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Whether just starting out into the world of business or if you already have an established watch bands company, free promotion is a must have. In addition to being a terrific way of budgeting your expenses, it’s a real revenue booster. The largest expense that many businesses incur is that of advertising. Why? Because the cost associated with advertising in print publications can be quite hefty, which is why an increasing number of business owners are looking for an alternate way of getting the word out about their company.

The most popular, and common, way to generate free promotion for a watch bands business is through the use of a press release. This brief, one page news report is distributed to press association websites, magazines, trade publications and local newspapers. Whether your watch bands company already has a physical storefront, is primarily web-based or mail order, the use of press releases can really help to spread the word about your company in a positive light. When most people pick up a publication, they do so in order to read stories. Advertisements are just placeholders that publications use to generate additional revenue. Business owners run paid ads in the hopes that publication readers will notice their company and become a customer. But, the best way to advertise is through an actual news story that people will want to read. This instantly becomes more credible than any paid advertisement and may result in new customers much quicker.

In order for a press release to be accepted, it must contain the name, address and telephone number of the person who is submitting the news. Press releases should be limited to one page, or less, of information and should end with a brief one paragraph profile of the company. The news has to sound catchy without sounding like a blatant advertisement and may include photos if available. For instance, if your company has new watch bands in stock or has recently designed a new line, a press release would be ideal.

Every watch bands business should also have a web presence, which will open their business up to a world of potential customers. The internet is a virtual shopping mall where customers around the globe stop in to shop. A quality watch bands website should feature color photos, a professional design, company history and ordering information. Most businesses prefer to have a secure payment system, which allows customers to order using a credit card. For customers who do not use credit cards, a printable order form should be provided in order to allow shoppers to mail their payment.

As a final thought to gaining free promotion for your watch bands business, consider the use of search engines, link exchanges and article marketing. These are several of the more popular ways to generate additional website traffic and revenue for any company.

To find out more about www.anaxion.com“>watch bands, please visit our website at www.anaxion.com . It contains tons of free watch bands articles, resources and tips.

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With so many products and solutions out there that you can sell online, finding what works for you can be a tough process. Once you do know what you want to sell you have to then figure out how you want to sell it. The same rules that apply for selling tea cups are a little different then the rules that you will need to follow to sell an automobile online. What you need to do is figure what your major selling item will be and then use other products on your website to focus around it. If you are selling a car then some focus products would be tires, tools, window cleaner ect…

Now after you have figured out your main product as well as some focus products you then have to design your website and promotion around them. You’ll have to figure out what features you want to list and which ones to exclude. The important part of this process is to show the product for what it truly is. Now if you are selling brand new items online then you may not have to worry about this. It really depends on your product field that will determine what features you will list, making sure that you include the good and the not so good in the description. Newer products usually cut this out as well as selling e-products. Just make sure you promote the product for what it exactly is and people will be happy. Trust me, if you sell someone a BMW and it is really a Toyota then you are going to be in trouble. This is the same if you are a webhoster and guarantee 99% up time and only have 90% up time.

When promoting your product as well as offering it on your website, don’t forget to include bonus offers with to entice a bigger reply when people are viewing your ads/site. This could be “sign up now and get a free domain with you purchase of 3 months of hosting”. It also could be “order now and save 10% on the purchase price”. This will give customers a reason for going with your company over your competitors.

Finally make sure when you promote your product or site(especially when it comes to software and e-products) make sure to point out that your company will not only save them money but time. This is extremely important as in the world of business, time is a very valuable object. The more time you save, the more money you can make and that is what every businesses is about!

Anthony Jewell has over 6 Years experience in the Web & Graphics World. You can visit my business and join in conversation at our forum at http://www.logo2d.com/forum & http://www.logo2d.com

©Copyright 2005 Logo2D.com : Feel free to use this article freely but please keep in the copyright

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If the most important part of any
business-to-business direct mail package is the list,
how can you be sure that you have a good list
before you drop your money (and your reputation) in
the mailbox? Answer: Ask the right questions before
you rent that
list.

1. Who is on the list, exactly?
Let’s say your potential list is high-tech prospects.
Are the people on the list analysts, network
administrators, product managers, chief information
officers or sales managers? Knowing makes all the
difference. So make sure you can select names by
job title or function.

2. What is the source of the list?
Is the list a compiled list, where names and
addresses are compiled into a list from directories,
newspapers, trade show registrations and other
public sources? Or is the list an opt-in list (such as
subscribers to a particular trade publication, or
buyers from an online store)? Lists of names that are
compiled from phone books and directories usually
age more quickly than names from opt-in lists and
usually produce more undeliverable mail.

3. Are the names on the list known buyers?

The best B2B lists contain names of businesspeople
who have bought your product or service or one like
it, regardless of how they bought it (online, by mail,
retail).

4. How recently did they buy?
In the trade, we call this Recency. Prospects who
bought a product or service like yours recently are
better prospects than ones who purchased years ago.

5. How often do they buy?
We call this Frequencyhow often someone buys.
Naturally, someone who buys your product or service
often is a better prospect than someone who buys
less frequently.

6. How much do they spend?
We call this Monetary value, and it’s the third
component in the standard test of mailing list
qualityRecency, Frequency, Monetary value.
Buyers who spend the most are the best prospects
for your mailing.

7. Are the people on the list “direct-mail
responsive?”
Sometimes a list owner or list broker will know if the
names on her list respond to direct mail offers. A
good example would be a catalog merchant who
would know the percentage of names on his list who
buy through the mail.

8. How fresh are the names?
Some business-to-business lists decay at a rate of
25% a year. In other words, at any given time, 25%
of the names on a given list will have moved (new
address), been promoted (new job title), undergone
a restructuring (new email address) or quit. Ask your
list owner or list broker how often they update their
list.

9. When was the list last cleaned?
List owners “clean” their lists by comparing them
against the postal service’s National Change of
Address file. Ask how often this is done.

10. How often is the list rented?
If the list is rented often, it is likely a good list (but
one that contains names of prospects who may have

been inundated with offers like yours). If the list is
rarely rented, it is either no good or it contains a
highly specific group of prospects that no other
business except yours wants to mail to (not likely).

11. How many other mailers tested the list
successfully?
You should conduct a test mailing to a list before
rolling out your entire mailing. Ask how many other
businesses tested the list and then declined to
rollout, and how many tested the list and decided to
rollout. The answers you get give you an idea of the
value of the list to your business.

12. Who else rents the list?
Do your competitors rent the list? See if you can find
out!

—-
About the author
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com.

© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the “About the author” message).

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While it is not reasonable to say that the Internet has caused your everyday storefront to become redundant, there is definitely a trend towards browsing for services online. Consider this - if you need to find the location of a good or service, how often do you turn to sites like White and Yellow Pages? What was that you said; you’re using your paper copies as book ends? Me too.

Tapping into the vast population of Internet users is vital to providing a well-rounded service. When surveyed, the majority of women said that they would be more inclined to use a store that had an online presence, regardless of whether they were planning to shop online or offline. What does this tell you? People invest a lot of their perception in technological advancement!

According to Stanford University research, in the past ten years Internet usage has soared from essentially 0 per cent to almost 60 per cent in the United States. These 90 million or so people spend an average of 3 hours per day browsing the web and using email. There is incredible scope to have this time used to encourage people to learn more about your particular organisation.

In not having your details on the Internet, you effectively miss out on three hours of every day when you could be reaching out to 90 million users. And worse than that, there is an entire generation that could - and have - been alienated by not providing a more technologically contemporary means of communication. Consider that many of the younger ‘Net users have actually grown up using email and instant messaging programs to speak to each other, and many have a tendency to shy away from the more traditional methods.

“I definitely notice if a store is not online,” Paula Harris, a mother of one, told me. “I like to shop online. I don’t have to deal with people everywhere, salespeople who won’t give up the hard sell and it all comes to my place without me doing anything - what could be better than that?” And it’s a fair consensus of the feelings of many women. The vast majority remarked that they see a company as being “less professional” if they’re without a web presence.

The future of Internet transactions is a fairly obvious one. 21st century people want convenience and ways to save time, and this will make the Internet more and more appealing to the busy lifestyles we tend to lead. Beyond the portals that already exist - information, banking and shopping, for the most part - exists a world where nigh everything can be done with the click of a mouse and the touch of a button.

“I would love to be able to book doctor’s appointments online, for example,” said Genevieve Liston, soon-to-be mother of three small children. “The day I can make my appointments online will be a very happy day indeed. I just don’t seem to have enough time in my day to get around to doing everything.

“I’m less likely to end up buying something or ordering something if I actually have to go out and get it. Between looking after my sons, keeping the house in order, working part-time and having a few minutes by myself, I just don’t feel like doing those mundane tasks like going shopping for groceries. Instead of going and doing it, I’ll look for somewhere I can do it or find it online. It keeps me sane!”

Men do shop online, but it is women who, as in the “real world”, are spending up big. From beauty products to children’s clothing, birthday presents and holidays, there is a market for almost anything you can think of. And with the possibility for global presence instead of “the shop people pass on their way to the bank”, the scope seems to be endless.

The beauty of the Internet is that an organisation need not have a fully-fledged website in order to generate online exposure. There are an infinite number of portals for online success, from industry specific search engines to online advertising and “community” type websites. So while it may have been expensive and time-consuming to build an online participation for one’s self in the past, this is no longer the case. And anyone who wants to be seen as being a professional organisation should be taking steps towards an Internet-based personality.

Anna Spargo-Ryan is a creative, slightly insane writer and designer from Australia. She runs a brand consultation firm specialising in brand consultation, identity design, web development and copywriting. Please see http://www.annaclements.com.au/ for more information.

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A brochure can be a great promotional tool, whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or another application. The most professional and eye-catching brochures are usually those that are full color.

Full color brochure printing usually means standard four-color printing, and is now offered at almost every brochure printing company. Four-color printing is also referred to as standard color printing and employs cyan (blue), magenta, yellow, and black inks, often abbreviated to “CMYK.” Most computer software programs will convert any text or image to CMYK, and this is usually a requirement of printers.

Brochure printing companies will usually provide a clear explanation of the four-color process. Most high quality, full color commercial printing is done on offset presses using this four-color build process. These four colors are used to create or build the many color shades seen in a brilliant, full color printed brochure.

Color can be tricky, because what you see on your computer screen is called RGB color; it is a different color model than the four-color process. Frequently there is a wide variation in monitor technologies and calibration, and colors will be similar, but not exactly the same. Make sure you communicate to your printing service what color you need to see in the final product. If you print a sample color brochure on your inkjet or laser printer, there may be some variation from the color produced from your printer to the offset lithographic presses.

One of the many advantages of the four-color process is that computer-controlled inking and chemical mixing systems provide color consistency. Automatic color and register control maintains consistent quality, making four-color process the most popular printing choice.

When an exact color match is essential, a spot color of specially mixed ink is used in printing. These specially mixed inks are called pantone colors. You can find color books showing thousands of pantone colors and get an exact match. Spot colors are used most frequently for one- and two-color jobs and when an exact color needs to be produced every time. Full color brochure printing is easy and affordable; so let your imagination soar.

Brochure Printing Info provides detailed information about cheap, color, and full color brochure printing services, and advice on finding a brochure printing company and quote. Brochure Printing Info is the sister site of Laser Toner Web.

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We all need a little inspiration once in a while, and we all need to be reminded that achieving success is a process, not an event. It doesn’t happen over night. Here are some ideas for
improving your chances of internet business success.

Have a plan, preferrably written. We all need to get organized, and have a vision of where we are going. Some people seem always to take the impulsive “fire … aim … ready” approach and do everything without thinking. At the other extreme are those who are subject to “the paralysis of analysis” … they spend all their time thinking, and never get into action. As with most things, moderation is the key. Take some time to think out a plan and write down the sequence, then get to work. The plan can always be revised as you go.

Treat your internet business as a real business. If you’re serious about making money, or achieving personal freedom, you have to think of this as a business, not a game or a hobby. Discipline yourself to work on your business regularly. Set aside an hour a day, or one day a week,
or whatever your personal schedule allows, and discipline yourself to abide by that schedule. Setting aside an area of your house to be your “office” is always a good idea, too. Even if it’s only 10 square feet in the corner of your bedroom, that is your “office”.

Think of your business progress as a scientist would. Make your plan, but leave it flexible. Try some things, and be willing to modify your ideas and plan based upon results and experience. A scientist forms a theory, then tests the theory, then modifies the theory to account for the
results, and tests it again. That happens over and over. It works great for business, too.

Set realistic goals. Many people make the mistake of shooting for the moon, instead of setting a series of attainable goals along the way. Set realistic goals, reward yourself for achieving them, and then “raise the bar” for your next goal. You can’t get to the top of the stairs without climbing each of the steps …

Be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was any other successful business. While internet business offers the chance to “fast track” your way to success with much lower costs than traditional business, it still requires an investment of time and money, and the patience to watch it grow. Your first several months, possibly even the first six months to a year are basically a learning experience.

Getting started is the hardest work. You’re learning new things, perhaps developing a web site or learning how to advertise and market on the internet. Most people say they did the hardest work for the least payoff in the first six months of their internet venture, but as time goes on, they work less and less, and earn more and more.

Do what excites you. If you’re serious about internet business, you’ll be putting a lot of time into it. One sure way to sabotage yourself is to be doing something that holds no interest for you. Instead, pick something that excites you. It might be your favorite hobby, or
something else that you’re passionate about. Maybe the sales process itself excites you. That’s fine, but at least pick products that interest you, or sooner or later, you’ll lose interest in promoting.

The riches are in the niches. Many people starting out in internet business tend to have too broad a focus, or try to sign up for dozens and dozens of affiliate programs, taking a “shotgun” approach. They apparently figure that if they have enough irons in the fire, *something* will pay off. Internet veterans are quick to point out, however, that a far better approach is to pick a narrowly defined niche … a unique product, or a product being sold to a unique population. The
trick is to find something that has a fairly high demand, but relatively low competition. When you find it, you’ve found a “niche”.

Develop multiple income streams. Rather than putting all of your eggs in one basket, try to develop multiple sources of online income. That way, if one of the products or vendors
you are promoting fizzles out, you have several other income streams still functioning. The idea is very much like diversifying a stock portfolio. While this seems to contradict what I just said above about picking a niche, it doesn’t have to. You could represent several complementary products to the same niche market, or develop several niches. The point is to start narrow, but diversify as time goes on.

Think positively. You would be amazed how much your own attitudes, whether conscious or unconscious, affect your outcomes. If you’re in an internet business opportunity that doesn’t feel right to you, or which you don’t expect to work out, then either change your attitude, or change your
business. If you believe in what you’re doing, don’t let the negative attitudes of others dissuade you. Considering the opinions and feedback of others is smart … blindly allowing them to alter your beliefs automatically is not.

John Barbour, Ph.D. runs a number of educational and profit-oriented internet marketing sites, the most recent of which is Net-Biz-Tips.Com.

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Copyright 2005 Log Cabin Rustics

If you would like to know when your site was last indexed by Google, you can find out easily by using the Google cache command. By typing “cache:www.logcabinrustics.com” into the Google search engine, I learned that my site was last indexed yesterday. The Google cache also displays the web page at the time of indexing, so you can see the latest version of your page that was indexed by Google.

As some webmasters have learned, the Google cache feature can be particularly handy when a valuable website and its backup have been lost due to computer failures. It may be time-consuming, especially if you have hundreds of pages, but you can actually retrieve the “lost” pages from your site in the form that Google last indexed them. If this doesn’t work, you might also try the Wayback Machine at archive.org.

Forensic experts have also used the Google cache feature to their advantageto retrieve incriminating evidence from the web. This should be an important reminder to all webmasters not to publish sensitive material online. A later decision not to publish some tantalizing tidbit, and the frantic page-pulling that ensues, may not be enough to erase those ill-said words from the Net.

Webmasters are supposed to be able to block Google from caching their site by using the “no cache” tag. However, many don’t even try this for fear of losing favor in the company’s powerful search rankings. Although Google says the “no cache” tags don’t affect web rankings, some webmasters aren’t so sure.

Other Helpful Google Operators

Other helpful search engine operators of particular value to webmasters include:

LINK: The LINK operator, when used in conjunction with your domain name, is supposed to tell you how many links are pointing to your site. The syntax for this command is “link:http://www.thevegetarianexpress.com/. By way of caution, this only shows how many links indexed by Google that are linking to you. A more inclusive option is found at the Marketleap website, where the Link Popularity Tool reports how many links are pointing to your site from other well-traveled search engines as well.

INURL: Google’s INURL operator will restrict your search to one site only. For example, typing “inurl:www.logcabinrustics.com log beds” will bring up the log beds only on the Log Cabin Rustics furniture website. This is a particularly helpful option if you are looking for a specific phrase on one site.

INTITLE: The INTITLE operator is helpful if you are looking for sites with a particular keyword in their title tag. Use this phrase at Google by typing in “intitle:furniture” or whatever other search term you are looking for.

Variations of the above themes include the ALLINURL and ALLINTITLE search operators. These are particularly useful when you are looking for a string of keywords in either a title or site. For example, if you start a query with allinurl:, Google will restrict the results to those with all of the query words in the url. For instance, [allinurl:logcabinrustics.com bunk beds] will return only documents that have both “bunk” and “beds” in the url.

Google operators can be especially helpful in analyzing the web pages of key competitors. To learn more, visit http://www.google.com/help/operators.html.

About the author:

Cari Haus is webmaster for http://www.logcabinrustics.com,an online retailer of quality log furniture.

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