to know everyone in a one on one environment. Don't waste it by not being available because you have to get more wine. 8. Make your business clear. Make sure you have signage and that people know what the name of your business is. Have samples of what you do or a way of presenting what you do. 9. Take pictures. Have someone take a few pictures. Make notes of who are in the pictures. That way when you send in your press release, you have pictures to accompany it. The articles submitted for publishing with pictures have more of a chance to get published than stories without. 10. Market your event. You can advertise your ribbon cutting in a print ad or on the radio. Also, print invitations and give them to everyone. People will only know to show up if you invite them. Presentation folders are a great way to make a first impression. They not only come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, but you can get them custom made to your specifications. Which makes it a wonderful way to show a little creativity. You can get very original with die cuts.
Die cuts are custom metal shapes designed for cutting paper (and other materials). Usually when you have a custom folder shape, they are made specifically for your project, so there is an additional charge. So custom folders are more expensive. But I say, make sure you get exactly what you want, even if you have to pay the additional expense. There are many types of materials to use. Thousands of beautiful papers. Now there are a variety of inks to choose from. Folders can be embossed, printed with metallics. The sky is the limit. It really depends on how you and your designer choose to use your budget. The inside pages should reflect the design and materials on the outside. You want the entire package to be cohesive down to the business card. Folders are usually pretty expensive so there are a few ways to get the most of your budget. Go with higher runs. Low runs will run you $1 or more a piece, but if you get into the 1000, 2500 or 5,000 quantity range, you can really bring that number down significantly. What you need to do is get the most out of your higher runs. Do not put dated artwork on them.Also no contact information, that is for your business card. You want to put the minimum amount of words on them so that there is less chance you will need a reprint any time soon. I would suggest a nice full color folder with just a logo. And make sure you get the business card slits. That way when numbers, website or anything else changes, you won't have to get your folders printed, just your business cards. And those are cheap. |
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