Archive for October, 2007

Record and publish your Audio by Phone?

Did you ever wish that you knew an easy way to publish a video or an audio to your website, or maybe send an audio message as a testimonial to a product that you loved? Maybe you want to record a message for your friends or family and send it to the via email.

Many of our users have been asking me if there is a way for them to send testimonials and case studies by audio or video and I’ve an neat resource for you called “Audio Acrobat“. It’s easy to publish and you can manage all your audio in one place. You can even call a phone number to record your message and manage all of it with Audio Acrobat.

Watch the video below to see how easy it is to publish your audio or video message online.


 

Hope this helped.

Abe Cherian
CEO, Multiple Stream Media, LLC

Inspiration for the Entrepreneur in you.

 Some of the brightest Internet Millionaires recently got together to expose their stories on a discussion panel — moderated by Guy Kawasaki of ‘Garage Technology Ventures’ (check guy’s blog - ‘How to change the world, a practical blog for impractical people).

They took everyday ideas and created companies out of them. This is inspiration to the entrepreneur in you — I know it is for me.

Abe Cherian
CEO, Multiple Stream Media, LLC

The ‘Reason-Why’ Copy Master. Claude C Hopkins

 Scientific Advertising” - The first time I read it in 1997 - I GOT it. I got the message. It was powerful enough that I knew from the bottom of my heart that I would enjoy a career in Advertising and would never get bored with it.

Claude C Hopkins - He worked for various advertisers, including Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company, Swift & Company and Dr. Shoop’s patent medicine company until. At the age of 41, he was hired by Albert Lasker owner of Lord & Thomas advertising in 1907 at a salary of $185,000 a year, Hopkins insisted copywriters researched their client products and produce reason-why copy. He believed, that a good product was often its own best salesperson and as such he was a great believer in sampling.

If you missed this golden classic, read it now.

Abe Cherian
CEO, Multiple Stream Media, LLC

How abrasive is your cyber-scar?

Just recently, I sat back in my office chair to give my eyes a rest from the monitor, and a long ago experience entered in amongst my other thoughts.

The thought takes me back to a time when, I too, was still learning the Internet Marketing ropes! A time where email, usenet, and message boards transferred advertising data like a super-highway on steroids.

I remember taking interest in an offer that sounds too good to be true. They made statements that sounded just reasonable enough (if only barely) to keep me hanging on. They made three or four statements that I’d know to be true so that when they spring the big lie on me what they were selling, I’d be more likely to believe that, too.

They were experts at verbal camouflage! They put Insistence on an immediate decision! High-pressure sales tactics take a variety of forms but the common denominator is usually a stubborn reluctance to accept “no” as an answer.

A suggestion that you should make a purchase or investment on the basis of “trust.” Trust is a laudable trait, but it shouldn’t be dispensed indiscriminately.

No matter what you’re told to the contrary, the reality is that at least 99 percent of everything that’s a good deal today will still be a good deal a week from now! And the other one percent isn’t generally worth the risk you’d be taking to find out.

Abe Cherian
CEO, Multiple Stream Media, LLC

Do You Feel Lucky?

Mark your calendar for December 05th, 2007 exactly at 12:00 PM EST — we’ll be picking ONE lucky participant as the Business World List contest winner and…

…”FEDEXing him/her a $10,000 Check!”

An extra $10,000 will definitely be a VERY NICE Christmas present for you and your family.

What does it take to be in the Contest Pool?

Not much really. You just have to be a Business World List member and refer three (Yes, only 3) paid subscribers. That’s it — you’ll be entered in the contest pool.

Are you IN? You should be.

=> http://www.businessworldlist.com/members/contest_registration.cgi?contest

Sincerely,

Abe Cherian 

CEO, Multiple Stream Media, LLC. 
1 Albany Ave, Suite G6 Kingston, NY 12401

P.S. It’s easy to get started. If you already have a BWL Account, just login to your members area and click on ‘Affiliates & Commissions’ button. You’ll find sample sales letters, product reviews and banner codes you need to promote the service.

If you are not a free member yet, simply create and account from here: http://www.businessworldlist.com

4 Ways To Supercharge Your Media Advertising

4 Ways To Supercharge Your Media AdvertisingIf you understand the concept that advertising is a multiplication of a selling conversation, then the basic ingredients of advertising media are easier to grasp. First, there must be an audience. A newspaper printed as a single copy could not function as an advertising medium unless the single copy were passed from person to person to create a  worthwhile audience. (In that case, the advertiser probably could go from one individual to another and be more effective while reaching at least as many prospects in the same amount of time). A potential advertiser will require evidence that an audience does exist, and will want to know the size and location of the audience, as well as other characteristics.

The second ingredient on which an advertising medium can be evaluated is its acceptance in the marketplace. Acceptance is related not only to the total number of customers in an audience, but also to the composition of that audience as compared to the target audience of the advertiser.

In addition to an audience’s acceptance and size, the medium also must have a usable frequency of exposure. Most retailers and other local business establishments rely on their advertisements’ reaching potential buyers regularly, some even several times daily. A medium with a once-a-year or even a once-a-month frequency might deserve nothing more than a very small part of a retailer’s advertising budget. Remember, one way advertising functions is by repetition; a commercial message increases in audience awareness after more than one exposure.

Various advertising media will be examined from the standpoint of these three basic ingredients: the audience (coverage) each enjoys; the acceptance (impact) of the medium on the audience; and the ability to expand its initial impact by being available more than once or twice in a particular time frame (frequency).

Direct Mail Icon Direct Mail

We would be remiss not to mention the U.S. Postal Service and its ability to deliver your advertising message. The direct mail advertising message can be highly personal and powerfully effective. You know how saturated your home mailbox is with nothing to buy contests giving you chances to win new houses, cars, world cruises and big checks for every month as long as you live. While there is no obligation for you to buy anything, there is always something available for sale subscriptions, books, records, videos, personal products, real estate usually at discounted prices. The give-aways are possible only because enough people are tempted by what is available, and what they buy can be traced to direct mail advertising. In almost every business there is an opportunity for increased business through intelligent use of direct mail advertising.

Because the per-piece cost of direct mail is much higher than most forms of print, it must be used carefully, selectively and efficiently. Mailing lists are difficult to prepare, expensive to buy and are partially obsolete the day after they have been completed. Because people die, move away or get mad at you at an alarming pace, keeping an accurate mailing list is not easy. Still, direct mail can be an efficient way to deliver a sales message to a
specific target audience. If your audience is composed of doctors, lawyers, dentists or school teachers, for example, only direct mail offers you the chance to direct your ad to that target audience with no waste circulation.

Direct mail also makes couponing and sampling practical. It can help isolate advertising response to one segment or another and compare returns in one area with those in another.

The most critical part of any direct mail program is the mailing list. Keep a list of all your customers, either by asking them to fill out a mailing list card or by taking their names off the checks you receive each day. Hold contests to get your customers to fill out an entry form. As your list grows, you may need to buy a computer or hire a mailing firm to keep the list current and to prepare mailing labels.

Magazines Icon Magazines

Print media also include magazines. While most national magazines are not practical as an advertising medium for local businesses, some local magazines may be. City magazines are now published in hundreds of cities and towns. They may look as sophisticated as their national counterparts, and they are edited to local tastes. They use color, photography and professional writing and editing to create high-interest stories about people, places and things. They frequently are distributed free to certain people on special lists restricted to higher income families. In this way they can reach relatively exclusive audiences, but the frequency of publication (usually monthly) restricts their use as a basic medium.

Many regional and national magazines include classified ad sections that may be useful for promoting the availability of a catalog or for selling individual products. The advantage of magazines is that they have highly defined readerships that allow you to focus on specific market niches. If, for example, you run an ad in a boating magazine, you can be fairly sure the people who subscribe either own a boat or are looking for one. The Standard Rate and Data Service (SRDS) publishes a complete listing of all the magazines that serve particular market interests; it is available in the business section of most libraries.

Brochure Icon Brochures

For many small businesses, a printed brochure may be helpful to establish credibility and tell your story in more detail. Computer type setting and laser printing have reduced the cost of producing a brochure. Free layout help is available at many copy centers. You can keep your costs down by using standard 8.5 x 11 inch paper and by using a triple-fold design that will fit into a standard business envelope.

Other Media Icon Other Local Print Media

Don’t overlook drop-point media such as booklets available for free pickup in high-traffic areas like convenience stores, banks and motels. These may include guides to local television programs, listings currently available from real estate firms, entertainment or sporting events. Evaluate each booklet on its ability to provide enough value to justify using it.

Abe Cherian
CEO, Multiple Stream Media, LLC

Make Image Ads Work For Your Business

 Have you ever wondered why some people learn more easily through graphics than they do through words?A study conducted by the University of Minnesota found that the use of simple graphics increased the persuasiveness of a message by 47%.Here are some ideas for using color and graphics to enhance your image ad copy:

If the customer has a “company color,” incorporate it into your design. 

For example, using a line at the top of the page in their color to separate the header from body text, or putting major headings in their color, are subtle ways of communicating to them. 

Avoid using clip art. 

It usually doesn’t enhance your document. It’s not smart to throw something into the document just because it’s available. Your goal is to include appropriate graphics that reinforce your message. 

Avoid highly technical graphics, complex diagrams and charts. 

Simple graphics are better. They will attract more attention and they will be easier to understand. If you must include schematics, drawings, network diagrams, or similar technical visuals, consider putting them in a technical appendix or providing them as attachments. 

Graphics should be oriented horizontally on the page, just like the text. 

The reader should never need to turn your ad sideways to look at your graphic. 

Write an active caption 

…that not only explains what the graphic is showing but also emphasizes a customer benefit. In long image ads, it’s a good idea to number the graphics, too. 

Discussing an idea in the text and then illustrating it graphically is more effective than showing the graphic and then discussing it. 

NEVER put all the graphics at the end of the document with the exception noted from above regarding highly technical drawings. If people have to determine between the text and the graphics, they won’t get the full value of either. 

Use the kinds of graphics that are appropriate to the role of the audience. 

For example: CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and other senior executives are likely to look at payback calculations, ROI charts, or gap analyses.

Technical evaluators will appreciate a compliance matrix more than any other kind of graphic. A compliance matrix lists each requirement, shows your level of compliance with it, and references where in the document the evaluator can find detailed information. 

The “business beneficiaries” of your solution that is, the people who will use it or maintain it will be most interested in graphics showing the cycle of operation.

Think about graphics while you’re outlining or organizing your ad, before you have written any text. Graphics that are thrown in as an afterthought typically look like afterthoughts. 

Keep in mind that colors also communicate psychologically.

Red - Suggests excitement, heat, strength and is a good color to use in a sale ad.

Yellow - Conveys brightness, airiness, refreshment. Warning: yellow gets lost on white paper, so always surround areas of yellow with a border of black or another dark tone.

Blue - As a cold color, can convey formality and haughtiness in its darker shades and fragility, daintiness and youthfulness in the lighter tones.

Orange - A color of warmth, action, power.

Green - Another cool color, suggests cheapness and coldness in its darker tones while conveying freshness and crispness in its lighter shades.

Purple - A color of royalty and stateliness.

Maroon - Suggests luxury, solidity, quietness.

Brown - Implies age, wholesomeness, utility.

White - Means purity, cleanliness, chastity.

Black - Conveys mystery, strength, heaviness.

By following these tips, your image ad will be more colorful, more interesting, and will probably have more impact.

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