Advertising and Marketing

I always wonder if the ‘experts’ who appear on the morning
shows (The Today Show; Good Morning America; CBS
Morning Show) have any idea that they frequently sound
stupid to perhaps half the people who are listening to them.

Consider the other morning, for example. According to one
‘expert,’ dentists all over the country are extremely worried
because people are drinking so much bottled water, and,
therefore, are not getting enough fluoride from drinking tap
water.

“It is easy to drink fluoridated tap water,” the expert said.
“Everyone can just turn on their tap and drink fluoridated
water.”

Really?

Everyone?

What about those people who drink well water and are not
hooked into a municipal water system that fluoridates the
water supply?

I don’t know about people who live out in the country in other
parts of the United States, but around here in Wisconsin, we
do not install systems to fluoridate our well water.
Sometimes people will give fluoride tablets to their children
to prevent tooth decay, and the school districts will also give
fluoride tablets to rural children, but from what I’ve read,
fluoride tablets might not be such a good idea, either. I have
read that fluoride can depress thyroid activity and that
doctors used fluoride up until the 1950s to treat thyroid
conditions.

Whether the claims about the dangers of fluoride are true or
not, I cannot say for certain because I am not a research
scientist who has investigated fluoride. What I can say for
certain is that if you do a Google search for “fluoride” and
“thyroid” more than 300,000 references come up. And when
you start to read through the web page descriptions, you
see that many of the websites are questioning the safety
and efficacy of using fluoride either by tablet or in the
drinking water.

In regard to the issue of drinking tap water for the fluoride,
the expert on television went on to say that many people are
afraid to drink their tap water because of contaminants.

Really?

Isn’t that why municipalities go to great pains to test their
water? To make that sure the water is free from
contaminants? Isn’t that why there are so many regulations
concerning the testing done on municipal water to make
sure that it is safe to drink? Isn’t that why municipal water
systems have filters and other devices and procedures to
make sure the contaminants are removed?

Be that as it may, the expert hastened to assure everyone
that the bottled water companies were coming to the rescue
and would soon sell BOTTLED WATER THAT CONTAINS
FLUORIDE.

Ah-hah!

Now we come to the real crux of the matter.

It isn’t that dentists fear for our teeth and general dental
health because so many people drink unfluoridated bottled
water.

It isn’t that municipal water systems contain contaminants.

It’s that the bottled water companies want to create a
market to sell more bottled water.

So now I wonder, how long did it take the publicist (hired by
the bottled water companies, of course) to talk the
producers of the morning news show into airing the
segment?

It all makes me rather sick to my stomach.No one cares
about the health of our teeth. It’s just that the bottled water
companies want to sell more bottled water.

Then again, it serves as an excellent reminder.

When I see or hear something on television, or read about it
in a newspaper or magazine, I must always ask myself —
whose agenda is this?

And once I figure out who stands to profit by a certain train of
thought or a certain opinion or a certain piece of “news” — I
am just that much closer to the truth.

© LeAnn R. Ralph 2006

http://ruralroute2.com

Tags: advertising, reading

Habits are easy, and they help us get through the day. Do them too often, however, and you end up in a rut. Let the ruts get too deep and it is hard to find a new solution to a problem or challenge. Sometimes drastic measures are needed to break out of the rut.

Break the Habit – Try a New Approach

If you need a fresh idea, try a new direction. Consider using a technique called “Random Input.” This technique helps you break away from restrictive thinking patterns. It opens a conversation about new solutions you normally might not associate with the problem.

How it Works…

Begin by selecting a random noun from the dictionary or one that strikes your fancy. It works best if the noun is something that can be seen or touched (e.g., helicopter, dog). Use this noun as the starting point for brainstorming.

Next, look for ways to connect the noun to the challenge at hand. As you brainstorm, do not eliminate or evaluate ideas. Let your mind wander. Capture every idea. Yes, you will have some useless ones. Others may lead to valuable insights. And at least one is likely to make a startling, creative leap.

Example – Breaking Away

Here is an example of how Random Input can work. Imagine your challenge is to find a new fundraising project for a teen soccer team. You have considered all the conventional solutions, but nothing really exciting comes to mind.

Now is a good time to try random input. You see your favorite plant on your desk and decide to use the word “plants.” Brainstorming may lead to some of these ideas:

Planting seeds in the spring, and selling the young
Offering lawn care services instead of the typical car
Selling decorative floral arrangements for holidays
“Selling” or “renting” trees or plants around the playing field to sponsors and supporters

Engage Others

You will generate even more ideas if you brainstorm with others. Invite 3 – 5 people to join you for short (20 – 30 minute) sessions. When it comes to brainstorming, two heads are definately better than one!

The ideas will be sketchy at first. Many will be may be useless or impractical. Yet, one might be original enough for the basis of an entirely new concept. Try it! Random input is a great new habit to develop.

A twenty year veteran of corporate America, today Lorraine Ball helps small business owners use planning and creative thinking as a starting point for growth and change.

Active in the local business community, Lorraine is the recipient of 2005 Rainmaker of the Year Award. She serves on the boards of Rainmakers and the Network of Women in Business.

Tags: habit, marketing, new approach, tips

Fax broadcasting, also called fax blasting, is a highly effective form of advertising if executed correctly. Fax broadcasting allows a company to instantly deliver targeted marketing messages to a large audience for an incredibly low price.

Fax broadcasting is a way to get real, physical promotional messages into the hands of your target audience at a cost of about 96% less than sending information through the mail. Blasts of up to 1000 faxes, complete with statistics, can cost as low as $40 with price breaks on larger quantities.

The two most critical factors in ensuring a successful fax broadcasting campaign are the accuracy of the fax mailing list and the quality of the marketing message. Below you’ll find some tips and ideas to maximize the return on investment of your fax broadcasting campaign.

Define the recipient’s specific action

Too often people send out marketing messages hoping that customers will react in a way that benefits the company. Before you even start creating your message, ask yourself: What precise action do I want a recipient to take after reading my message? Will they call a number for more information? Fill out a form and fax back to receive a special free report or bulletin? Or perhaps file the fax in a specific folder in their filing cabinet for future reference?

Include a call to action

Don’t just hope that recipients will infer the action you want them to take. Make sure to include your specific call to action on the page. A call to action might be: “To receive this free special offer, log on to www.website.com within the next 24 hours and order online.” By first determining the specific action your customers will take, then creating your marketing message around it, you are more likely to get the reaction that you are anticipating.

Designing the content

A fax broadcast should be eye catching and encourage the recipient to pick it up and read it after just a glance. Include different sized fonts to accomplish different goals. Use large fonts for brief bursts of relevant yet intriguing text to catch the reader’s attention. Provide a brief follow up to your large text in medium sized font. Add some details in smaller text for those who are interested and want to read more. Give the prospective client enough information to pique their interest then encourage them to seek you out for more information. This not only stops you from crowding your fax broadcast with text, but also engages the prospect.

Fax Broadcast layout and design

While art and design are highly subjective, there are a few basic rules of thumb to stick to. Give the page adequate margins. Think of the white space as a design element to give shape to the other elements on your page, not just blank space to fill up. Choose a professional image or illustration that doesn’t include a lot of dark areas and will look great in black and white. Unless you’re a graphic designer, do a search for professional stock images to find illustrations and photos at low prices. iStockPhoto.com offers more than half a million professional images for just $1 per image.

Test your Message

Before sending your fax out to thousands of people, get the opinions of a few people who aren’t completely familiar with your business. The goal isn’t to find out if they like your promotional flyer, but to test whether or not it delivers the intended message. Make a list of 3-5 very specific questions to ask your test audience such as: “What exactly does this company do?” “What problem does this company’s product or service solve?” or “What action will I take after reading this offer?” Continue testing until you get the desired results and you’ll improve the chances that your target customers will have the same reaction.

Find or Create a Targeted Fax Mailing List

The accuracy and quality of the mailing list for your fax broadcast will ultimately determine if all of your hard work will pay off. To accomplish this you can purchase a fax mailing list, create your own custom list by gathering info from company websites, or hire someone to collect the information for you. A quality fax broadcasting service will offer statistics to let you know how many were delivered successfully so that you can fine tune your mailing list.

Fax broadcasting can be an extremely effective marketing tool, especially for small businesses on a budget that need to make a big impact quickly. While everyone else is concentrating their efforts on email marketing, you can deliver a hardcopy right into the hands of your target customer. Unlike email, someone is sure to look at it and not just instantly toss it away. By designing your fax broadcast effectively, you can easily expand your reach and grow your business.

Author is a writer for Unix USA which specializes in fax broadcasting and generating sales leads. For additional information about these services you can visit

http://www.unixusa.net.

Tags: business, fax broadcasting, lead generation, marketing