Marketing Strategies & Articles

Promotional Hand Sanitizer

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:25:55 PST

Use The Best Hand Sanitizer On The Market For Your Promotional Product This Flu Season

Promotional Hand Sanitizer stays on and in your prospects hands, and keeps your information at their fingertips.

This is not your typical cheap promotional hand sanitizer. CLEANpHIRST has new technology that is far superior not only to Alcohol-Based Sanitizers but to other Alcohol-Free Sanitizers that use BZK as the kill agent. Our inert ingredients and blending processes open up the cell walls of germs and enable the BZK to go in easily and kill these cells.

CLEANpHIRST Hand Sanitizer also stays on the hands and keeps on working for up to 30 minutes after application. Alcohol based sanitizers evaporate after 5 seconds and stop working leaving your skin open for contamination right away. Not only is our product better for your skin, it has proven superior effectiveness against MRSA, Staph, Norovirus and C-Diff at 3 times the kill rate of alcohol based sanitizers and is backed up by extensive testing. This promotional item is also NSF-E3 approved for Food Service which means that you can apply the product and immediately prepare or serve food.

CLEANpHIRST Custom Labeled Promotional Hand Sanitizer will last longer, protect more effectively, give you 3 times more applications than a gel without the negative side effects associated with alcohol based products.

1-time art charge of $83.00
FREE art on orders of 500 or more
4-color process full-color label
5 - 10 day lead time from art approval
Contains 125 applications.

Call for volume pricing on Promotional Hand Sanitizer
Ask for Mark at 816.228.1123!

Custom Laser Pointers On Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:49:02 PST

Custom Laser Pointers

White LED light!
Red laser light!
Available in Red, Navy & Black

Setup: FREE straight line copy, $33 for logos only, one time
Imprint Area: 1.496” x .236”2 lines, 35 spaces and characters per line
Imprint Colors: Silver -- Activate Red Laser pointer with button on barrel; Laser light distance approximately 1 mile; 3 button cell batteries included
Pack: 100/box
Weight: 5 lbs/50
Production Time: 5 days

As low as $2.42 each. Minimum 100 Pieces.
Call for pricing - 816.228.1123

Top 10 Recession Marketing Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:34:14 PDT

Use marketing to grow through in the recession!

Have you stopped spending... stopped moving forward... because you’re convinced that everyone else has too? Stop thinking like that and start marketing!

1. Market to the people who aren’t affected by the recession: change your business model or set up a direct marketing campaign which goes to the rich people and companies that are going to be least affected in tough times.

2. Improve your advertising: Most advertising is pathetically weak. If you’ve noticed a 30% drop in business, simply improving the copy in your advertisements could cause you to be doing better despite the slow economy.

3. Address the message upfront in your marketing: Have a sale because you’re trying to help people cope with the recession and figure that if the cost of food, petrol and mortgages is rising so much… you’ve got to help offset it by offering some substantial savings. Your customers will love you for it!

4. Contact your existing customers: That’s right. It’s five times easier to sell to an existing customer than to create a new one. So send out letters or jump on the phone to your existing customers and pay them a “how’s things” call.

5. Study marketing: If you’ve got some spare time, use it to soak in and study more information about marketing and business. After all, just learning a few new tricks could make you that much richer in the months ahead.

6. Do joint ventures: Find other business owners who have similar clients to you and recommend each other. It costs you virtually nothing and is probably the most effective and profitable method of promoting your business.

7. Apply the power of 10: Contact 10 times as many new prospects. Follow up 10 times as many existing customers. Make 10 times as many “touches” with your client base.

8. Measure everything: Make every ad… every marketing campaign… and everything you do 100% accountable. If something is working for you and profitable, run it more. If an advertisement or marketing campaign is losing you money, get rid of it quickly.

9. Use Synergy: Have a singular purpose with all your marketing efforts. Don't use the shotgun approach and blast you marketing out to the masses. Have a single message on all your mediums to make the biggest impact.

10. Take advantage of FREE opportunities: You can post fee listings in online directories. Speak at chamber meetings. Volunteer for charities. Join groups and communities. There are countless ways to market without spending a dime if you take the time to do what it takes.

In closing, remember that your competitors are going to PANIC and SCRAMBLE and this represents an enormous opportunity for anybody who holds their ground and finds the tools they need to get ahead despite the recession. To start using these marketing tips to your advantage, call us today.

Personal Business Card Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:18:06 PDT

Here is a cool business card idea...

Don’t have a business card. Have a personal philosophy card. In order to do so, ask yourself the question, ‘If everybody did exactly what I said, what would the world look like?’ Come up with 5-10 answers, then print them on a nice, thick, laminated card. Include your contact info, picture, branding, etc. Give it to EVERYBODY. It will be the only card they will not throw away. This marketing tool has made me well over $50,000 in new business...

Get your Personal Business Cards Today!
Call us at 816.228.1123.

Personalized Business Cards For Only $100 for 1,000 cards!

Promotional Travel Tumblers On Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:16:06 PDT

14oz Mode Travel Tumbler

Double wall construction
FDA compliant materials
Constructed out of high impact plastic liner and 18-8 Stainless Steel outer shell
Features a non-skid bottom and newly designed spill proof screw on lid

Product Color: Black, Stainless, Blue, Red
Product Size: 9 1/8"h x 2 7/8"w x
Packaging: Black Non-woven Pouch
More Info: Handwash only
Imprint Methods: Silkscreen*, Wrap 2" h x 8" w, Side #2 2" h x 2" w, Both Sides (same logo) 2" h x 2" w, Side #1 2" h x 2" w*
* Standard included in Price
* Primary Location

As low as $6.99. Minimum 48 Pieces.
Call for pricing - 816.228.1123

Business Social Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:37:18 PDT

It seems like there's an over-abundance of social sites nowadays. For a newbie, it can be quite intimidating when first joining a network or two and building a community. A handful of questions may run through your head:

Which networks to join?
How to participate?
What's enough, or too much?
How will it help my business?

Say you run a small business, maybe you own a restaurant, a clothing boutique, a PR firm or a chiropractic firm... What is in it for you?

Take a look at your customers or clients when they're in your office or store. Are they on their iPhone or Blackberry checking email? Did they mention finding you online? Did they hear about you from a friend? If you can answer "yes" to any of those questions, then you're missing out on connecting with your customers and should probably put on a pot of coffee, cause you're going to be here for a while.

Social media is a chance to be at your market's finger tips when they look at their phone or get online in a friendly and non-obtrusive way.
You can quickly address customer service issues by communicating directly with the customer.
Prospect new clients.
Learn about trends in your industry, stay up-to-date with competition and network with power players in your industry.
Provide existing customers incentives, coupons or interesting information to keep them tuned in to your brand.

Many people will pay thousands of dollars trying to get these things with traditional techniques. Social media is free... despite, of course, any operating costs like time and possibly design fees to add a professional touch. You need to be on here... Do a Google News search for "small business social media". BusinessWeek, LA Times, NY Times will be some of the publications insisting you buck up and make it happen.

How to Participate Effectively In Social Networks:

Do not start a social media campaign if your intention is free advertising. No one will listen and you will waste your time. Period. Take a minute and figure out what you want to get out of being involved in social networks. Research how other businesses have been successful. Make a plan. Mashable is a great place to learn about social media.

Twitter is a great place to find people in your area, geographically or by industry, and interact with them. Start a conversation, always give if you ever want to receive and don't constantly advertise. No one likes spam... so don't spam your followers with pleas to go to your website or go into business with you. Provide your followers a coupon or discount if you're hoping for business from them... Keep them up-to-date on any changes to your menu or services... Share fun pictures from happy customers... Follow-up with an unhappy customer or use your competition's bad customer service as a great way to introduce you into their lives. Just remember to keep it real, be you, because every one wants to know that there's a human behind your username.

Facebook is generally most successful for companies with a large following or customer base. But that doesn't mean you should skip it... create a personal profile so you can network with friends and family. By being there, you can instantly share things about your business with people who already like you and will probably listen more than the average stranger. By keeping your brand in their mind, they'll be more likely to spread the word and pass you along to their friends, and so on. Word of mouth, my friends...

LinkedIn is a must for anyone in business. Very straightforward here, like a virtual resume on steroids. It's always good to network with past and present colleagues and continue to build relationships, because you don't know when you may need them or vice versa.

Keep your brand consistent among all of the networks you decide to join. Monitor your brand using tracking tools. And remember to Collaborate, Communicate, and Participate.

Pay-Per-Click VS Article Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:06:31 PDT

There is no denying that both methods can be effective. However, which method is better? Which gives you a bigger bang for your buck? Pay-Per-Click or Article Marketing?

There is always a big discussion when it comes to comparing two of the best ways to advertise online: Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising and Article Marketing, otherwise known as "organic" or "natural" search engine optimization.

In figuring out which of the two is better, you have to consider cost-effectiveness as well as click-through-rates and direct conversion from visiting user to paying customer. We are going to review some statistics a little bit later on. For now, let's consider some logical points that illustrate how PPC and article marketing differ.

In figuring out which of the two is better, you have to consider cost-effectiveness as well as click-through-rates and direct conversion from visiting user to paying customer. Search engine result pages display more listings than PPC results, which does have a psychological effect on the user. For some users seeing ten search results (each one relevant to the search) is enough to convince them that there is enough web information on the subject and that "fishing" PPC ads might not be necessary.

The catch is that in order to actually rank in the Top 10 SEO results for your keyword, you have to have relevant website content, not to mention technical prowess in HTML coding. Search engines will be focusing on their proprietary algorithms, or the most relevant websites based on the search term queried. There is no "bribery" here, whereas in PPC, it is quite the opposite: whoever bids highest for each word usually gets the top listing. A quality algorithm definitely plays a part in PPC, but in the end money talks. In article marketing, we haven't quite come to the point where "money talks". The best websites still win the search engine contest and that is an important factor to consider in your marketing campaign.

Even PPC proponents will admit that PPC is largely style over substance. With PPC advertising you are trying to grab attention in just a few loud and occasionally obnoxious words. You direct the user to a carefully crafted page that "sells" the idea. This operation contrasts with article marketing, which doesn't necessarily sell an idea on a single page, nor does it grab attention with a few words. With article marketing, there is an entire article waiting for the visitor, which uses a methodical and "indirect" approach. Assuming you are listed in the Top #10, your listing means that the search engine agrees that your website is the best authority on the keyword subject - for the time being. People in a hurry or on a whim will probably click on PPC. People on a mission will be looking for relevant content on their chosen keyword.

Therefore, the question now becomes which methodology works better for your business? Are you appealing to the fast clicker or the thoughtful user? Let's now consider two sources of statistics for a clearer view of the issue.

In Favor of Article Marketing

Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D. and principal founder of the Nielsen Norman Group researched the behavior of users who found search engine results pages and noticed some trends. Forty-two percent of users selected the #1 search listing for their result, leaving 58% that selected another Top 10 Result. The #1 site listed held the majority of clicks. This indicates that almost two thirds of Internet users were not content to choose even the #1 listing on a natural SEO search. That means that these users (and the majority of all users) are actually using independent judgment in deciding what links are most relevant to their needs.

Other related statistics (with sources from ComScore, Webxico, iProspect, SEOResearcher and Hotchkiss, Garrison, and Jensen) concluded that 77% of search users choose organic listings over PPC ads. There were also studies that suggested organic click-through generated 25% higher conversion rates than equivalent PPC click-through.

In Favor of PPC Advertising

Now to be fair, we have to consider some advantages that PPC advertising has. The best feature PPC has is that it gets instantaneous results. SEO advertising takes time, especially if you have a new website just submítted to the all of the major search engines. Yes, this can be frustrating. PPC brings you immediate traffic and sometimes brings in thousands of users. Seeing your Alexa ranking take a drastic jump certainly pumps up your adrenaline!

ComScore recently published statistics in favor of PPC, stating that their studied users had an 18.3% click-through-rate on "paid" search results versus a 4.3% click-through rate for organic search results. The conversion rate was also higher according to ComScore, stating that PPC had a 1.4% versus SEO's 0.6%.

The Real Issue: Longevity

However, the downside here is that instant and high volume traffic is, frankly, cheap and not as exciting as it first appears to be. Remember that when you use PPC ads you are making a pitch and capitalizing on your audience's curiosity. When that curiosity fades, they forget your website - especially if it's just a glorified advertisement. PPC campaigns can also be costly and time consuming when you consider your duties as a manager.

Another problematic scenario with PPC is that they have no staying power - unless of course you have thousands of dollars a month to blow in this recession. With article marketing you get more quality traffic, and perhaps more importantly to you, you earn customer trust over time. Internet users aren't stupid, the popularity of Yahoo Answers notwithstanding. Most users know that PPC ads usually aren't relevant to their search - they're just there because someone is consistently paying to get noticed.

You can consider article marketing as an investment that continually pays all through the life of your company (or until you shut the website down) since it generates traffic forever. You can easily spend thousands a month on a brilliant PPC campaign and soon run out of money, meaning your ads go extinct. Therefore, we can conclude that article marketing does have specific advantages over PPC, which are intrinsic because of the differences in operation.

Article marketing generates traffic forever
Article marketing improves your natural SEO ranking and backlinks
Article marketing establishes trust - you appear as a professional in your industry
Article marketing doesn't cost you extra on top of fees spent on landing pages and superfluous domains

How About Return-On-Investment?

ROI is another key issue, as short-term and long-term profit must equal out. Article marketing, by some authorities appears to have a slower ROI -(especially if you make revenue on CTRs). However, studies suggest that organic ROI is more consistent than PPC. Consider some independent research conducted by popular blogger Gord Hotchkiss who explained the situation in crystal clear terms. Let's say you have 50 high traffic search terms. Now for these 50 terms, there are 2.8 million searches being launched in a month. If statistics like ComScore's are correct and unbiased, that translates to 456,000 visitors thanks to PPC and 153,000 visitors thanks to article marketing.

The total cost of those 456,000 PPC visitors would amount to over $500,000 with an average CPC of $1.18. Even if you work with an SEO company that charges top dollar ($10,000 a month, let's say) you're still paying $10,000 compared to half a million. That means article marketing's virtual CPC amounts to $0.07. Even if you apply PPC's higher conversion rate, 3,647 converted visitors, you are paying $147.08 for each individual person. Compare that to 611 visitors you earned through article marketing - you are paying $16.37 for each visitor. And in doing so, you are also earning a higher quality of customer and generating traffic until the end of days.

Does your final ROI number take into account your total expenses? Absolutely! While both methods of advertising have their place online, when it comes to earning quality traffic, article marketing gets the last word.

Call Ad Trends Advertising to get started with PPC or Article Marketing today!

Custom USB Drives On Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:02:48 PDT

Get Custom USB Drives For Client/Employee Gifts!

USB Drives are perfect for premium giveaways and rewards!

Lead time is 10-14 business days from the time art and terms are accepted, plus 3-5 days for shipping. Prices subject to change without notice, is based on prepayment, and it’s subject to change

*Tier 1 - 2GB USB memory chip from Samsung, Hynix or Toshiba.
*All custom USB drives are lead free.

Custom USB Drive Price Includes:

1 location/1-2 color imprint
Set up
PMS color matching attempt on housing (on SW and TX-110)
Bulk packaging (each unit individually packed in a white tuck box)
Shipping/Door to door delivery to 1 Continental U.S. address (from overseas)
Data load up to 25MB
Limited lifetime warranty
Art proofs

Custom 2GB USB Drives On Sale For:

100-250: $12.09 each
251-499: $11.86 each
500-749: $11.82 each
750-100: $11.75 each

Additional Custom Options Include:

Lanyards: $0.30 each
Key Rings: $0.30 each
Key Latch: $0.30 each
Special Gift Tin w/ Logo: $1.25 each

Call Today To Get Them In Time For Holiday Gifts!

Buy Blue Springs Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:20:43 PDT

When a local business owner and lifetime Blue Springs resident approached the new executive director of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce to help tackle a new ‘buy local’ program, the sparks quickly began to fly.

The result was the formation of a Buy Blue Springs campaign and formation of a local task force.

Mark Whitlow, owner of K&M Office Products and chair of the Buy Blue Springs Committee, said over a period of time he had thought of different programs that may stimulate the Blue Springs economy and help keep more dollars within the city limits.

“I came up with it through my industry trade magazine,” said Whitlow, a 15-year business owner and lifelong resident. “There are communities throughout the country doing this and I thought I would start to look around locally and see what was going on locally and there really wasn’t something of this scale.”

Through its committee and with the help of a local marketing company, Ad Trends Advertising, Buy Blue Springs soon had a mission, logo, slogan and even a Web site: http://www.buybluesprings.com

“Buy Blue Springs. Because Next Door Means More” is the official slogan for the campaign. The task force came up with four goals, including partnering with local merchants, educating the community, establishing a buy local rewards program and bringing members of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce. Continued at: http://www.bluespringsjournal.com/home/story/22937.html

Website Design Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:11:58 PDT

Think about your audience. Are they looking for immediate answers and solutions? We bet they are. Most likely these visitors to your website are very much like you. Chances are you use the Internet more than other types of media to search for information. If a web page doesn't "grab your interest" within 4 - 10 seconds after landing on it... you move on!

As a "first step" we suggest that you start by reviewing the questions listed below. We are convinced that once you get to the last question... you will have a list of action items identified that will greatly improve the productivity of your current website. The success or failure of the site and/or business may very well depend upon the decisions you make after reading these questions.

What Do You Know About Your Clients and Prospects State of Mind?
When visitors land on your website, they have very little time to read what you say. They have a need for information or a product and don't want to listen or read verbose descriptions and comments. You have about 8 seconds to engage them and get them to take action. Do most visitors land on your website wanting:

information,
a "quick fix",
a bargain,
a large selection,
or a telephone call, etc.?

It is imperative to know the answers to these and many other questions BEFORE you design the pages within your website.

Do You Make Website Visitors Feel You Can Satisfy Their Wants and Needs?
Landing on any page within your website [especially the Homepage] must make the visitor know that you understand their needs, business, wants, and desires. The more you put yourself into the "mindset" of the website visitor, the better chance you have of converting their visit into something you want to happen i.e. buy, complete a contact us form, bookmark the page, pick up the phone and call you or any other method of measurable conversion.

What Approach Do You Take When Developing Pages Within Your Website?
What do you think you would want from your website if you were the prospective visitor or client? Assume you don't know as much information as you want in order to make an informed decision. Talk to these visitors in a language they will understand. If visitors want more insight or information, tell them to click on the more info link or give you a call. They will follow your direction ONLY if you have built some level of trust or understanding.

What are You "Selling" to the Website Visitor?
Are you focused on telling them about your product or service or are you making them understand that choosing your firm will deliver that special feeling they are seeking by making the purchase? Are you sure that you made the visitor know that you understand their needs, wants, problems, etc.? What techniques did you implement to get your points across?

How are You Going to Get the Visitor to Stop and Think About Your Service or Product?
Remember... they are ready to pass by your website in a blink of an eye. What are you going to do to engage them? The answer you come up with will be critical to the success you have in gaining their confidence enough to buy or call you. Make sure what you say is NOT the same old thing they are used to seeing or reading on other websites. Be boring and you lose! Address the issues that appeal to the visitor and they WILL STOP! This is hard work... but worth the effort.

What Kind of "Call to Action" Statements are You Placing on Your Website?
Turning a visitor into a prospect or client is one of the most critical actions of your website. How will you engage them? Once they know that you understand their needs and wants, they are more inclined to follow your CTA direction. Call to Action statements are critical to the success of any website's conversion. Guide them in a manner that is more telling, rather than selling. Don't be afraid to be assertive.

How Does Your Website Address the "Who Are We" Issue?
Again, it is about making the website visitor feel confident that they are choosing a reputable firm or organization with which to do business. They need to read about your success. This can be done by exhibiting your affiliation with associations, awards won, satisfied client statements, client success stories, examples of your work, etc. Show them you are a "player" in your industry.

Are You Prepared to Answer: "What Makes You Different"?
What have clients and prospects said about you and your company? Have they applauded you for your approach to doing business? Did they say you made them feel like you understood their needs and wants? Think back to the reasons clients buy from you. How did you meet their needs and wants? Give your prospective clients reasons to do business with your firm.

Make it your primary goal to understand the potential client. Look at your website through that client's perspective. Who are they? What makes them different? What do they individually want and need? Be informative... do more telling than selling. They will "get it" and appreciate that you have made them an educated buyer. Tell them what you want them to do next. Get them to take the first step and be ready to deliver on the expectations you have set throughout your website!

Finally, be sure to hire Internet marketing professionals to do the job if you don't have the capabilities in-house. Too much is at stake to leave this part of your business to chance! We are happy to help in anyway you need to see your vision made a reality.

How To Create A Core Marketing Message

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:53:05 PDT

What, exactly, is your core marketing message?
It's the message you want to get across to your potential customers. It's the thing that will convince potential customers that you have the answer to their problem. The success of your business will, ultimately, depend greatly on how clear and effective your core marketing message is.

Introducing Yourself:
One of the reasons you're marketing your business is so that people will choose to hire you. That sound's rather basic, but it can be overlooked. Your marketing message needs to say who you are. Making sure your name, or your business name, is included in your marketing efforts will help insure that, even if the potential client doesn't hire you right away, they'll remember you for when they are ready to buy.

In the process of introducing yourself, don't get carried away. Talking about yourself can distract your potential customers and, in many cases, push them away. They're not interested as much in who you are as they are in what you can do for them.

In some niches, it can be useful to provide some biographical information. For example, you might say, "I am Dr. Rogers, and I am a physician at State Hospital" or "I am Jan Smith, a certified clinical psychologist." If your niche has recognized certifications or associations, you can certainly include this information in your marketing. As a general rule, however, brevity is best.

Identifying ProblemsThe next thing you need to focus on in your core marketing message is a problem that needs to be solved. People buy things, and they pay consultants and coaches, to solve problems. This is true for just about any consulting business. If you're a writing coach, your clients have a problem with their writing ability (or with selling their writing, perhaps.). If you're a weíght loss coach, your clients probably have a weight problem. If you're a back pain coach, your clients have back pain.

It seems basic, but identifying the specific problems that your coaching solves is integral to your core marketing message. You want to reach people that have a need, and then say, "Hey! You there! I can fix that!" That is how you get clients' attention. That's how your potential clients know you're talking to them, and how they know you have something that they just might want to listen to. Think about some of the most effective commercials and marketing campaigns you've seen.

Acne medications don't start out their advertisements by talking about ingredients. Instead, they say, "Are you tired of not looking your best?"

They identify a problem right away: with acne, you don't look your best. Your core marketing message should address a problem or problems of your target market. Make a list of the top problems in your target market - perhaps three to five problems - and decide which ones you can solve. Focus your marketing efforts on these.

Offering Outcomes:
The natural thing to do, once you've identified a problem, is talk about solutions and processes. However, when it comes to your core marketing message, solutions and processes need to take a back seat.

You see, people out there who have a problem aren't looking for methods. They aren't looking for a process. They aren't even looking for solutions.

What they want are outcomes.

The person with back pain doesn't want medicine. They don't want exercise, physical therapy or coaching. They want to be free from back pain. The person with acne doesn't want hydrocortisone creams or UV treatments. They want to get rid of their acne. It's not enough to identify problems; potential customers know they have problems. Identifying problems is just how you get their attention. You need to tell those potential customers exactly why they need you. You have to be able to identify specific outcomes. You need to know what your potential clients want to get out of the situation, decide if you can provide it, and then give it to them.

As the next step in the process of developing your core marketing message, you need to consider each of those problems you identified previously. For each problem, ask yourself, "What is the ideal outcome your potential customers are hoping for?" Once you've identified those outcomes, they become an impressive tool in your marketing efforts.

Putting it All Together
So, now that you have identified the various components of your core marketing message, it's time to actually formulate and articulate that message. Your core marketing message says something along these lines:

"I am _____. I work with _____ who have this problem_____. I help them to _____."

So, you might say, "I am John Sebastian. I work with older men and women who have lower back pain. I help them to manage their pain effectively and lead normal, productive lives."

Establishing a coherent core marketing message that identifies who you are, identifies the problem you can solve and gives the potential customer a look at what life looks like after their problem is solved is key to success in your consulting business.

Backlinks: SEO Through Link Building

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:28:23 PDT

Sometimes called inbound links, backlinks are the lifeblood of Search Engine Optimization or SEO. In order for a website to be on the top of search engines like Google without the webmaster having to pay big money for advertising, the website has to have a large number of backlinks. Backlinks are links on one website that lead back to another website. The more established, high quality, and high Page Rank the website that contains the link has, the more power it has to help the linked website with its search engine position. If the website that is getting backlinks gets many High Quality and High Page Rank backlinks, the better the chance it has of being in a high position on the Search Engines.

How does a webmaster go about getting high quality backlinks to his or her website? There are many ways this can be done. Some people advocate writing and submitting articles, posting on forums, making comments on blogs. Others talk about submitting their website to various Internet directories. One directory that has an excellent reputation is called DMOZ, or the Open Directory. This directory is probably the most respected directory online today. The websites it contains have all been placed there by human editors; there is no automation to this directory. The only drawback that's been discussed about this directory is that it takes so long to have a website included.

Another way that many people build backlinks for their website is to use Social Bookmarking websites. A "Social Bookmark" is a website that usually has a very popular 'community' aspect to it. Users sign up and create profiles on the sites that contain photos and information about themselves. They then can save â€œbookmarksâ€ of favorite websites which can be itemized by 'tags', which are one or two word descriptions of what the sites contain, and these bookmarks can be saved to a list that's private or can be listed publicly, so that everybody can see it.

With the advent of what is known as Web 2.0, gaining backlinks is easier now than in any time in the history of the internet. Most sites now have an interactive quality to them nowadays. Readers can often sign in and create profiles. They then are often allowed to post comments on the stories or articles on the website or blog. In many cases, the website or blog owner responds to these comments; thus making this section of the website or blog a conversation.

Backlinking strategies can be easy and fun and the website owner who is working on getting more backlinks for his website can learn new things, meet new people, and have a tremendous amount of fun doing something that was once a chore: building backlinks for SEO.

Social Networking Sites

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:23:07 PDT

If you think Twitter, Facebook, and other online social networking site communities are only for teens, you're missing out on valuable and free marketing platforms for your brand (business or product). Further, if you're not on social media, you're risking losing your potential clients/customers to those smart business people who are utilizing social media.Which social media platforms you focus on depends a great deal on what your brand is.

Here are seven excellent reasons why you must use social networking sites no matter what you are promoting:

Reason 1: It's the Most Cost-Effective Online Advertising
The current most popular social networking sites being used for business are free: Twitter.com, Facebook.com and LinkedIn.com. (LinkedIn does have an upgrade that costs, but it's not necessary to get this upgrade.) And this is "relationship" marketing to targeted markets. "Free" is definitely more cost-effective than spending money on online advertising techniques such as Pay Per Click or banner ads.

Reason 2: You Can Have Global Reach With Social Networking Sites
The world is now a global marketplace. Why not reach this global market? Many of the most popular social media platforms have this global reach, and you can see this clearly illustrated on Twitter. At any time of day or night you can see real-time "tweets" from people in Japan, England, the U.S., India and many other countries.For example, if you have a book that might appeal to anyone in the world who reads in English, why limit yourself to just promoting in the U.S.? Thanks to Amazon people outside the U.S. can buy your book even if it is only available in U.S. stores.

Reason 3: You Can Attract Targeted Groups of People as Potential Clients/Customers for Your Brand
Social networking sites enables you to join groups of people with the same interests and goals. On LinkedIn and Facebook you can join groups as varied as Children's Book Writers to eMarketing. If you choose groups to join based on your brand, you'll be putting yourself in front of the exact groups of people you want to reach as potential clients/customers. This can pay off in increased sales for you.

Reason 4: You Can Form A Community by Using the Community Aspect of Social Networking Sites
Once you are active on social media platforms and have people who are your followers (Twitter), your friends (Facebook) and/or your connections (LinkedIn), you can start groups of highly targeted interests. You can create a niche market in your brand, book or business and share your knowledge with others who join your community. These people can become your loyal followers, friends and connections - and they can help spread your marketing message to their followers, friends and connections.

Reason 5: You Can Use Social Networking Sites to Establish Your Expertise
People like to do business with people they know, like and trust. By sharing your knowledge for free online with the people in the social media groups you belong to, you can establish yourself as an expert. This can pay off in increasing potential clients/customers' trust in you.And you can also receive invitations for blog "interviews" or BlogTalkRadio show interviews or podcasts. And these interviews lead to more free exposure for your brand and more free exposure for your expertise.

Reason 6: You Can Use Social Networking Sites To Find Cross-Promotional Partners
Amazingly in the world of social media, people who would be considered competitors in the off-line world are teaming up to provide products and services to their combined clients/customers. And these clients/customers are very responsive to these cross-promotions (often called joint ventures) - especially when introduced to a second expert by a first expert they already know, like and trust.You and your cross-promotion partner can each get access to the other person's "list" (the names of interested clients/customers collected at a website) and thus you've greatly expanded your potential client/customer pool.

Reason 7: With a Few Keystrokes You Can Announce New Updates of Your Activities
Your updates on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn take seconds - and you've announced to your followers, friends and connections what you're doing or what you're offering or what you're speaking on. And there are even online applications that allow you to update your status across several of your social media accounts simultaneously. So it is as easy as 1-2-3 to keep in front of your potential clients/customers.

In conclusion, once you become active yourself on social networking sites, you'll find many more reasons to promote your brand, book or business on social media in order to attract targeted potential clients/customers. And you'll look back at your pre-social networking days and wonder how you ever did marketing without using online social networking sites.

Get your products online before the holiday buying season!

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:05:47 PDT

Custom Web Stores

Only 3% of all business sell their products or services online...
While 50 Million people will shop online this year!

Click on the images to the right to view
a couple of our custom web stores.

Custom Web Store With
10 Products Only $1000!**

Creating custom web stores to showcase your products or sell them online can be a great solution for your business. We customize and upload a full shopping cart to your web site, and can set you up with PayPal to accept credit card payments, if you do not already do so.*

Call us today and get your web store up and running before the holidays!

* PayPal charges not included.
** Additional products are 10 for $100

Call us at 816.228.1123
or click here for more information:
Website Development

Top 5 Reasons To Use Social Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:28:07 PDT

Networking, whether online or offline, is a great use of time when done properly. As with anywhere you spend your time, knowing why you are doing it, how you will measure success and having a plan is the best approach.

Social Networking online is a good idea for these reasons:

1. There Is No Direct Cost
There is no direct cost unless you opt for an upgrade, if one is offered. I haven't paid for an upgrade and have steadily increased my list to include over 1000 followers between just three social media outlets, and without much effort.

2. Build Your Business by Connecting With Peers
Are you interested in finding joint ventures, affiliates, guest experts or other peers you can bounce ideas off of? In the last few weeks alone, I have located one large joint venture partner and have had several other partnership opportunities cross my desk. Business owners just like you are using social media to connect with others who are interested in using your articles, hosting you as a guest expert on teleseminars, webinars and live events, and even creating projects together!

3. Build Your Business by Following People You Are Targeting
Would an article written by a certain reporter make your year? Follow them on Twitter or Facebook and see what is of interest to them and what they are writing about. You don't know what golden nugget you'll find by following them online that may open the door at the right time. Follow them and invite them to follow you as well! Or with LinkedIn you can find out how many degrees you are from them. You may surprise yourself by being only one or two degrees away from your target!

4. Showcase Your Expertise, Build Your Platform and Attract New Clients
Social media is an interesting animal. While many people use it to grow their businesses, you must be mindful about outright promotions. Generally speaking, heavy marketing of your products and services on these sites is a big no-no. Here's how I do it. I'll post something like this: "Just got off the phone with social networking guru Nancy Marmolejo. Now I'm off to finish writing my sales page for the Business Breakthrough Series." People who are intrigued will check you out and may end up deciding to follow you and ... bingo! They have just entered your world!

5. Reach Large Audiences
The world is your oyster in social media. There are only a few businesses that are truly limited by geographic boundaries, especially if you are in the information marketing business. Being active on social networking sites eliminates geographic boundaries and allows you to reach a vast number of people from all over the world. If you have products and services that can be purchased by anyone in the world, being active in social media is an absolute must for you. I recently held a teleseminar with people from over 10 countries in attendance, all from the comfort of my home office! And my sweat pants!

So, is social networking worth the time?
It depends. Social media is absolutely the wave of the future, and you will need to know something about it at some point. However, whether you work it into your plan for 2009 depends on your goals. If you have a goal of increasing your reach to prospects either locally or internationally, you can do that quite effectively through social media. However, if you can cannot and will not commit to learning how to "tweet" on Twitter or communicate on Facebook or use your connections on LinkedIn, it will not be worth your time.

Ad Trends Advertising can help you get started with Social Networking for as little as $250. Call us today for a FREE 1-Hour Marketing Consultation with our Internet Marketing Director 816.228.1123!

5 Step Link Building Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:33:27 PDT

As the online market place continues to warm up to the idea of SEO, link building campaigns have become center stage as they tend to be the most time consuming and crucial part of any internet marketing strategy. Link building services are the most commonly outsourced aspect of SEO. This process involves finding qualified and thematically relevant one-way linking partners who will link back to your website.

At first glance this sounds easy and there are hundreds of automated products out there that claim to add thousands of back links overnight. The truth is there are no short cuts in cultivating authoritative back links for a site. Link building campaigns spend many hours link building by hand in order to get the best results. Spammy automated products often don't cultivate valuable links and tend to do more harm than good. Here are a couple quick suggestions to help you get started:

Know What Keywords You Are Targeting.

Make sure that the anchor text of the link has the keyword you are targeting. For example, if you're targeting the keyword "baby names" you'll want to place that keyword in the anchor text of the link. I've seen many companies go after links by using their company name.

Know What Kind Of Websites You Are Targeting.

There are many strategies link building companies use to source qualified back links to their clients. The most tedious but often most rewarding method is manual linking requests also known as "cherry picking". This method allows you to obtain exceptionally qualified links which can really help boost your position in the search engine results page (SERPS). A good place to start with manual link building is to look at your suppliers, vendors, clients, related organizations associations and more.

Determine Where The Link Will Be Placed.

I try to get my links no more than a few clicks away from the homepage. The page must be thematically relevant and recently cached by Google's search engine (this lets me know that the page has been indexed by Google). I also take a look at the number of external (outbound) links leaving that page. I try to keep the number of external links below 50 as it will dilute the effect of the page.
Try to avoid placing your links on a "sponsored" or advertisers section that runs throughout the entire site. Also avoid footer links as rumor has it Google has devalued links buried in the footer of the site.

Determine What Value The Link Will Have.

Within the last 5 years Google developed the concept of the "no-follow" link. The "no-follow" code is inserted into your link and instructs the Google spider to ignore it. The "no-follow" link can be seen used most commonly in blog comments and forum posts. This initiative was set forth to combat spam and automated linking mechanisms that would throw links automatically on blog comments and forum posts.
There are a lot of SEO professionals that will only place a link if it is a "do-follow" link, meaning it doesn't have the "no-follow" attribute. I tend to disagree with this notion especially when the link in question is on a highly trafficked authority site. If it makes sense for the link to be there, then add your link. Even though Google won't give you any credít for it, it will be seen by thousands of people who may visit your site and link to you themselves because your site is highly relevant. I call this concept indirect link building. You are influencing and promoting your site to potential linking partners.

Request Links Only On High Value & Relevant Websites.

Search engines see links as votes of confidence for your site. The more relevant and authoritative the site, the more consideration is given to the link and the subsequent keyword in the anchor text. It really pays off to focus on the quality of your links rather than the quantity. It is also important for your link building to look natural and not an attempt to deceive search engine spiders in search of links. Try looking for sites within your industry rather than general, unrelated sites to get links from.

Link Building Campaigns are a very time consuming process and link building companies spend a lot of time researching, testing and improving their techniques. Link building services are available for companies that don't have the time to invest in manual link building. The bottom line is that with a little help anyone can link build and move their site up the SERPS.

If you need help with your Link Building Campaign, give us a call today!

The Chamber's KC Biz Live 2009 Business Showcase

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:12:33 PDT

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is holding thier annual business showcase on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 from 3pm - 6pm at Union Station's North Hall.

Free Admission
Open to the Public
100 Tabletop Exhibits
(Including Ad Trends Advertsing)
Networking Opportunities
Build Business Relationships
Purchasing Available
Cash Bar & Free Appetizers from 5p-6p

Come Visit Us At KC Biz Live! For more information, go online to http://www.kcchamber.com/.

Full-Color Brochure Printing

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:01:03 PDT

Recent studies conducted by a national research firm show that full-color printing generates a 60% higher response rate then simple one or two color ads.

There are many ways to market your business and improve sales but few can provide for you the return on investment (ROI) that full-color brochures can. Brochures are found everywhere; while waiting in line at the bank, pinned to bulletin boards, at restaurants and bars, literally anywhere you go they catch your attention while offering great deals and opportunities not to be missed. A well-designed brochure will catch a potential customer's eye, inform the customer, increase their curiosity, and get taken home. But how do you ensure that your brochure makes it? The first step is to invest in a full color printing design and printing service.

Having your brochures designed and printed in full-color ensures that the people who see it will notice it. It's that simple. There is nothing quite as dull as an all-gray brochure, printed in black and white simply to save money. With full color printing, usually a blend of four colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK) will be used to replicate any color that can be printed (a photograph for example). This opens up a wealth of possibilities to the designer of the brochures as well as the business behind them. Many people are aware of the psychological impact of colors and yet fail to use them to their full potential. Color can be harnessed in lots of ways, whether it is used to build trust, to establish a fun and playful theme or simply to sell goods, it is a powerful tool that should never be ignored. For example, would you market pink sporting goods to a male demographic? Probably not. Although it's important not to stereotype, many psychological and socioeconomic factors do come into play when marketing to a targeted demographic.

Brochure printing in full-color will also allow you to use high quality photography which could not be reproduced in black and white or grayscale. This enables you to hire a professional photographer or even to use stock photography of real models to spice up the design. Including pictures of people will allow the reader to more easily identify with the content of the brochures and that connection can lead to business for you. Pictures make people feel comfortable with a purchase by showing them exactly what they are getting.

Full-color brochure printing doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg either. We offer competitive deals and amazing quality. At the end of the day, the brochures will be the face of your company to prospective clients or customers and thus the quality of your business brochures will be of high importance. Paying that little bit extra for full color shows that you care about your company’s image and this can only be a good thing. The numbers don't lie, print in full color and you won’t regret it.

Kansas City Internet Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:23:25 PDT

The Facts:

70% of Americans are online almost everyday.
50 Million people will shop online this year.
Adults spend 3 hours a day more online than watching TV.
There are over 400 Million websites online.
Only 3% of all business sell their products or services online.
16% of small businesses see the Internet as a threat.
Only 18% of small businesses have an Internet Marketing Plan.

The Fix:

Get a professional website and offer your products online ASAP.
- Add pictures, facts, articles, product benefits, customer comments, stories and testimonials.
- Have a clear call-to-action or special offer on your home page to get sales.
Super-charge your website with an Internet Marketing Plan.
- Start a blog to post articles.
- Build your own fan club in social networks.
- Entertain, get feedback, be yourself, show personality, and do something to get attention.
Keep a customer database.
- Imagine how easy it would be to sell a prospect if you already knew what they wanted, how much they had to spend, and they already knew your company... Those potential sales are in your existing client list.
- Re-sell, up-sell, and cross-sell through email marketing and your website.

Call us today and beat 85-97% of your competition with an Internet Marketing plan!

We can make Internet marketing easier by creating an open line of communication where you become more educated on Internet Marketing and we become more educated on your products and services. Working together this process becomes easier and more effective.

Call us at 816.228.1123
or click here for more information:
http://www.adtrendsinc.com/website-development.html

Stainless Steel Tumber On Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:47:42 PDT

FUSION TUMBLER

14 ounce capacity. Double wall stainless steel construction. Spill proof lid with open/close slide. Curved shape for a comfortable grip. Fits most automotive cup holders.

Color: Sky Blue, Deep Red, Midnight Black , Top, Special
Size: 8 3/8" x 2 3/4"
Diameter 8 3/8" x 2 3/4"
Imprint Area: 1" x 2"
Case Weight: 36 pcs / 32 lbs
Production Time: Normal - 10 working days; FREE 7-Day Rush; 3 Day Rush Available

On Sale Now for $5.95 with a 144 piece minimum!

Top 10 Best Marketing Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:37:16 PDT

10. Know Why People Buy

When you sell a product it's not only important to know who bought it, but also why they bought. Why they were motivated to buy your product over your competitor's product. When people feel like they are saving money they are more likely to buy now, rather than wait a while and eventually forget about it.

9. Follow Up On Customers

What is the BIGGEST mistake made in marketing? A salesperson receives a lead, sends a brochure or letter, calls about a week later, and if they don't receive an immediate sale, they hang up and never call back. They assume their campaign has failed.

8. Be Aware Of The Cluster Principle

People with similar demographic and psychographic profiles have a tendency to cluster together in the same geographic areas. Identify these cluster groups of businesses you need to target. This will help you select the right audience to target.

7. Boost Your B-to-B Sales

Here are a few tips to help you improve your business-to-business sales: Email to different job titles - decisions can be made on many levels, Provide complete information - big decisions need more detailed specifications, and Avoid corporate brochures - a brochure should always have a specific purpose.

6. Boost Your Loyalty Program

Establish long-term relationships with customers that will build their trust, and ensure that they will return again. Always communicate with your members and find out what they do and don't like about your program, and keep a creative focus so participation won't decline.

5. Keep Customers With Good Customer Service

Successful companies provide proactive customer service. Proactive customers service leads to increased business and loyalty. Go out of your way to please your customer by checking on the status of their order. Offer helpful solutions to their problems. Always go out of your way to exceed their expectations.

4. Don't Be Afraid To Go After Large Accounts

Although large accounts present special challenges, they are far from unapproachable. Here are a couple of things that people tend to get wrong about large accounts: They won't change suppliers - If you remain persistent and give them good reasons to switch to your company, they will more than likely warm up to the idea. OR They're usually happy with their service - WRONG! Prices, quality, and service are constantly changing. Keep your eye out for new buyers in your target market. New buyers mean new ideas, policies and even new vendors.

3. Know Thy Product & Prospect

Know your product, and explain it in simple, every day language. Learn as much as you can about the products and services you are offering. Explain it in a way that the customer would use it, not in the perspective of the manufacturer.

2. Use Cross-Promotions With Other Companies

The idea is to work with other companies to offer each other’s products and services to each other’s customers. It’s reciprocal and it is profitable for BOTH companies.

1. Your Best Customers Lead To Your Best New Prospects.

When searching for new prospects, always remember that they will always closely resemble your best customers. The best prospects on any consumer list are those who make frequent purchases in significant amounts. Identifiable by computer search, they fit into the RFM formula: Recency of purchase, Frequency of purchase, and Monetary value of purchase. What traits do your prospects have in common with your top customers? Use this information to find prospects who resemble your top customers' profile. Also, your customer's may be able to introduce you with a refferal.

Including Sales in the Marketing Process

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:59:32 PDT

Even in the best organizations the sales and marketing departments often work in parallel, though separate tracks. And, in most companies the sales and marketing departments actually work against each other, with each group planning their strategy, training their team, and implementing their plan without:

Considering each other's plans.
Gathering their input.
Providing unbiased feedback.
Gaining buy-in and support from each other.

How many times have new marketing programs or materials been developed—at great effort and expense—only to fizzle in the sales process because sales refuses to use them? Or how common is the scenario where marketing generates leads they feel sales does not follow-up on and sales deems these leads "unqualified?" Sadly, in these scenarios everyone loses.

Integrating the magic of marketing with the science of sales is KEY to sales and marketing efficiency and effectiveness. Without joining the often-disparate efforts of sales and marketing into one cohesive approach, your strategies are only realizing one-half of the equation.

To avoid this all-too-common trap, start by including the sales perspective into your marketing process by:

Understanding Your Sales Process. We find that the biggest reason sales and marketing teams don't integrate well is because they don't have the same understanding of the sales process and/or they don't have the same defintion of the concepts within the sales process (For instance, what EXACTLY defines a lead? What type of communication is necessary at the lead qualification stage vs. the presentation phase). To remedy this misunderstanding, start by defining and documenting your sales process and make sure both teams agree to operate within and support those definitions and requirements.

Implementing a Sales Advisory Committee. As you begin your annual marketing planning and budgeting, develop a sales advisory committee. The sales advisory committee meetings should be lead by the marketing department, while the sales department should decide sales representation. Use these meetings to strategize, plan, and establish sales buy-in into every aspect of the marketing approach. Also, solicit feedback from individual salespersons by posting a web poll to ensure your plans, materials, and vehicles aren't missing the mark when it comes to actual usability from a sales perspective. Make this poll anonymous so that you get the real scoop (and not just what they think you want them to say).

Co-traveling with sales representatives. Attending all the trade shows and industry events in the world will never provide the same perspective and opportunity to understand your customers' and prospects' needs from your marketing efforts, as calling on them. Ask the territory representative to plan a day (or two) for calling on a mix of current and previous clients and prospects. Be specific about who you want to call! Otherwise, you'll end up with a tour of the "A" accounts, with very little insight beyond your top customers.

Sales and marketing are not independent disciplines. And, it's not enough to "be friends." Integrate the two disciplines in a meaningful way and you'll find your sales and marketing efforts will be all the more successful.

Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. has it's own partner
in the Sales Department.

We highly reccomend Effective Sales Development for Sander Sales Training in Kansas City. We can help make the phones ring and the customers coming in, but eventually you have to sell them something to grow your business. We believe there are two easy ways to be more profitable in any market climate:

Get More Prospects or Close More Sales!

Corporate & Promotional Apparel

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:59:59 PDT

Everybody wears clothes, so why not advertise just like many other companies do and use promotional logo apparel to advertise your logo or message?

We have a huge selection of custom printed corporate apparel, everything from polos, golf shirts, dress shirts, and more clothing. Use them for business or casual, some clients prefer a nice embroidered polo for every employee in their retail location for some additional logo advertising.

Other companies use them to simply give away to customers or employees in order to brand their logo or message off site. And some companies will buy custom printed apparel to resale to their customers and employees. No matter what your promotional campaign needs are, Ad Trends Advertising can help you with your custom printed corporate apparel program.

Our large promotional apparel selection can be used for: logo apparel accessories, promotional aprons, customized bed & bath clothing, promo children's apparell, custom printed costumes, corporate logo polo & golf shirts, men's marketing apparel, custom printed outerwear, corporate logo shoes & sandals, advertising sweatshirts & pants, customized logo athletic & team clothing, advertising tie dyed shirts, corporate marketing uniforms, and promotional women's apparel.

The most common types of imprinting for corporate promotional apparel are embroidered and silk screened. It's important to note that embroidered and silk screened clothing prices vary with the number of stitches for embroidery and colors you want to get imprinted, so custom printed apparel pricing can be confusing. Be sure to give one of our marketing executives a call today to explore your options, get ideas, or to get an accurate quote for your promotional apparel needs.

Please browse our catalogs under the Apparel button for a complete list of all items and brands. Give us a call if you have any questions.

Now Available: Aloe Up® Alcohol-Free Foam Sanitizer Wall Unit

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:01:18 PDT

Aloe Up® Alcohol-Free Foam Sanitizer is an extremely safe, effective, non-irritating, non-flammable, non-staining alternative to alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
In addition to killing a wide range of common and dangerous microbes with unprecedented Log 5 efficacy (99.999 percent reduction of Staphylococcus aureus), Aloe Up® Alcohol-Free Foam Sanitizer is the ONLY hand sanitizer on the market today that will kill both strains of Norovirus, Feline and Murine.

Unlike other hand sanitizer products containing BZK, Aloe Up® maximizes its effectiveness via the use of a unique surfactant package that allows the active ingredient to penetrate cell walls at a higher rate. Best of all, it does it without alcohol, an ingredient that dries out the skin and can damage the skin with repeated use.

Alcohol Free and will not dry out your skin
Protects for 30 mins after application; Alcohol based stops working after 10 seconds
1125 applications per container
Will not leave gel agents on the hands that can harbor bacteria
99.999% kill rate; 3 times more effective than 99.99%
Moisturizes while it protects

Wall Unit + 4 Refill Bladders: $120 (price includes shipping)

Call Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. Today 816.228.1123!

Top 10 Best Marketing Communications

noreply@blogger.com (Ad Trends Advertising, Inc.) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:32:50 PDT

Send an email newsletter for customers and prospects.
Develop a brochure of services.
Give customers two business cards and brochures - one to keep and one to pass along. Business cards aren’t working for you if they’re in the box. Pass them out!
Produce separate sales literature for each of your target market segments (e.g. government and commercial, and/or business and consumer).
Create a calendar to give away to customers and prospects.
Print a logo, slogan and/or one-sentence description of your business on letterhead, fax cover sheets and invoices.
Develop your own website and social network profiles.
Create a "signature file" to be used for all your e-mail messages. It should contain contact details, including your Web site address, and key information about your company that will make the reader want to contact you.
Include "testimonials" from customers in your literature, on your website, and in your presentations.
Announce free or special offers in your direct response pieces. (Direct responses may be direct mail, broadcast fax, trade show material or email messages.) Include the offer in the beginning of the message and also make it stand out by being creative.