In business, being different is good. Being wacky is good. But being extraordinary is better.

Have you seen any of this year’s auto expos? Wacky. Crazy. Extraordinary. SOME of these cars are magnificent. Others, though - need to get scrapped.

Welcome to the rule of thirds.

The rule of thirds says that every car should cause one-third of the people to absolutely hate it and one-third of the people to absolutely love it. The remaining one-third simply isn’t paying attention.

Smart marketers know that if a car was built to the preferences of the majority, no one would really be passionate about it. It would just blend in. But by captivating one-third of the crowd, they are capturing far more enthusiasts than they could by simply building something that the majority preferred.

Hence, concept vehicles.

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On a daily basis there is a new social media site created. There is basically a site for every person from every background. We spoke with Muhammad Saleem, social media maven, about his opinion about a variety of sites, social media marketing and the most important elements to keep in mind when engaging in the space.

In our discussion about the major social sites like Digg, StumbleUpon and Twitter, we were able to establish the key steps towards establishing prominence online. Participating, contributing and becoming an intregral part of the community are the main ways to develop the personal brand that Muhammad has been able to establish for himself.
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This cocktail can be conceived as a recipe for effectively distributing a certain product or brand, or it could be compared to the primary colors that an artist uses to make a painting. The point is that different combinations of this particular cocktail can be used to provide different results, or rather a different positioning for the brand. The cocktail that we are talking in this post which will definitely boost your marketing efforts is Marketing Mix. The marketing mix works like a recipe for developing a strong, cohesive marketing plan, and what’s usually referred to as the “Four P’s”, works like the ingredients to such recipe.
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Press releases have long been a standby for launching new websites and initiatives. Press release news wires are the source of many of the news items you see on a daily basis throughout the blogosphere and in the media.

When you write a press release, you basically need one thing: a story.

A press release is an introduction to a media outlet telling them that you have an angle. It lets them know that you have something worthy of discussion. Keep in mind - the media survives on finding the next new thing. Depending on how you frame your story, that could be you!

A press release isn’t your company in the spotlight. It isn’t 700 words about your company. To be successful, you have to tie it to something.
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We just passed our glorious one week anniversary! Typically, that means packing up your gear and flying back home from your honeymoon, only to return to the daily grind of jobs and yardwork… But we’re not done yet. We still have so much in store.

The Free Search Marketing Handbook

Marketing has changed. No longer is it magazines and bifolds with endless copy that does nothing other than bore the reader. Marketing includes Pay Per Click advertising, Cost Per Click Ads, Social Media Marketing and all these other wacky, new-age things.

Have you ever heard of personalized URL’s? Well, it’s something to consider on your next direct mail campaign!

Most people have never heard of half this stuff. So we feel it’s our job to get the word out.

That’s what the Search Marketing Handbook is. It’s a guide to all things marketing oriented. Best yet, signing up for the free download will also subscribe you to our periodic newsletter which will give you audio, video, case studies, and all this other how-to stuff that we have planned!

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You can have brilliant ideas, but if you cannot get the message across, your ideas will not get you anywhere. - Lee Iacocca

While growing up we all learned a behavior - if the message that is being passed on to us is boring and something we don’t want to hear, we simply ignore it. Nothing wrong with that. If it’s not something that tickles your fancy or makes you curious about the subject in hand, there is no reason to listen to that message or act positively on it. This behavior continues as we step into adulthood. And remember, your potential customers are no different.

Effective marketing is one that delivers the message about your business in a way that makes your customers listen to you. They might consider your product or service as something not required but your message compels them to give it a shot, this is when you know you have said something they want to hear. Let’s get deeper into this subject and analyze how we can make our potential customers pay attention to our marketing messages and hopefully act on it.
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Building freelance or web-based businesses takes time. Getting good clients, making decent money, setting up a workable schedule - so much of it is up in the air. Oftentimes, work is hard to come by for a long time, and then you have WAY TO MUCH OF IT! It seems like it just happens that way. You’re either broke or you’re swamped.

Here’s a question that so many freelancers ask themselves… “At what point can I quit my day job?”

The answer - When you have to turn clients away!

But what do you have to do to build a client base like that? To build something that you can count on now and in the days to come.

I know what so many of you are thinking. “I have work for the next month, but what about after that? Will clients keep coming? Will I be able to keep putting food on the table and paying the electric bill? Or will I have to go back and find a real job again?”

I can assure you, if you do it right - you won’t need to go find a job ever again. But you need to take a keen interest in marketing yourself and your services before you can throw your apron and your timecard at your boss!

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Neil Patel is only 23 years old and is one of the most sought after Internet Marketing Consultants around. Co-founder of ACS and Crazy Egg, Neil also serves on the Board of Advisors for very well known companies. Some of his clients include HP, Samsung and American Greetings among many others.

Neil’s personal, friendly and down to earth approach makes him one of the best marketing consultants around. Neil was gracious to accept our request for an interview about social media and online marketing.
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As we start getting into heavy duty marketing, you’re going to hear about all kinds of different marketing techniques that the big boys use. Examples are search engine marketing, direct mail marketing and referral marketing. All of these types have their place, but there is one that beats them all - hands down. It’s having a strong network.

There are all kinds of different names for a network… You might consider them your personal network or your professional network. Bloggers think of their readers as people in their network. Email marketers align the people on their lists to be in their network. The common glue, though, is trust. If people don’t have trust in you - they won’t be in your network for long!

Now, notice I didn’t say it’s ‘network marketing!’ The reason I didn’t is really very simple. Your network is finicky!
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Business Cards - The most useful and often the least utilized form of marketing. Business cards have long been the best friend of a business man or woman. We have seen them handed out at company meetings and casual meetings. One thing most marketers and business person often seem to forget is business cards aren’t just meant to be handed out. They are meant to be dropped!

Ever since business cards came into existence there has been numerous ways to hand them out. But, as said earlier, most marketers forget to realize that there are other ways which you can use to get indirect exposure towards your business via business cards. In this post we will analyze ten ( 10 ) ways to get exposure to your business, and market your products and services without directly coming in contact with anybody, yet letting them know that you exist.
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