How to Advertise Now

When money's tight, the knee-jerk reaction for many entrepreneurs is to cut back on advertising. Unfortunately, the businesses that stop advertising simply drop out of sight, taking these entrepreneurs from slow sales to no sales--fast. It's a risky move many may not recover from. Rather than eliminate your advertising in a recession, cut the fat from your campaign, and focus on the right media choices for the highest ROI.

To figure out what to cut and what to keep, use this checklist to choose the right media for your business in this challenging economy.

Advertise where prospects look first.
Where will your customers look when they've decided to buy what you sell? A vast majority of Americans research purchases on the internet before buying online or in a brick-and-mortar store. Placing advertising on search engines may be an important part of your scaled down campaign. Other search media include trade and industrial directories, both online and in print, newspaper circulars, classified ads, and shopper sections of specialty magazines. By advertising where prospective customers look, you'll shorten your sales cycle and lower your cost per sale.

Use media that touch prospects often.
Even when your customers aren't in search mode, they still interact with other important media. Discover which media touch your best prospects throughout the day. Do they read a particular newspaper? Which TV and radio programs do they enjoy and at what times of the day? If you're targeting B2B prospects, zero in on the industry publications they rely on for information. Both business and consumer prospects have favorite websites they frequent. Armed with this vital information, you can strategically place ads in media you know play central roles in their daily lives.

Put your ads in context.
Not all media that touch your prospects will be smart advertising choices. The issue of appropriate context is critical when making this evaluation. Choose media that reach your prospects when they're in the right frame of mind to be receptive to your message. For example, your best prospects may dine out frequently and be exposed to the ads inside the restroom stalls of popular restaurants. But the location of this media may be an inappropriate context for advertising your type of business. It all depends on when and how you want your customers to think of your business. Pare down your campaign to the media that put your message in the right context, and your response rates will climb.

Advertise for maximum memorability.
The very best use of limited advertising dollars is to spend your money where your campaign can be a standout. That requires sufficient ad size and frequency. With the abundance of clutter in all major media, it can be challenging to stand out with small-size, fractional-page ads. Larger ads will give you more bang for your buck because they're more likely to be seen and remembered. Rather than run small-space ads in many publications or websites, reduce your media choices to those in which you can afford to buy larger ads and advertise frequently. Narrow your broadcast selections to fewer radio stations or TV programs, and advertise to your core audience with frequency so your message is sure to penetrate. By the time the marketplace rebounds, you'll be in a solid position to expand your campaign once again.

Source: Alibaba

JAZD & Questex Media Group Announce Directory Partnership in 5 Global B2B Markets

AZD, the leader in on-line B2B directory service platforms, today announced that it has formed a partnership with Questex Media Group, Inc. to provide B2B buyers with the most comprehensive and effective online directories across five global markets.

1. Life Science Technology 2. Healthcare Technology 3. Communications Technology 4. Hotel Technology 5. Nightclub & Bar Technology

JAZD directories deliver complete listings of companies and products, geographical search, side-by-side product comparisons, and downloadable product specifications along with an array of social tools for users to share information and network with peers.

JAZD and Questex will launch the first two of these directories early this summer. "JAZD's goal is to provide the most inclusive and useful online experience to buyers and sellers in industry-specific directory environments," said Jamie Bedard, Founder and CEO at JAZD. "The partnership between JAZD and Questex delivers a state-of-the art Web 2.0 Directory platform, deep industry focus and preeminent content."

"Robust online directories provide us another medium to interact with our audiences and create brand loyalty and engagement," said Kerry Gumas, President and CEO, Questex Media Group. "We've strategically chosen five markets at the start and are excited to work with JAZD to create unique online directory products that deliver great value to the end-user and marketers alike."

JAZD and Questex will launch all five directories by fall of 2009. JAZD will also partner with Questex to launch Communications, Hotelworldnetwork.com and the Nightclub & Bar Media Group.

About JAZD Markets, Inc.

JAZD is the leading B2B directory platform services company for B2B Trade Publishers, headquartered in Andover, MA. JAZD is an innovative Marketing as a Service (MaaS) platform where advertiser can measure and optimize the value from their on-line marketing spend. JAZD operates multiple on-line B2B directory markets: JAZD Chemicals , JAZD Life Sciences , JAZD HealthCare , JAZD Hotels , JAZD NightClub and Bar ,

About Questex Media Group, Inc.

Questex Media Group, Inc. is a global, diversified business-to-business integrated media and information provider, headquartered in Newton, MA. Questex serves multiple industries through a range of well-established, market-leading publications, events, interactive media, research, information and integrated marketing services. Visit www.questex.com for more information.

Source: http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/

Survey to Explore Effects of Multi-Generational Preferences in B2B Sales

Research designed to identify how multi-generational values, needs and preferences impact sales performance

GenerationalDNA, a research, training, speaking, and consulting firm specializing in harnessing multi-generational talents within organizations, is launching a survey this week that will analyze how the differing buying behaviors, responses and preferences of Baby Boomers and Generations X and Y affect the success or failure of B2B product and service sales campaigns.

The survey will target sales workers from each generation working across various industries. The results of this research will be a valuable tool to help companies match and respond to multi-generational buyers in their B2B sales efforts and other sales and marketing functions. Results will be published in early May 2009.

“This research is designed to uncover how multi-generational values, needs and preferences impact sales performance,” says expert and GenerationalDNA President David Brookmire. “The hypothesis is that the desired rewards will vary by generation and that these are essential to success for all B2B companies.”

This survey is the first of many resources and tools that the firm will make available to businesses this year to help them navigate rapid workforce changes. GenerationalDNA was founded to guide organizations in identifying the challenges and issues that arise from having a multi-generational workforce, as well as in harnessing the potential and talents unique to each generation.

According to Brookmire, the generational makeup (GenerationalDNA) of the global workforce has changed significantly in the last 10 years. Today, more generations work together in single workplaces, and they have greater disparities than ever before, and the workforce GenerationalDNA will continue to have dramatic shifts in age over the next 5-10 years.

Generation Y is entering the workforce and joining Generation X, while the experienced Baby Boomer Generation is leaving to pursue retirement and other employment that suits their lifestyles. This transition is rapidly producing knowledge gaps within organizations, many of which are losing experience faster than they can replace it, and simultaneously forcing organizations to deal with the different working, learning and communication styles of multiple generations within their workforce.

“Companies must understand the issues, drivers and desires for each generation to effectively motivate them,” Brookmire says. “This is especially true for motivating sales employees to excel and meet or exceed quota. Sales leaders will need to take these multi-generational preferences into account in the design and delivery of compensation and rewards for sales excellence.”

About GenerationalDNA

Atlanta-based consulting firm GenerationalDNA specializes in harnessing multi-generational potential within organizations. Founded by generational dynamics expert David Brookmire, the firm works with client organizations to identify potentials, talents and issues relating to a multi-generational workforce, and helps them develop strategies and tactics to strengthen management, talent development, team building, communication and collaboration between generations to increase business efficiency and profitability. For more information, contact David Brookmire at 404-593-5001.

Source: http://eon.businesswire.com/

Digital marketing roundtable discusses the future of online advertising and B2B foray into social

Apr 08, 2009 – Focusing on social media and, more specifically, on how brands can integrate social media effectively into their digital marketing activity, it features the opinion of some of the industry’s foremost experts.

Katy Howell, MD of online PR agency immediate future, Eliza Dashwood, of search agency Ambergreen, and Justin Rees, of online lead generation specialists Lead Point, all offer their own unique insights and points of view. In addition, the podcast covers the rise in popularity of applications in mobile marketing, with industry specialists Dusan Hamilton, of Inside Mobile, and Jonathan Newman, Director, Enterprise Web & EMEA eSolutions of Ingram Micro sharing their thoughts on what constitutes a successful application.

The podcast opens with a roundtable discussion on emerging hot topics and issues related to social media. The panel all agree that there has been a marked increase in brands jumping on the social media bandwagon, but for the wrong reasons.

“Thousands of brands are diving into social media looking only for reach and frequency, because this is what they are used to benchmarking against. Social media is not about broadcasting what a brand has to offer and it cannot be used as simply a mechanism for pushing out information. Social media is about listening to consumers, creating conversations and engaging with a brand’s targeted audience”, Katy Howell, MD of immediate future emphasises.

The discussion then turns to the efficacy of social media as a marketing tool for B2B industries. Referring to a range of recent developments and trends, such as Salesforce.com’s partnership with Twitter, SME e-businesses going online looking for information, and Twitter offering pro-versions of its service, the panel discusses whether there is an opportunity for B2B companies to engage with one another using social media. The conversation then moves on to the future of online advertising, following the recent release of Forrester research revealing that brands are planning to invest more of their marketing budgets in social media.

Finally, Dusan Hamilton of Inside Mobile, and Jonathan Newman of Ingram Micro look at the latest trend of developing branded applications specifically for the iPhone, and ask what return brands can expect from this.

Dusan Hamilton comments, “Due to the technologically advanced nature of the handset, brands are eager to explore some of the innovative ways its customers can instantly interact with its products, directly from their mobile. Mobile marketing is reaching the point where there are clear business advantages to developing and investing in relevant and entertaining applications.”

Graeme Foux, host of the podcast, says “With the additional feature on mobile marketing, this week’s podcast highlights issues that affect both B2B and B2C businesses. We aim to make sure that all the podcasts in this series offer engaging opinion and learnings on varied digital marketing topics.”

Source: http://www.prlog.org/

b2b Tests the Twitter Feed

A quick survey of titles we now follow in minonline’s own Twitter feed reveals more than a few large and small b2b publishers making creative use of Twitter. Apparently, the micro-blogging phenomenon is not just for kids, celebrity watchers and tech geeks. Business information editors are testing a range of tactics and using Twitter both to direct loyal followers to content as well as create a back channel of conversation and quick polling.

To wit:

At Oncology Times (@OncologyTimes), editors are directing some of its 218 followers to specific articles in the feature well and calling out elements of the archives. There are even shout-outs to other feeds and followers. This gives the feed the feel of custom research. Readers ask for information and the editors direct them to the articles.

Make-Up Artist Magazine (@makeupartistmag) tells its 373 followers about one of its editor's recent trip to Australia and polls the readers for their favorite industry blogs. The staff also uses the feed to drop hints about upcoming stories. This is an interesting tactic in itself. It creates an insider feel to the core readership, which gets to know what the staff is working on.

Pharm Pro (@pharmproeditor) “re-tweets” links to other publications within its feed with small commentary. In other words, the editor uses the feed as a way to direct people both to their own site but also as an edited guide to what else is of interest to the pharmaceutical professional community. A feed of feeds, if you will.

Physicians Practice magazine (@physicianspract) poses almost all of its tweets and links in the form of a question that the attached article seems ready to answer. Rather than putting a straight news feed into the Twitter feed, the editors are making custom posts that invoke the format’s more conversational tone.

WWD (@womensweardaily) surely is the most creative of the b2b Twitter users. Its “HootSuite” editor attends parties and reports live on all the dish. Apparently, Sienna Miller put a black jacket over her red dress last night at the Mysteries of Pittsburgh premiere after-party. Most b2b publishers won't have access to celebrity parties, but surely they can apply this live reporting strategy to trade events.

At Vet Insider Magazine (@vetinsider), on the other hand, we are not entirely sure what is going on between that editor and the feed's 261 followers. In most posts they do a good job of giving readers a heads-up on interviews and stories that are about to be posted. And yet we also get personal messages that drip into the feed, like “Most people love it when their Labrador puppies get vaccinations. They sleep! Thinkin’ of you, Scott?”

Okay, Twitter doesn’t always make sense. But we urge our readers to use the @minonline list of “Followed” sites to conduct their own research into what other b2b magazines are doing with this new micro-blogging tool. There is a lot of worthwhile experimentation going on out there, and we designed our Twitter feed to serve both as a window into our content but also as a directory of b2b and consumer titles that are involved in Twitter.

Source: http://www.minonline.com/

Health care information M&A activity up sharply in ’08

New York—M&A activity in the health care information and technology sector last year had a combined value of $7.3 billion, an increase of 83% compared with 2007, according to data compiled by investment bank Jordan, Edmiston Group.

There were 122 M&A transactions completed in the sector in 2008, an increase of 21% over 2007.

Jordan, Edmiston Managing Director Elizabeth Satin said she expects health care M&A activity to decline this year due to the credit crisis and other macroeconomic trends. But she remains upbeat about the sector due in part to the Obama administration’s pledging billions of dollars to expand health care and improve health care information technology.

Other factors that may help drive M&A activity in the sector include increased investment in medical records and the shortage of nurses, which when addressed will require increased medical education.

Source: http://www.btobonline.com/

My biggest grief with the Chinese parts industry

My biggest grief with the Chinese parts industry is that buying parts in China is very hard. The Chinese parts industry is losing huge amounts of business because the Chinese parts industry remains very inaccessible to many foreign buyers. I know, I shouldn’t say that, because my company is in the business of bridging the demands of foreign buyers and Chinese manufacturers. If everything I am going to write would change, I would be out of business. I’ll write it anyway.

A recent article in Gasgoo, said that “China auto parts manufacturers face a cold snap.” All who are in the parts industry know that it is much more than a cold snap. It is an ice age. Sales had begun deteriorating in the first half of 2008 due to high raw material prices, paired with high transport costs, and paired with a low dollar. In September 2008, the U.S. new car market crashed. It still hasn’t stopped crashing. Other markets, such as Europe and Japan followed.

The article in Gasgoo says: “Amid the depressing international environment, analysts commonly advise Chinese auto parts companies to turn to the domestic market. But some think differently, like Kevin Chen, president and CEO of Gasgoo.com, B2B marketplace for export and import of auto parts, who believes they should enhance exports and globalization. Chen points out that globalization will become the consensus of Chinese complete car and parts manufacturers in the future, and they need to enhance their management, by making full use of the opportunities coexisting with the financial crisis.”

Both views are right. The domestic car industry still shows some growth. It will also consolidate to fewer makers and brands. Consolidation is always dangerous for suppliers.

Kevin Chen is right. Especially during times of crisis there are big opportunities for low costs producers. The biggest opportunities are in the after sales market. The after sales markets in the U.S. and Europe are huge and are very stable. A car purchase can be delayed. A defective brake must be repaired.

The Chinese parts industry is mostly focused on OEM sales. In that, it doesn’t need any help. But worldwide new car sales are way down, and by all projections, it will take many years for them to recover. It’s the focus on OEM sales, along with a cratering new car market that is hurting the Chinese parts industry.

The after sales market is there for the taking. But as Kevin said, parts manufacturer must adapt to make full use of the opportunities.

Source:http://news.alibaba.com/

The online showroom helps us to display our products online

Shenzhen Dicolor Optoelectronics Co., Ltd, as one of the leading Hi-tech LED display、LED lighting manufacturers, specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing indoor and outdoor full color LED displays. Our products are widely used in outdoor, advertising, traffic systems (highway, airport, railway and subway etc), hospital, stadium and amusement public place, etc.

We've been exporting our LED displays to more than 65 countries worldwide. Such a market reach will no doubt convince you of the reliability of our items. Superior quality and reasonable price are our main advantages, which make our products more competitive in the international market. Meanwhile, excellent services and on-time delivery help us win great popularity among customers. So you can reply on our experience to meet international standards and reach your requirements.

To offer you screens that deliver the brightness, stability and color uniformity you expect, we use LEDs from Cree and Nichia. Each LED model must pass the extensive quality checks. In addition to in-house aging, white balance and electrical tests, you can also tell us the temperature setting&the humidity setting you want and we’ll send you a report. We also offer comprehensive after sales service. We can offer free LED display training in our factory for customers. Moreover, our engineers can visit you on-site for technical assistance

We make products under an ISO9001:2000-certified 7S management system. All of our items comply with CE、 RoHS Directive requirements.

Benefit from our products' performance by sending us your requirements.

What encouraged us to join Alibaba.com as Gold Supplier

We wanted to go abroad, so we became an Alibaba Gold Supplier in 2007. We chose Alibaba because it is a well-known player in the Internet industry. As a Gold Supplier on Alibaba.com, we can promote our products properly on the internet, and reach out to the right buyers.

We get many inquiries every day, which gives us many chances to get more customers in the future.

Benefits as a Gold Supplier

The online showroom helps us to display our products online so that buyers can find us easily. The Gold Supplier status did wonders for our reputation to the whole world since we can post an unlimited number of products; we hope to do even better with the help of Alibaba.

Source:http://news.alibaba.com/