By Larry Light

 

Brands do not die natural deaths. However, brands can be murdered through mismanagement. Some brands are beyond hope -- but others can be revitalized.

 

Of course, it's not easy. But it is well worth the effort. We at Arcature developed the following principles and practices over the years while working with a variety of clients in a variety of businesses. They're also practices we applied during my tenure as global CMO of McDonald's from 2002 to 2005.

 

For a brand to be successfully revitalized, everyone needs to be on the same page. Then they must follow the six rules of brand revitalization listed here. This "Plan to Win," as we call it, is built around the eight P's: purpose, promise, people, product, place, price, promotion and performance.

 

Rule 1: Refocus the organization

Refocusing the organization begins with redefining the brand and business purpose and goals. The brand purpose should be aspirational. At McDonald's, where I held the post of global CMO, we defined the long-term ambition "to be our customer's favorite place and way to eat and drink." For the first three years, the primary focus was on becoming the "favorite place and way to eat." As Jim Cantalupo, McDonald's CEO, liked to say, we would "be bigger by being better." How would we accomplish that?

 

Rule 2: Restore brand relevance

The brand promise is an articulation of the relevant and differentiating experience that the brand will deliver to every customer, every time. Brand revitalization means defining where you want the brand to be and then deciding how to get there.

 

Over the years, the essence of the McDonald's brand was the perception that it was an affordable, convenient brand for families with kids. There were those who said that equity could not and should not be changed. But McDonald's set out to change people's perceptions and go from appealing to the child in your heart to appealing to those with a young-adult spirit at heart.

 

Rule 3: Reinvent the brand experience

To revitalize a brand, we need to bring the redefined brand promise to life. This is what the five action P's are all about. The five action P's are people, product, place, price and promotion.

 

People come first. Building employee commitment to the new direction, employee confidence, and organizational and employee capabilities are critical factors that influence future success.

 

And it's imperative to inspire those in the organization to believe that the new brand future will happen and that they can help. At McDonald's a new on-boarding communication was created called "Learnin' it. Livin' it. Lovin' it."

 

Product is the next P. Products and services are the tangible evidence of the truth of the promise. When we redefine the promise, product and service renovation and innovation are imperative.

 

A disciplined approach to brand extension can revitalize and strengthen a brand. McDonald's extended its product range to include products such as salads, yogurt parfaits and coffee. The Crest revitalizations included extensions beyond cavity prevention to include tartar control, whitening, breath freshening, dental floss, mouthwash, tooth whiteners and toothbrushes.

 

The place is the face of the brand. Whether a store, a website, a retail display, a kiosk or wherever the "place" may be, the experience must be consistent with the intended brand direction. For example, McDonald's embarked on a very ambitious retail reimaging program. It also updated the brand website.

 

Price comes next. The launch of the McDonald's Dollar Menu created an everyday-low-price list of items and enabled the brand to significantly reduce marketing emphasis on on-and-off discounting. Overemphasis on deals and discounts builds deal loyalty rather real loyalty.

 

Promotion comes next. In September 2003, a new global campaign was launched in 119 countries. The common signature theme was "I'm lovin' it," supported by a distinctive set of five musical notes. The character of the communications was designed to reflect the new young-adult spirit of the brand. The following year, McDonald's adopted its first global packaging approach. It's the longest-running theme in the history of the brand.

 

Whether advertising, special events, public relations, online, cause marketing, sponsorships, Olympics, World Cup or other forms of communication, the goal was to be consistent with the new McDonald's brand promise. Disconnected, monthly promotional messages and tactics destroy brands.

 

Rule 4: Reinforce a results culture

Measuring and managing performance is the eighth P. The McDonald's Plan to Win included three-year, measurable milestones.

 

Creating a results culture means it is important to produce the right results the right way. A balanced brand-business scorecard should include measurable elements such as brand familiarity, brand reputation, employee pride, customer-perceived value, brand loyalty, sales, share and profit.

 

Rule 5: Rebuild brand trust

In this skeptical, demanding, uncertain world, trust is a must. As part of revitalizing a brand, rebuilding trust is critical. Investment in rebuilding trust is an important, challenging marketing imperative. There is demand for more openness, more social responsibility and more integrity. Over the years McDonald's invested in building trust -- Ronald McDonald House, environmental responsibility, commitment to employee diversity, local community activities. As the concern with healthful living has grown, so has McDonald's commitment to providing appropriate choices -- for example, salads, apple slices, yogurt parfait, water, juices and milk.

 

Rule 6: Realize global alignment

The power of alignment is awesome. During brand revitalization, we often talk about the need to get everyone on the same page. But we rarely, if ever, define the page we want everyone to be on. That's the purpose of the one-page Plan to Win, the one-page document that summarizes the eight P's and the desired outcomes.

 

Brand revitalization needs the courage and perspective of strong leaders. Jim Cantalupo was a decisive, committed leader providing clear direction and priorities. Charlie Bell, chief operating officer, was not only a great communicator, his positive attitude was infectious. They were the leaders who led the creation and launch of the far-reaching McDonald's Plan to Win. The vision and positive momentum initiated by Cantalupo and Bell continues to produce results even in a difficult economic environment.

By Pete Blackshaw

 

Are we overdue for a "slow-marketing" movement? After all, the "slow foods" movement is making real headway, and there's the much-needed "slow-parenting" movement. Why should marketing be exempt?

 

Here's the rub: Speed is good, and change is gospel, but we might be moving too darn fast and making too many dumb or shortsighted moves along the way. That fuels cynicism, which is not what we need in an environment of increasingly empowered consumers, eroded trust and greater regulatory scrutiny.

 

We might all benefit from slowing down, deepening our conversations -- rather than skimming at superficial levels a mile a minute -- and re-embracing (please forgive me) some of the "boring basics": putting consumers first, listening, providing service, working sustainably, teaching, relationship building and operating ethically.

 

I'm hardly the first person to put a stamp on this concept. Wikipedia, my favorite fact checker, tells me that journalist Carl Honore kicked up the concept in the context of "quality over quantity." Marketer and blogger Evelyn Rodriguez penned a provocative blog post titled "Slow Food, Slow Sex, Slow Travel ... Slow Marketing," suggesting a need to focus on human, one-to-one connections. There's even a blog by Shannon Clark titled Slow Brand. For me, the big catalyst is social media. We've become conversationalists on steroids. We blog, we Twitter, we litter e-mail boxes. We friend, we friend friends of friends, and we "network" among a growing cast of unfamiliars we mistake for familiars based on light -- sometimes dubious -- criteria. We celebrate every online "conversation" as though it actually matters. We're breaking new ground, but we're acquiring a few bad habits along the way.

 

Before you trigger a #blackshawfail backlash, let me submit to you that a "slow marketing" movement can still keep us on track with all our wired and connected ways. My BlackBerry is not reverting to a Franklin Planner, and I still intend to punish my followers with the subtle nuances of diaper changing. At the same time, we need to reassert our allegiance to a new (actually old) set of principles.

 

Put the consumer first: In our speed, we're getting ahead of the consumer. We must always anticipate consumers' needs, but we need to be sensitive about tripping them in their paths. Attentive and disciplined listening is one critical preliminary step before we engage. At the end of the day, the consumer is our teacher -- and you don't piss off the teacher.

 

Back to the listening backyard: Social media has opened up a massive feedback and listening pipe. But we can't ignore our own brand backyards. Slow marketing is about giving direct contact as much credence as external conversation. Boring stuff like 800 numbers and direct-feedback forms -- or even a "Talk directly to us" button -- is just as important as a Twitter account. Slow marketers never miss the obvious outlets of consumer catharsis. Getting this right lends credibility to other conversational beachheads.

 

Conversational sustainability: Yes, we can get the conversation going almost immediately or launch a quick-hit buzz campaign, but the rules of slow marketing suggest that the biggest word-of-mouth dividends accrue from longer-term, often more operational investments: great products, superb experiences, world-class customer service, committed employees who fortify the brand. One could argue that Apple is a slow-marketing winner.

 

Build brand credibility: A slow-marketing movement would suggest that before we go crazy with the new and cutting-edge, we must reflect on what it means to be credible in this new environment. Consumers can see right through us, and credible brands win. Just ask the editors of Wikipedia. This is basic, boring and perhaps uninspiring but essential.

 

Create the hub first: Add the satellites later. I recently sat in a presentation where a social-media-enamored brand executive suggested killing off the brand website. A slow marketer would never dream of that. The website is the hub for essential information, basic consumer search, syndicated content (including for retailer partners), direct-feedback opportunities, wireless applications and services, and more. Moreover, brand sites are significantly more trusted than other ad or promotional vehicles.

 

Pick your battles: The social-media feeding frenzy puts a premium on responding to all conversation. You don't need to respond to everything. Take a step back before diving in. In some cases, not engaging is the best form of engagement.

Alpharetta, GA (June 25, 2009) - Edge Solutions, an Atlanta, GA based IT solutions provider, today announced the expansion of its sales and support team to become a significant force in the southeast and mid-Atlantic markets. Over the last six months, the management team at Edge Solutions has hired 12 experienced IT and business professionals to fuel the growth of the company.

 

Led by IT industry veterans, Michael Haley, president, and Bobby Thomas, vice president of sales, Edge Solutions provides cost-saving custom IT solutions to companies of all sizes, including virtualization, internet security, ecommerce, storage and data management solutions representing major manufacturers such as Hewlett Packard (HP), Hitachi Data Systems, NetApp, VMware and Citrix.

 

"In order to bring our solutions to market and to successfully support our customers, we know the importance of having highly skilled, experienced and motivated individuals on our team," says Michael.

 

Julie Haley, Edge Solutions CEO states, "Even with all the news about a slow economy, we are deliberate about our investments in the best and brightest IT professionals to stimulate the growth of Edge Solutions as well as provide the best service and solutions to both existing and new customers. We've pulled together an amazing team." 

 

The combined experience of the newest staff at Edge Solutions along with the management team include over 250 years in technology sales and channel management driving millions of dollars in IT solution sales:

 

Sue Ahmed, Senior Account Executive: As a senior IT sales executive with over 30 years sales experience in high tech, Ahmed's career includes sales administration, account management and sales management with an emphasis on services and healthcare. Ahmed has driven sales for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), Compaq Computer Corporation (Compaq), HP and several regional and national HP-focused resellers.   Ahmed will be responsible for accounts in the Carolinas, as well as development and implementation of a services strategy for the Edge Solutions.

 

Bob Segal, Senior Account Executive: Segal has held sales, sales management, sales operations and financial management positions with DEC, Compaq and HP prior to joining Sun Microsystems where he was most recently an account executive covering named and mid-tier accounts throughout Georgia for three years. At Edge, Segal will be focused on driving sales in the greater metro Atlanta area.

 

Tim McLaughlin, Senior Account Executive: McLaughlin spent the last 15 years in IT responsible for business development, named account management and senior sales management with major IT solution providers in the southeast driving multi-vendor solutions into major accounts. McLaughlin is focused on accounts in the Atlanta metro area for Edge Solutions.

 

Tommy Haley, Senior Account Executive: Haley brings his extensive knowledge of sales, recruiting, mentoring and of the DC metro market to Edge Solutions from his career in the mortgage industry. Most recently Haley was the Senior Vice President for Washington Home Mortgage where he helped increase revenue from $15 million to over $100 million in annual sales. Haley will be responsible for driving sales in the Washington DC and Maryland markets.

 

Kim Venter, Account Executive: With over 20 years experience in sales, services, marketing, lead generation and market research in healthcare, advertising and mortgage industries, Venter will focus on driving sales in the Georgia market.

 

Joe Prokop, Storage Practice Manager:  A career that spans over 20 years in the IT industry working for companies that include leading distributors, Avnet and Arrow, as well as regional resellers and major manufacturers, Prokop understands every aspect of the channel and multi-vendor enterprise solutions. Prokop has traveled the US consulting with hundreds of leading companies from Fortune 1000 to SMB on server and storage solutions. He has had the opportunity to work with hundreds of corporations and IT organizations every year within the Southeast and throughout the US. Prokop will manage Edge Solutions' storage practice and provide technology support for the sales team.

 

Barry Polis, Technical Consultant:  With over 26 years in the IT industry, including 22 years at HP, Polis brings a wealth of technical expertise to Edge Solutions.  Polis has training, consulting, engineering and technical support experience with every significant platform, operating system and ISV application.  Polis holds technical certifications with Microsoft, VMware, HP, NetApp, Hitachi and Citrix, and will support the design, delivery and implementation of custom IT solutions for Edge's customers.

 

Larry McCreary, eCommerce Specialist: With 19 years of technical sales experience, McCreary has specialized in building ecommerce practices focused on HP technology with several of the country's leading reseller organizations over the last seven years. McCreary also has extensive experience in commercial, state, local and education markets, and will specialize in driving ecommerce solutions for Edge Solutions.  

 

Theresa Jackson, Business Development Specialist:  Jackson's diverse background and extensive experience with federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and the United States Army, software testing, publishing and retail industries makes her uniquely qualified in her role of generating new business for Edge Solutions. Jackson holds sales and technical certifications with HP, Hitachi Data Systems and NetApp.

 

Casey Powell, Business Development Specialist: Powell has extensive demand generation experience with agencies and IT distributors developing and delivering programs to drive sales for major manufacturers including Microsoft and HP. Powell will focus on marketing program management and lead generation initiatives to drive sales for Edge Solutions.

 

Tram Pham, Senior Inside Sales Representative: With over 15 years experience in inside sales in the IT channel, Pham brings a wealth of knowledge from her years in distribution and reseller sales, including sales and technical certifications with HP and VMware. Pham delivers both inbound and outbound sales support for Edge Solutions.

 

Christy Raines, Order Management Specialist: Raines has expertly focused on order management and inside sales in the IT channel with several resellers for over five years.  Raines will provide both inbound and outbound sales support for Edge Solutions.

 

 

Edge Solutions Management Team

 

Julie Ison Haley, CEO:  Haley's invaluable 20-year career as a commercial and litigation attorney focused on driving public sector initiatives and key lobbying activities in support of education and sustainable growth in the south central and southeast markets will drive the success of Edge Solutions.  In addition to her experience as a law associate at several Dallas, TX top law firms, Julie served for five years on the Fulton County Code Enforcement Board, and has been the legislative chair for Fulton County and Georgia State education associations.

 

Michael P. Haley, President:  Haley has over 20 years experience in IT ranging from direct selling to channel management to general manager. Most recently, Haley was the Vice President and General Manager of the HP selling division for Arrow Electronics, where he led the team to over 200% growth in sales revenue.  Haley's role in developing, supporting and driving sales for solution providers across the country guarantee his success at running Edge Solutions.

 

Bobby Thomas, Vice President, Sales:  Thomas is a proven sales leader with over 25 years experience driving high-performance technology sales teams at DEC, Compaq, HP and several successful regional and national IT solutions providers.  Thomas' solid track record includes global sales responsibilities, attracting and retaining top sales talent, driving the launch and sales of new enterprise technologies, and expertise in a wide range of vertical markets, including chemical, oil and gas, manufacturing, ecommerce, healthcare, education, state and local government.  Thomas joined Edge Solutions in March 2008 to drive the explosive growth of this new organization.

 

 

About Edge Solutions

 

Alpharetta, GA based Edge Solutions is a majority woman-owned Atlanta IT solutions provider delivering superior customer service and support in the delivery of impactful IT solutions that meet its customers business challenges. Edge Solutions is dedicated to delivering the right solution that meets your needs with the expertise in, data center management, server and storage virtualization, storage management, data protection information management, asset and services contract management.

 

Media Contact

Casey Powell

 770.250.5953

cpowell@edgewit.com

 

 

Press Release Services by VayuMedia.com

 

About Vayu Media:

Vayu Media is the premier company for local internet advertising using search engine marketing and local search engine optimization. Vayu Media is taking advantage of the consumer shift from traditional media to internet based marketing.  The company's focus is local online business marketing and web design services. The company's strategy to get out into the market place and consult with local businesses face to face has allowed it to make local business owners aware of the opportunity that exists online.  In order to stay relevant in today's market every local business must have an online marketing strategy and Vayu Media can help.

 

Media Contact:

Jennifer Dunphy, Vayu Media LLC, (800)-456-1563 , info (at) vayumedia dot com

       

A new study says top CEOs should do a better job managing their presence online, on social sites like Twitter and Facebook and even Wikipedia.

 

Sharon Barclay, who runs the executive public-relations firm Blue Trumpet Group and the blog UberCEO, took Fortune's 2009 list of the top 100 CEOs and found what she calls a "miserable level of engagement" when it comes to social networks.

 

Barclay only found two CEOs with Twitter accounts, and only 13 had profiles on LinkedIn, the social network for professionals. She found only 19 with a personal Facebook page, and while three-quarters had "some kind of" entry on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, many of those entries had incorrect titles, missing information or a lack of sources.

 

Though Barclay did not poll the CEOs themselves, she said the results question whether these executives are managing their online reputation.

 

"I would think an executive at that level would want to exploit (an online) network as much as possible," Barclay said. "But the only executives using LinkedIn well were people in technology."

 

Michael Dell, the CEO of computer maker Dell Inc., Gregory Spierkel, the head of technology products distributor Ingram Micro, and John Chambers, the CEO of Cisco Systems Inc., were three company heads Barclay said stood out from the pack on LinkedIn. Each had more than 80 "connections," links to other professionals.

 

Facebook can make it difficult to manage an online profile because fake pages are abundant for chief executives. Rex Tillerson, CEO of the No. 1 ranking company, Exxon Mobile, had at least two Facebook pages with his photo attached, though neither listed any "friends."

 

"What CEOs need to realize is that millions of their customers are communicating this way, and it's foolish for them to dismiss this," Barclay said.

 

 

Contact Vayu Media for your personal social media marketing strategy !

 

About Vayu Media:

 

VayuMedia.com

 

Vayu Media is the premier company for local internet advertising using search engine marketing and local search engine optimization. Vayu Media is taking advantage of the consumer shift from traditional media to internet based marketing.  The company's focus is local online business marketing and web design services. The company's strategy to get out into the market place and consult with local businesses face to face has allowed it to make local business owners aware of the opportunity that exists online.  In order to stay relevant in today's market every local business must have an online marketing strategy and Vayu Media can help.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Dunphy, Vayu Media LLC, (800)-456-1563 , info (at) vayumedia dot com

 

Your site positioning is the website equivalent to product positioning in market strategy and product strategy. You need to relate your website to the benefits offered to target users, and locate it in relation to its strategic focus on defined benefits for defined target users. Position your website to play towards strengths and away from weaknesses.

 

The classic marketing concept of product positioning is closely related to market segment focus. Positioning targets a product for specific market segments, with specific product needs, at specific prices. The same product can be positioned in many different ways. The illustration below shows an example taken from Philip Kotler's book Marketing Management. The example shows how Kotler looks at the positioning of an instant breakfast drink, relative to the key variables price and speed. We think you can see how you can apply this concept to your website, positioning your website as if it were a product.

 

 

Another common framework for classic product positioning is taken from a series of questions. As you apply this idea to the Web, think about the Web version of the classic product positioning statement. You can position a product using a positioning statement that answers the important questions:

 

1. For whom is the product designed?
2. What kind of product is it?
3. What is the single most important benefit it offers?
4. What is its most important competitor?
5. How is it different from that competitor?
6. What is the customer benefit of that difference?

Some positioning strategies will work better than others. Here again, strategy is focus. The best positioning plays to your company's strengths and the product's strengths, and away from weaknesses. Position your product to reach the buyers whose profiles most closely match needs you serve, in the channels you can reach, and at the prices you set.

 Atlanta, GA June 17 2009 -

 

Atlanta Advertising & Marketing Sales Positions

 

Vayu Media, new era marketing, is an industry leader with a growing portfolio of internet marketing products that drive consumer leads to local & regional businesses. Vayu Media's progressive internet strategy, above market commission rates, open market territories & virtual business environment allow its marketing strategists to build a business within a business & to be at the forefront of the new internet growth opportunity. You build the business, you keep the rewards.

 

Internet marketing has been at the core of our business since the late 1990's when the New Era of internet marketing began. We offer our signature 4 Point Integrated Marketing Solution:

-         MyLocalShopping Network

-         Search Engine Marketing

-         Web Design & Ecommerce Development

-         Strategic {local} Marketing Consulting

 

 

 

 

As an Integrated Internet Advertising & Marketing Company delivering online marketing solutions for {local} & regional businesses

Vayu Media provides solutions to businesses nation wide.

 

At Vayu Media, we have adopted virtual business applications to keep operating expenses low.  We invest these funds into you & our solutions. We believe that when you get paid well, you will deliver exceptional customer service. When we invest in our analytics & design teams, we will deliver great solutions for you & our customers. When we optimize our websites, we will deliver top results to you & our customers.

 

 

Exciting Sales Career
Vayu Media was named the Most Dependable Web Design Firm of The Central Region, & has received numerous other accolades including Design Studio of the Month awards as well as being ranked as a Top Web Design firm by Business Journals.

 

 

If you've been searching for the opportunity to make great money, are self motivated, goal oriented, & performance driven, there's never been a better time to join the Vayu Media Team of experts. Become an Atlanta Internet Advertising Sales Agent, Representative or Associate.  We are experiencing tremendous growth, & that's why we're always looking for talented marketing strategist sales professionals like you to further our successful growth.  To join Vayu Media & the New Era of Marketing e-mail your resume & cover letter to Jennifer Dunphy, VP of Sales & Marketing at careers@VayuMedia.com & visit www.VayuMedia.com to learn more about the new era of internet marketing.

 

 

 

Internet Advertising Sales Representative, Agent or Associate

Benefits:

• Above Market Commission Rates
• Uncapped Commissions, Incentives & Bonuses
• Field Sales Training for all New Hires
• Open Market Territories
• Excellent Promotion Opportunities for ALL Top Performers
• Ongoing World-Class Sales, Product & Industry Training
• Fun, Energetic Work Environment
• Abundant Recognition Programs

Pay Structure:

• 1099 Independent Contractor Sales Agents
• Above Market Sales Agent Commissions ranging from 12.5% - 25% of Revenue
• Enjoy the same commissions on New Business, Retention & Increase

Responsibilities Include:

• Generating & Maintaining New Accounts
• Reviewing, Managing, & Growing Existing Account Base
• Generating Online Marketing Proposals
• Conducting Industry Research
• Achieving Sales Quotas/Goals

Requirements Include:

• Bachelors Degree Preferred
• Basic Computer Skills & Knowledge of Search Engine Marketing
• Two Years of Successful Outside Media Sales Experience Preferred
• Strong Presentation & Effective Communication Skills
• Professional Attitude

About Vayu Media:

VayuMedia.com

Vayu Media is the premier company for local internet advertising using search engine marketing and local search engine optimization. Vayu Media is taking advantage of the consumer shift from traditional media to internet based marketing.  The company's focus is local online business marketing and web design services. The company's strategy to get out into the market place and consult with local businesses face to face has allowed it to make local business owners aware of the opportunity that exists online.  In order to stay relevant in today's market every local business must have an online marketing strategy and Vayu Media can help.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Dunphy, Vayu Media LLC, (800)-456-1563 , info (at) vayumedia dot com

 

Business-to-business media is seeing a rapid shift of advertising dollars to online platforms, according to Outsell Inc., a research consultancy serving the information industries. But a closer look at the numbers shows that, in part, the apparent shift is simply a dwindling away of print revenues, accompanied by moderate growth online. The unavoidable fact remains that overall B2B revenues have decreased since 2005.

 

 

The Outsell report, titled "Market Analysis: Leaders in the B2B Print to Electronic Revenue Shift," found that between 2003 and 2008, print revenue's share of total B2B revenue fell from 58.3% to 40% as online revenues jumped from 18% to 33.9% during the same period; the rest came from events, which have hovered around a quarter of total revenues.

 

The bulk of the shift happened between 2005 and 2007, when print declined from 53.1% to 44.1%, while online increased from 22.1% to 30.2%.

 

Taking a slightly longer view, however, the B2B marketplace has contracted during the last decade. Between 2000 and 2008, total B2B revenues declined $4.1 billion from $24.7 billion to $20.6 billion -- a drop of roughly 17%.

 

During the same period, digital revenues jumped from $2 billion to $7.3 billion -- a substantial increase that nonetheless failed to make up for losses on the print side, which tumbled from $15.7 billion to $8.2 billion between 2000 and 2008. The trend was still evident in the most recent figures, as overall revenues fell 2.5% from 2007-2008, with print declining $1.1. billion while online grew $1 billion.

 

Thus, a good part of the percentage shift from print to online simply reflects diminishing print revenues. If total revenues had remained stable at $24.7 billion, $6.9 billion in online revenues recorded for 2008 would equal about 27.9% of the total, rather than 33.9%. And while there is no question that the future of B2B media lies online, at this rate it's unlikely the industry will revisit the high watermark of 2000 anytime soon.

 

B2B has been confronted with the same dilemma faced by other print media, including consumer magazines and newspapers -- online, while a promising area for new revenue growth in its own right, has so far failed to offset much larger losses on the print side.

 

For example, Time Inc.'s online revenues grew $57 million from 2007-2008 to about $245 million, while total ad revenues fell 7%, from $4.95 to $4.6 billion -- a loss greater than all its online revenues. Similarly, from 2006-2008, newspapers' online revenues increased from $2.66 billion to $3.1 billion, while total revenues plunged from $49.3 billion to $37.8 billion -- a loss equal to roughly four times total online revenues in 2008.

Atlanta, GA June 10 2009 -

 

Press Release Submission Services

 

One sure-fire way to get your business known is by using press releases. A press release is written material that announces a news type event. Television networks, radio stations, magazines, and newspapers as well as online resources will publish the announcement if your news story peaks interest.

People are interested in the news and are always looking for a good story. Business owners can use press releases to give them those good stories while making a name for their company. The best way to do that is to make sure the release is a story and not simply an advertisement for your business.

 

Press Releases Provide Powerful Benefits to Small and Big Business Owners Alike

 

Press Releases are the most popular means of providing publicity online and offline. They have many advantages that both small and big business owners can profit from. Some of those are:

 

More traffic to your site

 

The press release that gets published on one of the media outlets will have your website link provided within it. Those who have reviewed your release and want more information will click through the link or check out the website.

 

Build a brand

 

What better way to get your business name into the minds of your target audience or anyone who happens to read your press releases. The more a consumer sees your business name being mentioned the more likely they will remember it the next time they, or someone they know, is in need of your products.

 

Inexpensive way to get free publicity

 

Getting an effective press release written will cost you some money. Vayu Media will include the costs of submitting it for you, so the cost of getting the free publicity will be inexpensive. The press release submission services will include copy writing that is focused on search engine optimization.

 

Gain Credibility

 

The press release submission service can also help to get your business more credibility. Potential consumers will start to see you as an expert in your field and think that you should be the one to go to when they need the products you offer.

 

What News Items You Can Create to Make an Effective Release

 

By no means should you wait around for something newsworthy to happen within your business before you can start benefiting from news releases. Why wait? Start now.

Create news stories from what's already going on. Here are some things that could be turned into news stories for your news release:

 

      - Special Discounts/Sales

      - Fundraising events your business is helping with

      - Offering Free Items

      - Any Awards your business has won

      - Any contests that you're planning

      - Starting your business

      - Getting more products to sell

 

Some of these stories can not only be newsworthy items but also show what a humanitarian you or your business is. Credibility comes into play again and we all know that credibility helps to build rapport with your target audience and gains you a higher "expert" level.

Press releases are one of the most powerful publicity tools available today for all business owners. Use it to your advantage and join all the other successful internet marketers who have use press release submission services many times in the past with very positive results.

 

 

About Vayu Media:

 

VayuMedia.com

 

Vayu Media is the premier company for local internet advertising using search engine marketing and local search engine optimization. Vayu Media is taking advantage of the consumer shift from traditional media to internet based marketing.  The company's focus is local online business marketing and web design services. The company's strategy to get out into the market place and consult with local businesses face to face has allowed it to make local business owners aware of the opportunity that exists online.  In order to stay relevant in today's market every local business must have an online marketing strategy and Vayu Media can help.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Dunphy, Vayu Media LLC, (800)-456-1563 , info (at) vayumedia dot com

Vayu Media headquartered out of Atlanta is offering online blog management services to enhance its clients search engine optimization efforts.

 

Atlanta, GA June 10 2009 -

 

Blog Management Services

 

Content is still king on the net, and one of the most powerful and affordable methods of creating relevant information is by adding a blog to your website.

"What is a blog?" is one of the most frequent questions that we receive. A modern blog is a complete software package that can be installed on your web site, in most cases very easily. It provides a complete system that allows you to add and organize content to your site, and then publish it to the web.

Here are the top reasons you should add a blog to your website:

 

Control - you can add content to your website whenever you feel like it. New products, services, local information, recognize employees or customers, industry news and events, just to mention a few.

Cost - it is not practical to have your web development company add a few sentences to text to your website.

Content - updated content is a proven strategy to achieving better search engine rankings. A blog can even inform the search engines that new information has been added to your web site.

Communication - can you think of a better way to communicate with your customers than getting the "news" directly from the source? No lag time = no stale content.

Customers! Blogging done correctly (with an eye toward SEO) will add relevant pages to the search engines creating a larger inventory of search terms that your site performs for.

 

 

Vayu Media offers Blog Management Services which help to provide keyword rich content to your company's blog.  There are many benefits to having a company blog, these include:

 

• Branding - Having a blog gives you a place online to help establish your brand.  It can help you to build a reputation with your readers that will give you a positive image and help lead your readers to become your customers.

• Fresh Content - Fresh, original content on your blog helps the search engines find you.  The more often you can provide fresh content the better off you are.

• SEO - Search Engine Rankings are where it's at these days and you can receive higher rankings for your website by using a blog and its content to drive those rankings.  We optimize your blog posts with key words that help drive traffic to your site, increasing your search engine rankings.

• More Traffic -  Above all the blog helps with your traffic as previously mentioned and whether you want higher search engine rankings or just more customers, traffic is the way to receive both.  And a blog with fresh content is how to get that traffic.

So, if you are a website owner who needs help to keep your blog up and running then we can help YOU!

 

 

About Vayu Media:

 

VayuMedia.com

 

Vayu Media is the premier company for local internet advertising using search engine marketing and local search engine optimization. Vayu Media is taking advantage of the consumer shift from traditional media to internet based marketing.  The company's focus is local online business marketing and web design services. The company's strategy to get out into the market place and consult with local businesses face to face has allowed it to make local business owners aware of the opportunity that exists online.  In order to stay relevant in today's market every local business must have an online marketing strategy and Vayu Media can help.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Dunphy, Vayu Media LLC, (800)-456-1563 , info (at) vayumedia dot com

 

 

Once you have a web presence, the next thing you have to focus on his how to drive traffic to your site. Whether you are trying to sell products or services directly from your website or if is simply an informational resource, the site won't do your business any good if people don't visit it. To benefit from your website, you'll need to find a way to direct people who have the potential to become customers for your business to your website. There are several inexpensive and free techniques that any website owner can use to attract website visitors.

1. Use the Right Keywords

Make sure that your website content and behind-the-scenes code includes the right keyphrases and key words. To do this, you'll need to find out what types of words and phrases people who are looking for what you have to offer are using when they conduct internet searches. There are several online tools that can help you identify highly searched terms. Overture and Nichebot are two of the most popular keyword research tools.

When you discover the types of things that your customer base is searching for, make sure to incorporate the phrases that they use into the text of your website as well as into the meta tags in your website's code. This will help your site show up higher in the results when people are using search engines to look for information or vendors.

2. Frequent Updates

It's also important to keep your website fresh. Many people make the mistake of thinking that once their website "goes live", it's finished. This is far from the truth. Your website will need to be updated with new content regularly. You need to keep the information on the site current, and it's also a good idea to add new features to the site periodically.

You can do this by including an articles section that contains useful information, as well as adding your newsletter, details about special promotions, upcoming events, etc.  You may even want to add a blog or a forum. This will help search engines evaluate your site more favorably, and encourage people who have visited the site before to return frequently.

3. Link Building

Creating links to your website from other locations is another great way to increase traffic, in terms of direct traffic and boosting how high your site ranks when people search for the types of products and services that your company provides. There are several ways to build links to your site.

Consider spending some time on forums that are frequented by the people that you are trying to reach. Participate in the discussion and include a link to your website in your signature line. You may also want to contact individuals who own websites that reach the same customers you are targeting but who do not directly compete with you and offer to exchange links. These are just a few of the many ways you can build links to your company's website.

The Process of Building Traffic
Traffic building is an ongoing process. It's important to always be focused on finding new ways to attract visitors to your website if you want it to play a role in helping you grow your business.

Article by Mary White (Small Business News)

 

Vayu Media headquartered out of Atlanta is offering online press release submission and writing services to enhance its clients search engine optimization efforts.

 

Atlanta, GA June 10 2009 -

 

Press Release Submission Services

 

Optimizing Press Releases - One of Top Three SEO Trends

 

A new 285 page report just out from Marketing Sherpa, Search Marketing Benchmark Guide, identifies optimizing press releases for Yahoo! News, AOL News, Google News and other news engines and sites as one of the top three SEO trends. Online press releases make a great response device for the search-using public, says the report.

 

Press Release Submission Service - Ten Reasons Why Press Releases Are Important

 

• More and more people are using online news sources to find information on products, services, companies and ideas. Most news stories and press releases are read by the public looking for data.
• A correctly optimized online news release can get you to the top of page one for your chosen keywords in the news engines within 24 hours.
• If there is a relevant and timely news result on a keyword, both Yahoo and Google are displaying this news item above the number one organic position in web search.
• You reach your target audience directly - no reporters or editors to filter your message.
• You know that when someone reads your news release they are interested in that subject - they asked for it by keyword.
• Online press releases can be tracked - for the first time you can get statistics of how many times your press release was accessed or downloaded. With the proper web analytics in place you can track click throughs to your website too.
• The article will get picked up and published on other relevant sites increasing the number of people who see your content and visit your site.
• If your article has been correctly optimized, it will have keyword links in it. Every time your article appears on another website it builds more relevant inbound links to your site, which positively affects your search rankings.
• Optimized online press releases migrate from the news search to the web search within a week or so and they can show up in the web search on your keywords.
• If you add the releases to your website and put them into an RSS feed you increase your visibility. Soon your articles will be showing up in news aggregators, Yahoo News and Google Blogsearch.

 

 

 

Vayu Media's local online marketing products include:

 

- Video Advertising, Flash Video Advertising & Article Press Release management

 

- Local Search Engine Optimization & PPC management

 

- Internet Marketing Products - Press Release Submission Services

 

If you're interested in Vayu Media's  local search engine marketing & web design services  please visit the company's website at VayuMedia.com or contact the company directly at info (at) vayumedia.com.

 

 

About Vayu Media:

 

VayuMedia.com

 

Vayu Media is the premier company for local internet advertising using search engine marketing and local search engine optimization. Vayu Media is taking advantage of the consumer shift from traditional media to internet based marketing.  The company's focus is local online business marketing and web design services. The company's strategy to get out into the market place and consult with local businesses face to face has allowed it to make local business owners aware of the opportunity that exists online.  In order to stay relevant in today's market every local business must have an online marketing strategy and Vayu Media can help.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Dunphy, Vayu Media LLC, (800)-456-1563 , info (at) vayumedia dot com

 

 

If your customer base is Atlanta, improve the search engine ranking for your locally targeted keywords and you improve the customer count to your website. This is an important concept for businesses that want to attract customers in a specific area. You only want to spend your marketing dollars for those customers, and not have to pay to reach a national audience.

One thing an atlanta search engine optimization experts tell you is, the more competing websites there are for your chosen keyword phrase, the more difficult it will be to get your site ranked well. By targeting your keyword phrase you can reduce the number of websites you are competing against for one of the coveted top spots.

For example, if your business was providing music lessons for kids in the Atlanta area you might chose to try to rank well for "music lessons for kids." When you type that into Google you will come up with almost 4 million competing sites. If you target your phrase to "Atlanta music lessons for kids" you reduce the competing sites to just over 200,000. By narrowing the target market you reduced the competition to nearly 5% of the original list. It would be easier and quicker to improve your search engine ranking in this narrower keyword phrase. An example could be Atlanta Improve Search Engine Ranking

Having a high search engine ranking in your local market is no long merely something that would be nice to have; it is a business necessity. Recent studies have shown that customers that are searching for local businesses now turn to the internet more than they do the phone book. In the past it was a good idea to be listed in the Yellow Pages, not is arguably more important to rank well on Google.

One thing you need to be aware of if you are going to higher a company to do the work for you; legitimate services do not guarantee the top spot. Getting ranked at the top of Google is not easy, and it takes a lot of time and effort. Many website owners work daily at achieving the top spot, and never achieve their goal. SEO experts may guarantee improved rankings and improved customer counts, but they will not promise the number one spot.

If you want more local customers in Atlanta, an Atlanta Improve Search Engine Ranking of your website is what you need. The more targeted your chosen keyword phrase, the faster and easier it will be to rank well, and ranking well will mean more customers for your business.

If you want to reach the most potential customers in Atlanta, an Atlanta high search engine ranking positioning is something you need to work on. You will need to decide whether it is the best use of your time to do it yourself, or if you should spend the money to pay an expert to do the work for you.

In order to reach your target audience in Atlanta, an Atlanta high search engine ranking positioning will require optimizing your website to narrow the market to a local level. That is where using a local company may be your best option. Every community has neighborhoods and suburbs that are unique to that area and a local firm would be more aware of how to reach those communities. Depending on the service you offer, it may be that you are specifically targeting a portion of the outlying communities, but not all of them. If you are offering a delivery service within a specific area, you would not want to spend your marketing dollars on neighborhoods outside you area.

For some people it is an issue of supporting local businesses. Even if they are attempting too reach a national customer base, they still want to keep their money in the local economy. For them it is not necessarily important how well the company they select knows the local market, it is about helping local businesses.

You also need to consider how much your own time is worth. Internet marketing takes time, and it takes a quite a bit of expertise. Gaining a high search engine ranking is not an easy task. In order to be effective you need to educate yourself on what the search engines are looking for, and then learning how to give them what they want.

There is a lot of information available on how to properly optimize your website, but a lot of that information is outdated, or just wrong. This information gets passed along until it is accepted by the inexperienced as being true. Unfortunately, some of the information that is being given is ineffective. You can waste a lot of time and money trying techniques that will not get your site where you want it to be.

By dealing with experienced search engine optimization firms you can end up saving yourself a lot of time and money in the long run. These people have tried different methods, and they have the resources to know what does, and what does not work. They can do the work you need to have done so you will see results a lot quicker. It is not a guarantee of success, but you certainly increase your odds.

An Atlanta high search engine ranking positioning is something you should try to achieve in order to reach your local customers. Whether you do the work yourself, or higher the job out, it can make a huge impact on the success of your business.