Monday, February 25, 2013

Article Marketing: How to Market Your Articles as a Newspaper Column

Article marketing has great benefits for any business.

One great way to market your articles is to use them in your own newspaper column.

How to get a newspaper column

Article Marketing: How to Market Your Articles as a Newspaper Column

For the last 12 years, I've written a weekly relationships/parenting/stress management column for a nationally syndicated newspaper. While you and I would have trouble going to lunch on what I get paid for each column, what I get from each column is of much greater worth: simply stated - tons of prospects, publicity and profits.

The best way to get started is to read your local newspaper to see where a column about your niche would fit in. Then approach the editor of that section with your idea. Make sure you have 2-3 of your best articles to show the editor. Best of all, have many articles up on the article directories and you can send an editor to the article directory to check out your articles.

If they say no, politely thank them for their time. Wait a few months and try again.

One of my article writing and article marketing mentees took this idea and has built a practice around it. She has an assistant that calls other papers to pitch the column, so she is syndicated nation wide.

The other day she called me with a big problem - she wanted to know if I knew of any good relationship coaches to whom she could send her over flow of clients.

That's both a nice problem to have and the power of article marketing.

Article Marketing: How to Market Your Articles as a Newspaper Column
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Visit http://www.TheInternetArticleGuy.com for more leading edge tips and tools for writing articles that bring you prospects, publicity and profits. You can also subscribe to our monthly Article Writing & Marketing Tips Newsletter. You are also invited to visit my Express-Start Article Writing Program [http://www.theinternetarticleguy.com/express-start.htm] for more information on the next article writing tele-seminar.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Article Marketing - How to Promote Online Payment Services Using Article Writing

The online payment services marketplace is heating up with competition. More major players are entering this space. So it definitely helps to be able to possess a reliable source of search engine traffic. Here is how you can promote payment services on the Internet with article marketing.

Tip 1: Discuss payment security standards on the web.
Tip 2: Talk about the ease of making payment online.
Tip 3: Demonstrate how businesses can increase revenues by accepting more payment options.

Tip 1: Discuss payment security standards on the web.

Article Marketing - How to Promote Online Payment Services Using Article Writing

Someone who has never made an online payment before may be hesitant to giveaway their credit numbers on a website. You can assure consumers that their credit numbers are safe when they pay on a secure gateway. The data is encrypted so that no one else can access the information. This encryption standard is commonly known as SSL (Secured Sockets Layer). The article doesn't have to get too technical. But consumers must at least be able to recognize the "https" protocol, which represents the presence of SSL technology. When business owners adopt the payment services you offer, they can immediately offer such benefits to their customers.

Tip 2: Talk about the ease of making payment online.

Write about the online payment process. If the process is too complicated, it may deter customers from completing payments. The process should be as simple and as hassle free as possible.

Tip 3: Demonstrate how businesses can increase revenues by accepting more payment options.

Due to the competition in this space, different people may hold different accounts with different service providers. For example, some people only have a Paypal account. If you don't accept Paypal payments, you are losing a chunk of the business. But what about those who don't like using Paypal? You may then offer alternative payment options to increase business.

So how much additional revenue can businesses expect to earn when they use your payment services?

Article Marketing - How to Promote Online Payment Services Using Article Writing
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Want to learn how to get to the top of Google using Article Marketing? I have the tools, knowledge, and resources to help you achieve your traffic and income goals.

Join the article marketing newsletter by Darren Chow

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Marketing Ideas For Small Architecture Firms

Small architectural firms have slowly dwindled, being unable to cope with competition from established larger firms. This makes it essential for the existing small architectural firms to have a well-thought-out marketing plan and effective marketing strategies to become successful firms. Some firms have selected a certain niche to specialize in; others have formed alliances with other services to stay in business. With a good marketing strategy they can attain their target goal more easily.

Some Marketing Ideas for Small Architecture Firms:
- Making use of the Internet is a great way to market small architecture firms. By creating a content-rich, visually pleasing and easily navigable website, you can attract a number of clients. You can make your small architectural firm visible to the whole world using the Internet; and if it is keyword-search optimized, your site can be displayed when keyword searches are done by prospective clients, thus making it highly target market-oriented.
- You can also start a free newsletter service asking those who visit your site to subscribe to it, generating leads as well as staying in touch with potential clients.
- Ask for your satisfied customers to put up their testimonials on your website as this may help persuade other clients to consider your firm.
- Permission-based e-mail marketing is a very cost-effective and easy way to market your services online.
- Use carefully planned advertisements that are well planned and that convey the right message to the clients extolling the benefits of choosing your firm. The TV, radio, newspaper, free newspapers, and magazines can be used effectively to advertise your services. Make sure you advertise regularly and effectively. Try advertising in magazines that deal in home decoration or building and construction. Infomercials on TV that are informative as well as portray your firm as trustworthy and capable can help, too.
- Form alliances with other services that complement your business, in which they can refer you and get a commission from you for doing so.
- Work out deals with local real estate agents who may recommend you to people who are in need of your services.
- Offer excellent customer service, since nothing can compare to word-of-mouth advertisements. Your firm has to appear dependable and experienced and promise them quality work, but make sure you keep your promise.
- Market research and competitive analysis have to be done frequently to stay ahead of your competition and to counter any of their strategies.
- Keep track of how your client heard of you, since it can help give you valuable insight as to which advertising media is working for you and which area is not that effective so that you can allot appropriate funds to the various media.

You can use these tips and many more for getting new clients for your firm. If required you can even take the services of professional marketing consultants and business management software for managing and developing your business.

Marketing Ideas For Small Architecture Firms
Marketing Ideas For Small Architecture Firms
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Alexander Gordon is a writer for http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com - The Small Business Consulting Community. Sign-up for the free success steps newsletter and get our booklet valued at .95 for free as a special bonus. The newsletter provides daily strategies on starting and significantly growing a business.

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Sunday, February 3, 2013

4Ps & 6Ps - Marketing Mix

Marketing mix is one of the major concepts of marketing. According to the traditional base, there are 4Ps of marketing. These are referred to as the marketing mix. But in the modern use of the term, many more Ps have been coined. People have found six, seven even eleven Ps of marketing. In this article we will talk about the 4Ps and 6Ps.

Four Ps

The four Ps of marketing mix consist of Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Product means the thing that you are selling. It can also be a service like the tourism industry.

4Ps & 6Ps - Marketing Mix

Price means the rate at which the product is being sold. A number of factors are involved in determining the price of a product. These include competition, market share, product identity, material costs and the value customers perceive of a product. In fact prices are also determined by competitor's products. If the competitors have the same product, then the price of a product will go down.

Place refers to the real or virtual place from where a product can be bought by a consumer. Another name used for place is called "distribution channel". Promotion is the way that a product will be communicated to the general public. There are four distinct ways in which this might be done- 'point of sale', 'word of mouth', public relations and advertising.

Somewhere down the line people felt that four Ps were not enough for marketing mix. It had to face a lot of criticism mainly on the grounds that it was extremely product focused. This was not enough for the economy which is based a lot on services as well nowadays.

Another criticism that marketing mix has to face is that it does not have a 'purpose'. So it should be looked upon as a tool that sets marketing strategy. Another criticism of marketing mix is that it does not discuss customers. This is why the concept of Six Ps of Marketing mix has achieved relevance.

Six Ps

The six Ps contain all the four Ps of marketing - product, price, place and promotion. In addition, it contains, two new Ps, namely People and Performance.

People include the potential and current customers of the business and how they make their purchase decisions. Market segmentation is also a part of this. It contains the features of market segmentation and the most attractive segments of this market.

The next P is Performance. This implies the performance of the business. The financial and strategic objectives of the business are dealt with here. It is also seen whether these objectives are achievable and realistic or not. The metrics of financial performance are also seen and appropriated in this division.

The six Ps of marketing mix help to overcome the criticisms of the four Ps. Hence the 6Ps serve to be a better alternative as compared to the 4Ps of marketing mix.

4Ps & 6Ps - Marketing Mix
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more articles at CITYOFMARKETING.COM [http://cityofmarketing.com].