Monday, January 31, 2011

Spend Your Marketing Budget With Bloggers & New Media

Spend Your Marketing Budget With Bloggers & New Media  





What is your monthly marketing budget?
  • A: $0
  • B: $10
  • C: $500
  • D: $1,000
  • E: $10,000
  • F: $100,000
  • G: Unlimited (muhahahahaha).
  • H: What is a budget?
  • I: I was told there would be no math.
The good news about marketing today (not yesterday) is that you can do a lot more with less. And the neat thing about that is if you do have a budget for marketing, you don’t have to spend it on the same old crap.
Crap, of course, meaning….
  • blinky banner ads of death.
  • random newspaper ads.
  • billboards for “awareness”.
  • confined 30-second spots.
Without going into too much of a rant of why these suck in many cases, here is a quick overview:
  • Trust: Do we trust billboards and blinky things? Do we trust heavily produced commercials?
  • Targeting: Are you using a chainsaw or a scalpel to find people interested in you? In many cases, traditional ads are said chainsaw. You are swinging it around wildly trying to find the right people based on traditional demographics (i.e. 25-35 year old men). These demographics are based less around an interest or passion and more around numbers.
  • Engagement: Are the audiences you are getting in front of passive viewers or enthusiasts? I know, for example, when I pass a billboard (online or offline), I’m not engaged with it. I’m focused on the road or the website.
  • Spreadability: Do you share banner ads with people? Do you clip newspaper ads out to share with friends?
  • Expense: Want to run an ad in many national magazines? That will be $100,000 for one month. Thanks! Local paper? Might be $1,000 for a square the size of an ant. Is it worth it?
  • Attitude & Boring: “This is the way it has always been done.” “If I try something new and fail I will be fired/company will die/evil elves will bite me in my sleep.” “Marketing should be really boring…”
Does this mean that advertising is “bad”? Does it mean people that have a marketing budget and are spending it are evil dinosaurs? Not at all. What I would argue, however, is there is a better way to spend your money.
I know I’d rather spend my money with passionate bloggers and new media sources. People who actually care…a lot. People that will stretch your budget more than anyone else and offer all kinds of new ideas. People with audiences that are engaged and come there by choice and have a personal connection with the creator (one-on-one relationships).


It might be an online show (ahem, RISE, cough, cough…and MANY others).
It might be an online magazine.
It might be a really cool blog.
It might be a podcast.
It might be a mix.
It might be something else we haven’t even thought of yet.



Would you rather get in front of 100,000 people that may or may not care about what you have to say and aren’t that engaged, or 1,000 that are uber-passionate about the subject and know, like, and trust the blogger?


For example, let’s pretend you are the chief marketing executive with a travel clothing company and have a budget you are looking to spend. What are your options? The old school approach would be to hunt down the big mass media sources in the industry. Perhaps National Geographic or Travel + Leisure in print. Maybe it is the The Travel Channel on TV. You call them up and talk to a distant ad executive who talks about tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to try something out and you will be in the midst of about a zillion ads. And what are you going to get? A static ad or a :30 spot.


Or you could try a smarter, faster, cheaper approach and research a smattering of passionate content creators in the travel niche online with a REAL connection to their community. Perhaps you stumble upon Gary Arndt from Everything-Everywhere who has one of the coolest travel blogs around (and is an upcoming guest on RISE). You actually talk to Gary on a one-on-one level and realize there are all kinds of things you can do with him, for a fraction of the cost and minus the confinement of a static ad. Maybe Gary will plug you in his podcasts from around the world. Or do a really unique giveaway. Or some kind of other creative form of marketing that lives, breathes, and spreads.


My recommendation to MWM (Marketers With Money)? Try something new. Try something creative. Find the people that care more than anyone. It is time to innovate.
What is your take?


Sunday, January 30, 2011

'Scareware' Operators to Pay $8.2 Million to FTC, In Settlement

screenshot of winfixer

'Scareware' Operators to Pay $8.2 Million to FTC, In Settlement 

The father-son team behind a massive 'scareware' scam will have to pay $8.2 million to the Federal Trade Commission, in order to settle a complaint filed by the government agency. However, it doesn't really matter since the duo actually made about $40 million in sales.

Marc D'Souza and his father Maurice were allegedly at the center of the scam, which tricked Internet users into buying fake security software to combat computer infections that didn't really exist. The operators reportedly sold more than a million copies of their false software, which they marketed under names like Winfixer, Drive Cleaner and Antivirus XP. As PC World reports, the FTC will use the settlement money to reimburse consumers who purchased the software, which typically cost $39.95 or more. 

According to documents (PDF) filed in a Maryland U.S. District Court, Marc D'Souza operated one business involved in the scareware scheme and held an officer position at another. His father wasn't explicitly involved in the execution of the scam, but profited from it, nonetheless. The operators allegedly spread their advertisements by posing as legitimate companies, and striking deals with advertising networks and websites. Instead of promoting the companies, however, the advertisements hawked the fake software, thanks to a hidden programming code embedded within the ads. 

After the FTC filed a complaint against the D'Souzas, the court immediately ordered them to halt operations in 2008. In addition to paying the FTC, the settlement bans Marc D'Souza from being involved in the development or sale of any software that affects consumers' PCs, and prohibits him from registering domain names with false information.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Comcast kills the NBC Iconic Peacock Logo... Good or Bad Decision?


nbc-universal-new-logo.jpg
Above is the new, Comcast-approved logo for NBC Universal, which you may notice is missing a little something.


Visual interest, for one -- but more important to the long-standing identity of NBC, the network's peacock logo is being banished from the corporate letterhead when Comcast takes over next week. The new bosses unveiled the plain wordmark against a bluish-purple background at a town hall meeting with NBCU employees on Thursday (Jan. 27).

For good measure, the representation of Universal's spinning planet in the old NBCU logo (which is below) is gone too.

nbc-universal-old-logo.jpg"It seemed kind of busy," incoming NBCU CEO Steve Burke said at the meeting in New York, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The peacock will still be featured on-air on NBC and news channels CNBC and MSNBC, and presumably Universal Pictures movies will still feature the word "Universal" unfurling across the globe. 

But the corporate identity indicated by the new logo seems calculated to be as bland as possible. It's accompanied by a new company slogan, "Let's make history. Again" -- which says about as little as "Characters welcome" and "Watch what happens," so at least it's consistent with what already exists at NBCU.

Soon-to-be NBC Entertainment president Bob Greenblatt is reportedly interested in making more provocative shows at the network. We hope the creative environment there comes up with something edgier than the new logo.

Friday, January 28, 2011

World Series of Poker Dates Announced for 2011



World Series of Poker Dates Announced for 2011



If 2011 will finally be the year for you to travel to the mecca of live poker tournaments, you can officially mark your calendars: the 2011 edition of the World Series of Poker will be taking place a Harrah’s Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, starting on May 31st.
The World Series of Poker in 2011 will continue for 50 days, at which point the WSOP Main Event final table will be set. As with last year’s WSOP, the 9 finalists will wait until November before returning to the casino to finish the final hours of play.
As of right now, the Main Event is the only WSOP tournament that has been officially scheduled. It will run from July 7th until July 19th, when the final 9 will be decided. Due to the extreme popularity of the WSOP Main Event, Harrah’s will once again divide the initial player pool into four separate flights. Dates for preliminary events are set to be announced during January.
In order to quicken the pace of this year’s tournament, WSOP officials have announced that every tournament will end once 10 levels of play have been completed.
In other pro poker news, Annie Duke recently announced her engagement via Twitter. Duke, who is arguably one of the best female poker players in the world, is set to marry Joe Reitman.
Reitman, who is most notable for his appearances in movies such as Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and American Pie 2, has earned some poker prestige of his own. He has entered the World Series of Poker twice, and he cashed $266,000 in 2006 when he placed first in a UB $1,000,000 Guarantee tournament.
Reitman is also known as the previous husband of another famous poker player, Shannon Elizabeth. A wedding date is still pending at this time.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

ONLY A FEW MARKETERS ARE THE REAL THING






ONLY A FEW MARKETERS ARE THE

 REAL THING

Well let's see... First everyone got into Real Estate/Mortgage and when the industry took a dive many are calling themselves "Marketers". The truth is, that there is only a hand full of people that are actually qualified to even talk about Marketing and Advertising. So you need to be weary of those just throwing names and terms around.


I’m sick of internet marketing gurus, period. Every day someone sends me a link to some guru’s post about internet marketing, asks me about their product and or their new special product that is guaranteed to make you a millionaire overnight. What really bothers me is that some mainstream companies have embraced these gurus, having them speak at mainstream interactive advertising conventions and giving them a platform to sell their junk and pitch their schemes. Yes, there are a few guys out there who actually are business men with successful businesses. However, the majority of Gurus are just plain scams.

Yes, you got that right, I think that most of the gurus and their marketing seminars, their special techniques are just scams. They are pitching to the lowest common denominator, often people who are desperate to make money because they are already down and out.  How do you know who is a Guru? Look how they pitch themselves, and their products:

1)    Almost none of them have ever had a successful business. Yes, again, there are a few guys out there who are the exception. However, the vast majority of them will claim they are extremely successful internet marketers, but outside of their blog and get-rich-pitch crap, they have never build or run any business whatsoever. I looked at one keynote speaker at a major convention, and his own website claimed he had been writing for over 15 years about “marketing and how to make money” and had helped “hundreds of businesses” make money. However, his resume for the last 15 years was just that, with no actual experience in the industry. He listed a bunch of websites that he made all of them ranked less than 300,000 in alexa.

2)    If they really had the secret, they would be building a marketing business around that secret. New product and techniques can be patented and real products can be made. Everyone who reads the newspaper knows that almost any innovative and real marketing product that actually works will result in a highly profitable business that can help hundreds of advertisers. Business plans that actually work in the internet can make companies millions of dollars a month and be sold for often hundreds of millions. Thousands of advertisers would be flocking to this “proven” technique.

3)    They always have “limited amounts available” or “just a few products left.”  It’s the internet, most of the information can be duplicated in a second and for those products that are print or DVD, one can order copies within a 24 hours of any product. The idea that there is limited space, or limited products are crap. It’s a scummy sales technique and in many cases in violation of FTC regulations and federal law.

4)    You can’t find anything about them except their get rich product. None of these guys have a real past. Most of them have extravagant stories about how they’ve made millions on selling shit on the internet, but besides their actual blog, no one has ever done business with them. Almost none of these stories are true, but instead part of a scheme to get poor people without money to identify with them. No one wants to hear about the Harvard Kid with the multi-millionaire parents investing into a product he created after college, which he then sold for $250 million. They want to hear about some schmuck who found a secret to success, made billions from it and now wants to share with you. Really?

Why does this really upset me? Because many of these guys work under the guise of “online marketing” or “affiliate marketing” but they are just the same type of folks who used to stand on the street selling a cure for every disease. They have as much to do with our industry as Hot Wheels has to do with the Indy500. Good riddance.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Reach vs. Frequency



Reach vs. Frequency
Is it more effective to touch 100 potential customers
once or 25 potential customers four times?






Reach and frequency are terms generally used when planning advertising campaigns. However, the concept of reach and frequency applies to any promotional activity you undertake: direct mail, direct selling, and even networking.

Reach is the number of people you touch with your marketing message or the number of people that are exposed to your message. Frequency is the number of times you touch each person with your message. In a world of unlimited resources you would obviously maximize both reach and frequency. However, since most of us live in the world of limited resources we must often make decisions to sacrifice reach for frequency or vice versa.


For example, an air conditioning repair service who has decided to do a direct mail piece has to decide whether to mail the entire Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex once or to mail a quarter of the Metroplex four times. An attorney who receives many of her clients through networking may have to decide whether to attend one weekly networking meeting or four different monthly meetings.
When faced with decisions of reach vs. frequency remember this rule of thumb:


Reach without Frequency = Wasted Money

Marketing is the process of building a business relationship with potential customers. Have you ever established a lifelong friendship with someone you had contact with only once? Probably not. Generally friendships (and all relationships for that matter) grow as a result of frequent contact over time. Even when the potential to form a great friendship is there at the first encounter, it is unlikely it will grow without nurturing.


Seth Godin in his book Permission Marketing uses an analogy of seeds and water to demonstrate the importance of assuring adequate frequency in your promotional campaigns. If you were given 100 seeds with enough water to water each seed once would you plant all 100 seeds and water each one once or would you be more successful if you planted 25 seeds and used all of the water on those 25 seeds?


While intuitively and even conceptually we understand the importance of frequency to successful promotional and sales campaigns, somehow when it comes to actually implementing the campaign, we opt to sacrifice frequency for reach. And then we complain about the ineffectiveness of our promotional efforts. Undoubtedly one of the biggest wastes of marketing dollars is promotional activities that are implemented without adequate frequency.


When faced with the decision of mailing one direct mail piece to 10,000 people or mailing to 2,500 people four times think about the fate of those 100 seeds you can water only once. Unless you have water rights and can obtain additional water, opt for less reach and more frequency.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Don't Get Cheap With Your Web Site Design


Don't Get Cheap With Your Web Site Design 


One thing I know is that IM NOT CHEAP. I just invested a lot to develop my Ancient Rome theme site on www.WhillyBermudez.com so when you are looking for a new corporate web site, you should consider a professional web site design company (you can consider us). If your web site looks bad, your company's image will look bad. No one wants to work with a company that does not invest in their brand and their corporate image online is a large indicator as to the type of company you're dealing with. A professional web design company will be able to tie in your corporate branding with an effective marketing message to create a great web site.

Most web designers are unaware about how to maintain the branding of corporate websites and how to create an effective marketing message that can be translated to leads and sales. Smart management of a corporate will take some time to educate themselves on what they are trying to achieve online before meeting with a designer. The content and marketing messages for the web site should all be discussed in the first meeting with the designer. This meeting will establish essential components for your business and set guidelines for the designer to follow. How can you create an effective corporate web design that converts traffic to sales? Some tips include; the website should use professional language. The site should not be informal, as though talking to a friend or a child. Also, the site should be easy to 
download. Talk to the web designer about the website's download rate. Factors such as a visitors internet connection speed should be taken into account when designing a site so it can optimized for quick downloads.

Many corporate website include flash images, music, even pop-ups, and in some cases it looks great. However, it should be avoided as much as possible. Since Apple products such as iPad and iTouch do not support flash, they could alienate visitors to the site. If you integrate large images or flash, some visitors may find it difficult view the images or not be able to see them at all which will adversely affect their experience. Meet with your management staff to determine the most important areas of your business and what you would like to promote online. Offer a site map. Ease of use it vital to a web site design because it allows people to find the information they are looking for quickly. This is an excellent website navigation tool.

By adding the tips above to the goals of your website, you can have an awarding winning website that is professional, simple and good looking. An effect corporate website will not only meet the corporation's needs, but also the clients'. Simplicity of a corporate site does not denote lack of creativity and professionalism. Instead, a website poorly planned with bad coding, lazy graphics and compatibility issues will cause clients and visitor to become dissatisfied with your business. A corporate website is a direct reflection of a corporation.

Remember, it is the simple, attractive corporate web design that will make a good impression on your corporation.


Monday, January 24, 2011

Know Your Worth: Pricing Strategies


Know Your Worth: Pricing Strategies


Setting an appropriate price for your product or service is both one of the hardest and most important aspects of running a business.  Most entrepreneurs don’t have any idea what they should be charging.  As strange as it may sound, they are probably more likely to undercharge for their services.  Apparently, they are either passive negotiators or don’t know how much they are really worth.
There are a number of pricing strategies that I learned in my MBA program, but I found them too archaic to be useful.  Instead, I think the following feedback will serve most entrepreneurs better.
Price is something you need to address from the very beginning.  There are a few reasons why selling too low will end up costing you in the long run:
  • Obviously, you can make less in sales (although not always, as you may sell in larger volume)
  • You operate on a minimal profit margin and incremental expense increases can ruin you
  • You establish yourself as inferior company with an inferior product
Throughout the recession, many companies have tried to compete by cutting their prices.  As their competitors responded, they cut them further.  Their profit strategy turned into a survival strategy, which eventually turned into their Chapter 7 bankruptcy application.
Following competitors’ movements is one of the biggest ways to lose your own identity.  If you are charging more than your competitors, you can simply convince your customers that you are worth more.  Isn’t that what you want to be doing anyways?  Convincing your customers that you have a better product but are selling it for less is likely to give them mixed messages.
Pricing strategies should never be based on competitors.  They are supposed to be based on your customers and what they are willing to pay.  Granted, your competitors fit into the equation, but only because they influence your customers.  You simply need to put in a little more effort to influence them as well.
You also need to think about how you engage and negotiate with your clients.  This involves how you structure your sales program and negotiate with your clients.  If all sales go through a form on your website and your customers are not purchasing anything, the problem may not your price.  You may need to change your sales process so that your customers can engage with you and you can justify your prices.  If necessary, you can leave room for negotiation in case the price really doesn’t work.
One of the biggest mistakes I have made is letting customers drag me into the “I’m thinking of a number game.”  They ask me to propose a quote and I have often wondered what they were thinking of.  I didn’t realize that I was undercharging myself until one client said that she usually paid a little less than what I suggested.  This was not a problem, because the price she proposed was still fair.
Then I started thinking about all of the clients who never complained.  They probably had a number in their head for the very beginning and were waiting for me to bid lower.  It was a win-win for them.  If I bid too high, they could simply assert their terms.  On the other hand, if I bid too low my modesty was a few more dollars in their bank account.
After this epiphany, I asked them up front what they were willing to pay.  If I thought a price was unfair, I would state my mind and what I felt my services were worth.  I would not be offended if they didn’t agree.  Rather, I would politely decline and say I hoped there were no hard feelings.  Negotiating is really a game of poker.  You need to be careful when you show your hand.
Choosing the wrong pricing strategy can ruin your business.  It pays to be one of the few entrepreneurs who can get it right.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

GOOGLE TO COMPETE WITH GROUPON

GOOGLE TO COMPETE WITH GROUPON



Google is preparing to launch Google Offers, the search giant's Groupon competitor, Whilly has learned.

We have the documents to prove it -- one of our sources has sent us a confidential fact sheet straight from the Googleplex about the company's new group buying service.

"Google Offers is a new product to help potential customers and clientele find great deals in their area through a daily email," the fact sheet says.

Google Offers looks and operates much like Groupon or LivingSocial. Users receive an e-mail with a local deal-of-the-day. They then have the opportunity to buy that deal within a specific time limit (we assume 24 hours). Once enough people have made the purchase, the Google Offer is triggered and users get that all-too-familiar $10 for $20 deal for that Indian restaurant you've never tried.

From what we can tell, Google Offers will be powered by Google Checkout. It also includes Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, Google Buzz and e-mail sharing options.

Google is actively reaching out to businesses now to get them on board with Offers. It even apparently has a writing team in place to craft the write-up for offers.

Google famously tried to buy Groupon for $6 billion just a few months ago in order to bolster its local advertising business. Groupon rejected the offer though and is instead preparing for a $15 billion IPO.

The search giant clearly isn't giving this market up without a fight, though. With its vast reach, huge resources and brand recognition, it could prove to be a powerful player in the space.

We're going to be watching these developments closely. Look here
to see the entire fact sheet Google is sending to local businesses:

Google has responded to our inquiry and sent us the following statement:
"Google is communicating with small businesses to enlist their support and participation in a test of a pre-paid offers/vouchers program. This initiative is part of an ongoing effort at Google to make new products, such as the recent Offer Ads beta, that connect businesses with customers in new ways. We do not have more details to share at this time, but will keep you posted."

Google essentially confirms Google Offers is real. It looks like Google Offers is in the testing phases, though.

We've also learned that Google will pay out 80% of a business' revenue share three days after its deal runs. Google will hold the remaining 20% for 60 days to cover refunds before sending the rest.

Friday, January 21, 2011

RESTAURANT MARKETING



RESTAURANT MARKETING


Marketing is defined as a communications-based process where individuals and people discover that their existing or new needs and wants can be satisfied with products and services of others; in your case, your restaurant.

The question is - do you need a marketing plan for your restaurant or are you waiting for guests to come in?

If you are full every shift, maybe not. Unless you want to achieve greater profits, however a marketing plan means thinking in advance. Don't wait until the revenue goes down to do it. Do it before and fill your seats.

In order to get the marketing plan for your restaurant right, you need to have a good understanding of your potential customers and be clear on why they make decisions to buy from you and not from
someone else. 

Obtain a good analysis of what and where your guests are coming from and how often customers are visiting your restaurant.

When writing a restaurant marketing plan, you have to consider the seven Ps of marketing - plus one of mine.

Product.
Price.
Place.
Promotions.
People.
Process.
Physical evidence.
Positive.

Let's focus on the last four for a moment.

To have a good competitive advantage, you need to focus on people, therefore get the right staff and training to deliver what people expert from your 
business. Aptitude and service knowledge needs to be equal to what your customers are outlaying.

The process is the system you have to implement and follow. Consistency is essential in order to get it right and supply what you are offering. Every step in the process is important - from the few words spoken to a guest when they call to make a booking, to the conversation during a guest's departure.

Physical evidence is a critical ingredient of the restaurant service mix; your guests make perceptions based on their view of the restaurant. Make sure you keep your restaurant clean, friendly, fun, organized and an enjoyable place to be.

People are attracted by positive statements and positive organizations. Do everything in your power to keep your 
business and everyone who works for you POSITIVE. If you have great power and energy, eventually this will pass on to your guests.

The strategy

A restaurant should spend at least somewhere between 6% and 8% of the total sales in marketing, but the idea is to do marketing when you are busy. Don't wait until you are quiet. Remember, for a restaurant it is more, much more difficult and more expensive to do external marketing.

What you want to do is to invest in your current guests, and build loyalty and relationships. However, most restaurants spend 85-90% of their budget trying to get new customers.

What we are going to look at now is how to do that effectively by using simple tactics.

Signage:
You want to have branded signage that is the best on your street, considering relevant laws.

Flyers:
Don't be scared to distribute flyers if you are opening, reopening, or launching a new dinner menu. It is the most powerful mode of direct marketing and if done right can result in a fantastic return on investment.

Newsletters:

Before creating a newsletter, list on your website reasons for visitors to register, by giving out a receipt or a free drink if they book online. Once you have your mailing list, do a newsletter every week, informing guests of your news, menus and once in a while offer something to them as a thank you for being on the list.

The internet has become one of the most powerful marketing tools for restaurants. So, make sure your restaurant is up to speed.


Food testing:
Have your positive staff members offer samples in places where your potential customers congregate.

One to one:
Go around town, or in front of 
your business dressed in a themed costume (for example, if you sell pasta, dress up as such) and hand out your flyers. I know businesses that have used that tactic in bad times who are now extremely successful.

Themed Dinners:

On slow nights offer diners a reason to come to the restaurant. For example, on Mondays offer wine at cost price, lunchtime specials or a specific set menu that is cheaper during slow times. Remember, give your guests reasons to come in.

Prize Draw:
Have fishbowls for collecting 
business cards and offer chances to win prizes, for example, dinner for two.

Website:

Make sure your website is interesting and well presented, but most importantly, make sure your 
information is CORRECT. I see many restaurant websites that feature old menus or outdated information. Many people before they buy something make a decision to check the internet for information and reviews. This includes restaurants. More than 50% of adults aged between 18 and 44 have used the internet to gain information before going to a new restaurant.

Comments Card:
Ensure that if you decide to have one, it is professionally presented and offer a prize for completing one, for example a bottle of wine. Obtain the guest's information, for example, e-mail or phone number to increase your customer database.

Loyalty Program:
You may want to create a loyalty card for regulars by giving 20% off the bill, or offering a free bottle of wine with every fifth dinner.

Happy hour:
Make people stop for a drink after work by offering a two for one drinks or free starters.

Live Entertainment:
Select a specific night to do live music. Be specific about what you are playing, could be jazz, or another genre of music.

Some restaurant operators have on the back of their personal 
business card the message, "please come and have a drink on me." This is a very powerful strategy!

Remember that you must offer great customer service and warmth to your visiting customers. Make them have fun and have an exceptional experience, so that they tell their family and friends about their positive experience.


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

HOW TO REACH 500,000 PEOPLE WITH $200 OR LESS

HOW TO REACH 500,000 PEOPLE WITH $200 OR LESS




So I did win my 1st Marketing Award of 2011 for creating the 'Most Cost Effective Co Op Advertising Service’ for Small Businesses'. Routinely, international marketing/advertising think tank groups- are commissioned to solicit who they perceive to be the best in the business. I was honored to be invited, and participate in such a conference here in Chicago where I and 8 other Marketing Practitioners were posed with a Challenge.

The Challenge:  Create a service or method where those in business can advertise themselves for a nominal amount of money, yet reach large amounts of potential consumers.

Rule # 1- The service could not cost the advertiser more than $200

Rule # 2- The service must allow for the Advertisers to reach at least 200,000 potential consumers in a single action

Rule # 3- The service must be relatively unique but still follow traditional models and channels. It must also be Co-Op.



Initial Thought Process
So I started to brain storm and first thought about a type of service involving Email Marketing that I had toyed with in 2009, but didn’t have enough time to take it further. Taking all 3 rules into account, I thought about some of the clients that I have had as well as the ones who for some reason or another did not become an actual client (usually not having money to execute the plans).

My first thought was that the only way to achieve Rule’s # 1 & 2 would be by engaging in “Co op Advertising” (multiple advertisers sharing collectively in the costs involved). This would definitely have to involve Email Marketing because it is the most cost effective method to get your message out to the masses.

So there it was. I knew I had met all 3 Rules and was ready to “dress up & polish” this service. I then made my presentation. After a few Thumbs up and a few Kudos, I had won the challenge.



The Service
The service took the same name I had come up with in 2009. It is called: “The Weekly Broadcast”.  It is simple, appealing, and descriptive.

The Weekly Broadcast will be a weekly email broadcast available in all city / states where up to 10 advertisers (that DO NOT compete with each other) can all be featured in the same Email Broadcast.

The Distribution will be 500,000 (half a million) or more General Bulk Email Recipients within the specified city / state.

The Cost’s are only $100 per advertiser. However, this is assuming that they already have their own graphic design advertisement that meets the Weekly Broadcast’s Ad requirements. If an advertiser needs my firm to produce and design an Ad – that’s a mere $100 more. For an exuberant, shocking, and earth shattering grand total of $200 to reach more people that you ever could using most other methods.

*Added Value: Oh & since were currently building traffic for several of our blogs, we will also place the same Ad on our blog sites including this one, LoveWarBlog.com, and others.


When will The Weekly Broadcast be available?
The service will first be available in Miami and Chicago. We will begin taking names of those businesses that are interested and we will operate on a first come first serve basis. As previously stated, each broadcast will only feature non competing advertisers from different trade industries.

For example, One Weekly Broadcast email will feature:
-1 Attorney
-1 Realtor
-1 Restaurant
-1 Auto Dealer
-1 Professional Services Firm
-1 Night club
-1 Hair Salon
-1 Insurance Agent
-1 Dentist
-1 Medical Practice
(Other business types as well)


How can I Sign Up?

Currently we will be developing the website (www.TheWeeklyBroadcast.com). But you can get on the list by sending an email: WB@WhillyBermudez.com  | or dropping us a line 1.800.823.1240

This will be the Logo:


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

SOCIAL MEDIA IS IMPORTANT


SOCIAL MEDIA IS IMPORTANT 


Political Campaigns & Fortune 500 Companies can no longer deny the
Power of Social Media.


We work with our clients to develop social media strategies relevant to their business.  We typically focus on strategies for building an audience relevant to the brand then develop strategies to guide the conversation of the audience to best benefit the brand.  There is no single solution across all brands.  A brand must consider who their audience is and what they are likely to respond to.  It is important that a brand not get so invested in a specific strategy but rather be prepared to change strategy based on the audience and consumer.


Social media platforms like Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, YouTube and even blogging are not a passing fad. They’re part of a sea change in the way businesses and people communicate.

Companies use social media to spread news, build brands, and keep clients and prospects informed about industry news, changes at the company, or other important updates. They not only get a company in front of prospects and clients. Social media builds brands.

Whilly Bermudez creates and leads powerful social media campaigns that will intelligently rocket your traffic, promote your brand and grow leads and sales with maximize ROI to give you a feeling of power and importance in the marketplace.

We offer account page creation as well as traffic campaigns that generate thousands of likes, fans, and followers. We can either manage your account or increase your fan base.






PAGE  CREATION
WE WILL CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT / PAGE IN ANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM FOR $150 USD.

PAGE  MAINTENANCE
WE WILL MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT/S AND POST STATUS UPDATES AND TWEETS DAILY. WE WILL LAUNCH OUR CAMPAIGNS TO CONSTANLY INCREASE YOUR BASE OF FRIENDS, FANS, AND FOLLOWERS. THIS ALSO INCLUDES BASIC PROFILE MANAGEMENT.

OUR MAINTENANCE PACKAGES ARE A BASED ON A 90 DAY, 6 MONTH, and 12 MONTH AGREEMENT:

*90 DAY MAINTENANCE   $1,500 USD
*6 MONTHS OF MAINTENANCE    $2,490 USD
*12 MONTHS OF MAINTENANCE    $4,200 USD

BULK SERVICES
IF YOU JUST WANT TO TAKE YOUR BRAND TO THE NEXT LEVEL BY ADDING 10,000 FANS / FOLLOWERS OR PERHAPS YOU’RE READY FOR 100,000 NEW POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS TO GET AQUAINTED WITH YOUR BRAND THROUGH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM:

ADD 5,000 FANS / FOLLOWERS     Contact us for pricing
ADD 10,000 FANS / FOLLOWERS    Contact us for pricing
ADD 20,000 FANS / FOLLOWERS    Contact us for pricing
ADD 50,000 FANS / FOLLOWERS    Contact us for pricing
ADD 100,000 FANS / FOLLOWERS   Contact us for pricing

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