TODAY INDIA

Some Basic Ideas That Can Be Considered Before You Order Name Badges

The Minute Ideas that makes the Idea of Using Name Tags Work Successfully

Name tags are generally used in the places where identification is very much necessary. In meetings and exhibitions these have a wider role as it helps inducing healthy way for business communication. The increasing familiarity of this in the corporate world is making more firms opt for a professional source that can give them the best designs at high quality.

There are certain tips that have to be kept in mind while you are going to order name badges.

Most importantly the design you have chosen must formally go with the nature of the business you run. It should never give a weird look with elaborated pictures or fonts. The companies who offer these services usually have best team of designers who will be experienced in helping you choose one that perfectly go with the logo of the your firm. It is advised to use formal fonts and also it should be readable from some distance away by the third person. In case if you find difficult for others to read it from a distance then it is better to directly opt for changing font size. The colour selection is also very much important as if you choose a lighter background the writings should be dark coloured and vice versa.

The contents in the badges do have priorities. It is fair to include the first name and the last name of the person with the designation, company’s name specified. In this case the font size in which the name is printed must be slightly bigger as it is the first thing that everyone notices. The common thing that has been noticed is that in exhibitions or public meetings the customers prefer to approach a sales person who has a name tag. This is because they feel free to communicate with the employees by directly calling their name and can avoid the other choice.

When you have decided to order name tags with a professional group you can go for hundreds of option. The main highlight is the limitless variety available with them. Magnetic types, customized ones, corporate choices etc. are some of the options that are available openly. Whatever option you take it is important you should never compromise for the quality of the paper and ink used for printing. This is because when a client communicate you through the platform of badge, he or she definitely value your company by the way you have presented the business tag. It projects the value of the company and the standard it maintains for even the base things will be revealed.

As the popularity of the item is increasing day by day most of the professional sources are moving at a higher speed for making the access to it easier and convenient. The option to order name tags online is one of the best available convenience from the professionals. The websites of these companies opens the choice for visiting the gallery online and go for the one by seeing end sample. It is certainly a friendlier and time saving option for the customers who prefer to have the best of the investment made.

Best Online Business Ideas For Internet Business Startups

During economy downturn, many Americans have been retrenched and it is really a challenging task for them to get back to the job market within a short period of time. Please do not feel depressed if you are one of the victims. Instead of looking for a new job, why don’t you make some changes for yourself?

There are many opportunities in the market which you can grab. One of them is the internet business.

How can you make a living from this? Let me share with you the best online business ideas which you can apply:

Tip No.1: Find out your interests

Determining your interest is the most important step before you start any online business. When you have great interest in certain area, you will be more motivated to move forward. At the same time, you need to ask yourself honestly about your own strengths. It will be better if you have certain skills in specific areas which can be your “niche” in the future.

Tip No. 2: Do research

Doing sufficient “homework” is essential before you get yourself fully involved in the online business. No matter what products or services you wish to provide, you need to make sure that there is customer demand in the market. You will face more risks in managing your new business if you don’t put in your effort in doing market research. You must know who your potential buyers are and at the same time, you should also know competitors too.

Tip No.3: Create a business plan

Developing a proper business plan enables you to know your investment cost better. Choosing a perfect name for your internet business is the priority. After that, you need to identify who your suppliers are and what promotional activities you are going to take in order to promote your products or services. You must work out your marketing strategy based on the time frame set.

Tip No. 4: Set up your own website

Since you are planning for an online business, having your own website is a must. If you are not good at building your own website, you are suggested to pay someone to develop one for you. If you really have budget constraint, you are advised to look for affiliate sites that offer you free websites.

Tip No. 5: Look for working partners

If you still don’t have full confidence on yourself to get customers, you may consider taking up a legitimate affiliate marketing program. Work with other professionals as a team so that you can gain more hands-on experience.

Last but not the least; in order to succeed in your new business, you need to have 3 important elements in yourself, i.e. passion, courage and determination. You are reminded to love your new job, face all the challenges positively and move forward with full swing. By following the above mentioned tips, I strongly believe that you can be your own boss and you can make good money from this.

Marketing Ideas: 7 Simple Marketing Tips to Boost Your Business Now

Marketing is the life-blood of your business; yet, for many, marketing is a complex beast that they do not want to deal with. When you break it down to a simpler process, marketing can become your new favorite practices! Here are 7 marketing tips that you can use right now to boost your business:

1. Understand Your Target

No matter what business you are in, whether offline or online, you MUST know your target market. When you understand exactly who you are selling to, you know exactly where to advertise, what to say and even what to sell. Researching your target market will help you understand where they are in life right now and where they hang out which makes advertising a whole lot easier!

2. Build a Database

One of the most important aspects of online business is building a solid database by collecting information from your visitors. Building a database allows you to market to your visitors and customers over and over again for little or no extra cost. I highly recommend Aweber for your email marketing and database building needs. Most online business owners collect names and email addresses while others collect names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses. When making your decision about what to collect think about your marketing plans. If you will be including physical mailings then add home addresses.

3. Give Customers a Preview of Your Work

A great way to build your database is by offering visitors a preview or free offer for joining. This free offer can be a report, audio interview, video, or even a CD or DVD that you mail directly to their home. This offer gives your customers a great preview of who you are and what you can do to help them achieve their goals. Put the time and effort into helping them understand your business in a way that will benefit them.

4. Branding

Branding is a term that is often thrown around in marketing circles. Building a cohesive message from your logo to your website to your blog to your email messages to your twitter account and to the products that you sell is branding. You want your customers to hear your name and think a power word or phrase. For example, when you hear “like a rock” do you think Chevy? Or “MMM MMM Good” did you think of Campbell’s Soup? It doesn’t matter if your business doesn’t have the advertising budget like these two companies, always include your name, logo and slogan on all of your marketing materials, emails, products, etc.

5. SWOT Analysis

During my undergraduate degree at Penn State, every single project, assignment or paper that I had to complete for my advertising and marketing courses needed a SWOT analysis. What is a SWOT analysis? SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. For every client that I work with and every online business that I’ve built, I take the time to work through each one of these steps because often I uncover information and opportunities that I’ve never thought of including for my business. For Strengths, I work through the strengths or advantages that I have over my competition. For instance, I have a very strong background in the marketing and advertising area, so I know how to market my business and bring more targeted traffic to my website. For Weaknesses, I work through the weaknesses or advantages that my competition has over me. For example, when starting out, my competition has a larger market share and more individuals recognize another’s name or work over mine. For Opportunities, I prepare a list of opportunities or possibilities that I have with my business like the new markets that I can penetrate or the new products that I can offer an existing marketing because of my background. Finally for Threats, I look at environmental or outside threats to my business. For example, if you work in a medical niche, you must be aware of laws and regulations surrounding your business. Many online business owners fail to plan their businesses and often fail because they didn’t plan. A SWOT analysis allows you to carefully analyze your business or idea without spending days writing a full-fledged business plan.

6. Be Enthusiastic

Did you ever have that monotone professor in high school or college that put you to sleep every time they started talking? They never showed excitement or enthusiasm and you probably never cared for what they were teaching, right? To attract attention and customers, you need to be enthusiastic about what you sell and what you do! Your enthusiasm will transfer excitement to your products and services for your customers.

7. Be Persistent

This is probably the biggest mistakes most business owners make in marketing and advertising. Many think that marketing is the magic pill. One advertisement is going to solve all of their problems. Yet, it couldn’t be further from the truth! The average consumer needs to see a message about seven times for it to be effective and for them to take action. You can’t simply run one newsletter advertisement and expect it to explode your mailing list; many times you need to run it multiple times for it to be effective.

Marketing is truly the key to being successful in business both online and offline. It is a necessity to share your products and services with your target market. If you are on a limited budget, choose one method and make a commitment to running your advertisement at least three times then analyze your results.

How to Register Your Company Name

The first thing you need to know about registering your company name, is that your company name must be unique compared to other companies in your state or province. It is usually not permissible to register a company name that has a similar name to another company in your area.

How do you know which company names are taken?

Well, there is both an informal and a formal process to do this. The first simple and informal process is to simply go to Google and type in the company name you have chosen and do a search to see if there are any other companies with that name. If there already exists another company with the same name, but they are not in your local area, you may still be able to register that name locally, however that is not advisable. It is better to pick a name that is not only unique to your local area, but also worldwide.

If you pick a company name that does not exist through a Google search, you’re on the right track. A common way to do this is to use three or four word company names as opposed to one to two-word company names, which in most cases are already taken.

One simple way to do this is to combine two unique words with two additional words that describe the type of company you are. For example, if you are a delivery company the company name you may try could be Red Apple Delivery Services or Green Orange Delivery Services. By combining two unique words with two words that describe the type of company you are, you have a much higher chance of picking a company name that is unique.

Once you’ve picked a company name that does not appear on Google, the next step is to do a formal name search with your local state or province, which usually costs under $50. If you are incorporating a company, the lawyer who incorporates your company will be able to help you to run a formal name search on the name you have chosen. The process usually requires you to give them three different names for them to search in order of preference and they will perform a formal search to determine which one of those three is available for registration.

If you’re a sole proprietor, please visit your local state or provincial government website for name search forms to do the search yourself.

Intranet Project Names – Some Ideas

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other word would smell as sweet.”

In this famous quote from Act II of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention, and the fact he is a Montague and she a Capulet (warring families) means nothing to their love.

However, there is some strong evidence from the UK’s Cranfield University – and elsewhere – that the name one gives a project does have a marked impact on the behaviour and motivation of the people involved. It may surprise you, but the name you give to your Intranet Project could well be the most important decision you make in the early stages of mobilisation!

The Direct Approach

There is an argument in faour of naming your Intranet Project the – wait for it – “Intranet Project”! Often, so-called “secret squirrel” names (where one has to ferret out from colleagues what Project Banana is all about) serve only to create an unnecessary air of mystique (fit only for secret M&A projects). They can also serve to be divisive, by separating ‘people in the know’ from people outside the immediate project audience.

The functional approach

A functional name focuses on what the intranet does (e.g. search, find, access). This enjoys the same benefits as the direct approach, but affords one a little more poetic license. What about names like “Project Connect” or “Project Gateway”, which serve to signal the core “must have” requirements for the project?

The conceptual approach

There is a problem with the direct or functional approaches; Research from Cranfield has demonstrated that people on projects tend to be very heavily influenced in their actions by the name of the project itself. If you call your project the Intranet project, it is a working intranet (i.e. the technology) that you will get. If your ambition was something much more visionary, such as a wholly new way of working for your people, you are likely to be disappointed!

The conceptual name targets what is achieved by the functionality, rather than the functionality itself. For example, if your company name was BigCo and your purpose was seeking to get everyone in the company working together, you could call the project “Project OneBigCo” or “Project Unity”. For the aforementioned new ways of working objective, you could use “Project Future Workplace”.

The abstract approach

The abstract approach deals with how the project makes people feel. For example, “Project Bliss” (for happiness), “Project Wizard” (for magic) or “Project Pulse” (for fast-pacedness). Although one world usually fails to capture all you are trying to achieve with an Intranet Portal, this approach can prove highly effective (particularly where counter-cultural).

If all else fails

Nothing grabbed you so far? Well there is no saving you, then! I suppose there are always the standard fallback options: names of greek or roman gods, names of planets, names of birds and names of dances. These have the added value that – if you spawn follow-on projects in a sequence – you have ready-made logical follow-on project titles. Incidentally, “Project Mercury” would be my recommendation for planets or gods (as Mercury was the roman god of communications).

For more ideas on project names, why not check out my presentation in chapter 10 of my (free to access) Intranet Portal Guide.

Top 10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Choosing a Business Name

In this rapidly growing economy, it is commonplace to see businesses in every nooks and crannies of the world. Sole proprietorship is having the highest number of registration. From the home-based entrepreneur to the shop owner, and then the small office consultant, people are taking advantage of the freedom enjoyed in becoming their own boss.

Billions of corporate monies are invested yearly in starting new businesses. A visit to the Lagos office of the nation’s registrar of business names buttresses this fact.

While it is true that anybody can start up a business of their own, many entrepreneurs have fallen short of the leveraging that accrues from this experience. This, to a large extent, has to do with the disadvantaged names worn by these businesses.

A business does not actually begin by formulating a business plan or opening a bank account. It starts from choosing a name. There’s more to business names than just identity. The right name is an advertising tool. If the name doesn’t describe the nature of your business, potential clients may not realize that you offer something they need.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 mistakes to avoid when choosing a business name:

1. NOT KNOWING WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS YOU ARE IN. It is surprising that some entrepreneurs choose a name with little or no indication of what type of work the organization actually does. Including a descriptive word in your business name can be useful when marketing your products or company. This may be made possible if you have identified what differentiates you from competitors. Take the following examples:

Adenix and Sons

One Love Enterprises

Just You Shop

Can you tell me what any of these companies do? No! They’re relying on customers already knowing who they are (a tricky proposition for new businesses).

2. USING A NAME THAT IS TOO LONG, DIFFICULT TO REMEMBER, SPELL OR PRONOUNCE. A good name is something that can be mentioned on radio or over the phone without explanation. People will make a quick decision based on their first impression of your business name. Put the name through a spelling test and ask others to spell it. So, choosing a name such as “Lolitoesy” is not a good one.

3. NOT SPENDING QUALITY TIME BRAINSTORMING. Business names are not “spur of the moment” creations. It is the result of possibly long days and nights of brainstorming, digging the Thesaurus for synonyms and antonyms, interrelated words and words that have some kind of relationship with the proposed business activity. The big companies even hire expensive consultants to help them choose the right name for their businesses or products.

4. PROMOTING A NAME WITHOUT TESTING AND CHECKING ITS AVAILABILITY. Once you have chosen a few names, test them out on friends and family, potential clients and everyone you know. Ask them what kind of service they feel you provide and feeling they get about the name. You’ll be surprised at how honestly they give you suggestions. Then you can proceed to check availability at the name registry nearest to you after being convinced it’s best. Don’t waste money on letter heads and complimentary cards trying out a business name already chosen by someone else.

5. CHOOSING WORDS WITH NEGATIVE OR NEUTRAL CONNOTATION. A word’s connotation can be positive, negative or neutral, depending on the emotional associations that people generally make. If you are starting a transport business for instance, you don’t want it to have a weak sounding or negative name, such as “Willow Twig Trucking” or “Kitten Transport”. You want a business name that conveys strength and reliability. A choice such as “Stone Creek Transport” would be much better. Remember: Words are powerful.

6. NAMING A BUSINESS AFTER THE FOUNDER OR ANY OTHER PERSON. It is a common tendency for a business to be named after the original founder. This approach can make customers expect the personal attention and care of the owner. Using your name, followed by the type of service works well if you have an already established reputation in your specialty. But, if you are planning to one day sell your company, a company-owner named business is less attractive.

7. NOT CONSIDERING THE FUTURE. Robert Dilenschneider wrote about a public relations person who broadened her services from just writing to media relations and had to change the name of her business from Miller’s Writing Services to Miller’s Communications. Aside brainstorming for ideas, you need foresight in choosing a name. Even if you are operating a highly-niched product, select names that would represent a broader category of your product line.

8. FAILURE TO GET THE RIGHT DOMAIN NAME FOR YOUR BUSINESS. If your business activity is almost 100% online or will do better having an online presence, you may need to consider starting your search by getting a suitable domain name for your website first. In the modern world of the internet, where people automatically turn to the web for information, it pays to have a domain name that reflects your site or business.

9. NOT AVOIDING LAWSUIT. Be unique. The best you can be trying to be someone else is second best. Avoid being a copycat. Using a name similar or identical to that of another business can get you into problems including legal issues. If you call your line of equestrian apparel “Polo Sporting Designs”, the holder of the trademark “Polo” – the giant Ralph Lauren – may slap you with a lawsuit.

10. NOT CONSULTING A BUSINESS NAMING EXPERT. While the services of lawyers, chartered accountants and chartered secretaries can be invaluable in the registration of a business name and company, these categories of professionals might not understand the selling and marketing principles that copywriters can use to your advantage. A good copywriter is always looking for ways to help you communicate more effectively to more people.

Internet Marketing Ideas – How to Market Your Business Online

Marketing your business online is one of the important things that businesses can opt these days. With people now searching online for the products they want to buy, and many people are even doing their shopping online. If you want to bring your business online, you have to learn some internet marketing ideas to help you market your business.

Here are some internet marketing ideas that you may want to make use in promoting your business online.

– Create a professional looking website for your business. If you want to attract the attention of online readers and create a good impression for your potential customers, make a website that reflects professionalism. Make sure that you have well-edited website content, colors that are not too glaring but not too dull as well.

– Get yourself a good domain name. With the many heaps of websites now existing on the internet, it is important that your website can be seen easily seen by online readers. A good domain name that represents your business well can be a good marketing idea. You can buy a good domain name with minimal fee including site maintenance.

– Make your website user friendly and easy to navigate. One of the basic considerations in making a good website for your business is to make it easy and convenient for your readers.

– Create a good keyword list. Keywords are your keys to getting noticed online as well. Make sure however that you get the right keyword or key phrases that best describes your business. It is important to note that your keywords can determine your success in promoting our business online, so make sure you research on this aspect. If you opt to advertise your business on the search engines, poor choice of keywords can lose you a lot of money, so make sure you get a good list of keywords for your business.

– Optimize your website for the search engines. If you want to be seen online, one of the basic and most important internet marketing ideas that you should not forget is to make sure that your website is visible in the search engines. Add keyword-rich content, optimize your meta-tags, and advertise on the search engine results page. Google AdWords is one tool to help you promote your website to the search engine results page, but as mentioned, always make sure you have the right keywords for your online advertising.

– Advertise in other related websites. Aside from the search engines, other internet marketing ideas that may be useful in promoting your business online is to advertise online in other people’s websites that are related to yours. If your business is about sports wear and equipment, you may want to advertise your site in sports website.

– Create your business e-mail, set up auto-responders and don’t forget to add a ‘Contact Us’ form in your business website. Another important things in business is to make our customers feel that they can always count on us even after their purchase.

Basics of Creating Business Names

Creating a business name is among the first steps of starting a new business. Coming up with a good name may be easy for some, but many others would struggle with the task. Whether you are starting a local, global or an online business, you need to have an attractive and inviting name. Here are some basics of creating business names.

Let us look at the four basic ways:

Personal or Family

This is relatively easy to do. This could be your full, first or your family name. You can also use initials, or if you have a partner your names together. Examples: LL Beans, McDonald’s, RM Williams, Gillette.

Descriptive

These are generic names and make it easy for the potential customers to identify what kind of business or service your company provides. Examples: International Business Machines (IBM), British Airways.

Combined Personal and Descriptive

This is a combination of personal/family with generic descriptive names. Examples: Ford Motor Company, Dell Computers, Dunlop Tires.

Created

These are simple ‘no-sense’ words or combination of words. Examples: Amazon, Google, Microsoft.

You can use any of these four basic methods to name your business. You can also combine two or more methods and generate a creative and attractive name. When creating a business name here are some important things to remember.

Do not be too local – unless you have a particular reason. If you ever want to expand, this will prove to be a big bottleneck.

Make it easy to understand, spell and pronounce. A company name should be hard to forget and easy to spell.

Avoid very generic names, such as Joe’s Saloon, Sam’s Bar, etc. They are not very memorable.

During the naming process, Google search by entering your chosen name inside double quote marks. See if there are any other businesses with the same name, particularly in the same country or local area.

Check availability of domain names – even if it matter only in distant future. Make sure that YourCompanyName.com or whatever is available, and get it registered once your have finalized your business name.

Choosing a business name is a marketing decision. So, choose simple and straightforward over complex or clever.

Timeless Letterhead Printing Ideas

Letterhead printing may not last forever, but if you are going to be in business for a while, you should try to make a design that can stand the test of time. If you have never invested in letterhead designs before, now is the time to work with your branding and logo and come up with something creative. There are many ways to approach custom letterhead printing, but here are a few tips to consider as you hit the drawing board for your new project.

Keep it simple

Letterhead printing designs don’t have to be gaudy or flashy. In fact, to make the most out of each letter your business creates, try to go for something a little more subtle. The smoother the look, the more focus you will get from your target audience. You may not be expecting to boost business with letterhead printing, but by putting your best foot forward, you can gain a lot from a minimal design.

Incorporate color

The greatest letterhead designs always use color, so unless you can only afford to print black-and-white, it is best to incorporate a splash or two of color. This can be in the form of your logo, business name, or the design accents on the footer of header of your printing. I have found that a little goes a long way when it comes to color. And for letterhead printing, try to keep your colors to only two or three. You don’t want to overload the reader with too many hues. It could distract them from that actual purpose of the letter you create.

Brand the basics

As you consider the different design options of letterhead printing, don’t forget to include the basics. Your logo, business name and contact information are all very important aspects to include for your custom printing, so be sure to find a place for that information. It is common to neglect the necessities when you are so wrapped up in the visuals, but even if your letterhead printing is appealing, it won’t serve its purpose without the basic information.

If you consider these three tips, you can create professional designs that will be sure to stand the test of time. Letterhead printing isn’t a new or unusual way to brand your business, so if you create a style that works for you, you can use it time after time. If you want to send these letterhead designs to another level, think about creating custom envelopes and business cards to coincide with the style and branding.

Biblical Business Names: Company and Product Names Inspired by the Bible

Not long ago novelist Marilynne Robinson published an article in the New York Times about Biblical references in literature, which got me thinking about Bible-inspired company names and product names.

Surprisingly, there aren’t that many.

Robinson pointed out in her article, “Biblical allusions can suggest a degree of seriousness or significance.” They have gravity and resonance and indicate a complexity of experience, she noted.

I believe these points can apply also when Biblical allusions appear in business names. Because of widespread education in religious faith, Bible-inspired names often draw on a well of familiarity. They have more potential for long-term relevance and recognition than references from movies, songs and other elements of popular culture.

If you are running a secular business, you might want to avoid a religious flavor. However, as you’ll see in most of the examples below, Biblical references don’t necessarily come across as either sectarian or devout.

Biblically derived names fall into these categories:

1. Characters from the Bible. For example:

* Samsonite – After Samson, the Old Testament’s legendary strong man.

* Lot’s Wife Gourmet Sea Salt – A reference to the woman married to Abraham’s nephew, who was warned not to look back as they fled the fire and brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrah. She did, though, and was turned into a pillar of salt.

* Bezalel Coins – In the Book of Exodus, Bezalel was a master artisan chosen to craft the Ark of the Covenant and other sacred objects.

2. Words, phrases or concepts from the Bible, especially from the Book of Proverbs, but also from other parts of the Bible.

* Iron Men – A two-man construction company in Michigan named for Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

* Apples of Gold – An online jewelry company that explicitly notes a reference to Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold, in settings of silver.”

* Forbidden Fruit – A store in Austin, Texas that sells (ahem) adult toys, named after the scene in the Garden of Eden where naughty Eve persuades Adam to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, which God forbade them to consume.

3. Chapter or verse numbers. This kind of Biblical reference surprised me, as most people can’t cite chapter and verse by memory for familiar Bible passages. However, when explained, these allusions have resonance.

* Fitness 9:27 – A personal training company whose name points to I Corinthians 9:27: “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

* Thirty-One – A direct sales company offering purses, tote bags and organizational products, whose mission of celebrating, encouraging and rewarding women parallels the evocation of the Woman of Valor in Proverbs 31.

In North America, Biblical references – especially those from the Old Testament – tend to have an ecumenical flavor and don’t necessarily identify you with a particular religion. However, internationally that may be less true.

While discussing company names with a man intending to set up headquarters in Dubai with a company name in English, I asked him about using the name Solomon to evoke wisdom. “No, that would be perceived as Jewish. Islam has the same figure but refers to him as Suleiman.” And naturally, in India or Indonesia, King Solomon may not evoke any associations at all.