<![CDATA[The UK & USA Business Forums - On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR]]> http://www.mylocalforums.com/ en Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:43:37 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.mylocalforums.com/images/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[The UK & USA Business Forums - On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR]]> http://www.mylocalforums.com/ Hand Dryers http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1636-hand-dryers.html Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:56:03 GMT I would like to do some personal research in to hand dryers and I am wondering what kind of hand dryers people have in the toilets of their work... I would like to do some personal research in to hand dryers and I am wondering what kind of hand dryers people have in the toilets of their work places? ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR chris_torkuk http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1636-hand-dryers.html Apple launches Ping - My Space getting squeezed on all fronts! http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1583-apple-launches-ping-my-space-getting-squeezed-all-fronts.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:29:44 GMT So Apple launches "Ping" (where do they get these names!) which is going to be a music social networking site, with stuff like letting you build playlists from your friends selections, and a hang out for musicians.

My Space was hanging on by its teeth, as this was apparently the last part of the market that it was strong in. I can see the Apple Itunes/Iphone/Ipod marketing machine decimating this, as they grow this new network.

My Space traditionally has stuck the fingers up at Facebook, but theres an interesting article from cnet news that says My Space has now finally allowed its users to synch content between its platform, Facebook and twitter. So you can cross post content now between the platforms.
MySpace finally plugs into Facebook | The Social - CNET News

Never really understood or got into My Space, I always saw it as younsters thing, but with Facebook now actively going after business users, and Apple going for the music followers, I wonder if My Space can re-invent itself, or will it end up as another Bebo? ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR sjr4x4 http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1583-apple-launches-ping-my-space-getting-squeezed-all-fronts.html what is a web 2.0 web site ? http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1556-what-web-2-0-web-site.html Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:42:04 GMT to me, web 2.0 is blogs, wikis, youtube etc where I can interact with the site and add information or upload comments or videos rather than just... to me, web 2.0 is blogs, wikis, youtube etc where I can interact with the site and add information or upload comments or videos rather than just viewing someone else's information. and to some extent the technologies like Ajax so the screen doesn't completely refresh (and flash) every time I click a button.

so what makes a web site a web 2.0 site ? if it isn't one that I can interact with ? is it just big buttons and big icons ?

can anyone give examples of a site that is web 2.0 and one that isn't and say exactly what would make the non-web 2.0 site into a web 2.0 site ?

and if you are thinking of buying something online and you click a link and get to a web site that doesn't look like a 2.0 web site, do you think "Oh no, it doesn't look like a web 2.0 site so I'm not buying anything from them ?"

would be great to hear people's views.

regards

Tom ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR amphis http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1556-what-web-2-0-web-site.html The Facebook for Business Thread! http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1552-facebook-business-thread.html Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:23:37 GMT OK, I confess, I do wonder round the halls of Facebook from time to time, just keeping tabs on the people I couldn't be bothered to keep tabs on in the real world ;)

But I've finally been convinced to try it out as a Business Platform. So new profile, created a fan page (rem fan pages get indexed, group pages dont!!)

So with a grand total of 2 contacts, 1 of them being the other me, anyone else using facebook for Business? If so, why not add your link below or give me a click :)

I'll go first:
Click here to stop me being Billy no mates :(
Attached Images
File Type: jpg fb-slob.jpg (4.9 KB)
]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR sjr4x4 http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1552-facebook-business-thread.html Do you still believe in the power of radio advertising? http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1529-do-you-still-believe-power-radio-advertising.html Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:41:01 GMT As we turn to the age of technology and discover so many strategies to promote our businesses online, do you think offline advertising still works?... As we turn to the age of technology and discover so many strategies to promote our businesses online, do you think offline advertising still works?
Do you still believe in the power of radio advertising? is traditional advertising still alive? :confused: ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR davaoprojects http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1529-do-you-still-believe-power-radio-advertising.html offline or online advertising? whch is more effective? http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1527-offline-online-advertising-whch-more-effective.html Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:35:32 GMT I have read some information about offline and online advertising and their respective pros and cons.. But for you, in any other businesses, which... I have read some information about offline and online advertising and their respective pros and cons.. But for you, in any other businesses, which would be more effective in conveying the message and generating sales? Offline or online advertising? would love to hear from you! :) ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR davaoprojects http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1527-offline-online-advertising-whch-more-effective.html Video Marketing http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1522-video-marketing.html Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:50:26 GMT Hi, Please is video really essential to put place on a website? and what are the advantages and disadvantages of video on website? I look... Hi,

Please is video really essential to put place on a website? and what are the advantages and disadvantages of video on website?

I look forward to your response. ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR Aloe Supplements http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1522-video-marketing.html Looking for a call to action http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1496-looking-call-action.html Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:50:11 GMT I am currently working on a clients website and am at a complete loss for a call to action for there products. They sell office telephone systems,... I am currently working on a clients website and am at a complete loss for a call to action for there products.

They sell office telephone systems, so I can't do the whole download now for free! or sign up for our newsletter and get an extra 10% off! because they pride themselves on selling it at the best price anyway.

Client is resiting free delivery as an option :( again because of the tight margins it distorts the price for them.

So any thoughts? ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR tomsk http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1496-looking-call-action.html <![CDATA[Logo's that lose... Leads!!!]]> http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1482-logos-lose-leads.html Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:11:58 GMT Hi Everybody,

I'd like to introduce myself, my name Wes Saunders and I own a company called 'WS DESIGN SERVICES' and we 'Design, Artwork and Print' just about anything you can think of. I'm completely new to this 'posting' thing, so please bear with me if I don't do things correctly or break any 'unwritten rules' or something like that...

I wanted to post a little information that I have come to believe over the years (and after doing much reasearch on the w.w.w. I now know I'm spot on with my assessment) will be the difference between companies that do get enquiries and companies that don't.

In the simplest terms that I can put it.....

NO LOGO... NO CHANCE OF LEADS!!!

BAD LOGO... NO LEADS!!!

A FAMILY MEMBER, OR A 'I DESIGNED IT MYSELF LOGO' .... STILL NO LEADS!!!!!

OUT OF DATE LOGO.... YEP... YOU'VE GUESS'D IT - NO LEADS!!!!!!!

NEED I GO ON.........!!!!!!!

This obviously applies to all of the corporate image that you reflect and not just the logo itself, just because you loved something 10 years ago, when you dreamed of owning your own company, that doesn't mean that you should stick to that idea now, now that its become a real thing that you can touch and mould.

REASEARCH
I have found that the reasearch that you've put into figuring out what your logo should reflect is as important as the logo itself. Look at all of your competitors, what works for them? Who got alot of interest? What drew you to see them above their competitors when you were searching through them all? Try to keep records of what caught your eye, these are the attributes you need to reflect when creating your own logo.

In my next post I will go into choosing the right DESIGNER!
Get this wrong and you'll be throwing good money after bad!!!

Thanks very much ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR MACDADDY http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1482-logos-lose-leads.html How to promote your site quickly http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1441-how-promote-your-site-quickly.html Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:44:28 GMT HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR SITE QUICKLY
This is a quick response to the often asked question "How to promote your site" [for example, the "which is more effective thread"]. In order to promote your site quickly, you need to understand a bit about marketing and a bit about organisation:

MARKETING
Marketing can be a complex a subject as you want to make it (and you should attempt to get your head around all the models), but it boils down to:

Segmentation – define who your target is. You get better results by targeting customers who are likely to be interested in your product than simply targeting everybody (a scattergun approach).

Targeting – decide how you will approach your target customers. This is a tactical list and, in internet marketing, will be a list of all your channels such as web site, blogs, forums, article marketing etc.

Positioning – know how you will differentiate yourself in the mind of the consumer, relative to competitors. This means sitting down and developing a strategy early on.

TARGETING
As said, targeting is where you layout what you will do on a practical and tactical level. The best approach is to use multiple channels but not so many that they become unmanageable:

So you will have:

A website (SE optimized; a minimum number of jumps between arrival and purchase; all of those other factors that make the website great and make people want to come back etc).

A blog, which has the benefit of allowing you to add new content but which will not change the rank of your main site.

A Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter account, as these are the most popular social sites at the time of writing.

A Press Release account, which has the benefit of distribution through Google Alerts.

Forum account. Where you develop a “brand” as a writer and contributor.

Article Writing. Submitting articles at regular intervals will get your message listed on related (and non-related) sites. The more articles you write and the more perspectives you tackle, the more “expert” you become in your field. This is where your uniqueness will begin to shine and it is therefore important that your chosen field is something you are interested in.

There are other ways to target your consumer, and you must experiment with them as part of your strategy analysis and optimization tests.

ORGANISATION
You can see from the above that there is a lot to do. You must therefore organise and systematically approach the task – which is why a clear strategy in the beginning helps. You need to get a handle on time management.

CONSISTENCY
What is most often overlooked is the importance consistency. The above required a sustained approach over a period. You are building a “brand,” which incorporates all the factors of credibility (trustworthiness etc). You will incorporate a mailing list on your site.

SCALEABLE
Business is about growth, and so the above must incorporate scaleability.

As is obvious, there is a HUGE amount left out. I have listed some valuable resources below:

Press Release: Free Press Release Distribution Service - PR Log.Org
Guerrilla MBA: GUERRILLA MBA SOFTWARE, PROGRAM, ANALYSIS, STRATEGY.
Online MBA: NetMBA Business Knowledge Center
Harvard MBA: MBA - Harvard Business School
London Business School MBA: MBA at London Business School ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR fitness-first http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1441-how-promote-your-site-quickly.html Breakfast meetings http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1422-breakfast-meetings.html Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:28:42 GMT What are your thoughts on these? Have any of you attended one? Have you had any sales as a result? Am thinking of attending one myself in the... What are your thoughts on these? Have any of you attended one? Have you had any sales as a result?

Am thinking of attending one myself in the local area. Then, depending on how it goes I may send one of my sales guys to one, to see if we can strengthen our connection with local companies and help to promote our brand through meet-and-greet.

Thanks

Simon ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR TotalWeb http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1422-breakfast-meetings.html Respond to negative reviews on Google Places aka local listings http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1417-respond-negative-reviews-google-places-aka-local-listings.html Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:55:09 GMT As of today, Googles answered critics about reviews on Google Places by allowing business owners to publically respond to criticism.

It's been a worrying flaw, as anyone can bad mouth you online, and until today, there was little you could do about it on Google Places!

If you are on Google Places then check to make sure you haven't been slandered, and if you're not on, go sign yourself up!

You can read more about it on googles blog. ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR sjr4x4 http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1417-respond-negative-reviews-google-places-aka-local-listings.html Mailing lists and Leads online http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1394-mailing-lists-leads-online.html Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:42:00 GMT Hey I went through the posts regarding Mailing lists and Leads online. I tried some sites who charged heavily. They have added lot of hidden... Hey I went through the posts regarding Mailing lists and Leads online. I tried some sites who charged heavily. They have

added lot of hidden costs. Can anyone suggest me a good site, where I can buy bulk Mailing lists and Leads at a lesser cost with good

quality? ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR jamesgardner http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1394-mailing-lists-leads-online.html The Cold Calling Poll http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1392-cold-calling-poll.html Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:07:43 GMT I've been asked by Stavros to open a poll, and its a great idea, we could start a poll to get a general consensus on peoples feeling towards cold calling.

Does cold calling still work and does it have a place in the modern marketers toolkit? ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR sjr4x4 http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1392-cold-calling-poll.html Comedy Copywriters... http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1389-comedy-copywriters.html Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:19:51 GMT I am Bipul, Business Development Manager. We are an Online Marketing firm with over 8 years of experience in the domain. Content in any Online...
I am Bipul, Business Development Manager.

We are an Online Marketing firm with over 8 years of experience in the domain.

Content in any Online Marketing Campaign is one of the most crucial factors to make the campaign a success. However, in most cases the content is not good either in terms of user perspective or in terms of search engines.

Allow me to offer you our Web Copywriting Services. We work hard to deliver a hassle free and time bound copywriting service to our clients so that they don’t’ have to wait forever for a content piece.

Do let me know if your views are n line with mine and you are facing such a situation with your current service provider.

I look forward to your response.

We are based in Out of New Delhi. We are providing some Special Offers in 2010.

Hmmm, although very tempting, it's the typo that worries me :D

Outsourcing may be great for many things, but I wouldn't recommend it for the written word :eek: ]]> On and Offline Sales, Marketing and PR sjr4x4 http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/1389-comedy-copywriters.html