Advertising Successfully

You would think that everyone in business would be able to tell you what they do and why you should be doing business with them; unfortunately the sad truth is many business executives can't. In fact one of the biggest problems in designing websites has always been getting appropriate raw material that can be turned into meaningful presentations: a handful of badly written brochures and a few out-of-date photographs are not going to make much of an impression.

And now that the Web has involved into a sophisticated communication platform, able to deliver audio and video content, the problem has become even worse; not only do websites need to deliver appropriate copy and image content, they need to present audio dialog and video performances that demonstrate how products and services improve the business or personal lives of website visitors.

As a company we are good at what we do, we can turn the mundane into the memorable but we can't do it if clients don't know or can't express their own marketing story, or are unwilling to allow their multimedia advisor to develop that story for them.

At the heart of the problem is fear, fear of making a definitive statement, declaring loud and clear what you do, and why anyone should care. It's no longer good enough to apply technical solutions to marketing problems: you are not going to engage your audience with SEO, XML, CSS, or PHP. You must have a story to tell and you can't be afraid to tell it as boldly as you can.

Do You Know Who You Are and What You Really Do?

We know who we are and what we do: we deliver our message knowing that some people are just not going to buy into what we have to say, but those that do get it, really get it, and they are our potential clients. As far as the others are concerned, well, there's lots of business for everybody, and nobody is going to get it all.

You can't be afraid to loose a customer you never had in the first place. In our case our job is clear: we deliver marketing stories using Web-video and audio in memorable Web-presentations. We are not afraid to tell clients that they need multimedia, and that an over dependence on search engine optimization or any other technical answer is a mistake - a big mistake.

Are You Doing All You Can To Attract Business?

There are many methods that can be employed to drive appropriate traffic to your site: search engine optimization is only one. Have you written and published articles and advice on what you do, have you created a blog or a MySpace page to create a community of interest, or have you issued press releases on new developments and product releases? If you're relying solely on search engine optimization as a substitute for marketing, you are not doing everything you can to attract new business.

Even if your search engine tactics are attracting large numbers of visitors to your site, what is your conversion rate, how long are people staying on your site, and do you have enough compelling content to get them to come back?
If you're in the business of selling banner and text ads on your site, if that is how you make your living, then lots of random traffic may serve your purpose; but if you are in the business of providing something useful to people, then you better pay more attention to what your visitors see once they arrive on your site. After all, all the traffic in the world is useless if those visitors don't get your message. It all starts with the message, so what's your message?

What's Your Story?

Crafting your marketing story is not as easy as it sounds, and you may have to let go of some outdated thinking in order to bring your story to life.
Web-videos are not feature films or even viral videos intended to show how clever you are. You are making a commercial: special effects may be cool but they are not a substitute for a finely crafted script delivered by a professional performer.

Websites Don't Close Sales, People Close Sales
Web-videos are designed to make a statement: "this is who we are, and this is what we do, so contact us to find out how we can change your life." Websites create leads, not sales; so don't expect your Web-video to make the sale, that's your job.

Now you know the purpose of your website presentation, it is time to figure out what you want to say. Below are a series of questions that will help you develop your marketing story.

1. How will your product or service change your customer?

All stories or marketing messages have to do with change: a cosmetic company provides change from plain to beautiful, from self-doubt to self-confidence. A vitamin supplement supplier provides change from poor health to good health, from sluggish to vitality. A self-help motivational program provides change from defeat to victory, from depression to wellbeing, and so on.

All good marketing stories highlight the change that your audience wants to make in their business or personal lives. Go deeper than the obvious look for the psychological, emotional, cognitive or spiritual change your company delivers.

All successful campaigns are about change. People who are satisfied with their work and life aren't motivated to be customers; you want to target people who are motivated, people who want to be better, stronger, smarter, prettier, healthier, and richer; people who want more out of work and more out of life.
If your audience isn't motivated to change and if your product or service can't deliver that change, then you're wasting your time and your money.

2. Is what you have to say different?

If you are saying the same thing, the same way as your competition, you're in trouble. You must differentiate yourself somehow; you must standout. Your product or service must provide something different. The world is full of 'me-too' companies, businesses that do the same thing as dozens of other businesses. You must find that unique something in what you offer that makes you different; that says you are not a follower but a leader.

If your product or service is substantially the same as your competitors, perhaps you should market it differently, or maybe you should concentrate on the 'High Concept' need it delivers, rather than the standard 'same-old-same-old' that everyone else is touting.

Which one of 'Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs' does your product or service fulfill: physical, safety, social, self-esteem, aesthetic, cognitive, or self-actualization? Chances are your competition has completely ignored the psychological and emotional marketing angle and is focusing on specifications and features that have little to do with why people really choose one product over another.

3. Do you know how to tell your story?

You must have more than a story to tell or a message to deliver; you must know how to tell it. Your marketing should create a recognizable corporate image that establishes a unique identity in the mind of your audience. If your audience sees no difference between you and the competition then you become interchangeable.

Apple didn't capture the lion's share of the MP3 market just because their product is arguable better than everyone else's, they did because iPods are more than MP3 players, they are a life-style choice, clearly delineated in commercials and advertising.

4. Can you say it boldly?

The meek may inherit the earth, but if they're in business, they'll probably go broke. If you got something to say, SAY IT, and say loud and clear. There are just too many companies, too many websites, too many advertisements, and too much everything to expect people to pay any attention to you if you are afraid to stand up and be noticed. Go boldly or don't go at all.

5. Who is your target audience?

Decide who you want to target and what motivates them; then design your website, videos, and advertising campaigns to trigger every hot button motivating message you can. Develop your message so it speaks directly to that audience.

Your message must have purpose, be focused and concise, and deliver a clear impression of identity. This means you can't be all things to all people. By focusing on a clear audience with a precise message you may even have a better chance of capturing non targeted audiences: the fact that Apple iPod commercials are aimed at a hip young audience has not stopped Apple from capturing MP3 market share across all demographic profiles.

6. Can you take the heat?

Last but not least, do you have what it takes to tell your story in a way that people will remember? Are you prepared to deliver your message in the boldest, most audacious manner you can? Are you ready to give up on none productive audiences and concentrate on those motivated to say yes to your message? Are you able to ignore the odd complaint or nasty email objecting to your cutting-edge approach? Are you ready for the Web-video revolution?

About the Author: Jerry Bader-http://www.136words.com

$500 Moooooolah Prize #2

JohnCow.com is giving away another $500 big ones with the help of Micfo, a web hosting company. Making money online is not as easy I thought it would be but the "Cowman" does a nice job of handing out info and tips to make it easier. The humor that is added to the blog is what keeps me intested the most though. What the $500 giveaway what do for me!! It would make my dream a reality.

Photography is my passion and oh how I would love a brand new Nikon SLR digital camera. I have been saving for this camera for about a year now. Total saved so far is $475. It would be more but when you are raising 3 kiddos, well,...no explanation needed. So that leaves me with needing $484-tax and all to get the camera of my dreams. With the remaining $16 bucks, I would by my husband a 30-pk. of Keystone Light! He deserves it;)

I take pictures of mostly the cowboys on the ranch but I long for more. I think I have an eye for it and would like to think that it woudn't be a complete waste of my time. Everybody wants pictures taken for events or of the family and I could do that as a hobby but with hopes of a full time position in the future;)

Schedule Posts for a Future Date in Blogger

Schedule your posts for a future date in Blogger.  Most blogspot bloggers don't know about this so I thought I would share this super handy info with you.  Blogger Buster tells you how to do this and more.  She has some really cool scrolling headlines and a super easy way to have a label cloud on your blog!  I already applied the label cloud to my A Cowboy's Wife and will be adding it here in the next few days.  Since blogger doesn't offer this feature within the Dashboard, I think this is great if you will be away or just have a few posts thought up already and need to schedule them. 

Are You Killing Yourself?

We all participate in link exchanges but how many can kill your site? A link to your site has traditionally been accepted by Search Engines as a vote for your site. A link from a topic or theme-related site to yours is better than a link from a site having a completely different topic.

BUT, things have changed. The fact is, Google doesn't approve of link-building schemes, and have recently made the leash a bit shorter.

Bad links can kill your site. Say you get involved in a link building foursome with a porn site you didn't even know you were linked to because you're too busy linking to everyone; you have just created a bad link and this will have a negative impact on your site.

Reciprocal Links are helpful but worthless at the same time. You link to a site in exchange for a link on their site. A link from you to someone else basically deducts one vote from your total vote count... meaning its value is minimal when compared to a 1-way incoming back-link!

1-way Outward Links really are one of the worst things you can do to increase your PR. Yes, it's selfish but that's how it is the big world of money hungry sharks. You gain nothing by giving out links with no return. This is why people participate in the no-follow attribute. By doing this, your basically telling the search engines that link is not a vote for your site by that site. Get it? Please know that I do not recommend being selfish. It will only come back to bite you in the butt. If you share, you gain potential readers and maybe future linkbacks.

It's imperative to build links relating to your posts and post titles. Don't link to just your sites name. That doesn't help at all.

Do some research on keywords and your posts and when your linking, be sure to connect the two. It takes time and a little bit of trial & error but if done right, your PR will shoot up.

Repair Your Credit with Ovation Law

One of the first things I noticed when visiting this site was the BBB logo at the top right. I clicked on it to check the company out and was pleased with the overall results. They had very few "problems" and all were taken care of immediately. Credit Repair is Ovation's Law main focus. Their goal is to remove questionable items from your report-charge offs, repossessions, and incorrect personal information to list a few. If you have bad credit and are striving to improve it the right way, then this may be your answer. Ovation Law provides customized credit report repair, real time customer service, and tons of free information to repair credit through a painless process. They have ebooks available for download and offer an online video center showing you how credit report repair works.

They offer a full refund policy and even dedicated a page about the FTC and Ovation Law relationship. This tells me they care about their reputation and stand behind their practice with honor and respect. They are working for you and to help get your bad credit on the right path.

This all brings me back to the BBB logo. The best way to really learn how good a company is, is to check out there BBB file, which is proudly, displayed right in front. Read it, browse the Ovation Law site, and start experiencing good credit.

What Do You Know About Loans and Credit

One thing I strive hard to do is take care of my credit. You need good credit to get just about anything these days-Cellphones, car, home telephone, and even insurance to name a few. I struggled with paying bills for many years before I finally learned what credit repair means and what it can do to improve my score and overall report.
Other important issues to be educated about are auto loans. You need to know what auto loan exactly means, what terms you are agreeing to, and how to caculate the payments for the loan you are applying for. And if you have bad credit, chances are you won't good as good of a deal as you would have if you had better credit. Educate yourself about personal loans, credit, and credit repair. Take charge of your life.

My New aStore from Amazon--A Bit of Everything

As most of you know, I blog for money not just for fun. I am part of the Amazon affiliate program and just created my own aStore. It's called A Bit of Everything. Displayed in the store are items for ranch folk, techies, kitchen freaks, and even blogger books on making money & blogging for fun. Please take a look at it and feel free to comment with your thoughts about it and perhaps what YOU might like to see in the store.

P.S. If you are looking to buy something, feel free to go through my store first;)

ON A SIDE NOTE: I received my 4th tip for $5 by a general reader. WooHoo!!Thank you Cassie, whoever you are;)

Start Your Marketing Campaign with Emails

If you are someone looking for a more professional email promotion internet marketing service, then you might want to check out emailexpressdirect.com. They basically provide you with the super easy tools to create professional messages for your email marketing campaigns. They are self-serve which means you don't have to know any html to create these emails. They also offer a full service email management. You no longer have to keep up with everything. They oversee your subscriber list, delivery, and more.

They have a subscription plan or a pay as you go plan. If you are not sure about it, you can always try their awesome free trial. Send a free email campaign to 30 contacts or less each month. Run as many free trials as you want with no risk or obligation!!!

I think if you are serious about making money online like I am, then an email marketing campaign is essential! This is definitely a great program to get started with.

My Blog is Not Most Wanted...Yet

Ryan Shamus is having a bada$$ contest called Blogging’s Most Wanted. It only takes $15 smackaroos a block for you to advertise your site and to make the deal sweeter...he'll refund $5 just for linking back to his site which means you are really only paying $10!! WAIT!...that's not all. He will be giving a random first prize of $1,000 and a second prize of $750 to the bloggers who bought a block. I bought my square early to get a GREAT spot. If you want a eye appealing spot, then hurry over and reserve yours today!
This could also be an awesome way to get your PR up and get some great links..not to mention traffic which in return can make you money. Better git goin' and be sure to link back to his post to git yer $5 bucks! I know I'll be looking for mine:)

PS3 Giveaway!

I'm not gonna lie, I've never visited darin.cc until today but having a money blog, I'm all about learning some internet marketing tips. He has some useful information on SEO which is very important for your blog to get seen. Check those out when you get a chance.

Now for the main reason I'm writing this...sorry Darin for being so selfish. You can also win a FREE PS3 in his new contest. IAWMD was kind enough to co-sponsor Darin's contest with this fabulous prize! Head on over to enter for you chance to win!

Use Your Tool

I have come across some really handy sites to check statitics, PR, and more. I thought I'd share a few with you.

Ping your site with Dosh Ping. It pings all the bigwigs so your site gets crawled faster.

Website grader checks your website out and tells you how fast, slow, whether or not you have too much html, as well as some other statistics.

You really should be using Google Analytics for several reasons. Analytics is Google's very own visitor tracking utility, allowing webmasters to keep tabs on traffic to their site, including visitor numbers, traffic sources, visitor behaviour & trends, times spent on the site and a host of other information gathered via two pieces of JavaScript embedded in the source-code. It can provide so much information that will help you improve your site overall.

Keywords are very important. Some of the better keyword research tools:
a. SEOmoz's Keyword Difficulty Tool - this tool from one of the great SEO innovators gives you a good general idea of how competitive your keyword/phrase is.
b. Trellian's Keyword Discovery Tool - user-friendly, simple, and feature-rich. One of the best keyword research tools available.
c. WordTracker Keywords - second to none, WordTracker has been a leader in keyword research for years. A great value.

The Next Internet Millionaire

"Your tribe has voted" and "You're Fired!" are from 2 famous and well liked reality shows that air today. What will be the quote for The Next Internet Millionare? What's that you ask? It's the brand new reality show to be aired on August 15th. 12 people compete for a whopping $25,000 cash prize and joint venture with Joel Comm, who is a leading Internet entrepreneur.

I can't wait to see this. I'm hoping to learn a few "tricks" of the trade so I can apply them to my money making blog!! Check out this trailer and see what all the excitement is about!
The Next Internet Millionaire

Who Do YOU Think the Best Web Host Is?

I will be getting my own website and domain soon and would really love to hear who you think the best web hosts are. Please vote in the poll and if the your choice is not here you can add it under other. You can also tell me who it is and why with a comment.

Take Action Against Spammers

I just recently noticed my entire content on another site without my permission. They are getting it through my feed. Don't ask me how because I really don't know how it all works. I will tell you this. If you come across a site that has "taken" your content, then you need to do a couple of things.
First, you need to leave a comment asking them to remove the content from their site.
Second, you need to report it. The site I found was on Blogspot, so I reported it to Blogger, as well as, Google.
Third, you can put a warning in your feed footer. Something like "if you are not reading this at ______, then you are reading stolen content." I would also include an email so they can inform you of any thieves they come across.

I came across an informative article on this just a few minutes ago. Check out "How to Complain and Report Spam Blogger Blogs" over at Quick Online Tips.

Darren, over at Problogger was kind enough to reply to my email about this situation. He was already aware of the situation because his content is on this site as well. Thank you Darren for the lightning fast reply to my email.

DoshTalk Forum

I love to browse forums these days. You can learn some valuable information, as well as, meet some great new friends. One that is new but quickly becoming one of my favorites is DoshTalk. I really like the layout. It's more eye appealing than your average forum and is very user friendly. One of my favorite things about it, which I just learned this evening, is that there is only section where you are allowed to post your affiliate links and such. The rest of the forum is off limits to this kind of marketing. I think this is great. It means, there is a better chance of getting REAL infomation instead of someone trying to "sell" something. I recommend you check it out when you get a chance. I have found it informative and enjoyable.

eDisclosures....Documents Delivered Electronically

What is one of the things you hate about getting a loan? Paperwork.
eDisclosures solves this problem by eliminating the paperwork and submitting your disclosures through an electronic process. This will save you time and money. Just about everything can be done electronically so why not give this a shot. This would eliminate a lot of hassle. We do our taxes online and have those delivered digitally so why not give eDisclosures a try for your loans, mortagages, and settlements.

WTF Does C Stand for Anyways?

After days and days of trying to figure out what the f does C stand 4 over at Cman's Money Page, I have finally decided to give an answer. I wanted to pick one that no one else has picked so here it goes----COWBOY.

You can enter his contest too by guessing what the C in Cman stands for. If you guess it right, you could be the winner of $100 smackaroos! If there are no correct guesses there will still be a nifty prize for one lucky loser;)


I encourage you, not only, to enter his contest but also to browse through his articles. He writes some valuable content on how to make money online and wants to help you have a profitable and productive blogging venture.

Be Credit Card Savvy

Being debt free means having no credit cards and paying everything in cash. Chances are you have at least 1 credit card that carries a balance. Most of us have several unnecessary cards that are eating extra money from our pockets. The goal is to manage your debts accordingly.
After my parents filed for bankruptcy several years ago, I knew I didn't want that to happen to me so I looked into credit counseling to learn more about credit card debt and how to use them. I learned which cards would be best for me and which ones you NEVER need to apply for. Another interesting note is that if your credit is pretty good, you can actually call your credit card company and request a lower APR. High interest is what bites us in the butt.

CareOneCredit.com offers an array of topics but one of them I found interesting was "The Dirty Dozen Credit Card Traps". It basically talks about the fine print on credit card terms and conditions. Did you know that if you have a balance over so much, and you are late on a payment, that the fee is higher than it would be if the balance were lower? There are many things you can do to protect yourself from these fees. If you need advice when applying for a credit card, I highly suggest you visit CareOneCredit.com. Make yourself aware and be responsible with your credit cards.

Under Construction

I WILL BE REDOING THE SITE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. PLEASE BARE WITH ME.

The WizTrade Blog....Keeping Customers Informed

If the stock market is of interest to you, then you should check out The Wizetrade Blog. This blog is a way to communicate with the current or potential customers of WizeTrade. It is a relatively new blog about the stock market and securities. They provide tips for new traders and offer stock market analysis on any stock symbol. This is really a great idea. People can exchange comments with what's going on in the stock market world, perhaps offer their own experience, ask questions, or learn some things to make their stock trading experience a good one. You'll find informative articles and, some, with videos or pictures to give you a visualization of what is being conveyed. If you are already familiar with WizeTrade but haven't seen the blog, then head on over and check it out. If you are new to stock trading and want to learn more or perhaps get their leading software, then you too should check it out.



This is a sponsored post.

Disclosure Policy

I will be providing reviews from time to time. I am enclosing the Disclosure Policy because of this.

Disclosure Policy
This policy is valid from 7 August 2007

Disclosure Policy - B Money Savvy's Reviews are sponsored posts.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Get Your Boat into Shape at DougRussel.com

We recently were given a boat that is around 20 plus years old and was in need of some boat parts. Aside from needing a complete physical makeover, it also needed some kind of pack that makes it run, a battery, and a transmission. It's really hard to find these parts around here in west Texas so I had to go online. That's when I came across DougRussel.com. You can buy from their website or even their ebay auctions. They have thousands of parts, trailers, and you can even buy a boat from them if you want!! If you're boat is sitting out there like ours was, then you need to head on over and get your boat parts ordered so you can enjoy the rest of the summer or perhaps some fall fishing.

Blogspot to Website for FREE

I have been contemplating on getting my own website. Blogspot is fine for "A Cowboy's Wife" but for my B Money Savvy, it's not.(Which is need of a HUGE overhaul!)

One of the main issues that has kept me from switching is, of course, the cost. I was lucky enough to come across a featured article about How to Make Your Own Website for Free. Yep, you heard it right...for FREE! Obviously, a free website may have certain limitations that a paid website might not have but it would be a great start. Not to mention, a website has more respect than blogspot.

Jay over at Online Opportunity explains in a 4-part series how to get started and even provides images for us morons;) I think, after reading the article, I'm ready for this change and feel confident that I can set it up myself. I really want my "money" blog to succeed and having a website will be an enormous improvement.

If you have any advice, tips, or just want to put your 2 cents in...then please feel free to leave a comment.

Don't Slave Away...Win Jay

Wouldn't it be nice to have a slave for just a few hours? OH YEAH! I'm all over that!

You can enter Jay's Win Me as a Slave Contest just by participating in a few unpainful tasks. Including but not limited to, blogging about his contest/blog on your site, "Fame" him and his website, favorite Online Opportunity with Technorati, and whatever else the hec you can think of.

If I could have Jay as my slave for a few hours, I would crack the whip and make him

clean my house. BUT, since that ain't gonna happen, I guess I would settle for a Wordpress setup with my own domain with my own host for my new website:) Whew...was that even a real sentence? YOU can choose what you would like Jay to do for you which is awesome...not to mention original!

Jay is good, Jay is wise
Check out his website, for some great advice!

By the way Jay...consider yourself dugg, stumbled, reddited?, delicious, and submitted to contest blogger.com!