Wasted money for advertising - quote by John Wanamaker

Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half. /John Wanamaker, US merchant

Do you know, which half of your advertising expenditures goes to waste? What is the amount of your marketing budget and what is its effect?

Marketing for NPOs: to suceed you need a strategy - Greenpeace as an example

More and more organizations rely on social media to attract attention, such as the NPO (non profit organization) Greenpeace as already mentioned.

The organization targets a corporation that is not acting the way it should (Nestlé in the past, now BP) and goes against the corporation's work with activities in different media.

Also in its latest campaign against the company BP, Greenpeace connects social media very effectively with real actions - mainly guerrilla actions.

Greenpeace currently has graphic designers and other creative people rebrand the previous BP logo - in a competition on their webseite. The logo of the company is to be redesigned to match the dirty business of the BP-group. The previously submitted logos are all very creative.
So BP (British Petroleum) is changed into beelzebub profits, broken pipe, pollution business, big profit - it's never enough, best practices, big problem, best pest, poison black, yellow fever, british predator, big pollute, or peng bum. Slogans were changed as well, for example "BP - we oil the world", "SBP - silent but deadly", "not so slick actually - BP", "BP - burn our planet", "BP - PB - planet breakup", "children could run it better - probably "," RIPBP "," BP - we united drill. It's definitely worth taking a look at the picture gallery of submitted work! Should BP ever think of a rebranding, it would be easy for them to draw from the pool of logos of Greenpeace. However, whether these logos are good for BP's image is rather questionable.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace activists attached a flag with BP's new logo (BP - British Polluters) at the BP headquarters in London. Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyEWwsm7wfQ

A few days ago, Greenpeace activists were arrested in the US, because they painted oily messages on a ship loaded with oil. At least, this gets the organization in the headlines and focuses attention on the real problem - the oil spill.

Greenpeace is doing its best to draw attention on what BP is doing. At the same time, the organization also makes the public aware of the real problems of the oil spill. Greenpeace is currently taking water samples and documenting the devastation in the Gulf of Mexico - with employees, scientists and volunteers.

Behind all these efforts by Greenpeace lies a well-developed strategy. However, just like many other NPOs, Greenpeace has to respond quickly to emerging problems. That means, there is a risk that even though a strategy has been worked out, you have to improvise.

Therefore, NPOs have to develop a basic strategy in order to be able to react quickly. The strategy should include many (different) media: guerilla actions, documented and distributed through the Internet and social media, as well as hands-on activities, which can also be distributed online. Then, of course, the organization should also ensure that the cooperation between employees and volunteers goes smoothly.

Business idea - how to find an idea for your business

You want to start your own business? You want to become an entrepreneur? But you are stilll missing the right idea for your business?

Go through the world with open eyes. Look at what people do and how they do it. Then think about how you could make processes simpler, faster and more efficient. Maybe you will realize what is missing. Then you already have your business idea. Or maybe you had the problem already that something (a product or service) was missing in a particular moment?

A different approach for finding your business idea is to turn what you like (e.g. a hobby) into a company. Do you like knitting? You could develop an Internet platform with information on knitting, where you can also sell your knitting.

Do you have certain skills that you can use to build a business? Perhaps you can offer something that no one else offers - a particular product or a particular service? Through this you could also develop a business idea.

Look out for trends that are just emerging and also for market niches.

A good starting point for developing ideas are your own strengths. Build on your strengths and try to work around your weaknesses. It makes little sense to look for capital-intensive ideas, if there are no prospects for getting money.

In general, business ideas fall into one of three categories:

• Product for which you buy parts / material and assemble the product itself
• Product that you buy from a wholesaler, retailer or manufacturer
• Service you offer

The simplest business ideas are existing products in existing markets. However, here you have the greatest competition.
The most difficult ideas are new products in new markets. Here you have (almost) no competition.

Good methods in order to find ideas are:

• Brainstorming with your friends and colleagues
• Asking others for their ideas
• Reading magazines about the market in which you want to be active

Often, business ideas arise by accident, out of a certain situation or just when you are at the right place during the right time.

Why business cards are important

First of all, ask yourself why you need business cards. Who do you give your business cards and in which situations?

Your business card is a very important advertising medium. With well-designed business cards, you can make a great impression.

You can design your business cards yourself, e.g. with Word, and then send the file to the printer of your choice. Another possibility is to create the business cards online. I would advise you to leave the design to a professional. People will be able to tell by looking at your business cards if they were designed professionally or if you cobbled them together.

You should always have a few of your business cards with you - no matter where you go. You can put business cards in your pocket, purse or your deposit them in your car - this way you always have some at hand. You should keep your business cards in a case, so they won't wrinkle or get stained. Never pass dirty or creased business cards. This is unprofessional. Just throw away your useless business cards.

Place your business cards in letters to your customers. If you send an invoice, you can attach a cover letter and also your business card. There are several possibilities for attaching your business cards: Put your business card in a pre-cut mount, use self-adhesive business card pockets or simply attach the card with a paper clip.

When you go to appointments with customers or events, you should always have your business cards handy. Hand off your business card at the registration when you go to an appointment. This way, your conversation partner also does not confuse your name.

If you get business cards from other people, keep them separate and do not put them into the pile of your own business cards - that could lead to confusion, if you have to pick out your own business cards from the stack.

If you are at a trade show where you hand out many business cards, you should make a note at the make about where you met the person and what you discussed. This prevents confusion and at the end of day you can go through the stack of cards again and figure out who to contact first.

How to become self-employed and start your own business

You have been thinking about becoming your own employer? Then you should definitely ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you an entrepreneur?
• Are you qualified to run your own business?
• Do you have experience in the industry?
• Do you have basic commercial/business knowledge?
• What does your family think about your plans?
• Will you withstand the stress of being an entrepreneur (psychologically, as well as financially)?

Before you dive right into starting a business, you should visit a seminar for entrepreneurs. Often, the local Chamber of Commerce offers these workshops. Also, check whether the university in your city offers anything for entrepreneurs.

If you really decide to pursue your entrepreneurial zest for action and actually realize your idea, then you will need a business plan.

However, before you get started on it, you need an idea for your business: What do you want to sell – a product or a service? Maybe there is something special, the competition does not offer yet?

Now you can go on to explain your project in a business plan:

• You should present yourself as a founder and also your co-founder if you have one.
• It is also important to choose which legal form you want for our new business.
• Describe your product/service, your customers, your competitors, your location, and your suppliers.
• Also mention your human resource planning.
• Briefly explain your pricing strategy.
• Describe your distribution strategy.
• Your communication and promotional activities you can mention briefly or you can write a detailed marketing plan.
• Mention opportunities and risks of your start-up.
• Clarify the required capital and where it will come from.

Once your business plan is ready, you can start seeking a way of financing. You probably thought about this before. You should now make a detailed calculation on the capital needed. Make a detailed list of all expenses planned.
Do you already have enough money to finance your business? Are there any friends or relatives who would lend you money for your project? What about credit institutions or governmental funding programs?

Remember that starting a business there are many formalities you need to take care of, such as governmental approvals or permits. Also with the tax authorities you will have to arrange. Try to clarify the requirements with the help of the authorities in the location you want to set up your business in advance.

More information on the topic of becoming an entrepreneur, start-ups, self-employment and starting your own business can be found on the following websites:

• U.S. government www.business.gov
• U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov
• The magazine "Entrepreneur": www.entrepreneur.com
• Business Link - the official government website for businesses of all size: www.businesslink.gov.uk
  

How to create a facebook page for your business or organization

Online marketing is becoming increasingly important for small businesses, organizations and also freelancers. Marketing through social media is becoming more and more interesting. Facebook is the social network, where most users have an account. Therefore, you should also take the opportunity to market your business or organization here. The start is simple – just create a facebook page for your business or organization.

• In order to create a facebook page for your business or organization you need to register with facebook and then log in with your username.
• On the left side click „Ads and Pages“, click on „Pages“.
• Here, you click the button „Create new page“.
• Depending on who you want to create the page for, you have different options: „Official Page“, „Community Page“ or a group.
• Official Page is meant for businesses, organizations and artists.
• Community Page you create when you are looking for people to share a certain topic with, such as „Recycling“.
• For your business, you should create an official page.
• Here you can choose from three different options: „Local business“, „Brand, product, or organization“ and „Artist, band, or public figure“. For each option, you also have to choose your industry/kind of business/organization/person.
• Add the name of your future page and then check the box „I’m the official representative ...“, to facebook’s terms. Click „Create Official Page“.
• Now you have created your facebook page.
• Now upload your company logo or a picture of yourself. This picture will be shown as a profile picture next to each of your entries. To upload your picture go over the grey question mark with your mouse, click „Change Picture“ and then „Upload a Picture“. Now you can choose a picture from your hard drive and upload as a profile picture. It is best to choose a picture that is squared, otherwise parts of the pictures will not show.
• Klick on „Write something about ...“. Now you can type a short text about your business/organization/yourself. A few words are enough here.
• Up in the tab „Info“ click on „Edit information“. Add all important information on your business/ organization/ person and then click „Save Changes“.
• In the tab „Photos“ click on „Create a Photo Album“ and upload photos of your business/ organizations/ person. These pictures can be seen by visitors of your facebook page.
• On the left side click on „Edit Page“ to set who can upload what to your page.
• Click „Suggest to Friends“ in order to invite your facebook friends to your new page.
• At the bottom on the left click the button „Share“ to pust your facebook page to your regular facebook profile.

Of course there are many other advertising possibilities for your facebook page. Just try out a few things and also do not forget about your competitors. Every now and then check what the competition is doing facebookwise.

Quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” /Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

When the communication is motivating, more ambitious targets can be reached. This can be the case in companies, associations or clubs.
You can make other people your allies more easily, if you manage to get them on your side.