Marketing – Snail Mail Vs E-mail

It was not too long ago that most people had no internet leave alone e-mail address. But internet brought in a new era that is full of unlimited information. Internet gave birth to electronic mail popularly known as e-mail. E-mail opened new avenues to the world of communication. In the beginning e-mail was only used as another means of communicating with other people for personal or business related matters. Now people of every age group have an e-mail address. But, since past few years its potential for marketing has been exploited to its maximum both in good and as well as bad manner. At the same time who can disregard the services of direct mail which has been operating since nearly two centuries? It is still the preferred method of communication for many people.

E-mail is the cheapest method of communicating available as of this date. The advantage with email is that you can send email to many people at the same time just with the click of a mouse where as in the case of direct mails one has to go through putting letters in envelopes for each and every person, make different address labels, mail it and also have to bear the cost of mailing. Time is money and e-mail marketing saves a lot of time.

While e-mail marketing might look easy but if you compare the net result the story is totally different. When you are marketing through e-mail you go to make sure that you are e-mailing the right person otherwise the e-mail would end up going to junk folder. Also you got to be careful that you don't miss the subject or the body of the e-mail otherwise the net result would be same. In this age of spamming, spammers use variety of subjects, so you have to put the subject keeping in mind that it wouldn't send your e-mail to the spam folder again. In contract the direct mail gets a better treatment. Studies show that direct mail is more efficient and has better success than e-mail. First, it is not as easy to block direct mail as junk e-mail and secondly the process of blocking mails itself is not automated like e-mail. The other reason why people hate e-mail marketing is due to constant bombarding of e-mails from spammers and illegal marketers from Nigerian money scams to porn to online prescription drugs to stock quotes to what not. In addition to that, you also get promotional offers from big companies and who can ignore phishing these days. Due to all these people have developed a negative perception about e-mail marketing and they simply delete or spam the e-mail if they do not identify it as their regular e-mail. In contrast direct mail is seen with respect and people pick their mail as a daily routine and open them with a priority.

Direct mail has a personal feel attached to it, one of the reasons why people prefer mail greetings over an electronic greeting. It takes time to personalize a direct mail where as an e-mail is instant and the fate of e-mail is also instant i.e. immediate deletion. Researchers are constantly puzzled by the mystery surrounding why people are so enthusiastic about direct mail. But no worries this only good news for the marketers that they have something in their tool kit that works. So marketers have the mailing list of potential customers handy and send some nicely composed letters to them about your company and its products.

Snail mail has a potential of going through the hands of gatekeepers and administrative assistants before actually going to their boss which can end up being thrown in trash. The survival chances are rare unless its subject is business oriented and has some important information. But e-mail wins in this regard, as it reaches directly the person to which it is intended to go, after that its fate is left to the person whether to read or send it to spam folder.

A more scientific explanation of why direct mail is dearer to people than e-mail is the sensory perception of people. A direct mail uses three of the four senses of a person i.e. visual, verbal, listening and touching where as e-mail does not use sense of listening and touching. But this can be achieved by adding appealing graphics, text reading ability and streaming audio to the e-mail.

The statistics show that direct mail has not died and in fact the volume has grown by leaps and bounds in past few decades. A typical example is the fact that we receive more magazines, journals, mails from universities, DVDs etc. than we used to receive few years ago. This leaves the marketers with a dilemma about which method to use. The answer is simple, use email to contact only those people who you know and use direct mail for the people who don't know you.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is a derivative of Internet marketing where the advertisement publisher gets paid for every customer or sales provided by him. Affiliate marketing is the basic for all other Internet marketing strategies. 

In this type of marketing, affiliate management companies, in-house affiliate managers and third party vendors are effectively utilized to use E-mail Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, RRS Capturing and Display Advertising for the success of the product. The web traffic can be traced with the help of a third party or own affiliate programs. A lot of work is involved in this process. At first marketing by this method involved lots of spamming, false advertising, trademark infringement, etc. But, after the invention of complex algorithms and advance security this has been regularized to make it safer for doing business and shopping online. This even led to the better scrutinizing of the terms and conditions by the merchants. Affiliate marketing became more profiting with the opening of more opportunities but at the same time it also increased the competition in marketing.

Due to this pressure in house affiliate programs for merchants became a thing of the past and were replaced by out-sourced programs. The companies that offered this service have expert affiliate and network program managers who have various affiliate program management techniques.  These affiliate networks have publishers associated with them who help them with the advertising part.

Affiliate marketing was started by cdnow.com who had music oriented websites. They placed list of music albums on their site and they paid others if they put those links in their websites when a visitor bought their album through their site. The first company to link with cdnow.com was Geffen Records. Two months later, Amazon was offered by a woman that she would sell Amazon's books on her website and she should be paid a certain percentage in return if she sold Amazon's books through her site. They liked the idea and started the Amazon associates program. It was more of a commission program where they received a commission if a visitor clicked their links and banners on other's site and bought anything through it.

Since its invention, the affiliate network has been adopted by various businesses like travel, education, telecom, mobile, gaming, personal finance, retail, and subscription sites, the most common being adult and gambling sectors. In UK alone, affiliate marketing produced £ 2.16 billion.

The compensation methods used are Cost per sale (CPS), Cost per action (CPA), Cost per mile (CPM) and Cost per click (CPC). The first two are the more famous methods today. This is because in CPM and CPC, the visitor which turns up on a particular website might not be the targeted audience and a click would be enough to generate commission. CPS and CPA have a compulsion that the visitor not only clicks on the link but also buys something or signs up for some service after it which proves that he is among the targeted audience. Only in the above case the affiliate gets paid. So the affiliate should try to send as much targeted traffic as possible to the advertiser in order to increase his/her returns and for this reason affiliate marketing is also known as performance marketing because it totally depends on the performance of the affiliate. The affiliate team can be differentiated from a sales team from the nature of their jobs. The job of the affiliate team is to drag targeted traffic to a point and from that point it's the job of the sales team to influence the visitor to buy the product or the service.

This is a very effective kind of method because the money is being paid only when results have been achieved. The publisher incurs all the cost except that of initial setup and development of the program, which is incurred by the merchant. Many businesses give credit to this method of marketing for their success.

Marketing Management

Marketing management involves choosing target markets that not only get new customers but also retain the existing ones. It is a business subject, which is based on research and study of practical applications of marketing techniques and management of the marketing resources. The one who excels in this field is known as marketing manager. The job of the marketing manager is to influence the timing and level of customer demand so as to help the sales. It actually depends on the size of the business and environment in the corporate industry. Like if he is working in a huge production company, he will be the general manager of a particular product category assigned to him and he will be responsible for profit and loss with respect to the product. And in small business there is no marketing manager as his job is taken over by the partners of the company.

Creating and communicating best customer values can increase the number of customers. The steps taken and resources utilized to maintain existing customers and get new customers fall under marketing management. The scope is quite large because it not only consists of developing a product, but also retaining it. The term marketing management has many definitions. It actually depends on individual firms and how the marketing department functions and activities of other departments like operations finance, pricing and sales. 

Before deciding about a marketing strategy, the company must do an in-depth study about their business, and the market. This is where marketing management merges with strategic planning. Usually the marketing strategies are of three types, customer analysis, company analysis and competitor analysis. Using the customer analysis, the market is broken down into different types of customers. The marketing management realizes the characteristics and other variables of each group. They are geographical location, demographic, customer behavior pattern and need. Like a group of people can be recognized who can be less price sensitive, purchases often and are growing. Such groups can be worked on by heavy investments as they are worth the money and time. They cannot only retain such customers and make new customers in this group but they can go to the very extent of turning back customers who don't belong to this group. Understanding the needs makes customer's expectations to be met per their satisfaction, better than the competitors, which will lead to higher sales and obvious profit.

Company analysis highlights the cost structure and resources of the company and cost position when compared to competitors. The accounting executives use it to learn about the profit earned by a particular product. From time to time, audits are conducted to study about the strengths of various brands of the company.

Marketers using competitor analysis build detail customer profiles. It gives a clear picture about the strengths and weaknesses of the firm, when compared to a competitor. The competitor's cost structure, resources, competitive positioning, degree of vertical integration, product differentiation, and profits are studied in detail and are compared to what company is doing in those regards.

The marketing management to do marketing analysis carries out marketing research. The most common of such researches are qualitative marketing research, quantitative marketing research, experimental techniques and observational techniques.

After all the studies and researches are conducted, its easier for the marketing manager to make strategic decisions and they then can design a marketing strategy to increase the profits and revenues of their company. The other goals can be profit over the long run, market share, and revenue growth.
 

Digital Marketing

Utilizing online distributions methods to promote products is known as digital marketing. This approach is both time saving and cost effective. Digital marketing is done through items such as cell phones, SMS, MMS, instant messaging, websites, emails, banner advertisement and digital billboards.

Digital marketing involves some of the techniques of direct marketing and Internet marketing. In digital marketing traditional methods of promotions are executed digitally. It involves marketing in two forms, pull and push.

Pull digital marketing requires the user to pull or extract the content directly. The customer has to approach the promotional matter and see the matter by himself. Examples are websites, forums and web logs. All these require clicking on a URL in order to view the content. The content that is being displayed doesn't have to follow any guidelines. Effort is required to only display the content on the website or forum and there is no additional cost of sending the information to the customer, but the customer has to make the extra effort of reaching to the content .The customer doesn't have to opt-in for such kind of promotion and one message is being viewed by all and it cannot be personalized. The customers who see the content cannot be traced, although the click through rate can be considered which give details about the number of clicks the message received. This is be done by enabling the click though tracking during the campaign, which records the information.

Push digital marketing technologies requires the effort of both the marketer and the customer. The marketer has to push or send the content to the customer and the customer has to make the effort of receiving it. This is a very effective kind of marketing and the investments surely earn a big return as it creates brand recognition. SMS, MMS, emails, RSS podcasting are examples of push digital marketing. Since the content is sent to individuals, it can be personalized according to the intended recipient. Whether the message has been opened and viewed by the customer or deleted it can be tracked and reported. Information related to the customer such as name, geographical location could be traced. But when sending this king of message, certain criteria should be met as the SMS and emails sent are monitored. If the marketer doesn't follow the rules and regulations properly, there is a possibility of messages getting rejected and blocked, before they reach the targeted audience and the message is considered to be spam. Bigger consequences involve marketers getting blacklisted temporarily or even permanently. The number would be blocked and they won't be able to send any messages at all. Messages sent to the RSS feeders require a mechanism with an application to reach, when sent by an email marketing system. 

Both forms of digital marketing should be used in consonance to achieve positive results. A smart marketer sends out emails along with SMS and uses multiple channels to market his products. The type of messages being sent should also be different from one another. They should not only be text, but animations, audios and videos. There is a possibility of using pull and push message technologies in conjunction like the email sent to a potential customer can have a URL or a banner ad, which on clicking downloads information. If there is enormous group of people to be reached via email, Email service providers can be hired who sends loads of emails to the customers on behalf of the marketer and they take measures so that the messages are not considered as spam.

Although much of the marketing is opt-in, federal laws, such as CAN SPAM Act, have been passed to protect the customers from unscrupulous marketers who would go to any extent to promote their products or hackers or spammers who have a bad intent i.e. like harming the computer or installing adware, spyware on people's computers.

Checking accounts are suitable for teenagers?

Most children of cash management study after graduate college and get out on their own or start the faculty, but this understanding as you pass the method has proved detrimental to credit for hundreds of thousands of American teenagers who learn “the hard road”.

As a custodian, you can give your teenager a few economic lessons that support them may avoid economic disaster once you leave home and live within the entire world. In addition to teach them the importance of reserving a percentage of salary in long-term benefits, it would perhaps also think about opening a current account with the teenager and instructs them the basics of managing accounts. Unfortunately, the ability to manage checking accounts will not be held in all educational institutions, and has a capacity that is needed for your fiscal survival and achievement of adults.

In the event that the local financial institution provides a free checking account, you may want to open accounts there for convenience. Alternatively, you can use a traditional internet bank that pays interest on the balance in the accounts, don’t pay a regular monthly price and would not need a minimum of stability. Independently with the account that you use, it is important that you don’t just open the accounts and the young adult loose with it! You may need to use it as a monetary tool and monitor their use accounts for a long time to make sure they fully grasp how it performs (with 1 major variables currently that there has to be generally within cash accounts to use it!)

No matter if you use a web-based review template application or register the classic checkbook register, be assured your child understands how you can keep watching all transactions and balance the register each month. But if your boyfriend has a position, presenting them as a portion often is positioned in a prolonged time period personal savings accounts, a portion placed in current account for expenses and payments, as well as a percentage may be preserved within the type of case for entertainment. Do the same with monetary gifts, your child may also collect. This would be the basics to handle dollars that younger adults entering the planet “legitimate” lack of know-how-and will probably be doing fantastic service by teaching these skills before your teenager have genuine should use them.

When looking for a suitable checking account for any teen or college student, make sure that:

they do not require a minimum balance
they do not pay regular monthly expenses
You have a choice from no matter if url not a debit card accounts
You can connect your website and current accounts savings on income transfers free of charge
You have the voice for accounts, to monitor their right of use until it can be prepared to make use of it on their own.
Preferably not charge overdraft fees (found on internet accounts that cost a percentage of your open volume compared to a charge of $ 30 ++ discovered per transaction uncovered)
It might seem worthless on its high school student to acquire a bank account ahead of their graduates or mind in school, but by opening the account with your boyfriend before leaving the property provides it’s time for you to get tips on how to use it.

3 financial Forces kept alive by the Federal Reserve

As many of you know, major changes have occurred in the United States and around the world since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913. Due to its Constitution, 3 extremely harmful problems were persistent, continuously robbing the poor to feed the rich. Let’s now reveal true colors have each of them.

The first force that supports the Federal Reserve is what many hate and which would be taxes. Before 1913 when the Federal Reserve was founded the first income tax was implemented only in 1862 to finance the civil war. Later, income tax was rejected in 1895 because of the heavy burden that could lead to people, especially those who are poor. However, despite this, income tax was implemented in 1913 to capitalize on the Treasury and the Federal Reserve, allowing the rich to rob the poor and enrich themselves legally.

The second force kept alive by the Federal Reserve’s debt. This is because the formation of the Federal Reserve allows politicians to borrow money from it, rather than raise taxes. Here, money is created when the u.s. Treasury sells bonds and the Federal Reserve buy, print the money later. To date, the Government of the United States claimed much debt and owe huge amounts of money to the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve simply Leeches the Government of the United States today as a zombie through interest capitalization that receives through its printed money. Whenever the money of the Government of the United States borrows money, more interest in receiving and America weaker they will become.

The problem here is that the Government is merely delaying tax hikes which ultimately must be implemented because money must be raised to pay interest on debt. Otherwise, more money must be printed to pay interest by selling more Treasury bonds. Both scenarios simply lead to inflation that acts as a silent, eroding the purchasing power of currencies.

The third force would be inflation as briefly mentioned above. It is raised when the Treasury and the Federal Reserve printing money and loans, respectively, increase the money supply. This will cause more money chasing the same amount of goods and services, pushing up prices. One of which rarely note here would be that whoever prints money can buy goods with the new currency at a lower price as prices take time to adjust and laughed.

So, in conclusion, with this iniquity and strongly favoring the rich policies, it is vital to understand the relationship between taxes, debt and inflation. I think that will be the key to our survival and tomorrow who knows well will prosper.

Start your own home based Business and achieve financial freedom

Who doesn’t like an extra flow of money, especially when people are facing pay cuts or have lost their jobs because of the recession? As A result of economic downsizing, nearly all are facing difficulty to pay our loans, mortgages and other debts. Managing your daily expenses even became a headache. What happens if you get the opportunity to start a home based business and earn an additional amount each month? That is really great. Financial freedom is one such company offering work from home opportunities and so earns an additional amount.

What is financial freedom?

Financial freedom, basically, is a company that helps people earn more money by offering their new job opportunities. The company obtains the financial freedom that living your life comfortably. Provides information about how to start a home based business and earn extra to gain financial stability. The good news is that anyone can take advantage of this opportunity and obtain financial freedom.

How financial freedom will help gain financial stability?

Financial freedom provides the tools to earn extra to pay off your debt and meet other obligations. Offers new and interesting ways to earn more money that can be used in an emergency meeting financial costs or pay utility bills such as electricity, telephone, gas bills and water. In addition to this, offers good opportunities to make money to mothers who had stayed at home to look after their children.

Financial freedom also helps you to live your life your way. How often do we actually do something you really want? How many times we make efforts to start our business? But now you can do what you’ve always dreamed of. The company helps people who wanted to do something on their own, but could never take a risk because of their work challenging and the financial crisis.

Financial freedom provides the opportunity to change your whole life. A few simple steps for starting your own business can help you achieve your financial crisis freedom forever. The company has helped many people to gain financial stability when were out of work or want an extra income to meet their expenses. Provides you with the opportunity to be your own boss and live your life your way.

How can I start my own home business?

Earn money with the help of work from home jobs is very simple. All you have to do is visit the site and sign up. Browse the site and create your account. Fill out an online form and provide the requested information. Write your own needs and requirements in the field and submit the form.

In seconds, you will be provided with complete information about the process of starting a home based business. They offer many profitable opportunities to work from home. Follow these guidelines and start applying for various jobs. The best part is that you can decide your own working hours totally according to your convenience. Gives you the freedom to work anytime and from anywhere.

Financial freedom offers good opportunities to achieve financial freedom and live a double life. Now, you can take control of your life and starting your own business. If you have any questions or need additional help, drop them an email. I offered quick assistance.