What’s blogging got to do with it?

I hear this question all the time… so finally, I decided to write a blog about blogging! How cool or crazy is that? Interesting I’d say, so please keep reading!

A lot of what you’ve heard about blogging is true… yes it’s a space to write down your thoughts and share what’s on your mind. But it’s also a place to share valuable information about your business, products or services. It’s a great tool to elaborate on the information currently on your website for those people that want to know more about a certain subject but don’t necessarily want to pick up the phone and call. Not just yet anyway… Your website should be clear and to the point with enough information to let people know who you are, what you do and how to contact you without overwhelming them. In this case you could redirect them to your blog for more details and information so they can just keep reading.

If you’re sending out a company newsletter and you want to share an article on the latest trends or tips but you don’t want a long, drawn out, forever scrolling down email… the solution is simple! You can share a paragraph in the newsletter and just link to the full article on your blog. They can click on the link and keep reading if they want to or skip to the next subject if they aren’t interested. Once on your blog they can sign up to receive your blogs directly to their inbox or keep surfing around and checking you out! Your blog can then redirect them back to your website, your facebook and all your other social media marketing services. Talk about full circle connections!

Do blogs really help with SEO? The answer is – YES! All the linking back and forth to your website from the various social media sites creates valid links that the search engines love to track – that’s how they determine that you are real and that people are actually visiting your site. If your blog is public, anyone can read it and the great thing about that is that potential clients can find you when doing a search with key words related to your field or industry.

Your blog should be consistent with all of your marketing – brand yourself with the same colors, same design and same look all the way around. Everything from your business cards to your rack cards, email marketing, website and blog should all basically carry the same theme. This helps people recognize who you are at first glance.

If you’re not to internet savvy and need some help, worry not! There are some great people out there that would love to help you put it all together and train you on how to manage and update it yourself, or do it all for you if you don’t have time. They are experts at making you look and sound great while you just focus on running your business. Hey, that’s one less hat you have to wear!

Remember, the more you put yourself out there is cyberspace the greater your chances become of potential clients finding you and your business. Happy blogging everyone!

MGS Designz & More is dedicated to growing your business and getting you noticed! Whether you need marketing for print or online, in English or in Spanish, we can do it all! We’re about to reach our five year anniversary in business and we’re very excited about it. We’ve been proudly serving the SWFL area and beyond and all the while we have been learning and growing every step of the way. Our client base is mostly referrals from happy customers who have good things to say about how we helped them with their marketing needs.

We gladly customize our services to fit your specific needs and meet your specific goals. We help you take your marketing campaign to the next level so you can stand out from the crowd. We believe in creating unique and memorable marketing pieces that will help you reach your potential clients and make them yours. Are you tired of ordinary? 

Here at MGS Designz & More, we specialize in:

• Awesome Marketing Consulting
• Great Graphic Design
• Custom Web Designs
• Outstanding Blog Design
• Creative Content Writing
• Extraordinary Email Marketing
• Fun Facebook Fan Pages
• Effective Social Media Marketing
• Amazing Designs for Print
• Professional Translations

We take the time to listen to what you want and then give you our best effort every time. We are committed to serving you on your time at a price you can afford. We cater to our clients needs so rest assured you are in good hands. We handle everything from logo design to web design to creating your entire marketing campaign for both web and print. If you need help with writing your content or translating it all into Spanish, we can do that too! We have teamed up with a great group of local professionals that can meet all your needs with one easy phone call!   

Are you ready for great marketing? Contact us today to schedule your FREE one hour marketing consultation! Please feel free to email us at  or call us today at mgsdesignz@gmail.com (239) 282-2869 or at (954) 326-5366. 

 MGS Designz & More is a proud member of the following:

If you are a female interviewing for a job, you may know the interviewer is a female, wearing a nice perfume or nice smelling lotion is a good idea. You want to make sure you are memorable. Having cracked hands that are rough are not a good idea. Bathing in perfume is also not a good idea, however, you want to make a lasting impression, so spend time choosing something natural but sweet.

For men it is the same, you want to be neutral or masculine. If you are going to shake someone’s hands, specifically a female, you do not want rough-dry hands. You also do not want to smell like apples, so nice colognes or neutral lotions are sufficient.

When it comes to your scent the more simple the smell the better. If you have to ask, don’t do it. Best of luck!

-Mackleen

Recently, Grace and I had a discussion, which completely reaffirmed my thoughts and intuitions about image branding. Last year when I heard the rumblings of Ben Roethlisberger’s alleged lawsuits I knew I was going to have to have a talk with Grace. Eventually she asked me about what was going on and why people were accusing “Big Ben” of all these bad things. I basically gave her the “G-rated” version of the Ben allegations and tried to explain why he was in trouble.

Shortly after, I notice Grace’s room is missing a few posters (Roethlisberger), a few football cards no longer in the frame (Roethlisberger) and I found an NFL jersey in the garage sale bag in the closet (Roethlisberger).

I have spent a great deal of time thinking through Grace’s decision to eliminate Big Ben from her list of NFL superstars.  I assured myself that it all comes down to character, which is a key attribute and fundamental foundation of business we all tend to underestimate, everyday. No matter what product you are trying to sell, what message you are trying to market or what promises you are trying to advertise to your customer base…at the end of the day what truly means the most to your customer, is the character of your company and your people. The people you put out in the field are the very ones who interact day to day with your customer base and therefore truly embody who you are as a brand and what you stand for.

Why do we do business with who we do? Cost is important, quality is important, performance is important…but we all ultimately make business and purchasing decisions based on the relationships we make…with people we can trust and with the very people who live by the same character and moral standards that we value ourselves. Without real brand integrity, you are simply marketing false messages to your customers….messages so transparent, that even a nine year old can see through.

Author: Jess Held
www.lessingflynn.com

At second glance I find that I like the change.  Not perfect but…  Perhaps I DID learn something from my graphic design professor, Mario Garcia.  Well we’ll see,  I’m not done yet.  My goal is to create a flexible yet consistent logo which will represent my “brand”.   I want it to work on my website, business cards, facebook fan page (below), or for that matter anything else I deem brandable (a new word perhaps, but it works).  Remember, higher ed. work represents the lions share of my market, but since I also do commercial and editorial work, it is important first to emphasize the photography.

I intend to modify or  ” grow”  the design as I see fit.  As long as I don’t stray from the basic “template” I’ll attempt to make this as adaptive as possible.  Stay tuned,  this should be fun.

1CCU is a full service public relations and image branding firm that has a growing team of experienced associates in the fashion, corporate and entertainment industry, enhancing and expanding the careers of our clients. Our company is built on creativity and a dedicated focus to building strong relationships through hard work. Our clients benefit from our hands-on approach to image branding and the competitive edge of the public relations world. Through individual consulting with our clients, we focus on developing marketing campaigns that will lead to the success and positive recognition of their brand image.

As a respected professional in the Marketing and Event management industry and a member of The Entertainment Publicists Professional Society (EPPS), I have designed and executed numerous successful marketing campaigns through creative and imaginative methods to help our clients gain the exposure and reach to their desired audience. Our goal is to design and implement a strategic public relations campaign through the development of key concepts and directions that will ensure the consistency of the campaign with the artist visual and goals. Some of the main elements to our campaign strategies are to initiate a number of high profile events that will showcase the artist/client that includes in-store appearances, book signings, and awards after parties, listening parties, press conferences, and charity fundraisers.

We pride ourselves on thinking outside of the box to bring our clients careers to unlimited levels of success.

1. Far Cheaper and Much More Flexible Than Print Advertising
The Internet is extremely different from print advertising in that space is cheap, your advertisement is accessible for a longer period of time, the content can be changed without having to ask someone to do it for you (if you use a content management system) and you can potentially reach a wider audience.

This is not to say that you should not use other forms of advertising at all. You can use it to entice people to visit your website and find out about your company and potentially open two-way communication between the potential customer and a sales person.

2. Market Expansion
The Internet has allowed businesses to break through the geographical barriers and become accessible, virtually, from any country in the world by a potential customer that has Internet access.

3. Diversify Revenue Streams
A website is not just a medium for representation of your company, it is a form of media from which everybody can acquire information. You can use this media to sell advertising space to other businesses.

A recent trend has risen where businesses feature their very own directory of complimentary services, where the visitor can search for information on a business that will enhance the use of your service. The business sells complimentary businesses a listing in their directory.

A good example is a catering company featuring a directory with businesses such as event co-coordinators, electronic equipment rental companies, etc.

4. 24 7 365
No more turning customers away when its time to close shop, putting up a note saying closed for public holiday , or leaving an irritating message on your answering service specifying your trading hours tell them to visit your website for information they are looking for.

5. Offer Convenience
It is far more convenient for a person to research a product on the Internet than it is to get in a car, drive somewhere and look for or ask someone for information on a product. Also, a potential customer won t have to judge a call centre agent to determine whether he/she has their best interests in mind, or just wants to make a sale.

The potential customer can visit your website whenever they like in their own privacy and comfort, without the stresses and distractions that exist in the real world .
Your website is a self-service medium for example, instead of having to wait in a long cue to pay your TV License, you can now do it electronically through the TV License website.

6. Add Value and Satisfaction
By offering convenience, a point of reference and that touch of individualized customer service, you ultimately add value to your offering and your customers experience a higher level of satisfaction.

Your website can add value in other ways too, by featuring tips, advice and general interest content you can entertain your customers. This will also help them remember you better.

7. Standardize Sales Performance
By looking at which approached / pitches have worked in the past and those which have not, you can produce the ultimate pitch and use it with your website, so that you use it on every customer. No more training of sales people and waiting for them to get a feel for your line of trade.

8. Improve credibility
A website gives you the opportunity to tell potential customers what you are about and why you deserve their trust and confidence. In fact, many people use the internet for pre-purchase research so that they can determine for themselves whether a particular supplier or brand is worthy of their patronage, and won t take them for a ride.
The Internet also allows for Viral Marketing where your website visitors spread positive word-of-mouth about your business – your customers do your marketing!

9. Promote your Brick n Mortar Presence
Getting lost trying to find a place can be frustrating for a potential customer. You can publish what they call a dummy map on your website, which shows directions and landmarks graphically, and the potential customer can print it out when looking for your Brick n Mortar premises.

You might advertise a promotion on your website encouraging the visitor to visit your Brick n Mortar premises (e.g.. At a branch near you! ).
Also, if you recently moved to a new location, you will have to wait for the next ‘phone directory to come out before people figure out where you currently are. Because a website is flexible you can change the content as you like you can change you contact details instantly and lower the risk of losing customers when moving to a new location.

10. Growth Opportunity
A website serves as a great place to refer potential investors to, to show them what your company is about, what it has achieved and what it can achieve in future.

11. Two-Way Communicative Marketing
Customers can quickly and easily give feedback on your product and/or marketing approach.

12. Cheap Market Research
You can use features on your website such as visitor polls, online surveys and your website statistics to find out what your customers like more and how they feel about certain aspects of your business to determine how you can improve your product and the way you do business.

Fore more information visit us at www.mediaspawn.com

Trend Spotters

No matter what kinds of products you choose to include in your programs, it’s critical to stay ahead of the changes. In any product category, new trends take hold and old ones die out, and in the consumer electronics industry, there’s always something innovative looming on the horizon.

Program planners need to focus on these trends, Rivera said, to stay ahead of these cycles. “Watch redemptions closely so you can prepare selections that are relevant to your demographics,” he said. “You need to anticipate what is desirable in times like these and, of course, understand what can be in store for you as a result.”

Just take a look at the recent 2009 International CES, where more than 2,700 companies showed up to hawk their latest innovations. There were roughly 20,000 new technology products at the show, which always features products that will shape the future of the industry for years to come. Hot trends this year included wireless, 3-D HDTV, advances in OLED, green technologies, Internet TV and digital entertainment.

At the show, Sony President and CEO Howard Stringer kicked things off by unveiling the “CES Seven,” key imperatives for creating the critical user experience. These seven imperatives can give you an idea of where the CE industry might be heading next. According to these suggestions, products should: 1. interact seamlessly across industries; 2. be service-based; 3. be multifunctional; 4. support open technologies; 5. advance the new shared experience; 6. create new value chains; and 7. be green.

So that’s what’s impacting the development horizon, but what are consumers looking for now?

According to CEA’s Director of Industry Analysis, Steve Koenig, “Consumers continue to seek the best picture, sound and entertainment experience available. With a majority of U.S. homes owning an HDTV, consumers are looking to add high-definition content through Blu-ray players, gaming devices and home audio systems.”

More specifically when you’re looking for items for incentive and reward programs, Romeo said the major trends are, “more user-friendly, all-in-one, stylish (in terms of color and design) and significantly smaller products.” Specifically when it comes to cameras, things like face detection, motion detection and even blink detection mean a camera can do almost anything. (We’ll highlight more trends in the digital camera arena in our May/June issue.)

Some items are always popular incentives and rewards, Reinberg said. “Televisions, iPods, headphones, Bose home theater systems, golf and sporting goods, GPS units and vacuums are extremely desirable,” he said. “Furniture and outdoor heaters are also popular now that people are entertaining more at home.”

The desirability of electronics spreads across all demographics. “The explosion of consumer electronics has a universal appeal to all ages,” Reinberg added. “There will always be likes and dislikes, but everyone seems to be attracted to cutting-edge technology for home and play.”

Electronics are particularly attractive for younger audiences, according to Rymax’s Rivera. “We have found that younger audiences usually gravitate to more technology-orientated or trendy products,” he said.

How can you sort through all of the trends to ensure your program is effective? Look for expert help, advised Reinberg. “Don’t be afraid to ask for advice when sourcing awards,” he said. “Take the time to learn about the award recipients and offer something that will appeal to everyone. Ease and value should be key to the offerings.”

To get you started, we take a look here at some hot items from across the incentive industry. When you’re ready to get started, you’ll find that The Davis Incentive Group is just phone call away.

Joseph Buhler Sales/Operations The Davis Incentive Group

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ll I wanted for Christmas was a big-screen TV, a Wii gaming console, an iPod, a new GPS that can save me some gas mileage—oh! and a camcorder for my family to catch the look on my face when I open all these goodies.

OK, the holidays may seem in the distant passt (or future) at this point, but it is interesting to note a couple of trends that were taking hold in late 2008.

First, we should note that according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), nearly 80 percent of adults had consumer electronics on their list for Santa Claus this year, from computers and televisions to video games and cell phones.

And second, according to SpendingPulse, an information service provided by MasterCard Advisors, the electronics and appliance category ended up having a tough holiday season, with declines of more than 26 percent compared to 2007. In particular, sales of more than $1,000 were hard to come by. Furthermore, the CEA anticipates that in 2009 overall, consumer electronics sales will remain essentially flat at about $171 billion (a small drop of 0.6 percent from 2008).

The consumer electronics industry is “resilient but not immune from the business cycle,” remarked Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the CEA at the opening of the 2009 International CES, the huge consumer technology trade show held every January in Las Vegas. “In a tough economy, our products offer high value for entertainment and an entry point for entrepreneurs creating new business.” Innovation in the industry, he added, has the power to help kick-start the economy.

What does all of this mean for planners working on incentive, reward and recognition programs?

Consumer electronics—always popular among consumers—are just as desirable, and just as innovative, as ever, but consumers are tightening their belts, closing their wallets and staying home to entertain themselves. This gives the electronics and high-tech gear you include as rewards and incentives for your targets even more power (no pun intended) than they already had.

Joseph Buhler (Sales/Operations The Davis Incentive Group)

Story by Emily Tipping… PIPMAG 2009

I want to know how you (or other “software” companies like you) could have the fucking audacity to complain about “unethical” things such as piracy. Even better, I want to know how you feel equipped to tattle-tale on viruses, cookies, or other such “malicious threats” when you, yourself are the only malicious bitch on my computer. I thoroughly resent these scare tactics and blackmailings from a company whose supposed goal is to help rid people of viruses, not create them. It is unscrupulous organizations such as this one that are to blame for the downfall of our economy and the moral gulch of this planet. Typhoid Mary

• 5 Ways to Keep Your Cellphone Virus Free – Mobile Mumps & Cellphone Syphilis… Coming to an ear near you! Yes my friends, that’s right. As these little devices in our hands get more and more powerful the little maggot hackers of the world can’t seem to help themselves. …

• The Harvard Law School Corporate Governance Blog » Warren Buffett … – Warren Buffett’s Frustration Over CEO Pay Practices. Posted by Broc Romanek, TheCorporateCounsel.net, on Monday March 5, 2007 at 7:07 pm. Always a fascinating read, here is Warren Buffett’s 23-page 2007 letter to shareholders. …

• My day – I came home from work early because I wasn’t feeling well. Do you think I would rest?? Noooooooo!! I changed and started laundry. I did put my feet up for about a half hour, but then I had to take the clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer and put more in the washer.

• Pierrepont Playground in Brooklyn, NY – Received Thursday, May 31, 2007 I am watching a sluggish looking, overweight, AA nanny respond to her charge’s thirst. The child is thirsty. The child’s see through sippy cup with the purple lid is empty. Will nanny get up and fill the …

• BloodhoundBlog.com The Hyper-Local Farm II My Ferrari Blows . – Prologue: My initial post on this subject, was widely read, and seemed to generate responses on one side or the other, not many in the middle. One commenter came at me full throttle, remaining civil, detailing why, a hyper-local farm not only wouldn’t work, but wouldn’t be any more productive than what he’s doing now, offline. We both, no doubt, think the other is partaking of herbs not meant for cooking.

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS - Mediaspawn’s web based Content Management System (CMS), allows anyone to manage, and publish a dynamic website without any programming knowledge or technical skills.
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