For those that are looking to advertise their blog or website to increase traffic and brand recognition, they just might soon realize that internet advertising almost always costs an arm and a leg. Not everyone has a huge budget for facebook, google adwords, or other banner advertising services. Thankfully, there is a brand new free ad banner exchange called Miloads. I gave it a shot a few months back, and it has generated some really decent traffic. All you have to do is sign up, and then embed the tiny bit of code in your blog’s sidebar widget. That’s it! If you look at our lower right hand column, you’ll see the layout we chose (there are a variety of shapes, sizes, and customization options). Having used facebook and google advertising in the past, I can honestly say it’s very similar. You can customize your banner designs and ad content text just like the others.
It takes no more than two minutes to get everything up and running. When you log in to the Miloads website you can view each of your ad campaigns, track your traffic, and see which ads are getting clicked on the most. Anyone else who runs miloads on their website will be advertising for other users on the Miloads network, so your ads will appear all over the internet, instantly. With over 2 million unique ad impressions already, Miloads is definitely an ad banner exchange that will get your ads viewed, and clicked on. Our website has already had close to 1150 clicks and over 176,00 impressions, in just 2 months. I’m very impressed thus far. The statistics will continue to increase and improve as time goes on, as more and more users sign up; and the ad banner network’s reach will expand even further. There’s no cost, so you have nothing to lose. Try out Miloads today, and see what it can do for your website.
This is a powerful example of how rewording such a simple phrase gets an entirely different reaction. The blind homeless man has a cardboard sign with the words “I’m Blind – Please Help”. An onlooker stops and changes his sign to read “It’s a beautiful day and I can’t see it”, and then the spare changes starts coming in like money is falling from the sky.
Thinking outside the box (as cliche as that expression is) when it comes to slogans and advertising propaganda is definitely necessary. Sometimes being overly simple and direct with your message can cause your audience to overlook it. We all are being inundated with information on a daily basis; so much that we tend to zone most things out, sometimes without even realizing it. Think about this video on your next marketing project, whether you are designing a simple ad, or titling your next tweet or blog post; I know I will.
The advertising agency Leo Burnett, USA recently created an amazing McDonald’s fry lights billboard in the windy city of Chicago, Illinois. It consisted of a billboard shaped like a french fry box, with ten yellow vertically beaming lights shooting out the top, and into the night sky. This created the look of french fries, of course – for a unique marketing piece that was bound to turn heads. Spotlights and laser lights have long been a way to attract attention. In Time’s Square, the Top Ramen billboard actually uses real steam, so that it looks like the cup of soup is steaming hot. How effective are these simple methods at getting your brand’s message across? Very! Read the rest of this entry »
In case you’ve been living under a rock, QR codes are those square shaped data codes that seem to be appearing more and more on all sorts of print materials and websites. According to a recent NPR article, very few consumers are actually catching on to what QR codes are; or if they have figured them out, the majority of people could care less about them.
I think QR codes definitely helpful IF: 1.) you own a smartphone 2. ) you are a above average smartphone/computer user and 3. ) you hate typing urls and contact info into a touch screen cell phone and/or keyboard.
Yeah, that’s a lot of IF’s. Nevertheless, I’ve incorporated a QR code into my latest business card design on one of the sides, that way for those that might know what they’ve doing, they can have the convenience of not having to type or dial manually when contacting me. Read the rest of this entry »
Return on investment is a vital analysis formula to occasionally take a look at, no matter what business you’re in. It can sometimes take a while to get accurate results in a residual or retail business. Depending on the type of product or service you offer, some returns come faster while others take a long time to truly reveal themselves. You have to be in it for the long haul, plant your “seeds” and wait for them to grow; maybe waiting for the to reach their full potential. Here is the definition of Return On Investment (or ROI for short) from Investopedia.
A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. To calculate ROI, the benefit (return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment; the result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio.
