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Have you heard? Even cheap business card printing can be a powerhouse that brings you great output if you only know how to handle it right.

Yes, online business card printing or even the traditional one can provide you with a powerful marketing tool that can get you the advantage you need to grow your business. Nevertheless, if there is one thing you need to know when printing your business cards, it is this – do not make the mistake of wasting your marketing space.

The opportunities you can have with an effective card can only be had if you know how to maximize the space you have, even as small as it is. No matter how cheap or expensive they are, you can only get the results from your time and effort if you used them right. Make sure that you maximize every space of your card for marketing your business.

Most people, especially businesspersons, have them. They are as ubiquitous in the business world as paper in printing. Most people have them, hence, it will not cost you that much to implement whether it is an online printing or the conventional one.

However, despite their omnipresence, people still underutilize the power of a business card. A typical one would only have the name, company name, an address, a phone number, fax number and sometimes an email address if the owner has one. But many holders often forget that such, first and foremost, are marketing tools. As such, they should have more information that can encourage the recipients to take the offer you are making.

A card that effectively markets states all those basic information, plus more. It states one good reason why your recipient should engage in business with you. At the very least. A powerful reason should be incorporated when printing business cards – an offer that would make the recipient become attracted and interested right away.

So what can be the strongest reason why anybody would consider your offer? It would be based on the USP that you provide. Mind you, it is not a part of a computer or anything digital. It is actually your Unique Selling Proposition – a statement that gives the largest and most excellent benefit that your target clients can have if they do business with you.

The USP is you statement of how you are different from the rest of the businesses offering the same products and services that you offer. With your USP, you are encouraging your target clients that you are more than your competition, and that you alone can offer the special benefit that can make life better for your recipient. This statement can be written in all your marketing tools in your arsenal. But putting it in your business card can start you off in the right track.

I will say it again – even cheap business cards can be a powerhouse when you have a USP to stand out. Your USP can be your one tool in printing that can make your cards effective and successful in creating true clients from your prospects.

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in the online business card printing or business card printing that help businesses in their marketing and advertising campaigns.

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Okay, so the phrase “viral marketing” conjures up images of diseases and salesmen. Not a pretty picture, if I say so myself. A  disease carrying salesman might as well be the grim reaper himself for all intents and purposes, as he'll be avoided with similar enthusiasm. What viral marketing really refers to is a message that spreads itself via casual contact: an advertising campaign so compelling that those who are exposed to it want to spread it to their peers.

Viral marketing on the internet is considered by most to be a relatively new phenomenon: it's only been around for about  decade or so by most accounts. Viral marketing can be very inexpensive when compared to traditional means of advertising. This is because of the fact that anyone who can get online has the ability to spread a message, and it won't cost them a dime. If the recipients of that message are motivated to relay the message to their peers, and their peers do the same, this results exponential growth of the messages' impact.

Today, people are subjected to a tidal wave of advertising, and it is nearly unavoidable. As a result, a majority of these ads are ignored. Magazines are filled with pages of flashy ads that are thumbed past without a second's thought, Commercial breaks on TV mean that consumers can run to the kitchen for a snack, and popup ads are shut before they even get a chance to load. The solution to this problem comes in the form of entertainment: make your message amusing enough, and the public will not only listen to what you have to say, but they will spread your message for you.

The internet is an ideal place for a viral marketing campaign to propagate: countless websites are dedicated to showcasing the day's most amusing content, and word of mouth travels at lightning speed. Once something starts to gain popularity, it spreads like wildfire, resulting in exponential growth. Not only will a successful internet marketing campaign spread itself, but people will actually pay attention to it and remember it's content.

The movie “Snakes on a Plane” had an extremely successful viral campaign. The citizens of the internet have embraced this franchise without a second thought. The title of the movie inspired people to create songs, clothing, fan fiction, poster art, parodies, mock movie trailers and short film parody competitions.

Hotmail.com is a great example of a successful viral marketing campaign. They were one of the first free web based email services. Their successful strategy went as follows: First, they gave away free email addresses and services. They attached a simple message to the bottom of every outgoing email:”Get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com”. When email recipients saw this, they would sign up for their own free email service, thereby spreading Hotmail's advertising even further. These tactics caused their user base to balloon very rapidly over the period of a year.

In order to be successful, a viral campaign should be able to do six things:

1. Give away seemingly valuable products, services or content

2. Make transferring it to others effortless

3. Scale easily from small to very large

4. Exploit common motivations and behaviors in people

5. Utilize existing communication networks

6. Take advantage of others' resources

There are several different types of viral marketing:

Pass-along: A message which prompts the user to send the message to others. The simplest form of this would be chain letters, where a message is put at the bottom of an that e-mail tells the reader to forward the message. More effective methods include funny videos which are spread by viewers. Many of these types of viral campaigns, such as the Cog (television commercial) from Honda started out as TV commercials and then were circulated on the web by word of mouth. The number of people reached through this method is often far beyond the number of people who viewed the original ad.

Incentivised viral: this is what it is called when a reward is offered for passing a message or providing someone else's email address. This can cause a dramatic increase in referrals. However, this is less effective unless the offer requires another person to take action. Many online contests offer improved odds of winning depending on the number of referrals given. Referral participation is much greater when the referral must also sign up in order for the first person to obtain those extra chances of winning.

Undercover Marketing: as it suggests, is a viral message that is presented as a cool or unusual website, piece of news,  or activity, minus encouragement to spread the message. Regardless, it should not be immediately obvious that something is being marketed. An effort is made to make the discovery of the item seem spontaneous and informal, thusly encouraging natural word of mouth distribution. Real world “clues” may be used to entice people to hunt for a presented “mystery”, such as graffiti appearing in cities featuring key viral words. Because there is a massive amount of unusual and entertaining material on the internet, this can be one of the most difficult types of viral advertisement to spot, especially since marketers may attempt to imitate the style and content of amateur websites or actual underground movements.

“Edgy Gossip/Buzz marketing” include ads or messages that stir up controversy by pushing the borders of good taste or appropriate behavior. When people discuss the resulting controversy, it is considered to be generating a buzz and helping spread advertising via word of mouth . Before a movie is released, some Hollywood movie stars get married, divorced, or arrested, or otherwise involve themselves with a controversial event, directing attention to them.

User-managed Database/Anonymous Matching: this works by means of users creating and managing their own contact lists, by using databases provided by online service providers. When users invite other people to participate in their community, they are creating a viral, self-propagating chain of contacts. It naturally grows, with users encouraging other people to sign up. Examples of this include anonymous matching services such as friendfinder.com and evite.com.

The web is a very flat and direction-less medium, and companies have discovered that getting noticed means actually producing worthy advertisements. Television, on the other hand, is a linear medium; the viewers must wait for commercials to play before their show comes back. The internet is the opposite of this in that failure to grab you're audience's attention means that they will be gone before an animation is done playing.

The internet is a free distribution platform. Word of mouth has always had it's role in advertising, such as the watercooler banter that occurs following the SuperBowl. The internet simply greases the wheels of word-of-mouth in an extraordinary way, and innovative, amusing advertising will always attract attention to itself.

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I’m sure you remember sitting in your marketing class in college when your instructor blurted something about the Four P’s of Marketing. If you weren’t paying attention or perhaps missed class that day, here is a quick review. It’s really a simple concept that is still employed by many of the fortune 500 companies today.

A Quick Review of the Four P’s

Marketing strategies generally fall into four categories known as the four P’s: they are product, price, place (or distribution), and promotion. Most marketing managers (sometimes referred to as product marketing managers) have complete control of the product from manufacturing and distribution to marketing and promotions. The end goal, of course, is to make strategic decisions that center the four P’s around the target consumer group in order to communicate an effective value proposition and create a positive customer experience.

The term “product” refers to the tangible, physical product itself. This includes the design of the form factor, the brand name, the features and functionality, quality, safety, packaging, the warranty, etc.

When considering “price”, marketers must take a holistic view of the total cost to manufacture the product, distribution costs and advertising costs; as well facilitating a competitive analysis and perhaps a focus group to find the target price that consumers are willing to pay. Other considerations include defining a pricing strategy, suggesting a retail price, volume discounts and wholesale pricing, seasonal pricing, and bundling the product with other products.

The distribution of the product (or place) is about getting the product from the warehouse to the customer and all the steps between. Marketers must consider the most effective distribution channels, develop a supply chain management strategy, identify specific channel partners, inventory management, warehousing, order processing, and transportation.

The last thing marketers must consider is promotion. Promotion represents the various characteristics of an integrated marketing communication plan; that is, the communication messages that inform, educate and persuade consumers to buy the product. An effective integrated marketing communication plan would include: advertising (online & offline), personal selling, direct marketing, sales promotions, public relations; as well as establishing a marketing budget and identifying measurable goals.

Is there anything else to think about? Absolutely. Since we are on the subject of acronyms, introducing the Six C’s of marketing. These concepts are not meant to replace the four P’s, but rather compliment them. They provide a more granular look at the overall marketing strategy while taking into consideration the following: customer, consistency, creativity, culture, communication and change.

Customer – this means that an organization’s marketing strategy needs to be customer focused. It’s about intimately understanding the target market not as demographics, but as real, everyday people. It’s about focusing on the target customer first and then working backwards to the product and or service; and then ultimately the brand. It’s a never ending cyclical process.

Consistency – how many times have you heard mixed messages from the same company’s advertising? Marketers need to maintain consistency in their communication messages to reinforce the value proposition to the target consumer. This will also serve to reinforce the brand in a real life context and avoid doing something lame like changing the Nike tag line from “just do it” to something different.

Creativity – it is important to use creativity to attract the attention of the target consumer since they are bombarded with thousands of messages per day. Creativity means laying aside the “traditional” rules of advertising, and challenges marketers to think out-of-box so that they can tap into their imaginations.

Culture – all marketing messages need to have a cross-cultural component in order to be effective. It is dangerous to think that everyone in the world (including your target consumer) thinks, acts and makes purchase decisions exactly like you. It’s not true and having this perspective can prove to be hazardous to your marketing health.

Communication – people don’t appreciate “in your face” advertising. They don’t want to be “marketed to” either. They would much rather be “communicated with”. Effective communication creates value with target customers, speaks in their language and tells your story.

Change – don’t fight it, embrace it. Change is here to stay! Marketers must constantly change as society changes. They should never be afraid to step out in faith to try something different. Marketing today is not what it used to be; it is constantly evolving and marketers must consider change in the world, economy, market, consumers perceptions; as well as internal change within the organization.

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Right along with letterhead, business cards are usually the first thing that new business owners get printed out. After all, they’re practically a prerequisite to doing business – it’s expected that if you take your company seriously, you’ll have cards ready to hand out.

If you take your company seriously … now that’s a thought. Will your potential customer take your work seriously once they’ve taken a look at your business card? This is often the first impression a potential customer or client has with your company – is it getting the message you want across, or is it landing in the trash?

Take a look at your own business card, if you’ve got one – otherwise, just read through and take notes so you can avoid ending in the bin in the first place.

Size Matters

Traditionally, business cards are created on a 2” x 3.5” rectangle. Anything that is larger than this traditional size won’t fit in someone’s wallet, or in most business card holders.

By and large, the most common reason that people have over-sized business cards is that they were created on a personal computer and laser printed. There’s nothing wrong with taking the do-it-yourself approach, but make sure that you still keep the basics in mind!

Do-it-yourself enthusiasts should take a look at Avery products first. They create a line of ink jet, clean edge business cards in a variety of styles that are sized properly (following traditional guidelines) and result in a cleanly sized card. Start at their website, www.store.averylabelsonline.com, to locate the sheets you want.

Paper Quality = Impact

The quality of paper your business card is printed on will have an immediate (usually subconscious) impact on your potential customer. If the paper is thick, heavy and sturdy, it creates an impression of your company as being reliable and strong. Flimsy paper with perforated edges (mark of a print-at-home job on cheap paper) will speak volumes of things you don’t want people associating with your business.

Again, I really can’t stress enough that if you keep the basics in mind, a DIY job is a good idea. Making business cards yourself can save you a ton of money, and you can print out the sheets only as you need them. When choosing your business card paper, though, spend some time looking around. These are the main differences you’ll find between business card paper, and what you need to look for:

1. Edges – Many business card papers you’ll find have perforated edges. When you separate the cards, it leaves a distinct “rough” edge that isn’t attractive. The reason so many people cave in and go for this option, though, is that they usually cost about 50% less than cards with smooth edges. Smooth edges will make your card look much more professional. Really, if it costs a little more but gets you one step closer to a new client, is there any question of what you should do? 

2. Coating – Business card paper runs the gamut from glossy photo finish to textured paper. If you’re going to use a color photograph on your business card, definitely go for the glossy photo finish. The paper will cost you more, but the results are brilliant on an inkjet printer. Textured papers speak to the creative side of your business. Remember, though, that only inkjet printers will work with coating. Laser printers can be damaged by running coated or textured papers through them. 

3. Distance Between Cards – Didn’t think this one would matter, did you? If you’re printing your cards yourself, though, it does matter. When you have a design that covers the background of your card, opt for sheets that have more space between cards. This way, your design can extend over the edges of the card without overlapping on the next card. There’s nothing worse than printing out a sheet of cards and seeing that they have a blank border all the way around them. 

4. Pre-Printed Backgrounds – Some companies offer business card paper with pre-printed backgrounds. If you go for this option, spend a lot of thought on how the background you choose will work with your design. Your colors need to work together harmoniously, and the background should never overpower the contents of the card. 

5. End Use – If you’ve got an inkjet printer, you might consider creating your business cards on magnetic card sheets. This option is really only for the service person who needs to be seen near the phone, though. If you have a business that offers in-home services that might require an emergency phone call (health care, medical supply, plumbers, etc.), this could be your “in”.

Take a look at the selection of business card papers Staples offers online – www.staples.com – they carry everything from standard uncoated paper to linen, and offer the option to have the cards you design printed up and delivered (at no cost) for you.

Color and Ink Test

This one is short and simple. First, grab your business card, and let a drop of water fall on it. If the ink runs, get ready to make up new cards – you run the risk of having your card illegible if a potential client spills a drop of coffee, or making a mess on their hands (and possibly clothes) if the card gets wet. Not nice.

Along the lines of ink comes the concept of color. At one time, the crisp look of black and white was enough. Now, it’s simply not able to make its way through the rest of the cards a potential client may be sorting through. Colorful cards can add to your professional image, when done right.

Take a look at the colors on your business card. If it’s black and white, head to the computer or your print shop and inject some life into your card. Yours has color? Great! But … how many colors? Unless you’re looking at a photograph, your business card should be centered around a tight color palette of no more than 3 colors. Seriously, this is a make-or-break your card idea – too many colors will make your business look indecisive, chaotic, or worst of all, in bad taste.

Simple can be fantastic, so if you’re not sure what you’re looking for in color, try just adding a color logo or simple color line art to your regular black and white business card.

Match Your Image

It should take nothing more than a brief glance at your business card to know what kind of company you operate or work in. If you’re a designer, artist, or writer, your business card should be creative. Professional services running from lawyers to cleaning companies should be sharp, crisp, and no-nonsense. If you run a pet store, include an image of pets or a loveable mascot-type art piece of an animal.

The point is that if your card doesn’t match the image you’re going for, it’s time to toss the design out and do something new.

Mascots are perhaps the easiest way to create a nifty image for your business, and add color to your card all in one shot. Poul Carlson is widely known as the best in his field for creating really memorable mascot images. You can hit his website, www.drawshop.com, to find hundreds of ideas at honest prices – or grab one of the free mascots he offers.

Contact Information

Another quick but vital tip: Provide as many forms of contact as possible. Your potential customer should be able to reference your business card and choose the method of contact that they are most comfortable with. Include your voicemail, phone, fax, email, and website address in addition to your physical location if you have one. Make it easy to find and easy to read, and you’ve made one more step to toward staying out of the trash can.

First impressions are the ones that count – they are the longest-lasting, and the hardest to change. Invest in the best business card design you can afford, whether you’re doing that design yourself or paying a professional. Introducing yourself to a potential client is easiest with a business card, and for the few cents you pay per card, that money is well spent.

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“I have many marketing ideas but no money to implement any. It's so frustrating!” If your marketing budget consists of the $85 left over after you pay bills, then listen up.

Following are three things you SHOULD NOT DO if you are marketing on a shoestring budget.

1. DON'T Cancel Existing Ads if You Are Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: If sales are not what you expect them to be, one of the worst things you can do is cancel existing advertising that works.

Many small business owners panic when things get tight. They figure they'll start advertising again “when things get better.”

How do you expect them to get better if you pull ads? [Note: I'm only referring to advertising that has worked for you in the past - not new advertising.]

When things get tight is exactly when you should be marketing. This is what marketing on a shoestring budget is all about. Hit and miss advertising (ie, advertising only when you think you can afford it) is like yo-yo dieting. In the end, you're just throwing away money because you don't give customers enough time to find you if your ad is in 1 week and out the next 6.

DO Stretch Your Ad Dollars When You Are Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: Instead of placing large ads when you are flush with cash, pretend you are always marketing on a shoestring budget and place smaller ads all the time over a longer period of time. AND, place them early.

Ad takers are much more likely to offer discounts if you buy early for an extended period. This takes some of the heat off when you hit a rough patch financially.

2. DON'T Fail to Do Anything If You Are Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: Just because you can't afford to do what you want to do is no reason to not do anything.

DO Get FREE PublicityYou Are Marketing on a Shoestring Budget! One of the most effective things you can do when you are marketing on a shoestring budget is compile a list of journalists and e-mail them informative articles (you should do this even if you are not marketing on a shoestring budget). Smaller newspapers, especially, are always looking for newsworthy pieces to publish.

The key here is “newsworthy.” The pieces should not be an advertisement for your business, but information the newspaper's readers would be interested in that you can somehow tie into your business. Eg, some seasonal favorites might be:

Survive the Winter Blahs: Decorate w/ Color [Interior Designer might pen this article]

Throw Away Your Budget to Get Out of Debt (titles like this are particularly effective because they go against conventional wisdom – this draws readers in out of sheer curiosity). [Financial Advisor might write an article like this.]

The 3 Best Herbs for a More Youthful Face [Beauty Supplier might write this]

3. DON'T Panic If You Are Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: As in, DON'T! When you panic, you stem the flow of ideas. So, sit back, assess the situation and write down a plan of action. Make sure it's something you can do IMMEDIATELY, eg, compile a list of contacts to send an e-campaign, write an article to email to journalists, make sales calls, etc.

DO Take Action When You Are Marketing on a Shoestring Budget! When you are marketing on a shoestring budget especially, the key is to do something positive to alleviate the problem – even if it's not the biggest or best thing you could be doing. Why? Because this immediately puts you back in control. When you feel in control (no matter how tenuous it is), you act from a position of power, not weakness. Marketing on a shoestring budget takes creative power, not financial power.

In case I've never said this – 90% of small business ownership is mental. To quote the very quotable Rev. Jesse Jackson, “you have to believe it to achieve it.” My personal favorite is “fake it til you make it.” Why?

Because there will be times when you have to believe on blind faith that you will pull through – exhaustion will set in; your coffers will be empty; and friends and family won't be able to relate to your small business woes. It's during these times that faith in yourself (even a fake faith) will be all that you have left.

Now, what are you going to do TODAY to get where you want to be TOMORROW? Starter Tip: When marketing on a shoestring budget, alawys focus on one or two things you can do IMMEDIATELY to garner publicity – and get going!

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Today's advancing world of business has brought many opportunities for producers to cater to consumers. It has encouraged the growth of Internet technology to use in the means of business, to bring it to greater heights. The advancement of technology opened opportunities for organizations to expand beyond their reach with the beginning of E-commerce.

According to www.businesstown.com,” Electronic commerce is the paperless exchange of business information using electronic data interchange (EDI), e-mail, electronic bulletin boards, fax transmissions, and electronic funds transfer. It refers to Internet shopping, online stock and bond transactions, the downloading and selling of “soft merchandise” (software, documents, graphics, music, etc.), and business-to-business transactions.”

E-commerce basically comes down to one thing – employing the Internet to do business more effectively and efficiently. It is about giving customers control over purchasing behavior and letting consumers serve themselves better while giving producers the chance to committing an online effort to increase their market share. As a result of this, many marketing communication strategies have been implemented. Marketing communications not only concern with product and services promotions but also impacts the promotion of a company's corporate image. Marketing communication, according to Kimmel (2005) in his book 'Marketing Communication',” or the so-called promotional mix… represents a critical mediating process that links a company's offering to its intended consumers.”

Amazon.com is an online retailer selling products and services such as books, appliances, DVD's and B2B services and many more. Amazon.com is a global brand and a pioneer in the e-commerce industry. Amazon aims to focus on customer experience through offering a wide array of products at low prices at the most convenient possible way. The company aims to provide the world's biggest selection of merchandise while maintaining an organization that is operated from its customers' point of view.

Although the company makes billions of dollars a year, to achieve their aim of expanding, Amazon.com needs to restructure its marketing communications strategies. The Internet has come to an age where every user today is no longer captivating and audiences are used to tactics employed online when producers market their products and services. While Amazon.com works to gain repeat purchasers for their products through their web-site, a larger market out there can be targeted through other forms of media in the marketing communications mix.

Amazon needs to think outside the box…instead of focusing all their efforts at advertising online, they could implement other marketing tools through conducting most of their branding efforts offline such as sending out brochures, catalogs and place ads in magazines. Other forms of media can be implemented as well, such as through television and radio. Thus, although the Internet offers electrifying prospects for marketing communication, it can rarely stand alone as a brand-building tool. Instead, it must be carefully integrated into the broader marketing communications mix.

According to the excerpt “The Internet, Interactivity, and All Those Nets and Dot-Coms : Disintegrated Marketing Communications?”, “The Web's ineffectiveness as a major brand building tool is one of today's hottest marketing issues”. (Kotler, P. Armstrong, G. & Cunningham, P. (2001). Advertising and focusing marketing strategies online alone is barely notable to the user, as shown in the excerpt – an advertisement on the television or a jingle from a radio ad is more likely to stick in the minds of the consumer rather than an online advertisement. Top B2B e-commerce organizations such as Cisco Systems market themselves through full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal relatively to Web banners.

There are many limitations of the internet in the form of marketing. Although considered to be the best media to promote a product, it still comes down to mainstream media to effectively market a product. The major limitation of the Internet is the coverage. While there are a growing number of households with internet, many consumers still prefer traditional media compared to buying their products online. The competition online for Web-surfers is also a limitation to the Internet. The increasing number of web-pages makes it progressively more complicated to capture consumers' attention. [Cateora P., Graham J. (2008)]

Web ads still do not have the impact producers and marketers want for their products. Consumer are still attracted and intrigued by ads that are seen, heard, smelt, taste and touch rather than the occasional pop-up ad online that annoys them which immediately makes them close it. In a recent survey noted in an excerpt, “In the digital world, consumers control ad exposure. Many consumers who've grown up with the Internet are sceptical of ads in general and resentful of Web ads in particular. Internet advertisers face an uphill battle in getting such consumers to click onto their ads. In fact, a recent survey found that 21 percent of Internet users polled said they never clicked on Internet ads and another 51 percent said they clicked only rarely.” (Kotler, P. Armstrong, G. & Cunningham, P. (2001).

Consumers have become so used to pop-ups online, that they automatically close the ads before even glancing at it. Even advertisement banners across the top part, side and bottom of the web page do not necessarily encourage any sales boost. Consumers tend to remember commercial jingles and slogans for yesteryears rather than an online ad today. But as noted in the article, it has to be a balance of both worlds – e-commerce and traditional commerce. (Kotler, P. Armstrong, G. & Cunningham, P. (2001).

A large organization such as Coca Cola even has a website (www.cocacola.com) to cater to merchandise and collectibles enthusiasts. Though their main products which are the famous carbonated drinks fondly known as “Coke”, it is not sold online. Their products are for consumption and are marketed throughout without actually having the need to maintain a website.

Amazon should create an image for itself that showcases what it really does. Most consumers know Amazon.com to be a site that sells books. What the company really is all about is to encourage, introduce and expand other businesses online through it main web portal. Amazon should strategize ads targeted towards businesses that would like to enter e-commerce. Amazon needs to expand globally through other Medias with the appropriate marketing campaigns. Amazon today is a highly successful e-commerce website in the US, Canada and Europe. Though known throughout most developed countries, not many consumers actually purchase products online. Online purchasing is still relatively new in the Asian market, but Amazon can encourage this behaviour if implemented the right tools. For Amazon to prosper even further and gain global market share, they need to focus on other areas.

Focus on the availability of the markets advertising media.Amazon should review on the potential markets in other countries such as Asian countries. Many countries use as many as 40 to 50 different Medias as national coverage. [Cateora P., Graham J. (2008)]

Focus on improving information of coverage. Expand coverage throughout localities by expanding locally and regionally. Partnering with local e-commerce sites such as www.Lelong.com.my and www.mudah.com.my could gain help Amazon gain market share in Malaysia. Ebay has a Malaysian portal known as simply, eBay Malaysia at www.ebay.com.my to cater to the local market.

Focus on improving market data. Amazon needs to research and analyse potential markets to improve market data on consumer behaviour. Amazon needs to be kept up-to-date in order to move in with the fast-changing pace of consumer's tastes and preferences. [Hawkins, D Mothersbaugh, D & Best, R (2007)]

Marketing campaigns have to be targeted and remain focused on the aims and goals of the company. The aims of these marketing communications strategies are to communicate a company's message and appeal in an organized, identifiable and persuasive approach.

As Kimmel (2005) pointed out in his book, marketing communications has developed into a complex far-reaching medium for most organizations today. Marketers today are entrusted with the latest technologies through the evolving ranges of possible types of marketing communication tools. Though the internet is one of the most effective tools in the marketing communications strategy, other forms of media can be taken into consideration to stimulate the desired responses from target market. Consumers' behaviour is constantly changing, hence the need for marketers to constantly evolve and remain positive. According to the author, “competition is so strong in the contemporary marketing environment that marketers a re obliged to keep experimenting with different ways and means to direct their messages to increasingly jaded consumer audiences.” [Kimmel A. (2005)]

Traditional media selection is still the staple in any major media marketing campaign. That is why Amazon.com needs to reconsider other marketing communication tools to implement their strategies. Many producers in other countries still maintain newspapers as their overall market coverage due to the many alternatives in newspapers. The appropriate messages through this media are vital. Amazon's books could be advertised in newspapers to consumers routing them towards the website. Segments in newspapers could showcase different genre books, business section could advertise business management books or the entertainment section would mean advertising a new CD from a pop artist.

Another form of marketing communications tool is magazines. Advertising in overseas edition of reputable magazines such as Readers Digest International could introduce Amazon to many potential customers. Overseas edition of the magazine is available in more than 20 different languages, and Amazon can advertise its services in the local languages. Magazines provide critical brand awareness. It has a clear and specific demographic selectivity as well as geographic flexibility across many urban markets.

Radio and television today are major communications media in most nations. In countries like Japan, television is a national obsession and an advertisers dream. Television allows demonstration; it is in good reach and has proven impact upon consumers. Amazon should introduce advertisements on TV that would induce viral marketing. Honda's 'The Cog' advertisement made viral marketing headlines when the advertisement was downloaded all over the world from internet sources. When the advertisement was first shown, it generated so much interest; viral marketing began for the Honda Accord from word-of-mouth to word-of-mouse. As shown here, products and services that are not sold online do obtained a market share through online methods as well as its traditional advertising methods.

Another marketing communications tool, satellite and cable TV are a great way to reach audiences. According to the book, 'International Marketing', “Star TV, a new pan-Asian satellite television network, has a potential audience of 2.7 billion people living in 38 countries from Egypt through India to Japan, and from Russia to Indonesia.” [Cateora P., Graham J. (2008)] Amazon could advertise in TV stations such as these to widen their audience and consumer horizon. Amazon could advertise during prime time programs such as 'How I Met Your Mother' with advertisements promoting DVD purchase of the popular series while offering recommendations of other series of the same genre.

Direct mail is also an effective way to reach greater volumes of audiences in most parts of the world such as countries in Southeast Asia. In Japan, companies such as Nestle' Japan promote their Buitoni fresh-chilled pasta using a 12-page colour direct mail booklet which included Japanese-style versions of Italian favourites. [Cateora P., Graham J. (2008)]

Street-level posters, billboards, and interior posters could also generate interests outside of the online community. As noted earlier, even Cisco Systems revert to traditional forms of marketing communication. One example of misixng the best of both worlds is Dell. Being an online retailer, Dell also promotes their products through magazines and television.

“Dell Computer is one of the largest ad spenders in tech trade magazines and runs a $150-million-plus branding campaign almost entirely on TV. Dell hopes to conduct 50 percent of all transactions online and contends that it can't generate that kind of volume with Web advertising.” [Kotler, P. Armstrong, G. & Cunningham, P. (2001).]

The reach is the key – it has to be done in moderate frequency to avoid annoying overplay that is why overkill of adverts online are often surpassed by the user/consumer. Featuring creative ads on other media would keep consumers intrigued and entertained while still being informative. It is the reach of these Medias that online tools cannot compare to. While being global and used widely, the Internet advertising campaigns do not always reach the right targeted audience. While the marketing communications strategy might take on a budget of millions, Amazon would gain a competitive advantage that not many organizations could achieve. Reaching out and expanding to the millions of consumers around the world would boost sales for Amazon.

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Designing posters, flyers, or any advertising type or promotional material will need more than simply combining pictures, colors and words to fit in, and getting the message across the public. Most importantly, it includes character, vision and creativity. All of us are gifted with such traits, although varying in nature for sure. There is no question that above all, it is consumer acceptance and gaining the market attention that will be the key to a successful marketing campaign.

The main emphasis for such promotional and advertising measures is to of course provide the needed push by products or services. Some companies would not lean towards advertising as a means of jacking up their sales and reaching their sales quota. Some would use prices, discounts, and corporate tie-ups, contests and so on to help give the exposure needed to make a product or service known. Either way, the important thing is that all efforts are done for the benefit of the finished good and for the company to study on the feasibility of continuing such product or simply killing it and moving on towards another category to market and sell.

The market is made up of different people, thus the need to be able to understand, research and study the overall impact such product or service can give to them. Class, gender, age group and bracket, all of these should be carefully studied prior to engaging in the different marketing approaches and tactics and get their various programs running and reaching the unknowing public. The response towards such tactics and strategies shall evidently be appreciated once the response on orders, product acceptance and endorsements has been made.

There are sectors that also use a certain psychology in their marketing strategies. Not to take anything away but these tactics do work. Instilling in the minds of people that a certain product or service may contain special ingredients and provide certain results once consumed or used is something that will surely gain the market attention. Further, getting some people to help in the endorsement of the product or service will also help in attracting the market attention needed to boost the performance, both in sales and market awareness, of the product as well. It should be noted, that a company will maximize all possibilities available, but all for sure on a given budget, since it is certain that companies will not spend all their assets on advertising alone, since they also have to consider the overall administration and operation of the company.

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Well it is almost that time a year again and the store are starting their advertising campaigns and the holidays are in the air. Every year you pull out that list of people that you must buy presents for and the perfect way to do this is to just charge it! This time of year it is always the good excuse time to pull out your plastic and charge it instead of paying cash for it. The problem is that when you charge you usually take a while to pay it off and the interest makes the purchases a whole lot more expensive.

Just remember that even though it is almost the holidays you don't need to use the credit card always and have such big bills to pay in the end. You just need some smart advise so you don't spend to much. Moderation is the key to spending, remember you don't want to be paying off this christmas 2 years from now. Credit cards are a great tool that you can use to purchase gifts, it is important to not abuse them in the next few months.

Having a credit card sometimes makes it to easy to go to the store and just keep buying items that you don't really need, it seems like not real money. Credit card's can get out of hand very quickly if you are not careful, a helpful tip is have a detailed list of what you came to buy and stick to it. Try not to be easy swayed both those great deal you see in the window or at the end of an aisle.

Another great idea is to write down all the items you purchased with a credit card and add those items up each month to see what was actually charged.You will be surprised how quickly it adds up. Most people charge more during the months of November and December than any other month. When you are buying gift more expensive is not always better, allot of people would rather have a home made type gift, or something personal rather something expensive that has no connection to the receiver.If you use your imagination and be creative you can give a gift that is thoughtful as well as saving yourself money.

Remember that spending using a credit card can be good as long as it is kept under control. http://www.bigloanguide.com

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Countless have one, but may not even stop to consider: What should your business card say about your company?

From enormous corporations to small-town family startups, businesses everywhere use every tool available to increase visibility, drive sales, and generally thrive in the competitive marketplace. One major factor for any organization to succeed is their marketing; that is, their mix of promotions and advertising designed to create a return on investment.

Although many may not think of it as marketing, the truth is that business cards are one ingredient of a business entity's branding. How people view that business card will immediately play an essential part in shaping their perspective of the company it represents. With this key fact in mind, the important question remains: What should your business card say about your company?

Professionalism

Even for mom-and-pop shops on the strip mall with a prohibitively small budget to work with, there are still some standards that must be universally adhered to when it comes to place-of-business practices. Among these is the concept of professionalism, including the idea that it does not take a lot of money to look serious or high-quality; rather, much like the de factor rules of etiquette, one must simply follow established protocol in order to appear like they know what they are doing. When it comes to business cards, this means following the standard size, and not using cheap copy paper to form them. At the very least, black text on card stock will work just fine; in fact, done cleanly and stylistically, can even perform perfectly.

Customer Service

Whether while making cold calls or during appearances at conferences and other networking events, a business card is the one piece of lasting evidence that a businessman or businesswoman can leave with a contact. As it is the only shred of the introduction that they keep with them even afterward, it is very important that it provide an immediate “in” to render services. This may be as simple as “Need a handyman? Please call:” or some other phrase that directly, clearly, actively invites the reads to take action and take action quickly. A business card that is unclear because it is trying to be too artsy, or a card that lacks the necessary contact information, is a business card that should be spun into the recycling bin.

Quality

The film American Psycho, starring Christian Bale as a 1980's hot shot in corporate yuppie culture who has some rather devious secret habits, has a brilliant scene that satirically lampoons the practice of bragging about who has the classiest, most cutting-edge, expensive, highest-quality business card. Although the actual dollar amounts and technical specifications perhaps miss the point, there is a grain of truth to the show-and-tell. For example, though there is nothing wrong with home-brew business cards printed on Avery stock to standard size, if they are misprinted, overlap, or printed on low toner for a faded-out look, it reflects poorly on the company. After all, if you cannot even get your business card right, who's to say that your other services will be rendered any better? If you can afford it, it is typically best to let a professional printer or graphic designer handle the card-cutting duties, and you may be surprised at how affordable a set of effective business cards can be.

When considering what your business card should say about your company, keep in mind that a business card is like a gun, a knife, a wrench, or a loaf of bread: Its effectiveness is entirely dependent on how you use it, not any inherent value. A well-designed, quality-crafted, liberally distributed business card may be just the edge you need to land a few new long-term clients; especially so, if you have given careful thought to the image that your business card reflects about your company.

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One of my favorite little restaurants is Topolino's in Clinton MD. They have a wonderful buffet and great service. One day there I was speaking with a fellow entrepreneur about business. I though to myself, I wonder what they are doing about marketing this place. As a passionate entrepreneur, I gorilla marketing. The concept of Low Cost and No Cost Marketing is something for which I'm passionate. When younger, I simply wanted to know what it was to be in business. I had no idea what the difference was from a small business to a fortune 500 company. Years later as an entrepreneur, I realize that small businesses have small budgets with big dreams. Most small business are passionate about what they do. The small business owner tends to be an expert in a particular area. Yet most small businesses do not make it past the 3rd year. I'm convinced that with the right Low Cost No Cost Marketing Plan many businesses would last far beyond the 3rd year. Here are 5 tips a business can implement to get customers growing Small business.

Small Business Networking

I hear the word networking and I think of Network Marketing. For a small business, networking is a tremendous key to growing your business a minimum cost. If you associate with other small businesses, it put you in an environment where people seek growth. That environment alone is a progressive positive factor that will add synergy to your business efforts. Going to SBA training courses, or SCORE programs will give you the opportunity to meet other small business. I've received countless referrals from business I've met at these types of initiatives.

BNI is another great networking resource. There is a nominal fee to Join BNI with is a company focused on Small Business Network marketing. This fee to minuscule For a Growing Small Business when you consider what you get. As a BNI member, you will be networked with a group of 30 or so other small businesses. There will be no two small businesses in a network group that are the same. Within your BNI small business group you each get to know the others business. The focus of the group is to have each one in the group refer business to the others in the group. The big picture is through BNI Small Business networking you get 30 new sales people working for you for free. Each referral sources has a vested interest in growing your small business. The Small business in your BNI network will help your Growing Small Business get as many new clients as you can handle.

Small Business 30 second commercial

In a training class with Women's entrepreneur's of Baltimore (WEB), we were taught to give a 30 second commercial when meeting people. We each had to stand and let every guest know who we were and what our business did. Initially, I dreaded the 30 second commercial. I hated being on the spot to talk about my business in a way that was awkward and unnatural. I hate getting up in front of the group and saying the same thing over and over again. Then on day, I was out in a public setting. I spoke to someone that was interested in what I did. Without hesitation, I smiled and gave them my prepared 30 second commercial. I gave my commercial with enthusiasm and belief that I would deliver on promises. I got this person as a customer and I was sold on 30 second commercial.

Along with the 30 second commercial, you must have some paraphernalia. I can say from experience, when you do not have a business card its hard to get the sale. You can do it, but It hard to get the follow-up needed. If you have a card or a brochure of your business, it is a tremendous help. Right after your commercial people will ask for something from you. A card is great, but I personally like the professionalism of a brochure. A brochure, give a person a better perspective of what you do and how you do it.

Small Business Marketing Plans

To accomplish any goal, we must have a plan. Many people want to have a Growing Small Business but have not defined how they will grow. A marketing plan will clearly define what you expect to do to grow your Small Business. Without a marketing plan you are just taking action without a framework. To not have a marketing plan for your Growing small business is similar to throwing darts in the dark. How will you know if you hit the bullseye unless you turn the lights on to see the target?

A good small business marketing plan will give you timeliness and specific goals you must achieve. As you focus on your target, you will attempt to reach these goals and tweak them as you progress. You measure your results as you define them in the marketing plan. You can have a goal of meeting 25 new people a day. You could have a goal, of closing 30 new clients each month. Your goals simply must be clearly defined, and have a tangible time-line to help your business grow. To have a Marketing Plan For a Growing Small Business, will cost nothing. Not having a Marketing Plan, will certainly cost your clients.

Good luck as you focus on Low Cost Effort of Growing Your Small Business. Its always fun to do what you enjoy. I wish you joy and happiness as you fulfill your entrepreneurial destiny.

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