Marketing Idea Shop

Blog Article

Here's an article that describes blogs. Send your friends here if they don't understand them: http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110005399

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 8:35 PM 2 comments

Yanik Silver & Sean D'Souza Featured on Brainy Website

New articles by Yanik Silver and Sean D'Souza are now posted in the Marketing Idea Shop Brainy Article Bank. Yanik Silver is one of the best direct-mail/Internet copywriters working today. Read his "14-Point Web Copy Analysis" and trust me, you'll be impressed. Sean D'Souza uses his psychology training to write terrific copy. Read his article, "The Second Reason Customers Don't Buy," here.

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 11:04 AM 0 comments

Brainy Flash Debuts July 30

New Mini-Ezine ("Brainy Flash") Coming--Sign up Now. Would you like to receive one extra tip or resource each week plus a special offer (for subscribers only) every week? If you do, sign up for Marketing Idea Shop's new Brainy Flash announcement. We'll start it this Friday, July 30th. Sign up by sending an email here: mailto:carterfay-74692@autocontactor.com

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 10:58 AM 0 comments

Grants, Loans & Venture Funding for Women

Over the years, I've met many business owners in various stages of entrepreneurship. Eventually, most of them need some type of funding to start or grow their business. New women business owners frequently look for grants. Being new to business, they are very conservative and not willing to risk going into significant debt.

Getting a grant is a slow road and doesn't often bring success, but here are a couple of places to learn about available grants:

The Business Owners IdeaCafe
Federal Grants

Going the commercial loan route is a good option if you have an existing business with quantified sales, a good credit history, you own property that you can collateralize, and you are willing to provide a personal guarantee. You'll also probably need a good business plan, and you should start with your current bank. Having a good relationship with your banker is very important, as well.

But what if you have an innovative idea for developing a brand-new type of software or medical device that will revolutionize your industry and you need millions of dollars to make it succeed? That's when you turn to venture capitalists. They provide the dollars in exchange for a piece of the pie.

How do you find them? Now, a new report not only lists the names of the venture capital firms, but gives you the complete contact information, dollars invested, and information about all the lucky "winners" and investors.

The 2004 VENTURE FUNDING FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS REPORT, developed by Growthink Research in partnership with re:invention, is a landmark gender-based analysis of venture capital investments. In preparing this report, Growthink's team analyzed 1,860 companies that raised over $19 billion in venture capital in 2003. This 400-page study identifies and profiles 671 companies with women executives that successfully raised venture capital. The funded companies are organized by region, and executives are organized by position. Also included are various charts and graphs with regional and sector breakdowns as well as contact information for over 200 venture capital firms and corporate investors that invested in companies with women CEOs.

You can read more about this informative and vital report or download it and be preparing your proposal for venture funding in minutes here.

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 10:09 AM 1 comments

Free Website Makeover Report from Marcia Yudkin

Are you thinking of changing your website?
 
Download Marcia Yudkin's free report before July 31st and see how she did it.

Has your website gotten out of date? Has your business changed over the years so you need to promote your products or services better? When someone comes to your website, can they quickly see what you do?

Marketing consultant Marcia Yudkin recently decided it was time for a makeover on her website. She felt it didn't look as up-to-date as she knew her information was. But she didn't want to lose the momentum she had created (not to mention all the incoming links!) since starting her business in 1998. Marcia gave it very careful study and the end result met all of those needs and then some.

In fact, within 4 weeks she had 31% more visitors, 224% more subscribers, and a sales increase of 178% just by re-doing her website.

You can get Marcia's free website makeover report here for free until July 31, 2004.

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 10:04 AM 2 comments

New Articles in Brainy Article Bank

This week we have several very informative, new articles in our Brainy Article Bank. All of these terrific marketers have contributed their expertise to make you wiser, famous and more profitable. Here's what's new:

"What is Guerrilla PR Anyway?" by Michael Levine
"Decisions, Decisions, Decisions" by Emil K. Kalil
"PR Coverage for Special Events" by Joan Stewart
"Find a Hidden Fortune in Your Website Stats" by Jim Edwards
"Getting Publicity in a Noisy World" by Shel Horowitz

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 9:50 AM 13 comments

What Women Want

As of 2004, there are an estimated 10.6 million privately-held firms in the U.S. that are 50% or more women-owned, accounting for nearly half (48%) of all privately-held firms. These firms generate 2.46 trillion in sales and employ 19.1 million people nationwide according to the April 2004 biennial update on women-owned businesses by the Center for Women’s Business Research. The report was based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
 
I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you to learn that selling goods and products to women (especially women business owners) is different than selling to men. If you’d like to do business with this huge segment of the business world, what do you need to know?
 
Start small.
Women business owners (WBOs) tend to be very cautious. They make very careful decisions that are well-thought-out. Because of this, WBOs will generally purchase something small or hire a consultant to complete one project before committing to an ongoing relationship and a huge investment. Although this isn’t always cost-effective, it gives women the opportunity to try the product or service before they invest significant dollars.
 
Sally Falkow, branding strategist with Falkow, Inc.  in Pasadena, Calif., agrees. “Women business owners have a tendency to 'stick their toes in the water.' Many of the women business owners I deal with are eager to learn about how the Internet can expand their business.  But they do it on a gradient.  This way they can cope with the new technologies and get one aspect under their belt at a time."
 
Look at the big picture.
Studies show that women-owned businesses have a better success rate than those owned by men. Their businesses generally grow slowly and steadily, and they don’t spend money carelessly.
 
For instance, when Jo DeMars, president of DeMars & Associates, Ltd., a dispute resolution firm in Waukesha, Wis., began her business, she borrowed office space, purchased used furniture, and only spent money if she absolutely had to do so. She always paid her bills on time and was very careful about who she hired. “When I got client work, I wouldn’t hire for the position until I had the contract signed,” says DeMars. She now has 25 employees and contracts with Ford Motor Company nationally and Daimler Chrysler in Calif., among others. Looking at the big picture helped her stay on track.
 
Sweat the small stuff.
If you get the little stuff right, women will be less concerned about the big stuff. That’s because women are into details. They want to know everything about a product or service before they buy it—not only how it works and what it costs, but also what kind of support can be expected and how long it will last.
 
Gathering information is an ongoing process for women. How are you dressed? Did you shine your shoes? Were you genuine and honest? Have you done what you said you would do? Do you send professional follow-up notes? Does your office run smooth as silk? All this makes a difference for women.
 
“As a woman business owner, I not only look for this in my vendors, but at Rowena’s we only hire people who are detail minded. In a retail and wholesale foods business like ours, focusing on details is absolutely essential,” says Rowena Fullinwider, president of Rowena’s, a gourmet cake and foods company in Norfolk, Va.
 
Less is more, as long as it’s quality.
Women business owners often have an overflowing plate. They usually work many long hours building their businesses, while also taking care of children, a husband, parents, pets; volunteering for charities; and managing the family’s social calendar. So WBOs don’t have time to spend lots of time researching and analyzing everything they buy.
 
As a business owner who sells mostly to women, Sandra Weaver of Fragrant Expressions  at Dayton Farmer’s Market in Dayton, Va., agrees wholeheartedly with this idea. “This is true not just for women business owners but for all women. I have spent a lot of time researching what women need so I can help them feel they can give themselves permission to nurture and express themselves in healthy and appropriate ways,” she says. “Women don’t have a lot of time to shop. They want good buys, convenient shopping, and also honesty. So in my shop, if you’re not happy with it for any reason, you bring it back.”
 
Because women are so busy, offering a smaller selection of quality products and services will appeal to WBOs. They want to make the right choice without having to wade through all of the wrong ones. The way to a woman’s heart and purse strings is through trust.
 
Build relationships through education.
A consultative sales style works well for women. It’s important for WBOs to have an equal relationship with vendors and service providers who help them learn what they need to know. If you can educate, advise and service a woman's business without patronizing her, you will be a star.
 
"I've learned through life and business that preparation avoids unnecessary risks," says Krystyna Bublick, owner of Loveabye and Krystyna Virginia Beach Jewelry Creations in Virginia Beach, Va. "Making careful decisions raises my comfort level of success. I'm not afraid of risk, thoughtful risk. Knowledge and expert advice is critical. I know I can not be an expert in all fields, so I build in security by consulting people who are. This minimizes my financial outlay in the long run."
 
Stay visible and involved.
Women are loyal creatures. Once you are successful at selling to a woman business owner, you are very likely to keep selling to her for years to come. Of course, this means that it often takes a long time to make your first sale. 
  
Women business owners need to know you are always there, but not always there to sell. So get involved with business organizations to which they belong, like the Chamber of Commerce , National Association of Women Business Owners, BNI, and the Working Women’s Forum or your local women’s group. Be an active member and prove that you do what you say you will do. She’ll begin to trust you and look to you for her buying needs. And once you win her over, you can keep putting those checks in the bank.
 
 
 
Lois Carter Fay, APR, a past president of the Southeastern Virginia Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners  and Wisconsin Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. (now a NAWBO chapter), is an expert marketing strategist, copywriter and author with 30 years experience. She is the founder of Marketing Idea Shop, an online resource for marketers and small businesses. Sign up on her website for her free marketing newsletter, Brainy Tidbits and receive “67 Ways to Promote Your Business” free.

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 2:39 PM 5 comments

Stevie Awards Deadline Extended

The deadline for entering the Stevie Awards for women entrepreneurs has been extended to July 31, 2004. Read more about the Stevie Awards here.

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 10:21 AM 0 comments

Are you a public speaker?

Here's an opportunity from the National NAWBO newsletter:

The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is looking for speakers for its 2005 Women’s Business Conference to be held June 9-11, 2005 in Dallas, TX.

This year’s theme is "Taking Business to New Heights: NAWBO Celebrates 30 Years" in honor of NAWBO’s 30th anniversary. NAWBO is specifically interested in the following session topics: integrating new technology into your business, accessing and utilizing venture capital, new developments in human resources management, creating a dynamic and productive web site, tips for successful negotiation, leveraging networking opportunities, and successful marketing practices. To obtain a copy of the Request for Presentations, please visit the NAWBO website and click on the link on the right hand side of the home page. Videotape or audio tape required with RFP.

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 7:09 PM 0 comments

FCC Chairman Starts Blog

It's good to be famous!

When FCC Chairman, Michael K. Powell, started his blog at Alwayson, he got picked up by Reuters and tons of AOL members "talked back."

I learned of this through the Global PR Blog Week 1.0 postings. Take a look!

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 6:36 PM 1 comments

One Way to Make Money with Blogs

I thought you might like to read a couple of articles about Nick Denton, who seems to be the king of blogging and one of the few making a little bit of money directly from his blogs (mostly from advertising). He certainly knows how to use the blogging PR machine, anyway. Both Wired and Business 2.0 had articles about his blog business in June. Here are the links to the two articles:

Wired and Business 2.0

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 6:10 PM 0 comments

Top 10 Reasons for Marketers to Start Blogging

"What's blogging?" you ask.

"Where have you been?" I reply...just kidding, of course. Blogging has been around for quite some time, but there are still a few of us who are just getting started on it. A blog, which is a shortened version of the words "web log," is basically an online diary, resource and commentary. It generally contains links to other blogs, websites and informational resources.

I'm just testing the waters right now and have created this blog for Marketing Idea Shop. I'll be giving you more resources, information to help your business, and links to websites that I find interesting. I'll also link to other people's blogs whenever it makes sense. For instance, this week you'll want to take a look at the Global PR Blog Week blog.

I literally set this blog up in 5 minutes. I'm using the software "Blogger," and as you can see, my blog is being hosted at Blogspot right now. Soon, I'll move it to my own website.

The Blogger software, which is owned by Google, is free and so is the hosting. A couple of people have recommended "Moveable Type" as the best business blogging software, and I have found it takes a little bit longer (maybe an hour) to set up a blog with this software.

I plan to invest in it when I move the Marketing Idea Shop blog because I like to have more control over the pieces of my business that are vital to my existence. Moveable Type is a software program that you can purchase; it resides on your own computer. Blogger is software that resides on someone else's computer. Currently it's free, but who knows what will happen to it later? What happens if the company's servers go down, or they are moving slowly just when my readers want to check out my blog?

Bloggers (as the folks who write blogs are called) have many reasons for starting and maintaining a blog. Here are the top 10 reasons for blogging:

1. It's good for business.

2. It improves your search-engine ranking.

3. It makes you more valuable to your customers and prospects.

4. It will generate more traffic for your site.

5. It will improve your sales.

6. If you participate in Google's Adsense program, you can make some big bucks, even if your visitors don't buy directly from you or they go to your competitors.

7. It can get you and your company noticed.

8. If you add RSS news feeds to your blog, you can get loads of content without working so hard AND you can easily distribute your blog's content to other bloggers and websites. (RSS means Really Simple Syndication)

9. You can invite your readers to comment on your posts, thereby creating a better relationship with them (and increasing the possibility that they will buy from you).

10. You can have fun writing about your company, products, industry, competitors, conferences you attend, just about anything!

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 9:33 AM 0 comments

The Global PR Blog Week 1.0, July 12-16, 2004

I learned about this terrific idea from Marketing Sherpa. There's an amazing group of PR professionals, marketers and journalists coming together for Global PR Blog Week 1.0 from July 12-16. Take a look at the program here.

Since it's a virtual conference, you won't have to spend money on plane tickets, hotel, food, entertainment...anything! To learn more, visit The New PR.

The New PR also has a great list of Blog Directories here.

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 3:22 PM 2 comments

Women Business Owners Research and Info

Today, I am posting just a few of the terrific websites available for women business owners. Many more resources are listed on the Marketing Idea Shop resource list. I encourage you to check it out.

In the meantime, read on to find out about some great resources...

Bizwomen.com
Stories about businesswomen around the nation. Research info about women.

Center for Women's Business Research
Formerly the National Foundation for Women Business Owners, the Center for Women's Business Research is the premier source of knowledge about women business owners and their enterprises worldwide. The Center's mission is to unleash the economic potential of women entrepreneurs by conducting research, sharing information and increasing knowledge about this fast-growing sector of the economy.

National Association of Women Business Owners
NAWBO is the only dues-based national organization representing the interests of all women entrepreneurs in all industries. It currently has over 8,000 members in nearly 80 chapters nationwide and is affiliated with Les Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales (World Association of Women Entrepreneurs) in 35 countries.

National Foundation for Women Business Owners
See Center for Women's Business Research above.

Women's Business Centers
Women's Business Centers (WBCs) represent a national network of more than 80 educational centers designed to assist women start and grow small businesses. WBCs operate with the mission to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs, who still face unique obstacles in the world of business.

Work at Home Moms - Internet Marketing & Networking
Internet Based Moms™ is a community and knowledge center for moms who have or want to have an Internet based business. Find advice on choosing and starting an Internet business, building a website designed to make money, search engine optimization and promoting online.

Lois

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 3:16 PM 0 comments

NWBOC Helps Women Business Owners Get Business

One great resource for women business owners is the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC), which helps WBOs get certified as women-owned businesses, connect with other women business owners, and get business from Corporate America. Participating in NWBOC's E-Procurement Marketplace requires an annual membership fee.

For more information or visit the NWBOC or its marketplace.

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 3:00 PM 0 comments

Free Ebook: Testify! How Remarkable Organizations are Creating Customer Evangelists

What do you know?!!? Yesterday I wrote about my associate, Shel Horowitz of Principled Profits, and his drive to help the world become more ethical. And today I found out from Mitch Arnowitz on the AD/MARKETING discussion group that Shel is quoted in a new FREE ebook, "Testify! How Remarkable Organizations are Creating Customer Evangelists" by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, of Creating Customer Evangelists.

You'll also find a few of my other favorite folks/companies in this ebook: Marketing Sherpa, Sean D'Souza and PsychoTactics, Conference Calls Unlimited, and many others.

It's a very interesting ebook. My one disappointment is that the authors didn't make the table of contents clickable. So you have to scroll down the PDF to get to your favorites.

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 9:23 AM 0 comments

Be Principled: Sign the Principled Profit Pledge

With Kenneth Lay's trial set to begin next month, Shel Horowitz, author of Principled Profits: Marketing That Puts People First, has started a campaign to get 25,000 people to endorse the idea that ethical business is actually more effective and more profitable -- and to commit to spreading this message to at least 100 other people. He hopes to reach a critical mass that will make the next Enron impossible, because employees won't cooperate with the crooked directives.

Read more about it here.

Sign the pledge on the Principled Profits website here.

I know there are more good people than bad. So how about signing the pledge?

Lois

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 9:35 AM 0 comments

CreateAThon (TM) to Help Nonprofits

Here's an announcement sent to me by Matthew Langley of Mediastudio that may interest you:

Do you or know of a nonprofit advocacy group - a 501(c)(3) - based in DC or Virginia that urgently needs graphic design and public relations services but can't afford to pay for these services? Perhaps you volunteer with or know of a small local advocacy group that is struggling along and would benefit from a high-quality graphic design product combined with a communications plan about how to best utilize that product to achieve maximum results.

If you do have a group in mind, please direct their attention to an important upcoming event - a 24-hour marathon called CreateAThon(TM).

CreateAThon(TM) is a 24-hour blitz of creative activity that enables design and public relations specialists to give back to their local communities by utilizing their professional expertise. In October 2004, Mediastudio, an agency that specializes in cause-related branding and design, will host a CreateAThon(TM) at its Falls Church, VA office. It will be joined for this event by Advocacy Communications International,Inc., an Alexandria, VA public relations consultancy that serves socially responsible organizations.

Here's how CreateAThon(TM) works:

1. Local 501(c)(3) organizations located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (including VA but not Maryland) are invited to submit applications to the Mediastudio hosted CreateAThon(TM) in October.

2. The deadline for applications is noon EST on August 26th, 2004.

3. A short list of applicants will be invited by Mediastudio to share their stories and answer questions with members of the CreateAThon(TM) team based upon a list of established criteria including: level of need, lack of funding, etc.

4. 10-12 organizations will be selected to work with the CreateAThon(TM) team on the creation of a graphic design product and communications plan.

5. All projects will be completed-from start to finish-during a 24-hour period starting Friday, October 1st, at 8AM.

More information about Mediastudio's upcoming CreateAThon(TM) is online at www.mediastudio.com/createathon. Any questions can be emailed here (no phone calls please!).

Matthew Langley
Creative Director
Mediastudio
Making a difference through cause-related design and branding
703.536.9775 phone
703.536.7202 fax

posted by Lois Carter Fay @ 8:50 AM 0 comments