Blitz Ezine #279 ~~ February 5th, 2008

Reflections and Predictions, Good Ads and Bad Ads

The Blitz-Promotions News Letter
Issue no. 279, February 5th, 2008

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Blitz Comments
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Every day or two we talk some about promotion (as well as fun things too on our blog)
http://smallbizpromo.blogspot.com/

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In this Issue
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- Some reflections and predictions
- Good Ads and Bad Ads


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Food for thought
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" Know that every road we travel is just a journey. Some roads are smooth and straight while others are rough and full of turns. Either way they will take you to your final destination. So imagine taking your journey on the most beautiful Harley your mind can ponder and enjoy the ride!"
Copyright © 2006 Paula Lyon

"You must have long range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short range failure." -- Charles Noble

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2007 Reflections, 2008 Predictions
By Sharon Housley

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The lens through which viewers receive their news has changed. The images of struggle are no longer frozen in time; technology has helped preserve and personalize these conflicts by producing moving tributes to the conflicts of humankind.

The strife and internal conflicts that marred the globe in 2006 continued into 2007: Mynamar (Burma), Palestine and Lebanon all continue to struggle with internal conflicts in their borders. The differences between 2006 and 2007 are not obvious; however, under close examination, it is evident that several external struggles have been transformed into internal conflicts. In 2006, many countries attempted to influence their neighbors. This was evident with Iran attempting to influence the turmoil in Iraq, and Syria attempting to control Lebanon. Both struggles have evolved into internal personal conflicts in 2007.

While video is not a new technology, the spread of video-viewing technology in devices like the iPod has brought the faces of terror into the homes of the western world. Advances in technology have also encouraged the West to open both their hearts and wallets, with many sponsoring children like Youseff, a child with a horribly scarred face. The same technology that brought Youssef's story to millions of homes, also helped bring tragedies like the Virginia Tech massacres.

In 2007, the heavy reliance on technology forced censorship and spying to the forefront of concerns. Many western countries accused the communist nation, China, of cyber snooping and hacking. Also, Russia did not remain unscathed in 2007, with widespread suspicion and accusations following the death of Alexander Litvinenko in late 2006. On a more positive note, North Korea seems to have complacently agreed to nuclear compliance.

With Armadinajad's (the President of Iran) comments about homosexuality heard world wide, many found them comical. He took the "don't ask, don't tell" policy to an extreme, denying the existence of homosexuality in the country of Iran. While the Western World smirks, the repressiveness of the Iranian regime lacks humor. The proximity and repeated threats against Israel illustrate the region's unchanged tension.

With the exception of the California Wildfires, nature spared the US of it's wrath in 2007. However, places like the Minneapolis bridge were victim to construction flaws, leading to collapse. Furthermore, the falling dollar was the victim of economics.

As culture and society have evolved, so have viruses. We have seen drug resistant TB, and "super bugs". These drug resistant super bugs are said to rival diseases like AIDs and have the capacity to decimate an entire population.

While technology has personalized the struggles of humankind, the internet has become a flood of information making it more difficult than ever to discern what is fact and what is fiction. This generation struggles to remember a world without the Internet. A world without the "web" is as unthinkable as a world without TV's, microwaves, or telephones. The next generation will not know a world without the real time moving images that bring news and information to their fingertips. Will the globalization and portability of news make a difference when it comes to tolerance and understanding? That is for the future generation to decide.

Top 10 Winners Predicted for 2008
1. Video
2. Healthy
3. Long Tail
4. Buy USA
5. Rich Internet / Interactive Web / Semantic Web / Web Services
6. Aggregate and Attention Data
7. Power of the People
8. Going Green
9. Biometrics and Big Brother
10. Prosthetics / Bionic

Top 10 Losers Predicted for 2008
1. Lead
2. Squat Toilets
3. DRM
4. China
5. Skinny is Out
6. Blockbuster / Netflix
7. Orbo
8. MySpace fell to Facebook
9. Privacy
10. Piracy

More on 2007 Predictions - http://www.small-business-software.net/whats-hot-whats-not-2008.htm

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

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Good Ad - Bad Ad

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Why do people think they can throw together a crummy ad, post it in a few obscure places on the Internet, and wonder why they are still as poor as a “church mouse?” Well guys, it just doesn’t work that way.

Let's talk about some of the things you must take into account when writing ad copy. You need to ensure your message is read, otherwise you are simply wasting your time and advertising dollars. In order to do this, your copy must stand out from the rest. There are a number of ways to do this, and contrary to what many of the "pundits" say, there really is no magic formula.

If you are in business, you should subscribe to a number of ezines. Take care to read the ads, and see which ones get your attention. There are some very good copywriters, and you could do well to learn from them. Keep an electronic scrapbook of ones you feel are worthwhile.

Any good copy should entice a prospect to click on the link and open it. Whether you wish to point them to a website, or request an email from you, it is critical that you make this easy for them. Don’t forget that a lot of people don’t know how to type very well, or are just plain lazy.

Always list your web site with the http:// in front of the URL.
Example - <http://adv-marketing.com> - This allows them to simply click on it, and they will immediately be taken to your site. Likewise, always include mailto: in front of your email address - <Example -<mailto:bob@adv-marketing.com> as this will open their email client and easily allow them to send you an email. So once you get your ad copy written, where should you advertise?

Ezine advertising is affordable, fast and effective. It allows you to get your message in front of your potential customers quickly and easily, wherever they are in the world. Ezine advertising should be high on your list of advertising methods.

On the other hand, email advertising (spam) has become passe'.
This has resulted in overflowing inboxes across the globe, and essentially means that your e-mail message is competing with hundreds, possibly thousands of others to gain the attention of the reader. Most people simply hit their delete key as fast as they arrive. Others, myself included, filter out the majority of the spam automatically, and it is never even seen.

The best use of e-mail is to respond to a prospect's request for information, follow up with former clients or contact your existing customers. Former and existing customers are normally your warmest market.

You can write articles in your area of expertise, and send them to your own list of ezine editors. The articles should be non-commercial, and not be simply ads for your business. Most publications however, allow you to include your author’s credits at the end of the article. This again, should not be blatantly commercial, but can invite the readers to your website or to send you an email.

If you hope to attract people to your offers, you must get your prospects attention. If you don't, you have just lost a potential customer.

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Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Instructions on how to place an ad are in the Newsletter.
Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

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Links you can use -
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Some Fun Links
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Every Friday we talk about some fun things we do in our blog. Make sure to check it out.

http://smallbizpromo.blogspot.com/
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Useful links
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Ezine Archives links to all our past issues (well most of them) in one place.

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Next Issues
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Our next issue will be March 4th, 2008

Tim and Lisa Hamblin
Tisa Enterprises
PO Box 221
Hazard KY 41702
http://www.blitzpromotions.com
http://www.crochetnmore.com
http://www.webpageplanner.com
http://www.ineedlinks.com