November 2, 2008

Seven Things To Look For In Voice Over Talent

When you’re searching for the right match in voice over talent, there are a few key traits that set apart the good from the great. Hiring great voice over talent means you can count on professional services and enhance your advertising for maximum impact. Whether you’re creating slogans, delivering a narration, or just need a voice over artist to stage a mock conversation, finding the right fit is an important part of your marketing plan. Voice over talent agents can work with you to narrow down a few choices, but the final decision rests in your hands.

Here are some of the key traits of great voice over talent:

1.The voice over is believable. You need someone who sounds like a real person, not a narrator or announcer. Talented voice over artists should be adept at practicing their ‘non-announcer’ reading and voices, so ask them to read a variety of pieces to make sure they don’t fall into a pattern of reading like a newscaster.

2.The voice over has the right pitch and tone. Voice over artists are constantly practicing different pitches and tones of their voice so that they can create their own ‘music.’ This ensures that their voice stands apart from the rest; take the time to listen for distinct characteristics that make them different from other actors and actresses.

3.He or she is willing to provide you with high quality examples of his or her work. When interviewing voice over talent, it’s essential that you obtain a demo tape from each of your prospects. In addition to granting you insight into the quality of a candidate’s work, this will help you keep your prospects straight after you’re done interviewing.

4.He or she demonstrates the ability to perform in a wide range of vocal styles. During the interviewing process, you will probably ask your potential hires to read from a sample script or scripts of your choosing. Take a advantage of this opportunity and have candidates read in a variety of different styles.

5.A good sense of tempo. Another ‘musical’ element of voice over work is that of tempo, or pacing; you should look for a voice actor or actress whose speech flows naturally, and who has an intuitive grasp of the the rhythm with which he or she must speak in order to get your message across.

6.He or she can provide you with references. You should always ask for references from potential voice talent, and, furthermore, you should always take the few minutes necessary to look into them. Don’t underestimate the importance of this part of the interviewing process.

7.He or she exhibits enthusiasm and vocal stamina. At times, recording a voice is no picnic; lines will likely need to be repeated over and over to get the exact right take. Be sure to pick a candidate that will maintain a good attitude and a strong voice under these conditions.

Hiring the right voice over talent can take time, but there are some key traits to look for during the interview and testing process. Look for any or all of these important qualities during your hiring process to ensure you find the perfect match for your marketing initiative.

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Filed under Marketing by Terry J. Daniel

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October 27, 2008

Gift Card Programs: Gift Card Design Tips

Now that you’ve made the wise decision to incorporate gift and/or loyalty marketing into your business, you’ve got a number of decisions to make. One of the first - and most critical - is the decision regarding the card you will offer to your customers. In this article, we’ll examine your options and explore some common design and artwork mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.

A Custom Card or a Standard Card?

After you’ve chosen a card supplier, one of the first things they will want to discuss with you is your card design and whether you want to go with a custom design or a standard design. Custom cards are just that — they are unique to your company. They pull together your identity (your logo and artwork) to maintain your branding.

Standard cards are designs offered by your supplier that are already produced. Standard cards do not have to be bland in their design - many vendors offer a wide range of standard card designs that accommodate a number of specific vertical markets or categories of business. Standard cards can often be personalized with the merchant’s business name, their phone number or website address - even their logo (usually in one color).

The question is deciding which option is the best for your business? There are a few items you need to take into consideration before you can make that decision. Let’s take a look at some of the pro’s and con’s of each option. Custom cards are the choice of large retailers since they are specifically designed to maintain their branding. They are attractive cards, which can increase impulse buys if promoted well at the point of purchase. Custom cards also give opportunity for uniquely shaped designs, including special die-cuts (cards in unique shapes) and even some advanced features such as cards that will play music or have additional digital info. The downside to some of this is that these cards will cost a bit more and are not as quickly produced.

For standard card designs, you can still get some special printing options such as unique die cuts, clear card stocks, and metallic inks. There will be, however, some constraints on how much the card design can be personalized. The overprint type will have some color limitations. The amount of text you can use may be more limited. And the range of standard designs is also limited. On the other hand, there are many advantages because of this. Your cost will often be lower since the supplier has pre-printed the basic designs. You also will get your cards much faster — days instead of the weeks it takes for custom cards.

Creative Considerations

With standard cards, your job is pretty easy — select your card design from your choices and determine how to personalize it. For the custom card, however, there are more choices. If you have an existing agency that handles your creative work, you will likely work with them to create your design. If not, you will work directly with the supplier. Some suppliers may even have their own in-house creative departments to help you with your design. Either way, you will need to provide the designers some direction. You may need to supply them with some of your existing artwork so that they can base their designs on your current branding. For example, if you run a restaurant, you may want to provide them with the art from your menu. Or, maybe your business has brochures or ads that use your art and would be suitable for this purpose. These materials will help tie in your current marketing to the card.

Some additional Do’s and Don’ts for providing you artwork:

1. DON’T use artwork from the Internet. Graphics that are used on the web are not of adequate resolution (graphic clarity for lack of a better term) for print use.

2. DON’T supply images that will need to be enlarged. That, in effect, also reduces the resolution and your images will appear fuzzy or out of focus.

3. DON’T utilize images that have been commercially printed. These images usually have “dots” that comprise the printed areas. When you reprint these images, they often develop a “moire” pattern that makes for low quality.

4. DO find your original computer files of these various materials and use these. These originals will likely be of high quality and will allow the designer to quickly convert the images into a good design.

5. DON’T clutter your design with too much info. It’s a very common error that people make, trying to hit every marketing point. Keep the design simple to keep your visual impact high.

6. DO take advantage of your logo. Your logo is a constant branding image that your customers actually expect to see on your various advertising and marketing creative. A gift card or loyalty card is like a pocket-sized billboard for your company. Take advantage of your logo. You want your clients to remember your name.

7. DO look into using custom merchandising vehicles. By coordinating your package (which might include a custom card on a custom card hanger or card carrier) you help increase your perceived value…and that helps improve sales.

There is nothing like opening that first box of gift cards and seeing your colorful designs ready for selling. Whether you go with a full-custom design or with a standardized card (so that you can start selling in a week), get started soon. Start pulling in those additional revenues and promoting your gift cards as soon as your customers arrive at your door.

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Filed under Marketing by Al Duggan

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October 26, 2008

Follow these tips to choose the right booth for your trade show

Selecting the right trade show booth can be a difficult task. How do you pick one that best showcases your company and corporate image? Follow these simple tips to smooth the way to finding a booth.

When your company participates in a trade show, your trade show booth says more about your corporate image than you might imagine. How you’re represented makes an impact on important people in your industry - the people who make the decisions. It’s important to make the best impression you can but how? You need a professionally designed trade show booth that grabs attention - in a positive way.

But it seems like there are half a bazillion trade show booth options to choose from. You can get a portable trade show booth in just about any size, with nearly any configuration of components - on a budget or over the top. So, with all those choices, how do you pick the one that’s right for you and for your business? First of all, you want to consider size, style and price range.

Trade show booths come in all shapes and sizes: You can go with a small 10×10-foot booth or a monster 30×100-foot booth that will dwarf all the surrounding displays. You can even splurge on an extravagant 50×50-foot booth. Of course, the booth you select (or design) will ultimately rest on the needs of your business, its overall corporate style and budgetary constraints.

Do you want a simple backdrop with a couple of countertops? Or are you looking for an elaborate display (configured with a reception area, display rooms and conference space) that has more square footage than the average apartment in New York City?

Whatever you decide, you have to make sure your trade show booth characterizes your business well - and that it’s approachable. Ensure that your booth adequately represents the company culture, its products and overall goals.

Trade show booths come in all shapes and sizes and that means they come with all size price tags. But, just because you may be on a budget, doesn’t mean you can’t design a nice trade show booth in the $400-500 range.

At the other end of the scale, you can spend upwards of a quarter of a million dollars for an elaborate, high-end double-deck trade show booth with all the bells and whistles.

Ah, here’s a nice middle ground! Consider a nicely appointed portable trade show booth that won’t put a permanent dent in your marketing department’s budget. If you’re willing to spend a few thousand dollars (to upwards of $15 or $20,000), you can get a really nice trade show booth that will showcase your company and its corporate image in a positive light.

Regardless of the size and style of booth you design or select, be sure it appropriately represents your business and your industry. If you choose well, you will have a portable trade show booth you can proudly depend on for many years to come.

When shopping for your trade show booth, be sure to check out the idea gallery at Expo Marketing (www.expomarketing.com) for inspiration and suggestions. The design pros at Expo Marketing can work with you to design the booth that’s just right for you.

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Filed under Marketing by Eric Lindmeier

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October 23, 2008

Five Ways To Make Your Home Business Successful.

There are many individuals that go online every day to begin their own home business. They don’t have any clues about how they can be prosperous with their own home based job. They just recognize that this is the only path they are going to be capable of following to live the sort of life that they have planned. So, if you are planning to operate a business online, you must recognize what you need to do to be productive with it. Here are an assorted set of things that you will have to do in order to accomplish the kind of success that you expect from your home based business.

One: You have to Prepare yourself to understand about internet marketing. There are so many directions that you can market your concern online. There are free and paid methods but you must get some understanding of what they are. This is significant because you will need to try one at a time and begin studying as much as you can about it until you feel at home with it. Only then do you move on to the next method. EDUCATION is one key to success with your home concern. Read one or two business books per week and read every business magazine that is published on your special area of expertise or niche. Never stop studying and developing.But the path to succeed in a home concern is not going to be discovered in an internet article, a book, or a motivational documentary. The manner and approach to succeed in a home business will be found in yourself, your drive,and your motivation.

Two: It is significant that you promote yourself and your site as much as you can. This is why you want to learn about internet marketing. The more methods you recognize and how to apply them effectively, the more advertising you can do. We all acknowledge that if customers can’t find your site, you will never enjoy the success that you expect. Select one method at a time to advance with and when you get that functioning effectively , you then move on to the next one. You should try to get different methods Operating for you at all times. The more methods you use to promote the more individuals will get your message and will visit your site.That means you must be very good or do a lot of promoting, which by itself can become costly, to bring in the buyers. When a particular path is chosen it follows that you will need to commit to it, whether it is in time or money. You can advance with Google,Yahoo, or with whatever, provided your message is aimed correctly then the customers will find you. Of course, the power of marketing can be very advantageous or it can be wasted and expensive.

Three: Whether your entity is online or offline, you must develop a website as it is one of the most significant things you need to do.One reason you MUST plan a website today is to advance your operation. We know that business websites will enhance credibility if they utilize some specialized idea.Your content, information, products and services should be available in a way that offers a different and extraordinary visual approach.Remember that it is significant that you can easily navigate your site.YOU must get a clear and logically organized navigation system installed for your site that leaves the user no question about where they are and how to get to where they need to go. Don”t worry if you must spend a lot of time arranging your website and the accruing linked costs.It will definitely end up worthwhile if you are capable of taking advantage of the revenue that will come from a well planned website. The design of your website is as significant as the product or services you supply. In this Internet intensive society a thoughtfully contrived website is important for lifting your brand image and appeal.The best home based setup is one where what you offer can be acquired automatically or electronically on the internet. This is cheap, quick and efficient and pleasing to the buyer.

Four:Focus on keyword optimization both in article marketing and on your website, Also install a good blog and don’t forget to have fun while doing all this work for your internet home based business. Ensure that you get all you require out of the website.You want to be sure that you are able to spend the money that it takes to make certain that all this happens.

Five: Don’t be afraid to WORK HARD and show PATIENCE. It will take time to build your home based business. It is a fact that every owner should understand and deal with. The more time and effort you put into your operation the sooner you will get results and see success. What milestones do you need to accomplish in your business or career to get to that stage.Just have faith in yourself. Do not get hung up on negative qualities. On the other hand, if you consider that you are doing it all for the appropriate reasons and that you have what it needs to succeed then indeed, you will.If getting rich quick is your goal, then you are joining numerous others getting online with the weird notion that they will be financially independent right away.This is Not going to eventuate, even online. Set realistic and attainable goals and go after them.

These are not all of the issues that you will need to resolve to succeed with your home business concern, but they are the most important ones. It does not matter what your home situation is, without any of these things, you will never be profitable. Anyone can become an internet marketer, but not everyone will generate the sales they need for profitability to occur. It is all up to you as it is your efforts that are being tested.

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Filed under Marketing by Noel Lillis

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October 22, 2008

A Review Of The Day Job Killer

Hey there my name is Will Cooper and if your not a regular subscriber of mine then let me quickly introduce myself and then I will talk about day job killer.

I am an Internet marketer. I have been an Internet marketer for a few years now. I have many subscribers and I now like to review products.

Since 2007 there has been many thousands of people that have brought the day job killer, and many people making money with it.

I’m sure you have heard about the day job killer as it is the biggest selling and most well known products in the Internet marketing world.

You probably already know that the day job killer is created by the same person who came out with aff project x, google nemesis and the google assassin, his name is Chris X.

I like the day job killer because it is basically a set of systems that you can follow step by step to quit your day job.

I use many of the methods myself thanks to day job killer and I am doing very well with them.

The reason that the day job killer is so unlike any other ebooks is that Chris actually makes money online and he shows you how to do it too.

In my opinion the djk is not really for marketers already making money online, it is more for beginners that want to get started and make some money.

There’s no reason why you cant make a minimum of $100 a day with the day job killer.

My favourite part of the day job killer is the section called direct linking x.

The direct linking x section is based around the google cash method, which you will probably know is out of date and will not work.

The section on direct linking is based on the google cash method but i is an updated version that shows you how you can get google cash results but without getting slapped by google.

To conclude and come to an end with review I think it’s best to recommens thr djk to anyone that wants to quit their job and make a living online.

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Filed under Marketing by Will DJK C

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