Taglines, What Are They Good For?

June 24, 2008 – 12:45 pm
by: Patrick McCoy 6-24-2008 Are you able to name the company behind such popular taglines as “Just Do It”, “The Ultimate Driving Machine”, “The Breakfast of Champions”, “Tastes Great, Less Filling” and “Don’t Leave Home Without It”? If you didn’t have to think twice about whose taglines these are, you watch way too much television OR pay too close attention to the commercials! I’m joking. These taglines have been around for years and years and have never changed. As stated, they’ve been almost forced into the homes across the U.S. and sometimes the World in their advertising campaigns. This is why we can name the companies who branded these taglines, as well as, many other taglines we hear daily. Oh, the answers to the taglines mentioned above are Nike, BMW, Wheaties, Miller Lite and American Express respectively. Taglines create brand recognition, a first impression. People will remember a tag phrase, but have no idea ...

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CUS∙TOM∙IZE… - Patrick McCoy

May 6, 2008 – 11:29 am
By:  Patrick McCoy 5-6-08  … to modify or build according to individual or personal specifications or preference.  TEM∙PLATE – anything that determines or serves as a pattern; a model; an electronic file with a predesigned format and structure ready to be filled in  When you hear the word ‘customize’ do you immediately envision lots of money leaving your bank account as an expense, whether you’re customizing a kitchen, car or a website? Sure you do! That word scares people.  When you hear the word ‘template’ do you immediately think of easy to do and change while saving a ton of money, but sacrificing your vision and uniqueness? Of course!  Why customize anything? Customization takes place because we are all unique and we all have our own ideas. We all want something different. Something we can call our own. Something we are proud of. That’s why we customize our kitchens, cars and websites. ...

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Small Business Blogging - Patrick McCoy

April 29, 2008 – 8:28 am
Small Business Blogging by: Patrick McCoy 4-27-08   Blogging has become quite popular for small businesses as of late. After noticing how many small businesses have started to take the initiative to build a credible blog for their website I wanted to do a little more research on why this “Blog Boom” was taking place. I began by posing a question to myself, what are the benefits of having a blog as a small business owner? Turns out, there are several benefits to blogging for small businesses. After doing some more reading on the subject I choose the 3 I felt should be on the top of the list. 1. Build Relationships Online: Business blogs provide your small business with a chance to share your expertise and knowledge with a larger audience. You have the opportunity to share a piece of yourself with your community allowing them to get to know you better. 2. Higher ...

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Power of the Business Card - Patrick McCoy

April 29, 2008 – 8:25 am
Power of the Business Card by: Patrick McCoy 4-27-08 Just about every employee of any business has a 2 x 3.5in card lying in a drawer, hiding in a wallet, lost in a briefcase, placed in a holder at the front desk, etc… I know too many friends who have full-time jobs, but don’t have a business card. Now why is that? Scores of people believe only the sales teams; marketing teams and the owners should have cards. How ignorant! Business cards are often one of the most underutilized tools in one’s marketing. Use the front and back of your business card to gain full benefit. Depending on your market you can put some very valuable information on the back such as a sports schedule, emergency numbers, or special dates people want to remember. Creatively distribute your card. When you eat out you can leave one with the tip or ask if you ...

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Three Reasons for a Customized Website - Michelle Bender

April 21, 2008 – 6:50 am
Three Reasons for a Customized Website By Michelle Bender We are all familiar with technological advancements. Nowadays, people from all walks of life can communicate from opposite ends of the earth without an airplane flight or a skyrocketed phone bill. Changing with the times is imperative for survival in the business world. Here are three reasons a business should have a customized website: Image, Information, and to Broaden Market. Image is very important to most businesses, big or small. However, for the smaller companies, image might not play such a significant role. If a Fortune 500 company wants to do business with a smaller local company, image will most likely be one of the reasons for this partnership. Very few people would want to be involved with companies having notoriety for negativity in the public eye.   This will definitely not aid in a thriving partnership to flourish. This has a ...

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Custom vs. Template Website Battle Royal - Patrick McCoy

April 15, 2008 – 7:59 am
Custom vs. Template Website Battle Royal by: Patrick McCoy 4-14-08 I often get asked, “What’s the difference between a custom website and a template website?” The answer is tougher to explain than it sounds. Before starting with Zirez Design, I never knew there were custom websites and template websites. I was under the impression a website was a website and that was that… boy was I wrong! Let’s look at the pro’s and con’s for each type of website.   Template Website Pro’s: takes less money to build/develop takes less time to build/develop maintenance is low   Template Website Con’s: lacks a sense of personal style, uniqueness and vision mass produced, giving you a look which may be used by hundreds or thousands of other businesses out there monthly fees to pay for ownership, ...

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Free Lunch, Anyone? - Charlotte Revell

April 15, 2008 – 7:53 am
Free Lunch, Anyone? (Disclaimer…..Said lunch will be leftover Applebee’s that was starting to smell up the fridge. Free Lunch requires a one time set up fee of *undisclosed*. To be billed monthly at the convenient easy rate of *undisclosed*…..) (Disclaimer II …..You may experience stomach discomfort.  You may not ever want to see pasta with house sauce again. Sorry about that.) A Case Against Template-Driven Websites Would you like to see something astounding? Incredible? Mind boggling? Of course you would. That’s why you are reading this blog. Put the phrase “Free Website” into Google. Go ahead. Do it. I’ll wait. (I’m humming the theme from Jeopardy….) Ok. Done? If I could direct your attention to the upper right corner of the Google search results page you will see that there are, at the time of 8:04 Monday evening, April 14th, 2008, EIGHTY THREE MILLION, five hundred thousand results. You mean all these people,….all (darn near) ONE HUNDRED MILLION of them…..want ...

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Networking, what is the best way? - Michelle Bender

April 14, 2008 – 7:36 am
Networking, what is the best way? By Michelle Bender 4.10.08                        Networking is a great way to gain new business. Most sales positions strive on all forms of networking. There doesn’t seem to be any right or wrong way on how to network. Working the numbers is the real name of the game. The more people I get in front of, the higher my probability of getting an appointment. On an average, I might talk to about twenty to thirty people a day. Personally, I prefer going out in the field, knocking down doors. I tend to mix up the outdoor cold calling with phone calls. Every day may vary from the next. My plan is to break up the monotony and use all resources available. Whether, I block three hours one morning for phone calls, and four hours in the afternoon going door to door, changing daily strategies definitely helps ...

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The Cost of Blogging - Patrick McCoy

April 7, 2008 – 6:22 am
The Cost of Blogging by: Patrick McCoy 4-07-08   If you believe having a blog is a waste of time, effort and energy then you are probably not seeing their true value or don’t want to understand why they are an important asset for a business.   Many, who appreciate blogs, realize this innovative and creative writing technique can be beneficial for any website, when done correctly. Done correctly, huh?   An effective blog will be written to showcase experiences, suggestions, information, links to other websites for more information, tips, stories, facts and many other things relevant to your business or industry. Notice how I never mentioned, selling something. Selling something, anything, within a blog can cost your business trust and credibility. People aren’t going to spend time trying to be sold while reading a blog. Try this tactic and the little “X” in the upper corner becomes that much more attractive and, uh oh, your reader ...

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Creative vs. Directional Advertising - Michelle Bender

April 3, 2008 – 11:29 am
Creative vs. Directional Advertising By Michelle Bender Internet, billboards, direct mailers, TV, radio, and yellowpages… What’s the difference? These are all various ways of advertising. These various ways involve two types of advertising: creative and directional. Creative advertising creates the interest for the potential buyer. Directional advertising connects buyers to sellers. Creative advertising such as TV, radio, billboards and direct mailers can be very costly without significant results. These marketing methods are visible to all of us everyday. But ask yourself this question: What were the last 3 commercials you saw on TV or heard on the radio? Better yet, how many direct mailers do most people keep verses throw in the trash? All of these methods of advertising, are not the most reliable methods, but can be effective. The internet is definitely a growing industry. More people are shifting towards the internet to find information and make purchases. The internet ...

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