How Much Should Small Businesses Spend On Advertising During Recession?

There are several factors to consider when determining your annual marketing budget:

First, the amount of money you spend on marketing should be directly related to the growth stage of your business. Is your business still in its infancy, or is your business mature and well-known? The stage of your business certainly impacts how much money you need to spend to promote it. What industry does your business operate in? Different industries require varying marketing investments to remain competitive. On that note, what are your competitors doing? It's important to maintain a level playing field at the very least.

Marketing experts generally advise, on average, that NEW BUSINESSES spend 10% on advertising and marketing the first year. After the first year , ad budgets should be around 5% of gross sales, on average. The 5% figure should be maintained indefinitely, even in good times. In slow, recessionary times as we're in now, advertising should be maintained, if not increased, according to experts. Many make the mistake of cutting back on advertising when business is slow, only to further in the hole. Recessions are actually a good time to advertise when competition is NOT advertising, thus, resulting in a stronger share of the market. In a recent survey, over 50% of small business advertisers said they plan to spend the same or more on the following: ONLINE ADVERTISING (including Coupons) - 69%, DIRECT MAIL (including Coupons) - 51%

Second, you need to plan what new products, services or enhancements you'll introduce to your small business in the upcoming year. Naturally, if you're launching a new product, you'll need to invest enough in the marketing of that product to raise awareness and recognition of it.

Third, you need to determine what business goals you have set. If you want to grow your business by a certain amount within the next year, you need to invest enough money in promotional efforts to help you get there.

Bottom-line, you should invest 5%-10% of your gross sales into your marketing budget. Make a plan and stick to it. Set aside a bit of your budget for opportunities that might arise throughout the year. Most importantly, use your marketing budget. It might sound like a great idea to hold onto that money during these slow times but just the opposite is true. Advertising can and will bring in that missing business and set you apart from your competition, which is NOT advertising.

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Make an Impression That Sticks With Business Card Magnets

In the world of business, whether you are a mega corporation or a mom & pop venture, advertising is important. Fifty years ago, a colored, embossed business card with gold trim was a status symbol, similar to today's expensive signature cars. That merit card meant you were the very best in the business because you could afford the expense to manufacture the sales tool.

Recipients of these business cards, automatically put the businessman or businesswoman on a pedestal, as the best in their field of expertise. How else could they afford such an expensive card, if they weren't top-notched? And can you believe this, they handed me their deluxe business card! This made the receiver of the card feel special and flattered to know a "celebrity".

To produce those cards, compared to today's printing industry, was expensive, few could afford it, and extremely time consuming, which are more reasons why business cards were so coveted. You were somebody, if you had a collection of business cards. Those cards were hoarded, flaunted, and kept in leather-bound books.

Times have changed, and the archaic business cards are decaying in the local landfill. Once they touted greatness, now they are a dime-a-dozen, and anyone can get instant, professional results, on their home computer and printer. The cards are cheap, and everyone knows it. They are hurled into a waste container, without a second thought.

So why would you magnetize your business card? If they aren't cost effective, aren't you spending money fruitlessly? If I were an office manager, I would take my magnetized cards and place them on a metal surface, filing cabinet drawer or the metal back of the workstation, near my phone, making an easy access to the phone number. I don't like digging through an alphabetized circular wheel or rummaging through the phone book.

If I didn't have the capability, of putting important phone number's on speed dial, my hands-on, visible, "cheat sheet" would be a great stand-by. This enables more productivity. If I need a plumber, I have one at my fingertips. If I need a pest control company, I'm dialing. Magnetic business cards, perpetually and permanently advertise business services, providing you deliver good services! Most magnetic business cards are not filed under G, for garbage. Others who visit the workstation may ask about the magnetic card; if they need a service or are looking to purchase goods. The magnet could also hold up other important papers, like carryout lunch menus!

As an individual, I find it very handy to keep magnetic business cards on the side of my refrigerator. Again, it is a convenient and faster way to call to get an appointment for service or to purchase goods. Pulling out the phone book or finding my personal address/phone book is cumbersome and time consuming. Putting the business on speed dial is an option, but those numbers are generally reserved for family and friends. The magnet business card could also generate questions, if guests should see it. In addition, it could be used to hang up a child's drawing on the refrigerator or a quick call for Friday night pizza!

If you've enjoyed all the information you read here about using business card magnets, you can find out more here business card magnets.

3 Critical Ingredients of an Internet Business Plan That Guarantees Success

With the large amount of information that is easily accessible, your task of creating an internet business plan will only take a few hours today. Before the internet came into existence, people had to spend several days collecting information about the business, studying competition and gathering other details. Let us now consider some of the critical ingredients for this task.

1. Study similar or existing business
The best way to start your internet marketing business plan is by studying a similar business or an existing business in the same category. This will give you the major inputs required and also provide an overview of what contributed to the success of the existing business. Importantly, look at the page ranks of competitors, the keywords, how they have achieved the page ranks and in general take a peek into their activities.

2. Focus on the purpose
A plan for an online business is normally created to solicit support from sponsors or investors. Another objective of the plan is to help the entrepreneur engage in effective and thorough analysis. Both the purposes should be clearly and squarely addressed. Additionally you should also concentrate on issues typical to the internet. These will include demographics, tracking, payment systems etc.

3. Discuss the risks
Projecting a very promising picture in your internet business plan is easy. But an entrepreneur should be fully aware of the risks involved. Internet business has typical risks that are not similar to offline businesses. Hackers, computer viruses, technology challenges etc. should be discussed at great length for the entrepreneur and all other concerned to take stock and make an informed decision.

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Banner Advertisements - How Can They Help Your Website?

How can you increase the effectiveness of your site? Banner advertising may be a viable solution. Even though some say banner advertising is a thing of the past, it still has a place which can help your bottom line.

Placing a banner ad on your website may help you to make more money in the long run. It has advantages over other methods of monetizing your website such as pay per click or classified ads. This form of advertising will allow you to generate a monthly income no matter how much your advertiser makes in sales.

In order to get the most from banner advertising you must get your site popularity to a level that is attracting as many visitors as possible. Your advertisers will begin to see your site in a more favorable manner as it progresses up the search engine rankings.

A high ranking site will get you more attention from advertisers and viewers. You'll make more money because the advertisers will want to be on you site. This is more favorable than affiliate marketing because it allows you to generate an income that is not dependent on the number of units you sell.

Once you get to a certain level of popularity you will see more merchants wanting to place more ads on your site. You could rent special spots on your site or charge different rates for different spots on you website.

Once established you can plan on collecting the advertising fees you agreed upon ahead of time. Think about your site as a storefront in which you rent space to other clients.

Jack Ryan is an accomplished internet marketer and webmaster. He has taught others to be profitable on the internet for over 10 years.

For a free report - 5 Keys to Making Money Online - visit:

Cash At Home

Plant Nursery Sale Brochures

Marketing promos for mark down prices for plants can be challenging. In the daily grind of a five day work week, most people barely have any time to notice ads or promo materials along the way, unless they're directly in front of them during the commute to the office. If there isn't much of a budget for high impact marketing tools such as billboards or large signage, another affordable, cost-effective marketing tool can be the use of brochure printing. Plant nursery owners can target a specific market area. This can mean surrounding neighborhoods, offices, schools, parks, or town halls. Plant nursery business owners can choose to print brochures and place them inside mailboxes of the chosen target area. Below are some ideas to consider when designing a marketing brochure for a plant nursery sale:

• The more attractive, the better-Chances are, this isn't the only brochure that potential customers will see. It's advisable to create a unique concept or an eye-catching design for this brochure. The best images to use are the plants themselves. Brochures can act as a mini catalog of the plants on sale. Brochure printing today can be easily and conveniently done through online printing services. Business owners can choose from a standard set of design templates. Customers can also choose standard sizes and folds. Customers can now also choose to have front and back full color printing, full color printing in front with a black back or full color front with a blank back. Business owners also have the option to upload a customized designs or size.

• Choose to print useful information-It's effective to print not only the essentials such as plant name and price. Other useful information can include design ideas or plant uses for a specific type of plant. Design ideas would mean using them as ornamentals, as climbers, as bedding plants. Plant specifications are also helpful including plant spacing, water requirements, quantities available, flower color or species variations.

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Why Now is the Best Time Ever to Start an Online Business

Have you noticed that things aren't going so well in the World Economy at the moment?

I personally don't watch the news too often - it's usually negative, sensationalist and consistently focuses on all the things which are going wrong in the World without focusing much on the solutions or the positive things which are happening all around us.

However, it is a fact that in these uncertain economic times, many people have already lost their jobs, and a huge amount more will in the coming months. Many self employed people in the creative industries and others are really struggling to make ends meet. Even those still in good jobs are questioning their future. Many people are realising for the first time, that job security is an absolute myth - there is no such thing!

At this very moment, there is a vast amount of people looking for other options. They are looking for alternative ways to make a living and take control of their own finances, rather than have a boss, the economy or the government control their life for them.

So where are they looking? Well everywhere and anywhere, but more than anywhere else, they are searching the internet. The internet is the number one research tool for finding information on anything today.

I assume you may be realising what this means for internet marketers and online business people?! You guessed it, it means now is the best time ever to make huge profits!

"The secret of success is to be ready when your opportunity comes." - Benjamin Disraeli

Now is a wonderful time for people involved in internet businesses! We are capitalising on the fantastic fact and opportunity, that more people than ever before are hungry for successful online money making business systems.

My main online business system, is perfectly set up for all those out there who are completely green when it comes to doing business online and internet marketing. This is great news, as so many of your prospects will be complete beginners.

The business system I use, is essentially a business-in-a-box, which also contains the most comprehensive training and educational resource of any online business. It's not a get rich quick scheme, it's a genuine business opportunity... it does have everything you need to get set up and into profit in the shortest time possible. After the initial set up in the beginning, most of the work is automated, which means that your time is leveraged and allows you much bigger profits for less time commitment. It's therefore also suited to those who want to do it on a part time basis.

"To become financially secure, a person needs to mind their own business" - Robert Kiyosaki

There literally has never been a better time to do this. Take advantage of the waves and waves of new people looking for an online opportunities.

Every single day more and more people go online and search for ways to make money. The sooner you get your online business up and running, the sooner you can start to make big profits - many who have the amazing system I use, are making more in a month than the average annual wage in the UK or the US. Some are making over 7 figures a year!

"Get in the game....Whatever you've been waiting for, forget it. Begin now from wherever you are with whatever you've got....Go for it!" - T. Harv Eker

Wishing you Great Success,
Graeme Stuart

Graeme Stuart is a top internet marketer and financial freedom mentor. To learn more about his most effective online wealth strategy and to receive a free online marketing course, go to YourSuccessNetBiz.com

Internet Marketing Tips - The Basics of an Effective Plan

Creating a website and putting it on the internet is not a guarantee that anyone will see it. Using Internet marketing tactics you can quickly boost your business. You will need to put certain techniques in place to ensure that you drive traffic to your website so that people can find what you have to offer. The internet has changed the way people do business all over the world. There are many opportunities to buy and sell services as well as products.

Some facts to help you understand how big the opportunities are, include the fact that as many as 88 percent of Americans will surf the net at one point or another. Secondly, search engines are responsible for driving eighty percent of all traffic on the internet to your website. Thirdly, about eighty percent of consumers will research a product or service on the internet before they buy it.

One of the tactics you can use to market your business is blogging. You can blog on a topic that is relevant to what you are selling and publish it on the internet. Search engines are finding this very important and attaching more importance to them than domain based sites. The blog will assist in getting your site ranked highly on the net. One of the best ways to drive traffic to your blog and website is to ensure that you provide good quality content.

Another thing to do in order to achieve high ranking with search engines is to make sure that the content on your website is updated often. To get over the crisis of having new content on the website, you can create articles and put them on the site regularly. These can also be bought from open article submission sites or have someone write them for you. A skilled professional will have taken the time to write the article meaning that the information will be valuable, which is what you need. The price will depend on the quality of the work provided. Content rich articles with a keyword concentration that are suitable are among the most effective ways to market on the internet.

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