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Brainy Tidbits - Issue 19
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MarketingIdeaShop BRAINY Tidbits
The ezine with brainy ideas & resources
for marketers & small businesses
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This newsletter brought to you each Tuesday by
Lois Carter Fay & The Marketing Idea Shop
http://www.marketingideashop.com
mailto:lcf@marketingideashop.com
Issue 19 - October 28, 2003
Reading time: 10 minutes
Circulation: 522
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Don't be stingy...help us grow!
Share this with your friends and business associates.
PLEASE FORWARD ~~~ WITHOUT CUTTING ~~~
to anyone who can use a few timely marketing
and creativity tips to improve their business.
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IN THIS ISSUE
1. Viral Marketing Fun
2. There's Still Time to Sign Up for This Seminar
3. Quote of the Week
4. The Mail Bag
5. 101 Marketing Tips: Radio Ads Foster Creativity
6. Steal This Idea: Try This When You're Stuck
7. Resources for Entrepreneurs and Marketers
8. A Little Marketing Fun
9. Smell the Coffee
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1. Viral Marketing Fun
If you are new to using the Internet to market your
products and services, you may not know what "viral
marketing" is. Short and sweet, it's word-of-mouth
advertising for the Internet. More formally, it's the
marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people
to pass along a marketing message.
The phrase "viral marketing" was coined by Seth Godin,
founder of Yoyodyne (which was later acquired by Yahoo!)
and the author of several books, including UNLEASHING THE
IDEAVIRUS, where he introduced the concept. The book is a
quick read and very interesting. Here's a link where you
can order it from Amazon if you're interested:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/marketingidea-20
I wrote about viral marketing a few issues ago (#8), but
lately a couple of viral campaigns have arrived in my inbox
and I wanted to share them with you. Both are fun and
interesting. And that's why they work.
You see, although the Internet was created as a way to
store, transmit and access detailed, scientific data, and
it continues to be used for many relatively conservative
business purposes, the real key to success for a marketer
using this medium is making it personal. If you can make it
interactive, that's even better.
You can't see the people you are communicating with; you
can't touch them or hear them (although that's changing
now, too). So you need to find some way to make the whole
experience personal, friendly, and real.
That's why the most successful viral marketing campaigns
are often a little less formal and nearly always include
humor or some intriguing idea. Ads that you probably
couldn't get away with on TV are forwarded again and again
on the Internet. As you'll see in these two examples, big
international companies are using them to promote their
products. Millions of people are viewing the ads, and it
isn't costing the companies a cent for advertising (except
the original production costs, of course).
Take a look at these two campaigns and see what you think:
--> Mind Boggling Math
Here's the message I received from Cameron Foster at
Rowena's, http://www.rowenas.com
today:
OK, it's up to you to figure this out. This will boggle
your mind...Take your time and follow the instructions.
After reading each window, click on the boy in the lower
right corner. You will be amazed....and no, I don't know
how it's done. [7UP is the sponsor of this site.]
http://www.digicc.com/fido/
--> Proof That Women Can Park
This one was sent in a Windows Media Player attachment from
Dick Cook at Norfolk Wholesale Flowers,
http://www.norfolkwholesalefloral.com
, but you will have
to click on the link to view it instead:
Go to http://www.way2park.com
and in the middle of the
page, click on either "Quick Time Low Resolution" or
"Windows Media Player Low Resolution," then click on PC or
MAC, and watch the video clip. Notice that is is a Mazda
ad.
Do you think these are making the rounds on the Internet
pretty quickly? I do.
When you think viral, think fun, compelling or something
that everyone wants. Create something viral--or something
that people LOVE to pass on to their friends and
associates--and you can really rake in the sales.
In my new ebook, MARKETING PLAN ESSENTIALS: ONLINE & OFF,
you'll find many more great ideas to help you with your
marketing. And if you order it before it's published in
mid-November, you'll save ten bucks.
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/javanof.asp?MerchantID=41484&ProductID=1485157
If the link is broken, copy it and paste it into your
browser window.
Or, call 540-289-3840 or 1-800-203-8660 to order it over
the phone with your credit card. You can also mail me a
check if you prefer. Be sure to send a note with your
payment, telling me what you want:
Lois Carter Fay
Marketing Idea Shop
411 Rainier Road
Massanutten, VA 22840
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2. There's Still Time to Sign Up for This Seminar
*****NEW SEMINAR FROM MARKETING IDEA SHOP*****
DEVELOPING AN INTERNET MARKETING PLAN
November 12, 2003
8:30 am - 11:30 am
$55 per person
Location:
VECTEC Conference Room
1 University Place
Newport News, VA 23606-2998
Phone (757) 594-7092
mailto:info@vectec.org?subject=Internet_Marketing_Plan
Seating is limited
Register today!
http://www.vectec.org
(757) 594-7092
Here's what you'll get when you attend "Developing an
Internet Marketing Plan":
-> F~ree continental breakfast so you won't be hungry while
you are learning all these new things.
-> F~ree ebook: MARKETING PLAN ESSENTIALS: ONLINE & OFF
by
Lois Carter Fay (me!) so you can remember what I taught
you.
-> A minimum of 3 ideas (and probably many, many more) you
can put to use right away so you can start getting better
results from your marketing immediately.
-> How 5 viral marketing campaigns spread like wildfire,
and how you can modify their ideas to drive sales for your
products and services.
-> The 3 things you must include in your online plan to
drive traffic and sales to your website or brick-and-mortar
business.
-> At least 2 strategies to improve your Google page rank
dramatically so you get a bigger share of your market and
beat your competitors (not literally, of course...you take
away their customers).
-> 4 ideas for working WITH your competitors to get more
business for everyone.
-> How to win in the word-of-mouth game so you can stop
working so darn hard.
-> And a f~ree one-half-hour phone consultation with me to
help you put your ideas in action.
How can you take a pass on this? Sign up today! And
hurry...because seating is limited.
To register online go to: http://www.vectec.org
and sign up
on the site. Or, call (757) 594-7092.
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3. Quote of the Week
"The illiterate of the future are not those that cannot
read or write. They are those that cannot learn, unlearn,
and relearn."
~~Alvin
Toffler
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4. The Mail Bag
-->Nancy Hightshoe of http://www.nancyhightshoe.com
had
this to say about last week's ezine:
GREAT newsletter, Lois! I especially liked: Tip #10: Start
With A Good Headline. Excellent advice. And, I LOVED your
Great Kisser example! I've passed your newsletter on to
several colleagues and suggested they sign up. They'll be
glad they did!
-->Kate Green from http://www.HundredthWoman.com
sent this
recently about an early issue of BRAINY Tidbits:
I so enjoyed the excerpt from Website Tips and would love
to have the full article! Thank you.
*** I sent it to her. And if you would like it too, you can
get it f~ree with this link:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/javanof.asp?MerchantID=41484&ProductID=1398353
***
If your email program is unable to open hyperlinks, please
copy and paste the above URL into the address bar of your
browser.
-->From Jan Glas with the College of American
Pathologists:
Hi, Lois. Another week and I have enjoyed the little
training session. Marketing is so interesting. ... Did you
really mean "viral?" [Yes, Jan. I did. See the first
article today for more information.]
-->From Harry Hoover at http://www.hoover-ink.com
:
Being in PR, I must disagree with your junk mail item. PR
is getting third parties to endorse you. So, that item
should read: "You see a handsome guy at a party. Several
former boyfriends tell the guy what a great kisser you are.
That's Public Relations." Enjoyed the newsletter. Thanks.
***And Harry was exactly correct. But the other version was
sort of fun, wasn't it?
And thanks to all of you for reading my ezine and letting
me know what you think!
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5. 101 Marketing Tips by Robert Grede
Tip #11: Radio Advertising Fosters Creativity
Radio offers a rich arena for the creative mind.
The ear can be tricked into believing there really is a
ship (SFX*: fog horn) full of people (SFX: crowd noise)
about to crash onto the rocks (SFX: crashing waves) and
sink in the shark-infested waters (Music: "Jaws" theme).
Unless little Johnny (Boy: "See ya later, Mom") can signal
the ship's captain (SFX: fog horn) using his trusty
flashlight (music: build to crescendo) with the Zappum
long-life batteries, and save the day (Man: "Thanks,
Johnny. You saved us." Boy: "Don't thank me. Thank my
Zappum long-life batteries." Music: out).
Have fun with radio. Use your imagination. And get your
audience to use its imagination, too.
*SFX = sound effects
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2003 by Robert Grede. Robert Grede is the author of NAKED
MARKETING - THE BARE ESSENTIALS (Prentice Hall) and an
acclaimed speaker. To find out more:
http://www.thegredecompany.com
or order his book through
Amazon. Look it up by name under "books":
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/marketingidea-20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert Grede is also the author of the ebook, HOW TO BE
YOUR OWN ADVERTISING AGENCY. It's filled with more great
ideas to help you grow your business. Like:
-->Four fundamental areas you must understand about
advertising so you don't waste your money.
-->Four ways to figure out your promotional budget ... no
more guessing which method is right for you.
-->How to steal your competitors' customers and still feel
good about yourself.
-->How to market to fewer and make more money by dominating
your category.
-->How to position your company so that your prospects and
the media remember your name...and why that's so important
to your bottom line.
-->How to spend less on your media advertising but look
like you are the industry leader.
-->How to come up with creative solutions quickly and
easily so you can get back to making money.
-->How to build urgency into your ads and sell more
products.
-->How to write a compelling sales letter to bring you
loads of business.
-->Why a terrific testimonial is money in your pocket...and
how to get your customers to give them to you.
Buy this ebook before Halloween (Oct. 31) night and we'll
give you a nice little treat! Get 15% off if you buy it by
6 pm EST. Just click on the link:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/javanof.asp?MerchantID=41484&ProductID=1434857
If the link is broken, please copy it and paste it into
your browser window.
To order offline, call 1-540-289-3840 or 1-800-203-8660 and
have your credit card ready.
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6. Steal This Idea: Try This When You Are Stuck
Ever have a problem that you just can't solve? It happens
to me quite often. I'm writing a brochure for a client and
I can't think of a clever headline or concept that will get
my client's prospects to open the brochure.
So I sit there. Blank stare on my face. Eyes glazed over,
trying not to fall asleep. I try writing the body copy, but
I decide it's really boring because it has no theme. My
brain goes round and round, going over the same questions
many times. "What can I use as a theme? I can't think of a
thing. Come on, Lois. How about a clever headline? I have
to get this done. I need a headline. What's the headline?"
I walk around. I get a cup of coffee. Maybe some food will
help me think. Chocolate's always good, isn't it? And my
brain continues to do its "endless loop."
In fact, my brain works so hard at NOT solving the problem,
that I have a hard time getting anything done. So I give
up, meditate or take a 10-minute nap, and voila! Instant
answer.
That's right. I've found that often all I need to foster
creativity is a little silence.
If you have a problem to solve and the answer isn't coming
together for you, try meditating a few minutes. Your body
will relax and your brain will become still enough to solve
the challenge.
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7. Resources for Entrepreneurs and Marketers
--> Create the life and business you want for yourself with
this book by Azriela Jaffe. CREATE YOUR OWN LUCK: 8
PRINCIPLES OF ATTRACTING GOOD FORTUNE IN LIFE, LOVE, AND
WORK
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/marketingidea-20
--> If you've researched doing business on the Internet,
participated in a marketing listserv, or just been online
more than a little bit, you've heard about Yanik Silver.
He's a 29-year-old whiz kid who writes some of the most
compelling advertising and sales copy I have ever read. His
ebook, INSTANT SALES LETTERS, is a must-have for anyone in
sales. And when you visit his site, you'll be offered a
f~ree mini course, "7 Direct Mail Secrets Guaranteed to
Create a Stampede of New Business!" Check it out:
http://instantsalesletters.com/?27102
--> Learn how to make money on the Internet from one of the
best, Tom Antion. His ebook, CLICK: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO
ELECTRONIC MARKETING FOR SPEAKERS, has over 700 embedded
links and is 553 pages. You'll get the latest strategies
for high search engine rankings, Tom's proven method for
making big bucks on the Net, and much more. Read about it
here:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?AFID=97748&u=www.antion.com/click.htm
--> Don't miss out on these pre-publishing bargains!
Marketing Idea Shop will soon introduce two new ebooks,
MARKETING PLAN ESSENTIALS: ONLINE & OFF (to be published
in
mid-November) and SUCCESS SECRETS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
(coming in Spring 2004). Buy them now and save $10. I'll
send them to you when they are published.
Essentials:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/javanof.asp?MerchantID=41484&ProductID=1485157
Secrets:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/javanof.asp?MerchantID=41484&ProductID=1510419
To order offline, call 540-289-3840 or 800-203-8660 and
have your credit card handy.
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8. A Little Marketing Fun
A customer sent an order to a distributor for a large
amount of goods totaling a great deal of money. The
distributor noticed that the previous bill hadn't been
paid. The collections manager left a voicemail for them
saying, "We can't ship your new order until you pay for the
last one."
The next day the collections manager received a collect
phone call, "Please cancel the order. We can't wait that
long."
Marketing Moral: Sometimes it's best to get the money up
front.
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9. Smell the Coffee...
It's getting a little dreary in our front yard these days.
Bambi keeps eating our flowers. No more pansies. And the
lavender is looking a bit munched. We keep trying to find
plants the deer won't eat, but so far we haven't had much
success. Do you have any suggestions?
We hope that next spring is going to be beautiful at our
house. Over the weekend my husband and I planted about 300
daffodil bulbs--we have been told that the deer don't like
them. (So the gophers or voles will probably get them). We
also put in two huge boxes of day lilies (one more to go),
some hollyhocks and money plants (we couldn't tell them
apart, so this will be interesting), and lots of other
plants that I can't remember the name of that some friends
of ours from Quaker Meeting gave us.
The rain held off until we were finished planting, and then
it rained the whole next day. It was so nice. I didn't have
to water any of the new plantings.
Have a peaceful and prosperous week. Send me comments. I
love mail. :-)
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FULL LIST OF PRODUCTS
I encourage you to visit the Marketing Idea Shop website
for lots more information. Plus, you'll find a lovely
picture of me there!
http://www.marketingideashop.com
Remember, we are constantly adding new products to our
store. For a full list of products available from Marketing
Idea Shop, check out this link or copy and paste it into
your browser:
all
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THE FINE PRINT
THANK YOU!
We appreciate your business.
You are receiving this because you asked to receive it, you
signed up for it at the Marketing Idea Shop website --
http://www.marketingideashop.com -- or one
of your
associates was kind enough to forward it to you.
If this is a forwarded copy and if you would like to
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Note: When you sign up to receive this ezine, you will need
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© Marketing Idea Shop. All rights reserved.
This publication is registered with the
Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
ISSN 1545-035X
PERMISSION TO REPRINT
You may reprint any items from "MarketingIdeaShop BRAINY
Tidbits" (except those with a copyright listed from another
source) in your own print or electronic newsletter. Please
be kind and send us a copy so we can see it in print. Also,
please include the following paragraph:
Reprinted from "MarketingIdeaShop BRAINY Tidbits," a F~REE
ezine from Marketing Idea Shop and Lois Carter Fay
featuring brainy ideas and resources for marketers and
small businesses. Subscribe today at
http://www.marketingideashop.com and receive
F~REE by
email "67 Ways to Promote Your Business."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Published by:
Lois Carter Fay, APR
Founder, Marketing Idea Shop
and President, Strategic Business Partners
Lois Carter Fay is a writing and marketing expert with a
bunch of gray hairs (no, not from worrying...it's just what
comes with experience). Strategic Business Partners is a
marketing consulting firm with ideas and strategies to grow
your business. Marketing Idea Shop is an online resource
for marketers and small businesses.
411 Rainier Road, Massanutten, VA USA 22840
Voice 540.289.3840 or 800.203.8660
lcf@marketingideashop.com
http://www.marketingideashop.com
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