Is There a Brand in Your Stand?

Watch out for the branding gurus. Beware of the branding police who focus only on images of brand. Fire the branding consultants who feel qualified to tell you what your brand should be. Ignore the branding zealots who proclaim “brand or die.”
Good, now that we have frightened off the undesirables let’s address some fundamental questions about branding and offer you some probing questions to consider. That first paragraph demonstrates the three rules of creative positioning as explained below.
Should you have a brand?
Maybe. It depends on the goals of your business. You need to ask yourself some questions. Will the brand give you the return on your investment? Will you invest the resources to claim and sustain the brand?
What is a brand?
A brand is the emotional bond that your clients have with you. Ask your best clients how they would describe you to others. Look for the common message in what they say – especially the emotion. That might be your brand.
Brand is the feeling others experience when they think about you and your product. Brand can help them think of you first – or better yet – only you. Brand can justify higher prices – or even better – make price a non-issue.
Not Branding
Branding is not about creative logos, pretty fonts and pantone colors. Fire anyone who attempts to sell you that pabulum. Those things are only images. Have you noticed that the successful brands change these images every few years?
Branding is a marketing strategy. It is only one of many marketing strategies from which you might choose.
Is branding an accident or on purpose?
Because branding is about creating emotional messages you are always branding. However, are you aware of your messages, are you consistent and are you effectively branding yourself?
You could create or claim your brand. Domino’s Pizza created their brand – “Pizza in 30 minutes or its free.” They own that brand. It’s simple, memorable and unique. Some companies look for an opening and build their business to create that brand. Some companies discover their brand by accident. Feedback from clients, remarks from the media or a competitor’s comment reveals the brand that was hidden in plain sight. In that case it is up to you to claim the brand and run with it.
Avis claimed their brand by turning a disadvantage into their brand when they launched their marketing campaign with “Avis is only Number 2 in rent-a-cars, so why go with us? We try harder.” And with cheekiness they leverage further on their “disadvantage” by adding, “The lines at our counters are shorter.” That brand has been successful for over 40 years.
How do you create your brand?
There are two ways. Like Coke, Nike and McDonald you could throw gazillions of dollars at it. Or you could use creative positioning. Look for the holes in the marketplace. Go to where your competition is not and claim that position. Take a stand like Harley Davidson, Buckley’s Cough Mixture and Nova Scotian Crystal.
Each of these companies claimed positions in the market the competition was unwilling to take. Folks either love or hate Harley Davidson. Buckley’s proudly claimed that “it tastes awful but it works” along with a money back guarantee. Nova Scotian Crystal is proudly the only Canadian crystal manufacturer and they offer an incredible one year breakage warranty. Drop your whiskey glass and they will replace it; no questions asked.
You can read the interview with Rod McCulloch, President and CEO of Nova Scotian Crystal on my “Business in Motion” blog.
Each of these companies was willing to take a position that would drive some folks away while attracting a loyal crowd of fans.
The three principles of creative positioning are best explained by UK entrepreneur BJ Cunningham, who as CEO of The Enlightened Tobacco Company sold a cigarette called “Death Cigarettes”. It was presented in a black package emblazoned with a white skull-and-crossbones logo. Just imagine how this might appeal to the rebels. Everyone except the tobacco companies knew that cigarette smoking was bad for your health. BJ did what none of the other tobacco companies were willing to do. He took a stand.
Cunningham’s three principles of creative positioning:
1. Take a polarized position.
2. Make enemies.
3. Create tension.
Branding starts with market review and self-examination. Standing alone can be scary, exhilarating and hugely profitable. It you are going to claim a powerful brand take a position away from the crowd. Stand where no one else is standing.

Source: http://www.sitepronews.com
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A Review of the PopUp Domination WordPress Plugin

The PopUp Domination WordPress Plugin is the newest, and first, plugin released by Michael Dunlop, a young online entrepreneur who blogs about making money online and generating your own wealth.
What the plugin is for
It’s for WordPress bloggers who have an email newsletter and wants to increase their subscription rate.
What it does
Once the plugin is installed and activated, it’ll pop up a subscription box whenever a person visits your site, however, you can configure how often it’s shown to the same person. Some people like to pop up the box every time someone visits your site, returning or not.
Personally I don’t like to do that, mainly because as a blogger, I have many returning visitors who like to comment on my blog and they don’t need to keep getting hit with my pop up. My preferred settings are to show the box to everyone at first and then show it to them again after 7 days.
I also prefer to wait to show the popup until after they’ve been on my site for at least 20 seconds. I do this because a really successful niche marketer told me once that’s what they’ve found works best for them. The reasoning behind it was that the people who stay longer than 5 seconds are probably interested in what you have to offer.
So why does the popup domination plugin work so well?
I’ve definitely seen an increase in subscriber rate to my newsletter since using this plugin. The plugin seems to work so well because the popup templates which you are supplied with are high quality and are visually pleasing to your visitor.
PopUp Domination Options
As of the writing of this article, the plugin has the following settings available:
* 4 different pop up templates to choose from
* Multiple options for the template and button colors
* Easy embedding of many of the popular mailing list services (MailChimp, AWeber, etc.)
* Customization of text shown on the popup
* Allows you to add quick bullet points
* Schedule how often it appears to visitors
* Advanced settings where pros can edit the template and CSS files

Source: http://www.sitepronews.com
Collectibles : Pogo Game

Article Marketing Tip – Good Conversation Topics Often Make Good Article Topics

Want to know how to get a quiet person to talk your ear off?
Ask them about something that they are passionate about– A hobby, their work, their favorite author or musician.
When you have the chance to speak about something that you are passionate about, you can talk for hours, and it feels like minutes.
I’ve noticed this with myself–some of my best articles about my niche are the products of spontaneous conversations I’ve had with people who innocently asked me something that I am very knowledgeable and passionate about.
Whenever I find myself in one of these conversations, I think “This would make a great article!”
When you are doing article marketing, you are always on the look out for new and compelling article ideas. The ideas listed below will help you generate more conversation oriented topics.
1 – Think of yourself as an ambassador for your niche.
Wherever you go, no matter if you’re enjoying some leisure time or are officially “at work”, always be on the look out for someone who needs more information about your niche.
Even if you think that person will never become a customer or buy any of your products, still take the time to give them information that will help them succeed.
An ambassador lives to spread truth about his or her niche. This takes you out of the position as sales person (which can be a turn-off to others) and puts you into the amiable position of “the go-to expert”.
2 – Plan how you’ll answer this question, “What do you do for a living?”
This may be a very simple question for most humans, but for those of us who own internet businesses it can be a tricky question to answer outside of the context of the online world. Let’s say someone in the offline world asks you this question–what will you say? How can you explain what you do in a way that they will understand?
Here are some pointers I’ve developed:
*Instead of rattling off some obscure title or description that no one in the outside world would understand, talk about the type of people who you help and what you do to help them.
*Force yourself to avoid technical lingo–use language that your grandmother would understand.
*Speak about your general field, rather than about your specific business, at least at first. Remember, you don’t want to send any “I want to sell you something” vibes (because you really don’t want to sell anything–you’re just having a conversation).
As an example, I would say that I help business owners market their websites. That is something that someone from the offline world can sink their teeth into, and it will lead to other questions. Many of the conversations that you have about your niche with newbies or folks outside your field are excellent fodder for your articles.
If you are going through a writing slump or just want a fresh way to generate article ideas, I have an assignment for you.
STEP 1: Turn off your computer and go out where people are. Go to a party, a coffee shop, the gym, the grocery store–anywhere where you can encounter live humans.
STEP 2: Put on your ambassador hat. Smile at people, be open and friendly. Engage them in conversations. If someone talks to you, be interested in them and ask them questions. The point is to provide fertile ground for conversations to develop. No pressure here–just be yourself.
STEP 3: Did any article topics arise from your conversations? Sometimes you can take the simplest question that someone unfamiliar with your niche asks and turn it into a helpful article. No topic is too simple!
Do this, will you? What’s the worst that can happen?
At worst you will have enjoyed a break from sitting behind your keyboard and staring at your monitor. Sometimes that in itself is enough to jump start your creativity and inspire writing ideas.

Source: http://www.sitepronews.com
Collectibles : Pogo Game

Affiliate Tracking Software: What to Watch Out For

A large number of business owners rely on their affiliate programs to help increase their sales and their profits. Personally, affiliate marketing and programs play a major roll in my earnings. If you are interested, you can also be one of those individuals. All online business owners can benefit from the use of an affiliate program, but there are some business owners who can benefit more than others. Those business owners run and operate businesses that either sells a product or a service. If you are one of those business owners and you would like to start an affiliate program, you will need to think about purchasing affiliate tracking software.
Affiliate tracking software is a unique program that is vital to the successful operation of an affiliate program. Without tracking software, you would be unable to determine whether or not one of your sales were generated with the assistance of an affiliate, let alone which affiliate it was. With affiliate tracking software, you can easily find out this important information. Therefore, this means that if you haven’t already purchased affiliate tracking software, you will need to do so right away.
When it comes to purchasing affiliate tracking software, you are first advised to familiarize yourself with all of your available options. This can easily be done by performing a standard internet search. Your search results are likely to include a number of different software sellers. Your first impulse may be to purchase the first affiliate tracking software program you come across, but you are advised against doing this. That is because these software programs come in a wide variety of different styles. Each program is likely to have its own unique services and features. You are encouraged to examine each of those services and features before making a decision.
If you are unfamiliar with affiliate marketing and affiliate tracking software, you may not know what you should be looking for. If this is the case, it may be easier to understand what you should watch out for. One of the many things that you should be concerned about is the software name or the name of the software seller.
Unfortunately, there are a number of different software sellers that will scam internet users; however, not all of them will. Before purchasing a particular affiliate tracking software program, you may want to perform a standard internet search on that program and the individual or company selling it. If you come across any warnings, you may want to stop and start searching for another software program.
It is also important to be on the lookout for affiliate tracking software that is being sold without information on the program. All legitimate software sellers should provide you with detailed information about their products, including affiliate tracking software. This information may include, but should not be limited to product descriptions, product services, and product features. Without this information, you will not know how an affiliate tracking software program works or how it can help you and your business. There are plenty of software sellers that will provide you with this information; you are encouraged to do business with them.
You will also want to watch out for affiliate tracking software that costs too much money. It is true that the more services and features you are provided with, the more the program will cost. However, that does not mean that you should have to pay an outrageous price. For an average cost of affiliate tracking software, you are advised to examine and then compare a number of different prices. If anything seems out of the ordinary, you are advised to move on and find software that is more affordable.
By knowing what to lookout for and avoid, you should be able to find an affiliate tracking software program that can give you exactly what you want and need. You should also be able to find that software at an affordable price.

Source: http://www.sitepronews.com
Collectibles : Pogo Game

How Do You Drive Traffic to Your Site?

If you are new to internet marketing, you would have discovered that driving traffic to your website is a formidable task. However, if you learn the ropes to drive traffic to your website, you can reap a ton of rewards. Here are some creative ideas that may help you.
Start blogging on several sites and leave comments on other people’s blog posts. Make sure to include your URL and hotlink where possible. Remain focused on your issue as you need to make sure that you write to get approved and captivate your readers. Write to establish trust as an expert on subject. Putting in all the efforts and getting it trashed as spam is such a waste of time.
Add as many suitable themes, extensions and widgets as possible to your blogging site. There are so many free add-ons to make your site attractive. Consistently analyze your site to see how you can make it user friendly, stimulating and attractive rather than a run of the mill boring site. Their visit should fulfill their desire to get information and new experience. Add intriguing and interesting podcasts, videos and audios to your site.
Enlist your friends and ask their help to spread the word about your website. They can use their website, contacts, blogs and contacts to drive traffic to your website.
Sign up with a social bookmarking site and share your bookmarked site with other readers who share the same interests as you. Add reference and links to your websites. Most social sites are used by many people as specific interest search engines. Add the bookmarks to your site and increase your traffic. Analyze as to what products users are searching for and add links to interesting and relevant products. The more such links you have bookmarked, the bigger your following will be. The more appealing information that you impart to the readers, the more they will return to your site for new information.
Use social photo sharing sites like Flickr to drive readers to our website. Attract them by adding smart tags. Write a post in your blogsite and link to your Flickr page. This way both the sites will work together to drive traffic to your site.
Twitter is another useful tool to drive traffic to you site. Make sure to tweet every post or comment you make. Use tools like bit.ly to shorten your links to post pages and link them in your tweets. Make sure not tweet only those links. Intermittently tweet some other useful information, tidbits, quotes, humor etc. to keep your tweets interesting. This will also increase your Twitter following and work in unison with your blog site. One more thing make sure to add a link to your site in your Twitter profile. That will drive more traffic to your site.
Add links to industry specific sites and network with them by contacting them. Most will be pleased to help you build your web traffic and promote the common cause.
Submit your feeds to as many blog site directories as possible. This is a good way to drive up traffic from other sites to yours.
Modify your posts to the article and submit to as many article directories as possible. Use the resource box to drive traffic to your site and create valuable backlinks to your site. When ranking your page, search engines give higher weight to backlinks from articles published in many reputable article directories.
Your strategy to build traffic should be to first and foremost offer what the reader wants. You service a valuable purpose when you provide them with interesting information, products and services

Source: http://www.sitepronews.com
Collectibles : Pogo Games

Why is SEO So Important for E-Commerce Websites? The Basics.

In this modern age, it is increasingly important to make sure your websites are optimized for the major search engines through the use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices.  The current top three search engines are Google, Yahoo and Bing.  Let’s face it though; Google is the major player and they set the standards when it comes to the Internet search industry.
There are a few basic practices you can follow to make your site more friendly to the search engines and thus rank higher for certain keyword phrases when users search for them.  You just need to make sure you are conducting these practices properly.  Being at the top of the search engines for your target keywords is a make or break factor for the success of your business.
There are millions of websites in existence and there could be thousands competing for the keywords you are trying to rank  for.  The Internet is a very competitive marketplace so it is vital to stay on top of the current SEO trends.  Not being recognized by the top search engines can be very frustrating, especially after putting a lot of work and money into creating and designing your website.
Each search engine uses a different algorithm to conduct their searches.  These algorithms are kept secret by the companies and are always changing.  However, there are numerous people whose jobs consist of attempting to deconstruct these algorithms to figure out how the engines rank pages.
In order to increase your web page’s rank in the search engine results, take the following advice into consideration:
Keywords:

• Remember that content will always be king.  Fill your web pages with relevant information that will help visitors – search engines love this.
• Fill your content with your target keywords but don’t overdo it by stuffing keywords into your pages.  You need to keep your keyword density to no more than one anchor text keyword hyperlink per 100 words of content.  If the pages of your site contain relevant keywords to a searcher’s search phrase then your site has a higher likelihood of appearing on the results pages.
• Be specific with your keywords.  If you are selling “Men’s Nike Air Jordans” target that phrase not “Michael Jordan shoes.”
• When choosing keywords, put yourself in the shoes of the searcher.  What would you search (WWYS)?

Meta Tags (Title, Description & Keywords):

• The title tag is the description of the current page you are on that appears on the top bar of your web browser.  For SEO purposes, you need to use your first targeted keyword at the beginning of your title and try to describe what your website is all about In 10-15 words.
• The keyword tag consists of the list of keywords you have put together in your market research.  Search your competitors websites and see what keywords they are using then rank them in order of relevancy from first to last.
• The description tag is a short explanation about the content of your website and its topic.  Keep this under 20-25 words and try to use at least three to four target keywords.  This is what users will see on the search engine results pages under the link to your site.
• For the best SEO results, edit the meta tags for each page of your website to match the contents of that specific page.

Submit Your Site to the Search Engines:

• It is a quick and painless process to submit to the top search engines.  Simply visit the websites of the major search engines and fill out the corresponding submission forms.
• You should also submit your website to the DMOZ.org directory.  It can take a few months to get listed but it is a great SEO technique and most sites listed in the directory get higher priority in the search results over sites that are not listed.
• Patience is a virtue when it comes to submission.  It can take days or weeks for the search engine spiders to actually crawl your website and get indexed.

Build Links by Submitting Your Site to Directories and Niche Websites:

• The more meaningful links from high ranked websites linking to your site, the higher your search rating.  However, this does not mean you should practice “link farming” or paying for links.  This is considered a negative practice and can actually have a negative impact on your results rating and can even get you banned from the search engines.
• The best way to be featured in directories is to make a profile with a link to your page.
• Article marketing is another very valuable SEO tactic.  Write articles with keyword hyperlinks pointing to your page.  Other sites are happy to have quality content and you obtain linkage, so both sides win!  You will also see direct traffic from these links which will help your site gain popularity.
• Link building is a time-consuming process that can take long periods of time to see real results, so again – be patient!

By following these simple SEO tactics, you can raise your ranking in the search engines!
 
Source: http://www.sitepronews.com
Collectibles : Pogo Games