Sep
28
Making a List of Vacation Possibilities
Filed Under Travel | Leave a Comment
One of the things that I have had to learn since I have been married is how to compromise. Both my spouse and I are very strong willed and it is interesting to watch two leaders try to work together. We have our moments, but for the most part, we get along very well.
But when it comes to vacations, we have different tastes. If you were to broadly categorize our preferences, I would be the one who likes to “see things” and she likes to “do stuff”. In a nutshell that means that she would love to go hang gliding whereas I would like to look at paintings in a museum. So we try to do some of both while we are on vacation.
In order to find some common ground for our holidays, we make a list of things that we want to do this year and try to make them work together. For example, in our discussions, my wife mentioned that she wanted to swim with dolphins and I wanted to check out the architecture of buildings in the Caribbean.
So, I think we will go on a cruise, go swim with the dolphins in the Caribbean, and look at historic buildings while we are down there. That way everyone should be happy, right?
Sep
28
Do you use direct mail marketing to try to get new customers for your business? If so then you should make sure that you’re doing the following five things to get the best response from your direct mail marketing campaigns:
- Work with a high quality direct mail service. You want to make sure that you’re getting high-quality, appropriately targeted, up-to-date direct mailing lists which you’re only going to get if you’re working with a good service.
- Know your customer demographics. If you don’t know who you’re trying to target then you’re not going to be too successful with direct marketing. Figure out who you want your customers to be and target them specifically.
- Make it personal. Use today’s computer technology to generate direct mail that’s personalized with the individual’s name. Be as personal as possible if you want a good response.
- Offer a deal. Everyone wants to save money so use your direct marketing campaign to offer people the deals that they want. Campaigns that include coupons are often highly successful.
- Track your response rate. This will allow you to do an even better job of targeting the right people for your next direct mail marketing campaign.
You can always do more to improve your marketing!
Sep
27
Non-writers (and non-marketers) may not be aware of it, but there is a bit of a battle going on between the traditional and online marketing industries.
Traditional marketing includes things like newspaper ads, postcards and other mailings, etc. Online marketing is what it sounds like — ads and other marketing efforts, all done online. But in addition, online marketing also means optimising web pages for targeted keywords, in order to help draw search engine traffic to you.
However, there is a lot of disparity between the writers who work in these related but different industries. Traditional marketing copywriters have always been paid top dollar, and that is still more or less true today. But the global market tends to drive down rates for online marketing copywriters. The resulting difference in pay often tends to make traditional marketing copywriters look down on online marketing copywriters, even though the work is similar and equally as important.
However, the lower rates for online copywriting may have actually helped those of us who work in the industry. With the recession, many people have started looking into search engine optimisation in London as an alternative to more expensive traditional marketing. Therefore, companies and freelancers who offer online marketing services haven’t experienced as much of a slowdown with the economy as traditional marketing copywriters — in fact, for some of us business is downright booming.
When it comes down to it, I don’t know if you can really say which is better — traditional or online marketing. It’s like comparing ducks to geese — they may swim in the same lake, but they are totally different creatures. However, I think it IS true that business is depending more and more on the Internet, which is making online marketing more important. Traditional marketing still has its uses, of course, but I anticipate prices will go down eventually as the industry tries to compete with the relatively cheaper, more convenient, and more results-driven online marketing.
Sep
25
Intimidated by Hearing Loss?
Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment
It’s not uncommon for people to feel intimidated by or self-conscious about losing their hearing as they age. In fact, some people feel so bad about it that they will actually avoid getting the help they need.
You know that old grandfather that everyone had to shout at because he wouldn’t wear his hearing aid? That is the kind of person I am talking about.
Unfortunately, by doing so you are only cheating yourself of a full life. No one will think less of you if you admit to having hearing problems and seek out audiologist services, but there is a lot that you will miss out on if you don’t.
Furthermore, if you don’t get help most likely you are going to annoy a lot of people by forcing them to shout in your ear every time they want to tell you something. Eventually they will stop talking to you as much, and again, this just results in you missing out on stuff.
So if you think you are having hearing problems as you age, don’t hesitate. Go see your doctor, get a referral to a specialist, and get fitted for a hearing aid. You — and, secretly, your loved ones — will be glad you did.
Sep
23
How to Make a Collage
Filed Under Entertainment | Leave a Comment
I have recently started doing collage art with a friend of mine. At first I didn’t know how to do it. What I’ve learned is that it’s really easy. There aren’t a lot of rules to follow with collage art but here is a how-to guide to get you started.
- Gather together a bunch of old magazines, some scissors and any adhesive that you want to use.
- Start cutting out pictures that appeal to you. You may want to look for pictures that relate to a theme. For example, I recently did a collage of Canada vacation ideas. I got this idea because a friend had recently gone on a family vacation in Canada and I was a bit envious of it.
- Once you have a stack of pictures, begin organizing them into a larger picture. You can either layer your smaller pictures onto the biggest picture that you have or lay them all out on a large blank piece of paper.
- Rearrange them until you have a piece of artwork that appeals to you. Then use your glue or tape to stick it all down.
That’s collage art. Add glitter, confetti, random pieces of colored paper and other bits to create more texture for your collage. If you don’t like what you’ve made then just start over. Have fun with it!