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Advertising on your car

Gerae Lindsey — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:18:38 +0000

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!

A larger decal on either the back window and a larger magnet on her door would have been a better choice and better use of her advertising dollars.

For more about advertising with your car, read my decal design tips here.

Gerae Lindsey

[tags]Web Decals, Bumper Stickers, Car Magnets, Advertising On Your Car, Cheap Advertising, Website Marketing, Offline Advertising[/tags]

Using press releases to bring exposure to your website

Gerae Lindsey — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 05:50:27 +0000

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 releasesÂ can beÂ 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:

Release Instructions

“For Immediate Release”;
“For Release Before [date]” or
“For Release After [date]”

Use one of the latter two if your press release is of a time sensitive nature.

For example, if you are holding a public speaking event, you will want to use the “For Release Before [date]” and make sure you input the final date for registrations. If you are using the “For Release Before [date]” ensure you are sensitive to media deadlines. Send your release out well in advance.

Headline

Write an attention-grabbing headline. Make it benefits-oriented (why would it be of interest to people?) and descriptive.

TIP: Avoid hype and promotional language – this is a news story.

Contact Information

Include as much information as possible here. Make it easy for the media to contact you. Include your phone number, address, company name, fax number, email and website URL. Include the hours you are available at the listed phone number and add an after hours phone number, if applicable.

Summary

Before you get into the body of the release, write a sentence or two to summarize your press release.

TIP: Make it interesting, you want the recipient to keep reading.

Content

This is the meat of your press release. Again, write a benefits-oriented story. Think of the target audience as you are writing. Your target audience is partly the editor or reporter who will be reading the release. Ultimately, however, your target audience is that editor or reporter’s readers or audience. You need to write a story that will be of interest to them.

TIP: The first paragraph should answer all of the important questions about your business like theÂ Who, What, Where, When, WhyÂ and How?

Add some quotations to add credibility and to break up the story. Quotations can be from you about the topic. Testimonials or commentary from your customers are very effective as well.

Signify the End of Your Release

The end of your press release is shown by a few simple characters. Place ### at the end of your release.

Just type in press release into any search engine and you will be sure to find lots of samples to use as a guide. You will also find many websites charging for the same information. Mom’s Talk Biz has a fantastic guide available to download titled Mom’s Talk Biz Guide to Press Releases.

This 42 page, step-by-step guide covers:
What a press release is
Why press releases are the ultimate tool in business promotion
24 press release topic ideas you can use
Proper press release format
How to build your media list
Tips to have your release listed in Google
Creative ways to get publicity

Plus other important press release information. If you need free publicity for your business, consider using a press release.

It doesn’t cost you anything but time

[tags]Free Business Advertising, Press Release, How To Write A Press Release, Website Marketing, Offline Advertising[/tags]

Web decal design tips

Gerae Lindsey — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:36:02 +0000

Since IÂ 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.

Displaying your website address

Try capitalizing your website address so it is easier to read and understand quickly. Your website address will be in front of many people for brief periods of time. You want it to be instantly readable. Capitalizing your URL will assure easier readability.

For example: www.GeraeLindsey.com vs. www.geraelindsey.com

FYI: I would NEVER put “Gerae” on my decal or bumper sticker. Do I hate my name? No. Unless cars passing me by have a pen and paper sitting in their lap, no one will remember my name or how to spell it later. Instead, I have registered easy to remember domain names that point to my websites.

If your domain uses strange spelling, misspelled wordsÂ or similar, consider registering something short and easy to remember to use onÂ your car instead.

When theÂ cold here decides to let up, and I can walk outside without my nostrils freezing shut, I will take a picture of my own decal and post it here for you to see. Until then, I hope you find the tips helpful

[tags]Web Decals, Car Decals, Bumper Stickers, Offline Advertising, Website Marketing, Cheap Advertising, Small Business, Car Decal Design Tips[/tags]

Using car decals to advertise your website

Gerae Lindsey — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:49:31 +0000

As a small business owner myself, I know you take advertising very seriously.Â I also know your budget is sometimes limited – you need to make the most out of your money.Â 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.

Similar to a decal, a bumper sticker is made of the same material and can include much of the same information. Bumper stickers are usually placed on your bumper (hence the name) but can sometimes be placed in your back window.

For under $20, you could be advertising your business each and every time you drive and park your car. Think of all of the people you pass each day on the road. Now imagine all of those same people seeing your business name, telephone number and website address.Â

I recommend Web Decal for high quality and affordable decals. Pricing starts at under $15 for one line and what I like best about their website (which has been online since 1999) is that you can view how your decal will look before you order.

Get your website address in front of people and do it everyday, every where you go for less money than a tank of gas. It costs you time and money every time you drive your car. Why not get a return by advertising your business with your car?

[tags]Web Decals, Car Decals, Bumper Stickers, Offline Advertising, Website Marketing, Cheap Advertising, Small Business[/tags]