by four women

Social Media Atomics

Social media is all over the world and speaks to some degree. We often ask people if they use social media to promote their business and almost always, is the answer? Yes?, At least they have a Facebook page. In one year we have seen exploding social media with people of all ages. What was even appropriate for the younger generation has become a necessity for us all. We can not escape the power and presence of social media. A society today that does not use social media to some extent can not be in business for several years. You think it impossible?

Occasionally, a celebrity’s success with selling products does depend on the product. George Foreman is now just as well known for his grills as he is as a boxer. I guess the question is did the grill make Foreman successful or did Foreman make the grill successful? George Foreman was a boxer professionally but he had done a series of advertising for muffler shops and other products prior to the grill. Perhaps George was so likable that the combination of a likable celebrity and a product everyone wants is like gold. This seems the most logical explanation for Foreman’s success. What about other celebrities?

Why Does It Work When It Works?

Public Image is important in advertising. If public image was not important, then McDonalds would not have canceled their contract with Kobe Bryant after Kobe was indicted on rape charges. Although he was never convicted, he still lost all endorsement deals with McDonalds and other companies. So there is an important question: are we buying the product, or the celebrity? There is a simple answer. Regardless of the pitching by the celebrities, substandard products only survive for a short time. Failed television shows are a good example of this theory. Jeff Foxworthy is one of the most successful stand-up comedians in history, and he is a well liked celebrity. However, his television sitcom The Jeff Foxworthy Show failed terribly. Foxworthy was not negatively affected by the failure of his sitcom because he went on to start the very successful variety show Blue Collar TV. But as you can see, advertising is a two way street. The celebrity needs to have some credibility in the eyes of the sponsor and the customers. Also, more importantly, product needs to be of high quality as well.

On of the better examples of celebrities in advertising used strictly to sway consumer choice is the war between the cola giants. Pepsi has a reputation of trying to target the younger demographics by featuring such celebrities as Michael Jackson and Madonna while Coca Cola has featured such celebrities as Michael Jordan and Elton John. Pepsi wanted their reputation as the coolest new thing while Coke went with the wholesome family approach. To this point, research has shown that Pepsi usually come up tops in the cola wars. However, as long as there are celebrities to hire there will always be celebrities in advertising.

Writing the Script in a TV Commercial
During a TV commercial you have got a very limited time frame to capture your audience and you need to get your message across quickly. Therefore in order to grab your potential customer’s attention it is important that you use short punchy sentences. Long sentences can make the customer loose interest in your commercial.

Audio and Video Must Match in a TV Commercial
When writing your commercial, one vital point that you must make sure of, is that your audio and video do match. When you’re talking about new car models arriving, you don’t want to see video of the current year’s make. Hence, you must merge your audio and video to create a powerful sales tool.

Put People in Your TV Commercial
People relate to other people. Hence putting people into your commercial can help draw more target audience compared to commercials without people. In order to avoid your commercial look hokey, it is important that you get these people do something that relates to your business.

Radio is an affordable advertising medium that can reach a mass audience. Following are the keys to help increase your chances of having a successful radio ad campaign.

Frequency of Ads
Frequency refers to how many times your ad is aired in a short period of time. A radio commercial needs to be aired multiple times before it gains the attention of the listener. Therefore running your commercial once a week for a month isn’t going to be enough. Rather a commercial that is aired multiple times in a day has a better chance of reaching the listener than a commercial that is only aired a few times in a week.

Target Audience
For every ad you create, it is very important that you must know your target audience. Advertising your western gear store on a country station makes sense. Advertising a teen clothing store on the same station doesn’t.

Follow a definite process while advertising. First, make a list of the radio stations in your market. Listen to each one to help identify your own target audience. It is very important that you understand what kind of listeners will be tuning in and are they a potential customer for your product or service?

Producing Your Commercial
Unlike television commercials, production is more simple for a radio commercial. All you need is a script and voice talent. However, that doesn’t mean you should just punch something together. In this case, your copy isn’t relying on any visuals so it’s vital you capture the listener’s attention from the start. This means that the copy needs to be crystal clear and not muddied by trying to be cutesy in your pitch.

Remember, frequency is the key so make sure your ad hits the mark and will get the consumer’s attention the first time. Research shows it takes a few times before the consumer actually gets what your company is all about. It’s vital your ad stands out and conveys your message repeatedly.

Rates
Costs are much more affordable and therefore take advantage of the low ad rates for radio. Ad rates are on the rise but the costs are still more affordable than visual mediums like television. Use your negotiating skills to get a good deal on an ad bundle. The more ads you buy, the better rates you’ll be able to get.

Before you take the plunge into radio advertising, find out if you are ready for radio and if your product or service is apt for your target audience.

The real problem is that trying to sort through the myriad rewards cards out there to find the best one for PPC can be a nightmare, primarily because of the two secrets the credit card companies do their best to keep hidden.

The Dirty Little Secrets of Rewards Cards

Look hard enough, and you’ll find almost as many different rewards programs and combinations as there are rewards cards-everything from cash back credit cards that pay up to 5%, to the GM credit card and Subaru credit card that allow you to earn money toward the purchase of a new car. Read the fine print closely enough, though, and you’ll uncover the secrets they don’t want you to know.

Dirty Little Secret #1

The vast majority of rewards cards just give you the equivalent of 1% cash back. It may be in the form of Starbuck’s coffee, merchandise from Amazon.com, or any number of other retail rewards, but it’s basically just a 1% refund-or even less. Not only would cash be better (because you can spend it in more places), but you’ll definitely use it, unlike some of the merchandise rewards you might accumulate.

Dirty Little Secret #2

Virtually all rewards cards offering more than 1% back have a tiny cap on the rewards that makes them worthless for someone who charges $1,000 or more every month. Look at the fine print on any of them, and you’ll see what we mean. The GM card, for example, limits the amount you can apply toward a new vehicle to just $1,000 in most cases. It’s not like you can earn enough to actually get a new car for free-although that’s definitely the impression that they want you to have.

The Few Rewards Cards That Stand Out

Despite the high number of cards offering measly rewards, there are a handful of rewards cards that do stand head and shoulders above the rest for people doing a lot of PPC spending. We would highly recommend any of these, based on what types of rewards you prefer, and we think you’ll find them superior to the card(s) you’re using now when you compare the terms side by side.

Get the Most Cash Back

The most obvious reward is pure cash back, and for this we recommend the Blue Cash from American Express. Most cash-back cards offer a flat 1% up to some low maximum, but this card gives you cash back at a tiered level.

For the first $6,500 you spend with the card each year, you earn 0.5% cash back-lower than most other cash-back cards-but after that, you start earning 1.5% back. That’s obviously a much better setup for people like you who spend significant amounts on online advertising every year.

Here are some examples of how that would play out:

Monthly SpendingAnnual Earnings – Other 1% CardsAnnual Earnings – Blue Cash

$1,000$120$115
$10,000$1,200$1,735
$100,000$12,000$17,935
Earn Airline Miles

Credit cards offering airline miles have become very popular over the years, but, as Capital One has so effectively communicated with their commercials, the limitations and restrictions can be significant. When taking a trip, most people want to be able to take the most affordable flight that fits their schedule, but with the blackout dates and single-airline restrictions that come with most airline rewards cards that isn’t possible.

The No Hassle Miles Visa Signature card from Capital One eliminates that problem, with points that can be applied to any airline on any date. And not only are restrictions no longer a problem, the No Hassle Miles card pays double what most other airline miles cards do-2 points for every dollar spent, or roughly 2% back. (The one downside is a $39 annual fee, but the rewards from the first $2,000 you spend will cover that.)

Here are some examples of how much you could earn with the No Hassle Miles card:

Monthly SpendingAnnual Earnings ? Other CardsAnnual Earnings ? Capital One

$1,00012,000 Mi. ($120)24,000 Mi. ($240 – $39 = $201)
$10,000120,000 Mi. ($1,200)240,000 Mi. ($2,400 – $39 = $2,361)
$100,0001,200,000 Mi. ($12,000)2,400,000 Mi ($24,000 – $39 = $23,961)

Get the Best Travel Rewards

Airline cards do offer great rewards for those who travel a lot, but for those who only take the occasional trip, a better option may be a hotel rewards card.

For this we recommend the Hilton HHonors Platinum Card. It provides 3 points for every dollar spent-equivalent to about 3% cash back on all purchases you make. On top of that, they also offer 10,000 bonus points after your first purchase and an additional 15,000 bonus points if you spend $5,000 in the first five months-which shouldn’t be a problem for you.

Monthly SpendingFirst Year EarningsAnnual Earnings

$1,00061,000 points (about $610)36,000 points (about $360)
$10,000385,000 points (about $3,850)360,000 points (about $3,600)
$100,0003,625,000 points (about $36,250)3,600,000 points (about $36,000)

Strategies for Getting Around Credit Limits

If none of these cards appeal to you, or if you simply prefer to keep using the one you’re using right now, there are strategies that can help you get a higher cap on your rewards:

1. Call your credit card company and ask them to raise your limit. If you’re spending thousands of dollars a month and have kept current on your payments, you’ll probably have success here.

2. Spread your charges over multiple credit cards to maximize your benefits from each one.

3. Pay off your credit card mid-month either by mail, by phone or online.

Are You Wasting Money on PPC?

So now that you know what the credit card companies don’t want you to know, are you maximizing your rewards, or are you throwing money away that you could be putting into your own pocket? Take some time to look at the terms of the cards you’re using to see how they compare to these, and don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions!

Magazines and other print publications have an ad to content ratio to maintain for legal reasons, and sometimes an issue has a blank space just waiting for an interesting press release (content) to match the size of an ad that they want to squeeze in for maximum revenue.

I once developed a free ad campaign for a manufacturing company on a product line that hadn’t changed in 30 years. How do you say something new about a dinosaur? Forget features and focus on the benefits.

Research and create a directory of publishers in your industry, and then contact them for the proper editor responsible for reviewing press releases for your line. Their web site may have what you need, otherwise these editors will tell you what they want, the format, and requirements for accompanying photos. Make a database from your list, and then get ready to send them a press release every month (forever).

Develop a dozen press releases about the benefits of 12 different products with professional quality photos. Divide your database of publishers into 12 groups, and then rotate press releases so all 12 go out to someone every month, and track your system carefully so each editor gets a different release each month for a year.

You can start all over a year later with the same press releases or develop new ones if you are introducing new products. What happens next?

Eventually you will be published. Most send you bingo cards to report interested readers, and then it’s time for followup. My system generated 100+ leads a month, so be prepared with a good followup system and don’t let the bingo cards get stale.

For most small business owners a single employee can handle the mailing and followup once the press releases, quality photos, and phone routine or form letters are ready. With discipline and patience, it will work!

One final note, do not overlook smaller publications. Any printed media remotely associated with what you do is worth the small cost of a monthly press release.