Mar
15th

Advertising on your car

I have been recommending web decals for years and while driving to California yesterday, I noticed something that I wanted to share.

I am zooming along I-80 coming into Sacramento when I noticed ahead of me a bright pink-colored SUV.

After pondering for a moment if Mary Kay was now handing out Suburbans to consultants, I could see she had some type of car magnet on the side of her vehicle. As I was pulling up alongside her, I turned to see what the magnet said.

Turns out she was a wedding consultant advertising her services and website. The magnet looked great except…

Compared to the size of her Suburban, her magnet was too small. Unless you were stuck in traffic or parked next to her car, it was very hard to read (much less remember) everything her magnet said. She had crammed way too much information onto the magnet. I read as quickly as I could but can only remember that she is a wedding consultant. I can’t remember her website or her phone number. I have no way of contacting her in the future or recommending her to someone else.

My recommendation: If you want to include a list of services you provide, get a larger decal. If you absolutely want to (or have to) keep it smaller, include AT LEAST your website address or phone number on the back window in large print.

Granted, you don’t want your decal to be too distracting (not that drivers in California pay much attention to driving while actually driving. They are much too busy doing other things!) but the whole point is to get people to read your ad and remember it enough to contact you. If your decal, magnet or bumper sticker doesn’t accomplish that, then it’s a waste of money.

Okay, my rant is over :)

But seriously, I was simply amazed at how much opportunity she was wasting. Her car is pink for crying out loud. It already shouts LOOK AT ME!

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Mar
12th

Using press releases to bring exposure to your website

If you are running a new home based business, chances are your budget is slim. You need to get the word out about your new business but need to keep costs to a minimum. Press releases can be a great solution.

So how does a press release work?

Step one: You write a newsworthy story about your business into a certain format.
Step two: Send the story to various media outlets.
Step three: If they are interested, they may publish your press release or interview you.

Sounds easy enough right?

But how do you create a press release?

Your press release should have six basic components which include:

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Mar
8th

Web decal design tips

Since I recommended using car decals last week, I decided to include some design tips to help you when creating your next decal. These design tips will help you further maximize your advertising dollars.

Choosing fonts for your decal

When choosing a font for your WebDecal, remember that you want it the decal to be easily read by passing vehicles. Keep it simple and stick to basic fonts like Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, etc.

Script fonts are very pretty, but can be hard to read. If you opt to use a script font, limit it’s use to the top line of the decal top only with a complimentary font that is easy to read on other lines.

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Feb
27th

Using car decals to advertise your website

As a small business owner myself, I know you take advertising very seriously. I also know your budget is sometimes limited - you need to make the most out of your money. I have found that web decals and bumper stickers are the answer. A web decal is a custom printed vinyl window decal that can display your website address, your company name, slogan, telephone number, email address or just about anything else you want printed onto it.

Decals are made of a high-quality clear static cling or a white adhesive vinyl. Window decals are typically placed on car windows (the rear or back passenger) as well as the side of car doors.

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