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.

The Benefits of Outdoor Advertising in Las Vegas

• More and more vehicles on the road delivers more commuter viewers to your outdoor ad
• Efficient, lower cost, most effective cost per 1000 viewers
• Makes a statement, big bold ads in public, creates brand awareness
• Repetition, your ad gets viewed over and over again, 24/7 – it never turns off

If you are considering outdoor advertising in Las Vegas, the following are some resources and websites to visit for more information, options and rates:

• ClearChannel Outdoor Advertising, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Gotcha Mobile Media, Las Vegas
• Las Vegas Billboard Ads
• Connell Outdoor Advertising Co.
• Border Billboard
• Mobile Media Mobile Billboard
• OutdoorBillboard.com

A professional email marketing services company in Las Vegas can help assist you in desinging a template for your email marketing campaign, help you import your contacts and can train you on how to write your own newsletters, send them out to your database and track the results of your efforts.

In general, you can sign up with a company, like constantcontact.com, and starting at $25/month (cost depends on the size of your email database and the frequency you send emails out to that database), you can communicate directly with your clients and customers from your email database and inform them of:

• Latest company news
• Timely articles, tips and tricks
• Changes in your product and services offerings
• Key management changes
• Specials, promotions and bargains
• Keeps your company in your customer’s mindshare

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

What Is A Blog Anyway?

The word “blog” is actually a shortened form of the the phrase “web log.” When blogs first appeared with regularity back in the 1990′s, they were used almost exclusively as “online diaries” where people would simply write down their daily activities, personal opinions, thoughts, goals, and dreams. It took a few years for businesses to recognize the potential that blogs had to connect with prospects and customers. Blogs can be a part of a website or stand alone.

How Blog Marketing Can Help Businesses?

1. Be An Expert. A blog allows a business owner to communicate with individuals on a personal basis. Blogs are generally not static. Instead, they tend to be updated regularly and are less formal in nature. Blogs let business owners cover a variety of subjects and issues related to the niche the business is in. This will increase the credibility of both the business and the owner, and demonstrate the knowledge and expertise associated with that niche. Blogs also allow owners to go over additional information that just can’t be covered via other forms of advertisement methods such as commercials, display ads, telemarketing, and direct mail.

2. Increase Exposure. Most blogs generate a RSS feed that third party websites and individuals can use to instantly get updates whenever the blog has a new post published on it. “RSS” stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is what lets a site to subscribe to a blog and receive the new posts as they occur. What this means for the business owner is a dramatic increase in exposure. Every time the blog gets new posts, the posts are immediately distributed to all of the RSS feed subscribers. So hundreds, even thousands of people outside of the blog will be reached.

3. Increase in Traffic Generation. Because blogs tend to be highly focused on a specific topic, they tend to rank well in search engines like Google and Bing. The higher the blogs rank, the more people will find them in their search for information. Getting a blog to the first page of Google can result in an explosion of highly targeted traffic. Businesses thrive on theses type of prospects.

Blog Marketing for Businesses

Although blogs have become very simple to create and maintain, most business owners still prefer to use the services of an internet marketing consultant to help them establish a professional-looking and effective blog. These internet marketing firms can also create keyword-rich content related to the niche the business is in, as well as managing the time and effort to publish those posts at specified time intervals.

Today’s business owners are quite aware of the marketing power provided by the efficient use of blogs. Besides being a way to generate new customers, it also gives owners the ability to interact with past customers and develop long-term relationships with them.

The task of running and promoting a business in Las Vegas can be difficult and expensive in today’s market. Mailing advertisements, letters and promotional material can take a toll on finances, and phone calls are constantly dismissed because people are busy and the medium is too indirect. A more sure-fire way to promote a business is to hold a seminar that will simultaneously entice people with the promise of new information and establish you as a recognizable and trustworthy company.

1) Offer the seminar for free or a small price. With an exciting title and the promise of some free baked goods and coffee, almost anyone will want to attend your seminar. The title should be eye-catching and attractive, and something that an everyday enthusiast can get behind. If your company installs windows, entitle your seminar “10 Ways to Weatherproof Your Windows.” That will lure in the people who need work done on their homes, as well as people who want tips for basic home maintanence. If the seminar is free, it will attract a greater crowd. If you are looking to cancel out the cost of assembling the seminar, you can charge a modest fee of around $20 a head.

2) Establish your name. Now that you have your potential clients in one room, you have the opportunity to prove the quality of your products, the expertise of your employees and the reliability of your name. Seminars are efficient in this way because with one presentation you are reaching dozens of people and showing them that you know your business better than any of your competitors. Even if they don’t enlist your services after the seminar, they will remember your name and the professionalism you showed.

3) Get new clients. This is the best reason to use a seminar as a promotional tool. Instead of individually calling hundreds of people, you have assembled a large number of potential customers in the same place. Here they can ask questions, see your products and meet you face-to-face. Over the phone you may come across as an invasive marketing call. In person you become another friendly, engaging human being, hopefully with the services they’re looking for. More than a name, a client will remember a face and a helpful disposition.

4) Create handouts. Seminars are great for establishing relationships with clients, but it’s important to follow up and keep in touch. Send pamphlets, pictures and guides with the clients when they leave. Make sure they have your business’ website, phone number and list of services. Give them free samples, or a discount on materials and services. Not only will they remember you, but they’ll be clamoring to take advantage of the deals you offer them.