www.narvinta.com

Okay, so you’ve been in business a while. You have a few
different services you offer. You have regular clients who know,
like, and trust you. So now it’s time for me to ask you, do you
have a signature line of products and services, each one feeding
into the other?

A signature line of products and services is more than just a
marketing funnel. It’s where you deliver the same result, just
in different formats.

For example, my friend Barbara delivers editing and writing services, with a focus on ghost writing and book editing for speakers and consultants.

She’s already plenty busy with clients and publishes a free monthly newsletter, but she has the opportunity to build an even
stronger business by offering a signature line of products and
services, each tightly focused on helping speakers get their
books written and published.

For example: Barbara could create a series of information
products. Each one focused on subjects like writing one-sheets
(something all speakers must have), how to get started writing
their book (including outlines, templates, and schedules), how a
speaker can turn their keynote speech into the nucleus of their
book, how to decide whether to self-publish or try for a
publishing deal…the list goes on!

If she wanted to, Barbara could lead or co-lead workshops,
teleclasses, and seminars on these same topics, all pivoting
around her core brand, which is helping speakers and consultants
get their book in print.

Of course, she would also become sought after as a speaker
herself, speaking to NSA audiences and other entrepreneurial
conferences.

And, she could create a training program, getting paid
handsomely to teach other editors how to serve this big,
lucrative market.

There you have it! A complete line of products and services, all
focused on delivering one result. The advantages to this
business model? In a nutshell: focus, expertise, credibility,
money, brand strength, and business prosperity.

So, are you wondering where the opportunities are for you in
YOUR business?

Creating a signature brand plan is where my creativity runs
wild! If you want customized coaching to design and renovate
your packages, services, and products then watch for an upcoming
email announcing my autumn HorseWise Brilliance Unbridled
program.

*
You are welcome to publish this article
in its entirety, electronically, or in print free of charge, as
long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web
site address in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a
courtesy link or email where you publish to
Kendall@KendallSummerHawk.com

Kendall SummerHawk, the “Horse Whisperer for Business”
delivers smart, savvy ways entrepreneurs can turn their
hectic business into a smooth-running, fun, 6-figure
money-making dream. To learn more about her book,
Brilliance Unbridled, and sign up for more FREE tips like
these, visit her site at http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com

Share This

Depending on whom you ask, you will get told many “truths” about advertising. The question I have for you today is this - “Is the only bad advertising, no advertising?”

Before we begin, it might help us to agree on what advertising is, so here’s one definition:

“Advertising is the non-personal communication of an individual’s paid persuasive information regarding products, and or services via various media.”

In other words, someone is trying to “sell” us on something - be it a product, or a service, or just picking up the phone. Advertising is all about getting people to do something - well, for the majority of us, it should be.

So, if advertising is about selling stuff, then perhaps we can answer our question now: “Is the only bad advertising, no advertising?” Of course not! You could create a really bad advert that did a terrible job of selling and that would easily be a bad advert.

“Repetition, repetition, repetition!”

Is the battle cry of the ardent advertiser. “You must have repetition to have an impact.” Do you believe this? A healthy dose of scepticism is always handy at a time like this. But before you start patting yourself on the back thinking that you’re right I think you might want to hear this.

Repeating an advert works. Studies have shown conclusively that a ’sale’ regularly occurs between the fifth and eighth exposure to a sales message (sure it can happen sooner, the point is that one-hit-wonders are rare). So repeating an advert works - BUT and this is quite an important “but” the advert must be having an effect (or working) for the repetition to be meaningful.

Flogging a Dead Horse

Permit me to explain. If your advert tanked on the first run you may have a bad advert on your hands. You will need to think carefully about what you do next. Experience tells us that this might be a fluke or a freak of circumstances so it warrants at least another run - may be two.

However, if the advert is not performing at all well after a couple of exposures to your market place, exposing that advert continuously will NOT (I repeat NOT) improve it. In this instance, repetition is quite simply a waste of time and money.

However, if your advert worked well then keep running the advert. For how long you might ask? The answer to that is actually very easy. Keep running performing adverts until the numbers tell you to stop. That’s right, let the sales numbers tell you when that advert needs a rest.

Great Adverts Need A Vacation Too

Adverts are like people, they get tired and need a break. Just because an advert eventually loses some steam doesn’t mean that after a suitable ‘rest’ it cannot go right back to work - performing flawlessly.
So how do the numbers tell you when to pull the advert or give it a rest? When all the costs of running the advert outweigh the sales the advert is bringing in. Remember to take a more pragmatic view and consider the long term sales value of a new client. In a previous article I explained that a client you acquire has a ‘lifetime value’ not just a ‘now-time value’. Include the future sales this client will bring you when deciding if the advert is no longer effective.

Size Does Matter!

So how big should your advert be? That’s easy, it should be ‘dominant’. After all, your advert is trying to do its first job - CATCH ATTENTION! This is easier to achieve with a larger advert. All things being equal on the page, the bigger ads get more ‘eye time’ than the smaller adverts. As with all things though, there are exceptions to the rules and a small advert developed properly will outperform a big advert that is poorly designed.

There are other advertising ‘secrets‘ we copywriters have learned that help us gain the edge when writing adverts. For instance we know whether colour makes a difference and when to use it, we know which single colour out performs all other colours and why, and we know which fonts (yes fonts) make a difference to an advert but sadly I’m out of space again so we’ll have to save those tidbits for another time.

JAMES C. BURCHILL is a 20-year veteran entrepreneur and information technology executive who now provides strategic marketing consulting services to a select group of clients. He is a published author, a passionate advocate of technology and the Internet, as well as an avid study of classical advertising and marketing strategies (which he uses during ‘Internet alchemy’ experiments.) James is an expert in information and data management, Internet marketing and online networking. A self confessed ‘information and technology enthusiast’, James brings a wide range of valuable skills to any venture. Of singular note is James’ ability to assimilate complex subject matter and produce clean clear ‘easy-to-understand’ messages. James has been interviewed many times and caused quite the media buzz when a client ‘double-dog-dared’ him to prove you can get front page coverage for $0. The details and that ‘dumb stunt’ are now part of EBay legend. Currently James lives in Ontario, Canada with his wife and family, their Siamese cat and one very nervous fish. Visit http://www.JamesBurchill.com for details.

Share This

There was a time when balloons were nothing more than kid’s toys but now they are used for so many different things. One of the most popular uses of balloons is for advertising. Advertising balloons are popular for so many reasons but the most important one is that people notice them. There is something about a balloon that is fascinating to adults and children alike. We all find out eyes drawn to these colorful floating things and we always want to see what they say on them.

Advertising balloons are pretty and they are effective. They also come in many different sizes. Some advertising balloons are gigantic and are as big as a small plane while others are tiny. Some balloons float while others hand from different things, things like walls or poles or flags, anything really.

These days the most popular kinds of advertising balloons are those shaped like different characters. You will see some shaped like giant gorillas or certain cartoon chartacters like Bart Simpson or Mickey Mouse. These are popular and they catch the eye as you drive down the road, some can even be seen from miles and miles away, they are colorful and fantastic.

The vast majority of advertising balloons are filled with helium gas so as to float in air with one end tied to the support that does not allow it to wander away. One good quality about advertising balloons is that they do not burst as they are not made from flimsy material. They have thick skins that keep them from getting poked and exploded by birds.

Though advertising balloons are dying out when compared to other neat things like laser beams that are used these days, they are certainly not going to leave the market anytime soon. Next time when you see a advertising balloon floating in mid air just think what it took to come with to come with simple yet such a brilliant method of advertising.

Balloons HQ http://balloons-hq.com/ for information about balloons from advertising balloons to weather balloons and much more.

Share This