For digital marketing to be effective, you need a clearly-defined campaign strategy. As a small business owner in the Gold Coast, limited budgets additionally emphasize the need for strategic decisions.

Online marketing strategies differ from business to business. Every business needs its own distinct and specific strategy that is best suited for its industry or niche, be it construction, restaurants and coffee bars, plumbing, roofing, real estate, or even a dentistry practice.

Combining SEO and PPC ad campaigns

A very common and usually effective strategy involves adding PPC ads to your SEO tactics. How does this work?

•1. Do detailed research on relevant keywords to your local business and the industry in general. Then, simply choose those powerful enough to bring in the largest amount of traffic.

•2. Know your target audience; their location, gender, age group, and most importantly, income. Identify your biggest customers in this group; those who have the potential to give you the greatest rewards. 3. Optimize your website and content using SEO. Build an optimized landing page on your site. This is where visitors are taken to once they click on your ad. It must be able to give them that needed push to make a purchase.

• 4. Then, craft compelling ad copy for your PPC ads. Let your words grab the attention of potential customers.

• 5. Place your PPC ads in places where your target audience are most likely to see them and of course, click.

•6. Track your conversions and results using customized tools. How much did you spend on ads? How much did you make in return? How many views? What was the overall number of clicks and visits within a specified time period?

• 7. Review your successes and failures and figure out what is working and what is not. Then, make the necessary adjustments.

• 8. Maintain your online presence by continuously optimizing your content and site.

• 9. Regularly modify your marketing strategy and campaigns to reduce cost while keeping customer retention and revenue at an all-time high.

Rather than PPC, you might decide to combine your SEO with social media marketing as it is way cheaper. PPC, on the other hand, helps you reel in those customers that are ready to make a purchase. The chances of conversion are way higher than social media advertising. At the end of the day, choosing an effective internet marketing strategy depends on your preferences, the needs of your Gold Coast business, and your priorities. The bottom line remains that whichever strategy you decide on, it must reach and engage your target audience. It must not only drive traffic to your site, it must also convert this traffic to actual sales and increased revenue.

One of the base assumptions today concerning the latest health and medical emergency, this Coronavirus, is that it is very relevant and reminiscent to the Black Death of the 12th and 13 century. During the early middle ages personal hygiene was almost non existent, sanitation, there was none, and the close proximity of people in villages and towns, like London, and Paris made the Black Death such a virulent and deadly plague.

The similarity between Coronavirus and the Black Death is too uncanny not to ignore. The cause of the Black Death was rats and the flees that they attracted. We have known for some time that animals are incubators of germs and disease carrying insects. The plague of the 13th century is still one of the most deadly pandemics in history killing more than 200 million people world wide.

Today, we are faced with a similar threat to humanity. Both the Black Death and this Coronavirus are very contagious, both infect the immune system, both target the respiratory organs, both originated from animals, and both originated from China. But, unlike in the middle ages for the most part personal hygiene is more health conscious and sanitation is in place in all industrialized nations China included. Unfortunately, though millions still live in close proximity with each other. And like in the 13th century people were very mobile. Today, though the mobility of people is allot quicker which makes the transmission of the virus such a major health concern.

That old saying you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth has relevancy not only from the 13 century but today. In the 13th century the nobility had access to real silverware and often ate off of silver plates which contributed to the protecting them from the Plague. They also were able to live and avoid the poor and populated areas of towns and villages. They also were privy to somewhat better methods of hygiene.

Today, what the media and health professionals aren’t telling us is that silver worked in the middle ages. That is why colloidal silver in small amounts will help the immune system and protect many from succumbing to this latest virus. There are other natural remedies that are effective in providing help in protecting and guarding against infection. Yet the medical professionals keeps the public unaware of what we can do to protect ourselves without the so-called medical and pharmaceutical industry telling us what can work

We have in place in many parts of the country the means to lesson the exposure to this new health threat. Unfortunately though the hype by the media in many respects have scared the public. This instead of educating all on the proper procedures to lessen the chances of coming in contact with an infected person. What the media is continually doing is not informing the public about the necessary steps to minimize catching even a cold or Flu which is known to be vary hazardous to the very young, our seniors and those with current health concerns.

Quarantines are effective measures in isolating infected persons and those who have come in contact with infected people but, still the virus is spreading. We cannot wait for the medical community to come up with a costly vaccine. We must be educated as a society in the availability of other methods to ward of becoming infected. And, if we are infected we must be educated on what works like Colloidal Silver or natural herbs like Bupleurum Chinese. This is a plant that has natural antibodies that would negate the effects of pneumonia and this Coronavirus. In this way our society will be able to withstand this latest health emergency.

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is a popular framework for developing a marketing strategy. A Google search for “SWOT” and “planning” turned up almost 93,000 hits (August 2004), most all of which laud the use of SWOT. Some students have said that it is the most important thing they learned at the Wharton School.

Although SWOT is promoted as a useful technique in numerous marketing texts, it is not universally praised: One expert said that he preferred to think of SWOT as a “Significant Waste of Time.”

The problem with SWOT is more serious than the fact that it wastes time. Because it mixes idea generation with evaluation, it is likely to reduce the range of strategies that are considered. In addition, people who use SWOT might conclude that they have done an adequate job of planning and ignore such sensible things as defining the firm’s objectives or calculating ROI for alternate strategies. I have observed this when business school students use SWOT on cases.

What does the evidence say? Perhaps the most notable indication is that I have been unable to find any evidence to support the use of SWOT.

Two studies have examined SWOT. Menon et al. (1999) asked 212 managers from Fortune 1000 companies about recent marketing strategies implemented in their firms. The findings showed that SWOT harmed performance. When Hill and Westbrook (1997) examined the use of SWOT by 20 companies in the UK in 1993-94, they concluded that the process was so flawed that it was time for a “product recall.”

One advocate of SWOT asked: if not SWOT, then what? Borrowing from corporate strategic planning literature, a better option for planners is to follow a formal written process to:

1. Set objectives
2. Generate alternative strategies
3. Evaluate alternative strategies
4. Monitor results
5. Gain commitment among the stakeholders during each step of this process.

I describe this 5-step procedure in Armstrong (1982). Evidence on the value of this planning process, obtained from 28 validation studies (summarized in Armstrong 1990), showed that it led to better corporate performance:

• 20 studies found higher performance with formal planning
• 5 found no difference
• 3 found formal planning to be detrimental

This support was obtained even though the formal planning in the studies typically used only some of the steps. Furthermore, the steps were often poorly implemented and the conditions were not always ideal for formal planning.

Given the evidence, SWOT is not justified under any circumstances. Instead, use the comprehensive 5-step planning procedure.

References

Armstrong, J. S. (1982) “The Value of Formal Planning for Strategic Decisions,” Strategic Management Journal, 3, 197-211.

Armstrong, J. S. (1990), “Review of Corporate Strategic Planning,” Journal of Marketing, 54, 114-119.

Hill, T. & R. Westbrook (1997), “SWOT Analysis: It’s Time for a Product Recall,” Long Range Planning, 30, No. 1, 46-52.

Menon, A. et al. (1999), “Antecedents and Consequences of Marketing Strategy Making,” Journal of Marketing, 63, 18-40.

What is a 3D Prostate Treatment?

Surgical treatments can be uncomfortable and can also take a lot of time to recover from and that is the reason why many treatments are taking new nonsurgical turns. This has become the case with prostate cancer or enlargements where the 3D treatment has become very well-known in the last few years.

The 3D treatment is a non harmful method without any kind of invasion or surgery by simply using 3D medical procedures. It is really helpful in treating the genitourinary ailments and infections along with prostate related diseases. Also, the best thing about the treatment is that there is no chance of getting any kind of infection or side effect from it. There is also no chance of relapsing whatsoever, making a patient feel much less stress.

The procedure of the treatment is like acupoint and acupuncture kinds of treatment which are helpful in reducing the lesions and ulcers along with any kind of infection. The 3D treatment uses techniques to flush out the real causing agent of the disease like any kind of pathogen or cancerous cells. It also clears out any kind of blockages and toxic things from the tracts to reduce the infection.

Some of the benefits of 3D treatment of prostates are discussed below:

Painless

One of the major reasons why one should opt for 3D treatment for any kind of genitourinary diseases is that the treatment procedure is completely painless, and one will not have to undergo any kind of surgery and invasion in their body. Usually, pain is one of the biggest reasons why people tend to stay away from surgeries, but in this treatment, one can lead a normal and healthy life after each session of treatment.

Herbal Medicines

Most of the 3D treatment centers tend to use herbal medicines and injection methods to treat diseases. Usually, there is a detailed diagnosis of the disease which will tell if it is a prostate problem or a blocked tract. Then age-old and tested herbal medicines are used to ward off the pathogenic substances from the body which is causing the ailment in the first place.

Injection Therapy

The injection therapy of the 3D treatment is the most effective procedure in which several types of herbal medicines are used. The injectable therapy makes sure that the real cause and target location of the disease is identified and the medicine is delivered to that place only. This slowly unblocks the tracts and removes the pathogens from the endocrinal system of the body which may be the cause of prostate diseases and enlargement.

No Relapse

It is seen that the 3D treatments tend to have no side effects and the patients never face a relapsing situation. One will not have to worry about the disease once it’s gone as the chances of it returning soon is almost non-existent. The patient can simply get on with a normal life after some time as the prostate slowly becomes normal and natural again.

Did you lose your contact lens under your upper eyelid? HELP!

If you ever get a contact lens misplaced under your upper lid the first step is to stay relaxed. There is never really a reason to panic. Know that it is not at all dangerous to have a lens under your upper lid, usually it does not even hurt. At best it is a nuisance, nothing more.

Also know that your lids are attached to your eye, so the lens can not get lost behind your eye, in your brain, or up in your forehead. Let me repeat that, a contact lens can never get lost behind your eye and go in to your brain. It is impossible and will never happen.

So how do you get a contact lens out from under your upper lid? There are two basic techniques depending on what style of lens you are wearing.

Removing a Soft Contact Lens From Under Your Upper Lid:

1) Look all the way down towards your nose.

2) Close your eyes.

3) Place one finger over your lid at the inside corner of your eye(near your nose)

4) gently rub in one direction, towards your ear, along the globe of your eye under your brow.

5) Open your eye and notice you have pushed out from under your upper lid.

6) remove the lens.

That’s it, it’s that simple. If the lens did not come out, hold your upper lid out of the way to see if it is still there. If you see it, repeat the previous steps. If you don’t see the lens, take a break. It is highly possible the lens isn’t even there anymore.

Removing a Gas Permeable Contact Lens From Under Your Upper Lid:

1) First, be over a surface where the lens will not get lost if it falls out.

2) Locate the lens by holding your upper lid out of the way and look downward into a mirror. (or have a friend look)

3) Once the lens is located, lift your upper lid entirely over the lens so the entire lens is exposed.

4) Using the margin of your lid (where the lashes grow) gently push on the upper edge of the contact lens.

5) When the proper connection is made, the lens will slide freely and easily.

6) You can slide the lens back over the cornea, or pop it off.

Usually lenses don’t get dislodged unless they are rubbed or very dry. If you find that your lenses consistently move off center, you may consider contacting your eye care provider to verify the fit and type of lens is right for you.

In general, thinner lenses tend to rub off center very easily. People who wear one day disposable lenses are most likely very familiar with fishing around for lost lenses. More substantial, high power, conventional lenses hardly ever get moved under an upper lid.

With all these tips, remember the best defense against a lens going under your upper lid is stop rubbing your eyes.

The first, most fundamental rule of selling is that people don’t like to be sold. It’s a paradox: people buy things all the time. Trillions of dollars worth of products and services are bought and sold, in stores, through the mail, on the Internet. So how is it that people don’t like being sold when it obviously happens so much?

The answer is, they’re being sold without realizing it. People like to buy things, because buying makes them feel in control. Being sold, to the contrary, implies being controlled.

Let’s take the familiar stereotype of the used-car salesman. Customer #1 goes to the dealership, and before he’s had a chance to express what he’s looking for, the overbearing, talkative salesman tries to foist upon him a stodgy, expensive luxury car. What the salesman would have discovered–had he gone to the trouble of finding out–is that this customer is on a limited budget; he wants a reliable, fuel-efficient car.

Customer #2 is a young mom. She gets the same treatment, but what she really wants is a car that is safe to drive her children around in. Customer #3 likewise gets the luxury car crammed down his throat, but he’s a single guy with plenty of money who wants to impress single women–he wants a bright-red sportscar.

All three customers want and need a car, but they don’t trust the salesman–because he obviously doesn’t care about their desires. What if the other car dealership, down the road, really “got it” about helping these customers find what they really want? They’d get all the business, wouldn’t they?

A good salesman–of cars or anything–makes his prospect feel good about buying the product or service, not forced or coerced or tricked. They want the salesman to understand their wants and needs, and to fulfill them.

As salespeople, we create in our prospects a desire to buy by appealing to their emotions. An effective used-car salesman would appeal to Customer #1’s desire for economy, Customer #2’s desire for safety, and Customer #3’s desire to get the attention of the opposite sex.

If you do this successfully, your customer doesn’t feel sold because you’ve provided the solution to his or her problem. Understand the buying motives of your customer, and you can create sales messages that speak to their wants and needs, their desires and dreams, and they’ll beat a path to your door, eager to buy from you.

When it comes to promotional items and promotional products, most people tend to think of pens, shirts, and mouse pads.

Those are by far some of the most common promotional items and promotional products available on the market.

The thing is, what most people don’t realize, is that nearly ANYTHING can become a promotional item, so long as you’re working with a great screen printing company. (Screen printing is the process of imprinting a logo or brand onto an item).

In today’s day and age, it’s important to be relevant to your market. While pens are great, and can be incredibly effective, there are thousands of other items to choose from that can be applied for promotional purposes.

For example, power banks, items that can charge a cell phone or tablet on the go, have become an increasingly popular item for promotional purposes. Nearly everyone owns at least one type of smart device, and keeping them charged can sometimes be difficult, especially when everyone is on the go so often.

Power banks allow the user to charge their smart phone or cell phone on the go. When you place your brand or logo on it, they will now think of your business every time they use it.

A few other great choices include promotional mugs (great for those who drinking coffee on a regular basis), promotional flashlights, promotional tire gauges, promotional cups, promotional umbrellas, and promotional backpacks.

Obviously, the nature of a business or event will determine what items work best, but it’s important not to just rely on pens or other basic items.

What’s best about choosing a different type of promotional item is, for one, people will be more likely to use it if it’s not a common promotional item, and that means more exposure for your business.

Secondly, keep in mind quality is very important when it comes to your specific items. If an item is only chosen based on price, it may reach more people, but if the quality is poor and the item is thrown away fast due to a lack of quality, that’s not nearly as effective as a promotional item that may be a bit costlier, but gets much more use and exposure.

After all, the end goal from promotional items is increased business.

If you’re new to promotional items, start with 3-5 different options. This way, you can get a feel for which items bring back the best results for your business.

If you’re purchasing promotional products for resale, be sure to understand your customers wants and needs, and to have a promotional product that is in line with what your customers are interested in.

Whatever items you may choose, just be sure to really look into all of your options. You may be surprised how much further a unique item can go.

It’s summer in pre-World War II Virginia and the livin’ is easy – and hot as blazes.

Where do you go to escape the heat?

Moore’s Lake!

The popular swimming hole right off U.S. Route One between Richmond and Petersburg, was the most refreshing refuge from humidity and sweltering dog days west of Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It was a mecca for locals seeking a few hours of blessed relief and a major vacation destination for tourists from throughout the state. Folks were drawn by its enormous sand beach, water slides, the high diving board where giggling girls congregated to watch the boys show off, and the adjacent dance hall that filled the evening air with Big Band melodies. Everyone entering the bath house received a distinctive pin, later using it to reclaim their clothes after a swim. Today, the brass pins are cherished by many old-timers who wear them as lapel ornaments.

Tommy Crump, whose parents bought the lake and surrounding cottages after working several years for R.D. Moore, the original owner, recalls that hundreds of families from as far away as North Carolina came back year after year. Folks driving from the north to Florida soon learned that it was the ideal overnight stop both going and coming. For the locals, Moore’s Lake was the place to be and to be seen. It was inevitable that the sunny afternoons and moonlit evenings were responsible for untold romances. Many blossomed into marriage.

The sturdy brick and stone cottages Moore built in 1929 were the epitome of luxury when George and Lena Crump took over the business. They quickly modernized them further by adding bathrooms. As the Depression eased and tourists clamored to enjoy their amenities and the sylvan setting, they built more cottages throughout the fragrant woods until they numbered 38. By 1941, they had erected a restaurant and their own comfortable brick home on the property.

When World War II broke out and Camp Lee in nearby Petersburg was reactivated (it was renamed Fort Lee in 1950), some of the servicemen stationed there brought their families along and quartered them in cottages at Moore’s Lake. Several of their wives found work as waitresses in the busy restaurant that served three meals every day to cottage guests, local residents, and defense workers commuting to their jobs at nearby military facilities. To defray expenses, the older children of service families staying there contributed to the war effort by making themselves useful as busboys, dishwashers, gardeners, and lifeguards.

Tommy Crump, now 68, was a toddler then. He was closely supervised by a nursemaid as he peddled his tricycle along the scenic lanes to claim a tasty treat from the restaurant kitchen serving guests of Moore’s Brick Cottages and Moore’s Lake. Growing up in the roomy house his parents built, he learned to swim in the lake and appreciate the beauty and unique setting of the property. It was only natural that he never strayed, but chose to stay and raise his own children there.

In 1970, he and his wife bought the cottages, adjacent gas station, and the restaurant. Re-christened Sylvester’s, the restaurant was destined to become the most popular for miles around. Along with a mouth-watering prime rib dinner that drew crowds, the menu offered succulent seafood, savory soups, “croissant-wiches,” stuffed potatoes, and scrumptious homemade desserts, among them a double chocolate silk pie and hot fruit cobbler.

Moore’s Brick Cottages thrived until construction of Interstate 95 nearby lured cars and trucks away from the venerable Jefferson Davis Highway, thereby cementing the operation’s fate. With the advent of high-speed highways nationwide, families discovered the lure of the open road. No longer content to vacation a short distance from home, tourists sped from Boston to Miami in a fraction of the time they could chug along the obsolete two-lane road. When large motels and hotels sprang up along the Interstate to serve the long-distance travelers, it was not long before Moore’s Brick Cottages became superfluous. The buildings drifted into disrepair and those who came to swim took their chances without lifeguards on duty. Today the lake is little more than an unattended neighborhood swimming hole.

Sylvester’s, however, continued to prosper. It catered to a local loyal clientèle until December 2004 when Tommy Crump sold the property to a developer. The office park and retail businesses springing up on the bulldozed land will serve the town of Chester. Tommy watched with brimming eyes while all but two of the quaint cottages were demolished and their rubble used as parking lot fill.

“I feel an obligation to save these last two as a part of history,” he says. “I’m keeping one for myself and am having it moved to my property along the James River. I hope someone – or some concerned organization – will take the other and preserve it for posterity.”

With no takers as yet, time is running out. Soon only the ghosts of halcyon days gone by will hover over the property that is still sheltered by gigantic, aromatic trees awaiting destruction in the name of progress.

In today’s complex world, differentiating products on the basis of function or quality is becoming a more and more difficult job for marketers. A relevant and compelling way to differentiate in today’s world is with an environmentally friendly stand, this helps us better position the brand and the products globally but particularly in the Asia-Pacific market.

In developed countries, price and quality remain the most important factors for consumers when choosing between products from different brands. However, for emerging markets in Asia-Pacific, “environmentally friendly” is becoming a more and more influential factor and green consumerism has become a growing trend there.

It is generally accepted that consumers in developed countries have larger understanding of the environmental issues than those in developing countries. However, surprisingly, consumers from emerging markets in Asia-Pacific actually place more importance on environmental protection. Revealed in the market research report “Profiting From Consumer Mega-Trends in Asia Pacific: Connectivity” from Marketsensus, over 90% of consumers in China consider protecting the environment important or very important while only 70% of those in Japan do so.

These green consumers in developing countries exhibit the most willingness to support green consumerism compared to other Asia-Pacific countries. Chinese and Indian consumers are proactive about seeking out green products, whereas Australian, Japanese and Korean consumers are the least proactive. Most importantly, consumers from emerging markets in the region are more willing to pay more for green products. Nearly 95% of Thai consumers and over 80% of Malaysian and Korean consumers are willing to pay more, yet less than 60% of consumers from other Asia-Pacific markets such as Hong Kong and Australia exhibit willingness to pay more.

Green consumerism is becoming an integral part of Asia-Pacific consumer’s purchasing behavior. How do we as marketers make us of this trend to better market our products? The market research “Profiting from Consumer Mega-Trends in Asia Pacific: Connectivity” revealed insightful trends of consumers in Asia-Pacific.

Gain deeper insight from the report: http://www.marketsensus.com/profiting-from-consumer-megatrends-asia-pacific-connectivity-p-71858.html

You’ll find dollar stores probably have more impulse sales of all types of retailers. After all, the merchandise is only a dollar. Often shoppers come in with just a few items to purchase–or just to browse–and end up leaving with a shopping cart filled to the brim. Of course, some of the purchases will be consumables they didn’t think about before shopping, but many of the purchased items will be ones they didn’t know they wanted before they entered your store. You can encourage that type of behavior by setting up displays at key locations and making them eye catching and attractive. Bright colors catch consumers’ eyes and just like crows, people love shiny things.

Grocery stores have known for years that the best place to put snack items is at the checkout aisle. Successful dollar storeowners find the same is true for their businesses. Place movie candy, small bags of pretzels and chips and other immediately consumable treats close to your cash registers, so as your customers wait-hopefully, not too long—to check out, they have something to lure them into another purchase and tame the hunger that grew as they shopped.

Color coordinated displays of dishware, hand soaps and wrapping paper catch shoppers’ eyes and lure them to the area. Your shopper may not have planned to purchase dinner plates, bowls, glassware and placemats, but when he or she saw them all beautifully arranged—with bright yellow, red and blue begging for their attention, they’ll put the items in their cart. Of course, when they buy the color-coordinated dishes, they need new placemats, napkins and napkin holders too.

Strike-zone or prominent displays of frequently used items is another way to draw your shoppers’ attention. Building a huge floor to almost ceiling display with brightly colored stackable merchandise can attract their attention and draw them to the area like moths to flame. Once they reach the destination, they’ve just about convinced themselves they really need this item.

Hot motifs, such as owls, angels, dinosaurs and dragons either in the form of figurines, on clothing or on dishware and school supplies will make some shoppers stop in their tracks to snag a bargain with their favorite, child’s favorite or friend’s favorite decoration on it. These are especially popular around Christmas time when people are trying to find something for Aunt Mary and know she collects a specific item such as frog statues, turtles or kittens. You can put all themed motif items together if it’s appropriate to maximize your sales.