Tips & Tidbits

This is the place to find lots of really useful information on a wide variety of topics.

You'll love topics like these:

What makes a great logo.

How to promote your business online.

Making your website search engine friendly.

What to say in an eBlast that will get you noticed.

How to create e-mail subject lines that won't get deleted.

The iPhone 3G makes a great business tool.

I love my iPhone. I couldn't wait to get it, not because I make a lot of phone calls, but because it's like having a mini computer with me wherever I go.

Sure it has iTunes so you can listen to music or watch movies at the gym. But did you know you can check your Google analytics on the fly? How about downloading your files for reading later? Or checking your Facebook or MySpace accounts? Or your bank balances?

You can easily look up phone numbers, find directions to an appointment, access your calendar and contacts. Look up a meaning of a word. Add to your WordPress blog. The list is endless.

Sure, you can find many people to complain about the iPhone or compare it to the new Research in Motion "Storm". But I find that the iPhone gives me a lot of ways to conduct business wherever I'm at and is well worth the money.

And speaking of lists, here are some of my favorite business applications so far:

* Tasks (a great organization tool to help you get things done)
* To Do (this is a simple way to list your tasks)
* NetNewsWire (get all the news you can ever want with this RSS feed app)
* LinkedIn (access your account and keep up to date)
* Pageonce (add all your bank and stock accounts and watch your balances drop when you're on the go)
* WordPress (add to or edit your blog from any location)
* myAnalytics (check on your web page hits)
* Dictionaire (a free, but simple, dictionary)
* WhitePages and YPmobile (an easy way to find a phone number or address)
* Stanza (free books, newspapers and magazines you can download, read and bookmark. Tons of classics are available. If you can't sleep at night, just turn on your iPhone and read in the dark. Even Gone With The Wind is available and fits easily in my iPhone)
* eReader (another book reader, only this one lets you buy the latest books and download them to read at your leasure)
* MobileFiles (access your Apple MobleMe account and download your files)
* AirSharing (a great way to move your files from your PC to your iPhone)
* MProfs (lots and lots of information on marketing, e-mail marketing, search engine optimization, Business to Business ideas and more)

If you have an iPhone, check out these applications. Most of them are FREE. If not, buy one. Unfortunately I get no commission from Apple, Inc.

10 Reasons why you should use E-mail Marketing

1. E-mail marketing is relatively easy to create
2. The fundamentals of e-mail marketing are relevance, strategy and testing
3. Most recipients accept and even welcome targeted, opt-in e-mails
4. A survey from Jupiter Research says "60% of business decision makers prefer e-mail and the internet over other mediums for receiving marketing messages"
5. E-mail is cost-efficient for nurturing your existing leads
6. E-mails are personalized
7. Using a service like Express E-mail Marketing comes with built-in tracking features with statistics on bounce rates, delivery and open rates, click-through analytics and more
8. Using e-mail is a quick and cost-effective way to test market your messages and offers
9. Sending an e-mail message before delivering direct mail pieces helps boost awareness
10. A great way to follow up on direct mail deliveries

Using a free website template is a BIG mistake.

Keep in mind that your website is often the first impression people will have of you and your business or service. This is what potential clients will look at to get a sense of what they can expect when doing business with you.

While it's true you can set up your own website using one of these free templates, keep in mind that everyone has access to those templates. Hundreds of other people could be using that same template. Your brand is what sets you apart from all the other businesses. By using a template you are erasing your brand recognition. This is not a good thing to do. Especially when today's businesses need all the help they can get to stand out and survive.

It is by far more important to create a unique brand image for yourself than to save a few dollars. And unless you are a competent graphic designer, go to an expert. This is the only way to get a strong brand image that you can be proud of.

Is Yellow Pages Advertising Dead?

Maybe not yet. But perhaps in the next 20 years. Have you noticed that there are fewer and fewer ads in the books? Do you ever look at a Yellow Page book? Do you have a stack of outdated books taking up space on your bookshelf?

If you are still advertising in the Yellow Pages, you want your ad to look better than your competition. Make your ad stand out with unique graphics and above all, outstanding copy.

If the Yellow Pages is the only place you are advertising, now is the time to discover the internet. Online advertising is the future as well as the present. And there are so many ways to get your business noticed.

Google Adwords
National Online Directories
Local Online Directories
Your own unique website.

It's never too late to get your name out there. You can be sure your competition is. Can you really afford not to?

Is writing your own advertising copy a headache for you?

Not only are your company's logo and brand image important to your business, but it's extremely vital that your business writing is also professional. People will judge you not only on what you say but how you say it.

When writing your ad, brochure, eNewsletter, website, sales letter, postcard, direct mail piece, video script, etc., make sure you take into consideration the following:

Are you using proper grammar?
Is your format correct?
Is your language professional?
Did you check for spelling mistakes?

Nobody is perfect in all things. When in doubt, hire the professional. Creative Juices would be happy to create new copy for you or edit your own text. Call 310.791.5803 for a FREE consultation and price quote.

Blog your way to Business Success

One of the most popular parts of the new Web 2.0 is blogging. Using the format of blogging to help promote your business is a powerful way to reach new clients. The whole purpose of writing a blog is to constantly create new content. All search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and MSN, love blogs because they pick up on the new content, especially if it is optimized correctly. This is a great way for your blog to be listed high up in search results.

How does this relate to your business and it's success? Just follow these simple steps:

Create content that people want to read. You want to be a useful resource, so make sure whatever you're writing about is something people will learn from.
Include keywords, but make sure the copy is easy to read, short, to the point and useful.
Bulleted items and lists are very helpful and precise.
Make sure to include a link to your website. Don't include too may links as search engines may interpret that as spam and reject your site.
If you do link to your website, it's best to link to a specific "landing page" that covers the topic of your blog.

Why not write a new blog every day?! It's a great new habit that will pay you back with more people interested in your business. It doesn't have to be very long. Just interesting.

Want more information? Call Chuck at 310-791-5803.