It’s important to be compliant when sending e-mail campaigns. Rules have been set by the Federal Trade Commission to protect consumers, and breaking those rules could be costly. Violators may face penalties of up to $16,000 per each separate e-mail! It sounds scary, but compliance is rather simple. Following is a list of the main requirements set by the FTC. For detailed information regarding each of these items, in addition to complete coverage of the CAN-SPAM Act, visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm.

1. Don’t use false or misleading header information.
2. Don’t use deceptive subject lines.
3. Identify the message as an advertisement.
4. Tell recipients where you are located.
5. Tell recipients how to opt out of receiving future e-mail from you.
6. Honor opt-out requests promptly.
7. Monitor what others are doing on your behalf.

We get this question from time to time so I thought I’d share an excerpt from Print Industry’s June newsletter:

“Serif vs. Sans Serif” Typefaces and Legibility

Serifs are the little strokes on the ends of letterforms. You will see them on such typefaces as Times, Baskerville, Garamond, and Palatino. The strokes, or tails, lead your eye from one letter to the next. Various studies have proven over the years that, with ink-on-paper, a serif typeface is easier to read than a sans serif face (sans serif typefaces might include Helvetica, Avant Garde, Futura, and Franklin Gothic).

Keeping in mind the ease of reading type printed on paper in serif typefaces, the exact opposite is true on a computer monitor. The regular grid of pixels in strict horizontal and vertical alignment apparently minimizes the legibility of serif type. So choosing a sans serif typeface such as Helvetica (or Arial) would be prudent in this case.”

I overheard Keleigh the other day, explaining to a client the difference between the branding, marketing and advertising products and services provided here at beachdog.com, and Public Relations, which we leave to specialists in PR.  The terminology of the industry can be confusing, so I thought I’d share a little something I found on the internet which I think explains it well.

Cheers!

–Keith

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, “I am very rich. Marry me!”
That’s Direct Marketing.

You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.
One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you and says,
“He’s very rich. Marry him.”
That’s Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and get her telephone number.
The next day you call and say, “Hi, I‚m very rich. Marry me.”
That’s Telemarketing.

You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and offer her a drink.
You open the door for her; pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say,
“By the way, I’m very rich. Will you marry me?”
That’s Public Relations.

You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
She walks up to you and says, “You are very rich.”
That’s Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, “I’m rich. Marry me”
She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.
That’s Customer Feedback!!!!

From CHARLES GAUDET:

If you want to compete in today’s business environment, you need one thing: traffic. Your customers have to know you exist, believe that you have the right product or service for them, and take the initiative to visit your website or store and make the sale. But if you’re on a budget, getting this traffic can sound like a daunting task. Until now.

There are strategies for marketing your business on a budget, and you’ll  discover that some of the most effective marketing strategies are available to you at no cost whatsoever.

1. Sending informative press releases

Informative press releases that engage the reader are a great way to position your company as a trusted authority and leader in your market. Unlike a traditional corporate press release announcing what’s new with the company, write your press release with the intention of letting your readers know how your news greatly benefits them—not you.

For maximum exposure, submit your press release to a number of online distribution services (there are both free and paid services) and fax and e-mail your press release directly to the attention of reporters that have expressed interest in your topic.

Well-written press releases can provide your company with thousands of dollars of visibility…for little or no cost. Just think, with the right press release, you could find your company being mentioned by radio, newspaper or television…as well as getting prominent placement on search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.

2. Become a contributing author

Whether you’re writing an article for a magazine, newspaper, blog or website, the more information you share with readers, the more likely they will view your company favorably when making a purchase decision.

Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar famously says, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

They key when writing an effective article is not to sell yourself (or your company)—but rather to write with the interests of your reader at the forefront of your message. Once you understand the problem that your target market has, begin to present them with an actionable solution that will get them closer to their desired result. The more you help them, the more likely they’ll want to do business with you.

3. Doing joint-venture marketing

Joint-venture marketing, also known as strategic alliances, is an agreement or partnership made with another company for a share in the revenue that you bring one another or in exchange for a mutual benefit that will help grow one another’s businesses.

Joint-venture marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies on the planet, and it is frequently used by companies such as Google, IBM, Microsoft, Apple and countless others. Yet many small business owners fail to realize that this opportunity equally exists for them. Heck, even Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer used joint ventures when he was asked to repaint a white picket fence. He got a group of other boys to paint the fence for a share in the profits while Tom pulled up some shade under a tree!

Locate the companies that your ideal customers are doing business with and approach them with an offer to form a joint venture, perhaps requesting that they endorse, recommend and refer their clients to your company in return for a share in the upside revenue. With joint venture marketing, the only time you have to pay someone else money is after the sale is made and the cash is in your bank.

Using these three marketing tools, you can successfully grow your traffic on a budget.

OPEN Cardmember Charles Gaudet is a provocative marketing expert for entrepreneurs and small business owners wanting to out-think, out-market and out-earn their competition. He can be found at PredictableProfits.com.

Read more…

While we’re very committed to shopping locally, Astoria/Warrenton may be the closest place to buy office paper by the ream.  So, fellow merchants, here’s a great coupon offer (pdf) on 20# office paper, good at the new Staples in Warrenton.  $20 for a case of Hammermill that works in inkjet or laser copier/printers, good through the end of April.

We also have it on good authority that it’s a great paper for drawing and coloring (source: Avary & Royce Murry, ages 5 & 11).