Steps For Business

By Ben Needles

 Let me start by saying (in my best Jack Nicholson-esque voice) that if you cant handle the truth, you may well be offended by this article. Consider it a disclaimer. Feel free to disagree…your mileage may vary.

Still here? Good. Lets get to it then, shall we?

Yes, I am a Fontaholic

They say that admission is the first step.

I doubt that there are many computer users who have more fonts installed on their computer than I do. There is something uniquely brilliant about every font, and I can appreciate them from an artistic standpoint. However, when it comes to creating a website, promotional piece, or advertisement, less is definitely more.

Over the past few years, the trend in advertising seems to have gone the way of sans-serif fonts. An easy way to remember this is that sans-serif fonts do not have tails; whereas serif fonts do. Sans-serif fonts are much easier to read, and are often chosen for websites for this reason.

Think of it this way…fonts are a lot like Spandex(R). Just because you can wear it, doesnt necessarily mean that you should. They are not one size fits all, folks. Think of me as your trusted friend waiting outside the dressing room door that gives it to you straight, yes, Im afraid that does make your butt look big.

Grievous Font Faux Pas
You know you have a great product, your sales copy is impeccable, and youve nailed the keywords - yet, your conversions are still in the crapper.

Hmm…what do you suppose Joan Rivers would say? Now might be a good time to reconsider that flashing headline graphic, or the adorable trailing cursor effect you recently installed.

Remember the swan dress that Bjork wore to the 2001 Oscars(R)? Your swan may just be the albatross around your neck - and believe me, it is weighing you down. Save the cute and the kitschy for your MySpace(R) page. They have no business in your business.

The less is more principle governs more than just fonts - it applies to your message, and the ratio of text to graphics as well. Give considerable thought to the target of your message…will they find your font selections difficult to read, busy, or dated? Your appearance is your brand, so choose carefully. Similarly, once youve committed to a selection, stick with it. Doing so will not only increase your brand equity, but it will also reinforce trust with your customers. Falling prey to the font of the month will only serve to dilute your brand, and confuse your customers.

Cant Get Enough Fonts?
Sometimes you just need a new font to help give your creativity a boost. If that sounds familiar, you will no doubt enjoy this list:

What the Font - myfonts.com/
An incredible selection awaits you at this site. I have found two features of this site to be superior: first, the search tool - which will allow you to sort by a specific time period, or style; and second, the What the Font tool. This tool allows you to upload an image of a particular font that you like, and the kinds folks of this font community will endeavor to help you identify it. This can be particularly helpful when you see a font you really like, but have no idea where to source it from. The community members in the What the Font area are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful.

1001 Free Fonts - 1001freefonts.com
Great database of free fonts - the only downside is that they are not classified by type.

Like all good things, fonts are best when used in moderation. Its always a good idea to run your selections by a trusted friend or colleague before you go live. While a design may seem intoxicating in the moment, things may look totally different in the morning…so font responsibly.

About the Author (text)

Traci Hayner Vanover, The Promo Diva(R), is the publisher of Create the Dream magazine, http://www.createthedream.com, and the president of Market Outside the Box Trade Association, http://www.marketoutsidethebox.com. She also works with private clients as a publicist, copywriter and consultant.

download free clipart

What is Article Marketing
By Aubrey Walker

 What is article marketing? It is a form of advertising wherein a business hires a writer or does it themselves to write short articles in the hopes that this will promote their business. These articles are made for distribution and publication which means this can viewed by just about anybody both in the print and online form.

So people will know who wrote the article, at the bottom there is usually a bio box and byline which shows the references and contact person of the one who wrote it. If the reader liked the article so much, they can get in touch with him or her which, translates to increased sales.

Article marketing has been around for quite awhile. Some say this was first used when mass print became available. In the print form, this type of advertising was used by entrepreneurs as a means of obtaining free space. This is given to a newspaper free of charge in exchange for the business? contact information with the article. Most newspapers are happy to accept this kind of arrangement because their budget was very limited in compensating writers for their work.

The setup is not that different for online article marketing because writers may post their work in different websites as well as put it in their own. Articles that are posted elsewhere are known as an article directory.

The reason why articles posted in such sites are free is because the directory owner puts advertisements on the side and collects revenue from it. As more traffic is achieved, both the directory owner and the writer gain something from it.

Some websites give the writer the option of choosing the kind of advertising to be displayed on the page. If you don?t like the options, you can always go for the page without any advertisements.

There are differences though between printed and online article marketing. For one, it is much faster to look for a certain article online because keywords are often used for search engine optimization. This means if you are looking for a certain topic, you will be able to see what you are looking for in just a matter of seconds.

If you think that the articles posted can only be seen in sites such as www.ezinearticles.com or www.about.com, think again because some have now used social networks to their message across. Examples of sites include Facebook, LinkedIn and Friendster. This strategy is known as Web 2.0 generation.

Some people say that the rise in the number of people who use article marketing has a negative effect because it has brought down the quality in the articles written. To prevent this from happening, you have to post articles that are relevant and informative.

Article marketing is just one way of promoting a service or product. If you don?t have enough money to market it using other means, this will be a good way to get started. In posting elsewhere or in your own website, the most important thing to do is to use relevant keywords so it will be easy for visitors to see your site.

For that, you have to think what words will a person likely type to see your site. If you are able to figure that out, it won?t be long before you will get a lot of traffic which translates to additional sales to your business.

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Your Online Guide Of Steps For Business

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