What is Twitter?

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access.

Most of the Wizard of Ads Partners tweet all time, and I assure you, there’s something good for your business every day.

Would you like to “follow” us?

Log in to your account, and then come back and click bellow:

Craig Arthur, Paul Boomer, Michael Drew, Luis López, Tim Miles, Michele Miller, Steve Rae, Ray Seggern, Jeff Sexton, Dave Young, Tom Wanek, Rex Williams.

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The Harvard Business Review has been a great source of case studies (and many other important information) that business owners will find useful.

Their book entitled Culture And Change will help you learn how organizations are influenced not only by the cultural baggage that exists in their workplace, but also on how decisions are made, regardless of their particular management structure

Regardless of their roots, genre, and customs, employees define the organization´s culture, which affects the working climate, processes, systems, decisions (and yes, its influence on their clientele as well).

Read more articles on by the HBR and Read the book on Organizational Culture.

 

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Latinos, African Americans, Asians and other minorities account for about a third of the U.S. population.

The nation is becoming even more diverse: More than one third of its population belongs to a minority group, and Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday that the minority population reached an estimated 104.6 million - or 34% of the nation's total population - on July 1, 2008, compared to 31% when the Census was taken in 2000. Nearly one in six residents, or 46.9 million people, are Hispanic, the agency reported.

Read more by clicking here.

Despite of Hispanics being tagged as one demographic group, noticed that most of them, come from different countries, and Latin American countries are much diverse. You can say “hueco” and in Central America could mean a homosexual man, or in South America is a hole on the floor or the wall; or have different uses country to country.

This article will give you a detail point of view and facts on how Hispanics are quickly tracing the future for the U.S.

Consider this information useful for your present-future, and after you read it,

download two new Wizard Academy Press products, and share it with your friends.

Las Formulas Secretas del Mago de la Publicidad
Roy H. Williams wrote this about ten years ago, it is a Wall-Street Journal and New York Times Best-Seller, and now, it’s available in Spanish para usted.

Libera al Beagle
Join the first adventure of the Intellect, the lawyer, and Intuition, his beagle. Find out why this book could change the way to see and do things, the way you think and feel about life. “Un viaje a Destinoe.”


P.S.
The awesome Luisa Fernanda Toledo translated Libera al Beagle. If you live in Central-America, and need help with your company or organization, visit her company website. (They will help you transform, just like the Beagle did.)

 

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There are a many opinions on how to make a billboard ad work. (Depending if you are a graphic designer, marketing consultant, business owners or the audience)

But the main points are:

1. Use one graphic or photo

2. Try not to use more than 8 words. (Remember, your audience has a few seconds to see and read, thus, understanding the communication)

Surprising Broca could depend on the photo, the title, message or creative ways of designing the billboard. (Check out the links below)

3. When placing, try to choose locations on the right side of the driver, as close to the ground and close to the road as possible. Choose the more intrusive location you can.


I gathered a few links that you can use to get ideas on how to design a billboard for your advertising campaign.

Cheers,

Link 1: Beer Example

Link 2: Process

Link 3: For Small Business Owners

Link 4: Top 10 Tips

Link 5: Awesome Examples

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It is common for organizations to struggle with technology once in a while, or everyday.

From choosing the best Office Automation Systems, TPS, Information management, Decision making support to full expert systems, and ERP´s, every company must know what is their best use for them.

Specially if you are a small business owner.

Please click on the links before you continue reading this post if I made you wonder about what´s in your company´s computers, and how is helping you (or hurting your business)

(click, read, click, read, click, read)

Can you get it all in one?

Yes!:

Dynamics or Sap?

Is too much for your company? Or are you going to need something more?

Click to know more about these two "all in one" softwares that can be implemented in your organization for better use of techonology.

How much does it cost? How much time does it take?

Well,  that depends on your needs, resources and decision making.I hope this helps.

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What is your opinion on "Great looking"- "Great design" - "Award winning" ads?

Everyone likes to win awards, but for a business, the best award they could win is more customers, income and profit for their business.  If you only have great looking ads or award winning ads that don't have a real message behind them, they won't be nearly as effective as an ad that says something that people care about.  People may end up remembering the commercial more than they remember the product or service it represents.  That's great for the ad producer, but bad for a business.  As long as an ad is getting customers' attention and focusing them on a message that will draw them to your product or service, you're winning all the awards you need.


So message is more important than the style or design?  Is there a Ying-Yang balance?

Of course it's possible to have an incredible message with such a poorly recorded or produced ad that no one pays attention long enough to hear it.  Let's not fool ourselves.  Artistically crafted messages reflect on a company's commitment to excellence. However, when they abandon their connection to a company's story, values or actual character, they sacrifice their power to cause action in a consumer, rather than just get their attention. Well produced ads get people's attention.  Powerful messages cause action.  Advertising works when both live in harmony.  I think I can say that without becoming Taoist.  :-)

How can a business owner craft effective advertising?

Start with the passion that got you into your business in the first place.  What do you care about?  What's your story?  Take that passion and apply it to the needs of your customers.  What do they care about?  What does your product or service do for them that makes it appealing?  If you can communicate who you are in a way that communicates to them that you care about what they find important, you've found a powerful message. Now all you have to do is find an interesting angle to attract people's attention, a way to transition to the message, and a powerful image to leave with them as you end.  If you're having a hard time with any of those steps, it may be time to get a consultant to help you.

On an earlier ASB.com post, you talked about surveys, and the "analysis paralysis" they can give a business owner. Have you seen this happen?

I don't know that I would call it "analysis paralysis", because it's more of a false sense of analysis.  The problem with surveys is that they operate on a basic set of assumptions that group people into specific categories.  If the assumptions behind a survey are inaccurate, the response will not supply feedback that accurately represents a real audience.  A business owner can miss opportunities for growth in their attempt to eliminate risk. 

Radio stations do it all the time with their playlists, using survey groups of a certain age range of people culled from Washington, D.C. or New York to determine the preferences of people in Austin, TX.  I've talked to radio station operators who continue to lose listeners but refuse to change because of the survey data. It reminded me of when I worked as an engineer at Motorola and factory managers resisted change, citing "lack of enough statistical" data, when a clear, dramatic, costly problem was being fixed in front of their eyes.  That factory doesn't exist anymore.


Let´s talk about media for a minute. Is there an advertising vehicle that will work better than others?
That really depends on the product and how much money you have.  Although the power and general cost effectiveness of radio ads makes them hard to resist for advertisers and retailers, they're not always the right answer.  I know someone who wanted to use radio commercials, but didn't have the budget to buy enough repetition and had to switch to google adwords and selling on ebay.  They utilized the same message but worked with what they had and turned their business around.  I've got another customer who's location is so remote and clientele so diverse that they'd need huge radio coverage to hit their target market.  So we're using billboards, the internet and giveaways of free salsa with a coupon to get them more business.  With today's economy and technological options, it's not about the vehicle, it's about utilizing creativity to turn the ad dollars you have into the largest number of people possible hearing your message.

Thanks Peter.

Learn more about Peter Nevland by clicking here.

Learn more from Peter and other Wizard of Ads Partner´s presenting in Denver February 19th and 20th.  Register Today.

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You might have heard affirmations like

“Radio is not working well, that iPod´s have taken over the ears of practically everyone and that Sirius is going to kill radio.”

Well, questions are far more important.

But, would you like some answers?

What to write? How to record it? Where to place it? And how you can you funnel your pockets with money, with a better understanding of radio advertising?

Join the Wizard of Ads Partner’s in the next Wizard’s on the Road Seminar in Denver, The Marketing Performance Seminar, this February 19 and 20.


Among the presenter’s you’ll meet Jeff Sexton and Chris Maddock, star professors at the Wizard Academy. According to Roy H. Williams - The Wizard of Ads, they are "the most effective teachers of persuasive ad copy I've ever encountered."

For $99, you’ll have a seat reserved just for you, at our Marketing Performance Seminar in Denver.

Join us.



 

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Before you launch a campaing to the Latinos in your market, read this wonderful article, and learn that translating your current campaing or writing "Se habla Español" is not enough. Adios!

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With a growing rate of 50%, the online advertising market in Spain, matches Italy, on being one of the most, fastest growing markets in Europe. The other online markets in UK, Germany and France have grown 38% in 2007.

The investments in search engines and graphic advertising in the first three countries mentioned are close to €4,090 Million 2006 to €5,700 Million in 2007, according to Ad Ex Report, presented by IAB Europe and PwC in Interact Congress.

Spain has 4.5% share of the market, just above Greece (1.5%). Above Spain are Austria (5.2%) Italy (6.7%), Finland (7.5%) France (8.8%), Belgium (9.1%) Poland (10%), Germany (11.6%), Sweden (13.3%), Denmark (14.3%), UK (15.3%), Norwegian (15.6%) and the Low Countries (18.5%)
 

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Erich Joachimsthaler is the author of Hidden in Plain Sight.

He visited the Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala last week.

I must say, I was impressed that he didn’t use an interpreter and his Spanish was good enough for everyone to understand; his energy was amazing too. He visited the University after spending a couple of Days in Atitlan.

He proposed three steps in his book, in order to re-structure your business model, based on strategies by BMW, Apple, Frito-Lay and Starbucks.


1.    Look for opportunities outside the business ecosystem. This requires and intense observation where you can measure how your customers and using your product.
2.    Create scenes where you see your customers taking different scenarios with your product.
3.    Adapted them into the business model.


One of the short examples he used during his presentation was related to Apple and Starbucks. How Steve Jobs design the iPod, after intuitive observing the purchase flux of music in young consumers. (Buy an mp3 player, Load the music you wan to her, dispose it, and repeat). And how Howard Schultz founded his company based on customer experience, while he observed how people bought coffe in another country during his vacation.

The book also gives examples on how to implement his easy three step to all businesses, and how to achieve a balance between company orientated strategies and market orientated decisions.

Dr. Joachimsthaler is the founder of Vivaldi Partners, his book has been translated into many languages.

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