TODAY INDIA

Newspaper Advertising Costs – 8 Factors To Consider

Calculating and comparing newspaper advertising costs can quickly get complicated. Once you’ve tracked down a newspaper advertising rates card, you’re then faced with the delightful challenge of making sense of it all. There’s no “one size fits all” to make our lives easy. Instead, newspaper advertising costs depend on a number of factors, some of which you might find surprising. To answer the question, “How much does it cost?”, the answer would be: “It all depends.”

8 factors that affect newspaper advertising costs (within the one publication) are:

type of ad
size
day of the week
section or lift-out
page position within a section
left hand side VS right hand side
colour VS black and white
annual spend/expenditure commitment

In this article, I’ll discuss the 8 factors that determine newspaper advertising costs in Australia. I’ll also provide an example of how much it would cost to place a display ad in The Courier Mail (a Queensland newspaper). As you’ll see, newspaper advertising costs can quickly add up. If you’re on a tight budget, as many of us are these days, knowing what most affects the cost, allows you to cut back where you can.

#1 Type of Ad – Display VS Classifieds VS Inserts

The first factor that decides the cost of a newspaper advertisement, is the type of ad. Most Australian newspapers offer a number of different types. Display advertisements appear throughout a newspaper, and may use colours, illustrations, photographs, or fancy lettering to attract the reader’s attention. These provide a great deal of creative control over the content of the ad, without being limited to just text. They also aren’t grouped according to classification, unlike classified ads. Display advertisements are typically charged at a rate per single column centimetre. In other words, the height in centimetres and width in columns determines the cost of the advertising space. On the other hand, classified ads are typically charged based on ‘lineage’ or per line.

Another form of advertising offered by most major newspapers are ‘inserts’ – separate advertisements that are placed inside the newspaper, and can have more than one page. Inserts are usually charged at a rate of per 1000 per number of pages. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to limit our discussion to display advertisements.

#2 Size Matters

The second factor that contributes to the cost of newspaper advertising, is size. As mentioned above, display advertisements costs are calculated based on their height in centimetres, and width in columns. Most newspapers have their own standard sized advertising spaces, which your ad needs to fit into. Some newspapers offer non-standard sized spaces, such as a ‘U’ shaped ad around the edges of an open paper, but be prepared to pay a higher price for irregular sizes and shapes.

Let’s look at the standard sizes available in The Courier Mail, as an example.

“Small Page Strip”, 6cm high by 7 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day (based on a Mon-Fri Casual rate of $AU58.51) is $AU2457.42.
“Medium Page Strip”, 8cm high by 7 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU3276.56.
“Quarter Page Strip”, 10cm high by 7 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU4095.70.
“Horizontal Half Page”, 20cm high by 7 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU8191.40.
“Full Page”, 38 cm high by 7 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU15563.66.
“Vertical Half Page”, 38cm high by 4 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU8893.52.
“Vertical Third Page”, 38cm high by 3 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU6670.14.
“Vertical Quarter Page”, 38cm high by 2 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU4446.76.
“Portrait Half Page”, 28cm high by 5 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU8191.40.
“Portrait Third Page”, 20cm high by 4 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU4680.80.
“Portrait Quarter Page”, 20cm high by 3 columns wide, the minimum casual cost per day is $AU3510.60.

Here you can see that the cost of a standard size display ad can range from at least $2457.42 per day for a small page strip, and up to at least $15563.66 per day for a full page advertisement. That’s an awful lot of money to invest in a single page, that will only be published on one day. Most of us simply don’t have that kind of cash to throw around, so you’d really need to know what you were doing. This example demonstrates how much the size of a display advertisement affects the price.

#3 Day of the Week

The third factor that contributes to the cost of a newspaper advertisement is the day of the week on which the advertisement is published. Typically, newspaper circulation is greatest on the weekends, and so the advertising rates for major Australian newspapers are adjusted accordingly. In our example of The Courier Mail, the rates are cheaper on a weekday, more expensive on a Saturday, and most expensive on a Sunday. For the most basic display ads, Saturday ads are 25% dearer than Monday – Friday ads, and Sunday ads are almost 90% dearer than Monday – Friday ads.

This pattern may vary though, depending on the circulation of a particular publication. For instance, The Age is most expensive on a Saturday. To illustrate how much of a difference it makes – a small page strip ad in The Courier Mail on a weekday would be at least $2457.42, and the exact same ad run on a Sunday would be at least $4637.64.

#4 Different Sections or Lift-Outs

Most newspapers are divided into different sections and many have lift-outs – and this is the fourth factor that determines newspaper advertising costs. Different sections attract different readers and different volumes of readers, and so the advertising rates are adjusted to reflect this. For example, an advertisement placed in the CareerOne (Employment) lift-out in The Courier Mail, costs 2% more than the general section. The rates for CareerOne, also vary depending on the day of the week, as mentioned above. Some examples of other sections that may have different rates include: Adult Services, Funeral Notices, Real Estate, and Business.

#5 Page Position Within a Section

The next factor that can significantly affect the price of a newspaper ad, is the page number on which the ad appears, within a certain section. The most expensive part of the paper is typically the front section, which might include the first 10 or so pages, and is referred to as the “early general news” or EGN for short. In our example of The Courier Mail, page 2 in the EGN section attracts a 60% loading. Similarly, the first 11 pages have at least a 50% markup. This type of loading is common practice across Australian news publications. Now let’s say we wanted to place a small page strip ad in The Courier Mail on a weekday, on page 3 in EGN, the cost would be at least $4054.74.

The first few pages and back pages of other key sections of the paper, such as Business, also attract a higher loading. For The Courier Mail, the very back page attracts a 65% markup. You can see how the page position of an advertisement can have a substantial influence on the price.

#6 Left Hand Side VS Right Hand Side

The next factor is also related to position of the ad, but relates to which side of an open newspaper the ad appears in. You might be surprised to know that, in some publications, an ad that appears on the right hand side of an open paper, will cost more than one that appears on the left hand side. This is to do with the way readers actually read a newspaper, and where their attention is focused. This factor may also be tied to the page position of an ad, and which section it appears in. For example, in The Courier Mail, for ads on pages 12 to 21, a right-hand side ad costs 5% more than a left-hand side ad.

#7 Colour VS Black and White

Another factor that substantially affects the price of a newspaper advertisement, is whether the ad features colour, and how many colours. Colour ads are more expensive than monochrome or black and white ads. Some newspapers may distinguish between multi-colour advertisements and those that only feature one added colour (called “spot colour”). For example, The Courier Mail charges 30% more for multi-colour display ads, and 20% more for ‘spot’ colour display ads. Remember, that this is combined with any positional loading.

So let’s say we wanted our small page strip ad in full colour in The Courier Mail on a weekday, on page 3, that would be calculated as: $2457.42 + 30% colour loading = $3194.65 + 65% positional loading for page 3 = $5271.17

You can see here how the cost of our ad has more than doubled after we’ve factored in the colour, and position of the ad.

#8 Annual Spend/Expenditure Commitment

Now here’s a factor that also affects the price of your newspaper ad, but this time it’s a decrease, with a catch, of course. If you have the budget, and are prepared to commit to spending a certain amount annually, usually by entering into a 12 month contract, then you may be entitled to a discount. However, the discount depends on how much you’re prepared to spend. For example, to qualify for a 4% discount on The Courier Mail’s advertising rates, you need to spend at least $38500 per year. If you’re a small business owner, chances are you’re not working with this kind of budget, so bye-bye discount.

Just in case you’re curious, businesses that annually spend at least $2.3 million with the Courier Mail, receive a 13% discount. In my opinion, this form of discounting simply highlights how biased mainstream advertising is towards big business. Where’s the discount for all the struggling small businesses? But that’s another story.

Summary:

To sum up, those 8 factors again, and how they’ll affect the cost of your ad:

type of ad – display VS classifieds VS inserts – rates based on different measurement units
size – pay more for bigger ads
day of the week – weekends are more expensive
section or lift-out – early general news (EGN) is more expensive
page position within a section – front pages and back pages cost more
left hand side VS right hand side – RHS is dearer
colour VS black and white – pay more for full colour
annual spend/expenditure commitment – get a discount if you spend up big

Now that you know what affects the price of a newspaper advertisement, you’re better prepared to decide where and how you want to spend your advertising dollar. If newspaper advertising seems beyond your budget, then it might be worth considering more cost-effective alternatives, such as online advertising.

Promotion "Above the Line" and "Below the Line"

Promotion can be loosely classified as “above the line” and “below the line” promotion. The promotional activities carried out through mass media like television, radio, newspaper etc. is above the line promotion.

The terms ‘below-the-line’ promotion or communications, refers to forms of non-media communication, even non-media advertising. Below-the-line promotions are becoming increasingly important within the communications mix of many companies, not only those involved in fmcg products, but also for industrial goods.

Some of the ways by which companies do BTL (below the line) promotions are by exhibitions, sponsorship activities, public relations and sales promotions like giving freebies with goods, trade discounts given to dealers and customers, reduced price offers on products, giving coupons which can be redeemed later etc.

BELOW THE LINE SALES PROMOTION

Below the line sales promotions are short-term incentives, largely aimed at consumers. With the increasing pressure on the marketing team to achieve communication objectives more efficiently in a limited budget, there has been a need to find out more effective and cost efficient ways to communicate with the target markets. This has led to a shift from the regular media based advertising.

A definition of below-the-line sales promotion given by Hugh Davidson:

‘An immediate or delayed incentive to purchase, expressed in cash or in kind, and having only a short term or temporary duration’.

Methods of below the line sales promotion

1. Price promotions

Price promotions are also commonly known as” price discounting”. These can be done in two ways:

(1) A discount to the normal selling price of a product, or

(2) More of the product at the normal price.

Price promotions however can also have a negative effect by spoiling the brand reputation or just a temporary sales boost (during the discounts) followed by a lull when the discount would be called off.

2. Coupons

Coupons are another, very versatile, way of offering a discount. Consider the following examples of the use of coupons:

– On a pack to encourage repeat purchase

– In coupon books sent out in newspapers allowing customers to redeem the coupon at a retailer

– A cut-out coupon as part of an advert

– On the back of till receipts

The key objective with a coupon promotion is to maximize the redemption rate – this is the proportion of customers actually using the coupon.

It must be ensured when a company uses coupons that the retailers must hold sufficient stock to avoid customer disappointment.

Use of coupon promotions is often best for new products or perhaps to encourage sales of existing products that are slowing down.

3. Gift with purchase

The “gift with purchase” is a very common promotional technique. In this scheme, the customer gets something extra along with the normal good purchased. It works best for

– Subscription-based products (e.g. magazines)

– Consumer luxuries (e.g. perfumes)

4. Competitions and prizes

This is an important tool to increase brand awareness amongst the target consumer. It can be used to boost up sales for temporary period and ensure usage amongst first time users.

5. Money refunds

Here, a customer receives a money refund after submitting a proof of purchase to the manufacturer.

Customers often view these schemes with some suspicion – particularly if the method of obtaining a refund looks unusual or onerous.

6. Frequent user / loyalty incentives

Repeat purchases may be stimulated by frequent user incentives. Perhaps the best examples of this are the many frequent flyer or user schemes used by airlines, train companies, car hire companies etc.

7. Point-of-sale displays

Shopping habits are changing for the people living in metropolitan cities. People prefer big retail outlets like Big Bazaar to local kirana stores. Most of the decisions of buying are taken by the virtue of point-of-sale displays in these retail outlets.

SOME INTERSTING EXAMPLES OF BTL PROMOTION

Most of the big brands are following the suit of BTL promotion because of rising prices of media based promotion, advertising clutter and increased impulse purchasing.

Some of the interesting examples are:

Most of the educational institutes like career launcher, Time and PT are holding informative workshops and free tests for students which give a direct interaction of these institutes with the target customer and hence a suitable platform to sell themselves.

Ring tones and music videos on cell phones are helping the entertainment industry to promote for a music video or a movie for dirt-cheap rate as compared to media promotion.

Various companies sponsor sport events to promote their brand, but nowadays media companies like Hindustan Times are holding weekly events through out the country in which companies can put up their stalls, display banners and posters and arrange for some fun activities. These events give the companies a platform at very low price to promote their brand and increase visibility among target consumer. These companies also give discount coupons to winners in the games, which in turn boost the sales of the products and ensure that first time users try these products as well.

Pepsi organized an inter school cricket event for 425 schools across 14 cities which did wonders for the company by promoting the brand amongst the right target customer for almost no cost.

Most of the pharmacy companies do BTL promotion by getting shelf space through doctors to display their products or by giving away free calcium tablets again through doctors, knowing that for a patient a personal advise from a doctor would hold more value as compared to a commercial advertisement.

Another interesting BTL promotion was by NIKE, an athlete dressed up in Nike sportswear could be seen jogging on an elevated treadmill for the whole day on National Highway 8, Delhi.

BTL promotions are gaining popularity among all big companies nowadays considering their effectiveness because of the “individual customer promotion” at a price, which is much lesser than the normal media promotions.

Brilliant Business Ideas: Turn Useless By-Products Into Cash

Anybody who is looking for brilliant business ideas needs to study the life of a man called Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Corporation.

In case you don’t know who this man is, Henry Ford was the inventor of the Ford Model T – the first mass-produced automobile in the world. The man literally invented the assembly line which is used in industries all over the world today. The assembly line invention was significant because it enabled Ford to increase production and produce many more cars than before.

But what I want to focus this post on was another business he was involved in which very few people took interest in. This business genius took the wood scraps that were left over from the production of his Model T’s and turned them into charcoal briquettes (used in cooking and heating).

This “side venture” (built off of by-products) became so profitable that he built a separate charcoal plant and founded the Ford Charcoal Company, which was later renamed Kingsford.

There are obvious by-products or waste that are generated by many enterprises. To give an example, there is saw dust which is generated by sawmills. This can be put to a lot of profitable use. For instance it can manufacture particleboard and even fireplace logs.

It is said that every art of creation has a byproduct which means that whatever business you are doing or want to do is sure to generate “waste” which is actually a byproduct that you can turn into huge profits.

A few of the brilliant business start-up ideas in my book involve making huge profits from byproducts and they don’t have to be your own byproducts. I hope that gets you thinking in the right direction.

But let me tell you another true story from right here in Kenya about a company that made huge profits from the waste it was generating.

Everybody knows about Nation newspapers. The company publishes the highest circulating daily newspaper in the region. A few years ago they had a serious problem. The price of oil, as always was on the rise and the cost of distributing their newspapers was growing alarmingly. The waste they generated was the extra space in the huge pick up vans that remained when the newspapers were packed to be delivered to various towns and destinations. There was even more “waste” when the van came back from delivering the newspapers virtually empty. What a waste.

And so they devised a way to turn the “waste” or by-product into huge sums of money. They launched a courier service to deliver letters and packages all over the country. They called the company Nation couriers. Immediately they had a huge advantage because newspapers are delivered daily and they usually have a very tight delivery schedule because daily newspapers are perishable products that must be delivered on time. Today’s newspaper cannot be sold tomorrow. It has to be sold today and preferably early in the day. And so Nation courier could promise it’s customers that the package will reach it’s destination without fail the next morning.

This brand new overnight courier service created from a “waste product” has made huge profits for the Nation media group and also makes their newspaper delivery very efficient.

Take a closer look around you.

What is being wasted?

Can you turn it into profits?

Internet and Freelancing

To find a writer in previous times, one had to go looking for a writer who had creative abilities. This meant not just doing so through friends and relatives but also through indirect sources and several days of search.

Undoubtedly, things are easier today. In order to have your Resume written by a HR professional or a consulting company, you just have to login to the Internet, find the right people and choose how much you want to spend on the same. Resume writing services surely come for a very nominal price. Moreover, HR consulting services are absolutely free and the candidates do not have to pay any money for the same.

The internet has several writer profiles registered for free over job sites such as Monster.com et al. Similarly, several freelance writers, as much as other professionals host their personal websites so that employers may contact them directly.

There are websites developed using free Google sites template those which come in quite handy to the writers for advertising his or her business. There are several such websites created by movie stars, singers, and various web artists, which has made getting business online really very easy!

Alternatively, featuring your website links over social networking websites such as Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Orkut.com, et al makes things further easier. One could forward their business details, payment details, and publish their contact details worldwide in a stylish manner!

What more? One saves a lot of money spent on advertising by paying to classifieds and directories. With the advent of SEO techniques such as directory submissions and classified submissions, working carefully on posting one’s advertisement over selected websites helps way much more as well!

Thus, it is appropriate to anticipate that internet saves not just paper work and strenuous time and effort, but also acts as an integrator of thoughts and ideas across the globe. Everything is just a click away!

PS: Blogging is an excellent social media marketing tool that does exactly this.

Turning Practical Buying Into a Profitable Purchase Model for SME

SME Finance

Practicable Buying to Profitable Purchase Model

In the economic fabric of India, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) have a significant role to play. A sector with an assortment of 6,000 products, contributes to an approximate 8% of the GDP in India and facilitates 45% of industrial output and 40% of exports from the country. This seemingly small yet vibrant and dynamic sector holds the potential to accelerate industrial growth and is truly a facilitator and leading partner in the process of inclusive growth for India. But, somewhere down the line these enterprises face challenges that not merely stunt their growth but even clip their wings while on their road to success. India falls short in boosting the advancement of SME’s through financial aid. Why? One of the reasons we reckon is that mere 6% of these enterprises are registered with the Registrar of companies, while 94% fall under the category of unregistered enterprises.

Handling various processes such as bulk buying, circulation of working capital, handling finances, customer satisfaction, compliance related activities, handling purchases etc prove to be cumbersome for SMEs when all the activities have to be dealt with together. Typically these are businesses which run on low investments. A sound cash flow and good deal of working capital can encourage an entrepreneur to keep his firm afloat.

So how does an entrepreneur ensure his money is circulating well?

Dealing in Discounts

Reaping the most benefits from every penny invested helps gather the best profits. Creditors are the happiest when cash transactions are on the table and will go that extra mile to ensure the deal closes at the earliest. Here that extra mile refers to offering appealing discounts, deals like pay upfront and avail a 10% discount are common. In other credit scenarios, retailers are urged to reduce the credit duration through discount period offers. Here a creditor offers slab options, the earlier you pay off your debt the larger discount can be availed. Consider:

Pay immediately and get 5% cash discount

Pay within 10 days and get 2% discount

If a trader wishes to purchase goods worth Rs.100,000/-, then options available are:

Payment upfront availing cash discount: 100,000-5% discount = Rs.95,000/-

If paid after 15 days = Rs.100,000/-

If credit availed= 100,000-2% = Rs.98,000/-

Annual Savings due to upfront payments availing cash discount= 5000 per month*12 = Rs.60,000/-

Volume Game

Another powerful medium of keeping product costs at its lowest, is through bulk buying of inventory and goods used in production. If your business is stable and you have the foresight to plan ahead keeping in mind product pricing, seasonal requirements and ensuring product availability to meet demand constantly, then long-term contract with vendors is apt.

A retailer could crack a deal for constant supply of material for a couple of years at a competitive price. Payment terms could involve instalment options, either quarterly or half-yearly, ensuring your flow of funds are controlled. A well-planned and executed deal could garner excellent profits.

Another avenue to bulk buying is through middlemen or agencies who are linked to a multitude of SME’s. They group their specific requirements to crack volume based deals with wholesalers. This tie up and constant business results in cutthroat competition for business by wholesalers.

Today, with current access and connectivity online, a number of platforms have emerged which promote bulk buying through a group method. Couple of enterprises with a common requirement of material or goods, club together to strike a bulk deal with wholesalers. The outcome, elimination of middlemen, juicier deals for the retailer and higher sales turnover for wholesaler.

All the above scenarios do include blocking of working capital. And MSME’s as we know face difficulties in that zone. The only option that remains is to take a loan to increase their power of spending to derive its benefits. But then again, banks loans charge interest rates as high as 10-19% on business loans. This dilutes the value of the discount received, even if it the average discount is as high as 8-10% as in the scenarios above. The only medium to make the deal profitable for a MSME is the availability of loans at lower interest rates. This gap in demand was noticed by some FinTech start-ups who with their expertise in technology and varied allies in the lending space have made business loans beneficial. From availing loans in couple of days to lending interest rates as low as 1.5-3% per month, which is around 18% per annum. However after considering the negligible transaction costs and ease of obtaining loans within 48 hours, these FinTech companies have proved to be a boon to the MSME world. Getting such short term loans from banks without collateral is cumbersome to say the least. Now entrepreneurs can be unperturbed and confident when discussing large deals.

Conclusion

Today, there are numerous platforms that initiate bulk buying among wholesale and retail markets. The requirement still remains the same, need for a hefty working capital. SME’s continue to face challenges, both financial and otherwise, lengthens their path to success. Acknowledging this multiple FinTech start-ups have ventured into the lending space for MSME’s. Organizations like FlexiLoans, which provide working capital loans to these small enterprises, boasts of quick and easy disbursal of loans within barely 48 hours. It is refreshing to see the paradigm shift in the way entrepreneurs are now approaching business ideas, with certainty and confidence. Bearing in mind these advancements MSME’s now have a much brighter future and will be leading partners in the process of inclusive growth for India.

Finding the Best Website Design Company in India

India is the hotspot for website designing presently and it does not disappoint! The web design firms in the country are some of the best on the internet and deliver quality work at the lowest of prices. It is no wonder then, that a majority of people are contacting Indian website design companies to either design or re-design their websites. The result is always satisfactory and attracts huge amounts of internet traffic, much to the benefit of the site’s owner.

But, with the plethora of website designers present in India, how can you find out which ones are good and which are not? The answer is simple – research it! The large number of website design companies and the tedious task might seem daunting at first, but it pays rich dividends in the long run. In this day and age, researching can be done online, especially for a web design firm. Here are a few tips that might come in handy when you go looking for those who will design your website.

First of all, check out the location of the company, whether it is in a metropolitan area or not. Website designers are more likely to opt for firms based in metros and major cities due to the presence of better opportunities. Therefore, location means better talent for your business in this field. But, if a website design company you like is not located in one of the metros of India, it still will not hurt to check out its work. There might be a little difference between the charges being levied by the website design firms in metros and non-metros, but the difference is nominal, and completely affordable.

Also, check the previous websites designed by the company, so that you can get a better idea regarding what kind of sites the website designer possesses experience in. Most designers do put up links of the companies that have done work for, so it will not be difficult to get hold of their work. If you like a certain web design company, ask it for the statistics of the number of visitors received for any particular website it developed. Footfall, obviously, will let you determine the effectiveness of the site as well as the web design India.

If you are offering prospective clients certain products or willing to render services, and aim to grow your business, then your website must be searchable. This means that the website designer should be proficient in making the site search engine friendly. If your site comes in among the first few pages of the searches carried out by Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask.com and other search engines, then promoting your business would become a piece of cake.

The thousands of Indian web design organizations offer variegated packages to prospective clients to develop or re-design their site. The charges are just a fraction of what it might have cost for the same job in USA or elsewhere, but checking out the nominal rate is advisable. Think about the job you want the website designer to do exactly, the number of pages, graphics, links etc. you want on the site and check out the packages being offered by the companies for your requirements.

But making your website rank among the most searched ones is no walk in the park; it requires relevant content and attractive designing, along with superlative SEO skills. All website design companies offer SEO services and quite a few sites designed by these companies come up on the first pages of popular search engines. So hire a web designer in India who has some pages ranked in the top engines, namely Google, Yahoo and Ask.com.

All in all, a web design firm should exercise strategic planning, business promotion techniques, creativity, application development as well as solution maintenance while creating a site. These are the points you need to keep in mind while thinking of getting your website designed in India. With the help of these useful tips, you are bound to zero in upon the most apt designer for your website.

Ways to Get an Online Presence for Your Business

Technology is getting bigger and better and this means that the world is gradually becoming a global village. Today, anyone can sit in their homes in the Nigeria or Ghana and be able to know the latest news in India, United States of America or even Venezuela. Yes, this is the power of technology that we are gradually learning to deal with and also acknowledge in our lives. Today, businesses are looking like the best beneficiaries of technology especially due to the internet. Yes, today every business is gaining and trying to gain online presence to ensure that they are always on top of their rivals. The internet has helped to make small businesses very huge and also known in the parts of the country they never thought was possible.

Also, many people are having great fun sitting in the comfort of their homes to shop from the internet. The truth is that, the influence of technology in the world is growing and will be much bigger than it is now; this is why businesses are advised to catch up and make good use of these new ways of business marketing and promotion. Today, there are so many small businesses that have so many clients all over the world that they have never met before but do business with all the same. This is great because; you offer better services to people you do not even know. There are so many ways however; to get the right online presence you need to get your business on the road.

You can start first by designing or having a business website designed for you. Yes, this can be done by professionals or software’s you can download from the internet. Your website is what speaks to clients or markets your products on the internet for you. This is why you need to ensure it is in the best of condition at all times with the right information. Make sure all information with regards to your services; charges, etc are not left out.

Another way you can boost your online presence is by using online social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the many others available. Doing this can give you an opportunity to see some of the international customers you have and also get more people knowing about your business and the services you offer. Online presence can be got through so many processes however; it will be best to ensure that you do exactly what you is needed and the best for your business.

Graphic Design – Topography and Images to Present Information

Meaning

Graphic design is process of visual communication using topography and images to present information and attract people. It gives an interesting mix of presenting varied information in attractive formats to increase the overall users’ base. Whether you are reading your morning papers or commuting by a public bus, or open a book to read, element of graphics can be seen every where. It gives a great way to express your thoughts, ideas and opinion to reach millions of other users. This creative process involves different formats of graphics, which are easily available in today’s world:

Logos

Logo is an important form of graphics that conveys lots of ideas to its readers and users. A logo provides identify to the vision and the purpose of the organizations or any other agencies. In addition, it is difficult to register a company without a valid logo attached with it.

Websites

Websites reflect the major works of graphics aiming to attract promising clients to the organization. So, make sure your website reflect good piece of information prepared through graphic design services.

Business Cards

Business cards are essential in this competitive business boasting world. An impressive business card can get you really good impact and you will be successful to express your mind freely and effectively.

Advertisements

Graphics in advertisements have a specific role to play. You can hire a graphic design company to get your advertisement really rocking and reflecting you ideology.

Brochures

Brochures also consist major graphic designing in it. Without a good design, a brochure may not look very impressive. So, graphic can bring a life in brochures.

Billboards

Billboards or hoardings consist of advertisements promoting a product or services so the major attraction point is graphic designing.

Product Packaging

Nowadays, product packaging has a definite role to play in the promotion of a product or a service. Packaging clinches eyes positively and gives you several benefits in future context.

Posters

Posters are one of the popular methods to express the ideas and opinions. Therefore, it becomes necessary to make it really effective with lots of graphics and pictures in it.

Book Design

Graphic has a definite role to play in book designing. While designing a book, it is necessary to represent the content of the book to attract the promising readers.

Magazine Layout

Magazines offer wide information about varied subjects and current happenings. Therefore, it has to be attractive enough to tempt readers to go through its pages. So, the role of graphics can be really important here.

Newspaper Layout

While layout a newspaper, the importance of graphics can not be ignored. Anything colorful and informative attracts readers to a great extent.

Greeting Cards

In greeting cards too, graphics can do wonders and equally express your ideas to the fullest.

Business PowerPoint Template Ideas to Transform Your Dull PowerPoint Into Great Looking Slides

Organizing your presentation content into a visually engaging story is arguably the best way to present. We understand what it takes to create such visual story telling using effective Business templates. In this article we offer an array of creative business powerpoint template designs that are sure to win you accolades. These professional powerpoint templates can help spark creativity in you to showcase your ideas in many different ways.

Idea #1: Visual Bullets

Create business templates with lines, shapes and spacing to separate the content. This trick comes handy if you have a lot of content to be organized.

Idea #2: Chunking

You can also create professional templates based on the concept of chunking. Chunking allows you to organize your content in groups and you can show those chunks horizontally or vertically depending on how much content you have. Use shapes to separate the text and add numbers, headlines or icons to each chunk of text depending on the type of content you have

Idea #3: Picturization

Another way of building effective business presentation templates is to represent your content by using photos. Use images relevant to your content which aids in communicating your business story. Professional templates created using photos help in visually separating the data hence the clutter

Idea #4: Iconify

Use of icons has become another popular option to create Business templates. There are number of free icon libraries available online for using in your business presentation templates. They occupy less space, visually separate the clutter and are best to emphasise certain content.

Idea #5: Backgrounding

Background image is a great way to set the context of the content therefore a lot of professional templates are designed using image as a background. You can insert a gradient, semi-transparent layer between the text and the photo so that whichever photo you use, the text will always be visible

These are some of the ways to build effective Business PowerPoint templates. However to learn more diverse formats and designs, please visit our website.

We offer instant access to downloadable 100% editable business PowerPoint templates. Our team is powered by PowerPoint Specialists, graphic designers and business professionals therefore it is able to deliver on its promise of high quality effective professional PowerPoint templates.

Professional PowerPoint templates are categorized based on unique needs of business professionals. Whether you are a marketing manager, entrepreneur, project manager or HR head, you are sure to find tailor-made Business PowerPoint Templates that will fit your objective.

Get specific ideas for Business PowerPoint templates

Tips for Sustaining in The World of Online Marketing

Online marketing is the latest tool for leaving a mark in the market. It is the new-age way of advertising that is closest to our transformed behavioral pattern, which makes the entry into market a lot easier. Here are some tips for the beginners as they enter the world of online marketing.

1. Blogging is as fruitful as any other social media platform.

We maybe too eager about making our presence on Facebook, but one other medium which may prove to be equally fruitful is blogging. A well written blog has the ability to draw attention which is majorly dependent on the quality of content. It will enhance your SEO rating and also help in building up the desired image.

2. Content is the king and its design, the Commander in Chief.

As much as we rely on content, designing also forms one of the most prominent aspect of a brand’s social media presence. It’s one of the most influential feature of Online Marketing which has the ability to draw someone’s attention instantly. The internet is filled with new ideas and concepts which make it challenging and fun at the same time.

3. Go crazy with your ideas, the unique ones always leave a mark!

With its constantly changing dynamics and the ever-increasing presence people in the online world, the rules keep on changing. Thus, making it very necessary for people to adapt with the changes. The more unique your idea, the better chance it has of hitting it off with the target audience.

4. E-mail marketing will never become obsolete.

That’s right! If you are on the internet, you are sure to have an e-mail id. It is that one tool which keeps our online activities unified. This makes it easier to create an interpersonal bond with a huge number of people at the same time.

5. Tweet it, beat it!

If you want to form your online marketing strategy purely based on organic reach, then Twitter is just the tool for you. It allows you to reach a large number of people based entirely on hashtags and content. Twitter is that bird which sings the tune your way, but alters the lyrics according to your target audience.

6. Online Marketing? Start with Facebook!

Facebook undoubtedly is the best biggest pool of potential customers that you can acquire through online marketing for your business. Whether it is paid promotions or simply attracting customers through your content, Facebook is an open field for everybody which lets you drive your marketing to the right channels and at the right time.

7. Reviews and testimonials are a boon!

People often rely largely on reviews and testimonials given by others. It has become a major online marketing tool which allows you to set a brand image and at the same time uplift morale.

Online Marketing is sure to give your business the boost that it deserves. These tips will come handy when you actually enter the market. So go ahead and carve a niche for yourself!