Email Marketing By Zip Code is a powerful way to get your message to the massed cost effectively.  With our database of over 125 million opt-in subscribers you are reach any market in the USA by Zip Code.  Below is our latest eBlast to Wyandotte Michigan (48192) – please take a moment to click through each of our advertisers ads.

You can visit our web site for more details about our Email Marketing By Zip Code program. 

To your success!
Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.

A study has been released stating that Facebook has beat out Google as the top source of traffic for major portals like Yahoo, MSN and AOL.  15% of traffic to these sites came from Facebook and MySpace, of which 13% came from Facebook alone.  This brings up a question; does your business really need a website or simply a Facebook Fan Page?

Although I believe you still need both, the future may steer many smaller to mid-sized businesses away from building expensive flashy websites.  If this trend continues the writing may be on the wall, Facebook makes it very easy and cost effective (Free) to get your business online in a matter of minutes.

Facebook recently released some staggering statistics that should make you take notice and get your Facebook Business Fan Page up and running as soon as possible.

- More than 400 million active users
- 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
- More than 35 million users update their status each day
- More than 60 million status updates posted each day
- More than 3 billion photos uploaded to the site each month
- More than 5 billion pieces of content
  (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each week
- More than 3.5 million events created each month
- More than 3 million active Pages on Facebook
- More than 1.5 million local businesses have active Pages on Facebook
- More than 20 million people become fans of Pages each day
- Pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans
- Average user has 130 friends on the site
- Average user sends 8 friend requests per month
- Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook
- Average user clicks the Like button on 9 pieces of content each month
- Average user writes 25 comments on Facebook content each month
- Average user becomes a fan of 4 Pages each month
- Average user is invited to 3 events per month
- Average user is a member of 13 groups
- More than 70 translations available on the site
- About 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States
- More than 500,000 active applications currently on Facebook Platform
- More than 250 applications have more than one million monthly active users
- More than 80,000 websites have implemented Facebook Connect since December 2008
- More than 60 million Facebook users engage with Facebook Connect on external websites every month
- There are more than 65 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices
- People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are 50% more active on Facebook than non-mobile users
- There are more than 180 mobile operators in 60 countries working to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products
 
There is a bit more to simply throwing up a Facebook Business Fan Page, to get noticed you must promote the page using prominent links on your website and including the Facebook Fan Box on your website and blog.  You should also include a link in your email signature, on your business cards, in your newsletter and pretty much on any offline advertising you do.

Another key factor in building fans is to offer up killer content, helpful tips, techniques and useful information this will lead to a huge following.  Self promotional sales tactics will turn your fans off and your following will dissolve quickly.

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.

The 2010 calendar schedule for Wayne County Michigan has been finalized and posted on our website.  Review The Schedule Here.

After a very successful beta launch of our Email Marketing By Zip Code program in 2009 we have rolled out several zip codes within Wayne County Michigan.  We will be rolling out other zip codes throughout Michigan and the entire United States through various distributors.  Solo Email Blasts are currently available to any zip code in the United States.  (contact us if you are interested in becoming a distributor).

Advertising and Marketing are two necessary evils that we business owners must endure to be successful.  More and more companies are refocusing their ad dollars to include various online channels such as banner advertising on popular websites and full blow Email Marketing campaigns.  It is clear that one thing will not change in this some times confusing arena. You need to market and advertise your business using several different avenues, both online and offline and email marketing is one of the more powerful and cost effective ways to increase your online presence.

Email Marketing By Zip Code uses opt-in subscribers, that have requested additional information from local and national merchants.   You can deliver a targeted marketing message right to these subscribers desktop.  This is one of the most dynamic ways you can get your message read at an incredibly minimal cost per exposure.

Example of Group (10) Ad Email Blast:

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a changeling and daunting task.  Just when you think you have figured it out, powerhouses like Google go and change everything.  One technique that remains to be effect is high quality backlinks.  For those that do not know, backlinks are links for other sites that point to your site. You could sit back and wait for others to post links to your quality content, but this process if it happens at all, can take forever. With a little effort you can start building backlinks to your site that will help boost your search engine rankings.

Here are some powerful SEO Tips To Get Backlinks yourself.

Squidoo Lists

Squidoo.com has become one of the most powerful resources on the web to get links back to your site. Copy and paste the following into a Google search bar:

“add+to+this+list”+site:squidoo.com

This will give you a very large list of Squidoo Lenses, and you can add your site to these with very little effort.  Most of them will have a very high PageRank which is a key factor you want to look for in getting backlinks.  When adding your site to these Lenses, be sure to use custom anchor text with the keywords you want to rank for.

You can also search using +”keyword phrase” targeting your links for relevance. For example, if you were trying to rank a dating site you should do a Google search like this:
“add+to+this+list”+”dating”+site:squidoo.com

Web 2.0 Profiles

Creating a profile on Web 2.0 sites like Facebook.com and LinkedIn.com utilizing your website url gives you very high quality backlinks.  Other sites to consider are twibs.com and zoominfo.com.  You should also search out Web 2.0 portals in your niche, if you have a fitness website then search for fitness sites that enable you to create a profile and interact with other members.

Article Marketing

This is one of the more time consuming ways to get backlinks, but is actually one of the best ways to generate multiple backlinks from a single effort.  Be sure that you include a link to your site in the body of your article and yet again at the end in the author bio.  Every article that gets posted generates a backlink to your site. The more articles that get posted, the more links you can build.  Posting on article sites opens the door for other bloggers and site owners to use your article on there sites, giving you yet another avenue for getting backlinks.

Write good quality original articles and submit them to a few article directories. Here are just a few of the most popular ones EzineArticles.com and GoArticles.com.

To maximize your efforts, you can submit your article to hundreds of directories using this great resource for automating your article submitting.

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.

2009 was a challenging year for most small businesses to say the least.  Many did not fare well and had to close their doors, while others are still holding on knowing that 2010 will be a make or break it year for their business.

You Can Survive and Be More Successful In 2010 – PERIOD!

Survival is going to take some effort; sitting back waiting for things to get better is not the answer.  Yes, I am going there…you are going to have to “think outside the box”.  There you go I said it…two statements I am sick and tired of hearing is “In This Economy” and “Think Outside The Box”.  As much as I hate to admit it these two statements are really one statement in regards to surviving in 2010.

“In This Economy” you are going to have to “Think Outside The Box” to survive.

In these “interesting” times your company will need to do some none traditional marketing that makes you stand out from the crowd.  The same old same old is just not going to stack up in this day and age.

The Paper Airplane Video hits it right on the head – by doing something different you will get better results than those practicing the same approach they have year after year.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting some non traditional marketing tips that you can put in place to make 2010 a record breaking year for you and your business.

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.

A new survey out by Silverpop finds 88 percent of email marketing budget will increase or stay the same in 2010.

The survey found that nearly nine out of 10 (88 percent) said the recession will continue to hurt their businesses in 2010.  Silverpop, conducted this in-depth survey in late November 2009, asking when they thought the recession might end, 36 percent of email marketers said “not anytime soon.” One out of five thought the economy wouldn’t improve before the fourth quarter of 2010.

Although the recession is anticipated to hang around for a while, the marketers surveyed had very positive attitudes in regards to email and its ability to cost-effectively increase the customer loyalty, in-turn increasing revenues in 2010.  Four out of 10 marketers reported that their email budgets in 2010 would increase, and nearly half (47 percent) said their budgets would stay the same.

For more than half (52 percent) increasing customer loyalty will be their top goal using email marketing, while others will focus on increasing their revenue via email marketing.
“When consumers’ purse strings tighten, savvy marketers remain respectful but attentive, so their brands are top of mind when their customers are once again ready to buy,” said Bill Nussey, CEO of Silverpop.

Programs like our Email Marketing By Zip Code will be a great way to expose marketers to new prospects in conjunction with continuing to market to their established database of customers.  SMS and Social Media marketing will also be on the rise in 2010, 84 percent of those surveyed are planning to include or increase their social media marketing in the year to come.

It will take time and effort to generate successful email marketing campaigns.  Messages need to be timely, relevant and targeted to your audience to be successful.

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.

Claims have been made that consumers get exposed to thousands of advertisements through various different mediums each and every day.  I personally think it is only in the hundreds but have no data to back this up.

Either way consumers get bombarded with all kinds of marketing messages everyday.  To get noticed your message needs to be focused with a holy cow I need that now impact.  As mentioned in my Marketing Misconceptions Are Dangerous post you have to make it all about your targeted audience.

Consumers block out most of the daily marketing messages they hear because it’s the same hype over and over again, day in and day out.  We all know them…Free Estimates, Money Back Guarantee and the list goes on and on.

George Carlin was a brilliant but edgy successful comedian and until I came across his Advertising Lullaby and had no idea what a successful business man and advertising guru he really was.

Below you will Mr. Carlin’s Advertising Lullaby lyrics that highlight pretty much every gimmick and phase that you as a marketer should stay away from.

You can also jump over to YouTube and search George Carlin Advertising Lullaby to see George give you this lesson live. (BE WARNED THIS IS GEORGE CARLIN AT HIS BEST AND THE LANGUAGE AT THE END IS RATED “F”)

ADVERTISING LULLABY LYRICS (never use these in your advertisements).

Quality, value, style, service, selection, convenience, economy, savings, performance, experience, hospitality, low rates, friendly service, name brands, easy terms, affordable prices, money-back guarantee.

Free installation, free admission, free appraisal, free alterations, free delivery, free estimates, free home trial, and free parking.

No cash? No problem! No kidding! No fuss, No muss,
No risk, no obligation, no red tape, no down payment,
No entry fee, no hidden charges, no purchase necessary,
No one will call on you, no payments or interest till September.

Limited time only, though, so act now, order today, send no money,
Offer good while supplies last, two to a customer, each item sold separately,
Batteries not included, mileage may vary, all sales are final,
Allow six weeks for delivery, some items not available,
Some assembly required, some restrictions may apply.

So come on in for a free demonstration and a free consultation with our friendly, professional staff. Our experienced and knowledgeable sales representatives will help you make a selection that’s just right for you and just right for your budget.

And say, don’t forget to pick up your free gift: a classic deluxe custom designer luxury prestige high-quality premium select gourmet pocket pencil sharpener. Yours for the asking, no purchase necessary. It’s our way of saying thank you.

And if you act now, we’ll include an extra added free complimentary bonus gift at no cost to you: a classic deluxe custom designer luxury prestige high-quality premium select gourmet combination key ring, magnifying glass, and garden hose, in a genuine imitation leather-style carrying case with authentic vinyl trim. Yours for the asking, no purchase necessary. It’s our way of saying thank you.

Actually, it’s our way of saying…the rest is not PG Rated and you will have to check out on your own.

Your marketing message must matter, be different and answer the consumers question; “What’s In It For Me”?

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.

I have always tried to keep my personal life separated from my business life, but I am slowing realizing that my worlds are going to collide through the use of Social Networking.  This is not a bad thing necessary, but one has to be careful in mixing business with pleasure.

A few years back I started out using LinkedIn and then Facebook to help promote my business, along with some other social networking sites and business forums.  I am also a “tweeter” and find that all of these venues have helped my business grow and gain exposure that traditional marketing and advertising could never achieve.

I had been using a 90/10 mix, 90 percent business and 10 percent personal but find myself adding more and more personal information and personally related posts as my Social Networking usage continues to grow.  I was and still am a bit concerned about allowing my two worlds collide.

An old episode of Seinfeld makes light of “Colliding Worlds” showing how colliding worlds could be a negative thing for some.  It is very important to know that some of your personal activities could hinder or hurt your business.  A night on the town with the boys, slamming shots and caring on should not be posted on your Facebook profile, more than likely this and acts like this will have a negative effect on your business.

Remembering that everything you say and do, every picture, video and comment can be taken wrong by some or all of your business associates, clients and prospects.

Take a few minutes and enjoy this classic Seinfeld clip regarding “Colliding Worlds”:

You should also take caution with who you associate with on Facebook, Twitter and other such Social Networks.  Being friends with someone that is overly obnoxious could also have a negative effect on your business.  A Facebook friend that makes a post on your wall bashing the president or a religious group will very likely have a negative effect on you and your business, even if you agree with them don’t let these types of posts stay on your wall.

That said, mixing a bit of your personal life can open the doors to business relationships that may have never been developed otherwise.  A good example is when I put a picture of our new puppy (Maggie) on my Facebook profile, I was overwhelmed with comments on how cute she was and welcomed with open arms to an entirely new group because I now was a dog owner.

It is becoming clear that people want to know more about whom they are doing business with or considering doing business with.  Social Networking will give you an edge over the competition if you use this amazing medium wisely the possibilities are endless.

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc
Marketing and Advertising through the power of promotional products.

New Bizarre Service…
INTRODUCTING EMAIL MARKETING BY ZIP CODE

As a Marketing & Advertising Solutions company Bizarre Promotions, Inc. has added email marketing to its bag of tricks.

Using the leverage marketing technique (pooling marketing dollars of others to lower each participants cost) – 10 business advertisements will be featured per email blast – bringing the cost per email address to $0.02 each.   (solo email blasts will be available and quoted based on the targeted zip codes).

Each subscriber has opted into receiving offers, specials and information from local businesses.

2010 Schedule for Wayne County Michigan

**Includes a Live Link To Your Website**

 Book three dates and get 15% OFF – bringing the cost per email address down to $0.017 each.

Bizarre Promotions gives you an email marketing option that you can target specific Zip Codes through a database of over 125 million United States subscribers.

Each subscriber has opted into receiving offers, specials and information from local businesses. Drive more local consumers to your business for just a fraction of the cost of traditional direct marketing.

A Better Way to Reach Your Next Customer

The Internet Revolution has resulted in a dramatic shift away from traditional forms of media, such as newspapers, television and direct mail, leading to most consumers communicating and sourcing their information via the Internet.

Consequently, email marketing campaigns, when compared to other forms of advertising, provide a more effective and far less expensive marketing medium as illustrated by the table below:

Email advertising’s effectiveness will continue to trend upwards, as more traditional forms of advertising trend lower.

June, 2008 there were 220,141,969 internet users in the U.S., representing 72.5% of the U.S. consumers. (Nielsen/NetRatings)

Here is a sample of what the email blast will look like.

2010 Wayne County Michigan Schedule
If you are ready to be a part of out August campaigns contact me here.

To your success!

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.

First and Foremost, Your Web Site is Not for You
The biggest problem today with Web site professionals, is that they don’t keep your best interest in mind. They are intent on developing a design that you will like, not one that will necessarily perform. It may sound strange, but what you are really trying to do is get a message across to your visitors, not to yourself. There is no guarantee that your audience is interested in what you are interested in anyway. 

To combat this, make sure everyone on board focuses on how to effectively appeal to your prospects, clients, media, and other visitors. Ask these questions: What does my visitor want to see? What will encourage them to interact with me, my company and brand? How can I use my site to better assist my customers? Once these have been analyzed, you are ready for the next step, developing the Site Plan.

The Site Plan
The first step in developing a site plan is to further define the objectives of the site. Do you want to generate leads or are you selling online directly? How do you want to go about achieving that goal? How does your site fit into your interactive marketing platform, and for that matter, your overall marketing efforts?

The second step is to outline the navigation, where will each section of the site go, and what will be included in each area.

Last, what will be the focus of the homepage?  What do we want the visitor to see as soon as it loads? Only after all these steps have been considered, do you now contemplate the design element.

Don’t Forget the Basics
Visitors expect sites to function. The content should load quickly, so limit the amount of new software required to view the site. All pages should have content, instead of telling visitors they are under construction, and all links should work.

Second, visitors want Web sites to be easy to view and navigate. No one wants to be confused or get trapped within a site. Requiring the use of the back button to navigate out of a page does not provide a positive user experience. Make sure extra attention is spent on guiding visitors through the site.

Third, and probably one of the most important things you can do for your site, is to make sure that once the visitor has made the decision to interact with your brand they can do it easily. Is there easy access to a phone number or information form? Does your site offer “chat” functionality? Once the visitor initiates contact, is someone available to speak with them?

Better Control with Content Management
When negotiating with your web designer, insist they include a Content Management System with the site. When you know you will have sections of your Web site that require constant updating, changing of content, etc., having one of these administrative systems will allow you the ability to update it internally without the assistance of the Web designer. This feature will save you money and time on the long run.

Guide Your Visitors Experience
When designing your site, you want to guide your visitor instead of allowing them to wander. You can accomplish this by creating “Conversion Scenarios” that lead visitors to specific pages on the site.

Highlight the main features on the homepage of your site and then expand on them on a dedicated landing page. This way, you present your selling features just as if you were in front of a client, only you utilize “clicks” to move to the next step.

The final step is the close. Make sure you have a contact form, contact phone, or a click to call back form at the end so you can truly begin the sales or lead process.               

Put Your Best Foot Forward
Research shows Web sites have less than 10 seconds to get visitors’ attention before they move on to another site. It is important to make sure that you meet your visitors’ expectations immediately upon the site loading. 
With that in mind, make sure you put your best foot forward by placing your most appealing assets front and center. What makes you or your product unique? What edge do you have over the competition? Tell your visitors, but not in a self-serving manner. Inform them in a way that piques their interest.

It’s Not Done Until Your Customers Say So
One of the critical issues in Web development is that everyone thinks the site is done once the client has accepted it. There is one final step after client acceptance is user acceptance. The site is only complete once the content and design have proven to be of interest to the visitor. Do visitors visit the homepage and leave abruptly, or, are they clicking through the site? Are they going to the sections and areas you want them to? These are all metrics you can track and are some of the key indicators of a successful site.

As you can see, it’s not just about design. A well thought-out plan, a solid foundation and a mindset that looks outward at the consumer are what make Web sites successful.

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.