FROM THE DESK, MIND AND HEART OF JEFF HODGES
Hey Everybody,
I would like to send out a HUGE Happy Mother’s Day to all my readers who are proud mommies !!! The undeniably HARDEST job in the World still goes the least rewarded so I think that it’s only proper that they get their own Holiday. I know for a fact that if I had a dollar for every time I caused MY Mom to have a stressful day when I was a kid I could easily take a MONTH off and have a SWEET vacation !!! Welcome back as always to all my loyal readers and welcome aboard to my new readers. If you missed an edition or are new and want to read previous editions you can go to either:
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com/links.html (bottom left corner of the page)
OR
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
********************* SFI Marketing *********************
When was the last time you got paid to drive your car ??? Probably NEVER !!! In recent months, in my constant search for lucrative businesses, I came across the COOLEST thing… It is a program offered by SFI Marketing called Eye Earn. The concept is really quite simple. Many of the most well known businesses around (Wal-Mart, Ticket Master, Radio Shack, et.) are all part of an Online Mall. Every month when people shop at this mall, if they got there through the Eye Earn portal then a portion of their purchase is placed in a pool. Since I am a member, I get a portion of that monthly pool. And what do I do to earn that ??? Simple, all I do is drive around with a decal on my vehicle advertising the website. Now, I get a check every month. Pretty SWEET, huh ??? Money just doesn’t get any easier to make than that. Check it out at:
http://www.eyeearn.com/10050018
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In recent years Banner Advertising has been given a Black Eye by the newest forms of advertising such as Blogging and Pod Casting. But, the truth is that banner advertising is still a HIGHLY EFFECTIVE form of advertising. The only problem it has EVER had is that people generally don’t know how to use it effectively and, therefore, have lost faith in it. Banner advertising is just like your favorite recipe. You might like the taste of someone else’s but if you don’t prepare it properly you’re not going to like YOUR OWN !!!
Ok, you've purchased graphics software and you're all set to design banner ads for your upcoming campaign. Now, obviously creative, attention-grabbing ads will help you get the absolute best results. The way you combine words, colors, graphics and animation are critical to your success.
In order to get started, you need to define your goals for the ad campaign you intend to run. Ask yourself the following questions:
What do I intend to accomplish with this ad campaign?
AND…
What action do I want online users to take when they see my ad?
Once you have done this its time to begin developing your advertising message. Since banner ads use both graphics and text, it is important to consider both elements. With that in mind, here are 10 tips to help you create an effective banner ad…
1. Study the best examples online - When designing a creative piece like a banner ad, start by identifying the best banner ads that you have seen. The easiest way to do this is to visit any major portals such as MSN, YAHOO, etc. and look at the different banner ads. Try to identify at least three banner ads that catch your attention and your interest. What, if anything, do these ads have in common? This will help you understand what techniques are effective, as well as what design style appeals to you.
2. Be clear in your graphics and messaging - Your main objective is to have people take a particular action after viewing your ad. A strong, clear message will help you to capture their interest. Clear communication requires that you understand your message, what you are selling and the benefit that you are offering potential customers.
3. Control the file size - How many times have you had to wait on a banner ad before you could view a website? To minimize lost prospects due to delay frustration, you need to limit the file size of your ad. As a general rule a 468 x 60 pixel banner should be 12 kilobytes or less. Another easy way to achieve this is to limit the number of colors you use and save your banner as an animated GIF file.
4. Say it in seven words or less - This is especially important for a banner campaign, where you are limited to a small visual space. Using fewer words means that you can make the font size bigger, which increases the impact of your message.
5. Use power words - These are single words that immediately communicate a benefit. "Free," "unbelievable," "incredible," "affordable," "heartwarming". Get together with other friends and business associates to help create a list of words that are perfect for your campaign.
6. Select images carefully - Adding visuals is like cooking with spices. Too few will lead to a bland banner, while too many will destroy the desired effect. If you want to add a graphic that will really grab their attention, use a drawing or chart with a limited number of colors to accomplish this while limiting the file size.
7. Use contrast to capture attention - Your ad will likely include these elements: background colors, a bold text message, a photograph or drawing and animation. To be effective you need to have contrast between these elements. Contrast can be achieved using different font sizes and bolds and colors.
8. Limit your use of fonts - When designing your ad, try to use no more than two fonts. If you do use two or more fonts be sure to select fonts from different categories. There are three main font categories: serif (which have tiny "feet" on the letters), sans serif (with no decorative "feet") and decorative (which include highly decorative and script or handwritten fonts).
9. Don't overdo it with animation - If you plan to use animation in your ad, there are a few things to consider. You want the animation to attract their attention without offending them. When setting the animation speed, look for something that changes at a slow to moderate pace. It helps to set your animations so that they stop after three cycles; In fact, some sites may insist on this.
10. Less really is more - As you create your design, remember that less cluttered messages will make a stronger impact with the online viewer. Limit the number of elements (colors, fonts, graphics and words) that you use in your ad and ask yourself , “Did I convey my Primary Message EFFECTIVELY ???”
As always, the key to these tips being helpful for you is IMPLEMENTATION !!! I can only OFFER them. It is up to you to put them into play in your particular Banner Advertising campaign. It’s like anything else in the business world; if you want to be Successful then you must do what Successful people do.
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“It is the framework which changes with each new technology and not just the picture within the frame.”
- Marshall McLuhan
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As most of you know if you have read my newsletter for any amount of time, I’m a fairly outspoken person. I feel that by suppressing your thoughts and speech that you rob others of the opportunity to examine their own opinions by means of an assortment of points of reference. That having been said and it being Mothers Day, I felt led to express myself on a subject of many varied opinions; the subject of Holiday Commercialization. There is a lot of debate about this but I think that it’s all about boundaries…
The following is an excerpt from an article by Jani Meyer -
“It seemed like a good idea at the time, but even the "mother" of Mother's Day was disappointed at the commercialization of the event and ended up getting arrested after protesting at a Mother's Day festival.
American Anna Jarvis, who made it her life's mission to have an official day honoring mothers proclaimed, confessed before her death in 1948 that she regretted having ever having started the Mother's Day tradition.” -
Let’s face it, EVERYTHING is commercialized in one fashion or another. For example; Let’s take a look at weddings and receptions. This is a time of celebration in recognition of the beginning of a long and happy journey together through Life. Commercialization is apparent in several areas here. First, you have the limo services. Then there are the expensive dresses and tux rentals. And , let’s not forget about those outrageously expensive photo sessions. All of these vendors are raking in the cash on this one event alone. But, is there anything wrong with that? Of course not !!! They provide a valuable product or service to a willing customer. So, when IS commercialization a bad thing???
It is my opinion that the only time commercialization of a holiday is wrong is when the actual meaning of the holiday is completely lost and is replaced by some story line or irrelevant celebration that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the real holiday. If the businesses and the vendors cater to the holiday rather than CREATING the scenario to match their product or service then that is just good business. BUT… There are some obvious examples of how that is not always the case !!! The following example, in my opinion, makes the point most clearly and is THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS form of Commercial INSANTITY that anyone could come up with…….
EASTER - Easter is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now, follow along with me here people. This gets a little tricky !!! My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was crucified, placed in tomb and, on the third day, rose from the dead. Now, quite obviously, the most effective way to celebrate this event and keep the true meaning INTACT is to celebrate it with a SIX FOOT RABBIT THAT WEARS PEOPLES CLOTHES AND DELIVERS COLORED CHICKEN EGGS !!!!!!! NOT EVEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do I REALLY need to say anything else ???
Folks, in my opinion (and you are certainly entitled to yours) there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with being a good businessman/woman and capitalizing on a situation that you have something of value to offer to. It’s when that line between what the holiday is really all about and what is the most profitable is crossed that the commercialization of holiday’s is COMPLETELY WRONG !!! As a businessman, that is what my heart tells me. What does YOURS tell YOU ?????
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“We should often feel ashamed of our best actions if the world could see all the motives which produced them.”
- Francois de la Rochefoucauld
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Well, it’s about time to wrap things up for the night. No matter how much I beg and plead, this clock just WILL NOT run any slower. I hope that my words, in some way, have been of a benefit to some of you. I’m sure that on at least a few occasions that I’ve made some of you laugh, made some of you cry, made some of you mad at me and possibly even offended one or two of you but, guess what…. That’s often the price you pay for telling people what you know in your heart that they NEED to hear as opposed to what they WANT to hear. It’s one of the Crosses that a Leader bears but is necessary for the good of all. As a reader, just always keep that in mind. Until the Good Lord gives us the chance to do this again, just remember to always…..
JUST SAY “NO” TO NEGATIVITY !!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Hodges
JeffreyHodges@thedreameffect.com
http://www.eyeearn.com/10050018
http://www.jeffhodges.magneticsponsoringonline.com/letter.html
http://www.thedreameffect.com
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com
http://www.jhodges1.successuniversity.com
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
270-320-1324
Skype ID : jeffhodges1
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