When you compose an email for marketing purposes, keep these points in mind:

• Create a title for the email that will cause readers to want to open your email. People glance at the first few words of the email title to even decide if they are going to open it or delete it.
• Write interesting headlines. So you’ve gotten the reader to open your email, now give them a reason to read on. Glancing at the headlines should make you want to read the news item.
• Keep main articles concise, interesting and to the point. Get to your point quickly, whether it is an offer of some sort, or any other call to action. People’s attention spans are very short, especially in email.
• Create links back to your website when possible.  Readers will click on the links if they want more information.

There are many places you can source an email list for marketing purposes. Most of the time you must buy a list and the prices and quality of the lists you purchase may vary. A good place to start is by exporting the contacts from your email or address book.  They are most likely current clients, business associates and friends. The first time I exported my address book years ago, I was surprised to end up with a list of over 400 email addresses.  If you would like to purchase a list of email addresses, there are many options available to you. Remember to decide upon a target market for your purchased email list. For example, are you trying to source a list in Las Vegas of Small Business owners on the west side of town or specific to zip codes or is your target a national audience of dog owners let’s say.

Websites you can purchase email marketing lists from:

The process is fairly simple. You need to find an online company, set up an account, pay a monthly fee depending on how big your list is and how many times a month you email your list. They will have instructions on how to import email addresses from your address book or the list you’ve purchased.

Do I really need a business plan?

For most Las Vegas businesses the answer to this question would be yes. The majority of new businesses and ones that require investment by way of a loan or a business partner, a business plan is an absolute must. Potential investors will want to see, for example, your growth projections before they commit to invest in your business.

Types of businesses that do not require a business plan:

• A business that is happy to stay as is and has no plans to expand
• A business that never has the need to take out a bank loan
• A business that is a one man shop, self-sufficient, without the need of outside help.

It is one thing being aware of your need for a business plan, problem is most people have no idea of how to go about creating one.

The business plan will show its readers all the plans and growth of your business and how you are going to reach these gaols. You need to have a solid strategy in place before even attempting to write your business plan. You should know the direction you are going to take, the investments you are going to make in hiring staff, and equipment. You need to have business goals and an idea of when each goal is going to be met.

In the majority of cases a business plan is used to attract people to invest into your idea and your business. It is your sales copy in effect and therefore must be a professional, well laid out and solid business plan, people will take you seriously and invest.

On the other hand if it is rushed, badly written and weak, you are not likely to receive the financial backing you’re looking for.

What should be included in my business plan?

Readers of your business plan will not only want to know about the business itself, they’ll also want to know about you and your experience. Be sure to give them a brief summary of your history and what you have achieved career wise. Jot down all of your ideas and really sell the positive side of your experience and character to them. The fact that you’re hard working and that you work well under pressure. You love a challenge and can work well as part of a team and on your own.

Describe the current market place that your business is in, your competition and the opportunities for growth in that market.

List out financial figures including operating costs, projected earnings, growth forecasts and any financial history the business might have had already.

Show in your business plan that you are flexible, that you have a plan B if plan A does not come to light.

Sell them your ideas by telling them why you’re setting up the business in the first place for example, and where you dream it will be in five years time. Lastly, be sure to include a mission statement.

Things you will need:

• Business Plan – You will need a business plan if you are looking for investors. Your business plan should be well though out and include revenue projections.  The public library is a great place to find books to assist you.
• Marketing Plan – From the business plan should come a Marketing Plan for your new business. The Marketing Plan should includes a lot of key information that will help you lay out the plans for reaching your target marketing.
• Incorporation - You should incorporate your company to be on the up-and-up and you’ll need to to obtain a federal tax ID as well.
• Business Licenses – You will need the appropriate business licenses for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County.
• Insurance – You should have the necessary insurance coverages based on what type of business you are opening.  Contact your insurance agent and they can help.
• Legal Advice – Ideally, you should consult with an attorney to review your Agreements, any claims you are making with your products and services, and to review any copy you write for your website, including privacy information and disclaimers.
• Marketing Materials – Of course you need marketing materials to promote your business – logo, business cards, letterhead, envelopes, a website design, brochures, and PowerPoint presentations and key.
• Website – Not just any web site, you will need a professionally architected and designed web site that a reputable company should help you to strategize and build (see perkolate.com).

There are so many things a business plan can help your business achieve, most of which may not be apparent right away.

With this said, you need to realize that a business plan is essential for every business. In most cases, it works as a blueprint for your business… helping to guide you along and track and achieve goals and can help you in gaining funding and investors for your business.

A professional business plan has something that is close to every business owner’s heart – a section on financial projections. This section will give you a complete overview on what is forecasted for the company in years to come. Obviously, this is important because you need to know how well your company projects profits in the years to come.

Good business plans also incorporate a target audience to which your products or services cater to. They will also have a competitive analysis of your company within your market and in Las Vegas.

Write down possible challenges that your company could face in days, months and years to come. Don’t be afraid to, because in doing so, you will be aware of any challenges your business might face down the line.

All these elements help form a good business plan. This not only allows you to make informed decisions in your business but also allows you to refer back to a manual to see where you are going to be in the future.

If you are on a tight budget, visit your local Las Vegas library.  They have volumes of books on writing business plans that can teach you step by step.

Building your company’s first website can seem overwhelming at first.  It takes a bit of strategy and planning and really should be something you find blocks of time to work on during your work week or on the weekend. Be pro-active, not reactive.

Just keep in mind these simple rules and ask yourself the following questions to keep you on track:

• Do your have an online marketing plan?
• Do you have a logo, colors chosen and a corporate identity?
• Have you purchased a domain (URL), and a hosting plan? (It’s best to consult with a professional first)
• Do you have a basic outline of what will be on your website?
• Do you have copy written for your website pages or do you need the assistance of an professional copy writer?
• Do you have product photos, corporate headshots?
• Do you have collateral (brochures, flyers, etc.) available as downloads on your website?
• Research competitors near and far for ideas and figure out how you can make your unique selling proposition stand out.
• Create a clear and appealing call-to-action for your website (i.e. Call for free evaluation, 10% off first time order, etc.).
• Will your website require any special functionalty (i.e. ecommerce, shopping cart, flash animation, photo galleries, forms, etc.)?
• Do you have a professional company in mind to build your website (professionals companies know what they are doing, won’t close shop overnight and can help guide)

Focus on one piece at a time, and create a timeline for yourself for completion.

Here are some resources to help you out:

10 Tips to Planning Your Website

8 Simple Steps to Planning Your Website

Ecommerce & Shopping Cart Tips

Perkolate – Las Vegas Professional Website Design & Development

Online marketing methods are low cost, allowing businesses to draw in customers with something as easy as a Twitter update. Online marketing gives businesses more control over the sales funnel. With traditional marketing, businesses have to generate their own lists of customers and then market directly to them. With online marketing, customers discover online businesses simply through a search engine or through a friend on Facebook, providing the business with free marketing. However, some work is required to maximize online traffic.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Customers mostly click on the first couple of links generated by the search engine organic results, which are search results generated based on the webpage’s relevance to the keywords. After looking at the first couple of links, customers usually type in new keywords. The key to getting an explosion of traffic is to maximize your website’s organic search engine rankings by including keywords in text of your website that customers are the most likely to search for, a practice known as SEO. However, do not include too many keywords. Otherwise, search engines like Google will give you a less favorable PageRank or even remove you from their search engine results. The keyword density should be at 3-7%.

Adwords Campaigns (SEM)

When you are using organic rankings, you are competing with other websites to get the ideal keyword density. However, if you are willing to pay for an Adwords campaign, you can create an advertisement that will appear at the top of the search engine results regardless of how your website is set up. While Adwords campaigns cost money, they are effective when the profit generated from product sales justifies the advertising costs. When setting up your Adwords campaign, you must include keywords that will help Google effectively place your advertisements where your most likely customers will see them. Choose keywords that are specific enough to get your advertisements placed in the most appropriate locations.

Social Marketing

Customers sometimes develop ad blindness, failing to see advertisements. However, when customers interact more with your business, they are more likely to take your advice. Social media are programs found on websites such as Facebook.com and Twitter.com. Through social media, you can ask your customers what they want, helping you create the products most likely to appeal to them. Your business can provide status updates through Facebook and Twitter about new product developments, instantaneously, with immediate customer feedback.