The great thing about Evernote, is the fact that it can read and index your images. I’ll give you an example. I had a brochure that I needed to store digitaly but it was a printed copy. So I simply hold it up to my iSight and snap a pic - not very good, as the page was curved.

I sent the image to Evernote and badda bing they index it. What do I mean by index? I mean they scan the image and find words in it. Now 2 weeks later I’m looking for this document, I simply type in some keywords I remember from the brochure and Evernote brings the photo forward for me.

Invites:
Currently in beta only Evernote is not easy to get into. Matt sent a Tweet out this morning asking for an invite. I’d forgotten I had any. Anyhoo, I have a handful of invites for Evernote left, so drop me a note in the comments if you’d like one.

PS:
Yes I’m now on twitter.

Generally when a recession hits businesses the first thing to go is their marketing and advertising budget. Often this is deemed as a luxury and not needed. However now more than ever, it’s the time to advertise. That comes with a cavet:

It’s not time to advertise, it’s time to advertise wisely!

So what do you do? You shop around!

That’s not something you hear very often when it comes to advertising, but its something you should do. For example, in New Zealand right now there is a battle between the two top online business directories, a battle that means you the customer can win.

Online Business Directories:
Advertising online in a business directory (think online Yellow Pages) can be a very cost effective way to promote your business as they often allow you to add heaps of information about your business. Today business directories are allowing branding, huge descriptions, heaps of images and even online video. Video will be the turning point for online directories. In times of recession these forms of advertising become even more cost effective. Most offer a free starting point for your business, many paid positions have great conversion rates and opportunities for your company to own a category.

Many are now offering extra incentives for top clients leveraging business networks to expand the reach. You can leverage this to grow your business. Sign up with particular online directories and get access to newspaper or radio advertising. In the USA some are now even teaming up with TV to offer television commercial spots.

Google AdWords:
Again, as people reduce their advertising spend, opportunities open up. Google AdWords is an online advertising network that is run as a silent auction. You compete against others to purchase particular keywords to advertise around. With less people participating in the auction, there is more chance for you to get the words you want - cheaper.

Bonus tip:
A great tip for advertising in recession is to talk to your local radio station, newspaper or billboard company about “unsold inventory”. Given that advertising spend is often reduced many media companies suffer, and they have ’spots’ available that they can’t sell at full price. So ring them up, make them an offer. You wont be guaranteed to get a certain spot on the air or in the paper - but you will be there, at a much reduced price.

NZ Business Extra:
I’ll come clean at this point and say that I work for one of the leading online business directories in New Zealand - finda.co.nz - which makes writing an article like this, and remaining neutral hard. So screw neutral!

Offer for NZ Businesses, drop me a note in the comments, let me know about your business. If you are NOT currently listed on finda.co.nz I’ll work out a great deal for you to get online. If you are, I can look at an upgrade option for you to get more out of your listing.

So you are ready to create a email campaign and like any good company you target it around an event on the calendar - eg: mothers day.

It’s important to read the message, heck get LOTS of other people to read it and make sure it is correct. I opened my email just now to see an email from PayPal. The message says

Save this Mother’s Day with exclusive offers from PayPal

Scanning my email I thought “Hmm when was mothers day in troulbe & why do I need to save it?” followed by “Wow these offers must be so good if it can save a day that is in trouble”

Okay so maybe this is a bit silly, but there is no context in their subject to let me know what save is in refernce too. The way it is written you assume it applies to the day that is Mothers. For all I know I could be saving the rain forest, monkeys or cash.

Maybe a better line might have been

Exclusive Mother’s Day offers from PayPal

Or simply add the word money to the sentence.

Now I screwed up when I did the update and lost all my images (stoopid stoopid stoopid) , so you’ll have to forgive me for that. I might have to ask a couple of authors to update their posts again.

Now off to update my plugins too

Juggling time is always an issue - but i need to push through and keep going.

Mark, as a quick intro why don’t you summarise Sales Promotion for those new to the world of marketing?
Mark Sales Promotions or Promotional/Experiential Marketing as it is sometimes known are activities or campaigns which are specifically designed to increase sales of a product or service. They need to provide a “call to action” or stimulus to excite potential customers/consumers. There are many examples which include prize/incentive competitions, cash backs, gift with purchase, instant win and loyalty schemes which encourage repeat purchase.

SW You touch on one thing there that I suggest all websites should have too. That is a “Call To Action” - all sites should have some call that gives them purpose.
So, what was it that attracted you to this industry?
MD It was the challenge of creating and executing successful concepts over a wide range of products and industries.
My background was in the wine and food industry but I soon learned that innovation, imagination and common sense could be applied to most industries, products and services.

SW Innovation leads to change, it’s not long before what was innovative becomes the norm. You must have seen the industry change a lot during your career. How does this constant change affect your business today?
MD There have been massive changes in the 20 years I have been involved. Initially, television/radio and newsprint were the traditional channels of contact.

There are a multitude of channels now with the internet, direct e mail, blogs, txts, telemarketing, cinema, direct mail, guerilla marketing there are so many more ways to contact potential consumers/customers. Smart operators have kept pace with the new touchpoints and adapted them to incorporate new sales promotional mechanics. My company has over 30 promotional mechanics so we are confident we can fit the right mechanic with the right channel.

SW Over 30 tricks stored away in your goodie bag ey? Now I know that one of these in particular is your little baby - the promotional technique “Fuzzy Logic”. This has been used successfully by a number of companies around the world. (Fuzzy logic is a foot traffic generation device requiring the participant to visit instore). With today’s push to do everything online, do you think there is still a desire for these offline, foot traffic type promotions?
MD It’s really a matter of deciding the best mechanic (e.g. Fuzzy Logic) to meet the client’s objectives and fitting that into the correct online/offline environment or a combination of both. Fuzzy Logic is a proven foot traffic generator and works really well in that offline area but we have now adapted it so it can be used online also. We have many mechanics that will work in both environments.

SW Again you touch on something there I’ve been talking about for years. That is discovering what your client/audience want. You can’t just give them some pre-determined ‘thing’ and hope it works.

Here in New Zealand we are often known as a land of early adopters. Do you think this is true when it comes to Sales Promotions in the online space?
MD Yes, but we are constrained by legislation which means that instant win games are illegal in the current climate. This will change as more companies “test” the law and push the boundaries.

SW On the note of legislation, I see that the NZ Lottery commission is looking to sell Lottery tickets online - effectively allowing online gambling (online gambling is currently illegal in New Zealand). Does this mean the law in NZ is about to change? Will this open up the Promotional Marketing area more?
MD It’ll certainly test the boundaries and be interesting to see both government and the advertising industry’s response.

SW Right, back to promotions. How important are the mechanics of Sales Promotion in the online realm? Can you simply apply the old school ideas to online or do you need to innovate in the online space?
MD The mechanics are merely the means of communicating the message. However, a solid creative idea combined with a relevant and enticing mechanic will work every time. Some of the old school (to quote you) ideas will still be relevant online, that’s because good ideas will always stand the test of time. However successful promotions not only need to keep pace with change but be innovative and predict future promotional trends.

SW Again, a great tie in with the online market. Websites too can use old school techniques to be different. Innovation is great, but communication is key. One thing I’ve learned from you that is crucial in the online realm is “Look for the fiddle” - care to explain that to our readers?
MD It means that if there is a way to “fiddle’ or fraud a promotion someone will find it. It particularly applies to any instant win promotion. My company carries insurance indemnification against overclaims plus we have a number of security printing and safety procedures to minimise the risk to clients and/or overcome this eventuality.

SW Note to readers: I know very few websites that carry indemnity insurance, yet most promotional marketing companies will. How much more important in the online space is it to look for the fiddle? Do you find that those online are more likely to try and fiddle the promotion?
MD The same security procedures apply to both on and off line environments. We have adapted our security procedures online to ensure the risk is minimal. We work with some of the industries best developers and web people to ensure that our online promotions are safe, fun and effective.

SW For those reading who are looking for a way to promote their website, are there some key points that make a great promotion?
MD Innovation is always good. Try to have a compelling reason for people to want to buy your product or service. Mostly, deal with professional people who can recommend the best and most creative promotional solution, it will save time and money in the long term.

SW Also thought I might ask, what was your most succesful promotional experience? Did it use an online element & what was it that made it such a great campaign?
MD There have been many successes over 20 years. A Speight’s promotion which incorporated an on pack entry mechanic and combined an online mini loyalty programme called “Earn your Stars” was hugely successful and groundbreaking. Also a massive Australasian in-pack promotion for Kellogg’s cornflakes which used a plastic Fuzzy Logic game card was incredibly successful in terms of consumer reaction and sales. This was due to its simplicity and innovation. (EDIT : note to readers, Mr K was heavily involved in the Earn Your Stars promotion as technical lead for online)

SW Lets look at Llennodo Marketing. What services do you offer companies looking to drive their business?
MD All our services are outlined in detail at www.llennodo.co.nz. Needless to say you don’t stay in business for 20 years unless you have an in depth knowledge of your business. We have worked with some of NZ’s finest Advertising Agencies and many clients direct.

SW If people want to know more about your services, can they contact you through your site?
MD Sure, go to the contact us link and click on our e mail outlining their requirements.

SW Well thank you for taking the time today
MD Thank you it’s been a pleasure I hope your readers have enjoyed this as much as I have.

Now I’m not a photoshop guru like some of my mates, but I can tinker around in it. I’m leaning on www.psdtuts.com right now to bring my skills back up.

Here is an image I created for Studiowhiz.com and I’ve thrown it up on flickr.

Check out the Studiowhiz Wallpaper here and if you want it in a larger size (I’ve made it at 1600×1200) sing out in the comments.

A companies communication database is it’s lifeblood of customer relations. It is the source of all growth opportunities for any business.

Now first up, if you are in business and you don’t yet have a database of you clients, prospects and contacts. Then get one. Use a spreadsheet, or use a full Customer Relationship Manager - it doesn’t matter, just start.

Once you have a database, use it. Really you should be in regular contact with your contacts. As I mentioned this is your opportunity for growth. If you talk to you contacts you will learn

• more about their needs
• how to improve your product
• how to build a relationship them

What is a contact?
It’s someone, anyone who has

• purchased your product/service
• made an inquiry
• signed up for a newsletter
• had any interaction with your business

Always respect their privacy, but do communicate with your contacts regularly. ( I might explore this more in a future post )

One thing however I want to point out:

CLEAN UP YOUR DATABASE

You should always clean your database. Every time you send out a communication, clean it up.

I have just recently reactivated an email account after a long time (12+ months) of the account not being used. This account I had used as a primary contact point for a large number of companies when Studiowhiz was a full on community site. Today I still have a large number of mass emails being sent to this account. Why? this account should have been dead to them.

• it was a waste of their bandwidth
• it was a waste of their time
• it was throwing their numbers out
• I won’t buy or promote any of their products anymore

If you have a database, use it, but keep it clean. Don’t waste resources talking to people who are no longer listening. Don’t count your database figures, if they are not accurate.

wait for it …

wait .. - trust me it’s worth it -

Waitttt….

A whole $7.79, oh yeah that’s in US dollars too. *sigh*

I’m about to kiss goodbye to AdSense, it’s not worth the hassle right now. However on the good news side, we have some fantastic new things coming up in the next few months that will help to fund the growth of Studiowhiz. One idea may even see me being able to dedicate time to the site again!

I also hope to launch 3 or 4 brand new sites in the next 4 weeks - that’s no small matter.

For now, this is today’s post - say Hi below.