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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Get a Bla.st of Free Advertising to you Blog

I just found a new marketing idea for your websites and blogs. It is completly visual. It is just like the board out front of many grocery stores where people tack up business cards. That is exactly what you are showing on numerous other sites that are a part of this network.

Now I have only just signed up for this. So I do not have any stats to show to prove its value you to you; yet!

Bla.st is the name of this fairly new network. However it does have some features for anyone but especially someone on a budget. The main feature is that your ad card can be put up for FREE.

Now as with any free type of markeying like this you are put on the bottom of all of the other free ads. However you can increase your ad placement. You can pay a per day amount to increase your placement. all cards are put into the directory. The front page shows 80 ads with links to other pages. Now your per day payment of your choice will decide which page you are placed on. The largest and first ad is paying only $1.06 per day. That means if you pay $1.07 per day your ad will be in the number one spot.

Now you can earn advertising money for helping to give Bla.st exposure. If you write a blog post and submit it to bla.st, upon approval, they will add 2 cents per day to your card. If you add a link to your site they will add 1 cent per day. Sorry, only one upgrade is allowed per card. Bla.st also has a referral program. You participate by placing the widget, like you see on the right side of my page, on your site.

The widget will display ad cards from the category you select and you receive 50% of the revenue generated from your site. This referal program works like the information below taken directly from the Bla.st website.

bla.st uses a simple cookie based referral programme that is built into the bla.st widget. Here's how it works:
  1. Place the bla.st widget on your site
  2. A user clicks one of the bla.st links or cards in the widget
  3. A cookie is placed on the users browser for 30 days
  4. If that user pays for a card while the cookie is present on their browser, you earn 50% of the sale
  5. At the end of the month we pay all referrers via PayPal

Some examples:

a user clicks the "add a card here" at the bottom of your widget. They then place a card on bla.st and pay 1c/day for 365 days. You earn 50% of $3.65 = $1.82

If a week later the same user upgrades their card to $1.00/day for the remaining 358 days, you earn 50% of $358 = $179

I am excited to see how this works. I will let you know in the future when I find out for myself. In the mean time I hope you try it for yourself.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Now Hiring New Sales Team Memebers

Digital Metamorphis is looking for a few more sales team members to work from home.

Currently we are looking for two - three new sales men and women.

Requirements -

Excellent Customer Service Skills - on the phone and in person
Background in Sales
Basic knowledge of computer based design work, or the ability to learn as you go.
Understanding of Microsoft Office programs mainly Outlook and Word.
Internet Access along with a Cell Phone or 2nd phone line in your house for business use only
The ability to generate sales leads

Job Description

You will be required to make sales calls to several current customers daily as well as be able to generate new customers either in your area or by researching companies online that participate in Trade Shows or require banners. You be in contact with customers of your current orders.

Pay and Benifits

We offer a 10% commision on the total of all your sales that have shipped and have been paid in full.
Orders range in price from approx $150.00 up to $30,000.00+

Pay dates are the 1st and 15th of each month.

Unfortuantely we do not have enough employees right now to offer a decently priced health insurance plan. We are actively seeking one that would be of benifit to all of us at the company.

For more information please contact us at sales.dept@digitalmetamorphis.com

Friday, July 6, 2007

10 Blog Traffic Tips

Click here to get The Blog Profits Blueprint

In every bloggers life comes a special day - the day they first launch a new blog. Now unless you went out and purchased someone else's blog chances are your blog launched with only one very loyal reader - you. Maybe a few days later you received a few hits when you told your sister, father, girlfriend and best friend about your new blog but that's about as far you went when it comes to finding readers.


Here are the top 10 techniques new bloggers can use to find readers. These are tips specifically for new bloggers, those people who have next-to-no audience at the moment and want to get the ball rolling.


It helps if you work on this list from top to bottom as each technique builds on the previous step to help you create momentum. Eventually once you establish enough momentum you gain what is called "traction", which is a large enough audience base (about 500 readers a day is good) that you no longer have to work too hard on finding new readers. Instead your current loyal readers do the work for you through word of mouth.


Top 10 Tips


10. Write at least five major "pillar" articles. A pillar article is a tutorial style article aimed to teach your audience something. Generally they are longer than 500 words and have lots of very practical tips or advice. This article you are currently reading could be considered a pillar article since it is very practical and a good "how-to" lesson. This style of article has long term appeal, stays current (it isn’t news or time dependent) and offers real value and insight. The more pillars you have on your blog the better.



9. Write one new blog post per day minimum. Not every post has to be a pillar, but you should work on getting those five pillars done at the same time as you keep your blog fresh with a daily news or short article style post. The important thing here is to demonstrate to first time visitors that your blog is updated all the time so they feel that if they come back tomorrow they will likely find something new. This causes them to bookmark your site or subscribe to your blog feed.



You don't have to produce one post per day all the time but it is important you do when your blog is brand new. Once you get traction you still need to keep the fresh content coming but your loyal audience will be more forgiving if you slow down to a few per week instead. The first few months are critical so the more content you can produce at this time the better.



8. Use a proper domain name. If you are serious about blogging be serious about what you call your blog. In order for people to easily spread the word about your blog you need a easily rememberable domain name. People often talk about blogs they like when they are speaking to friends in the real world (that's the offline world, you remember that place right?) so you need to make it easy for them to spread the word and pass on your URL. Try and get a .com if you can and focus on small easy to remember domains rather than worry about having the correct keywords (of course if you can get great keywords and easy to remember then you’ve done a good job!).



7. Start commenting on other blogs. Once you have your pillar articles and your daily fresh smaller articles your blog is ready to be exposed to the world. One of the best ways to find the right type of reader for your blog is to comment on other people’s blogs. You should aim to comment on blogs focused on a similar niche topic to yours since the readers there will be more likely to be interested in your blog.


Most blog commenting systems allow you to have your name/title linked to your blog when you leave a comment. This is how people find your blog. If you are a prolific commentor and always have something valuable to say then people will be interested to read more of your work and hence click through to visit your blog.



6. Trackback and link to other blogs in your blog posts. A trackback is sort of like a blog conversation. When you write a new article to your blog and it links or references another blogger's article you can do a trackback to their entry. What this does is leave a truncated summary of your blog post on their blog entry - it's sort of like your blog telling someone else’s blog that you wrote an article mentioning them. Trackbacks often appear like comments.



This is a good technique because like leaving comments a trackback leaves a link from another blog back to yours for readers to follow, but it also does something very important - it gets the attention of another blogger. The other blogger will likely come and read your post eager to see what you wrote about them. They may then become a loyal reader of yours or at least monitor you and if you are lucky some time down the road they may do a post linking to your blog bringing in more new readers.



5. Encourage comments on your own blog. One of the most powerful ways to convince someone to become a loyal reader is to show there are other loyal readers already following your work. If they see people commenting on your blog then they infer that your content must be good since you have readers so they should stick around and see what all the fuss is about. To encourage comments you can simply pose a question in a blog post. Be sure to always respond to comments as well so you can keep the conversation going.



4. Submit your latest pillar article to a blog carnival. A blog carnival is a post in a blog that summarizes a collection of articles from many different blogs on a specific topic. The idea is to collect some of the best content on a topic in a given week. Often many other blogs link back to a carnival host and as such the people that have articles featured in the carnival often enjoy a spike in new readers.



To find the right blog carnival for your blog, do a search at blogcarnival.com.



3. Submit your blog to blogtopsites.com. To be honest this tip is not going to bring in a flood of new readers but it's so easy to do and only takes five minutes so it's worth the effort. Go to Blog Top Sites, find the appropriate category for your blog and submit it. You have to copy and paste a couple of lines of code on to your blog so you can rank and then sit back and watch the traffic come in. You will probably only get 1-10 incoming readers per day with this technique but over time it can build up as you climb the rankings. It all helps!



2. Submit your articles to EzineArticles.com. This is another tip that doesn’t bring in hundreds of new visitors immediately (although it can if you keep doing it) but it's worthwhile because you simply leverage what you already have - your pillar articles. Once a week or so take one of your pillar articles and submit it to Ezine Articles. Your article then becomes available to other people who can republish your article on their website or in their newsletter.



How you benefit is through what is called your "Resource Box". You create your own resource box which is like a signature file where you include one to two sentences and link back to your website (or blog in this case). Anyone who publishes your article has to include your resource box so you get incoming links. If someone with a large newsletter publishes your article you can get a lot of new readers at once.



1. Write more pillar articles. Everything you do above will help you to find blog readers however all of the techniques I’ve listed only work when you have strong pillars in place. Without them if you do everything above you may bring in readers but they won’t stay or bother to come back. Aim for one solid pillar article per week and by the end of the year you will have a database of over 50 fantastic feature articles that will work hard for you to bring in more and more readers.



I hope you enjoyed my list of traffic tips. Everything listed above are techniques I’ve put into place myself for my blogs and have worked for me, however it's certainly not a comprehensive list. There are many more things you can do. Finding readers is all about testing to see what works best for you and your audience and I have no doubt if you put your mind to it you will find a balance that works for you.



This article was by Yaro Starak, a professional blogger and my blog mentor. He is the leader of the Blog Mastermind mentoring program designed to teach bloggers how to earn a full time income blogging part time.



To get more information about Blog Mastermind click this link:



http://www.blogmastermind.com/?home=666

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Trade Show Displays and Banners- 10% OFF


For a limited time only Digital Metamorphis is offering a 10% discount on all products. This includes all tension fabric displays, vinyl banners and even the all new Xpression SNAP Pop-up display.

This sale will last until the end of July. So you should take full advantage as soon as you can. There may not be any sale for the month of August.

All orders must be paid in full before July 31, 2007 to recieve discount.

In order to take advantage of this discount please let your sales person know you have read our blog and wish to take advantage of our sale.

Contact our Sales Department at sales(dot)dept(@)digitalmetamorphis(dot)com

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Bloggers to Gather at BlogWorld Expo, Las Vegas, November





I found This and thought you might enjoy the chance to meet a lot of fellow bloggers.

Any company that has products that are geared towards blogs, vlogs, podcasting or blogging for money you still have time to order your trade show display from Digital Metamorphis.

Mention this blog and proof you will be attending this trade show and you will recieve a 10% discount on your order!

Found on Thinking Home Business Blog
by
Des Walsh on Mon 25 Jun 2007 01:07 PM EST

You could be meeting more bloggers in one place, at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo, November 8-9. If only for the chance to spend a couple of days in Las Vegas, you should attend. Expo/Conference organizer Rick Calvert is keen to attract a wide range of bloggers, as indicated on the event home page.

"Blogger, Vlogger, Podcaster, Internet radio broadcaster, or producer of any other form of new media content. If you blog about business, technology, politics, sports, lifestyle & culture, general news items, or celebrity gossip, If you are a Milblogger, or Godblogger, or advocate a social position you need to be at BlogWorld & New Media Expo."

The trade show should prove a great place for all the companies that market their products towards blogs and other related communities.

"will include publishing platforms, design companies, web/blog/podcast hosting companies, aggregators, add-on services, plug-ins, widgets, computer hardware & software, wireless services, podcasting products, wireless & high speed ISPs, VOIP companies, on-line advertising networks, news readers, RSS/syndication services, search engines, consulting companies, affiliate program partners, new media products and services ... and many more."

The Expo conference program covers a wide spectrum of topics, from Business Blogging 101 to "What Web 10.0 Might Look Like: The Far Future".

Executive and Entrepreneur conference on November 7. This is the event described on the expo website as the "CEO Conference".

The CEO Conference is an exclusive pre-show conference beginning on Wednesday, November 7. This confrerence will be focused mainly on corporate blogging and use of new media in business.

I hope to be able to attend myself. If so I look forward to seeing all of you there.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Ten Trade Show Exhibit Best Practices

Is now a good time to spend on a trade show exhibit? Regardless of the economic conditions or competitive landscape, there are many tactics your small business can use to ensure a winning trade show.



Ten Trade Show Exhibit Best Practices

Pick an offbeat show. Sometimes an unrelated show to your target market can be the best exposure opportunity. Nordic Track had huge success not at fitness shows, but at dental trade shows.

Choose unrelated shows, and stand out, making sure the demographics are correct.

Avoid trade show company hype. Companies running the show may over-hype their event. Talk to the businesses who have attended several trade shows.

Follow this information to guide your trade show exhibit attendance decision.

Never exhibit at a new trade show. New trade shows are untested venues. Small businesses have limited time and money to experiment on unknowns. Save your cash for the regular, proven shows in your industry.

Focus on quality. Invest in shows that reach the key decision-makers of your target market.
Create a buzz. Months prior to the trade show, spend time informing existing clients and your market of the upcoming show.

Use the show as a platform for a new product or service launch.

Be an attendee-not an exhibitor. If the budget is tight this year, don't spend on trade show exhibits. Capitalize on the trade show by being a speaker or a panel expert. This will add credibility to your business and attract potential leads.

Partner with the trade show`s management team. Good trade show organizers will want your business to have success and come back next year.

Contact the management team for help with developing an appealing booth, staff scheduling, and marketing campaigning prior to the show kick-off.

Train your trade show team. Trade shows are unlike other sales environments. Limited time and attention of attendees requires quick qualifying, and lead generating tactics. Make sure your staff is prepared and has a clear goal for each day.

Call them while they're hot. Sales staff frequently make the mistake of contacting trade show leads, months after the show. Make sure your sales staff have extra time and incentive to follow-up with all leads within weeks of your trade show exhibit.

Make your business newsworthy.

Entrepreneur, Joseph Cossman, was a master of promotion. To create a buzz around his new toy spud gun at a big toy show, Cossman, ordered hundred's of pounds of potatoes and invited the local orphanage to come and play. The Spud Gun was the hit of the show. Use drama and flair to have your small business stand above the competition.

Trade shows still continue to be big business for all businesses. According to The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), business-to-business spending for trade shows is third to advertising and promotion. In a world of websites, emails, and voice mails, trade shows offer one of the true opportunities to build relationships with face to face contact. Something every business can use a little more of.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

A message from the owner of Digital Metamorphis


All

I was not sure about this blog being able to help our company. I have been reassured by several people in the company it is would be a great idea and could not hurt. I know it is fairly new as far as blogs are concerned. However we are already enjoying a few extra calls at the office.

I want to thank anyone willing to link to our blog and help us gain a larger group of readers. That is why we are offering tips and other strategies to help any company or person interested in purchasing a trade show display. If you visit our website you will also see that is far from the only product we have.

Our very talented graphics department offers freelance design services for all kinds of graphic needs. They are able to design a website as well as help design your company logo and any other branding needs you may have. This group of graphic artists can even restore most older and damaged photos that bring them back to their former glory.

We even offer canvas and poster prints for families, grandparents, and anyone that may want one. These are perfect to sit above your mantle or on any other wall in your home or office. We offer many standard sizes as well as custom sizes.

Again I want to thank everyone out in the blogging community that will help us and our readers.
Thank You
Bryan W. Taylor

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Upcoming Trade Shows for July 2007

Once again we are listing upcoming trade shows for next month. If you have or are planning on registering as an exhibitor at any of these shows and have not updated or ordered your new display or graphics visit us at Digtal Metamorphis.com!

Core Sports Expo-Buffalo
Date: 07-JUL-07 to 08-JUL-07Core Sports Expo rovides a unique two-day trade expo that is sure to be profitable for both exhibitors and attendees. The only show of its kind, representing all action sports markets in the US, Core Sports Expo will feature over 400 of today's hottest action and adventure sports manufacturers in a venue that promotes buying, selling, networking and marketing. Venue: Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, Buffalo, New York, United States Of America.

Summer Fancy Food Show
Date: 08-JUL-07 to 10-JUL-07Summer Fancy Food Show is the leading part of this technology forum. It showcases all kinds of food processing and packaging machines, materials, systems and products under one roof. This is the unique opportunity to meet senior buyers & decision makers from all facets of the user industry. Venue: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, United States Of America.

DALLAS FABRIC SHOW
Date: 09-JUL-07 to 11-JUL-07The Fabric Show features over 160 mills and coverters of decorative fabrics, laces, trims, leather, and related supplies. Held twice a year, this temporary show caters to the diverse needs of the apparel, bedding, drapery, furniture, gift and accessory item, luggage, slip cover, tabletop and related sundry manufacturers who buy by the bolt. Venue: Dallas Market Center, Dallas, Texas, United States Of America.

Enforcement Expo
Date: 11-JUL-07 to 12-JUL-07Enforcement Expo provides an annual and accessible forum for the police and law enforcement community to learn about vital new techniques as well as to view and compare the latest equipment necessary to do the job. Ohio and its surrounding states make up one of the largest law enforcement markets in the country, with Cleveland at its heart. Cleveland is an accessible and affordable location both for attendees and exhibitors who supply this sizeable market. Venue: I-X Center, Cleveland, Ohio, United States Of America.

Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo
Date: 15-JUL-07 to 19-JUL-07Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo is an international scientific/medical exposition of clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists and other individuals involved with clinical chemistry and other clinical laboratory science-related disciplines. Venue: San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California, United States Of America.


Cosmoprof North America
Date: 15-JUL-07 to 17-JUL-07Cosmoprof North America brings the worldwide professional beauty industry together all at one place at one time. Cosmetics & Personal Care Packaging, Contract Manufacturing and Private Lable Professional Hair, Nail & Equipment Venue: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Of America

July Gift & Home Furnishings Market
Date: 17-JUL-07 to 24-JUL-07L.A. Mart proudly presents the July Gift & Home Furnishings Market, offering unlimited resources and thousands of lines in dozens of categories, all under one roof. With 724,000 square feet of shopping space spread over 13 floors, the Gift & Home Furnishings Market provides an unsurpassed, one-stop shopping experience for buyers. Venue: Anchor of The Furniture & Decorative Arts District, Los Angeles, California, United States Of America.

Marine Aftermarket Accessories Tradeshows (MAATS 2007)
Date: 18-JUL-07 to 20-JUL-07Marine Aftermarket Accessories Tradeshows (MAATS 2007) remains the premier event for the marine aftermarket and brings together nearly 400 accessory manufacturers and over 90% of the industry's marine accessory buyers. The MAATS format provides a great venue for doing business, as buyers come prepared to purchase products for the boating season. Venue: Las Vegas Hilton & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Of America.

Comic-Con
Date: 26-JUL-07 to 29-JUL-07This is far more than a comic book show. This is the First Edition of New York Comic-Con, featuring Comic Book Publishers, Gaming Companies, Manga Publishers, Anime Screenings, Celebrity Appearances & Autographing, Gaming Tournaments, SCI-FI, Movie & TV Screenings, Dealers & Retailers, Artists & Creators, Panels Sessions, Show Exclusives and so much more! Venue: San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California, United States Of America.

Again if you need any display exhibits or updates to your current trade show display we are ready to help and offer rush order services!

Selecting the Right (or Wrong) People for Booth Duty

Who in your company is best suited to successfully work your next exhibit at a major trade show?

That seemingly innocuous question has created interesting problems, challenges and much discussion when one considers that in the final analysis, the success or failure of an entire trade show investment will most likely rest on the shoulders of the people selected to work the exhibit.

Therefore, it’s reasonable to consider, that reaching your trade show exhibiting goals will most likely depend on the people selected to work the booth.

That being the case, how would you answer the following questions?

How do you begin selecting the right people?

How do you know they are the right people?

What kinds of trade show booth duty people are better than others?

Who in your company is best suited to do the job successfully?

Who is (or should be) responsible for selecting booth duty team members?

How and when do you train exhibit booth workers?

We all have witnessed many different personality types of people who, for whatever reasons, were selected to work a trade show exhibit. Some were great while others probably should have stayed home. Here is a somewhat entertaining look at a few of the more interesting personality types I’m sure we all have observed at one show or another over the years.

See if you recognize any of these characters:

The know it all

Here is the person who has worked trade show exhibits in the past and firmly believes in his/her ability to fully understand everything there is to know about the exhibit, products and attendees. While taking direction is virtually impossible, this person spends most of the time lecturing anyone willing to listen.

Do as I say, not as I do

Words alone are this person’s bread and butter and will usually always talk a great game. However, when it comes time to working in a booth in a consistent manner, this person can’t hold up and often finds any excuse to take breaks and ends up being gone for most of his/her shift.

I am the technical guru

Prospects and customers can’t hold a candle to this person’s superior technical knowledge and he/she takes almost every opportunity to tell any suspect, prospect or customer about it. Technical arguments are standard practice when anyone disagrees with this guru’s opinion and his/her presence in the booth only spells “headaches” for anyone attempting to calm him/her down and be a little more socially congenial.

To shy to speak

You’ve seen this person in a booth doing anything possible to get away from meeting prospects and customers in a face to face situation. Nothing amiss or devious about this individual, however, his/her introverted personality just does not lend itself to being on the front line at a trade show.

All smiles

The ultimate “Top Gun” sales person is always ready, willing and able to attempt to close every suspect, prospect or general visitor who nears the booth. Usually talks more than listens and literally ends up driving potential new business to the competition.

I’m the boss

Let it be known that the boss is in the house! One can usually spot him/her holding court in the middle of the trade show exhibit while projecting the image of being an executive who might be a little too important to pull booth duty and work side by side with every day worker bees.

The inventor

Somewhere lost in space is the technical person who developed some of the products on display and all he/she really wants to do is quietly go back to the office and get back to work solving more technical problems.

Why am I here?

Field sales people have been often heard to declare: “I’ve got sales targets to meet in my territory with only a few days left in the quarter to close some business and here I am standing in the middle of McCormick Place, Chicago playing booth tag with strangers I have no interest in meeting. Who’s going to compensate me when I miss my sales target and bonus I’ve worked so hard for all year to earn?”

Jokes and good times galore

They usually stand in small groups off the beaten path telling jokes, assorted funny stories and comment on any unusual person(s) that might walk by. Work! Are you kidding? We haven’t seen these guys together since last years show and it’s time to catch up and have some fun while away from home and the office.

Man, do I have a headache

This unfortunate soul probably looks like he/she spent the night curled up in some corner wondering what time it was and how many hours until it was time to stand booth duty. For some unknown reason, out of town trade show time is “let’s get a little crazy” time and it usually shows the morning after much to almost everyone’s disappointment.

Eat drink and be miserable

At 25 years old, it might be possible to go out after the show, have a few drinks, a big meal and get to bed and get about 5 hours of sleep and then show up at the exhibit the next day in pretty good shape. Over 25 years old and it’s highly unlikely that this activity will continue to support a future of meeting promotional goals and salary increases, especially on the trade show floor where it’s almost impossible to hide from management’s critical eye.

The Don Juan

Wedding ring hidden away somewhere, generously splashed with the newest body wash and feeling 21 years old again, this individual is away from the spouse, kids and home and ready to party. We’ve all seen individuals like this and it’s also a known fact that their unacceptable behavior is not in the best interests of the corporate trade show exhibit effort.

A bit out of shape

Effectively and responsibly manning a trade show booth for three days is hard, demanding work that tests the boundaries of both the mind and body. If the booth staff is out of shape, tired or hung over, prospects and customers will know it and most likely politely walk away disappointed and with them any chance of meeting most pre-show goals.

The “Trade Show Coach”, Susan Friedmann, (http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com/) says:

“The 5 most important individual characteristics the trade show manager should seek out in selecting booth duty people are,”
People who want to be there – i.e. they like meeting new people, building relationships, like to travel, etc.

Appreciate the importance and power of tradeshows and are willing to work hard to achieve company and personal goals and objectives.

Have great questioning skills and are able to probe visitors for essential/quality information that’s critical for the follow-up process.

Superlative listeners – have the ability to listen more than they talk (tough skill for salespeople)!

Can think on their feet and can adapt their presentation/demonstration to meet the visitor’s needs.

We’re entirely confident that almost everyone reading this can add to our list of entertaining unusual trade show characters seen working exhibits, but as much fun as it is to match the above types with actual people we might know, that’s not the objective of this article.
What is the objective of the article is to get people thinking more seriously about who might be best suited and who in the company should or should not be asked to work your next major trade show exhibit presentation.

Consider the following:

Required in every person selected to work your trade show exhibit should be dedication, commitment, professionalism and sincerity. In addition, these special people should at all times exemplify the highest level of integrity and honesty your company stands for in the marketplace.

Booth people should know the products and services offered and are able to present this information in a confident and careful manner while asking intelligent questions and listening to the answers provided.

The entire booth staff should be selected and viewed as the company’s most professional, well trained and sensitive employees who set excellent examples whenever and wherever they are asked to serve the best interests of the company on a 24-7 basis. You seldom get a second chance to make a first good impression.

Try to look at all departments in your company to discover outstanding trade show booth duty candidates including: customer support, technical support, administration, manufacturing, engineering, research and development and of course sales, marketing and executive management.

So when it’s time to assemble your next trade show exhibit booth duty schedule, take care in selecting the right people with the right stuff to ensure that the critical “people” portion of your trade show exhibit is as strong as the rest of your effort and you’ll have a much better chance meeting the goals and objectives set for the entire effort.

Plan for a Successful Trade Show

Participating in a trade show involves a significant investment of time and money - and your business depends on getting a good return on this investment.


Here are 10 easy ways you can plan ahead for a successful trade show:


1) You can avoid incurring extra fees when you exhibit in a trade show by ensuring that you don't miss any of the deadlines related to registering and exhibiting. Costs go up by a big percentage after the registration and payment deadlines pass, so it's worthwhile to submit your application as early as possible - and to keep good files on each trade show you'll be participating in.


2) You can usually count on the safe arrival of everything you ship to a trade show. But shipping isn't always reliable - and what if part of your trade show booth display, your literature, or other components don't arrive in time? As part of your planning process for the show, you should come up with a plan of action for such a situation, so you'll be prepared to salvage your presentation.


3) Although receiving a really big order at a trade show can be exciting, you may want to check with other wholesalers to see whether the company that placed the order has a history of paying promptly and in full. Unfortunately, new exhibitors at trade shows are a frequent target for scammers who place a large order and disappear after receiving it, without paying the big bill they owe the supplier. Of course, large orders can also be perfectly legitimate; so protect your business by exercising caution and checking the company's references carefully.


4) You can use trade shows to test and refine your new product concepts without spending any money on fully producing them in quantity. Bring a sample or two of a new product to a show, and get customers' feedback on it. If it's a hit, go ahead and take orders for the item and schedule delivery dates that will allow for your production time. If the item needs to be reworked to incorporate customers' suggestions - or if it doesn't generate the interest you hoped - it's easy to alter or completely scrap the idea without losing money on production.


5) Your trade show booth may be approached by independent sales reps looking for lines to represent. If you're interested in selling your products through a sales rep, consider ahead of time what commission you would be able to pay a rep and still be able to meet your expenses and turn a profit. With that information in mind, you'll be prepared to have a productive meeting with a sales rep during or after the trade show.


6) Develop a concise, detailed production plan so you'll know how exactly long it takes you or your supplier to produce certain quantities of your products. Then pad your estimate time slightly. That way you have a high likelihood of meeting your quoted delivery deadlines, and may be able to pleasantly surprise your customer by delivering early. It's important to know your production time before you go to the show, so you can give your customers accurate delivery dates.


7) When getting ready to travel to a trade show, pack your displays and booth items with quick setup in mind. The things you'll need first for setting up your booth should be on the top when you open your boxes. At the bottom of your boxes should be the last things you'll need for setting up.


8) If the show promoter provides table covers for each booth, bring your own table runner with your logo on it. You can arrange it over the provided table cover to make your display stand out from the others.


9) Keep your own written record of the weight of each shipping case, both empty and full. That way you can ensure that you're being charged for the correct weight by the drayage company and the contractor.


10) Set up your trade show display with "easy information" in mind. Information your potential customers may want to know should be easy for them to find intuitively at your booth, if you're busy with another customer. You can use signs and literature with clear, visible headlines to answer frequently asked questions about your minimum orders, pricing, shipping, etc. If customers have to wait for you to answer their questions and can't easily find the information they need, they'll move quickly on to the next booth.

More tips for a succsessful trade show!

1. Establish your reason for exhibiting at a show.

Your company must ask itself why is it exhibiting at a specific trade show. Write out your trade show objective. Once you have determined the objective, concentrate your booth messages to complement that one show objective. Work hard to create a singular objective. A business that has multiple strategies cannot successfully focus its efforts. Select a single show objective and concentrate your energies to meet that objective. DonÆ’t dilute your energies.

2. Pick the right show.

Do your homework in advance. Does the show selected attract the correct audience for your products or services? Does it have the proper attendance to justify your anticipated expenditures? Call the trade show sponsor to obtain a list of previous show attendees. Call a small sample (5-10) of your target accounts to see if they will be attending the show. If all the answers are positive, it is probably a good show at which to exhibit.

3. Set your trade show budget and how you will spend it.

Determine how much the company is willing to spend, prepare a written budget, apportion the money properly, and record your expenses for future review. Determine why the budget amount was exceeded for any reason after the show or if you held to the pre-determined budget.

4. Market your trade show exhibition.

Depending on your budget allocations, market to target customers before the trade show. Use a short clear direct mail piece letting target companies know your company will be exhibiting, what the booth number is, where your booth is physically located at the show, at what their benefits will be if they stop by your booth.

5. Create a clean, clear, simple booth.

You don't get much time to make sure a show attendee understands your booth's message. Don't confuse them. Flashy booths with many areas that attract a visitor's visual attention will overpower and confuse. Keeping a booth simple is the key. Ensure your booth visitor receives the information they need to make a decision favorable to your company. That's all they need and that's all you want.

6. Grab the trade show visitors' attention.

Attendees at any trade show pass by hundreds of booths, sometimes thousands depending on the show. Your company will have only a few seconds, sometimes as little as 5 seconds, to catch the attention of a show attendee. Make sure your booth is designed to create a single focal point using easy to read text with clean simple graphics so trade show visitors will understand your message quickly and correctly.

7. Create a booth that makes visitors feel comfortable.

Remove physical barriers to visitor exchange. Too often booth designers create a boot that they believe "looks cool." While it may, it doesn't encourage visitors to your booth stop and want to talk to you because they don't feel comfortable. Make it easy for booth visitors to enter your space and obtain the information they desire. Many booths are designed as barriers with tables between you and your potential customers. A U-shaped trade show space removes the barriers between booth operator and visitor and encourages exchange. If visitors are comfortable and want to enter your booth, it is more likely they'll listen to your sales pitch and your show will generate better success.

8. Visit your booth before the show.

Put your creative ego in check and "visit" your booth just like the trade show attendee will do. Take an objective look at your booth and ask yourself if you would be attracted to the display and would you actually remember your booth. If you have selected the correct trade show and know the audience for that show, you should be able to create a display that will motivate visitors to stop at your booth. Understand the reasons they are attending this show. Give them a reason, a real benefit to them, to stop at your booth. Do a little pre-show research on your target audiences' show motivations.

9. Record visitor interest and key contact data.

If you have successfully attracted visitors to your booth, you need to record their key contact information and what they were individually interested in — whether it is one of your products or services your company offers. Most large shows offer easy ways to scan in key contact data, but they don't provide a means to record individual interest. Use a dictating machine, a prepared spreadsheet, or simple lined paper to record what the visitor was interested in so you can properly follow up with those that are real targets.

10. Don't forget proper show follow-up.

Just because you created a great booth doesn't mean you'll attract good traffic at your booth. Our fourth tip discussed limited pre-show marketing. Not only do you need to market your attendance before the show, but you must follow up after the show on all the leads generated during the show to effectively ensure your trade show investment will be optimized. Those show leads cost you a lot of money. Make sure you translate some into sales for your company.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Make an Impact with Your Trade Show Display Graphic Images

Avoid Headaches & Time When Submitting Graphics for Your Exhibit

So, you’ve decided on the trade show display you think will best represent your company. And after deciding on the model, the trade show graphics you select are the next most important element to help you really stand out at a trade show – your graphics.

Just as you want your trade show display materials to be as professional as possible, you want your trade show display graphic images to be as bold, clean and powerful as possible. The steps to achieving this are quite simple, but require a good marketing foundation, some creativity to develop eye-catching graphics and a thorough understanding of how to prepare those graphics for use in your trade show display.

Here, we are going to focus on the last step – gathering information and preparing your trade show graphic for submission to the trade show display company’s production department. Each company has a different procedure which makes it essential you work directly with the company from which you purchased your display. Make sure you learn the specifics of each step of the design process, from submitting your graphics files to receiving a proof/sample of how the final product will look.

Below are some details to keep in mind before you call, so you can help make the process as seamless as possible.

Minimum size – The files must be appropriately sized in order for the trade show graphics to work. If your image is too small, or the resolution of your photography is too low, blowing it up to a size that will fit your trade show display and accessories will result in a distorted or blurry image. Ask for the smallest and largest acceptable dimensions for your graphic images to avoid needless design steps with the design department.

Dye Sublimation or Ink Jet - Dye Sublimation fabric prints produce higher resolution than ink jet graphics, but at a higher price. If you furnish graphics files that are a minimum of 400 dpi, you may be able to get finished graphics that are more than four times that size. If your budget is limited, ink jet graphics may be a better option.

Color Match – Your version of royal blue may not be the same as the trade show graphic designers’ version of royal blue. And asking to see an electronic sample can be tricky, because the different settings on different computer monitors can distort the color’s appearance – and the same goes for printouts as well. Because of this, many designers use Pantone color models as standardized guidelines for choosing universal colors. Find out which ones your design team follow and choose a color that best represents your company from there.

Fonts – It is recommended you outline or rasterize all the different types of fonts used in your trade show display graphic images – especially if your graphic combines actual text files with graphic files to create one graphical element or file. However prior to outlining your text double check the spelling.

Format – Should your trade show graphic be submitted as an Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark Xpress or InDesign file? Does the design department prefer a .tif, .pdf, .eps file or some other file format? Also, should you submit your materials on a CD, DVD, ZIP disc or upload it to a FTP site? Does the design department work on PC, Mac or both?

Production Time – Begin your submission timeline by backtracking from the time you expect to receive the completed trade show display. Ask your customer service rep how long it will take the company to complete the trade show graphic production to determine when you should expect delivery. Don’t make the schedule too tight – you want to leave some wiggle room for yourself and the designers in case there are any obstacles or last minute details to be worked out.

Your trade show display introduces your company to trade show visitors and prospective clients before they ever meet anyone from your company. Your trade show graphics are the most important part of creating that first impression, and can make or break your image.

By discussing your graphics concept(s) with your customer service rep at the very beginning of the design process you can streamline the process to ensure your trade show graphic images will be the most compelling they can be. Follow these preliminary guidelines to save yourself and the graphic design team time and frustration.

Seven Secrets That Successful Trade Show Exhibitors Do Not Want You to Know

Why are certain companies consistently successful at trade shows? They understand and practice the processes of targeting and follow-up. You can increase your return on investment by utilizing the same secrets that successful companies want to keep hidden.

1. Understand the primary reason you are participating it the trade show - You can use a trade show for many purposes. You may want to introduce a new product or service, announce updates of classic products that better serve your clients, search for new prospects, scope out the competition or perform market research. Successful companies realize that they can only focus on one or two issues per trade show. They make easy-to-understand offers with which targeted clients and prospects can immediately identify.

2. Plan for your target audience - One main reason a company will fail to have a positive return on their investment from a trade show is because they expect to talk with all of the attendees who walk past their booth. They are not clear who their best prospects are, how to identify them or how to quickly qualify their purchasing needs. These companies have the “yank them in” mentality. They want volume, and waste time with poor prospects while the solid gold prospect get frustrated and leaves.

3. Pre-invite targeted customers and prospects - Once you know what products or services you are featuring at the show, you can contact the appropriate clients and invite them to visit your booth to give them a special preview of your offer. This is an excellent opportunity to cross-sell your existing customers and ask them for referrals. Successful companies realize that existing clients are a fantastic source for increasing sales, without the investment in time that developing new clients require.

4. Give them a real reason to visit you - If you use candy and gimmicks to attract people, you will get people with sweet tooths who like gimmicks, not good prospects who want what you have to offer.

The real reason must be clearly stated and benefit-oriented to the customer or prospect. They do not care if you have the latest or greatest product or service, they want to know how they will benefit from it. Unsuccessful companies (generally 90% of exhibitors) spend a great deal of time and money telling everyone who will listen how great they are and how good their service is. The 10% of companies who are successful forget their ego and focus on the customer’s benefits.

5. Don’t waste their time (or yours) at the show - Use the brief time you have with a prospect to ask them questions about their company and qualify them. Practice with your colleagues so that you will be able to determine if the booth visitors are appropriate prospects within 30 seconds. If not, practice thanking them for stopping by and excuse yourself.

If you determine that they are a good prospect that will benefit from your offer, ask for permission to contact them the week after the show. Make an appointment for a phone call. Keep that appointment. You will be the only person who does, and they will be impressed with your professionalism. Use that phone call to further qualify and set up a meeting or demonstration.

6. Do not plan to give demonstrations at your booth - While it is appropriate to have your equipment or materials at the booth, it is not the place to give in-depth product demonstrations. If you want to have the ability to give a 10, 20 or 30 minute demo, rent a separate room and set up a quiet place (with refreshments) so that your customer or prospect gets your full attention (and you get theirs). They will love and remember the VIP treatment.

7. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up - You will dramatically improve your return on your trade show investment simply by staying in touch with the customers and prospects you have qualified at your booth. Most companies incorrectly assume that the prospect will remember them when they are ready to buy. If you stay in touch with them regularly with informative direct mail, faxes and personal calls, they will automatically think of you when the time is right.

These seven secrets are the keys to increasing the return on your trade show investment. Successful companies understand that it is necessary to involve all of their staff in the preparation, execution and follow-up procedures discussed here. Growing the profitability of your company can be assured when all of your team members understand the goals and can contribute effectively.

Ordering Late… What to Do When Time is NOT on Your Side!

Let me ask you this question – What portion of your overall responsibility would you say includes purchasing promotional products for tradeshows? Probably less than 1%, right?! This is probably the reason why so many buyers find themselves ordering late and paying for rush service and overnight shipping.

So Why Does It Take So Long?

Think about this - every promotional product we sell is customized. Unlike retail products, these products aren’t just taken off shelves and shipped. The reality is that they require time to produce.

So what should you expect when it comes to timing? Well to start, you should figure on the art preparation (1 to 2 days) the production (standard 5 to 10 days) and the shipping (ground 1 to 5 days).

A good rule of thumb is standard production on most items with shipping and art prep require 3 to 4 weeks from the time you order to the time you receive your goods. Keep in mind some products require more or less time.
The bottom line is this - if you order early, you will save money and eliminate unnecessary stress.

Rush Jobs Go Bad

Consider this. If you think paying through the nose to rush an order is your biggest problem, guess again! The fact is- rush orders have twice the risk of creating much bigger problems. Imagine getting the wrong product, having a misprint, or even missing a delivery in time for the show.

So what should you do? Remember, there are approximately 5000 manufacturers in this industry. The problems start when you pick a product you see on a large website or catalog and your distributor has to deal with a manufacturer they have no experience with.
The solution? Keep it simple… And believe me when I tell you to trust only about 50 of them.

I’m a firm believer in the “under-promise,” “over-deliver” philosophy. If I can’t say with confidence that I can’t get an order to them on time – I will tell them that. Better that, than let them down and ruin my customer’s confidence in my service.

Believe me when I tell you again - there are a large majority of manufacturers in this industry who simply do not care about you or me. But always keep in mind that there are 50 great suppliers who do.

Why Should Your Small Company Attend Trade Shows?

Many small business owners believe that exhibiting at a trade show is out of their league, mainly because of financial considerations.

They believe large companies have large marketing departments with large budgets. Not only is a trade show booth unaffordable, they also don't know how to design, transport, and assemble a booth, or how to go about working a trade show.Except for the budgetary concern of actually renting space on the trade show floor, all other concerns can be overcome. Even if you’re just starting a business or running a small company, it’s important to attend and exhibit at trade shows.

Why? Here are some important reasons: Attending Trade shows Allow You to Meet Your Competitors.

First, you’ll meet the competition. How do you compare with them?
Trade Shows Will Get You Noticed by Prospective Clients There are more than a couple of reasons to attend trade shows; meeting potential clients, making sales and promoting your business are top reasons.


originally reported by : Newest Promotion products.com

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

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The SBI! Action Guide is much more than a manual. Think of it as a mentor who escorts and advises you, who shows you what e-commerce really is. Upon completion, You will have a site that fires on all four cylinders. His in-demand Content will attract Traffic, targeted visitors who are PREsold by the quality information. Then, and only then, will you be ready to Monetize. And monetize you will! Content Traffic PREsell Monetize... the only way for small business to succeed online. Keep this process in mind as your next click starts the process by brainstorming Content. That's the beginning of the answer to your question...

SBI! Web hosting is high-speed and reliable (redundancy, backups, etc.) of course. And it includes automatic annual renewal of your domain name, unlimited e-mail (with unique Spam 'n Virus Blast It!) and all the usual features of top-notch hosting. But honestly... hosting is hosting nowadays. Any good company can do that well. It's the C T P M process, and all the tools (many of them unique on the Web) to execute it perfectly, that makes your site work. After all, without targeted, PREsold traffic, does your site really exist?

If you're an HTML "pro," use your favorite HTML editor (DreamWeaver, FrontPage, etc.) and graphics program (PhotoShop, etc.) to create your own Look & Feel.

But uh-oh.... you may not be a designer. No HTML or design ability, whatsoever. No problem! SBI! offers cutting-edge through-the-browser design capabilities. You chooses from a wide selection of professional, customizable, ready-to-use templates, uses the built-in tools to add his personal touch, and presto... high-class, fun design!


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Friday, May 18, 2007

Featured trade shows for June 2007

Every month we will try to keep you updated about all future trade shows and any news regarding the industry. If you know of one that is not listed please leave a comment and help us out. It is apperciated!

Below are a few of the fetured upcoming Trade Shows as listed on GlobalSource.com for June 2007. If you are attending these or any future Trade Shows or even just need a banner, table drape or can use any of our services please stop by our site at Digital Metamorphis Trade Show displays


June 01 - 05, 2007
Swiss Watch by JCK
Venue:
The Venetian Hotel Resort and Casino, Las Vegas
Organizer:
Reed Exhibitions
Telephone:
(1) 952-828 7100
Products:
Watch & Jewelry

June 02 - 03, 2007
Houston Bead Market
Venue:
The Stafford Centre
Organizer:
Positive Progress Productions
Telephone:
(1) 903-734 3335
Products:
Gemstones, Pearls, Buttons, Glass, Tools, Jewelry, Lampwork, Seed Beads

June 07 - 09, 2007
Printwear Show
Venue:
Charlotte Convention Center
Organizer:
National Business Media
Telephone:
(1) 800-669 - 0424
Products:
Business of apparel decorating, Screen printing, Embroidery, Heat-applied graphics, Digital textile printing, Sublimation, Apparel

June 07 - 09, 2007
Sign Business & Digital Graphics Show 2007
Venue:
Charlotte Convention Center
Organizer:
National Business Media
Telephone:
(1) 800-669 - 0424
Products:
Sign business & digital graphics show; Signs, banners and industrial fabrics, Digital printing and wide-format graphics, Dimensional sign making, Vehicle and marine graphics

June 14 - 16, 2007
eBay Live! 2007
Venue:
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
Organizer:
eBay
Telephone:
(1) 866-645-5619
Products:
Clothing, shoes and accessories, motors, electronicsVisit Global Sources at Booth number 1131

June 23 - 24, 2007
Arkansas Bead Market
Venue:
Ft. Smith Convention Center
Organizer:
Positive Progress Productions
Telephone:
(1) 903-734 3335
Products:
Gemstones, Pearls, Buttons, Glass, Tools, Jewelry, Lampwork, Seed Beads

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Canvas and Poster Prints

Digital Metamorphis is here to help you, treasure the most valuable moments of your life! We are here to create custom contemporary wall art, and digital art work for you. We are even great at restoring old photos, which have seen better days! Everything is one of a kind, and personally cared for like it was our own!


Canvas Prints

Our canvas prints are beautiful prints that have a museum quality look and feel. This is accomplished by printing directly on to photographic canvas paper. With our archival inks your canvas will last a lifetime guaranteed. Also all canvas prints come mounted onto stretcher boards for that complete museum quality look!

Poster Prints

These Wonderful prints are basic enlargements. However the image printed on them is far from basic. They are printed on high gloss photographic paper. When you order one of these you can recieve almost any size print of your photo or the design created for you. You will also choose a size if you want enlargements of your restoration project.

Introducing the New Xpression 3D Pop UP Display

A great Xpressions pop up trade show booth allows you to display your company’s message in an amazing stylish new design.

As one of the exclusive distributors, Digital Metamorphis is excited to introduce the new inventive Xpressions pop up displays. The unique characteristics of Xpressions trade show booth products enhance the creative appeal and energy of your marketing message. The trade show audience is invited to explore the depth, movement and excitement not found with traditional tradeshow exhibits. Enjoy viewing the latest designs below and imagine the possibilities for your brand or service using anXpressions exhibit display.

The new Xpression pop-up displays provide a unique and different way to market your company. Utilizing the geodesic aluminum pop-up frame with removable fabric trade show graphics panels this system allows for the easiest set up and tear down of any portable trade show display. The ease of removing the trade show graphics on the front (or the back) of these units makes them particularly advantageous to company’s whose message changes on a regular basis. Also, unique to the Xpression, images can be mount on top of and covering or partially covering background images. This creates the unique 3 dimensional look of the Xpression.
Xpressions innovative fabric panel pop-up displays go up in just seconds. So lightweight and easy to do, these displays can be easily transported in a shoulder bag and opened in less than one minute. Trade show display set-up has never been easier!

The Xpressions system comes in 60 different fabric panel variations for dramatic visual effects. Fabric panels can be changed and updated easily and for far less than the cost of traditional vinyl display panels.

To find out more about Xpressions pop-up fabric panel display systems from Digital Metamorphis, call or e-mail us today.

Digital Metamorphis Intergrates Custom Trade Show Displays into Their Product Line

Digital Metamorphis is announcing all new products and services. The last few years Digital Metamorphis has been steadily growing as a custom canvas a poster print and design firm. Now DM is offering design and manufacturing services for the trade show display industry. They also offer any and all point of purchase signage that may be needed by a number of small and large businesses. They are not going to stop the customized design and print services, just adding to their already large list of products and services.
“We just wanted to offer our customers and any future customers, any and all print needs they may require! Our canvas and poster customers have come to know and enjoy our high quality prints and customer service. It is now time to offer that same quality to our trade show customers. We have already been offering this service for the past few months.”
There has always been a top notch graphics department at Digital Metamorphis, but now it has grown in size. There are now have, two more, large format printers. One that is set up for direct printing to vinyl banner material. They also have dye sublimation printer that prints to our paper which is later ran through a new heat press along with the specified fabric.
DM now has a full metal shop that constructs their aluminum tube frames for stock shape tension fabric displays and any custom shape that may be needed. There is also a full finishing depart that is responsible for all sewing and test fitting the fabric skins onto the frame prior to being shipped.
Digital Metamorphis is starting to integrate complete custom display design that includes all structures, frames, and skins. Offered as well are any of the well, known Truss Display Systems.
“We offer many of the current displays that are on the market already, including the most popular pop up displays of all sizes. We are also offering a wonderful product by the name of The Xpression 3D pop up display. The Xpression displays are the newest tradeshow display format on the market. Innovative and eye catching, these trade show booths will grab your audience’s attention.”
Digital Metamorphis asks that you stop by their website and see if you can benefit from any of their services. “If you can we know you will enjoy them as much as we do making them!”