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Many think that marketing and advertising are one in the same but they truly are not.  Although they are similar, advertising is merely part of the bigger picture which is Marketing.  Advertising involves marketing but basically is a promotion of the product.  Marketing encompasses the entire process from research, to designing and finalizing with advertising to sales.

A little more about Advertising:

• the most important component of a marketing strategy
• the most expensive part of marketing
• includes saturating your target market with ads, media outlets including but not limited to television, radio, magazines as well as snail mail, emails, flyers and so much more
• most popular medium is television although the internet comes in a close second

There are many ways to differentiate advertising from marketing but this analogy may help clear the confusion.  Think of marketing as a pie, and a slice of pie as the advertising.  The other slices are the market research of the particular product, the design of the product, the pricing, the media planning, the PR, customer support and satisfaction, sales and so much more.  All of these separate pieces of the pie can work and should work independently but together can achieve the bigger goal which is ultimately selling the product.

To break it down, Marketing consists of:

• hours and days of research
• design of the product
• development of advertising strategy
• ultimately the medium between the consumers and the company

So, what does this all mean?  Basically we must not get advertising and marketing confused with each other.  One simply cannot work without the other.  Don’t get caught up in the advertising process, logo development, etc without keeping in mind the entire marketing process.

The first thing to consider when starting a business or developing a product is the communication process to the consumers.  You must build a reputation before people will trust and purchase from your company.  The money that should be spent in the beginning should be spent on the marketing and not on the branding.  The branding will come, but without a product or service, there is no need for a brand. Educating the consumers also helps as it will give them an understanding that you know what you do and are best at doing that.

Smart marketers are aggressive in approach rather than passive. They provoke reader’s minds by prompting them to do something rather than just making them knowledgeable of the product. Smart marketers also bring home the names, addresses and contact numbers of people who are really interested in hiring your company by employing aggressive marketing. Thus having a good marketing campaign speaks a lot about the company and their products and advertising gives that finishing touch to the hard work done by the marketing people in selling a product.

Tags: Marketing, Tips by Carrie Wilkerson
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Let’s make this very clear from the beginning–there is NO simple solution to guarantee Internet marketing success.  Just like there is no special pill to lose weight, there is no special trick to guarantee success, but with hard work you can enjoy some degree of Internet marketing success.  Let’s discuss some of simple strategies we can implement to promote your business online.

One of the easiest ways to promote your business online is by participating on message boards that relate to your business.  These forums are great to find other marketers that share a common interest or simply just to socialize.
Joining such groups will help you promote to your target audience as well as sharing your insights and promoting your website for FREE.

Some great social sites you may be interested in are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, to name a few.  These sites are Free to join and a great way to meet individuals you would normally not meet.  Finding social networks to market your business is imperative to succeeding on the Internet.  Remember, constant exposure is the only way to gain interested individuals.  One point to remember is to stay active on any of the social networks or forums you may join, people will trust you when they get to know you.

Another effective way to gain traffic to your site is by implementing SEO (search engine optimization) to your websites.  SEO mainly works on specific terms used on your site for the search engines to find you. You can either implement the proper ways yourself or you can hire someone to do it for you.  There are many companies that boast on helping you increase your presence but with some sweat and hard work on your part you will be able to do the same for much less.  If you have a WordPress site, there are various plugins you can implement to help with your SEO as well.

Another simple way to enjoy Internet marketing success is to hire a consulting firm to plan and execute your Internet marketing strategy. Just like SEO, Internet marketing is essentially a full time job. Business owners may have a great deal of difficulty trying to run their business and organize their Internet marketing. Outsourcing this work eases the burden on the business manager and will likely produce more favorable results.

So, let’s get started, with a little bit of work on your part you can be on your way to Internet success.

Tags: Marketing, Tips by Carrie Wilkerson
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Once you have developed your business whether online or offline it is imperative to have a Marketing Plan in play.  There are many tips and ideas available so I really don’t want to bombard you with it all but instead I chose some key points that will help you.

I have narrowed it done to 5 major tasks that must be addressed:

1.    Place your company where your customers/client will perceive your competitive advantage

2.    Make yourself accessible – be in places customers will find you easily

3.    Provide your customers/clients the support they will need to make a purchase

4.    Have a plan in place to make purchasing your products/service easy

5.    Develop communication materials that are easy to use and understand

Consider rating yourself in regards to your marketing plan.  Following the format below, rate for 1 to 5 with 1 being the most difficult and 5 the easiest.

·    _________Placing your company where your customers/client will perceive your competitive advantage
·    _________Making yourself accessible – be in places customers will find you easily
·    _________Providing your customers/clients the support they will need to make a purchase
·    _________Having a plan in place to make purchasing your products/service easy
·    _________Developing communication materials that are easy to use and understand

Now rate  go back to those same categories and rate where you place your marketing emphasis.  With 1 being the highest in priority and 5 being the lowest in priority.

It is important to note the areas where you are having the most difficulty with your marketing and address those first.  Identifying the problems will help you in succeeding.  Remember that you can change your plan, don’t ever think that once it is written it can’t be changed, make the appropriate changes that will benefit you in the long run.

Tags: Marketing by Carrie Wilkerson
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If you are thinking of leaving your 9 to 5 job in search of something more exciting and something you can control, I am here to tell you that it can be done!  Instead of working and providing ideas and revenue for someone, it’s time to do it for yourself.

But before you pack up your desk it is important to evaluate yourself and your future but truly evaluate and most importantly be honest.  It is not difficult to achieve your dreams but it does take work and I will discuss those below, so are you ready? Here we go!

Folks have different perceptions of what the ideal life should be like and it can seriously range from obtaining complete financial freedom to something as simple as owning a new pair of shoes.  It is unfortunate though that many fail to reach their aspirations because they are unable to get a solid or clear picture of what they truly want.

It is important to take the next few days to jump forward and learn some things about yourself.  So you will have homework, yes..homework!  You will need a pad and pencil and begin with the first step below:

First – Determine what YOU WANT – Be specific in your desires and passions, then focus all your efforts on that particular desire.

The people who are always changing your mind or giving up easily are the ones who will never make it when the going gets tough.  And believe me the going will get tough!  If you’re a bit confused and aren’t sure what you really want in life answer these questions: (7 Steps)

• What makes your heart flutter with excitement?
• What makes you happy?
• What do you constantly think of day and night?
• What do you truly want to do with the rest of your life?
• What do you enjoy doing?
• What are your obsessions? Yes, we are all obsessed about something, let’s be truthful.
• What things make you jump for joy?

Once you have determined the answers to the questions above – write them down.  Write everything that comes to your mind, no matter how silly or unimportant it may seem.  Go ahead and write down all of your desires on paper and the answers to the questions listed above.

When you have written everything down on your paper, go back and circle or star 5 to 7 items that are of most interest to you.  Then go on and choose with your heart not your mind, the most important or the most worthy to spend all your time and resources on and that brings out the best in you.

The most important thing to remember, no matter how “pie in the sky” it seems, is to USE YOUR HEART.  Others may disagree with you, but you should be firm with what you really want.  Others may offer comments or advice, but the final decision is always yours to make.  You should concentrate on what you want, not what others want.

Now this is very important – do not and I repeat- DO NOT go to sleep tonight without making a decision on what you truly want or desire more than anything else.  Spend the next few days determining how to make it possible and most importantly how to make a living at it.  Begin living every day as if it were the last day you had – never leaving anything to be done next week, next month, or next year.

Keep in mind that there will always be adversities to be met but there will only be one life for you to live.  And most importantly realize that your life should not be put on HOLD!

Tags: Tips by Carrie Wilkerson
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