Five Signs that Your Local Marketing Needs a Tune-up
Local marketing is a powerful tool that can help any business generate leads and close new business at a local level. It is an unreasonable expectation to think that most business people will be highly skilled in the fine art of local marketing so here’s a quick snapshot of some pointers that may indicate that your local marketing could do with a tune up.
1.Your business is mono-tactical in its approach to generating leads and winning new business. This is quite common – especially amongst small businesses. For example a local plumber may advertise in the local classifieds to generate 100% of his leads and sales. Some companies may use a handful of local marketing tactics. The point here is that your business will go from strength to strength if it increases the actual number of local marketing tactics used.
2.Your company doesn’t have a local marketing budget allocated, but instead will look at opportunities as they arise. This is another popular approach amongst franchisees and small businesses. The key here is that there is no pro-activeness in funding and executing local marketing strategies on a regular basis. Imagine the possibilities that arise when you regularly allocate funds to local marketing programs.
3. Your firm is oblivious to peaks and troughs in your revenue cycle and schedules local marketing activities without thinking about the impact they may have at various times of the year. Just as you wouldn’t dare plant carrots in June because they won’t grow, there my be times during the year when local marketing will have a minimal impact on your target market whilst at other times clients will be falling all over themselves to do business with you. Identifying these cycles and making the most out of them is the key to being successful.
4.Your company doesn’t track the return on investment it gets from any local marketing activity that it implements. This is possibly the biggest local marketing sin a business can commit. Without a formal review of the success of local marketing activities undertaken a company can’t realistically make a well considered decision to replicate or reject a tactic that it has used.
5.Your business doesn’t have a formal, conscious plan that incorporates the use of other people’s people and other people’s money. Your suppliers, local business associations, sponsorship properties and even charitable organisations have much power in being able to assist you in successfully marketing your business throughout your local territory. By identifying ways to use other people’s people, money, resources, advertising, business relationships, time and capital a company can expand its local marketing capability and reach.
So there you have it – some common local marketing mistakes that franchisees and small businesses tend to make and some of the ways to overcome them. By addressing one or more of these five areas a company can positively impact the number of leads and new sales it can attract through local marketing activities.
For more information about local marketing and local area marketing planning, contact Greg Mullane, Marketing Manager, LAM Plan
Sphere: Related ContentMatt Cutts Interview
Click on the picture to see the interview
The focused approach to search engine marketing
Lack of focus is the most common mistake people make when trying to improve their search engine rankings. It’s a natural mistake to want to rank on as many keyword phrases as possible. The trouble is that approach doesn’t work any more. Search engine marketing is no different to any other human endevour, be it business, sport or the arts. Focus wins.
I know when an SEO customer needs help when I ask them: “so what key phrases to do want to optimise your web pages for”, and they answer: “hundreds of them, I have a list of suggestions from Google right here”.
I know they need even more help when I ask them to describe their target market and they say: “everyone in the world”.
I know it’s going to be difficult to get quality traffic for this client’s web site when their business has multiple products and services with very little relevance to each other.
Lack of focus is the most common mistake I see in business in general and from people trying to optimise their web site. It’s a common to want to rank on as many keyword phrases as possible.
The logic is that you want to get as many visitors as possible so that you can present your compelling offer to them and hopefully convert them into customers.
This is the “general store” or “shotgun” approach and in the 90s during the era of keyword-stuffing, hidden text and doorway pages this approach worked pretty well.
The trouble is that traffic does not equal sales and these days it’s just too hard to optimise a web page for multiple competitive keyword phrases.
The most successful SEO projects I have done were focused on one keyword phrase per page to a well defined geographic area for a very focused business offering. Simple examples include:
Wedding makeup Brisbane, Aluminium awnings Brisbane and Dayboro Bed and Breakfast.
They were successful in ranking well for search terms that motivated buyers in the target service area were searching on.
Users of search engines have become far more sophisticated with their search terms. For example, say someone living in Sydney was interested in buying a new canvas awning for their house. Five to ten years ago they may have searched on a single word: “awning” or even “canvas awning”.
These days they are more likely to search on a complex phrase like “Sydney canvas awning suppliers” or “canvas awnings Sydney” or even “Sydney awning installers”.
They have learnt through trial and success that by adding search modifiers like “canvas” and “Sydney” the most relevant results will appear.
How do you search for information on the Internet? I bet you are using more refined search terms to save time and improve the quality of your results.
The golden rule to remember is that the longer the search phrase – the more motivated the buyer. And that’s what most web site owners want, motivated buyers and shoppers rather than browsers and accidental visitors.
Through investing time in keyword research it is possible to identify search terms that do generate significant search volume and are easier to optimise for.
Google has some excellent free tools to help with that research. A search on “free keyword research tools” will also lead you to many others.
Once those phrases are identified and tested the best approach is to build a web page for each of those phrases.
Each web page should stand alone and have it’s own unique navigation menu link, title tag, heading and sub-headings.
Search engine marketing is no different to any other human endevour, be it business, sport or the arts. Focus wins.
John Hacking is Product Manager for an SEO company. For Australian web directory listings and SEO services in Brisbane, contact him today.
Sphere: Related ContentTen tips to help your web site rank better in Google
Over 80 percent of Internet users use Google to find products and services on the world wide web. It stands to reason that if you want to generate more qualified sales leads you need to rank on the first or second page within the search engines results pages on Google.
As Google gets more and more sophisticated with each algorithm update, search engine optimisation methods have to change to keep getting good results.
Here is a list of ten important tactics that you can use to improve your Google rankings.
Use the right keyword phrase The most important factor in getting quality web traffic is to optimize your web pages for the correct keyword phrase. Getting the most sales is often a balance between search volume for key words and level of competition. Use the Overture keyword tool and Google Adwords tool to research and identify your best keyword phrases. Look for keyword phrases that have high search volume, but low competition. It also pays to see what key words your successful competitors are optimising for.
Put your key word phrase in your title tag Forget about putting your company name in the title tag (unless it is a valuable part of the key words), it’s a waste of words and will not help you rank in the search engines. The first three of four words in your title tag should be the key word phrase you are trying to optimize for. Try to limit your total character count to 60 characters.
Write a compelling description tag Title tags are for search engines, description tags are for people. Spend time researching and writing a description tag that compels the reader to click on your listing. Come up with a great offer, use action words. Use shock and awe. Use anything that will get them to click.
Use H1 tags An often neglected search engine optimisation technique is to put your keyword phrase in H1 tags on your page. This tells Google that the following text is about your keyword phrase. Google weights H1 tags nearly as highly as title tags. This tip alone can drastically improve your Google. Similarly, the use of bold and strong html tags can emphasize a key word phrase within the paragraph text where it may not be appropriate to use H1 or H2 tags.
Get the right keyword ratio Aim for a keyword density of around 3-5% of the page contents. Try to work your key word phrase into the page so that it reads naturally. This may take some research and analysis of successful web sites. Remember to use headings and sub-headings that include your key words.
Use alt tags and description tags on images Key words used image file names, alt tags and description tags add to the key word density of any web page. They doesn’t make a huge difference, but every little bit helps. In some product classes a Google image search may lead web surfers to your web site.
Get quality one-way incoming links through article marketing and directory submissions As far as Google is concerned; link exchanges are just about dead. They can help to get your web site spidered and indexed more quickly, but these days they add very little in terms of Google search engine rankings unless the link is on a trusted site and that site has excellent page rank. Wikipedia and DMOZ are examples of such trusted sites.
A more effective approach is to write interesting and informative articles and submit them to article directories. Make sure that you use the author bio/resource box to maximum advantage by using your key word phrase in the link anchor text, AND, by pointing the anchor text to the correct page. Your home page may not be the best choice of pages for your selected key phrase. This will also ensure that more pages than just your home page gets indexed.
Use Social book marking If you have something newsworthy, humorous, quirky, unique or shocking to say, submit a link to your web page to sites like digg.com or redit.com. These up and coming web 2.0 power houses can create a buzz overnight driving thousands of interested visitors to your web site.
Note, just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come. If it’s boring link it will quickly get buried by newer and more interesting stories. But what the hell, it’s free to submit links to these sites and you never know your luck.
Record a podcast Google loves podcasts … it just loves them. Get yourself a decent microphone and some podcasting software like Audacity and go for it. Once you have an interesting and tightly edited podcast, put it on your web site and submit it to all the major podcasting directories like iTunes and Podomatic.
Sign up for Google Adwords Although Google will deny it, anecdotal evidence suggests that Goggle favors Adwords customers over non-Adwords customers. This is true for new web sites that often take months to get spidered and indexed by Google. I have seen brand new sites get spidered, indexed and listed in the search engine results pages in as little as a week.
It doesn’t have to cost a lot either. You can set up a low budget campaign of 50 cents to one dollar a day and still get favorable treatment.
Sphere: Related ContentAuction Ads Review – 3 month trial of AuctionAds
A friend of mine wanted to give some affiliate marketing a whirl so I suggest he try Auction Ads.
He runs an Australian Defence News site that gets between 70 – 130 unique visitors per day.
Auction Ads allows you to embed live ebay auction listings in your web pages and then get paid a share of the revenue generated from that auction. I quote from the FAQ: When your site’s visitors click on an Auction Ad listing and take an action on eBay you earn cash. Actions are defined as a Winning Bid, a Buy-it-Now or a confirmed user registration.
It will be interesting to see how much he makes in 3 months. I’ll update this post on the 4th November 2007.
The sign up process was very straighforward as was the ad creation. Just select the ad style, customize the colours, select your keywords and away you go.
Keyword selection can be problematic depending on your niche. I had originally chosen the word “navy ” as one of the keywords. Unfortunately navy is a very popular colour for many items on ebay. I removed that word and replaced it with RAN (Royal Australian Navy).
The only technical problem I had was getting the code to work in the Mambo content management system. I finally worked out I had to turn off the WIZIWIG editor in the global options for the javascript not to get screwed up. I also had to put <center> tags around the code to make it look balanced.
The other problem I had was in using the banner facility in Mambo. I had to settle on a half-banner because the javascript put in a space under the banner when the page was viewed in FireFox.
Here’s a sample ad (and I’ve throw a blog related ad in the header of this page) :
Online Copywriting Tips – Words as Weapons
While visual design is crucial online, so too is the copy. It should not be neglected in favour of fancy slow-loading graphics.
Similarly, despite all your best efforts to optimise your site or search engine marketing strategies, if you don’t get the copy right you could see plenty of traffic but very low conversion rates. Rather than simply replicating your offline marketing collateral, copywriting in the online space needs careful attention if it is to address the different needs of your online customers.
While some of the same principles as print apply online, the interactive nature of online means the need to write with your online user’s behaviour in mind is paramount.
Headings
Arguably the most important aspect of online copywriting content, headings must be kept simple, relevant and grab attention. Think strong and engaging and make full use of your keywords in headings, particularly on the homepage.
Engage emotion
The most effective sites clearly identify the value proposition from the home or landing page. Write with your visitor’s expectations in mind — why are they online, why are they visiting your site, what do they really want?
The content on your homepage needs to resonate with your reader so they carry on to complete the desired action. A principle that applies both off and online is that if your copy emotionally engages the reader it transforms a passive reader into a proactive buyer.
Customer centric
Online users tend to be in information-hungry mode. They want to know what you can do for them, not all about your company, so tell them clearly what’s in it for them. Be generous with your information and highlight the fact that you have free content, top tips, a latest news section to build traffic to your site.
Most people go online to find information and research purchases, so if your information is free, useful and accessible it will help you to establish credibility which will do wonders for your brand and build repeat visits. By giving you will get back.
Benefits
Use the online space to communicate the direct benefits of your products’ features, don’t just describe the features, but build on how these will add value to them and their lives.
Answer these questions for your target market by always asking:
what’s in it for them?,
is it better value than our competitors product(s)?
is it more reliable?
will it make our customers lives easier?
how will it improve their lives?
You can go into a lot more detail online so don’t miss the opportunity to do so.
Keep it brief
However, while the online environment allows you to provide more information it also means seriously low levels of patience, so make sure you get to the point before your visitor clicks out of your site altogether. Use short blocks of text, plenty of headings, short sentences and clear link text that makes sense.
Use your copy to coax visitors along the site process and in action until the point of conversion or until they complete he desired action. Clearly articulate how easy it is to respond by communicating how simple it is to pay online, how quick delivery time is and highlight online cost savings.
Know your target market and who you want to attract. Make sure your copy style and tone connects with your readership if you’re an upmarket luxury travel agent, for example, you need the copy to reflect the lifestyle of your target market. Be relevant otherwise people won’t stick around for long.
Remember Keywords
Think carefully about your keywords, ie those that you optimise to drive traffic to your site. While popular keywords are likely to be used by many online players, if you pay careful thought and attention to keywords you can select niche ones that will see targeted traffic arrive at your site keywords need to be deftly woven into your copy, sp ~` as well as writing with the reader in mind you should always write with search engines in mind.
Consistency is key
Make sure the style of your copy is consistent, that it flows across the pages, talks directly to the user and is grammatically correct. Building and maintaining your customer’s trust online is intrinsic to effective online copywriting and it stands to reason that sloppily written and badly punctuated copy is not going to build much faith in your company or products. Checks f and double-check your website’s copy to ensure there are no embarrassing typos or lazy writing.
Build Trust
Consumer cynicism is at an all time high in the online environment – make sure you engender trust in your products via your copy or you could see sceptical consumer leave your web site swiftly.
Since anyone can establish a web site it’s important that you build trust online so that customers are happy buying or sharing data with you rather than deciding a big-brand competitor is a safer bet.
Once you have established trust they will buy from you and copy is crucial for reassuring online users. Make it clear that customers have a money-back guarantee, state upfront that postage and packaging is extra, and never forget to point them to an offline, bricks and mortar customer contact point.
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About Author
If you’re looking for a Brisbane web designer talk to johnhacking.com. For SEO Training, visit searchtempo.com. Ask about group corporate training.
Sphere: Related ContentIs every stainless steel bottle created equal? Protecting your health and the planet
There are two stainless steel mixing bowls in my kitchen cupboard. One feels more solid and has aged gracefully with use, the scratches are almost absorbed into the worn smooth metal surface, and it remains a grayish stainless steel colour. The second, bought at a discount store, has taken a distinct yellow tinge and is displaying tarnish, its surface seeming artificially glossy.
I understand now that there are different grades of stainless steel and the quality will affect how it wears and what toxins it may pass on to to food or liquids stored in it. How will this quality affect my choice of a stainless steel drink bottle? There are important features to consider when choosing a reusable stainless steel bottle
Stainless steel is always manufactured using chromium, because it is what makes steel “stainless”. Other elements are also added including nickel, nitrogen and molybdenum. These elements can leech into liquids, so it is very important that the bottle is manufactured from high quality, 18/8 food-grade stainless steel – but also that you trust the manufacturer is telling the truth when they state what the bottle is made from. Some will claim to make the bottle from the thinnest and cheapest stainless steel they can in order to reduce manufacturing costs and hence pump up profits.
Other features are also important:
- Are the lids made from a BPA free plastic?
- Can you see sharp corners or joins inside where dirt and bacteria can build up?
- Is the thread around the screw top easily cleaned?
- Will the lid leak and can you buy a replacement lid without buying a whole new bottle?
- Does the manufacturer provide a guarantee?
Consider who the manufacturer is. Do they have a long history of quality, who are the real people behind the company and what is their story? In 2004, Klean Kanteen was the first company to make a water bottle from stainless steel. They have continued to lead the way with innovative stainless steel products. Another leading sports hydration company making high quality stainless steel bottles is Nathan, using a clever straw drinking mechanism. Perhaps the grandparent of all stainless steel is Thermos, whose name has become synonymous with insulated bottles for hot water. Many of us grew up taking “the thermos” on a picnic.
From an environmental point of view, is a stainless steel bottle more eco friendly than a plastic bottle? A Life Cycle assessment study published in the New York Times in 2009, considered the environmental and health impact of stainless steel bottle from the extraction and processing of its ingredients, to its manufacture, distribution, use and final disposal. It found that if your stainless steel bottle takes the place of 50 plastic bottles, the climate is better off.
From a human point of view, who made the bottle and was that person treated fairly and compensated for their time. This is the hardest criteria to judge because few of us can actually visit the factories in China where most of the bottles are made. We can at least always go to the manufacturer’s website and ensure they have published a statement about their factory and worker conditions. Again, as with most things in life, we have to make a judgement call on whether we trust the company and what they are saying.
Written by Tracey Bailey, Founder of Biome eco friendly retail stores.
Sphere: Related ContentWhat is Polished Concrete ?
Concrete floor polishing was initially used for a matter of function in commercial buildings and warehouses as it increases lighting using the natural reflection off the floor, eliminates dusting and is extremely low maintenance saving time and money. Polished concrete techniques have advanced and technology now allows a qualified contractor to add colour and different finishes to the concrete rendering each floor unique which has made polished concrete floors the ideal after flooring solution for residential, retail and office buildings as it is functional and visually appealing.
Concrete is manufactured from natural materials and can also be mixed with some recycled materials; the concrete itself can also be recycled. Concrete is so versatile as its durable, the materials are readily available and it can take in then radiate heat better than other floor coverings as concrete polishing doesn’t affect the thermal mass of the floor which is a property that enables materials to absorb, store than release heat.
The materials in concrete absorb the energy slowly and hold it for a long period of time which can help to reduce heating and cooling requirements. Concrete floor polishing eliminates any need for additional floor coverings, all of which would require manufacturing and transportation so polished concrete reduces the effects on the environment. Depending of the quality and condition of the concrete, polished concrete has a longer life cycle than traditional floor coverings and if correctly installed by a qualified specialist in concrete floor polishing it can last forever which reduces the environmental waste which would be caused by replacing carpet, vinyl and tiles.
A polished concrete floor will resemble a polished stone floor; with a high-gloss finish the floor will have a mirror like effect. Polished concrete floors also improve the air quality, unlike carpet it doesn’t trap pollutants or bacteria and the surface is reflective which will reduce the need for unnatural lighting. Polished concrete has many more benefits which cannot be achieved from any other traditional floor covering. The concrete floor polishing process uses non-toxic chemicals, and no sealers or solvents are required.
Concrete floor polishing is created by processing the concrete surface by means of a mechanical process which involves grinding and refining the surface using diamonds till a desired finish is achieved, this process takes some time and only a qualified specialist in concrete floor polishing should be appointed to install a polished concrete floor. Polished concrete enhances the new or existing concrete which reduces the use of energy draining manufacturing processes and fossil fuels used for traditional floor coverings.
There are many different results that come from polished concrete floors by using multiple abrasives which are measured in grits which are generally applied from roughest to finest and each density will refine the surface in preparation for the desired finish. A specialist in concrete floor polishing may use up to nine different grits to achieve the durability, reflection and clarity of polished concrete and will apply a densifier which has a chemical reaction in the concrete resulting in a hard crystalline structure making the concrete floor more durable and resistant to stains, offers extra protection to the floor and prevents water from penetrating the surface. These reasons and more are why polished concrete is the eco-friendly and sustainable flooring solution which cannot be compared to any other flooring option available.
Concrete flooring is a great option. If you are considering polished concrete in Brisbane or concrete polishing in Brisbane , and would like a free onsite evaluation call (07) 5549 3573 now. We have offer our unique high-gloss finished backed with a 10 year warranty in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
Sphere: Related ContentGet Married in Paradise? So many choices for your and your wedding party!
When you get married, it is all about the love, sharing that special day with your partner, family and friends. However, as air fares get cheaper and destinations more accessible, it is becoming more and more common for couples to take their weddings off-shore, or off-state to a new and romantic location.
Why is this becoming popular? Firstly, it allows you tailor your wedding around a favourite holiday destination or place of significance. Did you dream of getting married on the beach, frangipanis in your hair and a golden sunset, but you are stuck in the city? Dream no more, tropical weddings are affordable and professional with many tropical destinations offering specialist wedding and honeymoon packages.
Destinational wedding packages can be tailored to suit your dreams. From romantic couple only escapes to complete family and friends getaways.
When thinking of taking your wedding away, beachside nuptials appear to be the preferred escape and Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the perfect destination. Cairns offers happy couples a variety of options. A ceremony on the beach, with the sand between your toes, or something more formal in a seaside chapel, followed by a beach reception with tables set up in the sand. Arrive by car, or for something different, you can kayak or even sky dive into your nuptials. Many couples have experienced the thrill of this in Cairns, Australia and it brings a whole new meaning to pre-wedding jitters or nerves.
Is this not close enough to the water for you? In Cairns, you can even get married underwater, while diving the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t believe me! ~ It has been done, underwater photographers are available to capture your special moment with nemo and a graceful sea turtle as your witness.
If that is too extreme, but you want to include a visit to the Reef in your destinational wedding, then simply plan a half day or full day trip around your nuptials. There are plenty of combinations available in Cairns Australia, from a helicopter trip to an isolated coral cay, to an exclusive charter taking you to a remote, pristine coral reef.
What about your guests? Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia are considered a must visit destination for many people. Everyone wants to go there, most just need an excuse. Make your wedding a trip of a lifetime for you and your guests by bringing them to Cairns.
As well as being a part of your special day, this tropical paradise offers a range of exciting activities. Reef trips, rainforest excursions, beach horse riding, tropical taste tours and some of the world’s leading spa retreats are all found here.
If you lean more green than blue in your wedding choices, Cairns is the only place on earth where World Heritage tropical rainforest slides down to meet the golden beaches and fringes of the Great Barrier Reef.
These are the world’s oldest continually surviving tropical rainforests and you can get married here, celebrating your love in this pristine nature’s paradise. Let towering cathedral figs be your altar, mossy pavers your aisle and falling leaves your confetti. Rainforest weddings can be as formal or informal as you like. A range of chapels are nestled amongst the greenery for more traditional ceremonies, or slip off your shoes and take your celebrant somewhere remote for a memorable ceremony.
Your guests will thank you for bringing them to this amazing tropical paradise. When they are not at your wedding, they can enjoy luxurious accommodation, explore the reef and rainforest, cuddle a koala or even take an outback tour.
There are many activities to choose from that the wedding party and guests can enjoy. There could be activities such as shopping, snorkeling, boat rides, guided tours or even wine tasting. Just keep in mind that it is typically the bride or groom or their families footing the bill so be sure not to tell your guests the cost of the bill because they more than likely would feel uncomfortable having someone else paying for them.
The great part of destination weddings is that it is usually more intimate and typically only the close family and friends come. So you could have more personal activities. You could have a sleepover the night before the wedding and have everyone over to the hotel for movies, drinks, and popcorn.
Just remember that for many of your guests your destination wedding may double as their vacation. So be sure to find out their plans so that you don’t over book. Some guests may choose to plan their own activities.
Any activities you choose, your destination wedding will be sure to be special and a long lasting memory for many years to come.
When planning your destinational wedding, make sure you use a professional Cairns wedding photographer, because you will want to capture your Cairns Wedding Photography in the best possible light. Photographers can also capture amazing images of you, whilst scuba diving in Cairns
Sphere: Related ContentCommunicating a Service Offering in Cairns
Because services are intangible, marketing communications for services do more than market services. Communications make services more tangible, and give prospects something firm to evaluate.
As a result, marketing communications for most services drag around a heavier load than communications for products. A bright red Porsche 911 convertible, for example, shouts loudly and beautifully for itself. Very few services speak for themselves at all.
We implicitly trust most products. We trust that our new tyres won’t explode, our brown sugar will taste sweet, and our aspirin will cure our headaches without bad side effects. But we are far less trusting and certain about most services.
We worry that our lawyers and web designers will do more than necessary, and bill more than necessary. We are concerned that the latest weight loss service will fail, just like the two before it. We worry that our home renovators will pad their budget and complete the job weeks after they promised. We worry that the collection agency we hire for our service will harass our customers worth keeping and collect only a small part of our outstanding receivables.
So unlike communicating about products, talking about services must make the service more tangible and real, and must reduce risk for the worried prospect. It’s not like selling Porsche automobiles.
For more information about services marketing and making services more concrete, visit Rob Johnson’s Twitter page. Sponsored by Rob Johnson of http://seocairns.seovoodoo.com.au/
Sphere: Related ContentRaising Donations Using Direct Mail
A mailing is often the most practical way to reach many prospects. Sending letters also is a simple way to campaign. There is no need to recruit, train, manage and motivate a large workforce. A handful of people can run the entire operation. And you will find you will get a lot more volunteers to fold and stuff envelopes than to cold-call potential contributors. That’s not to say all one must do is write a letter, post or e-mail it, and wait for the returns.
What makes mail solicitations difficult is that they are one-sided. No allowance exists for a campaign worker to personally motivate prospects. The most enthusiastic letter simply cannot match the conversation between a skilled solicitor and an open-minded potential supporter. Lacking aggressive salesmanship, only minimum gifts can be expected, no matter how well written the solicitation letter and enclosures may be.
Here’s another angle to ponder. Assume that I’m a small-gift prospect with some interest in your cause. There’s a good chance that I’ll donate generously to your appeal if you knock on my door or phone because your enthusiasm and presentation will be hard to resist. And how many other organisations will solicit me in these ways? Very few. But send me a solicitation letter and you place your request in the midst of enormous competition for my same gift dollar. And because it’s a letter, I have little problem withstanding its impersonal nature. If your organisation is not among my very favorites, you won’t receive a contribution of any consequence.
You see, although I think highly of your charity, I have a desk covered with fundraising letters, from the best known national charities to all sorts of noteworthy regional and local groups. I am overwhelmed with mail appeals. After sorting through them and making my top-ranked selections, I find my charitable budget is about depleted. But I still care about your cause, so here’s ten dollars to show you my heart’s in the right place.
With these factors as a downside, mail solicitations produce highly profitable income derived from small-gifts for organizations that plan and carry out meticulous programs. However, first-class mailing programs get extremely involved, both creatively and from a marketing standpoint. There are six elements to understand before considering a direct mail campaign:
1. Mail solicitation is an ongoing component of annual fundraising programs. In capital campaigning, letter writing is a tool for wrapping up an appeal and giving thanks.
2. Ongoing mail appeals focus equally on retaining and upgrading present contributors while discovering and cultivating new prospects to make up for donors lost to attrition and to enlarge the donor pool. Present givers won’t always be an available source of funding.
3. Donors via mail don’t come free. Depending on the package, to obtain a new contributor, you can spend from $1.30 to $1.60 (or more) for each initial dollar raised from that person.
4. Mail programs are long-term propositions and instant financial rewards are unusual.
5. Be clear who you designate as a donor and who you label a prospect. Donors are people currently contributing to your charity. Someone who gave you a gift two years ago or a person who once contributed a painting to your auction are prospects, not donors. Get used to thinking of three distinct groups: current donors, past donor prospects, and new prospects.
6. Some prospects have more interest in and knowledge about an organisation than others. Cultivated potential donors are first approached because they represent the highest rate of return. For instance, a past donor prospect is a better bet to send you a new donation than someone who once came to a special event that you held. The person who came to the special event is more likely to fund you than someone who never heard of your group.
In planning a full scale mail campaign, don’t lose sight of the fundamental fundraising requirements. Make sure your project has compelling goals, high visibility, specific, attractive, and timely needs.
Additionally, make sure your group has start-up funds on hand for what can become a relatively large investment to get the program rolling. For example, depending on the scale of your operation, you might want to engage a letter shop or mail house to provide the many functions necessary to get your direct mail package to recipients. This is an expensive proposition.
Or you might opt to subscribe to an online software provider to help drive your mail program. Since the highest percentage of return comes from current contributors, they are the first group to target. If a goal is reachable by only contacting these people, expenses will be minimal and your problems will be solved. If that’s not realistic, additional prospects who might fund your project would need to be reached. That’s fine so long as you realize that their percentage of return will be far less than supporters.
For instance, you send a letter to current donors and perhaps {30|40|50} percent of them respond with {donations|gifts}. A letter sent to brand-new {potential donors|prospects} typically yields responses of around 0.5 percent to 2 percent. Until you’ve won over a new potential {donor|giver}, don’t expect relatively large {donations|contributions}. A return of 5 percent to 12 percent can be expected from present donors.
If your group, school or {sports club|club} is looking for fundraising ideas and easy fundraisers, have a look at Goldstar Gifts and Stationery’s easy to manage ideas for fundraising.
Sphere: Related ContentManila History
Manila is the political and economic centre of the Philippines, and it serves as a magnet for residents from all over the country. For most visitors from North America or Australia, this metropolis does not seem to merit more than a few days’ visit, after which the tranquility of the provinces may seem all that much more attractive. Although a trip to Manila can be draining, it nevertheless gives the tourist important insights into the culture, history and politics of this island republic, insights that stem from its very wealth of contradictions.
In the sights of foreign conquerors
Natives who settled at the mouth of the Pasig River in Manila have seen a great many conquerors come and leave. The first to come were the Malaysians, who arrived in the Philippines during the pre-Christian era. Hindu and Buddhist rulers from Indonesia followed. Islam got to Manila at the end of the fifteenth century. The Muslim sultanate established in the mid-sixteenth century had been in existence for barely a decade when Spanish Catholic sailors appeared on the horizon.
Colonial Manila
Miguel de Legaspi conquered Manila in 1571, declaring it to be the capital of the Spanish colony of the Philippines. Despite the ravages of World War II, when Manila was heavily bombed, traces of the city’s colonial past are still in evidence, particularly in the Intramuros district. Intramuros, literally “within the walls”, meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress. The city centre, with its partially restored wall , is the site of a number of sixteenth-century buildings including Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral and the church of San Augustin, the oldest in the city.
At the centre of power
The heart of Manila is now elsewhere, in Makati, the modern commercial and banking quarter. Elegant high rises, gorgeous residential groves, super-modern shopping centres and numerous international hotels can be found there. The modern development of this quarter began in the mid-twentieth century. Like much of the growth in Manila, Makati is closely connected to the politically powerful Zobel de Ayala family. The family name is found throughout the city, on streets, buildings and public monuments.
They come here not only to pray
Pasay City is located in the south-west of Manila across the superhighway from high-class Makati. On Wednesdays, Pasay is overrun with people. In Baclaran, the faithful crowd into Redemption Church, where weekly services are held in honour of the Virgin Mary. But one suspects that even more Manilans make their way to Pasay in order to patronize the neighbourhood’s famous lech6n stands, known to be the best source of that quintessential Philippine specialty, roast suckling pig.
A bit of folk culture
Throughout Manila, a light rail station is never far away. If your stomach is complaining after a feast of suckling pig, a gentle ride on this elevated railway is highly recommended. The trip back to town can also be made by Jeepney, of course, though it will be slower and more crowded.
Jeepneys were originally former United States Army jeeps that had been converted into passenger vehicles with as many as fourteen covered seats. These days, however, most Jeepneys come new from the factory. Beautiful painting and ornamentation are a must have for genuine Jeepney status. Most have Catholic religious motifs as their central theme, but they may include funny comic strip images.
Many Jeepneys are so thoroughly covered in advertising that they resemble moving billboards, while others looks like temples on wheels. What’s important for visitors to remember, however, is that Jeepneys follow specific routes, just like buses. It is always best to inquire about the route before getting on board.
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Sphere: Related ContentWhy Work from Home?
Working from home is becoming increasingly fashionable. I work from home and I adore it. I don’t think I could ever toil at a salon again, but I must face the possibility that I may have to move my enterprise into commercial premises if it keeps growing like it has in the last few months. Even if parts of my business move out of home, I’ll try to stay at home myself as much as I can.
Times are changing and working from home, particularly for the self-employed or contract workers is becoming more common. It is pointless paying rent for business premises if they are not necessary. Working from home has many perks.
You can work back late without getting into strife with your family. You can “drop into the office” anytime you like. You can get up really early if the mood takes you and put in a few hours work then go back to bed. But as a massage therapist, there is one feature I really like, all the tax benefits!
You can claim some of your household running expenses on your tax return. Based on the floor area used for business purposes, you can claim a portion of your mortgage interest, insurance, rates, water, electricity, maintenance and the bulk of your telephone bill as well as depreciation on the carpets, curtains, computer equipment and so on. At the end of the financial year you will be surprised by the list of deductions.
You will also save on travel costs, wear and tear on your car and more importantly wear and tear on you, having not to deal with peak hour or public transport. Not to mention picking up approximately an extra one to two hours per day of work when you don’t have to travel.
There is a downside to working from home. The first problem is family distractions. Kids home from school at three o’clock, a friend at the front door, phone calls for other members of the family.
You also may not have the perfect workspace, or space may be limited. Work space is vitally important, you must have an area set aside purely for business, nothing else, just business. I have found that it’s best also if you can close the door on the weekends and at the end of the day so you can “leave work”.
I think many of the perceptions of people that working from home is “unprofessional” have lapsed into history. The number of major companies that allow their workers to work from home via computers has increased enormously in recent years. “Outsourcing” has become a commonly used term and this has brought about a spate of self-employed former employees, most of them working from home.
The other problem that many people working from home suffer is motivation and discipline. You must start work everyday just as you would if you were employed by someone else.
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Sphere: Related ContentThe History of Hong Kong
Hong Kong greets visitors from all over the world with a wide smile. The urban embodiment of the compromise between Chinese and European cultures, Hong Kong has long been one of the most vibrant cities on earth.
Few travel to Hong Kong for the sights; they come for business and excitement. Hong Kong is so lively it sizzles like the oil in the woks of its ubiquitous street food vendors. Little has changed since the 1997 return of the British colony of Hong Kong to China. The city that flourished through co-operation between the Chinese and British societies is, if anything, more fascinating and colourful than ever before.
Opium highs and wars.
In the early eighteenth century, the first British traders to arrive at what would become Hong Kong, found only a few fishing villages. The region had no importance at all within the Chinese Empire and had been ignored for centuries.
The British built a trade port here in 1711, and it thrived during the early nineteenth century when goods from China were in fashion in Europe.
As the fashion for things Chinese waned the British began to trade in opium instead, growing it in India and importing it illegally into China, where the Qing dynasty emperor had banned its sale. When the Chinese tried to halt the imports, the British responded with military force.
The resulting Opium Wars (1838-1856) were disastrous for China. In 1842, the British took control of the city of Hong Kong and it became a British colony. A 1898 pact with China made Hong Kong and 234 nearby islands a British protectorate for ninety-nine years. The treaty ended in 1997.
Negotiations took place in 1982 to modify the original agreement in order to protect Hong Kong’s special status. China had originally demanded control not only of the so-called “New Territories” around the city, but also of Hong Kong itself. Through a series of agreements and negotiations, the UK was able to prevent Hong Kong from being directly incorporated into mainland China. Instead, on 1 July 1997, Hong Kong was declared a Chinese Special Administrative Region.
Office Blocks and feng shui.
Hong Kong’s special status has allowed it to remain a modern economic hub. Despite its visible modernity, traditional ways of life are never far beneath the surface. The ancient Chinese art of feng shui is still used with new constructions, where measurements are configured according to lucky numbers and windows positioned so as to let good luck in and bad luck out.
Skyscrapers loom where splendid colonial buildings once stood, only a few of which have survived. In the central district, the Cathedral of St. John, the former French Residence and the Legislative Council Building are among the few traditional buildings that remain.
Omnipresent Buddha.
Traditional life is a stronger presence in the New Territories than in the city itself. Superb temple complexes are everywhere, built in traditional style in tranquil settings. 10,000 Buddhas Monastery is one of the most visited. This number represents “very many” or “countless” in Chinese, rather than a specific number of Buddhas.
In fact, there are more than 10,000, perhaps as many as 13,000. The enormous bronze Buddha towering above Lo Pin Monastery on the island of Lantau is the largest Buddha in the world, measuring 26 metres tall. Visitors can climb a steep path of 260 steps to reach it. The panoramic view from the top definitely rewards the effort, as does the spiritual enlightenment achieved along the way.
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Sphere: Related ContentHow to Sell Your Vehicle
Unless you are considering keeping your old car and giving it to someone else, you will eventually need to sell it. There’s many ways to sell your car, but first let’s discuss the preparation of your vehicle prior to advertising or trading.
Presentation is the key factor
The first thing one should consider when selling an old vehicle is how you can sell it for more money. The technique, which most people seem to overlook, is to simply make it look absolutely stunning!
This does not mean just washing and vacuuming it, although that’s a excellent start. It is the overall preparation and detailing that gets a good price. This is a well-known secret of most used car dealers.
You would be surprised to see the condition of some of the vehicles they purchase, but after a few hours in the detailing shop you wouldn’t think it was the same vehicle! The best advice to anyone selling his or her car, is to have a professional car detail carried out. This will cost you around the $200 mark and it will be money well invested.
It will, in effect, save you hours of hard work trying to do it yourself with nowhere near the same result. This alone will add hundreds of dollars to your vehicle, particularly when selling via the newspaper.
I know of people who have had their car detailed and fallen back in love with their car deciding not to go ahead with the sale.
Once the detailing has been carried out you should make sure any minor flaws are repaired. It is also important that you have the service books and any relative mechanical history at the ready, as this is now becoming a critical factor when buying or selling a used vehicle. If a service is due or near due, make sure you have it done prior to selling. This will give a prospective buyer a good idea of how well you have kept your car.
What is your car going to sell for?
Before you start selling your vehicle, either privately or to a dealer, you must know its market value. There is nothing worse than advertising your vehicle with a highly inflated price.
One way to find out the approximate value of your vehicle is by studying the used car section of your local newspapers, which will give you a reasonable guideline. Another way is to look in dealership yards to see what price similar vehicles are being sold for, but you must remember these vehicles have profit margins built into them to cover the dealer’s operating costs and over-stock.
Alternatively, the web can provide a wealth of information on vehicle pricing. This is only web-based information and is generalised, so it does not give you accurate pricing on your own vehicle because of the specific condition and accessories fitted.
Web sites where you can gather this type of information are the individual dealership web sites and vehicle pricing-guide sites such as www.redbook.com.au and www.glassguide.com.au
This information is purely to assist you in making a qualified and rational decision when buying or selling your vehicle. Remember, these sites are to be used only as a guideline, they are not entirely accurate as they do not take into consideration the individual buying or selling trends within the different states.
There are always variations to the rules about pricing, so you should follow your intuition when setting a price and be sure to leave room for negotiating in your asking price. Your starting price should be higher than the price for which you really want to sell your vehicle.
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