Posted by:
Julie McManus
May 16, 2008
Issue #419
Dear Business Builder,
TGIF my friends and welcome back to In the ‘Net Trenches! Another week bites the dust. I hope you’re headed into a weekend full of fun and relaxation.
In last week’s issue, we talked about my five-step process for researching web sites that …
- Attract your best customer demographic …
- Speak to your prospects’ psychographic interests …
- Command a large volume of traffic …
- Attract direct response buyers …
- Are committed to your success!
This week, we’re going to take a closer look at banner ad sizing and take the mystery out of what you see on web media rate cards.
As I mentioned in previous issues, banner ads can be challenging to make work. But, in my opinion, they are worth the effort to try simply because the traffic potential is huge. If you can make banner ads work for your offers, you’ll quickly be in the money!
So, let’s get to it!
Making the switch from inches to pixels …
In your research of web media, you’ll find that websites offer many different ad sizes … all in pixels. Pixels can be confusing at first, especially if you’re making the switch from buying print media.
But after reading today’s issue, you’ll have a handy dandy little cheat sheet to take along when you start your ad negotiations!
Because today, we’ll take a look at the five most common ad sizes you’ll see on almost every rate card. And, I’ll give you the lowdown on each.
Let’s just start right at the top of the page …
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Posted by:
Carline Anglade-Cole
May 15, 2008
Issue #418
Whooda thunk that when I was squeezing out my four little puppies, I was actually creating a copywriting empire? Certainly not me!
But one by one, my kids have somehow fallen into this crazy biz. Maybe it was the “Pick the Control” games where I would lay out my test panels on the floor and have them guess which was the new control – and reward the winner with a prize …
… Maybe it was the “how does this sound” questions as I read my copy out loud for their feedback …
… Or maybe it was the many hours spent in my office doing homework, coloring, watching T.V. as I worked on yet another promotion package.
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
May 14, 2008
Issue #417
Dear Web Business Builder,
I’m sitting here in my backyard enjoying the late afternoon sun. To my side sizzle a few steaks on the barbecue.
About 50 yards in front of me extend lush woodlands for several miles, teaming with deer, rabbit, raccoon, grouse and other wild fauna.
Singing birds and chirping frogs serenade me through the clean country air as the evening unfolds.
On days like this I feel like I’m living in paradise. Especially when I think back to the hustling, bustling area where my wife and I used to live … with its 24-hour traffic … rancid exhaust fumes … incessant noise … and sardine packed neighborhoods. The contrast helps make our new life doubly sweet.
Why am I telling you this?
Because as in life, so in copy. When you take pains to compare and contrast, you make your copy doubly sweet.
Allow me to explain …
The human mind thinks in relative terms. We have this overwhelming compulsion to compare and contrast almost everything we encounter. We’re unconsciously thinking, “What’s that like?” and “How’s this different?” That’s how our minds work. We relate things.
And this gives YOU an enormous opportunity to magnify the selling power of every feature, advantage, and benefit you promise your prospect.
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Posted by:
Troy White
May 13, 2008
Issue #416
Fellow Business Builder,
Tips from the road …
million dollar ideas from the twins
My daughters are turning eight in a few months and starting grade 3 right around the same time … YIKES!
Time flies.
You may have seen some of the articles I wrote about the girls (Katrina and Hailey).
They are identical twins – born almost eight years ago at a whopping three pounds each! We are blessed, and they are perfectly healthy little fireballs … always ready to get into some trouble whenever they can find it.
Anyhow, I learn a ton about life and business just by watching the two of them play.
I have written articles about my "learnings," and those articles have been published in a few different languages now.
Even a book was spawned out of my stories about them!
Some recent time off got me thinking about how much I miss writing about them, so here you go:
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10 MORE Small Business Success Tips from the Twins
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
May 12, 2008
Issue #415
Dear Business-Builder,
Actually, we only took $10,000 to gamble with – and after six straight days of playing blackjack from morning ‘til morning, returned with $10,500. So, no harm, no foul.
In truth, The Redhead and I had a fantastic time. She wants to find the guy who invented room service and give him a big hug. That’s OK by me. Because you know what happens after room service? CUDDLING, that’s what! 
At any rate, I’ve now had my vacation and the inevitable “vacation from my vacation” – and I can now assure you from personal experience that Las Vegas is, indeed, still there – and despite all the scary news about the economy, the casinos are still packed to the rafters.
And I can also assure you that there is, indeed, more Ketel One in Vegas than any one person can possibly consume (although there does seem to be a serious shortage of Grey Goose!).
One of the best things about the trip was meeting fascinating folks at the tables:
- The husband and wife who sell pharmaceuticals and who warn that Obama’s national health care scheme will kill both the quality and the availability of medical care in America …
- The young Canadian commodities analyst who told everyone at the table that we can expect $300 oil, $15 gasoline and $3,000 gold next year …
- The dozens of folks from the UK, Europe and Asia who have evidently found a new favorite hobby: Needling us Yanks about how worthless the dollar really has become (“Yay, I won! Wait – you’re only paying me in DOLLARS? Don’t you have any REAL money here? Yuk, yuk, yuk.) …
- The marketing director for WebRoot software (SpySweeper, et. al.) who, I suspect, is even now reading this and making sure his underlings do, too …
- And of course, the octogenarian who announced he was marrying the love of his life at 2:00 PM … and just wanted to get a few hands of blackjack under his belt before the big event (they dragged him away from the table at 1:45).
But the best part of the trip by far was completely disengaging from marketing and copywriting and allowing my mind to dwell on larger things. In short, backing away from the tactical trees and taking a good, long, hard look at the strategic forest of my life and career.
Mostly, I thought about my little marketing agency, ResponseInk. About how talented and dedicated our people are. And about how I could – should – best leverage their abilities in the year ahead to make them a ton of money (and create a tidy payday for the Makepeace household in the process).
Because no matter how great a company is, no matter how gifted or committed its people are, it really is all about the leadership they receive from the top. And no leader is worth a bucket of warm spit unless he or she has a specific vision – a dream – and the passion and focus to achieve it.
Easy to say. Not always so easy to do.
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