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1. Credibility
The better your credibility the greater your advertising effectiveness. This has been proven time and time again by those who have used toll free numbers in their advertising campaigns. Toll free numbers lend instant credibility which can not only easily directly double your conversion rates but shorten the time it takes to close new deals and enables you to build in higher profit margins.

1. Credibility
The better your credibility the greater your advertising effectiveness. This has been proven time and time again by those who have used toll free numbers in their advertising campaigns. Toll free numbers lend instant credibility which can not only easily directly double your conversion rates but shorten the time it takes to close new deals and enables you to build in higher profit margins.

It is amazing that even today with almost every company online that when it comes to business marketing, web analytics are still so under used. This isn’t even just an issue with those new to business marketing on the web, it is even rampant among those calling themselves Internet marketing experts and business marketing coaches. Why?

True, many of those just beginning online business marketing may not be aware of the access they have to web analytics or exactly how to use them. Though this really isn’t an excuse. Analytics and metrics are used in every type of business marketing today and if you aren’t watching the numbers you probably won’t be in business for very long. Web analytics for both your website and social media marketing as well as other forms of online business marketing are readily available at your finger tips so there is no reason for you not to be paying attention to them unless you really want to fail.

Other business owners and managers simply ignore their online business marketing analytics out of sheer laziness or because they just don’t feel that it is their thing. Entrepreneurs believe their success relies on the momentum of constant movement and taking action, not pouring over figures. However, they could see so much better results so much faster if only they paid attention to their web analytics. It doesn’t even take that long, even a few minutes a week can show you what is working, what is not and enable to tweak your campaigns for incredible results. This is the secret to truly maximizing your marketing ROI

Even if you don’t need the extra money in the bank that comes from better business marketing you will soon find that if you are not demanding the highest ROI you will be losing market share quickly, and if you don’t need the cash then give it to a worthwhile cause that does.

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Direct marketing has undeniably made a comeback. Everyone is well aware of the opportunities presented by this type of promotion. However the question still remains, what type of direct marketing strategy is working now? In this article, we’ll give you a lowdown of the best possibilities to explore at this point in time:

Mobile Opportunities – with the growing number of smart phone users and apps, there is an increasing opportunity for mobile marketers to send direct and targeted messages to their market.

Local Marketing – geo-targeting capabilities that are offered these days can be taken advantage of. This will improve the impact of your local advertising initiatives on the Internet.

Social Media – while the rate of social adoption is expected to be slow because most markets are already quite saturated, social media itself has already become a part of everyday life. By monitoring conversations and trends in these areas, marketers can have a better interaction with consumers.

Consolidation –the line between traditional and digital marketing agencies is becoming blurred. Many companies prefer agencies that have expertise in both. They want a marketing firm that can work across different channels.

If you own a small business, there are even more reasons to use direct marketing to your advantage. It is relatively inexpensive to implement and you are promoting to a highly targeted audience – so your conversion rate can shoot through the roof.

1. Real Estate
While there is no industry or company that cannot benefit from toll free numbers, real estate companies and agents definitely should not be in business without one. Building credibility and branding are perhaps the top two concerns of the many real estate agents that are rushing back into the business. Taking advantage of the rebound and toll free vanity numbers are the easiest and most cost effective way to achieve this.

1. Research

Any marketing strategy not founded on research probably has no more chance of success than the roulette table. That doesn’t mean it has to be incredibly expensive, but some market research built on real facts and figures is crucial for a winning marketing strategy.

2. Branding

Before launching any new marketing strategy, you must have developed your brand image in order to ensure maximum results in both the short- and long-term. This development should at a minimum include a unified brand incorporating your business name, web domain name, a toll free vanity number, and a logo. Unified branding will result in the biggest yields in terms of direct responses as well as repeat and future business.

3. Testing

Testing is absolutely critical for maximizing marketing ROI and survival in every industry these days. Once you have done your research and branding, get your online assets up and running quickly because without action, there can be no returns. However, instead of throwing your whole marketing budget on one channel or ad set, start slow, see how you can improve conversions, and constantly be improving your marketing strategy.

4. Grow Traffic

Before you can make a real impact in your industry and see high volume results from your marketing strategy, you are going to need to be able to get your message in front of a lot of prospects. It is true that paid Internet advertising is still an essential and effective part of any marketing strategy. Yet, growing your fan base, followers, subscribers, and website traffic will ensure you get the highest possible return on all of your future marketing efforts. Try building your opt-in email list with free reports, and run competition and promotions to bolster your social media fan base.

5. Create Your Funnel

While the main focus of your marketing strategy right now may be to generate immediate deals and revenues, do not overlook the future value of your contacts. Build out your product funnel so you can automate follow up and make the most out of every lead.

6. Monetize

Once you have your online marketing flow working smoothly and have cultivated a large following or at least a large amount of regular web traffic, it is time to monetize it and start really turning on the profits. Your main product line may be performing, and you may be converting others down the road through your funnel, but by joining leading affiliate marketing programs and working them, you can dramatically increase the value of every visitor to your site and really put the icing on your marketing strategy.

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Several years ago, even small businesses had to spend $6,000, $15,000, or even more on a business phone system in order to handle communications and conduct business with clients effectively. However, with advances in VOIP and cloud computing software, both new and existing companies can eliminate most if not all of this expense while maintaining a professional presence with premium toll free numbers.

Even better, toll free numbers can also help reduce the overall start up investment and monthly overhead. Toll free forwarding combined with Internet phone service can enable your organization to work on higher profit margins and even deliver a higher quality of customer service at the same time while eliminating the need for expensive business phone systems. Call centers and even large companies who need a more robust and elaborate business phone system can find hosted virtual business phone systems that offer more affordable options and flexibility.

In most cases, this new breed of business phone system solutions also offers faster changes when needed and less expensive maintenance. These new business phone solutions mean saying goodbye to the days of messing around with tech support for days on end or even having to deal constantly with replacing or adding new phones which can run hundreds of dollars each. It also makes moving and relocating easy, making your organization as a whole more flexible and able to take advantage of the best opportunities as they arise.

Taking advantage of the best toll free routing and forwarding features for your business phone lines can also give your organization the edge over your competitors who are still trying to do business the old way. And not only will it streamline your business processes but help in maximizing your marketing ROI. So before you go shopping for an expensive new business phone system or put out more money to expand or relocate an existing one, check out your other options; you may be surprised by just how much you can save in terms of money and gain in terms of efficiency.

1. Article Marketing
Article marketing has emerged in the last couple of years as one of the most powerful additions to a great online advertising strategy. Not only can article marketing be used to position you as an expert in your industry, but it can drive in lots of new traffic to your website and improve your website rankings with the search engines.

2. PPC Advertising
While there have been many new forms of Internet marketing emerging in the last year or two, PPC advertising should remain a part of your core advertising strategy. Done right, it can offer one of the most efficient and effective forms of online marketing and can provide instant results. It should include image and text ads for major search engines as well as through popular social media sites.

3. Press Releases
Press releases distributed across the web as part of your Internet advertising strategy can also be incredibly effective, create a buzz, and get your business noticed. Using sites like PRWeb and PRNewsWire, you can benefit from the viral capabilities of the Internet and boost brand visibility.

4. Blogging
While blogging is hardly new, it should not be overlooked as one of the best ways to drive masses of new traffic to your web assets and increase retention rates. When you look at the incredible volume a good blog can drive in, it is clear it should remain one of the most important elements of your online advertising strategy.

5. Email Marketing
A few years ago, email marketing suffered from overuse and lost a lot of its impact. But the cycle has come full circle now, and when done properly, it can prove to be one of the most inexpensive parts of your advertising strategy. With testing and incorporating links to social media and even video marketing, many companies are now seeing response rates between 10-50 percent compared with as little as 1-2 percent three to five years ago.

6. Mobile Marketing
Any company serious about being successful and staying ahead of the competition must be at least researching how it can incorporate mobile marketing into its overall advertising strategy. Mobile marketing will definitely be a differentiating factor between those who become leaders in their industries and those who fall by the wayside in the next couple of years.

1. Missed Branding Opportunities
Whatever type of marketing campaign you are launching, a vanity number offers instant branding. Even if your prospects do not take immediate action, an easy to remember vanity number will stick in their minds until when they do need your product or service. This truth applies to PPC advertising, direct mail, email marketing, and display ads.

2. Increased Response Rates
It has been proven time and time again that toll free vanity numbers consistently provide significantly higher response rates. So, considering the small investment it takes to get a winning vanity number, why anyone would ever dream of running an ad campaign without one is a mystery. Otherwise, you are not just throwing away money but handing those prospects over to your competition.

3. Improved Closing Ratios
Vanity numbers not only help increase the response rates to your advertising, but more importantly, they also improve the actual closing ratios from your campaigns. That is where you really put profits back into your pocket. Ask yourself how much a closed deal is worth, not only now but also in terms of the value of a lifelong customer and the referrals you will receive. Easily in the tens of thousands. So with some shared use, vanity numbers are available for as little at $19 a month. That small amount can provide at least two or three times the closed deals from a campaign. It is really a no brainer.

4. Tracking & Testing
Toll free numbers offer the ability to track and test easily all types of metrics and variables involved in your marketing. Those tools mean the ability to identify easily what is working well and what you can improve on so you can hone your marketing into a well oiled money making machine.

5. Maximizing Marketing ROI
These compounding factors of increased advertising effectiveness through better brand recognition, higher response and closing ratios, and well-tested campaigns means being able to see the maximum return on investment from your marketing budget. What you do with the extra profit is entirely up to you, whether it is expanding your marketing efforts, handing out bonuses, donating it to charity, improving your products or services, or just treating yourself to a well-deserved vacation in the sun. Going to the market without a vanity number is the equivalent of handing over large slices of market share to your competitors. Win or lose – it is all up to you.

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2011 may mark the year of the return of direct marketing. The importance of this promotional method is apparent. Direct marketing allows your company to interact with customers without any barriers. Some of the tactics that fall under this marketing strategy are:

Catalogs: Because printing costs are continually coming down, more companies are enticed by the possibilities presented by catalogs. Glossy, sophisticated, and attractive: catalogs are a direct marketing method that can easily entice.

Email Marketing: Traditional salesmanship still matters when you take your campaign on the Internet, but not by much. The key to having a successful email marketing campaign is to have accurate data. Once you know what the customers want, need, and desire, it becomes easier to target your email messages.

Social Media: Get responsive leads through social media. If you are like most companies, you rely on a certain demographic to generate most of your sales. Social media allows you to be in touch with your target market during people's “downtime.” When they visit social sites, they tend to feel more sociable themselves.
Basically, the main reason why direct marketing is so effective is because salesmen don’t make far-ranging assumptions. The campaign is based on detailed data that is gathered from the customers themselves.