Digg it UP - Business

Advertising Blimps Boldly Booster Business
Have you ever considered using an advertising mini-blimp to drive sales to your company? As funny as this does sound, they work very well, that is as long as you follow a few simple rules of advertising. You see, Advertising 101 predicts that you need a disruptor to get the customers to take notice. Well a mini-blimp flying over your store, laundry mat, used car dealership or carwash ought to do the trick right?Certainly, but keep reading that text book because now that you have their undivided 5 seconds of attention span, you need to consider what you are going to do with it. In other words you need to send a simple message to the customer and that message cou

an engine: the car looks nice but it doesn't do a darn thing, it just sits there and looks nice. Similarly, if you invested a load of money in a design project that looked nice but didn't have a positive effect on your revenue, would you think you made a bad investment? Yep, I bet you would. Still, otherwise intelligent businesspeople throw thousands of dollars away on design projects created by artists that don't know the first thing about marketing.

Design without marketing focus is just art, and this is what most artists do, they just create art. Unfortunately, art isn't going to se
Why Prototype Your Invention? Five Reasons To Build Your Idea
Don't underestimate the power of prototyping. Too often the benefits of prototyping an invention are either played down or completely ignored when "experts" take to the issue. But turning your idea into a product sample is probably the most important part of inventing. And if you're not convinced here are five reasons why you should prototype your invention:1. It makes patenting easier For nearly 100 years, our culture has seemingly indoctrinated us in TV, books and movies to believe that we must patent our ideas immediately, lest they fall to the wayside or be stolen. It's an expensive and complicated process to take a rough idea and turn
A lot of my friends are graphic artists, they're great people and honestly, there are a couple of them that are pretty darn good at creating art. But you're about to learn that art, unless you sell art, won't help you attract more customers and grow your business. After reading this article my artist friends are probably going to like me a lot less. That's because this article uncovers some striking truths of small business owners throwing large sums of money away by hiring graphic artists that aren't business savvy or experienced in marketing. I feel it's important to share this with you, the small business owner, and I hope this will help shift how you think and invest in your future marketing and design projects.

Artists with no business expertise are risky investments at best. In fact, there is absolutely no way I would pay them a dime to design my marketing and advertising materials if I was a business owner. Admittedly, this is pretty harsh - I know, if you want to find out why, read the rest of this article and you might feel the same way.

"Investing money in a graphic artist hasn't worked for me", that's what Maria told me last year when we met at a networking event. Maria is a businesswoman, a fairly successful one at that, but she's had to learn the hard way something you'll know after reading a few more paragraphs.

As I got to know Maria I learned that she'd worked with two different graphic artists that created her company identity, marketing materials, web site and her yellow pages ad. Despite all of this, she wasn't getting good return on her design investment, "I just don't understand it, everything looks good but nothing is happening". True enough, the work looked aesthetically fine but I asked her one simple question, "Did your designers ask you about your marketing strategy, your ideal target market, competitive landscape and your business objectives?" She shook her head "no" with a puzzled look, "They just designed something that looked good, should they have asked?"

Damn right they should have. But artists aren't necessarily savvy marketers and businesspeople. It doesn't even occur to them to ask about niche, product placement and marketing strategy. Hiring a designer that has no expertise in marketing or business is like purchasing a new Infiniti from the car dealer and later finding out that it doesn't come with an engine: the car looks nice but it doesn't do a darn thing, it just sits there and looks nice. Similarly, if you invested a load of money in a design project that looked nice but didn't have a positive effect on your revenue, would you think you made a bad investment? Yep, I bet you would. Still, otherwise intelligent businesspeople throw thousands of dollars away on design projects created by artists that don't know the first thing about marketing.

Design without marketing focus is just art, and this is what most artists do, they just create art. Unfortunately, art isn't going to sep
Work at Home Scams Revealed
Tired of being scammed by work at home schemes? I have certainly been scammed a few times myself. Being a college student, I have to come up with alternative ways to earn money in what little spare time I have. After reviewing several online sites that claim you can earn a substantial income at home, I have selected three main programs that actually work. The programs listed on my website include, The Ultimate Wealth Package, The Paid Survey Program, and Adwords Elite.The Ultimate Wealth Package provides you with a wealth of information on how to make money on the internet. You can follow the simple steps outlined in the program and be well on your way to earni
ess owner, and I hope this will help shift how you think and invest in your future marketing and design projects.

Artists with no business expertise are risky investments at best. In fact, there is absolutely no way I would pay them a dime to design my marketing and advertising materials if I was a business owner. Admittedly, this is pretty harsh - I know, if you want to find out why, read the rest of this article and you might feel the same way.

"Investing money in a graphic artist hasn't worked for me", that's what Maria told me last year when we met at a networking event. Maria is a businesswoman, a fairly successful one at that, but she's had to learn the hard way something you'll know after reading a few more paragraphs.

As I got to know Maria I learned that she'd worked with two different graphic artists that created her company identity, marketing materials, web site and her yellow pages ad. Despite all of this, she wasn't getting good return on her design investment, "I just don't understand it, everything looks good but nothing is happening". True enough, the work looked aesthetically fine but I asked her one simple question, "Did your designers ask you about your marketing strategy, your ideal target market, competitive landscape and your business objectives?" She shook her head "no" with a puzzled look, "They just designed something that looked good, should they have asked?"

Damn right they should have. But artists aren't necessarily savvy marketers and businesspeople. It doesn't even occur to them to ask about niche, product placement and marketing strategy. Hiring a designer that has no expertise in marketing or business is like purchasing a new Infiniti from the car dealer and later finding out that it doesn't come with an engine: the car looks nice but it doesn't do a darn thing, it just sits there and looks nice. Similarly, if you invested a load of money in a design project that looked nice but didn't have a positive effect on your revenue, would you think you made a bad investment? Yep, I bet you would. Still, otherwise intelligent businesspeople throw thousands of dollars away on design projects created by artists that don't know the first thing about marketing.

Design without marketing focus is just art, and this is what most artists do, they just create art. Unfortunately, art isn't going to se
Medical Billing - GX0 Record Fields 20 Through 23
If you've been following our medical billing series on oxygen billing and the electronic transmission of claims using NSF 3.01 specifications, you probably have been thinking, at least to this point, that this GX0 record isn't too bad. Well, that's all about to change as we start getting into the more complex fields of this record with this installment. We pick up our review of the GX0 record with field number 20, which is going to take a little bit of explaining in order to make it perfectly clear.GX0 field 20, position 146, is the inpatient/outpatient indicator. You have to wonder how the carriers come up with these descriptions because this one does absol
. Maria is a businesswoman, a fairly successful one at that, but she's had to learn the hard way something you'll know after reading a few more paragraphs.

As I got to know Maria I learned that she'd worked with two different graphic artists that created her company identity, marketing materials, web site and her yellow pages ad. Despite all of this, she wasn't getting good return on her design investment, "I just don't understand it, everything looks good but nothing is happening". True enough, the work looked aesthetically fine but I asked her one simple question, "Did your designers ask you about your marketing strategy, your ideal target market, competitive landscape and your business objectives?" She shook her head "no" with a puzzled look, "They just designed something that looked good, should they have asked?"

Damn right they should have. But artists aren't necessarily savvy marketers and businesspeople. It doesn't even occur to them to ask about niche, product placement and marketing strategy. Hiring a designer that has no expertise in marketing or business is like purchasing a new Infiniti from the car dealer and later finding out that it doesn't come with an engine: the car looks nice but it doesn't do a darn thing, it just sits there and looks nice. Similarly, if you invested a load of money in a design project that looked nice but didn't have a positive effect on your revenue, would you think you made a bad investment? Yep, I bet you would. Still, otherwise intelligent businesspeople throw thousands of dollars away on design projects created by artists that don't know the first thing about marketing.

Design without marketing focus is just art, and this is what most artists do, they just create art. Unfortunately, art isn't going to se
Yellow Pages 101 - An Introduction
Hello, students, and welcome to my classroom. Go ahead and have a seat anywhere. I assure you that they’re all comfortable and have ideal viewing. I assume you’re all business people with an interest in placing or designing cost-effective ads. Then sit back, relax and learn. I am your humble instructor in the mystical and confusing world of Yellow Page advertising. My name is Jeff Hauser and I have a BFA in marketing from Pratt Institute and a masters in teaching, so I’m more than qualified to be your professor. But do I hear a murmur in the back? Did someone say, “What are your credentials to teach Yellow Pages?” Fine, then.I’ve been designing Yellow Page ads
t your marketing strategy, your ideal target market, competitive landscape and your business objectives?" She shook her head "no" with a puzzled look, "They just designed something that looked good, should they have asked?"

Damn right they should have. But artists aren't necessarily savvy marketers and businesspeople. It doesn't even occur to them to ask about niche, product placement and marketing strategy. Hiring a designer that has no expertise in marketing or business is like purchasing a new Infiniti from the car dealer and later finding out that it doesn't come with an engine: the car looks nice but it doesn't do a darn thing, it just sits there and looks nice. Similarly, if you invested a load of money in a design project that looked nice but didn't have a positive effect on your revenue, would you think you made a bad investment? Yep, I bet you would. Still, otherwise intelligent businesspeople throw thousands of dollars away on design projects created by artists that don't know the first thing about marketing.

Design without marketing focus is just art, and this is what most artists do, they just create art. Unfortunately, art isn't going to se
Acquire New Business
A major part of keeping profitable and growing your business is maintaining a focus on business development. Even when you've got the right mix of work, clients and employees you should be looking for new opportunities. You could establish a process to do this whilst ensuring your existing customers don't get neglected. The process helps you manage new business opportunities in a cost- and time-effective manner.Generate leads Identify the types of companies you want to work with and a realistic number of companies you want to target over a given period of time. For example: an accountant with experience in the marketing industry might de
an engine: the car looks nice but it doesn't do a darn thing, it just sits there and looks nice. Similarly, if you invested a load of money in a design project that looked nice but didn't have a positive effect on your revenue, would you think you made a bad investment? Yep, I bet you would. Still, otherwise intelligent businesspeople throw thousands of dollars away on design projects created by artists that don't know the first thing about marketing.

Design without marketing focus is just art, and this is what most artists do, they just create art. Unfortunately, art isn't going to separate you from the competition and it sure as heck won't add to your bottom line. Don't get me wrong, business owners need art; they hang it on the walls of their office - and that's all it's good for. Design - Marketing Strategy and Focus = art. Successful business owners know they need more than art in their marketing and advertising. Having a clear marketing strategy integrated into their design projects is the best way of maximizing their investment.

You know it's a demanding world out there, I don't have to tell you that: life is moving faster, your customers have more choices available to them and less time and attention to give, and competition is down right fierce. So what does that mean to you, and how can you ensure you're getting the most out of your investment dollars?

You want to work with designers that are also marketing experts; these specialists not only know how to design, but they understand the psychology of outreaching and attracting the customers that you want. They know how to integrate a clear, hard-hitting marketing message into your projects, by doing this they increase your odds for success astronomically. Hiring a designer that creates based on what he/she feels is cool or clever is like shooting at a target blindfolded and hoping that you'll get lucky and hit it. When it comes to the success of your business, you don't want to be relying on luck.

If this article's got you thinking, that's good. You wouldn't hire an accountant that didn't know current tax laws, so why hire an artist that doesn't know anything about marketing or advertising?

If you want additional information on how to make sure you're working with a business savvy designer that can help you get the most out of your investment, email me for your free special report, "Top Ten Questions That Designers Don't Want You to Ask", and I'll make sure you receive this invaluable .pdf document that will enable you to clearly see if the artist your considering is qualified to help you maximize your design investment.

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