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E-mail promotion

This is becoming more prevalent on the emails I receive. I wonder if this is another resource, corporations conceived as a way for their consumers to simultaneously become more interactive and provide free advertising for the company through brand promotion.

One of the important sides of marketing equation is market or customer. And no marketer can afford to ignore to check how developments are affecting customer. A change is both an opportunity and threat. It all depends upon how it is reacted to- whether it is seized and converted into customer value creating initiatives or it is allowed to depreciate value delivery. Consider how internet technology altered the value equation by enabling firms to deliver content (e.g. movies) directly to customers doing away with the need to buy or rent DVDs. Blockbuster lost to Netflix due to this. The web seems to be recasting the concept of market that can be targeted. The term ‘market’ now needs to be separated from the concept of location. The current campaign by eBay attempts to establish that shopping can be done sitting at home with an ease, economy, and convenience.

The customer side in a marketing exchange hides three roles. A transaction involves an act of buying, paying and using a product or service. This gives rise to three different sets of considerations. For the buyer ease (location, physical availability) of buying is important whereas payer role involves exchange of financial consideration like cash or card. The product or service is use or consumed and at this intersection point and benefits are delivered or extracted (user considerations involves what the product does and what benefits it delivers). Consider a simple case of Maggi noodles. The user often is a child (benefit-taste), the buyer may be the servant (ease or convenience) and the product is paid (price considerations) for by the parents.

In the old thinking, goods are produced by the firm to be exchanged with customer who ‘uses’ them to extract performance. This required for achieving satisfaction. Long time back Levitt proposed that people are not interested in drills rather their performance (holes). The user role can be complex which can deter people to buy drills. Recasting user role (simplifying) a drill marketer boost sales by creating do it yourself drills.  Earlier glucose monitoring systems made diabetes patients dependent upon doctors for reading blood sugar levels. New glucose monitoring machines have recast the space by transferring the user role to patients. Now they can monitor sugar level on their own, the skill required to do the job has been reduced. Washing machines intimidated many potential users for their usage required some kind of ‘expertise’ to press right buttons for right jobs. But now many marketers have launched smart models which on their own ‘read the wash requirement’ (fuzzy logic) create value by de-skilling the customer role as a user.

Apple’s current campaign (why wait?’) spells out how the brand can be bought and paid for in interest free installment plans. The company has adopted an open distribution model (not through mobile companies) and tied up with its distributors Redington and Ingram. This scheme tweaks the high upfront financial burden and places the brand within the reach of many who otherwise could not buy unlocking a hidden market potential. The new cab services launched by companies like Meru in metro like Delhi are based on altering the payer role. Now the cab service can be taken by distance travelled or time You pay for time you want to use a cab for or the distance travelled). This payment scheme allows firms to tap a new segment of customers. Earlier newspapers were expensive because they sought revenue from readers. But now newspapers make money not out of readers but from advertisers.  The ‘cash on delivery’ innovation has opened a huge internet based market in India.

There was a time when magazines could only be bought from newsstands or vendors. This subjected reader to ‘sold out’ situations and procurement inconveniences.  The shift to subscription based model by most of the magazines like India Today and Business Today creates value by changing buyer role. The inconveniences associated with buying things from markets and malls are throwing opportunities to new web based sellers like Jabong and India Times. Domino challenged the notion that warm restaurant food can only be ad in ‘dine in’ format by creating home delivery model.  Domino creates value by saving its customers from travel, parking, waiting, and weathering.

• ‘Short circuits spark 75% city fires’
• ‘Farmer loses Rs 15L in fire’
• ‘Woman dies in LPG blast’
• ‘Family loss both children in blaze’
• ‘Car catches fire in Lucknow’
• ‘Fire erupts on 3^rd floor of Indiranagar school’
• ‘TV sparks blaze in Andheri tower’

 The entire page was flooded with news related to fire and devastation it causes. The reporting could shock anybody out his or her slumber. And in the middle of the page, a message in red ink sounded a warning: YOU MAY BE LUCKY …But ARE YOU SAFE? Disturbing visuals like a distressed women crying, fire billowing out of a building and fire fighters dousing the fire aggravated discomfort by stirring anguish and pain over loss of human lives and property.

The newspaper ‘disturbed’ readers literally. It ‘interfered with normal arrangement’ (absence of agitation, trouble, balance, poise, equilibrium) of the way people look at fire and fire fighting equipments. The message aimed to throwing people out of their mental balance (cognitions in harmony). It disturbed the belief that we are ‘safe’. Safety is taken for granted. It created a friction in cognition & feeling. It compelled people to pay attention to the fact as to how safe they are? It questioned: is it their luck which has saved them from the fury of fire so far or they are actually safe?

This was an advertisement in the garb of actual news which used ‘shock and awe’ strategy to capture attention and sought to engage prospects into an issue which is taken for granted (low involvement). A balanced state or lack of friction makes the system closed and withdrawn (out of buying space). Throwing a potential customer out of his poise is essential to pushing him or her into decision frame or solution seeking behavior. The upsetting of mind created by the first page was followed by a big advertisement of a new product named ‘Fireguard’, a new fire extinguisher (by Eureka Forbes) with the headline: ‘It takes one call to get it. Or a life time to regret it.’ The ad signed off with a statement ‘Get it. Or regret it’.

Fire extinguisher is a low priority product because it is not perceived to be significant. This is due to the fact that people do not entertain an uncomfortable idea of fire to them to their property and take their safety for granted. Its ownership is not important psychologically or socially (higher order needs) and hence are not desired. However they assume importance when exceptions happen. When it rains we look for umbrella, when electricity goes off we look for candles/torch, when our car breaks down we wish we had bought breakdown service and when burglary happens we repent on not having taken an insurance policy. These are cases of sleepy needs and hence products that satisfy them are sought after.

Marketing is difficult to a sleepy consumer. Unlike an active customer (who is in a state of automatic arousal) a sleepy consumer is a withdrawn and closed system. People tend to be open and look out for anything that is of interest to them like interest in diamonds or sports or electronics. Marketing is easy in these situations. So what do you do to get a consumer who is in sleepy state with respect to a product that you intend to market?

Technically the Fireguard launch ad aims to shift people from their sleepy state to lively/ alert state. The message alerts its prospects by linking the product to an issue of importance (high involvement issue- devastating fire). This it raises the level of significance or importance that a customer attaches to a phenomenon. This shift is first essential step in starting an engagement with target customer. The brand is likely to succeed if brand manages to achieve importance transference. For instance Rexona deodorant once ran a campaign which showed how body odor could lead to socially embarrassing situation (rejection). Here the brand used social rejections (important issue) to gain importance in consumer’s life.

Brands win when they become important to their target consumers. But this is difficult for brands in those categories to which consumers are sleepy.

 This phenomenon prima facie appears to be strength but in reality it may not be so. But one thing is clear; Colgate achieved its leadership by being the first brand to imprint its name on a new category that it created.  This bestowed the brand a unique first mover perceptual advantage. This means whenever consumer thought of toothpaste, Colgate was first hit the mind. Mind dominance is a good strategy. When a brand manages to soak consumer mind with its presence like a dripping sponge very little is space is left for other brands to occupy. Brand dominance is a good preventing the competition strategy. If a brand manages to monopolize prospect’s mind, rivals brands end up being present in the market but not in mind and hence do not move off the shelves.

Brand dominance is much more than brand recall. In a typical branding situation, brand name (Coke or Dettol) signifies an offering of a company which participates in a category (Cola and antiseptic). It happens when a brand becomes synonym of a product category in consumers mind. It manifests in when consumers use brand name to refer to a product category. For instance this kind of situation was faced by brands like Dalda (vanaspati), Xerox (photocopying), Amritanjan (balm) and Tinopal (fabric whitener), Remington (typewriter).  This may a situation also with brands like Google (search), Maggi (noodle), Nirma (washing powder), Coke (cola), Bournvita (malt beverage), Sintex (plastic water tanks), Tullu (small pumps), Burnol (cream for burns) and FedEx (overnight delivery).  Brand dominance is good as long as consumer remains insists on the asked brand. Most of the above mentioned brands have enjoyed share advantage in their category.

What is common across all the brands mentioned above as dominant brands? Answering this question is likely to give a clue to achieving brand dominance. Most of the brands are category creators. These brands created category and imprint their name on it in prospects minds. They leveraged the ‘rule of being the first’ to their advantage. Psychologically firsts are always remembered. Therefore it is not difficult to recall first president, prime minster, first governor, first man on the moon, first to climb Mount Everest and first date. Late entrants have difficulty in registering themselves.  This is the reason why the first three brands end up dominating the market.  

So what do you do if you are not the first or among the firsts? It makes little sense to enter in a crowded category. The belief that a (perceptually) strong player can be dislodged out its position by a better product can turn untrue in marketing. Marketing is little about objectivity and more about subjectivity, it is a perceptual game. So if German cars are perceived to be superior or perfumes mean French, the consumer has already made up his or her mind. The entire external world is seen though this lens and information that contradicts or challenges is filtered or adapted. So the way out is to create a category out category and assume its ownership in consumer perception. Category slicing is the strategy.

Consider the following:

If you were to buy a toothpaste for sensitive teeth, which one will you buy Colgate Pro Relief or Sansodyne? Or if you want to buy a toothpaste with breath freshness benefits, will you buy Colgate Fresh Stripe/ Max Fresh or Close Up? Or if you need an ointment for back aches, will you take Iodex  or  Moove ? The answer probably is going to be in favor of brands which are mentioned later. All of these brands have sliced a share of the market (which tends be the first mover) by creating a sub category and becoming the first mover in their category.  Category fragmentation is a natural outcome of competitive system.  The latest to join the toothpaste industry in India is a toothpaste brand, Parodontax. This toothpaste by GSK has further broken toothpaste category by creating specialized toothpaste for bleeding gums. So the question is if you have bleed gums, which toothpaste would you prefer Parodontax or Colgate Total Pro Gum (Colgate Palmolive) or Pepsodent Gum Care (HUL). The choice is likely to go in favor of Parodontax. Both Colgate and Pepsodent become weak by becoming big. Isn’t it?

I am sure you have heard the story about a CEO who stood hesitantly in front of a shredder with some important documents in his hand wondering what to do next. A thoughtful subordinate who was passing by offered to help the big man – “Sir, let me do it for you!” Just as he fed the edge of the papers into the machine and hit the button the CEO said – “Can you make 2 copies, please!”

Well!

Yesterday, I attended a presentation on the fancied Cloud Computing services at an upmarket hotel in town – the organization making the pitch was none other than Amazon Web Services. I usually avoid naming organizations but am making an exception this time to prove that even the biggest can blunder.

The high voltage 3-hour pitch targeted CIOs, Developers and Solution Providers. The large hall was obviously set up with the help of local Event Managers; young girls and boys received the guests and ushered them in, there was a discotheque like atmosphere created instead with electronic music belted out from large speakers. The head of the room had a huge display announcing the name of the organizer and the event title. There were screens set up along the side of the hall to facilitate viewing. So far so good!

The program was to start at 2 p.m., but my friend and I arrived 10 minutes ahead of schedule and took seats after registering – the hall was nearly full by the time the clock went past 2 and then this smartly dressed gentleman walks to the microphone and starts testing the audio system – he goes “Check! Check!” and asks people at the back to confirm audibility. After that in a polite tone he says “We will start the program at 2:30 p.m. because we are waiting for more participants to walk in. After a while I shall start with some program trivia and then get into the program actual.”

Hello! I thought Jeff Bezos believed in speed and smartness at work? Obviously, this young man hadn’t heard these quotes by his Boss.

A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.

If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful. 

This article is word of mouth in action, isn’t it?

At 2:35 the same man, the smartly-dressed-in-a-suit guy, walks up to the mike and says he is a Manager with the organisation and would be leading the presentation; he started with a very bright “Good Afternoon!” and got a lame response from the audience. He gamely tried a second time, at a higher volume, and got a louder lame response.

He then gave us his name, an South Indian one, and added an Americanized abbreviation that we could use – Wow! He had us there! Mr. America is here to save the day. (Mr. Cheesy, we could do without that.)

What followed was a unmitigable disaster – death by PowerPoint!

He launched into a long rant about the company, its achievement, clients and success stories; add to that a boring diatribe on the product portfolio. The slides had a black background, to match the mood in the room. There were some graphic outlines in the form of clouds at the bottom of each page, but they definitely didn’t have a silver lining.

The presenter did ask the audience to raise hands to check how many were Developers, Solution Providers and so on, but did nothing afterwards to whet their interest. He was treating the audience as kids who didn’t know the subject – the pitch was low-key and basic. Even I, with no exposure to Cloud Computing other than articles read on internet, found the presentation childish. He promised to give demos but even after 90 minutes we got nothing beyond the dull drone of his voice – I had a tough time trying to keep myself awake.

At 4:15 my friend and I gave up, we settled down in a coffee shop across the road to assess the damage. As we made a hasty exit I checked the faces of our fellow-sufferers and felt the desperate looks saying “wish we could do that” – it was sheer politeness or maybe pressure from some higher authority that kept them there.

This young manager from a leading IT organization didn’t know the basics of Presentation Skills or the principles of adult learning.

-          Adults like to be respected: This guy was treating them like kids; he took them for granted. Basic stuff was being offered to a set of experienced people (that didn’t include me)

-          Adults are relevancy oriented: He was not able to show the audience how they could use the stuff to speed up or improve the way they did work – the example he gave were of some international organizations with home the audience had no connect

-          Adults like practical stuff: This was a boring tirade about the product – there was nothing in the form of demo or hands-on experience. He had lost the audience quiet early in the presentation

There is more, but for the moment I shall stay with just three. This dead horse has been flogged enough!

The slides had small-font text, hardly any graphics or pictures and there were no videos to improve levels of interest. I had mentioned earlier that the slides had a black background and the text was of a dull color too.

Let me add that he did try to involve the audience by asking questions, but they were the wrong kind – he just asked them to raise hands to confirm having heard about or used some of features mentioned. He would have got buy-in by getting the learned audience to respond with their own experiences.  He had either forgotten or wasn’t aware that it’s dangerous to make a dry presentation of this nature in the post-lunch session – in the training domain we call it the Trainer’s Graveyard!

This man from a big corporation had committed hara-kiri and he probably wasn’t aware of it!

We walked out without offering any feedback – the form provided feedback only asked questions that related to use and purchase of Amazon Services. How sensible!

It’s important for presenters to prepare the pitch based on the type of audience, the impact of the presentation needs to be tested constantly and he needs to think on his feet and change the pitch if things aren’t going right. Haven’t we seen professional speakers and stage actors using an adverse comment from the audience or even a wardrobe malfunction as opportunities to make a smart response?

The presentation needs to be benefit-focused and lively. It needs to prompt audience participation.

I have presented a negative sounding anecdote only to tell my readers that things can spiral out of control if one were to take too much for granted …. Your blunder can reach “amazonian” proportions!

When we assume too much we end up making an “ass” of “u” & “me” … No jokes!!

Can This Blog Affair Be Saved?

Here’s a sad letter from the Marketing Craftsmanship mailbag:

Dear Marketing Guy,

I’ve fallen out of love with my Blog and I need your advice. My sad story:

It was love at first sight. A company Blog had everything I was looking for in social media. It would drive SEO. Establish thought leadership. Engage clients and prospects. Create two-way communication. Build long-term relationships.

My competitors all had Blogs, and I needed one. It would complete my marketing.

Falling in love with my Blog was so easy. WordPress.com was the perfect matchmaker, and my Blog didn’t cost me a penny to build. I had big plans for my Blog. Topics we would cover together. Discussions I would moderate. I made a personal commitment to post regularly. My Blog and I would create beautiful leads together.

It was a great love affair…at least for a while.

After a few months, my Blog started demanding more of my time. But my Blog wasn’t living up to expectations. Few people visited, only employees commented on posts, and there were no leads in sight. My disappointment grew, but my Blog demanded even more content. “I need interesting ideas, not sales promotion,” my Blog would scream. We grew further apart. Weeks, and sometimes months, passed between posts.

Now, my blog and I are the office joke. Blog visitors wonder if my company has a pulse. My Blog has become a brand liability. I can’t look at the company’s website anymore, because my Blog is always there, reminding me of our failed relationship.

Does my Blog deserve a second chance? Or should I simply move on? Help!!!

Yours Truly, Blog Gone Wrong

Dear Blog Gone Wrong,

Lots of companies fall out of love with their Blogs. I feel your pain, but you’ll get little sympathy from me. Here are  a few questions to start you thinking about why your Blog relationship fell apart so quickly:

• Was your Blog part of an integrated marketing strategy…or just a temporary infatuation?
• Did you create an editorial calendar to provide content focus…or made promises you could never keep?
• Did you assign sufficient resources to ensure your Blog’s long-term success…or were you just looking for a cheap date?
• Was there a strategy to promote your Blog and to merchandise its posts…or did you think that would just “happen”?
• Were there tangible and realistic business metrics to measure your Blog’s ROI…or did you think pre-nuptuals would kill the relationship?

My guess is that you were attracted to your Blog’s many fine features and benefits, but were unwilling to invest the time and resources necessary to build a meaningful, long-term relationship. If that’s the case, you really don’t deserve a Blog.

You might be better suited for a relationship with a Twitter account.

The Marketing Guy

De illustratie toont een hardloopwedstrijd en aan de finish hangen twee rollen wc-papier.

Als argeloze toerist zou je denken dat het hier gaat om reclame gericht op mensen die urgente last hebben van hun stoelgang en richting toilet rennen.

Echter, dit is een reclame voor een tour en CD release van de popgroup Ketsumeishi. De link met het toiletpapier zit ‘m in de verhaspeling van het Japanse ‘Joy don’ (Op uw plaatsen…klaar…af!’) in ’Nyoi don’ (‘ik moet naar de wc’). Daarnaast betekent ‘Ketsu’ onder meer ‘achterwerk’ en heeft de naam ‘ketsumeishi’ ook nog een link met het Chinees/laxeermiddel.

Voorbijgangers konden, onder het toeziend oog van een bewaker, een rol gratis meenemen.  En via de QR-code kwam men op de site terecht van de band.

De plek in het station werd door de band aangeduid als een ‘Power Spot’. Daarmee steken ze een beetje de draak met een oude gewoonte.

Doorgaans zijn ‘power spots’ (een shrein, tempel, berg) plekken die door de bevolking magische krachten worden toegedicht. Mensen gaan naar dergelijke ‘power spots’ toe als ze een impuls nodig hebben op het gebied van gezondheid, geluk, voorspoed e.d.

Je zou kunnen zeggen dat dankzij het enorme aantal passanten, tienduizenden per dag, de lengte van het billboard, deze plek in Shinjuku Station voor adverteerders zeker een power spot is.

In Tokyo is buitenreclame (inclusief QR) qua bereik soms vele malen efficienter dan print of het uitdelen van flyers.  Vandaar ook het veelvuldig gebruik van reclamevrachtwagens in de drukke straten.

In the quest to bond with its market, Pepsi has launched its new campaign ‘Right here right now’/ ‘Oh Yes Abhi’.  It is interesting to see how brands change gears in their negotiation of psychological space in their search for relevance and resonance. Brand is much more than product, in this case the drink.  And the drink  is likely to deliver the same kind of experience. But then why the campaign has been launched that seeks to alter brand’s meaning semiotic ally? This brings us to the question whether people buy brands only for the utility sake or their delivery extends beyond functional boundaries.  A campaign that aims to alter brand symbolism without any  change of its product is certainly an effort given to align brand’s meaning with evolving consumer psycho-social reality.

Pepsi’s communication campaigns provide an interesting case study on changing youth psychology and life style. The brand is quick to size up the psychological space and read its undercurrents. It seizes opportunity in hidden concerns, dilemmas, and aspirations of its young target group. Prima facie Pepsi’s slogans appear simple statements with a very definite literal meaning. The denotative meaning actually is superficial to all these communications. The brand actually engages with its consumers at connotative level.  Accordingly communication says one thing at express level manner but quite another at the unspoken form. One of characteristics of good brand is that it forges bonds which transcend the logic, reason and rationality. Consider the following slogans which Pepsi has employed over the time:

‘Nothing official about it’ (1996)

‘Yeh dil maange more!’ (2006)

“Pepsi ye pyaas heh badi” (2000)

“My Pepsi My Way”(2009)

“Change the game” (2011)

 ”Oh Yes Abhi” (2013)

In an interview with ET (28/1/13) Justice Verma  said, ‘If the government takes time, they should make way for persons who are quicker. If, at 80, I am so impatient, govt should understand the impatience of youth’.  Philosophically life is a different phenomenon from what it used to be. The meaning of time, relationships, institutions, consumption and artifacts has changed. There has been a fundamental shift in life values, aspirations and goals: life is short, time runs fast, conflicting priorities, a lot to be achieved, now is when you exist, pleasure is fine, me is first, old is no wisdom.  The certainty (emanating from linearity of progression in everything) coupled with philosophy of abnegation (sense control) made contentment an easily realizable goal. When tomorrow is uncertain, the focus shifts to now, young seek instant gratification ‘ Cause time can’t wait then I sure can’t wait, I ain’t got no patience no I just can’t wait… ‘No time for procrastination’ (Now generation song). The dictionary meaning of ‘impatient’ is lack of patience; intolerance of or irritability with anything that impedes or delays/ restless desire for change and excitement. Impatience is fuelled by a desire to ‘do more’ (‘yeh dil mange more’/ ‘ye pyaas heh badi’) which proportionately reduces the time available. This is the reason why the new currency of trade has become time (do you measure distance by time or kilometer?)

The idea appropriated by new Pepsi campaign taps into inner psychological reality of impatient generation (psychology of instant gratification- no urge deferment).  The slogan ‘Oh Yes Abhi, does not urge you to drink Pepsi ‘right now’ as it may seem to suggest but seeks to give the brand a new consumer resonating identity.

 Prof Mitra, my esteemed colleague at FMS says that Pepsi’s slogans have a third layer of meaning which operate within the realm of sexuality. Read these slogans. They do seem to be laden with  sexual connotations.

‘Black Thunder’ chocola is een zg ‘long seller’. Een constante waarde in het schap. Maar sinds een Japanese deelnemer aan de Olympische Spelen zijn voorkeur heeft uitgesproken voor dit merk, staan de Japanse consument in de rij voor dit zwarte goud.

Bijvoorbeeld tijdens de promotie-actie in het station Shinjuku, Tokyo, waar je met je QR-code een stuk chocola uit de machine kunt halen.

Zie: Youtubekanaal Retail in Japan

NEW YORK, NY  – January 31, 2013 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – With four SBK World Championship titles in the last three seasons (Rider and Manufacturer in 2010 and 2012), Aprilia USA is making ownership of the most technologically advanced and confidence inspiring sportbikes accessible to even more riders.

Aprilia USA announced today V4ALL, a strategic price initiative for the Aprilia V4 family. V4ALL is designed to ensure that motorcycle riders who only dreamed of owning an Aprilia will have the possibility of purchasing the most technologically advanced sportbikes on the market at a price that yesterday was unthinkable, but today is possible. “Aprilia is the World Superbike champion,” said Miguel Martinez, President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas. “It is our V4ALL goal to provide more sportbike riders the opportunity to own and experience a world-championship derived motorcycle.”

Aprilia’s V4ALL offers highly competitive pricing on all V4 models so riders can find the perfect member of the Aprilia V4 family to fit their riding style at a great price. Enthusiasts can own a model year 2012 Tuono V4 R for $12,999, RSV4 R APRC for $13,999 or a RSV4 Factory APRC for $18,999. Lower prices are available on earlier RSV4 R and Factory models and riders are advised to check with their nearest Aprilia USA dealer. For more details on pricing and to find an Aprilia USA dealer please visit ApriliaUSA.com

Each member of the V4 family comes standard with the Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) system, Aprilia’s World Superbike traction control system. The APRC System provides the rider with traction control, wheelie control, launch control and quick shift – a technological platform not yet available on all sportbikes. For more information on the Aprilia Tuono V4 R, RSV4 R APRC and RSV4 Factory APRC models please visit ApriliaUSA.com

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ENEFINDER (www.enefinder.com) is a online directory for product search, product promotion and for updates on happening in the field of electrical, electronics and automation.  If you are some way connected to these sectors, you can enjoy several complimentary offerings from ENEFINDER.  Some of these are listed below:

FREE -  Membership – Just fill in the form and activate your account.

1. FREE - Product Upload – Log in as a Member to upload your products information & photographs

FREE - company Logo/Banner –  just send your logo/banner of 240 x 45 pixels to us & we will upload it for you for free, on pages where your products are posted..

FREE - Vacancies upload – Upload your job requirements giving all details

FREE - Candidates search – Look for candidates in database at ENEFINDER.

FREE - RFQ upload – Looking for new suppliers, or hard-to-find components? Please submit your requirements here.

FREE - Tenders Upload – You can upload your tenders here to get more offers

FREE - Product/Services search – You can search for any products or services listed on ENEFINDER

FREE – Product Enquiries –  You can directly send enquiries to the party for any products you found of your interest.

FREE – Exhibition Calendar – You can check for calendar of events displaying major trade shows of this field, around the world.

FREE -  News updates – You can read latest News updates on happenings around the world, in our fields.

FREE – Articles of relevant subjects – You can read relevant subject articles, or publish your own articles as well.

Are these not strong enough reasons for you to be a member of ENEFINDER?

Wish to join?  Please go to www.enefinder.com, and select ‘Register’ tab on homepage to fill in the application form.  After activating you account, you can long in and start availing any or all of the above free features.

And this is not all.  ENEFINDER is working to introduce some more features that would be of great benefit to users.  Very soon, you would be able to get such features which would enhance your membership benefits.

www.enefinder.com

There are also specialised exhibitions and trade fairs and similar events happening around the world at different times.  Not all these events can be visited by everyone and the meeting people are mostly from a very select and limited sector.  We also have specialised print media –magazines and journals devoted to this sector and being published from various countries.  Here again these cannot reach all the people concerned with this industry, and each of them have their own  circulation for hard copy as well as e-catalogue version of the print magazine/journal.  Some even have website covering their activity related to the magazine.

The most convenient way for all people around the world to access conveniently is online – internet based platform – portals.  Most leading and popular portals cover almost all kinds of products, commodities and services – right from agriculture to engineering and textile to mobile phones – covering consumer to industrial sectors.  In this crowd, one of the areas is Energy and Power (and it includes IT also).   Hence there is no focus on this sector.  A visitor could need good amount of time to reach upto the information he is looking for, or might as well get lost!

Select Most appropriate Platform for promotion:-

ENEFINDER (www.enefinder.com) is trying to find answers for these problems.  ENEFINDER is a very focussed and unique online directory for components, parts, products and services related to industrial electrical, electronic and automation areas.

Place your products information with photographs and logo for quick attention:-

If you are a electrical products supplier, electrical parts manufacturer, electrical equipments and machines manufacturer, manufacturer or supplier of electronic components, electronic equipments and products, ENEFINDER is  right place for you. This portal has very exhaustive list of product categories and sub-categories, and what is more convenient for users is a facility to add a new category or sub-category that is more relevant to their business.  You can upload information on your products, along with photograph and also your logo.  You will receive enquiry directly at your email address from customers.

 Launch your Products globally through ENEFINDER, very conveniently:-

ENEFINDER as a online branding platform offers multiple options for online advertising and promotion, website advertisements, internet advertising, internet-based product promotion, brand promotion, global marketing, and export promotion.  ENEFINDER has a place on its home page where, you can place a flash banner announcing new arrivals.  The very prominent location will attract several interested people to your products information.  You also can use other avenues for your further promotion, like:

v  Company Logo/Banner

v  Product or Process Video

v  Scrolling Display message

v  Value added promotion packages, specially designed to suit various businesses

You can select any of these features suiting to your marketing plan and budgeting, for sure results.

If you are a Service Provider, there is a separate section for you – Services

There is also a list of associated services required for this sector of business that include relevant and important upcoming electric power exhibitions, power & energy trade fairs, automation trade fairs, electronics fairs around the world,(in fact, ENEFINDER provides a calendar of exhibition events around the world),  important publications  (trade magazines, journals, magazines for electrical products and equipments, automation magazines, electrical power magazines etc.),  contractors (contracting companies, electrical projects contractors, automation and project contractors, plant erection contractors, building contractors, maintenance contractors etc.), consultants (chemical plant consultants, process plants consultants, consultancy companies, power project consultants, consultancy firms, engineering consultants, fertilizer plants consultants etc.), training institutions (job related product training, technical training, management training programmes,  product coaching, practical training courses, online training programmes etc. ), certification bodies and other associated business services (business services companies, outsourcing services, management consultancy services, electrical and electronic design services, trade shows and event management services, chartered engineers certification services etc.). This makes it so convenient for business to find their required service quickly and handy. Your business can be registered under relevant section/category to find it easily by your customers.

No Deal is complete unless you find a local agent/distributor

Even if you find a required product or component or machine, sales or supply cannot be so easy, unless you locate a local agent or distributor.  This makes agents or dealers so important link of the supply chain.  ENEFINDER has addressed this aspect very effectively with a separate section for agents/traders and distributors (electronic suppliers , distributors for electronic parts, dealers, agents for electronic products, stockists of electronic parts, exporters of electronic products,electric suppliers, distributors,  electrical agents, electrical suppliers,  electrical distributors, electrical products agents, exporters of electrical products ), where one can list upto 10 of his agency lines with each line having at least 10 different products.  It is hard to find such effective placing of agents/distributors on any other online platform.

Tenders & RFQs, Jobs & Vacancies, News & Events, Articles – Sources of Useful information:

What is more, ENEFINDER also has section for Tenders and RFQs (power projects tenders, tenders for new projects, tenders for electrical and electronics parts , bids and tendering services, tender notices for power projects), Jobs – Vacancies and Resumes, Forum – for News related to this industry, Technical Articles and Blog (Q and A) section in addition to a list of useful websites for ready reference by users.  If you are a supplier, you can check for latest and new enquiries and tenders from customers for quick offers.

In short, ENEFINDER provides nearly all required information for industry and people in the field of Energy and Power.  This should be a meeting and match-making platform for all the people in the field of Industrial Electrical, Electronics and Automation.  Membership and surfing all the information in website is free including free uploading of products and services.  ENEFINDER also offers excellent branding and product promotion opportunities.

So, make no delay to be a member and upload your products/services on this exclusive platform and use it for your product promotion and branding as well.  It really makes sense to be present on ENEFINDER, as this should be world’s only online platform and electronic directory covering this sector of industry.

How to Register Free on ENEFINDER?

It is easy to avail these services: On home page of www.enefinder.com, please go to “Register Free” tab and fill the Membership form.  After confirming your email address, your membership is activated, and you can then upload your products/services for free as well as have your logo placed on page where your products are listed.

            www.enefinder.com

You wanted more? You got more! We’ve had a great response so far to our experiment with single stamps. So much so that we are making ten more never-before-seen images available as single stamps available through March 31, 2013.

Details

• These stamps are available on any order type.
• You can find the stamp item numbers on the flyers.
• Single stamps can be ordered in the online store.
• These won’t be sent in our typical cases or packaging; they’ll be packaged in cello bags. If you’d like a case for your stamp, you can buy our Clear-Mount Stamp Cases that come in packs of four (item 119105).
• This offer is available for clear-mount stamps only.
• The stamps won’t come with a Clear-Mount Block, and you’ll need to buy a block separately if you don’t already have one. The recommended block sizes can be found on the flyer.
• There’s no limit on how many pieces you can buy.
• These stamps are only available through March 31, 2013, so get them while you can!

Promotion is one of the market mix elements, and a term used frequently in marketing. The specification of five promotional mix or promotional plan. These elements are personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and publicity.[1] A promotional mix specifies how much attention to pay to each of the five subcategories, and how much money to budget for each. A promotional plan can have a wide range of objectives, including: sales increases, new product acceptance, creation of brand equity, positioning, competitive retaliations, or creation of a corporate image. Fundamentally, however there are three basic objectives of promotion.

To present information to consumers as well as others.
To increase demand.
To differentiate a product.

There are different ways to promote a product in different areas of media. Promoters use internet advertisement, special events, endorsements, and newspapers to advertise their product. Many times with the purchase of a product there is an incentive like discounts, free items, or a contest. This is to increase the sales of a given product.

The term “promotion” is usually an “in” expression used internally by the marketing company, but not normally to the public or the market – phrases like “special offer” are more common.

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Photo credit: Sean MacEntee

Short, attention-grabbing articles tend to do very well on the web; they allow the reader to get what you are saying in a small amount of time, which is a very precious commodity on the web. Many people do not know how to do that – explain something using few words in a manner that is clear and concise. Product Descriptions require exactly that.

A product description is simply a very short article that talks about a specific item, gadget, equipment, service, or commodity. Normally between 100 and 150 words, a product description not only educates potential customers on the value and use of the item; it also serves as a marketing tool when keywords are used in it. This is a very important tool for businesses, especially small businesses and start-ups.

If you have an online store for the things you sell, consider writing product descriptions for each class of items in your shop. Make it short, concise and use simple language. Target the kind of customers that normally visit your store, or the ones you want to attract to your site. Include 2 – 3 of the keywords you use for your site in order to attract web traffic. This is very important because you want to extract maximum value out of that short description.

Number 1: Picture in your mind the kind of customer you wish to attract. Think of the general sector, e.g. young, educated, salaried professional. Think of a particular person who fits that exact description and prepare to write for him/her.

Number 2: Write down what you want to say about your product/service, exactly the way you want to say it. Choose your words carefully and direct them at the person you have pictured. Your aim is to convince them that what you are offering has value plus superior quality.

Number 3: Insert two to three keywords for your site. This will help drive relevant traffic to your site. Put one in the title of the article, one in the main body and the last one in the final paragraph. Make sure they are not forced into the sentences; they should flow naturally with what you are saying.

Number 4: Define your Call To Action, that is, what do you want that customer to do about your product? Do you want them to buy it or ask for more information? Do you want them to click on the cart or to investigate what else you have to offer? Do you want them to write a review about it? The answer to these questions will determine how you word your Call To Action. Include that as the last paragraph of your article.

call to action (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

Number 5: Insert the article on your landing page or sales page, whichever one serves the purpose of attracting the attention of visitors or would-be customers. Make sure the font is easily readable. Feel free to highlight key text like the name of the product for example.

Remember, you can get a lot of mileage for your site from writing product descriptions. Never under-estimate the power of words, no matter how few!

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• Tips to Enhance the Conversion Rate of Your Website (mikeadavitt.wordpress.com)
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