Another Great mexico yucatan vacation ArticleVacation Marketing
Does your marketing come to a screeching halt during your annual vacation pilgrimage? Do you cease to promote your company and your products or services? Does your company dwindle into a period of non-existence while you are away?
Success Promotions' Wizard of marketing has an alternative! Introducing Vacation Marketing!
Preparing for your vacation marketing begins with loading up your pockets, wallet, briefcase, swim bag, and suit case with business cards, flyers, samples, portfolio materials, magnets, pens, pencils, and anything else upon which you might have imprinted your business information. If your advertising budget allows for it, you can even have something special imprinted just for the occasion.
Some ideas for special items you might prepare would include toy sail boats, kites, beach balls or pool towels for a beach trip. Incidentally, if anyone sells a kite that looks like a wizard with perhaps stars on the tail, please email me! Walking sticks, canteens, t-shirts, water bottles would be appropriate for a mountain trip. Sunglasses, pencils, and notepads would be good for a trip to a metropolitan area.
For the remainder of this article, I will cite examples specifically from my condo visit to the islands off the coast of South Carolina.
Leaving behind refrigerator magnets, pens, and pencils with Success Promotions logo as well as client logos are a fantastic way to have an advertising imprint impact upon visitors week after week. If someone likes a magnet or is interested enough in the company that they take it home with them that is okay with me. Worse things could happen! Vacation facilities with kitchens are also great places to leave mugs, water bottles, etc. Not only is it great to have them remain at the condominium where continuous visitors might see them, it also doesn't hurt to have them taken home as souvenirs by visitors from all over these United States and beyond.
Today most condos and many hotels equip their rooms with not only a television but also a VCR. You can leave behind a video showing the process of weaving your baskets, firing your pottery, forming your soaps, or any other process that adds to the intrinsic value of the products you make available to consumers. The only problem with the video tapes is that they are less likely to be seen by everyone.
Vacation destinations are saturated with small and unique gift shops. If your product is something that would be a good item for them to resale, you might want to turn your vacation into a business venturing trip by visiting with a few shop keepers and finding people who might sell, re-sell, or consign your products.
Vacation destinations are also chock full of people who strive to attain the better things in life. The person next to you at the tiki bar, the pool, or the rowing machine might just be the next best recruit for your network marketing business. You'll never know if you don't ask. And for those of us who have never been quite that outgoing in our recruiting efforts at least don't miss the opportunity when asked what you do for a living.
Many timeshares and weekly or monthly rental options at vacation destinations have welcoming parties at their onset. You might be able to donate a prize or two of your imprinted items to their raffles or drawings. Also, these same companies also offer scheduled activity events. Often these events even include things like make over parties and wine tastings. You might even be able to plan ahead and offer such activities through the management company. Incidentally if you live in a vacation destination or apartment community, similar marketing opportunities might exist.
Don't forget the same things that you can do any time at home. Host samplings, seminars, etc. The opportunities exist most places, you just may have to research a little harder to find them in your vacation destination.
Lots of shops, restaurants, and hotels offer you the chance to sign a guest book or put your business card in a fish bowl to get you on their mailing list. Doing so allows you to maintain constant contact with them as well. And some of these places will have extensive mailing lists you might wish to consider advertising to or renting.
The last thing you want to remember about your trips out of town is this: Whenever you are driving somewhere you might go on vacation you pass or are passed by thousands of other vehicles. http://www.webdecals.com provides an excellent way to advertise while you drive. Needless to say, when you add a webdecal to your car or van, its a good idea to wash the vehicle on a regular basis. I know my mini van stays much cleaner now that I've added www.SuccessPromotions.com to the back window!
Shannan Hearne-Fortner is the President and Wizard of http://www.SuccessPromotions.com
Marketing Your e-Business Better through creative marketing and knowledge. Guerrilla Marketing. One-to-One Marketing. Relationship Marketing. Your Marketing.
10 SHORT MARKETING QUOTES TO ADD PUNCH TO YOUR EZINE, NEWSLETTER OR WEBSITENoel Peebles
1. Marketing
You can have the best product or service in the world, but if people don't buy - it's worthless. So in reality it doesnt matter how wonderful your new product or service is. The real question is - will they buy it?
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
2. Change In Business
Without change a business will become sluggish, even bureaucratic. It will lose its sharp edge and become slow at making decisions and taking action. It will avoid any situation that might hold even the slightest element of risk. Id love to compete with a company like that!
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
3. Markets
Make no mistake; there are literally thousands of potential tightly niched markets out there. Markets abound! Your first job is to find one, and discover what it is the market wants. Then, and only then, do you consider what kind of products or services you might be able to supply to that market.
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
4. Needs/Wants
If only searching for needs motivated us humans, then our world would not have advanced beyond a primitive state of hunting and gathering. Progress comes from our "want" for more and better things.
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
5. Market Positioning
What's the ONE WORD or phrase that comes to mind when customer's think of your business? Is it service, price, selection, convenience, quality or something else? Do you really "own" that word or phrase in the customer's mind?
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
6. Market Positioning
Positioning is the marketing tool that helps prospects and customers identify what's unique about your product, service or company. Use positioning to give your advertising purpose, to give it a message, and to give it the appropriate tone. Then and only then, are you on your way to developing a good advertising strategy.
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
7. Advertising Techniques
The problem is that most ads just aim to get attention by using bold or unusual graphic gimmicks. It is a bit like walking up to a customer and grabbing them by both shoulders, staring them in the face, and shaking them. You may get their attention, but will they buy?
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
8. Marketing Perceptions
Marketing is not a battle of products, it's a battle of perceptions. It doesn't matter if you have best product or service, it's what people think that counts. That is not to say, you shouldn't have a good product or service - it is a prerequisite of doing business these days. Customers expect it.
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
9. Marketing Perceptions
Once people perceive you one way, it can be very difficult and expensive to change their perception. They file you away in their minds as a certain type of business offering a certain type of product or service.
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
10. Change In Business
Its easy to form habits and become set in our ways. If we resist change, then so will our staff. The company might plod along okay as everything steadily changes around it. Then, day-by-day business will get a bit tougher. Customers will become more demanding. Competition will increase and it will become harder to make ends meet. It may take a few years, but eventually the company will become another business statistic - one that didnt need to happen.
Noel Peebles, Author Sell Your Business The Easy Way http://www.instantsellbusiness.com
Any of the above quotes may be freely published with the authors name and website address left in tact.
Get Your 100% FREE mini-course "17 Powerful Secrets That Have Made Business Owners Into Millionaires." 100% FREE! Simply send a blank email to: instantsellbusiness@ReportsNetwork.com
5 Strategies for Getting Market Feedback (While Effectively Marketing Yourself)Tatiana Velitchkov
Running a successful business doesn't simply involve selling or providing a great product or service.
It also means knowing exactly how your clients feel about your current offerings, so you can change the way you do things and better serve their needs.
The beauty of the Internet is that it makes this necessary feedback mechanism more speedy & convenient for both the business owner and the surfer -- especially when conducted over a dynamic business website.
So why are many companies still in the dark about what their customers REALLY want, and end up saying goodbye before they can even ask why?
If you're the kind of business owner who wants his current clients to stay, then consider these 5 strategies for getting their valuable insights & feedback... while endearing yourself to them as someone who actually listens and cares:
1) Polls / Surveys
Most people want their opinions to count. That's why most surfers are inclined to cast their votes whenever a website politely asks them to.
You can use this to your advantage by using polls & surveys to know your potential clients' preferences, particularly when it comes to your products & services.
When conducting any kind of poll online, just remember 3 things:
1. Make it QUICK.
Keep in mind that your surfer has other things to do (like fill out your order form), so limit most polls to just one question each.
2. Make it CONVENIENT.
Create drop down menus or radio buttons for your surfer to click on, so they won't have to waste time typing in the whole answer.
3. Make it WORTHWHILE.
If you want the most number of feedback in the shortest possible time, offer a prize for specific "lucky voters," within the range of respondents that you expect for your survey.
If you have 1,000 prospective voters, for example, you can award voter number 500 with your premium service package at half the price, and grant voter number 1,000 the entire package for free!
Just make sure you have all the contest rules clearly stated before you ask for their votes... or they might vote against you & your business forever.
2) Message Boards
Message boards hold their own appeal for surfers truly interested in the topics your website usually covers.
When moderated properly & promoted regularly, they can become "virtual hangouts" where people:
- share their knowledge & opinions - offer advice / ask for help - or simply meet other people with the same interests.
Although some clients with tight surfing schedules find that "having to go online and visit a specific URL" is rather taxing, you can make the idea more attractive by:
- stimulating dynamic discussions in your board by raising current & compelling issues
- regularly telling your casual surfers about the hottest ongoing debates & topics in the forum
- and directly asking people to offer their own insights, while providing an easy-to-click link or URL.
3) Mailing List
The mailing list is very similar to the message board, in that it encourages discussions among your clients & would-be clients. The only difference is that everything here is done through email, and members aren't required to go online to interact.
Just like the message board, however, there are 3 secrets to effectively using mailing lists to gain useful feedback:
1. Keep all discussions FOCUSED on the same general topic -- preferably the field/industry you're doing business in.
Often, your own members' posts will be enough to keep you updated about the major issues that affect your business, saving you time and money on reading and research.
2. Allow members to mention your COMPETITION'S products & services; let them even make personal comparisons.
These posts will give you valuable insights for improving YOUR OWN products & services... and how you can convince even your competition's clients to change their minds and trust YOU.
3. Finally, remain VISIBLE in your own message board or discussion list.
Give helpful comments, offer positive feedback, and praise every real effort made by members to share what they know. This is your chance to establish a real, ongoing relationship with the people who frequent your website... and turn most of them into friends, or clients or (if you're lucky) both.
4) Chat Event
If you're just starting your own business, however, you probably won't have the time to manage a message board or mailing list just yet.
What you CAN do is promote & hold a regular chat event on your site each month, inviting both regular and potential clients alike.
To make each chat event worthwhile, remember to:
- Focus on a specific topic, preferably something your surfers will be very interested in.
- Set a definite schedule and time limit. Be aware of the time differences among your surfers, and try to set a schedule that is convenient for everyone.
- Promote the event well in advance. Tell as many people about it as you can (just make sure your servers can handle them). And finally -
- Give everyone clear & concise directions on how they can participate.
Minimize their chances for getting errors or getting lost during the event, so they can focus on what they want to say -- which is exactly the kind of feedback you need.
5) Feedback Forms
Of course, the feedback collection process won't be complete without the familiar online form.
Although these forms are common, not all of them work as well most business owners need them to.
To set up the kind of form that's easy to send & easy to reply to, observe the following DOs & DON'Ts:
- DON'T just invite them to send all queries & requests to the same email address.
- DO create a drop-down menu for the "Recipient" field listing the different departments in your company, so each email will be instantly routed to the right person or mailbox.
- DON'T just use a generic form mailer for your "contact us" page.
- DO use a drop-down menu for the "Subject" field, listing the most common reasons people have for wanting to email you.
Aside from helping your client/surfer focus his reason for contacting you, it also helps you categorize each request quickly so you can deal with each batch of email more promptly.
The truth is, feedback is important not only in business, but also in our dreams, and our everyday lives.
Some feedback will be good, and some of it will be bad. Some will encourage us, some might crush us, and some might even have the chance to totally disillusion us.
But the important thing to look forward to is that feedback will always CHANGE us... and WE decide if we're going to be better because of it.
Tatiana Velitchkov
Tatiana is the publisher of: www.TheFortunesEzine.com, the FortunesEzineWeekly at www.TakeYourFortune.com, and owner of the traffic-solution slam advertising sites www.Guaranteed-Hits.com and www.Guaranteed-Hits.net
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This set of three magnets from Thirstystone is perfect for home or office. Magnets are a great way to organize and hold notes, recipes, phone messages, photos, and more. Each magnet is 2 1/4" square and 1/4" thick. Each magnet has a corresponding full sized coaster also available from Thirstystone.
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Live Recordings from the Acclaimed Canadian Band. Recorded During their 1997 Tour. A Live Collection of their Greatest Hits.
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From the best-selling novel by Peter Benchley, Steven Spielberg directed this thrill ride of terror. During the height of beach season, the Massachusetts resort town of Amity Island is terrorized one summer by surprise attacks from a great white shark. Three unlikely partners team up to hunt down the rogue and destroy it: the new chief of police from New York (Roy Scheider), a young university-educated oceanographer (Richard Dreyfuss), and a crusty old-time fisherman (Robert Shaw). The film shoot was notoriously difficult for the young Spielberg, who had directed only one feature film before JAWS. The mechanical shark seldom operated correctly, and Spielberg was frequently forced to create the idea of terror without actually showing the shark. However, after the film premiered it went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time--surpassing THE GODFATHER and becoming the first film to gross more than a hundred million dollars. Composer John Williams created the score to JAWS, which has since become a well-known theme of impending doom. Ron and Valerie Taylor were responsible for filming live sharks in Australia; their sequences were later mixed with footage of the mechanical shark.
World's Most Exotic Travel Destinations: Volume 1 - Italy, Greece, Tahiti, and More!
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Around the corner or around the globe, embark on a thrilling journey to some of the most fascinating destinations in the world! Get set to visit exotic sights and thrill to nature's most breathtaking vistas. Meet unique and interesting people, visit the places you've dreamed about and marvel at wonders few know exist. Experience the best the world has to offer on these exotic travel destination videos! On this video you'll: **Go diving for black pearls in Tahiti **Tour the world famous pastry shops in Vienna **Ride the romantic Gondolas of Venice **See how The Busendorfer Pianos are handcrafted in Austria **Watch the incredible thermal wonders of Lassen Volcanic National Park **Explore the Greek Islands on a luxery yacht **Take a high-speed ride on Europe's Autobahn **Visit a English village where 12 ghosts live **Fly in a chopper for a breathtaking ride over Hawaii **Travel on a storybook adventure in Switzerland.
Jaws 2
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It's been 4 years since that marauding great white shark terrorized the small summer resort of Amity; but the shark that Police Chief Brody destroyed wasn't the only one in the ocean! Now Brody finds himself in a race against time when this new great white shark attacks ten sailboats manned by teenagers, including his own two sons! The same heart-stopping suspense and gripping adventure that enthralled movie audiences throughout the world in Jaws returns in this worthy sequel to that film classic.
Israeli Paratrooper Messenger Bag - 3 Colors Available
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