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    African American Inventors Revisited
    Lewis Latimer. Ever heard of him? Well, he was the draftsman that worked with Alexander Graham Bell in drawing up the patent for the telephone - the one that beat a competitor by hours in filing for a patent. without his dedication and work into the night - the recognized inventor of the telephone may have been someone else. And - oh yes - Latimer was African American.Also - Latimer made the light bulb better. While Thomas Edison had worked for years to get the light bulb to work - his bulb would only burn for a matter of hours. Latimer was the one who came up with and patented a process to make a carbon filament - which burned longer and made the product commercially feasible. Latimer became a consultant to many cities - including London - on the installation of electric lights.Latimer did work for Edison - and Edison encouraged him to write the book Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System. The book was extremely popular - because it explained the process of electricity to a somewhat ignorant public. A grand example of African American invention.Then there was the African American invention that revolutionized shoe manufacturing. In the late 1800’s, shoes were mainly manufactured by hand. The customer’s feet were duplicated in a stone or wooden form called a “last.” the leather was formed around the last - and then the sole was attached to the upper by skilled craftsmen. Shoe lasters had great power in the shoe industry - and could shut down operations to gain what they wanted - putting whole factories out of work.Jan Ernst Matzeliger happened to work for one of the shoe companies and did not like being out of work. He developed an automatic lasting machine that turned out 150-700 pairs of shoes a day - compared to 50 from a master laster. This African American invention has been considered “the greatest forward step in the shoe industry” and "the most important invention for New England." Unfortunately, while the lasting machine brought much profit to the industry, Matzeliger did not share in the wealth. He had spent too many hours developing his machine without proper nutrition. A cold led to tuberculosis - and he died at age 37.Black women are part of African American invention. Dr. Patricia Bath’s passionate dedication to the treatment and prevention of blindness led her to develop
    serious about promoting your business in this way, pick sports events and teams that tend to get some media and fan recognition. Like many things, this will take some research but often a sport supply store can be a good resource for information. Remember what I said about branding and building TRUST? This is a great way to gain consistent recognition and sustained visibility in the community and to build trust through familiarity.

    Sandwich-board signs
    These have been around for decades. They are unconstructive, inexpensive and they work. If your business can make use of sandwich-board signs to promote your website, use it. I have yet to see a sandwich board that promotes a website. If you are in a high-vehicle traffic area, this is particularly good. If you really want to make an impact use the sandwich-board idea and turn it into a walking-sandwich-board. Just make sure of two things. Number one, make sure your sign is readable, uncluttered and to the point and, number two, make sure you are within the legal bounds of signage for your area. There are regulations on signage in most areas and contravening these could result fines.

    Semi-trailer billboards
    The first time I saw this I thought, what an innovative idea. The promotion idea is this – you get a large semi-trailer truck, place large ads on either side of its box, then drive it around in areas where your potential clients, live, work or play. In order to make this promotion work, it will be necessary to have a message on your semi-trailer ad that tells the viewer to "go to your website" in order for them to take part in the promotion. Because we see semi-trucks on a daily basis with advertising on the side, what you do with this one must be unique and grab people's attention. The whole purpose of this promotional idea is to send people to your website.

    Website decals
    Decals are another medium that have been around in various forms for many years. You can use them in a variety of places but they work best when attached to glass surfaces. One place for decals is in the windows of your company vehicle. (Ensure sure they do not interfere with the driving safety of the vehicle.) Decals are relatively inexpensive and can be used on a variety of window applications like your building, on company vehicles or as giveaways to customers. These can be ordered from most sign shops.

    Develop a "free service"
    This won't work for everyone but if you have the ability to offer a free service on your web site (like a foreign-dollar exchange facility or free e-mail accounts for people) this will help boost your viral marketing. One site I visited had an "estimator" for determining the amount of air your furnace used and what kind of a filter was best to use in it. Another one had an "estimator" for determining the amount of kitchen cabinet space you had. Any of these types of services will m

    The Myth of the General Resume
    Many professionals believe that their resumes are ignored because they are “missing” critical skills that an employer is seeking, and therefore they should pack every detail into the document. This kind of thinking leads job seekers to use a "general resume" because they don't want to limit themselves to only one job type.While wanting an employer to see all your qualifications is completely understandable, this type of resume is often unsuccessful. Why? Hiring managers are inundated with resumes, calls from job seekers, and new hiring requirements. They simply do not have time to read between the lines and figure out which job you are qualified for.How can you avoid this pitfall? Change a few key items to alter the impact of your resume and increase your success in winning interviews:Summarize your qualifications. It is a well-known fact that a resume objective statement is seen as self-serving. This is because it typically describes what you are seeking, rather than what you are offering. Using a professional summary instead can help to outline your fitness for the job.For example, an objective statement such as “Seeking opportunity to develop, administer, and maintain project environments” will not have the same impact as a profile that uses “Consummate Web Developer with outstanding reputation for quality, cutting-edge software solutions to enhance business performance” on a hiring manager who needs to fill a software engineering spot.Sharpen your focus. Employers expect to see interest in their companies, their job openings, and their needs. And who can blame them? Every phrase, keyword, and qualification in your resume, especially in your profile summary, should be tuned to fit the position at hand.Consider carefully removing references to skills not needed in your desired position, while adding emphasis on those required for success in the same field. Look up keywords for the target position in resume books or do an Internet search.Inject power into your wording. Watered-down descriptions of your skills do little to help a hiring manager see the value you bring to the company. Since your purpose is to stand out, not blend in, think carefully about words you choose to convey your talent. Avoid overused phrases such as “self-motivated team player” by increasin
    Magazines
    One of the main features of magazine advertising is that ads in this medium can often be read over and over, because magazines are often kept for long periods of time. Another benefit of magazine advertising is that it can be targeted to your specific client demographics because there is literally a magazine (or several) for almost every person's taste. Like the other forms of mass media, this is another occasion when talking to a salesperson may be of some advantage. The main thing you need for any magazine publishing is to know their reader demographics, and geographics are, and their volume of circulation. If these fit your client profile and is within your budget, they can be a powerful advertising medium for you.

    Promotional giveaways
    Have you ever received a coffee cup or a pen with a business's name printed on it? Of course you have. Have you ever received a pen or a coffee cup with a website printed on it? Promotional items – coffee cups, T-shirts, key rings, pens, fridge magnets and hundreds of other items that are available – can be great promotional ideas. When you select an item, think about what your customer demographics are and what would be appealing or novel to them. One important thing to keep in mind with these giveaway items – you need to have a way to give them away. This will dictate a couple of things – the volume and value of what you produce. It may be that you have few clients so something like golf shirts or tote bags may be what you want to give away, but if you are in a high-traffic area, something like pens or pencils may be more appropriate. Remember, giveaway items need to be given away so know in advance how you are going to accomplish this.

    Circulars, flyers and door-to-door
    Don't we all hate junk mail? Of course we do so why do we keep seeing it? Because it works. There are dozens of companies in most cities that can assist you in this. You need to know what your market is and how you want to distribute to them. If you deal with businesses or with the home market, you will need to know how to target these areas and there are companies that can help you with both. In many cases you can even partner up with other companies or suppliers for joint mail drops. The best thing here is to use your creativity to get the best bang for your buck.

    Buses, taxis, airlines, public washrooms
    I have never actually seen a commercial ad on the side of an airplane, but I have seen thousands of ads in airports. The idea of using transportation venues and vehicles for advertising has been around for a long time. Depending on what your ad looks like, you can attract attention. Think about how you would do this, ask a question, and give the answer on a website, run a contest where they need to enter online or give something away. To drive people to your website so think about all the novel ways you can. Join specialty, business "Sales Leads" clubs, business clubs and associations If you are a shy person, this is definitely where you want to spend some time. Why not grow your personality and business contacts while you grow your business? If you have never attended any of these kinds of functions, I think you will be amazed to see the type of people who attend these.

    Few are outgoing, most are normal every-day, shy people just like you who are interested in advancing their business by mixing with other business people. There are many ways that you can benefit from attending these functions, and most are inexpensive to join, and most will welcome visitors. Check out a few to see which one you like best. If one doesn't suit you after a time, don't be afraid to move on to another.

    Sell stuff on eBay and other auction houses
    I love this idea. eBay is an auction website where people buy and sell items online. In recent years it has become increasingly popular with many businesses (even large organizations) who use eBay as a facility to sell clear-out product they no longer want or need. If you decide to to use eBay as a place to sell your products and get a greater exposure for your website, be prepared to accept a lower selling price for your products. This does not mean you will receive a lower price than a retail price, but it can happen. If you currently do not buy or sell anything on eBay, it will take some time for you to set up and understand the buying and selling process and their rules.

    Depending on what you sell or provide, this can be a great way to promote your website. A slightly lower price for products sold on eBay can more than make up for the exposure it can provide.

    Company vehicles
    Every day company vehicles are seen that are owned by companies who have websites, but they have neglected to advertise their website on their vehicles. When such an easy form of displaying a web address to hundreds or even thousands of potential customers is not utilized, it is difficult to understand. The cost of having a sign painter add your web address to a company vehicle is minimal when you consider the number of people who will see this day after day and week after week.

    Include your Web Address on EVERYTHING you send out
    Every piece of paper that leaves your business should have your web address printed on it somewhere. This includes business cards, invoices, brochures, envelopes, letterheads, quotation sheets and even notepads. From time to time I receive business cards where a web address has not been printed on them. When asked why they don't have their web address on them, invariably the response is, "Oh, we simply forgot." The answer to this is THROW THEM OUT – for the small cost of getting them printed properly, this is a good investment. Would you ever consider handing out a business card where you "forgot to add your phone number"? Of course not. Your web address is JUST as important. There is one further comment on business cards. There are some decent quality business card forms that can be purchased that allow anyone to print off their own business cards. All that is necessary to remark on this matter is that no matter how good these cards appear, they are always recognizable as "self printed business cards." Is this the image you want to portray? For the minimal cost of printing business cards, you may want to consider a professional job. Business cards say a lot about a person and a business, and are especially important for first impressions.

    Include your Web Address in your signature line of e-mails
    Just like the web address printed on the sides of company vehicles, it is astounding how often business e-mail is sent without a signature line. This is free and very simple to do. If you don't know how to do this, ask someone. It only takes a couple of minutes but looks very professional. Trade Shows & Conventions The key with trade shows is that you have to make them work for you. If you get the opportunity at the last moment to acquire a booth at a trade show, turn it down unless you are experienced and know what needs to take place. Trade shows normally take weeks and months to plan. If you are offered a course on how to use trade shows effectively, take it. You will discover a world of ideas that will make the next time you enter a trade show something worthwhile. If you are involved with a trade show and you can’t take a course, here are some suggestions that can make or trade show adventure more rewarding.

    If you want to attract people to your booth you MUST demonstrate something. This could be the demonstration of a product you sell, or how the product you sell interfaces with something else. If all else fails, demonstrate it on video or computer but live is best. People at trade shows are attracted by motion and commotion (remember the “live” demos that caught your attention at previously attended trade shows). You don’t have to have a “slick snake oil salesman approach”, but demonstrating something (or even anything) at your booth at a trade show will boost the number of people who visit your booth (and hopefully boost your sales too).

    The second thing to remember about trade shows is you MUST have something to either give away, or a way of collecting peoples names (like a contest) so that you can contact them later. After all, isn’t part of the reason you have the trade show space to help promote your business and website? I suggest giving away something like pens, key fobs, mugs or something like that WITH YOUR WEBSITE ADDRESS on them. Unless you have some fantastic product of service, standing in a trade show booth handing out brochures can be little more than a waste of time and money. Trade shows and conventions can be great places to do business and to promote your website but they do take planning.

    Contribute Content
    Everyone has some sort of knowledge on a topic. Why not share your knowledge with the rest of us; write some articles for newspapers, magazines or other credible sources. There are thousands of magazines, newspapers and other periodicals printed every day, every week or every month. These publishing firms are always looking for content for their readers. This doesn't mean they will take just anything. They want to convey a sense of quality to their readers, too, so if you are submitting articles they will need to be of top-notch quality. It is a good idea to enquire as to what the publication's guidelines are before you submit anything. Most are quite willing to entertain questions on content and what their readers are expecting. Think of these more as a way of educating the audience than that of self-promotion. If you think this way, the self-promotion will follow. Make sure to include your Web address in your signature for everything you contribute.

    Send out CDs or DVDs
    These medias are becoming more and more popular (a great thing to hand out at trade show and conventions). CDs and DVD can contain a lot of information in the form of text, graphics animation, video and sound. With this media-rich facility you have an enormous amount of creativity you can tap into. Imagine for example putting together a CD for “Investor Relations”. You could use video clips of your company or production lines, text to show financials and all of this can be displayed within an animated presentation interface with full sound. What investor wouldn’t be impressed with this kind of attention to detail.

    There are a few advantages to sending out CDs. First of all, because they are a "delivered media" there is a higher likelihood they will be viewed; and secondly the content you can create on a CD is much richer than you can deliver over the Internet with its speed constraints. CDs are similar to television in that they can display both audio and visual messages and, unlike TV, they can be repeated over and over and even passed along to others. Here at E-State Media Group we produce multi-media CD and DVDs for our clients, so I am biased toward them. I think the real message that needs to be conveyed here is that if you are considering producing CDs or DVDs you need to use the rest of this manual as a guideline to understanding your audience and how you will use and distribute them.

    It is easy to go out and produce CDs – it is quite another matter to distribute them to an appropriate audience. Sponsor a sports team and do some community work at the same time What a great way to get your website recognized in your community. Like some of the other forms of promotion, this form of promotion has two benefits: one is to you and your business; the other is to the sports team and community. If you are really serious about promoting your business in this way, pick sports events and teams that tend to get some media and fan recognition. Like many things, this will take some research but often a sport supply store can be a good resource for information. Remember what I said about branding and building TRUST? This is a great way to gain consistent recognition and sustained visibility in the community and to build trust through familiarity.

    Sandwich-board signs
    These have been around for decades. They are unconstructive, inexpensive and they work. If your business can make use of sandwich-board signs to promote your website, use it. I have yet to see a sandwich board that promotes a website. If you are in a high-vehicle traffic area, this is particularly good. If you really want to make an impact use the sandwich-board idea and turn it into a walking-sandwich-board. Just make sure of two things. Number one, make sure your sign is readable, uncluttered and to the point and, number two, make sure you are within the legal bounds of signage for your area. There are regulations on signage in most areas and contravening these could result fines.

    Semi-trailer billboards
    The first time I saw this I thought, what an innovative idea. The promotion idea is this – you get a large semi-trailer truck, place large ads on either side of its box, then drive it around in areas where your potential clients, live, work or play. In order to make this promotion work, it will be necessary to have a message on your semi-trailer ad that tells the viewer to "go to your website" in order for them to take part in the promotion. Because we see semi-trucks on a daily basis with advertising on the side, what you do with this one must be unique and grab people's attention. The whole purpose of this promotional idea is to send people to your website.

    Website decals
    Decals are another medium that have been around in various forms for many years. You can use them in a variety of places but they work best when attached to glass surfaces. One place for decals is in the windows of your company vehicle. (Ensure sure they do not interfere with the driving safety of the vehicle.) Decals are relatively inexpensive and can be used on a variety of window applications like your building, on company vehicles or as giveaways to customers. These can be ordered from most sign shops.

    Develop a "free service"
    This won't work for everyone but if you have the ability to offer a free service on your web site (like a foreign-dollar exchange facility or free e-mail accounts for people) this will help boost your viral marketing. One site I visited had an "estimator" for determining the amount of air your furnace used and what kind of a filter was best to use in it. Another one had an "estimator" for determining the amount of kitchen cabinet space you had. Any of these types of services will ma

    Yellow Page Advertising Gone Bad
    Many people believe that yellow page advertising is the best possible advertising for a new business, but let me tell you I have heard some horror stories in my past. In fact let me tell you about one story, which is pretty much unforgivable. I was told by a Yellow Page Advertising Representative that the book closed in two days and if I did not get my Ad in now I could forget it until next year. I found out later that this was a lie, and the representatives in the area told that to everyone. Actually the book did not close for two months.This was not an off brand yellow page advertisement book; this was the actual phone company Yellow Pages. The lady who was selling the advertisement scribbled a bunch of stuff on a piece of paper and took my order. Then she had me sign it and I said but I can read it how are you going to make sure you got it right, she said not to worry that she would write it up when she got back.It turns out later that they put me in the wrong category. You see I was in the pressure washing business and we specialize in cleaning concrete for large property management companies, big box stores, restaurants chains and government agencies. Instead my Ad appeared under Driveway Cleaning. The representative, said there was nothing I could do because I had signed a piece of paper approving it.Needless to say, since it was the phone company they added the bill to my phone bill and when I refuse to pay because of their mistake, they sent it to collections and attempted to turn off my business phone. From that day on I have warned every small business-person I have ever met in my entire life not to advertise in the Yellow Pages, do not trust them. The yellow page advertisements do not work anyway is a waste of money. Consider this in 2006.
    alty, business "Sales Leads" clubs, business clubs and associations If you are a shy person, this is definitely where you want to spend some time. Why not grow your personality and business contacts while you grow your business? If you have never attended any of these kinds of functions, I think you will be amazed to see the type of people who attend these.

    Few are outgoing, most are normal every-day, shy people just like you who are interested in advancing their business by mixing with other business people. There are many ways that you can benefit from attending these functions, and most are inexpensive to join, and most will welcome visitors. Check out a few to see which one you like best. If one doesn't suit you after a time, don't be afraid to move on to another.

    Sell stuff on eBay and other auction houses
    I love this idea. eBay is an auction website where people buy and sell items online. In recent years it has become increasingly popular with many businesses (even large organizations) who use eBay as a facility to sell clear-out product they no longer want or need. If you decide to to use eBay as a place to sell your products and get a greater exposure for your website, be prepared to accept a lower selling price for your products. This does not mean you will receive a lower price than a retail price, but it can happen. If you currently do not buy or sell anything on eBay, it will take some time for you to set up and understand the buying and selling process and their rules.

    Depending on what you sell or provide, this can be a great way to promote your website. A slightly lower price for products sold on eBay can more than make up for the exposure it can provide.

    Company vehicles
    Every day company vehicles are seen that are owned by companies who have websites, but they have neglected to advertise their website on their vehicles. When such an easy form of displaying a web address to hundreds or even thousands of potential customers is not utilized, it is difficult to understand. The cost of having a sign painter add your web address to a company vehicle is minimal when you consider the number of people who will see this day after day and week after week.

    Include your Web Address on EVERYTHING you send out
    Every piece of paper that leaves your business should have your web address printed on it somewhere. This includes business cards, invoices, brochures, envelopes, letterheads, quotation sheets and even notepads. From time to time I receive business cards where a web address has not been printed on them. When asked why they don't have their web address on them, invariably the response is, "Oh, we simply forgot." The answer to this is THROW THEM OUT – for the small cost of getting them printed properly, this is a good investment. Would you ever consider handing out a business card where you "forgot to add your phone number"? Of course not. Your web address is JUST as important. There is one further comment on business cards. There are some decent quality business card forms that can be purchased that allow anyone to print off their own business cards. All that is necessary to remark on this matter is that no matter how good these cards appear, they are always recognizable as "self printed business cards." Is this the image you want to portray? For the minimal cost of printing business cards, you may want to consider a professional job. Business cards say a lot about a person and a business, and are especially important for first impressions.

    Include your Web Address in your signature line of e-mails
    Just like the web address printed on the sides of company vehicles, it is astounding how often business e-mail is sent without a signature line. This is free and very simple to do. If you don't know how to do this, ask someone. It only takes a couple of minutes but looks very professional. Trade Shows & Conventions The key with trade shows is that you have to make them work for you. If you get the opportunity at the last moment to acquire a booth at a trade show, turn it down unless you are experienced and know what needs to take place. Trade shows normally take weeks and months to plan. If you are offered a course on how to use trade shows effectively, take it. You will discover a world of ideas that will make the next time you enter a trade show something worthwhile. If you are involved with a trade show and you can’t take a course, here are some suggestions that can make or trade show adventure more rewarding.

    If you want to attract people to your booth you MUST demonstrate something. This could be the demonstration of a product you sell, or how the product you sell interfaces with something else. If all else fails, demonstrate it on video or computer but live is best. People at trade shows are attracted by motion and commotion (remember the “live” demos that caught your attention at previously attended trade shows). You don’t have to have a “slick snake oil salesman approach”, but demonstrating something (or even anything) at your booth at a trade show will boost the number of people who visit your booth (and hopefully boost your sales too).

    The second thing to remember about trade shows is you MUST have something to either give away, or a way of collecting peoples names (like a contest) so that you can contact them later. After all, isn’t part of the reason you have the trade show space to help promote your business and website? I suggest giving away something like pens, key fobs, mugs or something like that WITH YOUR WEBSITE ADDRESS on them. Unless you have some fantastic product of service, standing in a trade show booth handing out brochures can be little more than a waste of time and money. Trade shows and conventions can be great places to do business and to promote your website but they do take planning.

    Contribute Content
    Everyone has some sort of knowledge on a topic. Why not share your knowledge with the rest of us; write some articles for newspapers, magazines or other credible sources. There are thousands of magazines, newspapers and other periodicals printed every day, every week or every month. These publishing firms are always looking for content for their readers. This doesn't mean they will take just anything. They want to convey a sense of quality to their readers, too, so if you are submitting articles they will need to be of top-notch quality. It is a good idea to enquire as to what the publication's guidelines are before you submit anything. Most are quite willing to entertain questions on content and what their readers are expecting. Think of these more as a way of educating the audience than that of self-promotion. If you think this way, the self-promotion will follow. Make sure to include your Web address in your signature for everything you contribute.

    Send out CDs or DVDs
    These medias are becoming more and more popular (a great thing to hand out at trade show and conventions). CDs and DVD can contain a lot of information in the form of text, graphics animation, video and sound. With this media-rich facility you have an enormous amount of creativity you can tap into. Imagine for example putting together a CD for “Investor Relations”. You could use video clips of your company or production lines, text to show financials and all of this can be displayed within an animated presentation interface with full sound. What investor wouldn’t be impressed with this kind of attention to detail.

    There are a few advantages to sending out CDs. First of all, because they are a "delivered media" there is a higher likelihood they will be viewed; and secondly the content you can create on a CD is much richer than you can deliver over the Internet with its speed constraints. CDs are similar to television in that they can display both audio and visual messages and, unlike TV, they can be repeated over and over and even passed along to others. Here at E-State Media Group we produce multi-media CD and DVDs for our clients, so I am biased toward them. I think the real message that needs to be conveyed here is that if you are considering producing CDs or DVDs you need to use the rest of this manual as a guideline to understanding your audience and how you will use and distribute them.

    It is easy to go out and produce CDs – it is quite another matter to distribute them to an appropriate audience. Sponsor a sports team and do some community work at the same time What a great way to get your website recognized in your community. Like some of the other forms of promotion, this form of promotion has two benefits: one is to you and your business; the other is to the sports team and community. If you are really serious about promoting your business in this way, pick sports events and teams that tend to get some media and fan recognition. Like many things, this will take some research but often a sport supply store can be a good resource for information. Remember what I said about branding and building TRUST? This is a great way to gain consistent recognition and sustained visibility in the community and to build trust through familiarity.

    Sandwich-board signs
    These have been around for decades. They are unconstructive, inexpensive and they work. If your business can make use of sandwich-board signs to promote your website, use it. I have yet to see a sandwich board that promotes a website. If you are in a high-vehicle traffic area, this is particularly good. If you really want to make an impact use the sandwich-board idea and turn it into a walking-sandwich-board. Just make sure of two things. Number one, make sure your sign is readable, uncluttered and to the point and, number two, make sure you are within the legal bounds of signage for your area. There are regulations on signage in most areas and contravening these could result fines.

    Semi-trailer billboards
    The first time I saw this I thought, what an innovative idea. The promotion idea is this – you get a large semi-trailer truck, place large ads on either side of its box, then drive it around in areas where your potential clients, live, work or play. In order to make this promotion work, it will be necessary to have a message on your semi-trailer ad that tells the viewer to "go to your website" in order for them to take part in the promotion. Because we see semi-trucks on a daily basis with advertising on the side, what you do with this one must be unique and grab people's attention. The whole purpose of this promotional idea is to send people to your website.

    Website decals
    Decals are another medium that have been around in various forms for many years. You can use them in a variety of places but they work best when attached to glass surfaces. One place for decals is in the windows of your company vehicle. (Ensure sure they do not interfere with the driving safety of the vehicle.) Decals are relatively inexpensive and can be used on a variety of window applications like your building, on company vehicles or as giveaways to customers. These can be ordered from most sign shops.

    Develop a "free service"
    This won't work for everyone but if you have the ability to offer a free service on your web site (like a foreign-dollar exchange facility or free e-mail accounts for people) this will help boost your viral marketing. One site I visited had an "estimator" for determining the amount of air your furnace used and what kind of a filter was best to use in it. Another one had an "estimator" for determining the amount of kitchen cabinet space you had. Any of these types of services will m

    San Francisco Office Space
    The Bay Area in San Francisco is the central point of San Francisco's skyline and its business district. It is an outstanding sight with a unique architectural style that symbolizes the ultimate location, tenant coziness, great services as well as excellent materials and finishes. The Bay Area has many signature buildings in the landscape that offer great appeal for office space.In San Francisco, the trend of the future is the innovation of shared office space. Offering a new approach to office space leasing in San Francisco, shared office space is interesting because clients only have to pay for the time they use the office. Executives that work at home, people that travel a lot and directors that have just started a business can find office space rentals more suited to their needs. Shared space is very useful when you have to meet with clients or if you simply look for a quiet place to work for a few hours.For someone who needs a part time office paying a year round lease simply makes no sense, thus shared space offer the best solution. Depending on the client's needs, a shared workplace can be equipped with a phone, voice mail, fax, conference facilities, computers connected to the internet, copying machines and other office hardware. This means both a personalized and suitable solution for any business executive looking to save money without compromising anything else.Shared office space could offer the convenience of a location near to the center of the Financial District, near where your clients may be situated, more affordably than a full-time rental. One of the most important reasons why individuals rent office space is saving money that can actually be used to expand their business. This innovative workplace idea has been put into place almost anywhere in San Francisco from Chinatown to the Financial District.Many executive shared office situations offer complete services and facilities including an appropriately staffed office, part time telephone personnel, administrative and secretarial services, high speed internet access, consulting, fully equipped conference rooms, parking space and much more.Also available are virtual offices, which are designed for those who require admission to office space and business services for a short time only. Virtual office service provides some of the best facilities, assistance and advantages for your
    Of course not. Your web address is JUST as important. There is one further comment on business cards. There are some decent quality business card forms that can be purchased that allow anyone to print off their own business cards. All that is necessary to remark on this matter is that no matter how good these cards appear, they are always recognizable as "self printed business cards." Is this the image you want to portray? For the minimal cost of printing business cards, you may want to consider a professional job. Business cards say a lot about a person and a business, and are especially important for first impressions.

    Include your Web Address in your signature line of e-mails
    Just like the web address printed on the sides of company vehicles, it is astounding how often business e-mail is sent without a signature line. This is free and very simple to do. If you don't know how to do this, ask someone. It only takes a couple of minutes but looks very professional. Trade Shows & Conventions The key with trade shows is that you have to make them work for you. If you get the opportunity at the last moment to acquire a booth at a trade show, turn it down unless you are experienced and know what needs to take place. Trade shows normally take weeks and months to plan. If you are offered a course on how to use trade shows effectively, take it. You will discover a world of ideas that will make the next time you enter a trade show something worthwhile. If you are involved with a trade show and you can’t take a course, here are some suggestions that can make or trade show adventure more rewarding.

    If you want to attract people to your booth you MUST demonstrate something. This could be the demonstration of a product you sell, or how the product you sell interfaces with something else. If all else fails, demonstrate it on video or computer but live is best. People at trade shows are attracted by motion and commotion (remember the “live” demos that caught your attention at previously attended trade shows). You don’t have to have a “slick snake oil salesman approach”, but demonstrating something (or even anything) at your booth at a trade show will boost the number of people who visit your booth (and hopefully boost your sales too).

    The second thing to remember about trade shows is you MUST have something to either give away, or a way of collecting peoples names (like a contest) so that you can contact them later. After all, isn’t part of the reason you have the trade show space to help promote your business and website? I suggest giving away something like pens, key fobs, mugs or something like that WITH YOUR WEBSITE ADDRESS on them. Unless you have some fantastic product of service, standing in a trade show booth handing out brochures can be little more than a waste of time and money. Trade shows and conventions can be great places to do business and to promote your website but they do take planning.

    Contribute Content
    Everyone has some sort of knowledge on a topic. Why not share your knowledge with the rest of us; write some articles for newspapers, magazines or other credible sources. There are thousands of magazines, newspapers and other periodicals printed every day, every week or every month. These publishing firms are always looking for content for their readers. This doesn't mean they will take just anything. They want to convey a sense of quality to their readers, too, so if you are submitting articles they will need to be of top-notch quality. It is a good idea to enquire as to what the publication's guidelines are before you submit anything. Most are quite willing to entertain questions on content and what their readers are expecting. Think of these more as a way of educating the audience than that of self-promotion. If you think this way, the self-promotion will follow. Make sure to include your Web address in your signature for everything you contribute.

    Send out CDs or DVDs
    These medias are becoming more and more popular (a great thing to hand out at trade show and conventions). CDs and DVD can contain a lot of information in the form of text, graphics animation, video and sound. With this media-rich facility you have an enormous amount of creativity you can tap into. Imagine for example putting together a CD for “Investor Relations”. You could use video clips of your company or production lines, text to show financials and all of this can be displayed within an animated presentation interface with full sound. What investor wouldn’t be impressed with this kind of attention to detail.

    There are a few advantages to sending out CDs. First of all, because they are a "delivered media" there is a higher likelihood they will be viewed; and secondly the content you can create on a CD is much richer than you can deliver over the Internet with its speed constraints. CDs are similar to television in that they can display both audio and visual messages and, unlike TV, they can be repeated over and over and even passed along to others. Here at E-State Media Group we produce multi-media CD and DVDs for our clients, so I am biased toward them. I think the real message that needs to be conveyed here is that if you are considering producing CDs or DVDs you need to use the rest of this manual as a guideline to understanding your audience and how you will use and distribute them.

    It is easy to go out and produce CDs – it is quite another matter to distribute them to an appropriate audience. Sponsor a sports team and do some community work at the same time What a great way to get your website recognized in your community. Like some of the other forms of promotion, this form of promotion has two benefits: one is to you and your business; the other is to the sports team and community. If you are really serious about promoting your business in this way, pick sports events and teams that tend to get some media and fan recognition. Like many things, this will take some research but often a sport supply store can be a good resource for information. Remember what I said about branding and building TRUST? This is a great way to gain consistent recognition and sustained visibility in the community and to build trust through familiarity.

    Sandwich-board signs
    These have been around for decades. They are unconstructive, inexpensive and they work. If your business can make use of sandwich-board signs to promote your website, use it. I have yet to see a sandwich board that promotes a website. If you are in a high-vehicle traffic area, this is particularly good. If you really want to make an impact use the sandwich-board idea and turn it into a walking-sandwich-board. Just make sure of two things. Number one, make sure your sign is readable, uncluttered and to the point and, number two, make sure you are within the legal bounds of signage for your area. There are regulations on signage in most areas and contravening these could result fines.

    Semi-trailer billboards
    The first time I saw this I thought, what an innovative idea. The promotion idea is this – you get a large semi-trailer truck, place large ads on either side of its box, then drive it around in areas where your potential clients, live, work or play. In order to make this promotion work, it will be necessary to have a message on your semi-trailer ad that tells the viewer to "go to your website" in order for them to take part in the promotion. Because we see semi-trucks on a daily basis with advertising on the side, what you do with this one must be unique and grab people's attention. The whole purpose of this promotional idea is to send people to your website.

    Website decals
    Decals are another medium that have been around in various forms for many years. You can use them in a variety of places but they work best when attached to glass surfaces. One place for decals is in the windows of your company vehicle. (Ensure sure they do not interfere with the driving safety of the vehicle.) Decals are relatively inexpensive and can be used on a variety of window applications like your building, on company vehicles or as giveaways to customers. These can be ordered from most sign shops.

    Develop a "free service"
    This won't work for everyone but if you have the ability to offer a free service on your web site (like a foreign-dollar exchange facility or free e-mail accounts for people) this will help boost your viral marketing. One site I visited had an "estimator" for determining the amount of air your furnace used and what kind of a filter was best to use in it. Another one had an "estimator" for determining the amount of kitchen cabinet space you had. Any of these types of services will m

    How to Make an Fixer-Upper's Kitchen Working and Spanking Cool
    Kitchens are one of the busiest parts of the house. Many things go on in the kitchen and this is why it’s often the dirtiest, most abused and most in need of repair in the whole house. If you’re planning on investing in an fixer-upper, be sure that one of your top priorities will be renovating the kitchen.How Do You Plan on Marketing the House?Before you touch even one object or take one brick out of the kitchen, consider first how you plan on marketing the house. Consider the house’s size. Consider the neighborhood. Is it more suited to become a family home, an apartment or a bachelor’s pad? The answer to this question will enable you to learn as well what type of kitchen would be best to use or create.A bachelor’s pad, for instance, would only need a simple but functional kitchen – if the kitchen area is too big, you should consider making the area smaller if your budget allows.A family home, however, would need lots and lots of space in the kitchen because this is one of the communal spots of the house and where everybody gathers for some quality family time.How Much Are You Willing and Able to Spend?Keep in mind that those questions are completely different but you have to reach a compromise between the answers to both questions. It’s more difficult to save money when redesigning or renovating a kitchen than a bedroom. There are more accessories available to make a bedroom or even a living room more beautiful for a relatively small amount. Kitchen accessories, however, are comparatively limited and only few of them are priced cheaply.Consider Giving the Kitchen a FaceliftTake a critical full structural survey of the kitchen. Take snapshots of every corner of the room. Try appraising it with an unbiased eye. Is it in need of major repairs or is it only in need of a makeover and a fresh new appearance? If it’s the latter then maybe all it needs is a simple facelift. A facelift involves making superficial changes, nothing major or anything that would require you to spend loads of money. Facelifts include but aren't limited to removing old wallpaper, re-applying varnish to kitchen cabinets, laminating countertops and changing faucets.Are There Any Time Constraints?If, for any reason, you are subject to time constraints, you need to consider this while making remodeling plans for the kitchen. How long do you think
    our website but they do take planning.

    Contribute Content
    Everyone has some sort of knowledge on a topic. Why not share your knowledge with the rest of us; write some articles for newspapers, magazines or other credible sources. There are thousands of magazines, newspapers and other periodicals printed every day, every week or every month. These publishing firms are always looking for content for their readers. This doesn't mean they will take just anything. They want to convey a sense of quality to their readers, too, so if you are submitting articles they will need to be of top-notch quality. It is a good idea to enquire as to what the publication's guidelines are before you submit anything. Most are quite willing to entertain questions on content and what their readers are expecting. Think of these more as a way of educating the audience than that of self-promotion. If you think this way, the self-promotion will follow. Make sure to include your Web address in your signature for everything you contribute.

    Send out CDs or DVDs
    These medias are becoming more and more popular (a great thing to hand out at trade show and conventions). CDs and DVD can contain a lot of information in the form of text, graphics animation, video and sound. With this media-rich facility you have an enormous amount of creativity you can tap into. Imagine for example putting together a CD for “Investor Relations”. You could use video clips of your company or production lines, text to show financials and all of this can be displayed within an animated presentation interface with full sound. What investor wouldn’t be impressed with this kind of attention to detail.

    There are a few advantages to sending out CDs. First of all, because they are a "delivered media" there is a higher likelihood they will be viewed; and secondly the content you can create on a CD is much richer than you can deliver over the Internet with its speed constraints. CDs are similar to television in that they can display both audio and visual messages and, unlike TV, they can be repeated over and over and even passed along to others. Here at E-State Media Group we produce multi-media CD and DVDs for our clients, so I am biased toward them. I think the real message that needs to be conveyed here is that if you are considering producing CDs or DVDs you need to use the rest of this manual as a guideline to understanding your audience and how you will use and distribute them.

    It is easy to go out and produce CDs – it is quite another matter to distribute them to an appropriate audience. Sponsor a sports team and do some community work at the same time What a great way to get your website recognized in your community. Like some of the other forms of promotion, this form of promotion has two benefits: one is to you and your business; the other is to the sports team and community. If you are really serious about promoting your business in this way, pick sports events and teams that tend to get some media and fan recognition. Like many things, this will take some research but often a sport supply store can be a good resource for information. Remember what I said about branding and building TRUST? This is a great way to gain consistent recognition and sustained visibility in the community and to build trust through familiarity.

    Sandwich-board signs
    These have been around for decades. They are unconstructive, inexpensive and they work. If your business can make use of sandwich-board signs to promote your website, use it. I have yet to see a sandwich board that promotes a website. If you are in a high-vehicle traffic area, this is particularly good. If you really want to make an impact use the sandwich-board idea and turn it into a walking-sandwich-board. Just make sure of two things. Number one, make sure your sign is readable, uncluttered and to the point and, number two, make sure you are within the legal bounds of signage for your area. There are regulations on signage in most areas and contravening these could result fines.

    Semi-trailer billboards
    The first time I saw this I thought, what an innovative idea. The promotion idea is this – you get a large semi-trailer truck, place large ads on either side of its box, then drive it around in areas where your potential clients, live, work or play. In order to make this promotion work, it will be necessary to have a message on your semi-trailer ad that tells the viewer to "go to your website" in order for them to take part in the promotion. Because we see semi-trucks on a daily basis with advertising on the side, what you do with this one must be unique and grab people's attention. The whole purpose of this promotional idea is to send people to your website.

    Website decals
    Decals are another medium that have been around in various forms for many years. You can use them in a variety of places but they work best when attached to glass surfaces. One place for decals is in the windows of your company vehicle. (Ensure sure they do not interfere with the driving safety of the vehicle.) Decals are relatively inexpensive and can be used on a variety of window applications like your building, on company vehicles or as giveaways to customers. These can be ordered from most sign shops.

    Develop a "free service"
    This won't work for everyone but if you have the ability to offer a free service on your web site (like a foreign-dollar exchange facility or free e-mail accounts for people) this will help boost your viral marketing. One site I visited had an "estimator" for determining the amount of air your furnace used and what kind of a filter was best to use in it. Another one had an "estimator" for determining the amount of kitchen cabinet space you had. Any of these types of services will m

    Business Success Strategies - Lies That Trap Us
    As a recovering workaholic/perfectionist, not to mention having delusions of superhero syndrome, I'm quite familiar with the lies we tell ourselves.You know these lies. They're the ones that keep us stuck and away from our dreams. We might not be where we want to be in our business or our lives, but change is hard. It's uncomfortable. Worse, change forces us to face our fears.So the lies allow us to stay put. Right where we're stuck. They give us a reason NOT to change.And these lies keep us from having the business and/or life we've always wanted.So what are these lies? Below are a few of my favorites (although this is by no means an exhaustive list).1. If I would just work a little harder, I could get everything done. (This lie also has a part 2 -- the guilt that happens when you don’t get everything done.)Working harder isn't the answer. Having a realistic idea of what you can do in a day is.Unfortunately we're not Superman. We don't have super powers. We're human. And there's only so much we can do in one day by ourselves. (This is also why you want to start creating teams in your business so you CAN get more done in less time. But even if you have a team, there is still only so much you personally can get done.)2. If I just sacrifice now, I can reap the benefits later.This is a scary one because there's some truth mixed in here. While it IS true when you're gearing up to launch a big product or a business venture or a big campaign, you may very well have to put in more hours for a brief period of time.The lie comes in when IT NEVER STOPS.This week, there's a big project for a client you have to finish up. Next week, you're putting in overtime because an emergency cropped up for a different client. The week after you're working longer because you need to do some marketing to make sure the pipeline stays full. Oh, and don't forget to try and squeeze in time to create a product or to start a second business venture.You're constantly putting your personal life "on hold" because you know one day it will all come together and you'll be able to sit back and reap the rewards of all the hard work.But that day never seems to come.This one is a toughie. I won't deny it. But you need to get it through your head there is a natural rhythm to all businesses.There are times you need to wor
    serious about promoting your business in this way, pick sports events and teams that tend to get some media and fan recognition. Like many things, this will take some research but often a sport supply store can be a good resource for information. Remember what I said about branding and building TRUST? This is a great way to gain consistent recognition and sustained visibility in the community and to build trust through familiarity.

    Sandwich-board signs
    These have been around for decades. They are unconstructive, inexpensive and they work. If your business can make use of sandwich-board signs to promote your website, use it. I have yet to see a sandwich board that promotes a website. If you are in a high-vehicle traffic area, this is particularly good. If you really want to make an impact use the sandwich-board idea and turn it into a walking-sandwich-board. Just make sure of two things. Number one, make sure your sign is readable, uncluttered and to the point and, number two, make sure you are within the legal bounds of signage for your area. There are regulations on signage in most areas and contravening these could result fines.

    Semi-trailer billboards
    The first time I saw this I thought, what an innovative idea. The promotion idea is this – you get a large semi-trailer truck, place large ads on either side of its box, then drive it around in areas where your potential clients, live, work or play. In order to make this promotion work, it will be necessary to have a message on your semi-trailer ad that tells the viewer to "go to your website" in order for them to take part in the promotion. Because we see semi-trucks on a daily basis with advertising on the side, what you do with this one must be unique and grab people's attention. The whole purpose of this promotional idea is to send people to your website.

    Website decals
    Decals are another medium that have been around in various forms for many years. You can use them in a variety of places but they work best when attached to glass surfaces. One place for decals is in the windows of your company vehicle. (Ensure sure they do not interfere with the driving safety of the vehicle.) Decals are relatively inexpensive and can be used on a variety of window applications like your building, on company vehicles or as giveaways to customers. These can be ordered from most sign shops.

    Develop a "free service"
    This won't work for everyone but if you have the ability to offer a free service on your web site (like a foreign-dollar exchange facility or free e-mail accounts for people) this will help boost your viral marketing. One site I visited had an "estimator" for determining the amount of air your furnace used and what kind of a filter was best to use in it. Another one had an "estimator" for determining the amount of kitchen cabinet space you had. Any of these types of services will make someone want to bookmark your website as a place to return to because there is something there they can use. Other ideas could be to offer free advice on something you know or in which you are a specialist. If you make sure the free advice is constantly being updated and refreshed, people will continue to come to your website to view it. It is this kind of repetition that builds trust and helps develop viral marketing.

    Parking lot mail drops
    In some areas of the country this is still widely used, while in others it is seldom or never used. It is a great way of distributing information and, in this case, advertising your website. Remember if you do this you will be marketing to whomever is driving the vehicle you dropped the message off so it is a random type of delivery process. We do have one other suggestion for this area and that is for the convenience of your prospective clients, I recommend placing a small (business card size) note on the driver's side window. This makes it easy, and unobtrusive for the person entering the car, and it will get noticed. In the past I have seen large pieces of paper placed under the windshield wipers of cars – this process is not recommend. Small business cards placed on the driver's door are best. Be careful of where you do this: there may be local or regional laws affecting this practice.

    Banner signs
    Banners are a great way to advertise your website; they are cost effective and, by their very nature, they grab attention. My only comment is that banner signs should be cleaned or refreshed from time to time, or even repainted. When they start looking dog-eared and worn they not only lose their impact, they also tend to drive people away because the effect of being new and special has been reversed. Banner ads are ideal in high foot and vehicle traffic area and most sign shops can help you with these. If all you do is advertise your website, you are sure to increase traffic to your site.

    Bumper stickers
    Similar to decals, but in this case they could be used as giveaways, too. If you make them attractive you will find other people will want to put them on their car. I suggest making them unusual or humorous to get the most mileage out of them as giveaways. Advertise your website, keep the message clean and clear and these will work.

    Calendars
    These are another great way to help promote your website, particularly if you are a supplier. Business-to-business promotion lends itself to calendars because there is year-long advertising of your website. If you are creative, there are likely many other applications where calendars, with their year-long advantage, are particularly suited.

    Donate time/products Another good way of giving back to the community and promoting your business at the same time is to offer your time or donate products. Often these are charitable causes and quite well attended and promoted by all levels of society. It is suggested in a case like this that you reference your web address as the donator. The reason for this is it is easier for more people to note who you are, assuming, of course, that your web address is easy to pronounce and spell.

    Joint venture
    Why not join forces with other non-competing businesses to see what you can do together in the way of promoting your websites. Contests work well, or come up with joint venture ideas. Talk to your suppliers or your favorite client to see what you might be able to think of. Marketing and web promotion is all about thinking outside of the box and being innovative. Very often it is the innovative idea or unique promotions that catch the eye of the media, generating free promotion of your website. Joint venture ideas help spread the costs and widen the potential client base so use it to your advantage.

    Point-of-purchase
    Point-of-purchase signs are used frequently in some industries and seldom in others. Depending on the type of business you are in, these could be a great way to promote your website. In some cases point-of-purchase displays contain a small card with the web address printed on it so the card can be taken away by the customers for future referral. Point-of-purchase displays are a very cost-effective way to ensure your clients know what your web address is.

    Statement and bag stuffers
    Those little paper brochures and cards that are included with your statements are called statement stuffers. Not everyone sends out monthly statements, but most companies provide something to their clients from time to time, if only in shopping bags when a customer purchases something

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