Internet Marketing and Advertising

Print ads generally have four written parts: headline, support ded with nothing but negatives. Others point to the enduring effectivenesscopy, call to action, company name and a visual. Visuals are usually more important than copy because they’re more effective in attracting readers’ attention and can instantly present your product or service in a dramatic and motivating way.

Unless you’re commissioning your own original artwork or photography, the visuals you’ll use will probably be either drawings and photographs from your suppliers or non-copyrighted artwork (clip art) found in clip-art books and scrap-art computer programs. Choose the strongest visual among them, the one that best draws the eye and explains what you’re selling, and then move on to copy.

The most prominent piece of copy, your headline, must not only work with your visual, amplifying its meaning, but also attract attention with a word, phrase or sentence announcing a benefit that appeals to your target market. One expert wrote that a headline is that final, mind-changing, sales-clinching comment you’d make when leaving the office of a prospect that, until then, had respon of the standard headlines “Sale,” “Free” and “Buy now and save.” Collect ideas that are right for you from your salespeople, from the ads in your file and from advertising books. And remember it is not so much the words, but the ideas they express, that sell. Determine your message then find words to convey it.

Below the headline, support copy explains the headline’s premise and adds secondary benefits or any assurance readers might need to dispel suspicions that have been raised by the headline, such as the assurance of “same great quality” when you’re offering a “new low price.” Following this copy, as a sign-off, is a call to action urging the reader to respond – “Call for an appointment today,” or “Remember, sale ends March 21.”. Your company name, traditionally at the bottom of the ad, should include your address and phone number. Make your phone number larger to help stimulate response by phone. Add a cross street to your address (e.g., “5730 Sheridan, at La Monte”) if you’re a new business or if, for other reasons, people might have difficulty finding you.

The next step is to combine all these visual and copy elements into an eye-catching, easy-to-read ad that is formatted to the dimensions stipulated by the publication. It’s best to study the ads in that publication in advance and consider what your ad might look like in order to stand out on the page. Experiment with different layout ideas rendered in thumbnail sketches and then fine-tune your ad to fit the layout you prefer. Obviously, it’s highly advisable, if not imperative, when you’re doing ads in-house, that the person composing your ad has design experience. Not only is skill required to make an ad look right, but the quality of your ad must compete favorably with others appearing in the publication.

It’s also a good idea to prepare your ad well ahead of the deadline. This way, you can put it aside for a few days and then review the ad with a fresh perspective while there’s still time to make revisions. As a final check, lay your ad on a page of the publication where it will appear and make sure it stands out from the articles and other ads on the page.

Everyone persuades for a living. There’s no way around it. Whether you’re a sales professional, an entrepreneur, or even a stay at home parent, if you are unable to convince others to your way of thinking, you will be constantly left behind. Donald Trump said it best, “Study the art of persuasion. Practice it. Develop an understanding of its profound value across all aspects of life.”

Conclusion

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.

Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.

If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report “10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands.” After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!

Tags: influence, leadership, motivation, persuasion, presentation, sales, success, team management

For such a simple statement, this is one of the hardest things for people to do. It
goes back to that damn survival instinct each of us is born with. If an animal draws
attention to itself in the wild, it might soon find itself the main course of a larger
animal’s next meal. That fear of being chewed up and spit out has survived all our
millions of years of evolution and is alive and well in today’s business environment.

Fight or flight is another instinct many of us haven’t yet learned to manipulate. It’s
easier to run away from a new idea than it is to stay and fight for it. With today’s
leadership-by-committee mentality and intense public scrutiny, the easiest solution
is unfortunately the most popular. Companies today often miss the forest through
the trees. They tend to concentrate so much on short-term profit that they fail to
make investments or take advantages of opportunities that promise long-term
profit simply because they require a short-term loss.

It may also be argued that fighting for a new ideawhether that means pushing for
the development of a new product, staving off competitors or supporting a
slumping brand rather than letting it dieis usually undesirable because of such
costs.

Certainly that might be true in the short term, but in the long run, giving up too
soon my actually cost your company far more in lost revenues, public outrage or
shrinking market share. It requires a different way of thinking. Advertising and
promoting your business is an investment in your business’ future. Investments are
not mere costs. They come with a benefit.

Let’s get one thing straight from the very beginning. No company ever dominated
its industry by operating with a philosophy of fear. And, ultimately, no company can
survive if it doesn’t learn to conquer its fear and take chances, make changes.

It is the ability to see past any short-term problems to the bigger, long-term picture
that has fueled the meteoric rise of the world’s most successful companies. Nobody
knew what Apple was before its history making 1985 Super Bowl commercial.

Apple paid to run that commercial only once, but it ran again hundreds of times
around the country and the world during local and national news broadcasts. Stories
about Apple and its commercial were front-page news for weeks.

When it comes to advertising, you might wonder what kinds of changes are needed.
After all, it’s just advertising. If your ads look like your competitors’ ads, if your
messages are strikingly similar, if you talk to yourself instead of your customers, if
you worry more about your logo being large enough than the message being
attention-getting enough, you need to change.

Now this is just the first step, so we won’t get into any more detail here. The object
of this step is to let you know that you need to screw up your courage and prepare
to make some changes in your advertising that will have a profound effect on your
bottom line.

Fear is the greatest motivator. However, instead of motivating people to act, it
usually causes people to freeze or retreat. It takes courage to make the kinds of
changes that are needed to survive in today’s crowded, complicated and competitive
business environment.

Conquer your fear. Be courageous.

This article introduced the first of the twelve steps. Challenge yourself, your staff
and your advertising agency to make a revolutionary transformation of your
advertising program. And, remember, even the largest revolution begins with just
one stepthe first.

© 2006

After more than a decade in the business, Jeff Berney offers more than a passion for
prose. Above all, he is a strategic thinker, an idealist, a brand evangelist. The articles
posted here are from his collection entitled, “Twelve Steps to Creating Breakthrough
Advertising Campaigns: A creative philosophy to help companies recover from years of
playing it safe.”

Jeff Berney is a freelance idealist, brand evangelist and writer. He can be reached at
816-507-2124 or jeff@jberney.com.

Tags: ad campaign, Advertising, advertising campaign, branding, copywriting, marketing

May I lick the contract?

The Chemical Signature is a simple concept: make your ink unique by mixing a new color and adding secret components. Even salt and sugar will do it. Now, the custom ink could have been invented by Da Vinci, but without Internet it would have been very hard to associate a person with its Own Ink. It is possible now for everyone to have a custom ink, adding safety to signatures and rubberstamps. The ink is obtained by mixing standard colors in different proportions. As a first step in validation, the colors are shown in a website, under a code.The additional components that add safety to the OwnInk system are substances that are easy to detect, if you know what you are looking for. If you do not, you need a multimillion dollar lab and many hours of expert chemists or biochemists. To know some of the secret components, the validator needs to register in a website. More components mean more safety levels, and more requirements for validators.

What is wrong with the $1 ball pen?

In these times of digital signatures, nobody pays attention to ink signatures, which are still made as in the Middle Ages, but move billions of dollars every hour. Ink signatures in paper will probably stay around until we extinct all the forests.

However, when handwriting analysts mention technology, they mean a magnifying glass. No changes have appeared in the way we sign and in how the signatures are verified. On the other hand, criminals have now scanners, graphic software and check software, enabling them to easily falsify any rubber stamp or signature, no matter how complicated.

As a result, attempted check fraud in US banks surpassed $4.32 billion in 2001, doubling for the 2nd time in 4 years (American Bankers Association Deposit Account Fraud Survey Report).

Not only banks need to verify signatures: notaries, universities, governments and those who face the globalized economy. And still, they rely on visual examination to compare signatures.

You can sign in any color, as long it is black.

There are a few obstacles for the Chemical Signature. For instance: Will Notaries accept signatures with Customized Safety Ink?. Probably not, because the law favors Black. One reason is that light blue is bad for xeroxing, but there is nothing wrong with other colors. Maybe the law can change. And there is nothing against chemical tracers.

It is also possible to sign in black (with subtle amounts of chemical tracers) and stamp in color. You need a stamp to state that “This document is signed / stamped with Custom Ink #123456″.

Another problem would arise when you lose your pen or rubber stamping pad. Your ink can fall in the wrong hands. However, it is easy to implement a reporting system such as the one that Credit Cards have.

Is this document radioactive?

As a matter of fact, yes. If you are reading this in paper, it will be less radioactive than a computer monitor, but it still has a background radiation.

The ink can have radioactive components that are easy to identify and measure. However, if they stay below certain limits, no authority will complain.

Alternatively, some biological components can be added for extra safety and easy detection by a biochemical lab. DNA or saliva could be good options, but the company providing such an ink would be liable for handling hazardous materials. However, many biochemicals are safe enough to be included in the ink.

Fluorescent, magnetic and particulate components are also possible.

The letter is a worthless lie, but the ink is $890

Who is going to profit from the chemical signature?

The banks will save money in graphoanalysts and forged checks. Validator entities will earn from the simple and profitable chemical analysis. Resellers of the ink kits, pen makers and gift shops will also have a bite.

It is not clear how will Notaries perform when the rules of their business get turned upside down. Some will join the innovation and take advantage of it, while others will see their business disappear. Scam artists will certainly spend thousands in chemistry courses and lab equipment.

The product can be segmented into several price ranges. The simplest custom ink with few components and little guaranty will cost about $5, while the ultra-secure variety with a golden pen will go over 800.

Beyond all the safety issues, there is a powerful reason for the Chemical Signature to succeed: the impulse of people to affirm their personality, to be fancy and original.

Sergio Samoilovich
OwnInk.com
sergio@ownink.com

Im promotioning a novedous product

Tags: a, check safety, chemical signature, custom ink, personal ink, safety in documents, safety signature