June 15th, 2010 by admin

According to a new research from the University of Bath, viewers pay less attention to creative television ads but could make themselves more vulnerable to message by the advertiser.

The study, published in the Journal of Advertising Research, made use of an eye-tracking device for measuring the real-time attention paid to a range of advertisements with different levels of emotional content.

From Sciencedaily.com:

Dr Robert Heath, from the University’s School of Management, who led the research team, said: “There has been a lot of research which shows that creative TV ads are more effective than those which simply deliver information, and it has always been assumed that it is because viewers pay more attention to them.

“But in a relaxed situation like TV watching, attention tends to be used mainly as a defence mechanism. If an ad bombards us with new information, our natural response is to pay attention so we can counter-argue what it is telling us. On the other hand, if we feel we like and enjoy an ad, we tend to be more trustful of it and therefore we don’t feel we need to pay too much attention to it.

“The sting in the tail is that by paying less attention, we are less able to counter-argue what the ad is communicating. In effect we let our guard down and leave ourselves more open to the advertiser’s message.

“This has serious implications for certain categories of ads, particularly ads for products that can be harmful to our health, and products aimed at children.

The research was carried out in conjunction with Dr Agnes Nairn, Professor of Marketing at EM-Lyon Business School and Research Fellow at the University of Bath’s School of Management, and Dr Paul Bottomley, Distinguished Research Fellow at Cardiff University’s Business School.

Tags: advertisements, creative TV ads, television ads

June 14th, 2010 by admin

If you are an entrepreneur and some one has just suggested you to compromise on quality of products and services to make some quick money, do not fall in the trap. You may be able to make easy profits, but that profits will be for a very short period and the aftereffects forever. The point is – be truthful to your customers at all times.

The recession may have hit your business, the profits may have come down, but it does not mean that you try recovering by indulging into unethical business practices and marketing strategies. There is nothing wrong with aggressive advertising but do make it a point that you are not misleading the customers or providing them with sub-standard products and services. Remember, a business truthful to its customers may achieve slow results but the time will not be far when it is able to get what it rightly deserves.

You, as a business owner, must remember that the law does not allow you to deceive or mislead customers. Moreover, you would not be able to stretch the “misleading facts” about your products and services. It is, therefore, highly recommended that you follow the principles of ethical marketing and win customers on the basis of your strengths and not your “black side”. Do make sure that all the facts claimed by you are backed by tangible and quantifiable proofs.

In short, be truthful to your customers by promising and delivering. Do remember to perform both the activities (promising and delivering) or the customers will have no tolerance for your business, meaning shut doors for you.

Tags: advertising, aggressive advertising, ethical marketing, marketing, marketing strategies, recession

June 12th, 2010 by admin

Most of modern-day business owners fail to understand and remember the usefulness of motivation even though it is one of the perquisites of success at every stage of life. This YouTube video will help you see the brighter side of personal and professional life so that you can excel at all times without any negative thoughts creeping in.

Tags: motivation, negative thoughts, professional life, success, YouTube video

June 11th, 2010 by admin

The success saga of viral websites like Social Diva and Flavor Pill is known to one and all. In this YouTube video, Stephanie Leffler and Ryan Blair discuss this growth and how these companies managed to use the web and viral marketing for gaining popularity. This is surely one of the most expressive and meaningful videos on viral marketing and word of mouth advertising on the Internet.

Tags: Flavor Pill, Social Diva, viral marketing, viral websites, word of mouth advertising, YouTube video

June 10th, 2010 by admin

Now that you are done with creating your business website, which would be the first impression of your business before the customers, now is the time to promote it. Let us how you should be moving ahead with branding online presence of your business with easy yet highly effective ways.

First of all, it is important for you to note that your website will be the first point of contact (online presence) for most of the times. Therefore, it should be designed professionally and must adhere to techniques of search engine optimization. It should be easy to navigate and free from distracting advertisements. If there is an issue with the site, take care of it before launching it on the Web. Do make it a point to recheck site navigation, content, appeal, uniqueness, and usefulness of your site for the targeted audience.

After your website has been launched, it is now time for you to promote it using online as well as offline marketing techniques. For this, you need to use online tools such as articles, blogs, newsletters, press releases, brochures, and offline tools such as newspaper ads, television commercials, and putting site name on business cards and stationery. An extensive yet controlled promotion of the website is required since it communicates who you are, what you will be offering, what customers can expect, and what you promise.

Carefully plan and promote your site so that the purpose of online presence, website creation, and website promotion does not get defeated at any point of time. If you can do this, it will be the customers reaching you and not the other way around and that will be the time when your business will be heading towards the next business level.

Tags: articles, Blogs, branding online presence, brochures, business website, marketing, marketing techniques, newsletters, Online Presence, online tools, press releases, Search Engine Optimization, website creation, website promotion

June 9th, 2010 by admin

Most of us do no justice to our true potential. This YouTube video by Professional business speaker Andy Cohen suggests how one can attain success in life and business by identifying his strengths and then incorporating them into actionable, motivational, and inspirational actions. This innovative approach to unlock hidden potential is unarguably one of the best motivational speeches on the web.

Tags: Andy Cohen, best motivational speeches, YouTube video

June 8th, 2010 by admin

Looking for inspiring quotations on marketing and business? Then, you will surely not be left disappointed as this blog, a compilation of motivational business quotes, will satisfy every inspirational need of yours.

I have always been amazed at the way an ordinary observer lends so much more credence and attaches so much more importance to waking events than to those occurring in dreams… Man… is above all the plaything of his memory. – Andre Breton

Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best. – Theodore Isaac Rubin

I was told to avoid the business all together because of the rejection. People would say to me, ‘Don’t you want to have a normal job and a normal family?’ I guess that would be good advice for some people, but I wanted to act. – Jennifer Aniston

If you aren’t playing well, the game isn’t as much fun. When that happens I tell myself just to go out and play as I did when I was a kid. – Thomas J. Watson

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. – Henry David Thoreau

No one should negotiate their dreams. Dreams must be free to fly high. No government, no legislature, has a right to limit your dreams. You should never agree to surrender your dreams. – Jesse Jackson

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. – Christopher Reeve

It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. – Adam Smith

We all dream; we do not understand our dreams, yet we act as if nothing strange goes on in our sleep minds, strange at least by comparison with the logical, purposeful doings of our minds when we are awake. – Erich Fromm

Tags: business quotes, inspiring quotations, marketing, motivational business quotes, quotations, Quotes

June 7th, 2010 by admin

Search engine rankings have been bothering website owners and marketing executives with equal effect. This is because it is difficult for an online business to create and maintain a distinctive online presence in the competitive world of today. Let us read on how to improve search engine rankings without making any special efforts.

In today’s web-dominated world, no business can taste success without realizing and reaping the potential of online marketing. This is because more and more customers are going online and searching for product vendors and service providers on the web itself and only online businesses can satisfy their needs related to products, services, and information. This also means that an offline business stands no chance of attaining success until it decides to go and stay online with a purpose.

In this respect, the concept of search engine optimization or SEO is worth a mention. Since optimization of a website makes it friendly to search engine spiders and eventually potential customers, every profit-motivated business must emphasize upon online marketing, particularly on SEO.

For this, a website must be regularly updated with unique, relevant, and action-provoking content. It should also have an easy functionality and a clean source code. In addition to that, content to be developed and used for promotional purposes must have the backing of SEO tools and the right keywords. One should not forget here that website and promotional content must be of interest to the targeted audience and should help them make informed decisions. It should not be ambiguous or making false claims to win customers; content with false claims can bring customers for a small time, but there is nothing but failure for sites dealing in such unethical tactics.

By observing these tips, you can easily improve search engine rankings of your site pages and attain success and prosperity in the short as well as the long run.

Tags: improve search engine rankings, marketing, Online Marketing, Online Presence, Search Engine Optimization, Search engine rankings, SEO, SEO tools

June 5th, 2010 by admin

Neutralize, one of the leading agencies in the United Kingdom, illustrates what is search engine marketing (SEM) and why is it essential for website of an online business. This YouTube video is a must-watch for business owners and marketing executives keen to promote products and services on the web.

Tags: marketing, search engine marketing, SEM, YouTube video

June 4th, 2010 by admin

Most marketing executives fail to realize results from their marketing strategies because they fail to realize the importance of developing unique strategies. This YouTube video shows how boring marketing ideas can lead to fall of a business while a unique idea can put you right on the path of success.

Tags: marketing, marketing ideas, marketing strategies, success, YouTube video