Web Banner Advertising: Why Do I Need Tons Of Hard-To-Get-Hits To Make Just One Miserable Sale?

One of the most discouraging things that has ever happened to me online was the time when I signed up for this affiliate program belonging to a very well known brand where they mainly used web banner advertising for their entire web campaign.

Every morning I would stare at my affiliate stats feeling rather depressed. Despite thousands of page loads, I would hardly ever get more than a handful of clicks. And I figured I would require about 1,000 clicks to achieve just one sale. But at the rate that I was getting them clicks it was going to take about a decade to make a miserable handful of sales.

This web banner advertising thing puzzled me for a long time in those days. The banner ads were professionally created, colorful (they brightened up my site tremendously) and they looked inviting, just the sort of thing everybody would want to quickly click at, more so because the content on my site was very relevant to those banner ads.

Luckily this story has a happy ending. I discovered an amazing truth. Using exactly the same wording of the web banner advertising in a small boring looking text ad got me many more clicks. And when I found a way to put a text link somewhere in my content leading to the same affiliate program site, my clicks and my sales exploded. As you may have already guessed, that was the last time I used web banner advertisements.

The lesson I learnt which you must grasp is that folks hate advertising and will even pay money to avoid it. So they will always run away from anything that looks like an advertisement and the facts is web banner ads just scream "advertising."

And that was also about the time I discovered the real power of the only form of web advertising that I have used since then, that is promotional articles. It is not just about posting well-written articles at the right places. How you place links in your articles and where you place them is terribly important because promotional articles will never work if you do not have any idea about search engine optimization (SEO).

5 Steps for PPC Advertising

Select your target – For a lucrative PPC advertising, you have to make it target specific. Select your target carefully. If you have the knowledge, whom you are targeting, then you will make a great PPC ad which will be more effective and efficient. It will create more positive result in the form of visitors to your website.

Use the space carefully- In the PPC ad you have very limited space. You have to use this space carefully. Write your ad in such a language that it attracts more numbers of visitors. Create a very interesting and creative ad. Make it look attractive. Offer something to the visitors so that, they click on it and follow the link to your website.

Place your keywords in your ad title – Make your ad title very focused. Use keywords in the title. These keywords will help the search engines to find it easily. The more accessible it is for the visitors, the better is the case. Keywords in a PPC ad will help it in creating a lucrative PPC advertising.

Choose the top PPC ad programs- While placing your ad; you should first consider the top PPC ad programs only. The better he program is, the better will be the results.It is better than most of the other programs. If you have PPC ad program from Google or Yahoo If you can place your ad in a related program, which will be better.

Keep your ad simple and informative – Create a simple and informative PPC ad. Use keywords but keep it simple. It should provide information about your products and services. Lucrative PPC advertising is possible with simple and effective ads.

5 Bulletproof Business Secrets For Graphic Designers & Advertisers

What You Will Learn By Reading This

This article covers getting your own blog, finding great FREE content for it, how to get interviews from famous designers for your blog, setting up a list and driving traffic to your site. Read on, o great one!

Be A List Rock Star In No Time

Why, you say? Why should I get a list? Well, one, your opinionated right?

Get Your Own Megaphone, & Force The World To Listen To You

Ok, starting from scratch, you are a creative person. All creative people, you, have big strong opinions. These opinions can hurt you and help you! The best thing to do if you cannot shut up is get your own megaphone, a blog, for instance. If you go to www.blogger.com and you can get your own free blog. This way, you can start writing about your passion, graphic design, typography, layout, fonts, advertising methods and marketing, photography, etc.

Get Your List On

Starting a list can be hard. Basically you need to have really relevant content for your audience. Websites they have never seen, books they don't know about, podcasts they would love, other designers they can get inspiration from. You get the idea. Inspire, communicate, create a community.

The Three Steps To Fame & Fortune In Design & Advertising

1. Go to www.Blogger.com and set up a free blog. Or go to www.godaddy.com, get a domain name, then go to www.bluehost.com and get hosting. Then, go to www.wordpress.org and install your new blog on your own site. If you don't know to do any of this, stick with blogger.com for now or www.typepad.com or something. A simple blogger platform.

2. Write 15 or so posts on your new blog, the contents. Link to other authoritative blogs in your area. One such site is Brand Nu out of England. Look him up. I think it's http://www.brandnu.co.uk

He is amazing. Become friends with him.

3. Go to www.technorati.com and research what others are writing about. Comment on their blog and exchange links with them. Add them to your blogroll or link bar on Blogger. See traffic grow.

4. If you have a website, but no list, you should start using www.aweber.com, which is a free auto responder. It will help you put up forms like the opt-in one to the right of this article. See it? The one with the headline? This is how I capture opt-ins.

The main benefit to the opt-in list is that they get certain products I am working on for a big discount, and they also get more targeted, very specific advice and secret website links to boost their graphic design business.

5. Get Relevant content to your list. How? Contact other designers and advertisers and ask to interview them. It's simple. Go to their site, email them and ask for a quick interview by email.

TIP: Email the questions for the interview in the same email that you ask them for it.

This makes it easy for them.

TIP 2: Do not ask more than 8 questions.

I've already contacted Radim from Brand Nu and he has agreed to be interviewed. Do the same thing. Drive traffic to your site this way. Also, go to www.Goarticles.com and www.Ezinearticles.com. and get free articles to put on your blog about your niche topic.

There you go!

Lawton

Use The Whole Thing

I don't know about you, but I actually look at my "junk mail." All of it. I usually find it to be time well spent. I read it to see what companies are doing that is good, bad, and indifferent. It's amazing how many lessons of what to do (and not to do) I learn from the material that is put into my mail box. Last week I saw an advertiser wasting half the cost of a mailing.

It might surprise some people, but a piece of paper has two sides. When folded into a tri-fold flyer it can be divided into six panels. One panel is used for the address, postage, and return address. But there is another, very important function of that panel which is to carry a message to make the recipient feel compelled to open the flyer, glance at it and determine whether they should invest the time to read the rest of the flyer. Surprisingly I get many flyers in my mailbox that just have my name and address along with the postage on that panel... no offer, no enticement, no graphics… no humor… just blank space. Print that space with a question, a "teaser," anything to get the reader to look farther rather than file it in the waste basket unread.

While we are on that same side of the paper realize that there are two more panels there. I'm dumbfounded by how many advertisers leave them blank and don't use that space to tell their story in greater detail. Since you are paying to print the return address and postal permit on the center panel, printing on those other two panels is free so why not use them to visually engage the reader, add a coupon or testimonial?

Direct mail can be a very effective way of advertising but, if you don't tell your story in an attractive, engaging manner it will be a wasted effort. In this case, half the available space was wasted (other than to get the mail delivered) because there was no effort invested in getting the recipient to open it, look inside, and read it.

Effective Business Card Design for Lawyers

Are you looking for new business cards that will help you market your law practice and you want a design that will look good but will also give someone all of the information that they need at first glance? When you are a lawyer you want something that looks professional because people that need a lawyer want someone who seems to be well put together and has the ability to defend them. Sometimes the appearance of a business card can help someone determine that you are the lawyer for them.

Custom business cards are a great way to go. Think about it, you can tell when you look at the business cards of others whether or not someone took the time to really personalize their card. If you are a lawyer people perceive you to be powerful, successful, and detail oriented, someone who could help them get through their legal troubles without a problem. Taking the time to customize your business card can go a long way toward having someone have faith in you. It seems to be a bit too easy, but business cards really can sell your services even if someone is waiting in your office to meet you for the first time. The appearance of your business card can be even more important if you have them displayed in lobbies of other businesses because all you have is this first impression that is on a tiny little card!

A business card for lawyer or law practice may be picked up anywhere or could even be received in the mail. You want your business card to really speak to who you are and what you can do. The first thing you need to focus on is the type of card stock you choose. The better card stock the better, though you don't have to get the best because many people will perceive this to be self importance. Next, you will need to focus on what you want to write and what type of font. You want a very easy to read font that is black, brown, or grey in color and will contrast the color of the business card. Finally you will want to consider a little bit of art for the business card such as lady justice, a gavel, or something of that nature. You want the card to be very clearly the business card of a lawyer, so be sure that your name and your title stand out no matter what else you put on the card. All law enforcement business cards should be clear as to who you are and what you can do so people can refer to the card quickly and easily.

Banner Stands and Banner Graphics

Banner stands are a low cost alternative for the exhibitor who is looking for a large graphic area. These versatile displays can be set up very quickly, which is appealing for many who exhibit at trade shows. They are also extremely lightweight and easy to ship, which makes them a low cost alternative to heavier backwall displays.

Banner stands come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common types are tension pole banner stands, retractable banner stands, tension fabric banner stands, and telescoping banner stands. Tension pole banner stands hold the graphic tight between the two ends of a pole that has been placed under tension. Retractable banner stands come with the graphic rolled up inside the base, and you simply unroll the graphic and hook it to a pole on top to place it under tension. Tension fabric banner stands consist of an aluminum frame with a dye sub graphic stretched around it.

Banner stands almost always weigh less than 20 pounds, and many weigh as little as 5 pounds. When you are in need of a display solution that can be shipped cheaply all over the country (or even internationally), the banner stand is an excellent solution.

In general, most exhibitors prefer retractable banner stands. They are easy to use, lightweight, and very durable, which makes them an excellent long-term choice for the exhibitor who is consistently attending shows. Tension Pole Banner Stands are usually cheaper, because they require less parts, but the graphic is not as well supported, which means they are often less durable.

Best PPC Advertising

PPC stands for Pay Per Click advertising and is also known as keyword auction advertising. It is among the fastest and cheapest ways to get more targeted traffic to your website and on the internet more traffic means more money. There are several websites that rely on PPC advertising in order to achieve the desired volume of traffic. Any business can profit through PPC advertising and it is considered the best because it is so effective.

You need to first decide the right place for your advertisement for it to be most effective. You need to advertise on those websites that receive a lot of traffic so that the maximum number of people get to see your advertisement. This is why popular websites like Google and Yahoo have such high rates for auctioned keywords. The busier a website is the more effective is your advertising on it and hence the higher the money you have to pay.

The term Pay Per Click means that you will pay the website that hosts your advertisement only if someone clicks on it. There is no charge for displaying your advertisement. This is what makes PPC such an economical advertising option. The only time you have to pay is when someone actually takes action by clicking on the advertisement and visiting the URL that you specify. Yahoo and Google are among the top choices for PPC advertising because they are also considered to be the top 2 search engines today. They receive huge amounts of traffic and hence result in more traffic for you.

Understanding Craigslist

Many people hear the name Craigslist and know it refers to some sort of website but many are still unclear about the different ways in which Craigslist can be used. However, Craigslist receives over four billion page views per month so there are obviously many people who have a better understanding of the services offered by Craigslist. Essentially, Craigslist is similar to the classified section of a newspaper where individual can either post advertisements or respond to existing advertisements. There are a variety of different advertisements offered online and presented in a group of different categories to make it easier for users to find these advertisements. Whether you are new to Craigslist or a veteran of the online community this article may offer useful information about some of the uses of Craigslist. This article will discuss the following ways visitors can use Craigslist:

* Promote your business with Craigslist


* Find a job with Craigslist


* Sell items with Craigslist


* Meet dates with Craigslist

The above are just four of the most popular options for using Craigslist; however, these four options do not cover the vastness of Craigslist. Readers of this article are encouraged to investigate Craigslist on their own to learn more about what this online community has to offer.

Promote Your Business with Craigslist

One of the most popular uses of Craigslist is for business promotion. Both small businesses and large corporations can take advantage of the free advertising offered on Craigslist to promote their business and attract new customers. Business owners are free to place advertisements on Craigslist in the section for services offered. This section is broken down into a number of categories to allow business owners to place their advertisement in the most appropriate location where it is likely to reach the target audience. There is also a section for small business advertisements but it might be more worthwhile to place advertisements in one of the appropriate categories because it is more likely to be found by interested individuals.

Participating in the discussion forums and providing insightful comments and accurate answers to questions while also placing a link to a business website can help to drive traffic to an ecommerce website. However, when doing this, care should be taken to avoid making posts which will be perceived as spam.

Find a Job with Craigslist

Individuals can also use Craigslist to find jobs. They can either browse through the listings available by selecting a location and a general category. Additionally, the search feature can be used to refine the search for a job. This may include using search criteria such as whether or not the position is a telecommute position, a contract position, an internship, a part time position or a position with a non-profit organization.

Conversely business owners and human resources representatives can use Craigslist to solicit resumes for open positions. Those who post job openings in an appropriate category on Craigslist are likely to receive a large number of responses.

Sell Items with Craigslist

Individuals can also sell new or used items through Craigslist. Here individual can post a host of items which they are offering for sale. These items can be posted into different categories and the user supplies a description of the item as well as a desired price. There are also categories for individuals to place items they are seeking as well as items they are offering free of charge. There are some restrictions placed on the type of items which can be sold through Craigslist. For example the sale of firearms is not permitted in the sporting goods section and pornographic items cannot be offered for sale in the CD/DVD/VHS section.

Meet Dates with Craigslist

Craigslist can also be used to find potential dates. There are however a number of strict restrictions enforced in the personals section. Most importantly Craigslist does not allow individuals to impersonate another individual in a personals advertisement. Those who place a personals advertisement on Craigslist have a number of categories from which to choose. They can post an advertisement seeking platonic relationships, seeking romantic relationships, seeking missed connections or other relationship related scenarios.

America's Busiest Copywriter Reveals the Biggest Advertising Mistake Ever

When it comes to advertising, I spend a lot of time telling people what works. Today, we'll focus on something that doesn't work. And believe me, this is a biggie.

Want to know the biggest mistake 99% of ALL businesses make when it comes to advertising? It's in their headline. Most advertisers fail to make a meaningful and/or fascinating statement of benefit in their headline.

Here's a good example:

A chiropractor runs an ad with the headline "Affordable Chiropractic Center," which also happens to be the name of their company. Sounds like a decent headline, doesn't it? It states their niche – low prices. It also tells us the service they offer – chiropractic care. Underneath that they list the different types of therapy they specialize in. To the left, or to the right, there's a picture of Dr. Smith the chiropractor. At the bottom are the address and phone number, and maybe even a coupon for a free consultation.

It's pretty much a standard ad. You've seen it a million times for a variety of businesses. And to 99% of ALL businesses this is a decent ad.

What do you think? Will it work? Sure it will. That is, if the person reading it is looking for a new chiropractor RIGHT NOW. Otherwise, they'll overlook it and move on to the next ad.

Now, let's redo the ad with a more meaningful headline and see what happens.

First, change the headline to "END BACK PAIN NOW" or "STOP BACK PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY STOP YOU." Underneath that heading include a subheading that says, "Call Today for a FREE Consultation" or "Call Now for a FREE Report." Leave everything else the same, except move the name of the company to the bottom of the ad, right above the address.

Now, we've refocused the emphasis away from the name of the company and to what, exactly, the company can do for you – end your back pain now, or stop back problems before they stop you.

Will this ad work better? Absolutely! It will attract ALL of the people looking for a chiropractor RIGHT NOW just like the previous ad. In addition, it will attract ALL of the people who AREN'T looking for a chiropractor, but still suffer from chronic back pain. (Ask any doctor how many people that is!)

But that's not all! It will also attract the loved ones friends and family of people suffering from chronic back pain mostly because of the free report. And, it will most likely attract people who already have a chiropractor but aren't happy with him or her, because their chronic back pain still exists.

This new headline states a fascinating, meaningful benefit, not just the name of the business or the fact that their services are affordable. (I don't know of ANY medical services that are truly affordable.) It's not cutesy or clever or misleading or funny. It offers a solution to a problem. And that's what people look for solutions. They look for benefits. Remember: People don't buy Red Bull, they buy an energy boost. They don't buy Tylenol, they buy a "cure" for their headache. They don't buy a Peppermint Patty, they buy the cool sensation of flying down Hollywood Boulevard on a Friday night in a shiny, new Bentley with the top down and a backseat full of giddy, bikini girls. (Or maybe it's just me.)

Oh yeah, and they don't buy chiropractic care, they buy a solution to their back problems.

This technique can be used across all forms of media -- from display ads to classified ads to Yellow Pages ads to radio and TV commercials to websites, banners and text ads. Use it promote your entire company or just a specific product or service.

However you use it, you'll soon be in that exclusive 1% of all advertisers that know exactly how well it works!

Subliminal Mind Power - A Warning about Subliminal Mind Power

The main characteristic about subliminal mind power is that it always works in stealth mode. They are messages which basically bypass the reasoning ability of the conscious mind and go straight into your subconscious. So, it is one of the methods which can influence your subconscious mind without you even knowing about it. This also means that it can be dangerous in the wrong hands. This article is about informing you as to how this can be done.

For instance, it is known to be used in advertising by major corporations. I don't want to name any of them in this article, but you can just do an Internet search and you will find many examples of this. One of the ways this is done is in product packaging. The subliminal image or text is embedded with the other elements of the package. In most cases the subliminal message targets one of our most powerful emotional responses – our sexual urge. It's all about making us subconsciously want the product more…

Around 40 years ago, many western countries including the United States actually banned subliminal advertising. But according to the 'conspiracy theories', it is still done. I don't think many of us can say for sure though.

Even in self-improvement products, we can never really say what the subliminal Cd's are actually doing. Of course, there will be many companies which create ethical subliminal Cd's. We can just never really say for sure. That's why it is always better to pay a little extra and get software's that allow you to create your own custom made audios etc. You should keep that in mind…

Planning a Successful Outdoor Mobile Billboard Campaign

The idea of Mobile Billboards came to me while strolling down a busy street on a typical work day in Los Angeles. I noticed an "advertise here" sign on the back of a bus with a phone number printed on the side. My curiosity led me to dial the number and upon hearing the pricing, I couldn't help but smirk at the ridiculous fees that were being charged to display ads on a conventional, and such boring medium. At the time, I was president of a digital marketing company called Intellix Media, which was later acquired by Crenovate, Inc. With this background, I was quite familiar with the marketing and advertising industry and really understood the benefits of outdoor media. As soon as I hung up the phone, I knew there was a vast market in outdoor advertising that was yet to be explored. Why not create a customized truck that could carry standard size billboard ads around town for the sole purpose of advertising? This mere thought was the stepping stone in establishing Citi-Mobile. Currently, Citi-Mobile billboards operate nationally servicing diverse populations and demographics.

Citi-Mobile and our entire operation have always operated as an agency for the agency, in other words we have never looked at ourselves as a trucking company even though that is essentially the vehicle of our medium. In educating and consulting our clients about this specific marketing niche, we opt to produce a campaign that will generate reliable results for the client and create return business for us. Of course, when any new idea is introduced to the market, it's an opportunity for small scale competitors to try to make a quick buck at the cost of the client. It is for this reason that I have decided to write this article as a means to inform future agencies, clients, and even fellow colleagues, on what it takes to have a successful campaign.

The following is a ten step checklist that must be met in order to have a successful campaign.
1- Identify a Target Audience.


a. Be familiar with your target demographic. Narrowing down a specific audience is critical in creating a campaign that will appeal to this target population. This should be discussed thoroughly with your Mobile Billboard service provider prior to taking any further action.

2- Design a Direct Response Ad


a. Mobile Billboards perform at their peak when there is a "call to action message". General branding of your service, unless targeting a grand opening or a trade show, does not produce trackable results. Make certain you incorporate a phone number, a special discount, or any unique offer that may appeal to your target audience.

3- Choosing the right hours & days of Operations


a. All too often clients will ask for generic hours like 9am to 5pm. Although the 9-5 approach will reach some of your audience, it will overlook business professionals and executives who are at work at the time. Most Mobile Billboard Service providers operate 8 consecutive hours per day, so chose hours that best fit the needs of your campaign.

4- Feel free to adjust the route


a. Whatever route you choose initially should be adjusted accordingly as the campaign progresses. The reason you have chosen this medium is because it's Mobile, so take advantage of it. If you notice the chosen route doesn't work, change it immediately.

5- The truck must look good!


a. Even if you chose the most appealing ads and desirable routes, but the truck itself is old, dirty, or noisy, it will do no justice to your brand name. A good rule of thumb is to request to see recent pictures of the truck that your ad is going to be displayed on. Remember that this truck will be the first impression that the audience will have of your company.

6- Tracking Tracking Tracking


a. The advertiser must always be able to track a campaign. Don't just get a report at the end of the campaign when it's too late, but request to track the campaign while its ongoing. This will insure that correct times and routes are being activated.

7- Size of the ad


a. It's no mystery that the bigger your ad, the bigger the exposure. You should be getting your money's worth. Usually, there is no price difference between a smaller or a larger ad so opt for the largest size offered.

8- Request Pictures


a. Pictures of the campaign at the start, during, and upon completion are really important. You can preview your campaign to make sure everything is to your liking before your ads hit the streets.

9- Rate Negotiations


a. Mobile Billboard rates have a range based on daily, weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly basis. As the media buyer it is in your best interest as well as your clients to get the lowest pricing possible. Try to calculate the basic costs that you know of such as gas, employee, insurance, licensing, and so on and see what number you come up with. If there is a big discrepancy between your estimate and the quote, question the company about their rates and fees.

10- Re-use


a. Most Mobile Billboard companies will offer to store your vinyl billboard after completion for your future use, and to avoid reprinting fees. With this in mind, try to create an ad that can be recycled and used at a later time.

If you need further assistance or have any questions in reference to Mobile Billboards, please don't hesitate to contact me via email @ Kevin@citi-mobile.com or via phone @ 866-518-0772 ext. 903

I wish you all the best!

When to Choose Embroidery

TAPE TIPS

Successful digitizing and embroidery

WHEN TO CHOOSE EMBROIDERY

When considering the best method for creating a logo or design on a garment or non-apparel item, keep in mind that embroidery offers a rich, textured appearance that will last for years.

LOCATION

Left and Right Chest - The industry standard for design elements is to have the logo on the left chest and any personalization, such as an employee's name, on the right chest.
Sleeve - You might want to consider adding a logo, design or slogan to the left sleeve to add variety. This would create more visibility for businesses who have a message to display.
Back – below collar (yoke area) is also an area that can add some variety to design placement. One consideration for this area is to avoid designs that could be irritating for the wearer due to backing. Certain designs that require backing may not be advisable. Sometimes, thickness of thread coming through backing can create a great deal of irritation.
Left Chest and Hat - If logo is to be placed on left chest or sleeve and a hat, make sure you have separate tapes digitized for each placement. A digitized tape for hats, for example, is engineered differently than for a left chest or sleeve placement, generally being sewn from the middle of the design out.

FABRIC

Typical fabrics for uniforms that would most often contain an embroidered element include cotton twill, pique, denim, cotton/polyester blend and fleece (for jackets).

THREAD

If a garment produced with embroidery is going to be washed in high temperatures and heavy bleach or will have rough use, thread selection is of particular concern. Polyester thread is the best choice in such a situation to avoid fading and bleeding of thread color into the garment.

If the vibrancy of color is important, then rayon is the best choice. Rayon is the traditional choice when a higher degree of luster and shine are wanted. You may have to direct your embroiderer to use rayon as they may have polyester as their standard due to its strength and ability to withstand the sewout process with less breakage than is potential with rayon. Don't sacrifice the quality and appearance of your design to make it easier to sew out.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Letter size is an important consideration when creating a digitized design for the embroidery process.

Minimum Letter Height by Fabric:

Pique, Terry cloth, Fleece .…. 1/ 4"

Twill, Most other fabrics …… 3/16"

MARKETING IDEAS

If you customer has vendors, you might suggest to your customer that their vendor may want to participate in getting shirts produced by having their name embroidered on the shirt (EG: on the sleeve). They may have coop dollars available to subsidize a portion of the cost of the shirt and create a better sales opportunity for you. Home Depot, for example, may choose to have Black & Decker or Porter Paints displayed on their employees shirt sleeves.

Real Estate Advertising- How to Create The Perfect Real Estate Advertising Ad

Most successful sales are usually the end product of good and sound marketing and there is nothing worse than a badly worded advertisement placed in a newspaper or one that is displayed on the Internet and which does little to enhance the real estate property in question.

The results of such activities can often be devastating to your real estate business because it is well known that successful realtor's succeed where others falter because their marketing strategies and advertisements are better than others'.

Your real estate advertisement does not really have to be loaded with all kinds of facts in order to be successful. Sometimes, an overdose of information can turn the buyer off at the very beginning and so too does too little information. You should consider a number of factors that will help in improving your real estate advertisements.

Start by listing features that are best appreciated about the home and then make sure that you do not contain anything that puts down the property and there is no point in bringing to someone's attention faults in the property. The idea is to give it a positive feel without withholding material facts.

Use sparing but hard hitting language and focus the language on the key aspects of the home and highlight special features such as specialized landscaping and more. Give a photograph of the home and make sure that the photograph does not show a car parked outside or any other clutter.

It is also to your advantage to take the photographs of the exterior of the home, and when advertising, it is important not to indulge in overkill. The objective of your real estate advertisement is to make it entertaining, fun as well as engaging. These are simple yet effective measures to get the best out of your real estate advertisements.

Since When Are Ads Free on Google?

Have you heard the latest? Google is giving away millions of dollars in free ads! Or so many people would like you to believe. In our competitive world of internet marketing, there will always be people who think they can outsmart a system, especially Google Adwords. And with that said, there will always be people who believe those people and will pay good money to get the information.

What you have to realize is that there is always a catch. Do you really believe if there was a way to truly beat Adwords that Google would not catch the oversight, especially with this information widely spread over the internet? With this so called "system" you will still "pay" for your ads but apparently there is a way to offset the cost.

There is an author who claims to have received $87 million in free ads and made $314 million in product sales from over 16 ventures, not in Adsense so please do not get confused this thinking this amount of money can be made from Adsense.

If you read the sales page carefully, this person says he was a coach. I know life coaches and speakers make great money and the sales letter says over a period of 9 years, along with joint ventures, internet based firms and eBay selling.

The author goes on to tell 3 principle strategies that any person doing business online should already know. Firstly, everyone knows that you have to write an effective ad. How else are you going to draw people to even click in the first place? Secondly, everyone on the planet is doing keyword research for their business, and thirdly, who in their right minds would not want to eliminate all advertising costs, if this were truly possible?

The author suggests you set your Adwords budget to $10,000 per day and your per click cost at $100. Of course you will remain at the top of your competition if you do this. But do not be too shocked when you see that you are paying for those ads. Remember this author said he earned his money through product sales, and I am sure this is what offset the costs of those clicks.

When you attempt to place high bids on your keywords, you better believe that you need a product that will convert like crazy to re-coop those costs. Common sense should tell you that if you earn much more than you spend, then in essence your advertising costs are zero.

Outdoor Billboard Advertising Banned In NYC'S Times Square - Imagine If This Were True

What would it be like if outdoor billboard ads were banned in NYC's Times Square? To me part of the allure of Times Square is the ads. The advertising, to me, is like artwork. Not only that, the lights and digital screens brighten up Times Square to make it almost seem as though it's daytime, even in the middle of the night.

Would Times Square feel as alive as it does right now if there were billboards, no advertising, no flashing neon lights, and no television screens? The reason I ask is that Sao Paulo, Brazil has just recently banned all outdoor advertising in the city with the aim of bringing it closer to being a perceived urban ideal. The city government of Sao Paulo believes that a city without ads is better city.

Do outdoor ads really diminish the value of a city? What if the city has a bland architecture? Remove the ads and it might make it worse. I was in the formerly communist East Berlin a few years ago and I remember it being void of any color. All the buildings looked the same and were a bland color. I remember thinking that the city could use some bright billboards to liven it up.

Advertising is a mainstay in business and outdoor advertising is one avenue of the advertising pipeline. Some people hate ads because they are constantly inundated by them. Not me. I like ads and I like advertising, especially outdoor advertising. I shutter to think what Times Square would like without any ads.

How to Use Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC) Part I

If you know how to use pay per click advertising, otherwise known as PPC, then you can promote your product without having to rely on search engines providing you with the traffic you require.

Many people do not want to get involved in all the hassle of advertising offline and online, and writing articles for ezines and directories. That might be you, and if it is, then be assured that you are not alone. There are many people that would rather pay for advertising than spend time trying to optimize their web pages for the keyword of their choice. It is too much like hard work.

However, if you are going to use pay per click advertising, you must use it properly or it could lose you a lot of money. Some have lost thousands of pounds for not knowing how search engines operate. Let's take Google Adwords as a prime example. It is also the most popular PPC system on the internet.

If you check out a Google results page for a search you will see two sets of results. The results on the left hand side are those that that the search engine comes up with as being most relevant to your search term (keyword). Each result is an individual web page on a website that the Google algorithms (mathematical statistical formulae) have determined as being the most relevant to the words you used for the search.

However, if you look to the right of the page you will find another set of search results. These are the Google Adwords results. In other words the paid adverts that Google thinks are most relevant to your search term. Google are generally pretty good at matching your search terms and the adverts most relevant to it.

Are You Getting These Benefits From Your Advertising?

There are so many side benefits to using Google AdWords that it's hard to know where to start. In this series of articles we'll look at how spending a few dollars a day can result in thousands of dollars worth of market research to help you better understand your market & blow away the competition.

In Part 1, let's look at the power of knowing which headlines speak loudest to your audience.

Your customers know best - so let them choose your next headline

How? By using the power of split testing. Write two ads for every group of keywords that you bid on. Don't worry about writing different description lines or display URLs. For now, just make the headline the only difference between the two ads.

Google will show one ad to half of the people searching for that group of keywords, and the other ad to the other half – automatically. No extra work.

By looking at the click through rate (CTR) that each ad gets over time you'll know which headline 'grabs' your target audience more. Great right?

But don't stop there! Far too many AdWords beginners just kill the losing ad & keep spending money on the winner. Instead, spend just 15 minutes a week deleting your losing ad in each group and writing a new one to compete with the existing winner.

This might sound like a lot of work, especially if you have more than a dozen AdGroups, but it pays off for a long, long time. Just one letter or one question mark could change the CTR of your ad by more than 100%

It's worth the investment of your time to find out what works and what doesn't.

So what are the side benefits?

Once you've tested a dozen or so headlines, you should start to get some good (even great) click through rates. There's no reason to accept less than 5% for all but the most broad keywords, certain markets will get 30-50%

Now take this headline (that's massively better than the one you started with) and use it in your other advertising:


- use it in your Yellow Pages ad if you still have one


- use it in local press


- use it as a poster in your store


- or as a headline on your eBay store


- even in your next radio ad if you use it

You can take this powerful headline & use it just about anywhere. What about the landing page on your website? Or your business card?
When your audience tells you what they want – it's your job to listen & then act accordingly.

"Give 'em what they want" and the sky's the limit.

In Part 2 of this series, we'll look at using AdWords to ethically spy on your competitors.

How Colors Interact - Tips for Choosing a Color Scheme for Your Banner Stand

Even if we're not colorblind, most of us don't have a professional's "eye" for color. It's more than seeing the colors—it's knowing what colors and shapes to combine for the highest-impact graphics possible. If you're planning on designing your trade show banner yourself, there's little room for mistakes—the banner will be big, bold, and right at eye level. A well-coordinated banner will stand out and draw people in, while a poor design won't do your booth any favors. Here are a few tips when working with color at trade shows.

Remember your audience. If you're doing an international trade show, your color situation could get complicated. That's because different cultures associate different meanings for certain colors. For example, purple is the color of royalty, right? Not in the Netherlands—for them, it's orange. And black is a bit funereal—but not in China. There, white is the color associated with funerals. Try to choose colors that don't have a strong cultural symbolism for your audience, just to make sure you're not communicating the wrong message.

Keep it legible. Did you know that purple is the hardest color for the eye to process? Knowing that, it's probably not a good idea to print your banner's ad copy in purple. Yellow, however, is the easiest on the eyes—we tend to "notice" yellows before we notice other colors. This means that yellow is a bad background color, because your eye will process it before noticing the copy you want to showcase—unless you tune it down to a very pale shade.

Contrast is key. The right contrast between dark and light colors not only makes your banner copy legible—it makes your image and message stand out. Make sure the colors you use aren't in the same shade—dark greens and blues, for example. Be sure to contrast any darker color with a lighter color to make it stand out. This is especially important with text—the contrast between text and background colors should be easy on the eyes. If passers-by have to squint to read your banner, chances are they won't put in the effort.

Keep color psychology in mind. Different colors have different subliminal associations. Color psychology is often used by national brands in designing logos and company colors. For example, blue is often used to indicate reliability and strength. Black indicates power, and is often used for very formal, "corporate" companies as well as "hard" companies such as manufacturers, miners, and oil companies. Red indicates passion, creativity, and material pleasures; green is adventurous and outdoorsy; orange and yellow are youthful and exuberant; and brown indicates stability and safety.

Don't do what everyone else is doing. Because so many companies pay attention to the connotations of the colors they use, businesses in the same industry often wind up using the same colors. Don't fall into this trap—especially at the trade show. Instead, choose a color scheme that's likely to stand out. For example, display your logo in colors on the opposite end of the color wheel from those of your usual logo. Or choose colors that project an interesting alter-image on your company. For example, if you're in an entertainment-based industry, the predominant colors might be reds and oranges. Choose black instead to show the power and strength of your company. You'll definitely stand out.

Know where your audience will be. Is your banner stand intended to be seen from a long distance away? Or at eye level and fairly close? If you're using a hanging banner stand or sign that you want people to notice from across the convention hall, you'll need a lot of contrast. Go for big, splashy design and avoid small details. You can go a little subtler with banner stands placed at eye level, and include finer detail as well.

Don't be afraid of white space. White space gives your banner a clean, roomy, organized feel. Don't fall into the mistake of thinking that you have to fill every inch of your banner with some color or design—you don't. White space is very effective in providing contrast to rich colors, and makes the perfect background color for text.

Don't leave out your margins. Some banner designers stretch their text so that it fills the banner from side to side. Don't do this—margins make your text more readable and make your banner look less cluttered. White space keeps the viewer's eye focused on the text; filling up every inch of your banner only obscures the marketing message.

Your banner stand can be a great asset to your trade show display. A striking color scheme placed out in front of your display can help draw your customers to you—it works more effectively than you'd think. Avoid bad design, and your banner stand will keep the customers coming.