I once noticed a sign on a copywriters wall that said:

When shooting rapids in a canoe, if you say ‘I don’t know’, the river will decide for you. In marketing if you don’t know what to do, the river of consumerism will drop your brand right over the falls.
You and your team need to have a clear detailed plan of where you’re going and how to expect to get there. And equally important, that plan needs to be actively managed by the team, with changes and alterations as the consumer landscape data is refined into information and analyzed into knowledge.
Climb into you canoe – and get ready to ride the rapids.

Remember, things are not easily done over night. Success takes hard work, studying your competition and last but not least, make sure you involve your team in your next venture.

Keep moving forward, your time will come. Build a niche and mold an effective brand!

I am one to encourage others to go and do what they like. Especially if it’s a business plan they know they can execute with no worries and have clients that are happy of the outcome!

My wife Judy has decided to open up a blog and show the public what she can do when its time to party. Her goal is to give the party host extra time to do more important things behind the scene and still have the party go on as planned. On top of all that she has a large resource for all party needs.

On board Judy has caterers and cooks, limousine drivers, photographers, special needs assistants, servants and many more!
• Sweet 16′s Parties
• Wedding Events
• Engagement Parties
• Corporate Events
• Anniversary Gatherings
… and much, much more!

Go and check out her blog… I for one will be looking at her postings everyday, with today’s economy Judy is offering affordable prices for the party people of the Tri-State Area. >>> Party Planning NYC Blog <–

BTW: Make sure you follow her blog via Google

Back then they didn’t have the technology we have today. A couple typewriters, 1 computer (maybe) that ran DOS for invoicing, a couple templates with different typefaces and 2-3 artists onboard that did the work with a pencil and paper. Printing was very time consuming back in the days. No 24-48 hour turn around, considering that they had to do  just about everything from scratch then document it.  After the layout was designed and approved, the printer will then burn a metal plate or process a film out of the design for the press to print. Later, after the job was done they will then archive the plate/film for later use…just incase the customer wanted to print out more, this saved them from repeating the process over and over again.

Unlike today printing companies had very big space for their very big machines and their documents. Then came the computers…this is where I caught the interest on making graphic designs and photography my everyday joy. I started out sketching letters and numbers, then from there because I grew up with a more modern generation I started blending it all into Graffiti letters and made something cool out of it. My other uncle (my dads younger bro) kept on inspiring me and giving me tasks to mock-up and add my style into them. From there on I continued on my own and met the good sides and the bad sides the graffiti world.
Spray paint, markers and a whole league of friends who also liked to “tag-Up” was what keep me in play. I then started to think on how can I benefit out of this talent that I have been given. How can I share with the many others that like colorful art and not have it be a burden to others.

I started marketing my talent with friends and family in the neighborhood. Drawing out pictures, designing the friends notebooks and their backpacks, airbrushing colorful names onto clothe, hats, jackets, T-shirts and more. I did this for 2-3 years at most then started bigger projects. I was getting hired to do signs, huge banners and sometimes decorate children’s rooms with acrylic paint and brushes. Colorful designs is what they all craved, and me and a couple of pal’s were the ones you contact if your desired this taste of what we called Art.

Soon enough, times change, people change and we all move on to other interests. High School helped us become a popular crew… we painted, published and went on.
After high School we all went on our own direction. I still stay in contact with very few of my old pals who also stayed within the art world, the others followed a different route that we couldn’t follow or participate in.

Later I soon moved to Florida to catch up to myself. My hometown was really noisy so I wanted a change. I started doing odd jobs such as landscape, managing electronic stores, music stores and working for a liquor store. At this time I was yet to find what I wanted to do. One day I decided to submit my resume to several different places to see what I can accomplish. I still kept on drawing but didn’t realize “This was what I want to do!” so I kept pushing it aside.
A couple weeks later a printing company called me in for an interview. Yup you guessed it (“–-> son of a printer <—“) I got the job! Though at the time I didn’t know the inside of the printing industry, but I did know how hard the work was and what was involved.

I started out as a front counter person. getting familiar with the work ethics and the jobs that came in and out the doors. Then I got moved into blueprints, getting familiar with the machines, inks, tones and deadlines. Sooner then later I was moved into production… no not on the press but with the graphics team. Proofreading, typesetting, assisting in and directing and making sure the jobs get out the door. During all of this my second son was born and I was yet again a proud father of my baby boy.

Time had flown by and 3 years dedicated to the company. All this dedication was worth it all, hard work, family oriented and it was also close to home. I kept on wanting to get a shot on doing a job on my own. designing a logo, doing a cover for a brochure or even designing a 4 color business card is what I craved, then I got my shot. A owner of a publishing company walked in the door and needed a job done for as he said “yesterday”. Money was not a problem, he was very familiar with the steps involved. So we took in the job and yes ‘”yours truly” got to get behind the computer and show the boss what he knows. The job was done on time and we all got invited to the ball, his way of thanking us. We all enjoyed the festivities and moved on back to the real world. Later that week I bumped into the  owner of the publishing company and got offered a job on his graphics team. I lasted 1 year with them, they sent me to school… gone public and the staff was cut in half. Yup, I was part of the half that didn’t make the team!

I moved on with several personal clients on my belt. Work was pretty good considering that I have to work double time because baby boy #3 was on his way and I was determined to have everything ready once he was born. Before you know it I was working with 3 print shops feeding them continuous work and was making good money to provide my family. I took on some classes on HTML because at the time it was in demand.  Work was good, but then we ran into family troubles…so I moved on – Back home to New York. Despite the separation I had to still provide for my boys Xavier and Joshua. Once again, back to odd jobs, sending out resumes and job postings.

Later, people started calling and jobs started coming in, still working my 9-5 I was doing graphics work at night and doing hard labor in the day. Still submitting my resume regardless of my position I was on a quest to be a graphic designer and have my work on Broadway!

Working for a Toy distributor didn’t do it for me, in fact working for many others didn’t do it for me so I kept on freelancing with more experience added to my belt. I started surfing the web and picking up tips here and there. I finally realized that web work wasn’t paying well because there was allot of work involved and the clients didn’t want to always pay. Then I got my first digital camera, this expanded my abilities, and at this moment I knew that I was on my way to Broadway!

Today the year 2009 I am still doing my thing “thank god” and I am pretty comfortable with it. I’m doing what I love and believe it or not I’m still freelancing with several employees on my staff. We all respect one another and get the job done. I am happy with the steps I have taken through the path of knowledge, responsibility and determination. I don’t work for me anymore, though I love what I do, my goal is to hopefully retire at 50 (i’m 33 now) and pass the passion to one of my boys…or girl!

Thank you dad for teaching me to keep my head up and my spirit alive!
Thanks to all 3 of my sons for keeping me on my feet and continue going forward.
I also thank my wife Judy and her daughter Daniela for helping me out on the days that I needed help on their opinion on jobs and the continuous coffee they kept on giving me when I needed it.
Thank you to my friends (you all know who you are) from all over for keeping me inspired and sharing your knowledge in the field.

Last but not least thank you all for reading this blog post!
I hope this helps you get familiar with what we all go through everyday in the publishing world. Also, I really hope that this keeps you going forward and not stop you from your passion in graphics design, photography, advertising… etc..etc.

Whatever the case may be, just be smart with your position, honest with your clients and keep your creativity alive!

Okay guys and gals I’m here writing to help your day go by a little better with a small shot of encouragement. I call this post “Step Your Game Up Tuesday – Show me What You Got”, simply because I want to see what motivates you!
Along with that I would like to help implement some small gestures for your daily routine to see if we can make things happen right for you!

I know its been a rough 2-3 months for us all, but I would like to see and hear what you do for a living and your approach to your clients/customers. The market has been low and sales has drastically dropped… Lets help motivate each other here on B4P by sharing ideas, marketing tips and sales approaches to possibly make things happen differently!

• What do you do for a living?
• What can be done to help things get better at your work?
• Are you willing to dedicate time to help you and your business improve?
• How can your clients/customers benefit by choosing you?
• Is giving up the answer?
• Are you and/or your employees felling less motivated?

Lets take all of this in one lump sum! I know that things are in the way towards improvement, but its happening no time soon! Lets get this dilemma out of our system and get things rolling!

I’m giving you my help, I need you to give me yours!

No matter how you put it, Firefox still kicks its competitors butt!

Creating an ad that’ll catch the customers attention is sometimes a difficult task.

A great solution to this dilemma is to communicate with your advertising design team, your marketing analyst and your customer service team. Now here’s a thing, people say “My Customer Service Team?” , I say yes, they’re part of your marketing and advertising also. If your customer service is not making the people feel happy/comfortable the there is no customer to service the next time around.

The best way to correct this before it become a problem is to train your CS employees. Give them a pep talks at least once a week. Keep them up to date with solutions to problems that have happen and those that can happen. Always keep your selling/service team up to date with promotions, sales, specials and ads. It’s very vital that they know all of this information when a customer comes at them with a thousand and one questions trying to throw them off and make them say the wrong thing.

Now to the advertising….
In my time in this field I have noticed many ads that are very bright and annoying. Advertisers and Designers are taught this because they are told that a bright ad can and will catch the consumers attention. I find this to not only be a method that is less effective, but also a method that is not noticeable with today’s shoppers.

Here is a key method, I hope you guys/gals embed this in you mind and pass it along to the next generation of advertising to come.

Communication is Key - Be sure that everyone in the department gets to view the ad (them being the shopper) and states their opinion. By doing this you get the opinion of everyone that shops differently, then you have more of an idea on how to get today’s shoppers attention.

Find your target online/offline – One mistake that many businesses make is not researching their target. Business owners tend to think that running an ad on the local paper will increase sales. Then in the long run, they bitch and moan at their advertising/marketing team wondering why isn’t the campaign working. Find your niche target, look into your competitors. Check out where and how they are advertising, then you’ll soon get the idea. Just remember the local newspaper or the neighborhood penny saver will only bring in a small fraction if not none at all.

Cost Per Click Advertising – To me CPC is a waste of time! Your competition can click the crap out of your ads and no-one will do a damn thing about it at that time.

Your ad represents your company – No matter how you design the ad, just remember that your ad should contain a picture of the item your selling, your company logo, “free shipping” if offered and your company telephone number.

If you guys have anymore you would like to add on to this please do so by either sending me an email or simply just posting via comments.

I Shall continue later in the week

Shipping and Handling

• Graphic design Inspiration for the designer In You Part 1

• Collaborating with other artists and making “ART” happen.

I usually look for a project to get the creative flow going. You can find many of these in several well known websites.
I normally start a well known event called “Photoshop Tennis”.
This is when 2 or more artists/designers get together and make creative results with several pictures (provided by stock image sites), everyone involved will be given a round to create an image from another image then handed down to the next person on the next round then again…create something from the image provided rom the round before. This goes on for 10 rounds…giving the participants the creative flow and getting out of the blocked stage.

This is regularly done for fun, but its great when you need that extra boost when searching for that idea.

[More to come later in the week]

Let me get to the point. My staff and I have 2 favorite places we order breakfast  from everyday for nearly a year now. Theirs nine of us for now, and we order breakfast together everyday Monday-Saturday so that goes to show that this involves a hefty tip…but that’s besides the point. Daily our total is no more that $35 and no less than $20 considering that there is a delivery limit of $10. Okay so we order breakfast for a year now, we even sometimes go and pick our stuff up on the way to work, this way we make a relationship with the employees and the owner from the Breakfast place. So we know each other on the first name basis.

Today I arrive to work early to get things ready for my trip on the following day. I decide to call the breakfast place, knowing that they have a $10 limit and all I want is a hot chocolate. So I say to myself ” I also need a pack of cigarettes” yeah that’ll even out. Total that comes out to $11.50…which is well over the $10 limit they have posted in the front of the shop and on the menu.

Mind you I have ordered less in the past and got no grief from the same exact place…

So I start to place my order, then I decide to get the two guys that just recently walked in for work some hot chocolate as well. So now we’re at $13.20.
Okay so I’m on the phone with the owner..lets call him Sal…

Me – Hi Sal, it’s Jay from Building 123 good morning, how are you.
Sal – I’m doing fine Jay, how about yourself..how can I help you today?
Me – Im well, thanks. Can I place an order for delivery to the office?
Sal – Sure, what can I get you?
Me – 3 Hot Chocolates and a pack of smokes for the road, thanks.
Sal – Jay, you know that there is a $10 limit for delivery..help me out here.
Me – Sal, I just placed an order for $13.20 cents…
Sal – Yes I know Jay, but cigarettes aren’t included in the delivery, I only make .50 maybe .60 cents a pack. 
Me – So your telling me that your not going to be able to deliver my order unless I order more stuff…is this correct?
Sal – That’s the rules, that’s our policy!
Me- sal, can you make this happen today, and I’ll remember this next time.
Sal – Nope, the rules are the rules!
Me – Sorry Sal, but after this, our long term commitment that we have is ending right now…sorry guy, I guess I’ll get my breakfast else where. [ then I hang up my phone]

This kind of service should not effect the customers, it is the owners responsibility to fill the costumers request unless otherwise stated different. But in this case their was no specified rule anywhere where the rules are placed. So in this case Sal’s way of marketing his service affected him in two ways.

1. Sal and his policy did not stick. Their was no resource implicating that these rules apply to only certain produces.
2. After being a faithful customer for nearly a year, Sal couldn’t continue the relationship even if it involved a delay on delivery.

Keep in mind, once you start a relationship in service for a constant customer that not only brings you business for themselves..but many others…you cannot switch to a new rule after they’re familiar with your way of delivering business.

Positive Word of Mouth is very effective, but what is much more effective is negative word of mouth. Once you piss off a customer and the word gets out, it’s time to make things up to them all before it escalates to another level.
Just remember Sal, your not the only breakfast shop in the area. 70% of the time people feel much more comfortable bringing in their own breakfast rather than spending it on business plus tips.

I guess I will adding more to my shopping cart every other week at ShopRite. It just takes another minute or two to prepare a small breakfast and coffee.

We never know where the consumer is going to be at any point in time, so we have to find a way to be everywhere,” said Linda Kaplan Thaler, chief executive at the Kaplan Thaler Group, a New York ad agency. “Ubiquity is the new exclusivity.

Makes me feel like we’re not safe anymore…err…in a way its good for new businesses, but still, all this clutter will make people stop shopping over at their usual supermarkets or retail stores because of all the messy interrupting ads. 
- Nancy Strong of Staten Island

What all marketers are dealing with is an absolute sensory overload,” said Gretchen Hofmann, executive vice president of marketing and sales at Universal Orlando Resort. The landscape is “overly saturated” as companies press harder to make their products stand out, she said. [Read More Here]

[go and check it out here]

Sorry, I have been gone for some time now, I was just getting some things done for today, the big day! BLACK FRIDAY!

Many of you know what I am talking about, and many of you like myself look forward to this time of year. Meaning this is the time of year when we all as advertisers and marketers put “some of our best ideas out” to drive the customers to comfortable shopping and get things done fast and easy for the holidays.  I just wanted to come on by to tell everyone Happy Holidays, have fun and enjoy the rest of the year.

Remember to always keep your head up, don’t give up and Sell-Sell-Sell!

Adobe Photoshop CS2 Update
Microsoft Unveils ZUNE Today
Problogger – Communication Skills for Bloggers
B4P On Adsense Tips for the newbie
Tabblo – Photo Sharing Community
bLaugh.com – The (UN)Official Comic of the Blogosphere

The deal between the two Silicon Valley companies marks the latest in a string of business partnerships where hardware and software makers have agreed to feature Google software.

Google is racing with internet rivals Microsoft and Yahoo to win prominent placement within major products to fend off efforts by rivals efforts to strike similarly exclusive deals.

The partnership also promises to help small business customers attract new clients. It helps Google get more small businesses to buy ads and use Google services while allowing Intuit users to get more out of their QuickBooks software.

As part of that effort to make QuickBooks more attractive and help users list their products on the web, Intuit also said it had paid $US60 million ($79.5 million) for San Francisco-based StepUp, which helps businesses reach local customers.

In a statement, Intuit and Google said they had agreed to a strategic alliance aimed at helping small businesses promote themselves online with several Google services built into most QuickBooks 2007 products.

QuickBooks will encourage users to market themselves online by listing their businesses on Google Maps, creating and managing advertising campaigns with Google AdWords and posting their products for sale using its Google Base free web listing service for publishing the equivalent of online classified ads.

QuickBooks 2007 will be available in coming months.

Intuit also plans to embed Google Desktop search into QuickBooks 2007 so users will be able to quickly find customer, retailer or financial information stored inside QuickBooks or on their desktop.

Well, now is your chance to find the blogging job you’ve been looking for.


Darren Rowse of Problogger.net has setup a Bloggers Job Board for bloggers looking to get recognition for paid or volunteer posts. Darren is also accepting job listings, that way you can setup listings for bloggers for hire starting at $50 Bucks. Now thats a bargain, but it’s only $50 Buck until September 5th then it’ll be $100.00 which is still a great price for a 30 Day Listing.

Go and check it out, you never know, you just might find something of your interest!

• Seeking a Woman for Watersports

State you opinion, leave a comment. LMAO

Google CEO Eric Schmidt believes television viewers should not

Schmidt is frustrated that “When you watch the television you see ads that are clearly not targeted for you.”

What does he plan to do about it? Read More

They are putting together a network of bloggers to participate in the list for advertising space. Marketers can browse bloggers in the network and Washington Post sales team will sell ads for you, for now they seem to be looking for blogs with topics of “Technology, Business, Health, Automotive and Travel” – once they get rolling I’m sure they’ll be an expansion in topics.

The only way to get in is by invitation, so don’t waste any time! Go sign up, there’s nothing to lose…you never know, you can be one of the lucky ones.

• Google wants people to stop googling????
• Googles Got Vision
• Google Sets Up Free WiFi Network
• Yahoo fixes Email Holes
• Photoshop 9.0.2 Update Via Adobe Updater
• 20% Off All Home Lighting
• BloggerSkills.com replies to Problogger.net

 

 

 

The world’s top Web search supplier is taking advantage of the marketing tool, which is traditionally used by small businesses, to entice U.S. consumers to seek out savings from local retailers such as dry cleaners, pizza delivery restaurants and auto repair shops.

Google (Charts) has partnered with Valpak, the top U.S. supplier of coupon advertising, to provide more than 20,000 coupons from current Valpak advertisers when consumers search for relevant stores using its Google Maps map and local directory service.

Valpak is a unit of privately held Cox Enterprises.

Google also plans to encourage businesses to create their own discount coupons using a simple Web-based template, giving small businesses — even ones that don’t have their own Web sites — an easy way to attract hard-to-reach online shoppers.

“One of the challenges small businesses face today is the lack of an ability to contend with online users,” said Shailesh Rao, Google’s director of local search. “We know it’s a practical fact … Small businesses rely on coupons,” he said.

When Google users search for local information, discount coupons from U.S. businesses now are displayed on Google Maps (http://www.maps.google.com) search results and business listing pages. The company may expand the program to other markets in Europe and Asia in coming months, Rao said.

The coupons can be printed out directly from a computer and redeemed at a physical store location of a neighborhood or local business. There is no charge to businesses or consumers.

“This answers the general problem that exists in the online world of demonstrating the value of how much real-world traffic online marketing actually drives into stores,” said Greg Sterling, an analyst with Sterling Market Intelligence in Oakland, California who specializes in local Web search.

In seeking to bridge the online and offline shopping worlds, Google’s discount-coupon push marks another competitive challenge for newspaper publishers, which have typically relied upon inserted advertising coupons as a source of revenue.

It also poses a challenge for established direct marketers which distribute coupons. Direct online rivals to Valpak include CoolSavings.com, a unit of privately held newspaper publishing and broadcast company Landmark Communications Inc.

“America is the country in which price is king,” said Kurt Barnard, president of consulting firm Retail Forecasting Group. “Every marketing ploy that drives a customer into a store is critical.”

Later this year, advertisers using Google AdWords – the company’s advertising network that operates across affiliated Web sites – will be able to add coupons directly to their advertisements as a new tool to woo buyers, Google said.

Google discount coupons must be printed out and presented to retailers. There are no current plans to offer the discount program to mobile phone users, who, in theory, can simply download the coupons on Web-equipped mobile phones and present the electronic screen to a store clerk. Valpak said few retailers have a secure way to manage electronic coupons.

Businesses can upload a small image to appear on the face of the coupon and create a unique identifying number in order to track coupon offers and defend against potential fraud.

Valpak targets 500 million blue envelopes through the mails to 45 million households in the United States and Canada each year. It offers coupons from 75,000 businesses a year.