WARNING! You Could Be Losing 52% of Your New Customers and Not Even Know It

According to a study done by Google, 52% of users said that a bad mobile web experience made them less likely to engage with a company. They just leave the website and never return. But unfortunately you do not even know about it. Think about the last time you were home watching tv and saw a commercial for something that interested you, and in the commercial their website was given. What did you do, go to your computer turn it on then visit the site? Of course not you picked up your smartphone from the table beside you, and went to the website right from your chair. Now you are on the site but what do you see? The company's main website, that is slow to load, hard to read, you have to pinch and scroll to read it and some of the pictures or videos will not load. You get frustrated, your show comes back from commercial you leave the site and do not return.

Most websites today are not mobile optimized, which causes your website to not work properly on a mobile device. This is a major problem because it is estimated that by 2014 mobile internet usage will overtake desktop internet usage. In that same study by Google 67% of mobile users say that when they visit a mobile optimized site, they're more likely to buy that site's product or service. So it is vital for your business that you have a mobile optimized site. There are several key things your site must have to provide a good mobile experience for your visitors:

• The site must be quick to load - 50% of mobile internet users will only wait 5 seconds for a site to load before they leave.
• The site must have clear and simple navigation - Most people are in a hurry when using a mobile site they want to be able to find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
• Contact Information - This is very important! Your business contact info must be easy to find and must be set up as click to action. Click to action is a way to program the site so that when the info is clicked, the appropriate action is taken on the phone. so if they click on your phone number it opens the dialer on the phone and calls you automatically.
• The site must be thumb friendly - Mostly everything on a smartphone is done with the thumbs so you site must be easy to use with the thumbs.

There are two main options for getting your mobile optimized website, the first option is to have a separate mobile website designed, and use a mobile redirect script to connect it to your main website. The mobile version of your site is created on a subdomain of your site. If someone enters the subdomain url they get the mobile site. When someone enters your main domain url, the site detects what type of device you are using and if it is a mobile device it gives them the mobile site. If it is computer it gives them the main site.
The second option is to use a responsive design template on your website or a plugin. Using this option the site detects the type of device you are using and shrinks your site to fit the screen. The plugin is a template that gets loaded when using a mobile device.
Choosing the best option for your business is highly dependent on your individual business and current website design.

To learn more about mobile marketing visit my site at http://trevorlang.com. There you can get your free copy of The Mobile Marketing Game Plan Report.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_Lang

Do You Really Need A Unique Selling Proposition?

A unique selling proposition or USP has been around since the early 1960's. Famous advertising guru, Rosser Reeves popularized this idea in his book, Reality of Advertising.
A USP identifies the prime quality of your product or service to distinguish itself from the competition.
He said a USP must consist of three deceptively simple elements:
· An advertisement must make a proposition
· It must be unique
· It must sell
That's it.
To help you understand this more clearly, here are some well-known and successful taglines that capture the essence of their product's USP:
· FEDEX - When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight!
· BMW - The Ultimate Driving Machine!
· Nike - Just do it!
Why Having a USP is Important
The USP is more than a half century old. Do you really need a USP in the 21st century?
To answer that let's look at today's marketplace.
Management guru, Jack Trout, wrote a book called Differentiate or Die! Survival in Our era of Killer Competition. The title says it all. In his book, Trout clearly makes the case for having a USP as a means to deal with hyper-competition.
In the early 60's we had regional and national competition. Today we have global markets. That's resulted in increased trade, further adding to the product explosion. Trout says it will only get worse. That's the new normal.
Do You Really Need A USP?
During the Great Recession, competition in the transportation and logistics industry has been brutal. To survive a driver shortage, rising fuel costs, and downward price pressures, many trucking companies expanded their service offerings.
Acting as a booster, economics as well as technology and innovation further fuel expansion of services. And it's no different in many other industries. In competitive markets, successful businesses combat the competition by standing out from the crowd.
The choice explosion from the 1970's to the 1990's makes this even more difficult.
McDonald's had 13 items on its menu in the 70's and 43 in the 90's. The number styles of Levi's jeans went from 41 styles to 70. Vehicle styles went from 654 to 1,212. This unbridled growth applies to all manner of products and services.
Philip Kotler, professor of marketing at Northwestern, says that successful companies have adapted to this hyper-competition by adding a twist to the USP called a UESP. They identify an "emotional" association with their product or service.
He points to Ferrari as a prime examples. Cars perform the same function, so there's little differentiation. But Ferrari has an emotional appeal other products don't have. That's what separates it from the competition.
How effective is marketing with a USP? In a study of more than 4,200 businesses by Stevens Consulting Group, 81% of executives said a USP is more effective than a sales campaign. This overwhelmingly supports the value of a USP in today's marketplace.
The Bottom Line
Competition will continue to intensify. Given that reality, savvy marketers have no choice but to identify and market their USP.
If that falls short, add a twist and market with a UESP.
In Jack Trout's words: Differentiate or die!

Alex Milo is a professional B2B Copywriter and Certified Professional Logistician. specializing in generating leads for transportation and logistics companies. You can reach him at amilo@b2bcopywriting-alexmilo.com or phone him at 256-886-4684. He can also be reached via fax: 256-217-4483. His website is at: http://www.b2bcopywriting-alexmilo.com. Alex Milo is also on LinkedIn at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandermilo.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_M_Milo

How to Win At Trade Shows

Trade shows are your chance to double your market overnight - or go home empty handed. In many industries, trade shows are one of the few events where massive numbers of potential customers will be concentrated all in one place, in a mood to buy - or at least listen to your message.
But just showing up at a trade show with a great product doesn't guarantee you any kind of results. There are many aspects to trade show success, but we want to focus on one of the simplest yet most overlooked: presentation.
Many companies give all their attention to the pitch and the collateral, both of which matter greatly. The reality is that hundreds of other booths offer products that, to the busy attendee, seem a lot like yours. They won't take the time to hear your 30 second hook or look over your brochure unless you stand out in the first glance. That's where your display and booth setup come in, and in many ways it is the first (and therefore more important) impression you're going to make.
That's why use of a slatwall and other professional display equipment is a game changer.
A slatwall is a modular booth structure made for optimum display area. It fits onto a base sized for standard booths and can be reconfigured as a simple backdrop, a wrap around display or a walled room to give your booth a more enclosed feeling. Every inch of a slatwall is designed for hanging your brand message, whether that be with oversize display images of individual collateral hung up for perusing.
Slatwalls work well with stand-alone banners and display pieces, but they are also self-contained so that you still have your full display in action if a trade show confines presenters to their booth space. Nothing sprawls out into the aisle unless you want it to.
Many companies try to cut corners by showing up with homemade displays, flimsy stands or nothing more than a table and flyers. In most industries these are the same booths that are passed by. Major buyers are pulled in toward the large, professional booths that clearly have something to offer.
No slatwall or banner will make up for a weak product or a poor pitch. But they act like a marquee pointing to the most serious companies, and if your sales team is ready for the rush they will open the door to serious prospects.

Deniel Benson writes for Display, leading providers of trade show displays in US. Displays and Exhibits is known for flexibility and creativity, including slatwall designing portable displays. Deniel is an author for a Business of Presentation and graphics issues or topics.

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Direct Marketing Techniques - Profiling and Targeting

Direct marketing techniques have over recent years become more sophisticated in order for businesses across many sectors to be able to compete with the best or to at least maximise their potential client base. Direct marketing techniques have not become more sophisticated in terms of making drastic changes, but the way in which certain aims and objectives are approached. Profiling and targeting is just one of those direct marketing techniques in which the approach has changed over recent years.
Companies that undertake direct marketing campaigns have had to change due to other marketing techniques being not only very popular, but also very competitive. For example, over the past decade or so, on-line marketing has become one of the most used marketing methods, but at the same time it's the most competitive and can cost a fortune to 'get noticed' on-line; not always the case, but is a regular occurrence.
What does Profiling and Targeting enable Businesses to Achieve?
Profiling and Targeting enables businesses to target certain types of people; class, background, interests, gender and so forth. This certainly helps businesses to target individuals or groups of people that are more likely to be interested in the service or product that the business is offering. For example, SAGA, who specialise in services and products for the over 50's group would not be maximising their marketing campaign if half of their leaflets were distributed to home owners that are under 50.
Therefore, there is much less chance of the marketing budget being wasted. Even though a business may profile and target their clients in a professional manner, this does not guarantee a successful direct marketing campaign. Other elements of the campaign must also be enticing, relevant and stand out from the competition I.e. a company should brand their products, services etc so that they appeal to the market in which they are trying to target; you would not have a dull looking leaflet if you are promoting holidays abroad - it just doesn't work!
Whereas, if the leaflet stands out and appeals to the correct target audience, then there's more chance of maximising your profits or achieving your overall aim of the direct marketing campaign.
How Does Profiling and Targeting Work?
OK, so once you've decided upon the type of marketing technique(s) e.g. leaflet distribution, there are certain aspects that need to be analysed on an in-depth basis - no stone should be left unturned, after all it's your money that could not only be wasted, but leave you with the impression that your campaign didn't work for the wrong reasons.
These are the steps in which you need to take when it comes to profiling and targeting effectively: -

• Quality Assurance through planning - aspects such as identifying your target market (social class etc), decide on the number of leaflets you will distribute are determined at this stage.
• Targeted Marketing Solutions - Understand your customers; look at the demographics of similar existing customers.
• Geo demographic targeting - some direct marketing agencies will use software that targets customers demographically and can be the difference between a very successful and not so successful campaign.
• Analyse statistics - ensure that statistics used from data bases are analysed in-depth so that opportunities are less likely to be missed and acted upon.

Direct marketing agencies that provide targeting and profiling services should be able to give you a good insight and understanding of what is required and the steps that would be potentially best to follow.
Procedures must also be followed but also flexible when needed to be i.e. agencies should be able to adapt to problems/issues in order for your business to gain maximum exposure.

Harnek has an in-depth understanding of Leaflet Distribution and how different businesses should approach their direct advertising campaigns.

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Eye Catching Business Flyers

Every business owner knows that without advertising, a business is not going to grow very much. A lot of time, imagination and money has to go into discovering new and exciting ways to attract customers. One of the most tried and true ways of advertising, especially for the smaller business owner, has always been business flyers. Business flyers are effective and relatively inexpensive ways to get the word out about your services. In order for your business flyers to accomplish this purpose, however, you must ensure that the flyers attract an individual's attention in the first place.
Creating eye catching business flyers can make a huge impact on attracting future customers. Business flyers can easily be purchased from printing shops specializing in leaflet printing, newspaper printing and brochure printing services. Below you will find several tips to make sure that your flyers grab the customers you are after.
Appeal to Your Customers' Concerns
It is not just enough to advertise your services. You should develop the text of your flyer so that it appeals to your customers' emotions, needs and concerns. Instead of simply advertising a Mother's Day sale on flowers, you might try wording it such as "Make Mom Feel Loved This May!" The text you choose as your headline will be crucial to the success of your flyer.
Choose Colours Carefully
Whether you are choosing leaflet printing or brochure printing services, you will have a vast array of colours to choose from. Your colour scheme needs to be attractive without being overwhelming. Also, regardless of the colours you choose, you should always opt for text to be printed in traditional black.
Enhance With Images
Humans are visual creatures. Pictures are still worth a thousand words. Even newspaper printing services will offer the option of adding images to enhance your business flyer. Choose an image that will cause an individual to look twice. You want to cause curiosity. Make them ask themselves, "What is that all about?" Make sure images you choose are clear and not grainy, blurred or distorted in anyway. Let the headline and image do most of the talking. You do not need to print an entire paragraph about your services. A business flyer should have just enough information to make an individual seek more information.
Contact Information
You should make all of your contact information available on your business flyer. If there are multiple ways to make contact with your business include each one. You would hate to lose business simply because someone could not contact you. Contact information should include your company's address, email, and all contact phone numbers. If you are advertising an event, be sure to list the event date in the most easily understandable way. Also include specific event times or business hours.

For more information on expanding a company in terms of branding and marketing or to find out how print management could help your business, please get in contact with or visit PrintandDigitalAssociates.co.uk who are experts in the field.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Warnock

The Usefulness of a Product Catalog

Product catalogs may sound a little old school. Most people go online these days to find information. But if you have a lot of products and your customers want something they can take with them, away from your website, you might consider going old school for a little bit. That doesn't mean that you have to actually print out the catalogs and send them through the mail, but you might consider making a digital version of one and make it available for you customers to download.
What are the benefits of having an online catalog? Believe it or not there are several. A catalog is a great way to get all your products lined up with brief information about each. Be sure to include high lights such as color and size if applicable. Of course you want to make sure that you include prices for each product so that your customers will know what to expect to pay for them.
You don't have to give detailed information in your catalog. You want to make sure that you are giving your customers enough information to satisfy their basic questions. Make sure that you include more information about each product on your website so that when your customers come to buy they can get more information if necessary. You've piqued their curiosity with the catalog but now you've sealed the purchase with the website information.
Catalogs are a great way to promote some of the items you have on your site that may not be easily found. Also if you have a brick and mortar store as well as an online site you can distinguish in your catalog which items are exclusively online or exclusively in store. This can save some frustration for those customers who see something online only to find that it's sold in stores only. You can limit your online space to items you offer only online, making the online shopping experience less frustrating.
Product catalogs take time to put together but they are a great marketing tool. If you do plan on doing a direct mail campaign having one of these handy to send out to area customers can make all the difference. Instead of simply reading a bunch of paragraphs about what you have, you can show them the products that you carry regularly for their convenience. Each copy, whether paper or electronic, should have instructions on how to purchase items, your web address, and contact information so that your customers can contact you if they have any questions.

Ds Writing Pad LLC can help with the designing and creating of your companies product catalog. Check out our website at http://www.dswritingpad.com/catalogs.html for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Denise_Sullivan