Archive for September, 2009
Creating Ads That Appeal To Most Cultures
Nowadays with globalization and all getting your business to cross can mean a better future for your company.
Let us face it with globalization everything is possible. Marketing your business and focusing your efforts beyond your country or tradition is now very much plausible. In fact conducting business abroad is easily done thanks to digital technology.
It is no surprise therefore that marketing strategies have evolved to include cross cultural differences and how to connect to a market group that is totally different from what you have been accustomed to.
The key here is to remember that the core of any marketing strategy be it full color printing for your marketing collateral or tv commercials is to encourage and motivate your target clients to buy your product. Basically marketing is all about convincing your target group that your business is all about them. This means getting them to believe in the benefits that you can give.
Nevertheless this is easier said than done when you try to bring your idea to those living abroad. Some concepts may be acceptable while others may just be annoying if not shocking for most.
Cross cultural marketing therefore means successfully incorporating all elements to complement all types of values and traditions as well as perceptions of your target market whether local or abroad.
So how do you do that?
Language
The bottom line in any cross cultural marketing is the language used to convey your message. It is actually a no brainer. How can your target market appreciate your business if they cannot understand what youre trying to say in the first place? Different language different words and different accents all contribute to the success or failure of your marketing efforts.
Although this fact is already moot most business owners fail to realize how language can affect ones marketing campaign. This is very apparent in most tag lines and slogans in marketing collaterals and other print ads. There are many blunders that can be found in the industry. If you look around you can easily find one.
Therefore to prevent many mistakes one must be conscious of the fact that language can easily put a different meaning to an otherwise regular and harmless word from one culture to the next.
Style
You probably think that communication should be straight and forward. But that is where you are wrong. Communication actually has its own style. Understanding the style that is appropriate for the culture that you are targeting can mean a great deal in creating yourself an effective marketing campaign for your business.
Color Numbers and Symbols
These elements play significant roles in making your marketing campaign accepted or not. In several cultures for example even the simplest and most ordinary shade such as red can translate a different story altogether. Red may mean luck in China but it can mean death for another country. The number 13 and 4 for example mean different things in the US and Japan. 13 is a very unlucky number in the former while 4 means death in the latter.
The bottom line is that when you want to create your ads that appeal to different cultures always remember to be aware of the principles and traditions involved in each culture. The best way to describe this is to know your target clients and identifying their particular needs wants and desires. When you are able to do that cross cultural advertising will be a breeze.
About the writer: Find out more about creating ads that would appeal to most cultures with the help of an expert color printing company.
Job Interviews
Job Interviews
Interviews; the thought of them can have even the strongest of us break a sweat. They happen everywhere everyday. Despite many employers and individuals saying that going through this process is common sense; believe me when I say that this is not the case. Being an international consultant Ive had the pleasure of assisting companies in their hiring process which been a pleasure that never fails to be an eye opening experience.
Here are some guidelines that will assist you in passing your interview with flying colours:
1 Prepare for the interview. This is a cardinal rule that is too often over looked and brushed off by many. Its important to research the organization you wish to work for so that you can demonstrate interest and awareness about what the company does! So many people go into an interview unprepared and its embarrassing not to be able to answer questions you should be able to answer. Being well informed shows that you are someone that pays attention to detail.
2 Be on time. A lot of people are often late or walk in at the precise time the interview is scheduled for. In order to look better prepared arrive at least ten minutes early. It will also give you the opportunity to take in your surroundings.
3 Be kind and introduce yourself to the receptionist if there is one. You want to make a good impression on everyone.
4 During introductions maintaining strong eye contact smile and have a firm but not bone breaking handshake. There is nothing worse than a soggy handshake. Always remember people’s names.
5 If you are offered coffee or tea refuse it politely as if can give you bad breathe. Have a glass of water if you want it. Make sure you also dont chew gum. There is nothing worse than watching something toss and turn in someones mouth.
6 Not enough people are considerate of their surroundings. Sit down only after you have been invited to do so and take note of their behaviour modifying your own accordingly.
7 Be confident friendly and interested. Elaborate in your answers so you look well informed but make sure to only share information that is relevant to the question. Nervous or not overtalking can be a real deal breaker for many employers looking to hire as it confuses and detracts from the issue at hand.
8 Avoid making negative comments about former employers or coworkers. It ends up making you look silly and will leave your new potential employer wondering if you would do the same to them.
9 Its important to show enthusiasm for the position and pride for wanting to be a part of their team!
10 Have gender awareness and dont make any comments that sway too far politically religiously or towards controversial subject matter that could leave talks tense.
11 Once the interview is done and youve returned home; send a thankyou letter to the interviewer. In terms of getting the job and leaving a positive polite lasting impression it can make all the difference!
Warmest wishes
Christie Ressel CEO and Creative Director
Personal Power Image Consulting
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Accomplishments and Accolades
Current VP of Programs for the Association of Image Consultants International Canada Chapter
International Consultant
Past Philanthropy Coordinator for the Association of Image Consultants International Canadian Chapter
Member of AICI Association of Image Consultants International
Interviewed and published in Echo and Pulse Magazine
Resident expert on Sim Stylist
Has been consulting and coaching for more than 6 years
Graduate of The International Image Institute
Humber College PR and Fashion Communications
York University Psychology
How To Track Progress From Article Marketing
Article marketing is a very popular way to market a new business. The idea behind article marketing is to put an informative article with your name and a link to your website in front of as many people as you can. The more people view the article; the more likely they are to click on your link visit your site and become a loyal customer. The concept of article marketing is simple: 1. Write an article that closely relates to your niche topic. 2. Make sure you have a killer title that will attract publishers and potential customers. 3. Carefully place keywords in your title and throughout the article. 4. Submit the article to a distribution service. 5. Put your name some background information about yourself and a link to your website in the author box. Surprisingly most people stop there.
These steps will get the job done but how well? Many people don’t bother to see how well their article marketing efforts are doing. They submit them and forget them. They don’t track their articles to see who is publishing them and where. Don’t make the same mistake. The only way to know if your article marketing efforts are effective is to track your progress. Determine which sites are sending you the most business and which sites are wasting your time. Gear the articles you write to the sites that are picking them up for publication. Only then will you maximize your time spent writing. This will provide more time for quality customer care and maintaining your website and less time marketing. How to Track Your Article Marketing Efforts There are a few ways to track where your articles are being published and how much traffic they are driving to your site. * Most article distribution sites have a feature that allows you to monitor your article submissions.
Once you register on the site and login you’ll be able to view the stats on your articles. While each article distribution site varies a majority of the sites provide information by the article. * You can see the number of times each article has been viewed or downloaded. This information gives you some idea of how popular each article is. It is helpful for future submissions on the same topic because you can tailor your articles to revolve around certain keywords. * Your own website also gives stats and shows picked links. Studying the incoming links from other websites will give you a better idea of which articles are getting the most attention. * Using a Google search on your name or the title of your article is another way to see where your articles are being published on the Internet.
If you search Google again a few months after your article has been submitted to a directory service you should start to see growth in the amount of websites that have picked up your article and published it. Spending a little time reviewing your article marketing efforts will save you time submitting to sites that aren’t working for you. Continue to submit articles to distribution sites that drive traffic to your business website. Regularly submit an article for distribution and you will see steady growth for your new business.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips hints Points to ponder and keep in mind techniques insights pertaining to article marketing Do please browse for more information at our website :
http://www.internetcopycatting.com
http://www.articlemarketing.reprintarticlesite.com