Branding is one of the key underlying concepts behind the success of many businesses both huge and small. You know Coca Cola by it’s distinctive red color, because of the tagline “It’s the real thing,” and behind the old-fashioned Santa they have used on many marketing pieces for dozens of years. This is Coke’s branding. Let’s look at what you ought to consider for your own branding and then to decide whether you are using your branding in enough places.

The Key Elements Behind Great Branding

Branding is a strategy that can give you an edge in these highly competitive times. Your brand tells people who you’re, what you do, how you do it, and what concepts drives your business. Think of Nike’s easy swish logo and the words “Just do it!” Your brand, like theirs, is a promise to your customer about what they can anticipate from you, so it’s important you touch on the key elements when you create your brand.

1. Have you developed a Mission Statement for your company? It can really stretch you out and refine your concepts down to get your grandiose plans and schemes into one paragraph. Unless you can communicate these concepts to your graphic designer, she can’t create an appearance for them.

2. Can you succinctly describe the features and benefits your clients will be receiving from your products and services? Again, a designer cannot create some graphical element about these benefits unless you can articulate them.

3. Have you surveyed your many (or few) clients to get their appraisal of your products and services? They have the ability to provide many keen insights into what your company is making or doing, and they have the ability to provide many things they wish you would do that would serve them superior more specifically. Then, these additional benefits can be explained to your graphic designer to be incorporated into your brand.

4. Have you decided which one or two qualities your company will stand for? Is it fast service? Is it going beyond what is expected? Is it integrity? What’s it? don’t you want your branding to represent this? Would not you like all of your clients to know this about you via your branding?

Where To Use Your Branding

Once your graphic designer creates a branding look for you, and once you begin to use the branding in many of your marketing pieces, let’s look at some examples of where this branding can then be used.

1. Is your logo just everywhere? Is it on your website, your business cards, your brochures, your PowerPoint template, your newsletter, your employment ads? Is it on the license plate holders of all your employees? Is it on the van your folks use for car pooling? Is there a flag in front of your locations with your logo on it? Do you’ve a ring made from it? A lapel pin? Name tags for your employees? Wouldn’t it be an interesting project for your Marketing Manager to stroll through your facility and discover places where your logo could be instituted?

2. Is your branding reflected in the manner in which your employees answer the phone? Is there a standardized email signature each employee should use? Does your sales force visibly represent your brand in some way, such as the gold jackets Century 21 realtors wear?

3. Have you decided your brand will be formal, snazzy, informal, plain? Does your letterhead and all written communication from your company reflect this decision? Can you have a contest inside the company for your employees giving them a voice in how they’d like to be represented through the communication factor of your branding? I am confident they have the ability to come up with dozens of superb ideas and you’d get their purchase-in.

4. Are you really delivering on the standards behind your brand? No one knows this superior than your clients. Have you surveyed them asking them for their feedback? Do they recognize your branding as real and true, or as needs-improvement? It is crucial that you know what your clients consider you and your branding, your service, and your products.

You can use branding to place you head and shoulders above your competition. Using your branding in graphic design, brochures, book covers, and your all important logo is crucial to accomplish. Branding will help you set high standards and achieve them. Branding states you are consistent and a high performer - that you deliver what you promise. When you produce your marketing pieces, all the elements of your visual identity contribute to your branding process and, ultimately, on your success.

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Article Source: Content for Reprint

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Switching to Article Marketing Automation is a great solution for busy marketers and those who want to make the most of their efforts.

Are you struggling to find the time to really kick-begin your world wide web business? It might be that you’re working full time elsewhere and you simply have too many other things to do at the same time.

You really want to make a go of things on the internet and you’re getting so frustrated with a lack of progress. It could be that you resent not having enough time to do all the nice things in life, such as spending time with family and friends, having time to pursue your favorite hobbies or just have some good old “me time”!

If this sounds like you, then you really want to take a good old look at how you can benefit from switching to Article Marketing Automation today because it will give you back some precious hours. If you take article marketing seriously it is like planting a seed that will be there forever and just keep on producing results.

The key is to get your articles seen by as many people as possible because it is all about the “numbers game” Not everyone who sees your article will act on what they read. That is a fact, so it stands to reason that you need to get maximum exposure to capitalize from the ones who do take action.

At the end of the day we know that out of each hundred people there are only around five who will act when presented with an offer. So if you only have your article on one directory and it is viewed state a thousand times, you might expect fifty people to act. Now if those fifty people act and go to a sales page, you will be lucky if two or three actually buy something, and that’s assuming it’s a pretty good sales page in the first place!

Can you see the problem? It’s all about exposure and working those numbers to your advantage because that’s how you’ll make money. It stands to reason therefore that you need to have your message on loads of quality article directory sites.

One of the most frustrating and time consuming tasks with article marketing is submitting your article in enough places to get the maximum exposure.

Article marketing is really quite simple and low cost to do but is incredibly time consuming, especially when you are trying to get your articles published in all the right places. This is where Article Marketing Automation comes into its own and puts your marketing efforts into turbo boost mode.

You want to be able to tap into a whole network of independent sites and blogs that have agreed to distribute articles for article marketers There are an ever growing number of sites where you could try and submit your articles manually but you cannot guarantee that they’ll be accepted. This might be because of failing to follow editorial rules etc. The more sites you can get to publish your articles, the more back-links your own site will benefit from and Google will start to notice you because they love to see other places showing links back to your site.

Using Article Marketing Automation is one of the best and most efficient tools you could ever use if you want to save time and money long-term. You stand a good chance of high page ranking on the search engines especially if your articles are listed in certain directories. This can be in a matter of days sometimes if you’ve chosen the right keywords.

A decent Article Marketing Automation service will be packed with free tutorials to guide you each step of the way. The best ones even grant you to submit variations of your original article to different sites. This is important because duplicate content isn’t perceived as being very good. You simply submit your article to the submission site and they do the rest for a small monthly fee. Yes, you do have to pay because we all know there’s no such thing as a “Free Lunch!” A company I use lets me submit as many as I like and when I work it out as a cost per article it is less than a cup of coffee every one.

Don’t just sign up with any old company because you may find they cannot deliver! Article marketing is a great and easy way to break into Internet marketing and to get you some very cheap exposure. Automating your article marketing gives you the best chance of swift and long term traffic to your site by utilizing a large network of other sites to your advantage. I don’t know where you’re reading this article and it does not matter as far as my effort is concerned. I easy wrote it and let someone else distribute it for me. What is more this might be on someone’s blog as you read it.

Do not miss out on the power Article Marketing Automation delivers because the substitute does not bear thinking about in terms of all those countless wasted hours!

About the Author

Begin to drive traffic to your sites and blogs now. Go to this site right nownwww.ArticlesForAffiliates.com

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I’d like to discuss the option of starting a home based business with a direct selling company.

More specifically, I’d like to discuss network marketing. This term is often used interchangeably with multi-level marketing (MLM).

Now, for those who have an image of someone in a bad suit inviting you to a backyard barbecue and then doing a bad job of trying to speak you into joining his company because of the large income potential and the capability to make 10K the first week….. PLEASE know that this isn’t the Network Marketing industry of 2010.

Let me start by saying: We are all in network marketing. Yes, that’s true, but most of the time we do not get paid for it. Let’s state you lost 15 pounds and a friend asked you how you did it - you told her it was with Weight Watchers. When that person goes to a local Weight Watchers meeting and pays money to join a 10 week program, does Weight Watchers pay you? When I’m out driving my hybrid and someone asks me how I like it - I tell them I love it. Do you think that Honda sends me a check when that person orders a hybrid? No. Those are just two examples of network marketing. Think of recommending a restaurant, new movie, etc. It’s the same thing.

Network marketing is simply marketing a product through a network. Let’s state that I’m an associate of the ABC company. The ABC company produces soap. Their soap is superb, at least I think so. What do I do? I tell people, “hey, I found this great soap…it smells great, lasts long, bubbles great, want to give it a try?” They state “Sure…” When they try it and decide to buy it, I just made a sale; a sale that I’ll get some kind of compensation for. Is it always that simple? No, of course not…but that is the general idea.

Network marketing is a easy business concept. The manufacturer manufactures a product or a company provides a service. The network marketer finds a consumer for that product or service. The consumer orders through the network marketer directly from the company. There are no advertising costs, no additional distribution costs, no retail space to rent to display products, no additional shipping or warehousing. The company saves millions of dollars by not having a traditional distribution system. The millions saved are used for two main purposes. First it is for extensive research and development. It is for this reason that companies that distribute their products through a network marketing system usually have better products. Second, it is paid back to the network marketing associate who placed the order and several others in that associate’s team in the form of commissions.

A network marketing business can be worked along side your current full time job. It can be built over time and possibly eventually replace a full time income. It is not a get rich scheme. If someone tells you it is, my advice would be to move on to another company. It can be started with minimal start-up costs. This is what separates it from a traditional small business and this is what makes it low risk. There is no space to rent, no employees to pay, no attorney fees to get started, no trademark to pay to use. But, you have all of the advantages of owning your own business, such as tax advantages, building an asset that you own, possibility of financial and time freedom. You can think of this as franchising yourself.

So, that’s a high level description of network marketing and some reasons why this industry should be considered when investigating your options for starting a low risk business.

If you are searching for a network marketing company, the best place to begin is at the Direct Selling Association. From their website (www.dsa.org): The Direct Selling Association (DSA) is the national trade association of the leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to consumers. Approximately 200 companies are members of the association, including many well-known brand names.

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A great idea can hit you anywhere. It can wake you at 2:00 a.m., so compelling that you jump out of bed, put on a pot of coffee, and begin outlining your business plan.

Remember, though, in the heady rush of dreaming up the business, to build a launching pad for it. In other words, a presence on the World wide web. Because in this day’s buzzword search-engine climate, a website is the most powerful marketing and sales tool available to any company, big or small, cottage industry or inspired solopreneur.

You do not need to be a cyber-genius to go on the internet and get results. But unless you have a clear business objective and message, you could waste a lot of time and money without accomplishing much. Here are seven steps to guide you in developing your website. Use this system as a clear roadmap, so you don’t find yourself wandering in circles. Don’t lose your mind — just grab a grande latte, sit down and think things through; ask yourself questions you probably already know the answers to.

Step 1: Strategize

Speak strategy with your website designer — clarify how your business goals and objectives translate to a website. You can’t create an effective website design if you don’t know what you want the website to do for you.

Step 2: Define Your Target Market and Niche

What overall customer base do you serve? — that’s your target market. Who are they? Any particular field or industry? What characteristics, interests, or needs do they have in common? Within that customer base, find a smaller group that is a more specific fit for your product or service, and which might not be served by your competitors; or both — that is your niche. If your target market is people in job search, for instance, your niche might be people in job search, over 50, who do not just want to change jobs, they want to change careers.

Why do you need to define your target market and niche? Because: (1) you cannot be all things to all people; (2) you and your customer base need to find one another; and (3) the more specific you get, the more your niche will feel you understand them and can serve their specific needs.

Step 3: Position Yourself

If you have done your homework, then you’ve researched the competition. Who are they? What sets you apart in terms of customer base, quality, service, and other aspects? What makes you very special? Look for gaps in the market that aren’t being served - those gaps will help you position yourself and define your niche. Plus, it’ll help you hone your offerings, making you the expert who is sought out for your know-how.

Step 4: Describe “What” and “How”

Whether you’re selling a product or a service, what you’re offering has to solve something or offer something for your customers. How it does that is key to making them select you — delivering the goods. If you can’t describe the “what” element, your customers will not know you have a product or service that might benefit them. If you cannot describe the “how” element, your customers will not be clear that it is doable, usable, and of value. The “how” element also gives, in precise terms, the ways in which the product or service will provide the results customers want. It is a descriptive roadmap from Point A (their need or want) to Point B (the results or benefits).

Step 5: Brand Yourself

Let’s say you have already named your business. Now you need images, words, feelings, to make it distinctive. To make it a brand. Branding involves several elements:

* Perception — How do you want your customers/clients to think about your business? How would your customers describe you and your business? What value do your products/services provide, and how do you want the world to perceive that value?

* Logo — Clarify your message based upon the perception you want your customers to have about your business, your niche, and how you want to position yourself. Distill that into an image that will be the visual representation of your company: your logo.

* Tagline — Then translate that into a powerful, compelling tagline. Keep it brief (3-7 words). Make it memorable. Be sure it fits your business. The ideal taglines are evocative, meaning they conjure images, thoughts, and feelings.

* Graphics — Select visuals that ideal express and integrate with your logo and tagline. Support your message with each visible aspect: colors, typeface, styles, and other graphic elements.

Step 6: Create Your Website

The nature of your business will drive and designate your website by topic — e.g., content, features, directions, contact info, blogs, links, biography, pictures, itineraries. Then start writing your copy, making sure its tone fits the website design. Say the key benefits clients will receive, the key values you deliver, the key concerns you share.

What topics your does website needs to cover? — use that list to create your website pages. For example, a lecturer or public speaker may need a:

* Home page

* About page

* Who We Serve page

* Presentations/Keynotes page

* Workshops, Classes, and/or Retreats page

* Products (books, CDs, DVDs) page; Shopping Cart

* Meeting Planners page; Contact page

* Blog page; Resources page; E-zine; Special Reports

* Media page/Press room

Design and develop your site using your visual brand elements (logo, color). Review and test it before going live, to make sure everything works, error-free. Offer a free report or e-zine that provides value to website visitors, while building your list at the same time.

Subscribe to an auto-responder program, to make it simple to follow up with prospects and send out broadcasts to your clients. Then go live and do a final testing to ensure accuracy on all platforms.

Step 7: Optimize, Market, and Network

First, identify your search engine optimization (SEO) goals and your return on investment targets. Hire a specialist to do foundational search engine optimization with meta-tags and images. With your specialist, set up monthly, robust search engine optimization strategies, driven by your specific goals.

Next, establish search engine marketing (SEM). Set up pages on and participate in social networking sites. Post comments on blogs that relate to your business, customer base, and overall market. Write and publish articles offline and on the web for inbound links.

These seven steps aren’t easy, and they take work, but they generate results and this year you just might watch your business take off. With a powerful brand, backed up by a website that delivers.

About the Author

Article Source: Content for Reprint

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Have you heard of drop cards? Drop cards are ideal used along with a funded proposal. If you are a network marketer and you don’t know what either of these are, there is a good chance that you are either new to the industry or you’ve been struggling along using the same worn out methods that people have been failing with for decades.

Either way, this day is your lucky day because you’ll know exactly what these are shortly. You’ll also know how a funded proposal works.  

Drop cards are printed to look exactly like real money making them difficult to throw away. Some people make them into business cards. They are available in any size bill but the $100 bill is ideal.

They look like a bill that has been folded in thirds but being only two thirds the length of an original, just folding in half will make them the size of a business card.

People naturally pick them up. Then they open them to see your catchy slogans and your email address and the URL of your site.

If the lines you have printed get their interest, you can get some quality leads this way. It is a good idea to make them curious.

Those who are interested will get in touch. The best leads are the ones who look you up. There’s a large difference in interested leads and trying to convince your family or friends that they have the ability to begin their own business.

Interested leads are much more worth your time than those who are just listening so they will not injured their feelings.  

Now let’s get to the funded proposal. A funded proposal is a vehicle that you use to earn money while you are building your primary MLM or network marketing business.

The way it works is through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is where you get a commission, for every person that buys, when you direct them to the site.

If it’s a service they buy, you get monthly commissions. For a product, you earn commission for each product they purchase from that source.   Since the Internet gives network marketers an unlimited source of leads, unlike a limited personal contact list, anyone who wants the ideal chance to succeed, will need certain on the internet tools and services.

These resources and services that everyone who markets online needs would be the affiliates you would promote.

All of these tools would be used for building your list of prospects and shown to them for their use also. Each prospect that uses them would earn you some money for you to use for advertising. This is the basic marketing model of all the income leaders.

One other thing, drop cards and all of the other resources needed for marketing would be integrated into your funded proposal. Not to mention, the funded proposal would be an affiliate for you too.

This is network marketing in the Technology age. It only makes sense to put these modern tools to work for you.

OK, now you’ve your funded proposal and your drop cards and I am going to give you 15 ways to use them. Just remember, these are all marketing zones and it is better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.  

1. After paying for gas at the pump, slide one in the credit card slot on the pump. And others.

2. Bookstore, inside books and magazines for personal growth, success, entrepreneurs, and MLM

3. Mall stores like Macy’s, put them in pockets of jeans, jackets, and other costly clothes on the shelves and racks

4. Anywhere that sells leather coats, in the pockets

5. Mall benches, food court, walkways

6. Escalator

7. Elevator

8. Wall-Mart - inside of Success and entrepreneur magazines

9. Restaurant bathrooms and parking lots

10. Newspaper stands - open the stand and put one in each newspaper

11. Airport - same places as in malls and on airplanes in the Sky-Mall magazines

12. Waiters - When you have a great one, use this, “We really enjoyed having you as our server and appreciate what a hard worker you’re. Could I ask you one question?” wait for answer, then “Do you keep your options open when it comes to making extra money?” Then “I do not want to go into it now but I’m going to leave something on the table for you to check out later” Then leave a GOOD tip and a drop card. That way they know you are leaving something for them.

13. Hotel - The next time you stay at a hotel, leave a $5 or more tip and a drop card and a note that states “I know your job can’t be very much fun but you are the type of person I need on my team because you’ll do what it takes to make money. If you keep your options open when it comes to making money, check this out and send me a message.”

14. Junk mail - When you sort through your mail you should keep the envelopes that state “No postage necessary when mailed in the United States.” Send only a drop card back in the envelope. The mail clerk is stuck in a mail room and might be looking to get out. You may as well put it to good use, it is for marketing.

15. Just remember, they’re called drop cards, so drop them, just do not be obvious about it. People will pick them up, and either throw them away or keep them long enough to show to a friend. You never know when someone will come in contact and decide the timing is right.    

These strategies are easily adopted into daily habits. With a little creativity, you can have lots of fun with them. People who join you through these strategies are sure to use them also. Just like leads generated on the internet, you don’t have to deal with rejections, either.

About the Author

By Dan Lambeth, If you’re not using the global billboard of the World wide web to build your business you’re falling behind. Get your own funded proposal and change that. If you want the drop cards that look like real money visit my blog and for free training, sign up for my newsletter.

Article Source: Content for Reprint

[Source : Full text world wide web-marketing articles - Content for Reprint]