Off The Grid News Better Ideas For Off The Grid Living

One of the keys to successful marketing is learning to craft strong and compelling offers. In terms of importance, it’s second only to the list you choose to send to. Your offer is the proposition you make to your potential customer in your direct marketing. It’s the deal you’re hoping to make with him or her. Simply put, your offer is the way you say to your customer, “Hey customer, if you do this, we’ll give you that.” “This” might be sending in $39.95, filling...

Postcards are one of the best-kept secrets of successful marketers. Amid all the bells and whistles of electronic media and social marketing, it’s easy to overlook this humble workhorse. Postcards are a cost effective choice because, compared to other forms of direct mail, they’re less expensive to print. They’re also usually less expensive to mail. No matter what format your mail piece takes, you have literally two seconds to catch the eye of the recipient as he flips through the mail. Miss that opportunity, and your mail piece ...

One of the most popular and effective marketing techniques at your disposal is sampling. If you have ever test driven a new car, tried a spray of perfume at the cosmetics counter, or tasted a bite-sized freebie of the latest Italian ice flavor, you’ve experienced sampling. There are several reasons why product sampling is such an effective marketing technique. It creates familiarity and trust, and alleviates any uncertainty the customer may feel. Product sampling also gives shoppers an outlet to try out products or brands that they ...

As a business owner, it’s natural to talk about your own product or service. In fact, people expect you to. But when other people with nothing to gain from your success say good things about your products, it’s even more powerful. Testimonials are nothing more than positive comments you collect from your customers. They’re simple, but effective. They create trust and a sense of credibility between you and your buyers. Don’t be shy about asking your customers and clients ...

Contrary to popular belief, we buy based on emotion, and not logic. (Think about it – if it was the other way around, disability insurance and pre-planned funerals would be much easier to sell.) As consumers, we’re first emotionally committed to a sale. But we want one more thing: a really good reason to back up our feelings. We want proof that a product or service will deliver and make all our dreams come true. We want to be convinced that your product is the best product.

Today, we’re going to pose questions to business owners who are making their businesses work in this tough economy. It’s my hope that you’ll find not only inspiration, but also actionable information, in their words of wisdom. First, let’s introduce our business owners. Amy Owens is owner and operator of Hydrogroom, a mobile pet washing and grooming service in Thomasville, North Carolina. Amy came up with her business idea by combining her love for animals with her own desire for convenience as a pet owner...

You’ve probably heard about the advantages of social media in terms of marketing your products or services, but perhaps you’re not sure where to begin. Social media doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating. With just a few basic lessons ...

Successful marketing is the lifeblood of a small business. Think of your small business as a doorway. You can do one of two things. You can either push your product out the door, explaining that you have a solution to a problem your customers may not have realized they had. Or, you can pull your customer inside as if drawn by a magnet, attracted by his desire to find a solution to his problem. In push marketing, you go to them. In pull marketing, they come to you.

We’ve spent the last couple of weeks exploring how to get ideas for your own home-based business. Are you pumped and ready to jump in with both feet? Today’s column will give you a great way to get started. For a low-investment, fast start-up kind of business, information products can’t be beat. What are information products? Strictly speaking, information products are ...