Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Speak-for-Leads.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Speak-for-Leads.html Capture Leads Through Speaking Engagements http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Trade-Show-Marketing--Part-2.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Trade-Show-Marketing--Part-2.html Trade shows can be a large investment for a company. Once you have added in all the costs of the space, the booth, the promotional material, and the staff, you need to ensure you receive a strong Marketing ROI (return on investment). http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Trade-Show-Marketing--Part-1.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Trade-Show-Marketing--Part-1.html Trade shows are what I like to term a high investment marketing strategy. By this I mean they require a significant amount of money and time to execute. While pricing of the actual space may seem reasonable, once costs for display booths, signage, promotional material and manpower are tallied up - it is a pricier lead generation option to undertake. That being said, I still find it to be a fantastic way to generate a large number of qualified leads. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Achieving-Success.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Achieving-Success.html So what does it take for you to get your business to the next level, to grow it to where you have reached your definition of success, and/or to leave a legacy or success story that others can tell? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Be-The-Hot-Dog-Stand--Search-Engine-Optimization.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Be-The-Hot-Dog-Stand--Search-Engine-Optimization.html You are far better to relinquish some of your budget to being found than making your website just the prettiest one on the internet. The term commonly used for this is search engine optimization (SEO), meaning your site needs to be created in such a way that it is search engine friendly and laden with the proper key words. Here are a few quick tips to get your rankings up! http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Be-An-Orange.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Be-An-Orange.html When a prospective buyer is looking at your product or service, he or she is really comparing you to the competition. So the question is, are they comparing an apple to an apple or an apple to an orange? It is vitally important in marketing that you find a way to be THE orange! In other words, what is it about you that makes you completely DIFFERENT from your competitor? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Yellow-Pages--To-Advertise-or-Not-To-Advertise.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Yellow-Pages--To-Advertise-or-Not-To-Advertise.html With so many other ways to access information today, it should be no surprise that the effectiveness of directory books such as the Yellow Pages is on the decline. However they still are a main source of information for visitors in a hotel room, or users of public telephone booths. Some older age demographics also prefer them to other alternatives. It is expected that we will continue to see these familiar yellow books around for approximately 10 more years. So whether they are right for you really comes down to knowing the search habits of your ideal clients. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Why-All-Companies-Need-a-Story.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Why-All-Companies-Need-a-Story.html Stories capture our attention quickly. They are more entertaining than straight facts and allow us to take a complicated topic and explain it in such a way that it is appealing to a listener. So why does a company need to tell a story? Simply put, it gives you control over what and how people talk about you, your products and services. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Just-How-Different-Are-You.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Just-How-Different-Are-You.html So how do you effectively pull your prospects out of the box? In other words, how do you define what makes you TRULY different. Having done many surveys for my clients asking their customers this very pointed questions, I can tell you this. 9 times out of 10 it is in the little things. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Creating-Powerful-Promotional-Material-On-A-Budget.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/3962/Creating-Powerful-Promotional-Material-On-A-Budget.html Nothing saddens me more when I'm out at an event or opening my mail than seeing BRUTAL (that's right, BRUTAL) promotional material. Let me describe it. First, like something out of a horror movie, I find myself staring at a home made business card or worse, the tri-fold brochure (start the creepy music).