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	<title>The Marketing Eggspert &#187; Marketing Mix</title>
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	<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing</link>
	<description>Marketing in a Web 2.0 World</description>
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		<title>HOW TO: Use Social Media in Your PR Pitch Plan</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/how-to-use-social-media-in-your-pr-pitch-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/how-to-use-social-media-in-your-pr-pitch-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:24:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media, Marketing & Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pitch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/?p=1496</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I published this article on Mashable.com this week and it got great feedback. 
It’s clear that the public relations landscape is changing. No longer does emailing a journalist a press release always result in coverage on major news channels (there are exceptions, naturally, but the average business doesn’t get on Oprah). These days, journalists (and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>I published this article on Mashable.com this week and it got great feedback. </em></p>
<p><img class="alignleft" src="http://ec.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/strategy.jpg" alt="" width="208" height="152" />It’s clear that the public relations landscape is changing. No longer does emailing a journalist a press release always result in coverage on major news channels (there are exceptions, naturally, but the average business doesn’t get on Oprah). These days, journalists (and yes, bloggers too) are inundated with press releases. It’s easy to hit delete and move on.</p>
<p><strong>How do you get your pitch heard above the din?</strong> Conversation. Engagement. Interaction.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Social Media is Key in Your Pitch</h2>
<hr />Why? Because that’s where your media contacts are hanging out these days, and that’s where they look for story ideas. But be forewarned: there is a lot of <em>bad</em> social media pitching going on already.</p>
<p>Pamela Johnston of <a href="http://www.pjinc.net/" target="_blank">PJ Inc. Public Relations</a> says she avoids doing certain things on <span>Twitter<span><a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter" target="_blank"><span> (</span><img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_07.png?1251418262" alt="Twitter" /><span>)</span></a></span></span> that are looked upon negatively, like:</p>
<blockquote><p>• pimping client news</p>
<p>• straight out traditional pitching</p>
<p>• sending random things to people/journalists she doesn’t know</p></blockquote>
<p>I like that she doesn’t use traditional methods of pitching on social media. You can’t apply the same methods you used 10 years ago to Twitter. It’s impossible. Instead, you must find new ways to reach media contacts.</p>
<p>The world is small these days. Social media tools like Twitter, <span>Facebook<span><a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook" target="_blank"><span> </span><span> </span></a></span></span>, <span>LinkedIn<span><a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/337623-LinkedIn.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/337623-LinkedIn" target="_blank"></a></span></span>, Kirtsy, <span>Digg<span><a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336668-Digg.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336668-Digg" target="_blank"></a></span></span>, blogs, video and web sites are quickly becoming integrated. It’s fairly easy to connect with someone and keep up with what they’re doing. Journalists and bloggers are no different.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Social Media as a Learning Tool</h2>
<hr />I always like to learn about the journalist I’m targeting before I contact them. I start on the media <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a> and read her bio. I then search for her on <span>Google</span>. 8 times out of 10 I find her Twitter profile, Facebook profile and maybe even a personal blog. I study all these sources and connect where I can. Sometimes I find that this isn’t really the right journalist to be pitching.</p>
<p>I make notes in my contact database with links to all her sources. I then make a plan to interact with the journalist in her own space. I comment on posts I like. I retweet her content on Twitter. I send a brief note on Facebook (<strong>not</strong> pitching a story, but sharing one of her posts I liked and asking to connect). This way, by the time I’m ready to pitch her, I’m already on her radar.</p>
<p>Pitching a media contact <strong>is a process</strong>. It’s not something that will happen overnight. Plan ahead and work for several weeks to get to know a journalist or blogger for best results.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Be A Resource</h2>
<hr />According to Nick Lawhead of <a href="http://desautelhege.com/" target="_blank">Desautel Hege Communications</a>,  he connects with media types on Twitter when they’re looking for topics where he can provide experts:</p>
<blockquote><p>It is quite common for reporters, news producers and anchors to post something along the lines of “looking for interesting stories about ______ to discuss today.” Being part of an agency, it is critical for me to capitalize on those opportunities for my clients. Often times, this doesn’t require a “pitch” as much as connecting a reporter with a resource (hopefully my client).</p></blockquote>
<p>This goes back to monitoring social media. Your best successes might not come from a pitch at all, but rather the reward of being a good listener and paying attention to the journalists you can help. Journalists like being helped better than they like being pitched.</p>
<p><a href="http://mashable.com/2009/10/12/social-media-pr-pitch/" target="_blank"><strong>Keep reading the post on Mashable.com.</strong></a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Why Free Sells</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/why-free-sells/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/why-free-sells/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:42:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free stuff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[giveaways]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/?p=903</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you give anything away on your website? You should.
By offering something for free, you are building confidence in your brand and product.


Think about it. At the grocery store, a nice little old lady hands out cheese spread on a cracker. Mm! That&#8217;s good. You buy a jar. At conventions, companies give away tschotschkes in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Do you give anything away on your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a>? You should.</p>
<p><strong>By offering something for free, you are building confidence in your brand and product.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.sxc.hu/pic/m/e/eg/egilshay/1128252_3_presents.jpg" alt="" width="248" height="166" /><br />
</strong></p>
<p>Think about it. At the grocery store, a nice little old lady hands out cheese spread on a cracker. Mm! That&#8217;s good. You buy a jar. At conventions, companies give away <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/shwag/" target="_blank">tschotschkes </a>in the hopes you&#8217;ll  stop and find out what they&#8217;re all about (I actually have mastered the art of taking schwag and running before they even see me. Call me Schwag Ninja).</p>
<p><strong>So why shouldn&#8217;t you give something away?</strong></p>
<p>It might be a<a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/free-ebook/" target="_blank"> free ebook</a>, which could be a collection of your best blog posts, like the one I gave away at Christmas. Or a special report. Or a bonus when someone buys something from you.</p>
<p>David Meerman Scott, in his new book <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/World-Wide-Rave-Creating-Triggers/dp/0470395001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1240321761&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">World Wide Rave</a>,</em> says you shouldn&#8217;t ask for anything in return. I was always of the mind that you should get an email address in return for something free, but he has a point. <strong>It will spread faster</strong> (much like the world wide rave he discusses in his book; look for my review soon) if you give it away with no strings attached.</p>
<p>Freebies help you:</p>
<ul>
<li>Establish yourself as an expert</li>
<li>Educate potential clients on the benefits of your product or service</li>
<li>Create confidence in you and your brand</li>
<li>Make new sales</li>
</ul>
<p>So think about what you could give away. You may have to develop something, such as an ebook (and if you&#8217;re not a writer, hire <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com" target="_blank">Egg </a>to write it for you). There may be a little cost involved, but consider the free product marketing and build it into your <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/why-you-cant-afford-not-to-have-a-marketing-budget/" target="_blank">marketing budget.</a></p>
<p><em><strong>Once you decide what you&#8217;re giving away, post it in the comments here so we can help spread the love!</strong></em></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Marketing: All Smoke and Mirrors?</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/marketing-all-smoke-and-mirrors/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/marketing-all-smoke-and-mirrors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:01:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mplanet]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/?p=676</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I saw my first magic show today. And not where you&#8217;d expect. I was at the American Marketing Association&#8217;s M.planet 2009 conference. They were gracious enough to invite me to come out to their Orlando conference (on their dime; thanks AMA). Not your typical conference.

As we were waiting for Dennis Dunlap, CEO of AMA, I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I saw my first magic show today. And not where you&#8217;d expect. I was at the American Marketing Association&#8217;s <a href="http://www.mplanet2009.com/" target="_blank">M.planet 2009</a> conference. They were gracious enough to invite me to come out to their Orlando conference (on their dime; thanks AMA). Not your typical conference.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.mplanet2009.com/images/logo-mplanet-print.gif" alt="" width="107" height="42" /></p>
<p>As we were waiting for Dennis Dunlap, CEO of AMA, I noticed strange boxes and gadgets on stage. Turns out they intro&#8217;d Mr. Dunlap with a pretty good magic performance. Nice. There were your typical disappearing/reappearing tricks, and then Mr. Dunlap appeared out of a clear glass box. Great intro. I don&#8217;t even want to know how they did all the tricks. I&#8217;d rather be swayed by the romance of magic.</p>
<p>His point, a bit lost in the loud music and magic, was that marketing isn&#8217;t just smoke and mirrors. It takes a great strategy and the ability to adapt to the changes we&#8217;re currently seeing in what he calls the &#8220;marketsphere.&#8221; I couldn&#8217;t agree more. So for the next few posts, I&#8217;ll be sharing what I learned at this conference, and applying it to things you as a business owner can use in your business.</p>
<p><strong>Key takeaways here: Marketers need to have a dual agenda:</strong></p>
<p>1. Being able to market in the moment. Being flexible.</p>
<p>2. Having the discipline to handle whatever is coming, given the economy and ever-changing technology, et cetera.</p>
<p>I found it interesting that so few marketers were well-versed in social media. Some didn&#8217;t even know what a blog was.</p>
<p>I take it as my mission to help educate you, dear readers, in understanding the importance these tools play in your marketing mix. But if you&#8217;re reading this blog, maybe you&#8217;re further along than these guys were.</p>
<p><strong>What do you think? Where is social media in your thinking about marketing in 2009? Is it on your roadmap, or somewhere off in the distance where you don&#8217;t want to think about it? Are there topics I can cover to make you more comfortable getting familiar with the Marketing 2.0 world?</strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Marketing Your Internet Business</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/marketing-your-internet-business/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/marketing-your-internet-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:54:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet home business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing home business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/?p=390</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A while back, Wendy Piersall, our Sparkplug CEO, wrote an amazingly popular post, Top 10 Internet Home Business Ideas You Can Start and Run in Your Underwear. Starting an internet business is one thing, but marketing it is a whole other animal. So I decided I'd piggyback Wendy's post with some tips for marketing and promoting each type of internet home business.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A while back, Wendy Piersall, our Sparkplug CEO, wrote an amazingly popular post, <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/sparkplug-ceo/top-10-internet-home-businesses-ideas-you-can-start-and-run-in-your-underwear/" target="_blank">Top 10 Internet Home Business Ideas You Can Start and Run in Your Underwear</a>. Starting an internet business is one thing, but marketing it is a whole other animal. So I decided I&#8217;d piggyback Wendy&#8217;s post with some tips for marketing and promoting each type of internet home business.</p>
<p><strong>1. Affiliate Marketing. </strong>As per Wendy&#8217;s definition, this is when you &#8220;<strong></strong>Promote other company’s products and services on your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a>. When a sale is made, you get a commission.<strong>&#8220;</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip: </strong></em><strong>Social networking.</strong> Make a name for yourself in your niche (and yes, have a niche as far as the products you sell as an affiliate), and establish yourself as an expert via Facebook, Twitter, etc. Link to your affiliate sites there without being obtrusive.
<ul>
<li>Also establish a strong contact list of people who will regularly buy from you. Develop an <strong>email campaign </strong>that will provide useful resources in addition to your affiliate products.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2. Blogging. </strong>You&#8217;re reading this blog, so I&#8217;m going to assume you know what a blog is. You should write at least 3 times a week (although Technorati says 10 times a day brings great success. I&#8217;ll just trust them on that)</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip:</strong></em><strong> </strong>I suggest a diverse approach:
<ul>
<li>Link to blog on your primary <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a>, if you have one.</li>
<li>Create <strong>social networking</strong> accounts (see above). The key is developing conversations that will make people want to visit your blog to get more of your awesome advice.</li>
<li>Add link in your <strong>emails </strong>(in signature, in newsletters).</li>
<li>Add link on your <strong>business card</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Talk </strong>to people about your blog.</li>
<li>Get listed on <strong>blog networks</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Comment </strong>on other related blogs; include link in signature.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>3. Ebay and Auction Selling. </strong>Wendy says this is, &#8220;Selling or reselling products via an online marketplace like <a href="http://www.ebay.com/">Ebay</a>, <a href="http://auctions.amazon.com/">Amazon Auctions</a>, or <a href="http://craigslist.org/">Craigslist</a>. You can  sell used goods, buy goods wholesale, or use a drop-shipping service.&#8221;</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip:</strong></em> Within a given auction, <strong>link </strong>to your other products to increase sales amounts.
<ul>
<li>Include link to auctions in <strong>email signature</strong>.</li>
<li>Participate in <strong>forums and blog comments</strong> in industry you&#8217;re selling items for. Include link.</li>
<li>Develop contacts and send<strong> email notices</strong> when new products are selling.</li>
<li>Consider <strong>Google AdWords</strong> or other internet advertising to drive traffic to your auction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Ecommerce. </strong>The difference between ecommerce and auctions is that you&#8217;re selling products on <em>your</em> <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a> and getting all the money rather than sharing it.</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip: </strong></em>I suggest a lot of the tips from the Ebay one as well as:
<ul>
<li><strong>SEO. </strong>Make sure your site has descriptions and keywords behind the scenes and in the copy that will help search engines direct people there.</li>
<li><strong>Get listed. </strong>Find directories for your product and get your link there.</li>
<li><strong>Talk to bloggers. </strong>Ask for product or <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a> reviews from bloggers in your industry. When they link to you, traffic will follow.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>5. Arts and Crafts. </strong>I wish I had skills in this department&#8230;<em><strong></strong></em></p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip: </strong></em>Take photos of your handiwork and post on <strong>Flickr. </strong>Then network with other users, just like you would on Facebook. Make sure to include a link to your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a> where people can buy.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<ul>
<li><strong>Ask bloggers </strong>to review the products or give them away in a contest.</li>
<li>Develop a <strong>blog </strong>to keep people that are interested in your crafts engaged. Link to selling site.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>6. Internet Research. </strong>What? They pay for this? I do this for free every day!</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip:</strong></em> list your services on Craigslist with an introductory price. Once the client is hooked, raise your rates!
<ul>
<li><strong>Bid </strong>on jobs on <a href="http://www.guru.com">Guru </a>and <a href="http://www.elance.com">Elance</a>.</li>
<li>Get contacts at local law offices, etc. and call them offering your services.</li>
<li>Offer monthly specials via email to contacts with discounts on stuff you&#8217;ve already researched (if you&#8217;ve already developed a database of Florida lawyers, sell this over and over to whoever wants it for cheap!)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>7</strong>. <strong>Freelance Services. </strong>Wendy says, &#8220;Providing professional services such as copywriting, <a target="_blank" title="design" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">design</a>, photography, illustration, and programming usually billed on an hourly rate.&#8221;</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip: </strong></em>first read <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/freelance-parent/" target="_blank">Freelance Parent</a> for great advice.
<ul>
<li>Become a <a href="http://www.guru.com" target="_blank">Guru </a>Vendor to increase jobs you&#8217;re awarded.</li>
<li>Post services on Craigslist in multiple cities.</li>
<li>Network locally and spread the word.</li>
<li>Develop <strong>AdWords ad </strong>for services.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>8. Recruiting. </strong>It&#8217;s hard to stand out as a recruiter. It&#8217;s really all about relationships.</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip:</strong></em> <strong>network </strong>online and locally. Develop relationships with people. Take them to lunch. Show your worth.
<ul>
<li>Write a <strong>blog or articles</strong> that show you as an expert. Include case studies of your successes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>9. Consulting. </strong>This is what I do, so I have a lot to say.</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip: </strong></em>this, too, is about <strong>relationships</strong>. People hire my marketing firm because I&#8217;m the person they know in marketing.
<ul>
<li>Build those relationships in <strong>Facebook, Twitter, and local networking organizations.</strong></li>
<li>Establish yourself as the expert (or in my case the Eggspert) everywhere.</li>
<li>Write <strong>books or ebooks</strong>.</li>
<li>Start a <strong>blog </strong>or write <strong>articles </strong>for online.</li>
<li>Get in the <strong>news</strong>.</li>
<li>Make sure you show up in <strong>search engine results.</strong></li>
<li>Create an <strong>email campaign</strong> to stay in touch.</li>
<li>Ask for <strong>referrals </strong>from clients.</li>
<li>Attend <strong>conferences</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>10. Virtual Assistant. </strong>Again, build relationships.</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Marketing Tip: </strong></em>Post services on <strong>Craigslist</strong>.
<ul>
<li>Join <strong>VA associations</strong>. Affiliate with the well-known ones.</li>
<li><strong>Educate </strong>people who don&#8217;t know the benefits of a VA.</li>
<li>Write a <strong>blog</strong>.</li>
<li>Post <strong>ad </strong>in local paper or on bulletin board announcing your services.</li>
<li>Post ad on <strong>AdWords</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Whew! What a list! And this is by no means exhaustive. Just a few tips to get you started. Want more ideas? Email me at susan at eggmarketingpr.com.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Simplify Your Marketing</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/simplify-your-marketing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/simplify-your-marketing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:50:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Budget Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[targeted marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/04/04/simplify-your-marketing/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just a quick note. I promised myself a short day, since it&#8217;s Friday!
Even I, lover of all things marketing, get overwhelmed with so many options out there. Press releases. Blogs. Social Networking. Podcasts. SEO. Email marketing.
Not all of it is for everyone. Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends wrote a great post  on American [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Just a quick note. I promised myself a short day, since it&#8217;s Friday!</p>
<p>Even I, lover of all things marketing, get overwhelmed with so many options out there. Press releases. Blogs. Social Networking. Podcasts. SEO. Email marketing.</p>
<p>Not all of it is for everyone. Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends wrote a great <a href="http://blogs.openforum.com/2008/03/31/when-did-online-marketing-become-so-complex/">post </a> on American Express&#8217; OPEN Forum about targeting in on your best results when it comes to marketing.</p>
<p><a title="smallbizmarketingroi-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-172" href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/simplify-your-marketing/marketing-makeover/"><img src="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/smallbizmarketingroi-small-150x150.jpg" alt="smallbizmarketingroi-small.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>Check it out. And think about where you&#8217;re wasting more time than you are generating results.</p>
<p>-Susan</p>
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		<title>Eggcerpts From Natalie: HEY YOU! Getting the Attention of Your Audience and Keeping it</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/attention-marketing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/attention-marketing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:47:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[attention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exposure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[perception]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/03/20/attention-marketing/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[written by Natalie Grbic
Exposure, attention, and perception. These are three basic processes of marketing, and are worth developing so you don&#8217;t alienate your target audience at this basic level.  All three are necessary conditions for successful communication. Played right, they&#8217;re also your opportunity to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Exposure is the process by [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>written by Natalie Grbic</p>
<p><strong>Exposure, attention, and perception. </strong>These are three basic processes of marketing, and are worth developing so you don&#8217;t alienate your target audience at this basic level.  All three are necessary conditions for successful communication. Played right, they&#8217;re also your opportunity to stand out in a crowded marketplace.</p>
<p><strong>Exposure is the process by which the consumer comes into (physical) contact with a stimulus.</strong> The factors influencing exposure include the position of an ad within a medium and distribution and shelf placement.</p>
<p><em><strong>Susan:</strong> A good example of exposure would be a prominent <a href="http://infinibrand.com/site/Portfolio.php?t=Portfolio&amp;c=Kroger%20End-Cap%20Display&amp;l=1 ">end cap display</a> in a store or a strategically placed product mention on a <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a>. The products on <a href="http://www.drugstore.com">Drugstore.com&#8217;s</a> Buy One Get One ad will have higher exposure than the products lower on the page.</em></p>
<p><em>Taking that &#8220;standing out&#8221; to the extreme, we see annoying pop-up ads on websites. While it would seem exposure of these ads would be high, we&#8217;ve been conditioned to ignore them.</em></p>
<p><strong>Attention is the process by which an individual devotes mental activity to a stimulus.</strong> To attract attention you must use personally relevant stimuli or pleasant stimuli. Personally relevant stimuli include self-relevant needs, values, and goals. It may also include dramatic scenes. Pleasant stimuli include using attractive models or using humor in<br />
advertisement.</p>
<p><em><strong>Susan:</strong> How long do people stay on your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a>? Most websites get an average of 60 seconds or less per page visit. Not long. It&#8217;s a challenge for marketers to engage visitors for long enough to get them to buy.</em></p>
<p><img src="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com/images/blog/wallpaperad.jpg" alt="Attention using humor" /></p>
<p><strong>Perception is when stimuli are registered/interpreted by one of our five senses: </strong>vision (color), hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Sensory stimuli are not simply absorbed; they are built in our minds.</p>
<p><em><strong>Susan:</strong> I&#8217;ll bet you&#8217;ve seen a commercial for food on television that made you hungry. That&#8217;s a successful example of perception. To engage a viewer to the point of triggering a sense is difficult (especially since we don&#8217;t yet have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smell-o-vision ">Smell-O-Vision</a> at home) but when you can achieve it, you get instant sales.</em></p>
<p>Taken as a whole, exposure, attention, and perception are very important factors in marketing. When thinking about new products/services, one must look at these three concepts and interpret them thoroughly.</p>
<p><em><br />
<strong>Susan:</strong> Take a good look at your ads, marketing and products.</em></p>
<ul>
<li><em>Are your products placed prominently so that they&#8217;re easy to find and easy to pick up?</em></li>
<li><em>Can you get more exposure for your products by getting it into new distribution?</em></li>
<li><em>How well do you keep the attention of potential customers?</em></li>
<li><em>Can you inject humor or something unexpected in your advertising to prolong the attention? (Add video to your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a>; it&#8217;s a great attention-keeper)</em></li>
<li><em>Do you engage the senses?</em></li>
<li><em>Is your ad visually (or insert other sense here) appealing? Is there room for improvement?<br />
</em></li>
</ul>
<p><!--adsense#marketing1--></p>
<p>-Susan and Natalie</p>
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		<title>Anita Campbell Has a Secret (100 of Them, Actually)</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/marketing-secrets/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/marketing-secrets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:09:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Budget Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anita Campbell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ebook]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/03/17/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2-9-3/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends has released her free ebook, 101 Marketing Secrets. This ebook is chock-full of great tips on social media, selling, relationship marketing and more. Look for tips from the top marketers and bloggers in the industry, including Seth Godin, Brian Clark of Copyblogger and&#8230;lil&#8217; ole me!
Get your free copy now!
-Susan




Like [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.smallbiztrends.com/2008/03/100-marketing-secrets.html/#more-1837"><img src="http://www.smallbiztrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/bestkeptsecrets.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends has released her free ebook, <a href="http://www.smallbiztrends.com/2008/03/100-marketing-secrets.html/#more-1837">101 Marketing Secrets</a>. This ebook is chock-full of great tips on social media, selling, relationship marketing and more. Look for tips from the top marketers and bloggers in the industry, including <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6909078385965257294">Seth Godin</a>, Brian Clark of <a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/">Copyblogger </a>and&#8230;lil&#8217; ole <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com">me</a>!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.smallbiztrends.com/2008/03/100-marketing-secrets.html/#more-1837">Get your free copy now!</a><br />
-Susan</p>
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		<title>Marketing That Works: The Sales Letter</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/sales-letters/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/sales-letters/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:07:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales letter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/03/14/sales-letters/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For someone who&#8217;s all about the next wave of technology I sure am slow to adopt. I didn&#8217;t like ebooks. I had no urge for a Blackberry. I hated sales letters. But I have converted on all fronts. Hallelujah.
So today&#8217;s topic, kids, is sales letters. What are they? Essentially they&#8217;re copy that convinces someone to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For someone who&#8217;s all about the next wave of technology I sure am slow to adopt. I didn&#8217;t like ebooks. I had no urge for a Blackberry. I hated sales letters. But I have converted on all fronts. Hallelujah.</p>
<p>So today&#8217;s topic, kids, is sales letters. What are they? Essentially they&#8217;re copy that convinces someone to buy something. It&#8217;s the infomercial gone internet. Books, teleseminars, consulting all use <!-- google_ad_section_start -->sales letter<!-- google_ad_section_end -->s. They provide the direct benefits of buying the product or service, and usually contain testimonials.</p>
<p>Here are some examples:</p>
<p>-My colleague here in Orlando, <a href="http://www.helpmerhondamarketing.com/">Rhonda Ryder</a>, has created an entire career around writing sales letters&#8230;and she&#8217;s good!</p>
<p>-Brian Clark of CopyBlogger offers a course called <a href="http://teachingsells.com/">Teaching Sells</a>. His sales letter is formatted differently from most I&#8217;ve seen, but it works.</p>
<p>So do you need a sales letter? If you sell ebooks, teleseminars, workshops, training systems, CDs or anything like this and you&#8217;re looking for a way to bring more people in, then yes, you need a sales letter.  The great thing is: once you&#8217;ve perfected your letter, you can just sit back and let it do the work for you. Money just comes in all by itself!</p>
<p>Writing sales letters is definitely an art. I&#8217;ve just become familiar with <a href="http://www.theartistsoul.com/cmd.php?af=747458">Michele PW</a>, who has a complete training system that teaches you how to write sales letters that will make you money. Here&#8217;s what she says are the top mistakes people make when writing sales letters:</p>
<p><strong> *  Talk about yourself. </strong> No offense, but your audience doesn&#8217;t care.  They want to know what&#8217;s in it for them.<br />
<strong>* Mistake quantity for quality.</strong> It doesn&#8217;t matter how many flyers you handed out at the home show last weekend.  If your marketing doesn&#8217;t hit the mark, it&#8217;s a waste of time.<br />
<strong> * Forget to include all your contact info. </strong>Show them the way home.  Don&#8217;t assume they will find you &#8211; give them every possible opportunity to reach you.<br />
<strong>* Don&#8217;t ask for the order. </strong> Most letters or flyers read more like a how-to or a bio sheet.  Don&#8217;t describe it, sell it!</p>
<p>Her <a href="http://www.theartistsoul.com/cmd.php?af=747458">system </a>includes a DVD that walks you through the process of writing a great sales letter, a workbook to accompany it, and bonuses that help you hone your writing skills. I&#8217;m definitely going to check it out!</p>
<p>-Susan</p>
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		<title>Why Free Ebooks Work: Interview with the Publicity Hound</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/why-free-ebooks-work/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/why-free-ebooks-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:29:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joan Stewart]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/03/07/why-free-ebooks-work/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As promised, here is my interview with Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound. First let me give her a brief introduction. Joan worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for 22 years. She left to start her own business consulting in public relations in southeast Wisconsin. This being the mid-nineties, she quickly realized she could reach [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As promised, here is my interview with Joan Stewart, <a href="http://thepublicityhound.com/">The Publicity Hound</a>. First let me give her a brief introduction. Joan worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for 22 years. She left to start her own business consulting in public relations in southeast Wisconsin. This being the mid-nineties, she quickly realized she could reach a much wider audience if she brought her business online. As she said, that &#8220;opened up my market to the entire world.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joan started by offering a free PR newsletter, and quickly began to add products for sale, beginning what she calls the &#8220;work-get paid-get paid-get paid&#8221; model that we now all strive for. She is now an expert in public relations. She shares her knowledge with anyone who wants it, and shows you how to use free publicity to establish your credibility, enhance your reputation, position yourself as an expert, sell more products and services, promote a favorite cause or issue, and position your company as an employer of choice.</p>
<p>I kept coming across her name in different places. And, although I know a bit about PR, I was amazed at the ebooks and seminars she has covering the very topics I needed to learn more about! Needless to say, I shop on her site a lot. She helps me be better at what I do: promote my clients.</p>
<p><img src="http://thepublicityhound.com/pics/joan.jpg" alt="Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound" /></p>
<p><strong>Get Your Red Hot Free Ebooks</strong><br />
So in her interview, we discussed using free ebooks as marketing tools. Certainly, she sells a lot of ebooks on her site. But she also gives one away each Christmas as a promotion. Joan says this is a key revenue generator for her business. I know, you&#8217;re asking &#8220;how could she make money off a free ebook?&#8221; She loaded it with links to all her other products as well as to affiliate products that paid her a percentage of sales she generated through her ebooks. Not to mention, it positioned her as a professional who knew her stuff.</p>
<p>What did she put in the ebook? Her 24 best items from the newsletter she puts out every week. Easy. She didn&#8217;t even have to write new content. She simply compiled it all into an ebook and gave it away as a Christmas present (and encouraged regifting).<br />
<strong><br />
As For You&#8230;</strong><br />
When I asked Joan how a free ebook could work as a marketing tool for the average company, she said it establishes you as an expert in your field. No matter what you do, there is an ebook waiting to happen. And someone dying to read it. She said there is no industry where an ebook doesn&#8217;t work, because small business owners <em>love free content</em>. And it&#8217;s true, isn&#8217;t it? After all,  you&#8217;re reading this blog!</p>
<p><!--adsense#marketing1--></p>
<p><strong>Here are a few tips on creating ebooks from The Publicity Hound:</strong><br />
*Before you begin, search for products (software, ebooks, teleseminars) that relate to your industry that you can sell as an affiliate. You&#8217;ll want to include lots of links to these within your ebook.<br />
*Take content you&#8217;ve already created, from a blog, newsletter or articles, to compile into your ebook.<br />
*Link to other products you might have for sale, or to your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a> where people can learn about your company.<br />
*To promote it, blog about it and put out a press release.<br />
*Give your ebook to bloggers to promote and give to their readers.</p>
<p>She makes it easy, doesn&#8217;t she? Thanks to Joan for allowing me to interview you and glean great advice. If you want to get Joan&#8217;s 3 free ebooks, free articles and other amazing resources on getting publicity for your business, visit <a href="http://thepublicityhound.com/">her site</a> today. Also check out <a href="http://www.publicityhound.net/">her blog</a>, which covers hot topics in PR.</p>
<p>-Susan</p>
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		<title>Eggcerpts From Natalie: How Important is Market Research?</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/market-research/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/market-research/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:08:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[market research]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/03/05/market-research/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
I&#8217;m introducing a new weekly post from my Marketing Associate, Natalie Grbic. Natalie is studying Marketing at the University of Central Florida, and will present the topics she&#8217;s studying in marketing, while I will follow up with real-world examples. Hope you like it!
Natalie
As marketers, why do we need research? This was the first question my [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com/images/stories/natalie.jpg" alt="Natalie Grbic" /></p>
<p>I&#8217;m introducing a new weekly post from my Marketing Associate, Natalie Grbic. Natalie is studying Marketing at the University of Central Florida, and will present the topics she&#8217;s studying in marketing, while I will follow up with real-world examples. Hope you like it!</p>
<p><strong>Natalie</strong><br />
As marketers, why do we need research? This was the first question my Marketing Research professor posed in the first lecture class in the beginning of the semester. He then asked &#8220;Isn&#8217;t a major in marketing enough to teach us what consumers need, so that we don&#8217;t have to conduct anymore research?&#8221; I thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that the answer is no.</p>
<p>As marketers, we are learning tools and factors, not the answer. We can&#8217;t only rely on our own interests and needs because if there is something you should know, it is that you &#8220;don&#8217;t know.&#8221; With research, we are continually keeping up to date with the ever changing tastes and preferences of consumers. It also reduces uncertainty that marketers may have.</p>
<p><!-- google_ad_section_start -->Marketing research<!-- google_ad_section_end --> is essential is every business practice whether it be marketing, economics, or even architecture. Some important questions I learned to ask myself as a marketer are:<br />
-What are consumers&#8217; needs?<br />
-What are the market segments?<br />
-How should I position my new product/service?<br />
-What should my promotion look like?<br />
-How should I price my product/service?</p>
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<p><strong>Susan</strong><br />
One of the first things we at Egg ask a new client is, &#8220;who is your ideal client?&#8221; We ask this to get an understanding of who that person is, then we proceed to conduct market research on this segment.</p>
<p>One example of a grossly under-researched demographic has been the <a href="http://www.dmnews.com/The-US-Hispanic-Population----One-Market-or-Many/article/92236/">Hispanic population</a>. Only now are researchers realizing Mexicans don&#8217;t like to be marketed to in the same way that Puerto Ricans do. Further segmentation is needed. I recently read an article in DMNews about an ad campaign that flopped with Hispanics. Trying to appeal to the large family that is typical to Latinos, the mortgage company created ads with happy families. Studies showed those ads didn&#8217;t do as well as ads that featured large upper class homes. The appeal of upward mobility beat out family.</p>
<p><strong>That being said, yes, market research is very important. Here are 4 reasons you can&#8217;t ignore it.</strong></p>
<p>1. It can make an <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/advertising-that-works-or-rather-doesn%E2%80%99t-cultural-sensitivity/">ad campaign backfire</a>.<br />
2. It can cost your company its reputation.<br />
3. It can alienate your target market.<br />
4. It can keep your business from growing.</p>
<p>-Susan</p>
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		<title>My Blog Could Kick Your Website’s A@#</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2-9-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2-9-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:40:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Budget Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Email Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging for business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/03/03/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2-9-2/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I just read Suzanne Falter-Barns&#8217; post on ProBlogger: Have Blogs Killed Conventional Websites? and I&#8217;d like to put in my 2 cents.


Used to be everyone was struggling to keep up with competitors just by having a website. Now if you don&#8217;t have a blog you&#8217;re behind. Forget for a moment that you&#8217;re not web-savvy, if [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I just read Suzanne Falter-Barns&#8217; post on ProBlogger: <a href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/02/29/have-blogs-killed-conventional-websites/">Have Blogs Killed Conventional Websites?</a> and I&#8217;d like to put in my 2 cents.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/images/boxing.jpg" alt="My blog can kick your website's a@#" /></p>
<p><!--adsense--></p>
<p>Used to be everyone was struggling to keep up with competitors just by having a <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a>. Now if you don&#8217;t have a blog you&#8217;re behind. Forget for a moment that you&#8217;re not web-savvy, if that&#8217;s true, and look at the benefits of blogs over websites. I&#8217;ll borrow from Suzanne&#8217;s list and add my own.</p>
<p>-<strong>Blogs are easier to update. </strong>Sites like <a target="_blank" title="WordPress" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">WordPress</a> make it simple to upload posts instantly, so as soon as you think of a topic, you can write it and post it within minutes. With websites, you likely have to call your IT or web <a target="_blank" title="design" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">design</a> guy to get anything changed.</p>
<p>-<strong>Blogs help you identify your market.</strong> Because you&#8217;ll blog on many different topics within your niche (for me, I cover <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-facelift">press releases</a>, <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/web-20-marketing-is-nothing-to-fear/">marketing online</a> and <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/why-your-business-should-blog/">blogging for business</a> and can easily track which are the most popular topics) you can see what gets the most hits. Once you know that, play up to it or offer services or products on that topic.</p>
<p>-<strong>Blogs get noticed more frequently than websites.</strong> Spiders that crawl for search engines like ever-changing content, and since that&#8217;s a characteristic of a blog, you&#8217;ll be up, running and noticed sooner than your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a> will.</p>
<p>All this being said, a <!-- google_ad_section_start -->blog<!-- google_ad_section_end --> shouldn&#8217;t take the place of your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a>. The two can work together in perfect harmony. Link to your blog from your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a> and vice versa. Refer to your <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com">company website</a> in your blog posts. Whatever you do, just don&#8217;t underestimate the potential a blog has for getting you new business.</p>
<p>-Susan</p>
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		<title>Marketing That Works: The Free Ebook</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/free-ebook/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/free-ebook/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:35:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Budget Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media, Marketing & Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ebook]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/02/29/free-ebook/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A really popular marketing tool right now is the free ebook. As you know, an ebook is a digital document, similar to a book (although possibly shorter) that you read on your computer. Rather than going through traditional channels for publishing a book, you can write a book and get it out immediately.
Offering a free [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A really popular marketing tool right now is the free ebook. As you know, an ebook is a digital document, similar to a book (although possibly shorter) that you read on your computer. Rather than going through traditional channels for publishing a book, you can write a book and get it out immediately.</p>
<p>Offering a free ebook does several things:<br />
1. Shows off your expertise<br />
2. Generates interest in what you do<br />
3. Converts readers into future customers</p>
<p>Next Friday I&#8217;ll be interviewing Jan Stewart, <a href="http://www.thepublicityhound.com">The Publicity Hound</a>, who has perfected the art of the free ebook. She also makes her living <em>selling </em>ebooks, so look for some great tips from her.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com/images/blog/gift.jpg" alt="What gift can you give?" /></p>
<p><!--adsense#marketing1--></p>
<p>Here are some of my other favorite <!-- google_ad_section_start -->free ebooks<!-- google_ad_section_end --> :</p>
<p>-Chris Brogan recently gave away an ebook on <a href="http://chrisbrogan.com/free-ebook-on-social-media-and-social-networks/">social media and social networks</a>. In the ebook, he provided just enough information to educate readers, without giving away all his secrets. He told me his purpose in giving away his ebook was to brand himself, and to build his newsletter list. (ALWAYS ask for an email address when giving anything away).</p>
<p>A few weeks ago, I wrote about the great advice I got from <a href="http://www.stompernet.com/">StomperNet</a>. It was great advice, but it left me wanting more. And as you can see from their <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a>, they also promote their events with free videos. It&#8217;s smart and easy to do.</p>
<p>Do you have a free ebook? If so, please share it with us.</p>
<p>-Susan</p>
<p><!--adsense--></p>
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		<title>Why Oprah is Marketing Nirvana</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/oprah-is-marketing-nirvana/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/oprah-is-marketing-nirvana/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:38:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Viral Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/02/25/oprah-is-marketing-nirvana/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I, like most Americans, love Oprah. I find her warm, intelligent, and spot-on when it comes to picking great guests, topics and books. It&#8217;s amazing how a single woman has defined popular culture just based on her tastes (or maybe the tastes of her staff). But how many people have you heard say &#8220;I saw [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I, like most Americans, love Oprah. I find her warm, intelligent, and spot-on when it comes to picking great guests, topics and books. It&#8217;s amazing how a single woman has defined popular culture just based on her tastes (or maybe the tastes of her staff). But how many people have you heard say &#8220;I saw it on Oprah,&#8221; or &#8220;I read it because it was in Oprah&#8217;s book club?&#8221;</p>
<p>Oprah is the very definition of viral marketing. She likely doesn&#8217;t get a cut of sales of items she promotes. But as soon as something is featured on her show, it gets snapped up by middle America. And they tell other people, who buy it and tell other people.</p>
<p>I have clients whose goal is to be on the Oprah show. And who can blame them? It&#8217;s basically a sign you&#8217;ve arrived.</p>
<p>Take her newest endeavor, the book &#8220;A New Earth.&#8221; No one had heard of Eckhart Tolle (well, I hadn&#8217;t anyway) but now half of America is buying his book because Oprah endorses it. Oprah is also offering a <a href="http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/webevent_registration.jsp">free online course</a> with the author surrounding the premises of the book.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com/images/blog/oprahnewearth.jpg" alt="Will you be on Oprah's New Earth?" /></p>
<p><!--adsense#marketing1--></p>
<p>At first I said, &#8220;Bah. I don&#8217;t have to follow the mainstream and read that book!&#8221; But then I remembered I said the same thing when Oprah was pushing &#8220;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Rhonda-Byrne/dp/1582701709/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1246199055&amp;sr=1-1&amp;tag=eggmarpubrel-20">The Secret</a>.&#8221; I was late on the bandwagon, but the book changed my perspective, and I have Oprah to thank for that. So I gave in and became one of the thousands of people buying and reading this book. I will blog about it as her online course unfolds.</p>
<p>And remember: Oprah is always right.<br />
-Susan</p>
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		<title>Do Press Releases Need a Facelift?</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-facelift/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-facelift/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:23:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Budget Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Email Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[press release]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/02/20/press-release-facelift/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently read this blog post entitled &#8220;The Traditional Press Release is Dead!&#8221; It brings up a good point, and one I hadn&#8217;t thought of. Press releases are formatted the way they always have been, which is geared toward the media at newspapers.
The post says press releases for online distribution should be shorter. You, as [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I recently read this blog post entitled <a href="http://whatsnextonline.com/wno/newsletter19.html">&#8220;The Traditional Press Release is Dead!&#8221;</a> It brings up a good point, and one I hadn&#8217;t thought of. Press releases are formatted the way they always have been, which is geared toward the media at newspapers.</p>
<p>The post says press releases for online distribution should be shorter. You, as a reader of online material, can appreciate articles and news releases that are short and to the point. No need to ramble. Do we need a new format altogether?</p>
<p><img src="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com/images/blog/noentry.jpg" alt="Has your release been banned from PRWeb?" /></p>
<p><!--adsense#marketing1--></p>
<p>And then this <a href="http://www.whatsnextblog.com/archives/2008/02/press_release_distribution_services_butt_heads_with_bloggers.asp">post </a>talks about how <a href="http://www.prweb.com">PRWeb</a>, a distribution service I happen to use, is cracking down on releases it deems not acceptable. The release in question had more of a salesy approach that PRWeb didn&#8217;t approve of.</p>
<p>But it brings up the question: what is acceptable for a press release? We are rapidly moving away from the old standards of PR and media, so how can we continue to base our rules on the old school methods? Shouldn&#8217;t PRWeb be more flexible in what it accepts? Can we redefine what a press release is?</p>
<p>These are interesting questions, and ones that should provoke thought and conversation. What do you have to say?</p>
<p>-Susan</p>
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		<title>Staying on Track with Your Marketing Plan</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/marketing-plan-on-track/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/marketing-plan-on-track/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:32:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Budget Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/02/18/marketing-plan-on-track/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m so sorry it&#8217;s been a while since I&#8217;ve written! Last week I had the Plague, and it&#8217;s taken me a while to get back up and running (we won&#8217;t even talk about how long it&#8217;s been since I went to yoga). There&#8217;s always an excuse to get off track, isn&#8217;t there?
Speaking of getting off [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m so sorry it&#8217;s been a while since I&#8217;ve written! Last week I had the Plague, and it&#8217;s taken me a while to get back up and running (we won&#8217;t even talk about how long it&#8217;s been since I went to yoga). There&#8217;s always an excuse to get off track, isn&#8217;t there?</p>
<p>Speaking of getting off track, how&#8217;s your marketing plan? It&#8217;s just February, but are you still being diligent about reaching your marketing goals?</p>
<p><img src="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com/images/blog/track.jpg" alt="Get back on track" /></p>
<p>Let me guess, you&#8217;ve been swamped. You&#8217;ve been out of town. Your dog ate your marketing plan.</p>
<p>Whatever the excuse, it&#8217;s time to get back on track before your excuses spin out of control. Here are some tips to get you focused.</p>
<p><!--adsense--></p>
<p><strong>Put your plan on your desk.</strong> If you get your plan out in plain site, you&#8217;re more likely to review it. Tack it to your wall. Print it on pink paper. Just don&#8217;t forget about it.</p>
<p><strong>Review it regularly.</strong> I make a task in outlook at the end of every quarter to review my marketing plan. That way I can&#8217;t forget. Things change, so you need to make sure your plan keeps up with what&#8217;s going on in your business.<br />
<strong><br />
Don&#8217;t make big decisions without referring to the plan.</strong> It&#8217;s tempting to take marketing opportunities as they come, but if they&#8217;re part of a bigger picture, they&#8217;ll be more effective. If you&#8217;re like me, you get calls for marketing and advertising opportunities weekly. Just kindly tell the rep calling you that you will consider it for next quarter, but your plans for this quarter are locked in. This will keep you from making impulse decisions when they tell you you only have a few days to take advantage of this amazing price.</p>
<p><strong>Make your budget match your plan.</strong> If you&#8217;ve identified budgets for different areas of your marketing (networking, advertising, research), set it up in your accounting program so you can keep tabs on where your spending is going. If you&#8217;re not spending enough in one category, you might want to step up your efforts. Likewise, if you&#8217;ve already blown half your annual budget on advertising, it&#8217;s time to pull in the reins.</p>
<p>I want to hear from you! Are you on track with your <!-- google_ad_section_start -->marketing plan<!-- google_ad_section_end -->, or have you already strayed? Let the Marketing Eggspert keep you accountable!</p>
<p>-Susan</p>
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		<title>Become an Email Marketing Eggspert</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/email-marketing-eggspert/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/email-marketing-eggspert/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:02:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Budget Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Email Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/02/05/email-marketing-eggspert/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tomorrow I am giving a presentation on email marketing , so I thought I&#8217;d share my notes with you here. Also, I just got a link to this blog post: 100+ Tools &#38; Tutorials to Optimize Your Email Marketing Campaigns. It&#8217;s an amazingly in-depth list of tools and resources that will help you improve your [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Tomorrow I am giving a presentation on <!-- google_ad_section_start -->email marketing<!-- google_ad_section_end --> , so I thought I&#8217;d share my notes with you here. Also, I just got a link to this blog post: <a href="http://www.virtualhosting.com/blog/2008/100-tools-tutorials-to-optimize-your-email-marketing-campaigns/">100+ Tools &amp; Tutorials to Optimize Your Email Marketing Campaigns</a>. It&#8217;s an amazingly in-depth list of tools and resources that will help you improve your email campaigns.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com/images/blog/email.jpg" alt="Maximize your email campaign" /></p>
<p>Emails sent to your contacts should be informative and useful â€“ not blatant advertisements. Readers appreciate resources that  help them, and they keep that in mind when they need your services or products.</p>
<p><strong>How many emails should I send each month?</strong> The answer to this will vary with who you&#8217;re talking to. Given my experience as a sender (and as a receiver), I recommend two times per month:</p>
<p><strong> o 1 newsletter:</strong> include 1-2 informative articles, 1-2 news blurbs on your company (interviews, press<br />
releases, podcasts), and a limited time offer, such as a coupon or special offer.<br />
<strong>o 1 promotion email: </strong>pick a product or service to highlight and send out email 2 weeks after the newsletter.</p>
<p><!--adsense#marketing1--></p>
<p><strong><br />
What&#8217;s the best day to send my emails?</strong> It&#8217;s pretty commonly accepted across the board that the best times to send emails are Tuesdays through Thursdays, in the afternoon. On Mondays, people are flooded with email and catch-up work, so they&#8217;re more likely to delete your email. On Friday, people play hooky and don&#8217;t feel like working. In the mornings, people have more email, but by the afternoons midweek, they&#8217;ve caught up and have more time to read your email.</p>
<p><strong>How often should I send emails about a promotion?</strong> People won&#8217;t respond the first time you send out an email about a promotion or event. I believe the magic number is 3. Not too much, not to little.</p>
<p><strong>Who do I send my emails to?</strong> You&#8217;re surrounded by good email candidates every day. The obvious answer is your customers. But also people who you meet at networking events. You likely have a pile of business cards on your desk right now who would make good email subscribers. Also, you can add what&#8217;s called a widget to your <a target="_blank" title="website" href="http://websitehabitat.com/">website</a> where people can sign up to get your emails and special offers. Just remember: anyone you sign up should be a good candidate for your emails! Make sure it&#8217;s relevant to them.</p>
<p><strong>Where can I find a good email program?</strong> For your money, I recommend <a href="http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?pn=eggmarketing">Constant Contact</a>. It&#8217;s simple to use and has tons of great templates you can use for press releases, newsletters and promotions. They even offer a 60 day free trial, which is plenty of time to get used to how it works. The pricing starts at $15 per month (for 500 or fewer contacts).</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re still overwhelmed with email marketing, <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com">contact Egg Marketing</a> to help you run a campaign that will get you new customers and increased sales!</p>
<p>-Susan</p>
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		<title>Advertising That Works: Call to Action</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/advertising-that-works-call-to-action/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/advertising-that-works-call-to-action/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:50:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/01/18/advertising-that-works-call-to-action/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you read my Getting The Most Out of Your Marketing series, you know the importance of having a call to action. Something that stimulates people to get up and go buy your product.  Here are some great examples of how this tool turns people into customers.
I love infomercials. I love how they show [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you read my <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2-6/"><strong>Getting The Most Out of Your Marketing</strong></a> series, you know the importance of having a call to action. Something that stimulates people to get up and go buy your product.  Here are some great examples of how this tool turns people into customers.</p>
<p>I love infomercials. I love how they show a problem (tossing and turning) and the magical solution (special pillow). Commercials like this are great examples of a call to action. This one offers free bonuses if you &#8220;call now.&#8221; Note the magical music.</p>
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<p><strong><a href="http://qvc.com/">QVC</a> </strong>can sell anything. It&#8217;s an enigma to me (sorry mom), but obviously they have great marketing people. Rather than give the air of desperation that an infomercial does, they simply pump the product and put a clock on the screen that tells you how long you have to buy the product before the price goes up. There&#8217;s no other explanation as to why anyone would buy this mouth exerciser!</p>
<p><object width="425" height="355" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/81tCp2IjlxU&amp;rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/81tCp2IjlxU&amp;rel=1" /></object><br />
-Susan</p>
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<p><!-- feedburner subscription -->For even more information about calls to action, check out Bryan and Jeffry Eisenberg&#8217;s<span id="btAsinTitle"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Call-Action-Formulas-Improve-Results/dp/078521965X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1246191728&amp;sr=1-1&amp;tag=eggmarpubrel-20">Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results.</a></span><br />
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		<title>Resolutions for your Business</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2-3/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:39:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business goals]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2008/01/01/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2-3/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I know, I know, New Year&#8217;s resolutions are so cliche. But I&#8217;ve been making them for about 15 years, and unlike many people, I strive to achieve them all year long (well, at least until July). I already have my list of my personal resolutions, so here are mine for both my blog and my [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I know, I know, New Year&#8217;s resolutions are so cliche. But I&#8217;ve been making them for about 15 years, and unlike many people, I strive to achieve them all year long (well, at least until July). I already have my list of my personal resolutions, so here are mine for both my blog and my <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com">business</a>.</p>
<p>1. Increase readership of blog to 5,000-10,000 unique readers per month.<br />
2. Make blog profitable.<br />
3. Expand <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com">Egg Marketing</a> into <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2/">marketing coaching</a>, <a href="http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/never-write-another-crappy-press-release-again/">ebook</a> products, and classes.<br />
4. Listen to my husband/business partner&#8217;s good ideas for my businesses.<br />
5. Continue to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.<br />
6. Translate blog readers into Egg clients.<br />
7. Exceed my revenue projections for Egg.<br />
8. Get in touch with my blog readers.<br />
9. Continue to network, both in person and online.<br />
10. Have my business run itself while I relax on a beach in another country!</p>
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You&#8217;ll notice most of my resolutions are pretty tangible. That&#8217;s the secret to making resolutions you can keep. We all know about the overdone &#8220;lose 5 pounds&#8221; resolution. Why not make your <!-- google_ad_section_start -->business resolutions<!-- google_ad_section_end --> ones you want to keep and believe you can?</p>
<p>When it comes to your business, where do you want to be in one year? What are your wishes about your business? If you never declare them, you&#8217;ll never make them come true. Sometimes all it takes is writing them down to get you on your way.</p>
<p>Please, share your resolutions with us!<br />
-Susan<br />
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		<title>Entrepreneurs Need Coaches Too: Get Your Marketing Gameplan for &#8216;08</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/press-release-101-24-reasons-to-toot-your-own-horn-2-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:42:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Budget Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Email Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Make a new marketing plan your #1 New Year&#8217;s Resolution!
Do you want to take your business to the next level, but you&#8217;re unsure how?
Are you a small business owner without a big marketing budget?
Does the thought of a marketing plan send your head spinning?

Let Susan Payton, the Marketing Eggspert, help.
She&#8217;s the marketing coach you need [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Make a new marketing plan your #1 New Year&#8217;s Resolution!</strong></p>
<p>Do you want to take your business to the next level, but you&#8217;re unsure how?<br />
Are you a small business owner without a big marketing budget?<br />
Does the thought of a marketing plan send your head spinning?<br />
<strong><br />
Let Susan Payton, the Marketing Eggspert, help.</strong></p>
<p>She&#8217;s the marketing coach you need to get a boost in the right direction! The owner of <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com">Egg Marketing &#038; Public Relations</a>, Susan can help you:</p>
<p>    * determine your target market<br />
    * figure out how to reach them<br />
    * develop a marketing plan that fits your needs and budget<br />
    * identify marketing tools you can afford!</p>
<p><strong>New Year&#8217;s Special:</strong><br />
3  1-hour coaching sessions via telephone<br />
Custom coaching to fit your company&#8217;s needs<br />
Unlimited emails throughout coaching period and three months after<br />
<strong>Just $300</strong><em><br />
<strong>Free bonus: a copy of Susan&#8217;s ebook, DIY Press Releases</strong></p>
<p>For more information on Susan Payton and Egg Marketing, <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com">click here.</a><br />
<strong>To get started now, contact Susan via email or call: 407.895.7296.</strong></p>
<p>-Susan</p>
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		<title>Never Write Another Crappy Press Release Again!</title>
		<link>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/never-write-another-crappy-press-release-again/</link>
		<comments>http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/never-write-another-crappy-press-release-again/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:23:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan Payton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Budget Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Mix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.eggmarketingblog.com/2007/12/17/never-write-another-crappy-press-release-again/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By far, the service Egg Marketing gets hired for the most is writing press releases. But I know for every press release we get hired to write, there are dozens of companies who can&#8217;t afford to hire us. I would rather help those companies successfully write their own press releases than for them to write [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By far, the service <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com">Egg Marketing</a> gets hired for the most is writing press releases. But I know for every press release we get hired to write, there are dozens of companies who can&#8217;t afford to hire us. I would rather help those companies successfully write their own press releases than for them to write them badly and see no success.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why I wrote my ebook, <em>DIY Press Releases</em>. It&#8217;s chock full of really useful information, and the feedback from my readers has been great.</p>
<p>In it, I include:<br />
* Step-by-step instructions for writing a release<br />
* Sample releases from <a href="http://www.eggmarketingpr.com">a professional PR firm</a><br />
* Easy-to-fill-out templates<br />
* Listings of press release distribution services (free and for a fee)</p>
<p>Trying to find places you can submit your release for free would take you hours. I&#8217;ve already done the work for you, and have over 30 reliable sites you can publish your press release for free. Additionally, I recommend a few pay services that guarantee to get your release on major channels like Google, Yahoo! and MSN.</p>
<p>If you don&#8217;t have a big budget and find yourself slaving over writing press releases (and you <strong>should </strong>be writing them!), you need to read this ebook. It&#8217;s short, sweet, and to the point.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m offering it to my readers for the <strong>discounted price of $15</strong>. This offer is good through the rest of the year.<br />
<img src="http://eggmarketingpr.com/images/stories/diy.jpg" alt="DIY Press Release Ebook" /></p>
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<p>And for you Marketing Eggspert readers, I&#8217;ll even answer any questions you have about press releases! Just post your questions here to start some dialogue.</p>
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