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| Exhibitors | ||||
| JOAN LINDEN, MBA Turnaround Consulting, Strategic Planning, Marketing and Design |
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| WHY MARKETING DOESN’T WORK (AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT) In today’s marketplace, the costs and mechanics of marketing have never been more complex or the return on investment more uncertain. This presentation will reveal: Why marketing often fails to deliver; What marketing can and cannot do; and How marketing is (or should be) tied to the rest of your organization. You will also be introduced to a simple, but powerful strategic planning model that can help you compete as effectively as any global player and make more informed decisions about your products, services, marketing programs, tools and budget, as well as your strategic alliances and subcontractor relationships. Joan Linden specializes in business development and revenue growth. Her services integrate three areas: Business Strategy and Troubleshooting, Marketing Planning and Implementation and Creative Communications Design. She works with privately held businesses and non-profits in a variety of industries, at every stage of development. |
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| JEFF LANDER, MS Appilistic |
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| INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING WITH HTML E-MAIL This presentation offers an introduction to the technical aspects of marketing with HTML e-mail. We will look at styles and models for marketing e-mail, the visual elements of HTML e-mail, the concept of taking your web site to the customer, the capabilities and limitations of your existing e-mail client, and the possibilities for automation and data collection. We will also discuss the issue of spam, and look at the elements of permission-based marketing. Appilistic is a small software development company focused on Internet and Small Business Applications for small to medium sized business. Our internet applications include web masters and web site developers around the globe. Our small business applications target businesses throughout New England and the Northeast. |
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| LOU DAVIS Market Street Research |
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| CUSTOMIZED MARKETING RESEARCH TO DIRECT DECISION MAKING This presentation will review the tools and techniques used by Market Street Research in serving their clientele. These include: Image and Awareness Studies, Customer and Employee Satisfaction and Loyalty Surveys, Focus Groups, Political Polling, Market Segmentation, Competitive Intelligence, Market Feasibility Research, Product Testing, Online Behavior Sampling, Web Site Usability, and Purchase Decision Dynamics. Market Street Research, Inc. is an independent, national marketing research firm based in Northampton. We provide premium, custom-designed research services that speak to our clients’ specific needs. Our individualized research, analysis and reporting techniques result in actionable information our clients use to make effective business decisions. We serve all industries, with specialties in Healthcare, Financial Services and Social Marketing Research. |
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| AMY ZUCKERMAN A - Z International Associates |
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| GETTING THE MOST FROM MEDIA PLACEMENT Most people either overestimate or underestimate the power of media placement. This presentation will help you assess whether media placement will work for your company and how to best target the right publications. A-Z specializes in business development and marketing with expertise in media placement, forums/workshops, targeted outreaching and lead building – on a local, regional, national and international basis. |
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| CHARLIE FORTIN, BSIE, MBA, MCA Y2 Marketing |
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| MONOPOLIZE YOUR MARKETPLACE SYSTEMS Most small businesses can’t afford to experiment with advertising so they tend to do what the big guys do. Unfortunately, this means they are writing ads that give very little real information to the consumer. On the other side, most consumers are barraged with advertisements that don't say much and pretty much look alike. Consequently, they revert to price as their sole criterion for making their decision. This presentation will outline the place of marketing in today’s economy – why things have changed and what you can do as a business to improve the response to your advertising. Dallas based Y2Marketing educates business on what tactics work in advertising in a program called Monopolize your Marketplace. Y2Marketing is the country's 42nd fastest growing company (according to INC magazine), with 700+ agents working across the country. Our basic process is to separate our clients from the competition so that the prospect concludes that they would be an absolute fool to do business with anyone else, regardless of price. |
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| SHELDON SNODGRASS, MBA The Steady Sales Group |
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| SALES SUCCESS: PUTTING FIRST THINGS FIRST Steady sales require solid systems. But sales success begins in the one place most people look last – their own attitudes and beliefs. Take this test: What are the first feelings or thoughts that come to mind when you hear the words “prospect” or “cold call” or “quota”? If your answer is on the negative end of the spectrum, yet increasing sales is important to you, this presentation will help you master the seven steps of the sales process and strengthen the foundation upon which they all rest. The Steady Sales Group helps businesses make more money in four ways: Sales Diagnostics (uncover impediments to sales success); Sales Planning (turning goals to actual results); Sales Program Development (execute quick-start low-cost methods); Sales Training (find, qualify, get and keep customers). |
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| BRUCE ROSEWARNE Upward Media |
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| PROMOTING YOUR COMPANY WITH BUSINESS CARD CD'S This presentation focuses on using the iCD Card (Upward Media's name for the business card CD) as a sales and marketing tool for your business. We will cover the uses, possibilities and advantages of this exciting new medium, both as an independent piece of your marketing and as part of your marketing efforts as a whole. Weighing in at less than half an ounce, learn how this little CD can be your sales video, brochure, information packet, catalog, photo gallery, virtual tour, business card, and so much more. Not to mention, they mail along with a letter for no additional postage! We will show you what they can do, how they are created, and what they cost. This presentation is a must for any company looking to take their marketing to the next level! Upward Media is a national Website and Multimedia design company. We are ColdFusion certified and became partners with both Allaire and Macromedia in 2000. We have extensive knowledge and expertise in most of today's Web and multimedia applications, specializing in ColdFusion, Flash, Shockwave, and database programming. Our products are used in a vast array of industries, from medical to manufacturing. |
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| ROBERT BAKER DataEdge Marketing Information |
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| SELECTING TARGETED LISTS FOR MARKETING AND RESEARCH This presentation will address the key questions related to using targeted lists in your marketing efforts: What is a Targeted List/Sample? How is the data gathered? What kind of targeted files are available? We will also discuss Consumer vs. Business Files, Mail, Phone and E-Mail Files as well as Bumps in the Road for Data Collection. DataEdge Marketing Information is a vendor of targeted lists (postal, phone and e-mail) for Direct Marketing, Telemarketing and Research. The company has been in business since 1989. |
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| PETER PELLAND Pelland Advertising |
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| RETURN FOR YOUR ONLINE INVESTMENT: PROMOTING YOUR WEB SITE ON A BUDGET A great website without traffic is a failure. Pelland Advertising has built, hosts and maintains over 100 successful commercial websites. Our experience has taught us that the generation of a significant and sustained level of online traffic requires both a dedicated effort and a plan of attack. This snippet from a successful two-hour seminar is applicable to all types of small businesses and will cover a diverse range of relevant topics, including: search engine readiness, site submissions, keyword bidding strategies, traffic analysis, link relevancy, and cross promotion. Pelland Advertising implements cross-media publishing strategies that focus on the combination of custom-designed website development and hosting services and four-color process collateral advertising production. The company specializes in the construction of successful online commerce solutions for small businesses with do-it-yourself budgets. |
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| MAGGIE HAIGIS, M.ED. Words for Results |
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| WRITING EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING COPY Well-phrased content has great power. This presentation will help you make the best of your advertising dollars by exploring the verbal ingredients that make a successful ad and how to develop copy that sets your business apart from the competition. As a former news reporter and advertising specialist, Maggie Haigis has experience working with radio, print and TV throughout the Valley. She provides her clients with a full range of marketing services and has presented workshops on marketing through Greenfield Community College and The Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. |
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| TOM NAJEMY, ACT! CERTIFIED CONSULTANT Squad 16 Consulting, Inc. |
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| ACT! AND REACT TO YOUR MARKETPLACE ACT! is a fully customizable database that can meet the needs of most small businesses and many mid-market companies. This presentation will look at custom layouts as used by manufacturers, financial advisors, advertising agencies, building contractors, insurance agencies, and services companies. Going beyond data entry and retrieval, we will look at the proactive capability of ACT! with a review of the scheduling and completing of tasks and how they are reflected in daily, weekly, and monthly calendars of the individual user or a group of individuals. Then a brief explanation of ACT!s integration with Word for merging with letters, envelopes, and labels. A quick look at ACT! integration with Outlook, followed by a demonstration of the synchronization process which provides for remote users to send and receive data updates with the home office by means of either e-mail synchronization or shared folder over a VPN. Squad 16 Consulting, Inc. provides ACT! training and consulting services. From installation and data conversion to training and troubleshooting, Squad 16 provides support by means of on-site visits, telephone support, Webex meetings and PcAnywhere connections. Tom Najemy, President, is an ACT! Certified Consultant and ACT! Premier Trainer. His ACT! installations range from one person businesses to a 55 user synchronization project with over 80,000 contact records. |
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| VICTORIA A. WHITE eclecTechs |
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| I HAVE A WEB SITE! NOW WHAT? You and your company have a fabulous new web site, or an outdated web placeholder. It's pointless if no one ever sees it! This presentation will discuss the various tips and tricks to getting your web site effectively noticed. We will cover strategic search engine and directory submission, link exchange, dynamic content generation, webrings and other methods of driving quality traffic to your site. An important interpretation of comprehensive web site statistics, and a checklist of technical items your web site needs to have or do in order to ensure repeat visits from your customers. eclecTechs provides nationwide Internet access, web site development, web hosting, database development, web integration, technical support, computer repair, programming, MySQL, PHP, Internet and network consulting, and computer and Internet training. |
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| YOUSSEF FADEL NEPM – "Your Promotional Consultant" |
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| STARTING AN INSTANT ONLINE COMPANY STORE Regardless of your size or budget, learn how you can offer imprinted items to your employees, colleagues, dealers and clients through a "Company Store" style website. Such a website is a great place to offer corporate merchandise without monopolizing an employee's time. Set up is fast and easy and, once in place, features real time inventory, secure internet shopping and is user-friendly. NEPM (New England Promotional Marketing) helps companies communicate in 3-D by incorporating quality promotional products into their marketing, advertising and human resource efforts. |
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| MARCIA YUDKIN, PH.D Creative Ways |
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| MARKETING THAT GROWS YOUR BUSINESS OR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE You already have loyal clients or customers, but not enough and perhaps not enough of the right kind. How do you achieve greater visibility, acquire distinction in the minds of your target market and attract clients and customers willing to pay premium prices for your best work? This presentation describes a six-step process that focuses your efforts and brings you the kind of clientele you most enjoy serving, whether you're a chiropractor, executive coach, software publisher, artist, internet entrepreneur or cleaning business owner. Marcia Yudkin is the author of 11 books, including 6 Steps to Free Publicity, Persuading on Paper, Internet Marketing for Less than $500/Year and Poor Richard's Web Site Marketing Makeover. She has just launched a mentoring program that brings world-class expertise to small business owners and professionals. |
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| DAVID CAPUTO Positronic Design |
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| OPTIMIZING YOUR SITE FOR THE SEARCH ENGINES Learn how businesses can build or modify their sites so that they will achieve maximum search engine relevancy scores (and corresponding high rankings) on the most commonly used search engines, particularly Google. Go over the most commonly used WRONG ways to do it and how using such techniques can get you banned. Discuss hand vs automated submission. Explain how inbound and outbound links are counted and how to build a virtuous circle network that isn't discounted as a “link farm”. Discuss the importance of integrating body copy with title, keyword, description, and alt tags. Talk about the importance of text links and site maps. Mention how Frames can hurt rankings. Talk about how we make our database-driven shopping cart and catalog web sites spiderable and why that is important. With over 20 years experience in computer programming, graphic design and business consulting, Positronic Design provides integrated print and internet marketing campaigns. We are search engine optimization experts and offer full Linux hosting, Flash animation and database programming. |
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| LESLIE LAWRENCE AND NANCY URBSCHAT TSM Design |
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| BUILDING YOUR BRAND TSM Design principals will demonstrate how to begin the process of creating a successful brand. You will leave with a better understanding of what branding is, how to identify the “implied promise” of a brand, and how to begin to develop a branding program for your firm. Branding is as important for small and mid-size firms as it is for large, nationally recognized companies. Creating a recognizable brand that reflects your company's strengths and unique character adds tremendous value to your business. A successful brand can stimulate sales, attract new customers and instill confidence in your company. TSM Design is a marketing, advertising and design firm with an award-winning creative team that produces communications programs that get results. The company specializes in creating identity systems and developing strategies that build successful brands for clients in a variety of industries. |
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| GIANNINA GRANATA SILVERMAN Rocket Ranch Design and Advertising |
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| KNOW THYSELF. NOW WHAT? Sure, as a company, you know who you are (of if you are a startup, you know who you want to be), but do you really understand how to take the subtle, intangible essence of your company, product, or service, and translate it into an executable brand – with all it's relevant components (look, feel and voice)? This presentation will provide exercises and techniques that ad agencies, graphic design, and marketing firms use to help their clients figure out what it is they want to say. Handouts and real life examples of successful brands will be highlighted. You will learn to think critically about your brand, and in a way that you and your design or advertising partner can create the most effective, attention-getting look and voice you need to be competitive in your marketplace. Rocket Ranch provides boutique graphic design and advertising services for print and web, that are strategically targeted for attention-getting results, and to cut through the clutter of today's competitive business environment. Giannina Silverman was a Boston-based ad agency art director for 8 years, and has worked with clients like Doc Martens shoes, the Boston Ballet, Children's Hospital of Boston, and more. |
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| KEVIN DOWNEY Kevin Downey Photography and Lascaux Digital Studios |
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| CREATIVE USE OF DIGITAL IMAGES FOR HIGH VISIBILITY MARKETING High impact visuals that can communicate and sell are a goal for every business or organization with something to market. This presentation will present creative ways to use digital images for high visibility marketing, including new technologies using digital displays, large format printing and image manipulation that brighten, animate, amuse and sell. We will show flat panel digital displays and examples of new printing techniques we have provided for clients as diverse as Merriam Webster, Tourism board of Canada, Sports Illustrated and The Smithsonian Institution. We specialize in the fine art of commercial imaging, and will show many creative uses and solutions for applying these technologies. Photographic services both in studio and on location using innovative digital and traditional techniques. Large format digital displays, iris printing, creative exhibits and installations. Full prepress services and scanning for advertising. High impact digital displays. |
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| JEFF POTTER Potter Publishing Studio |
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| DESIGN HORROR SHOWS: HOW TO AVOID THEM Most entrepreneurs have at least one story about a graphic design job gone horribly, horribly wrong. Often these projects are not the result of outright incompetence: the design style might be incompatible, the designer might not have the capabilities your project demands, or you may simply be unaware of some critical aspects of publishing and their consequences for your project. If you are in the market for graphic design, this presentation will provide valuable tools to help you evaluate designers or design firms and let them know your needs clearly, so you can choose the right people for your job and give them every opportunity to give you the best work possible. Potter Publishing Studio offers complete, creative, and effective editorial and graphic design services for clients nationwide, with a special interest in – but absolutely not limited to! – books, magazines, newsletters, and newspapers. We approach design with an editorial mind and editing with visual imagination, creating a truly integrated product. |
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| SUZANNE MCGEE McGee Communications |
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| ANNOUNCING YOUR COMPANY OR PRODUCT TO THE WORLD In today's business world, many companies are shouting their message or passively introducing their products to the market. How do you approach the media with your news in a way that helps you to develop a relationship and get your company/product in a newspaper or publication? This presentation will talk about reaching reporters/editors in a way that will benefit you efforts. McGee Communications offers a voice to companies seeking a way to promote their company and services. We specialize in public relations and event planning. |
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| SUSANNA OPPER Shawenon Communications |
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| WEBSITES: ZERO TO 60 IN 10 MINUTES This presentation covers what you absolutely need to know about creating your presence on the World Wide Web. You can think of your website as a new home for your business, so we'll use building a house as a metaphor to help explain website necessities. We'll begin with purpose – what is your website's job? Then we'll cover the essentials. For example, you can't have a house without an address nor a website without a URL. We'll consider some add on's and conclude with hints for successful site promotion – let's call it a site warming. Chief Wordsmith Susanna Opper crafts messages that are highly informative and easy to read. She combines business savvy with corporate communications and management consulting expertise. Also an accomplished speaker, she holds the Advanced Toastmaster Silver award. Frequently collaborating with other professionals, she delivers website content, articles, newsletters and promotional materials to entrepreneurs, small and mid-sized businesses and larger organizations. |
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| DONNA BLAZEY Blazey Design |
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| CREATING A VISUAL IDENTITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS OR CAMPAIGN Your Visual Identity is just as critical as the name you choose for your business. It starts with a logo (typeface, symbol, colors), develops into business cards, letterhead and print promotional materials and may then expand to website, video and other interactive materials. Wherever your business name appears will reinforce your BRAND. Blazey Design provides creative illustration and graphic design for print, video and internet. The firm specializes in logo design and promotional materials for entrepreneurs as well as corporations. With a Bachelor's degree in design and over 20 years experience, Donna Blazey’s work is international in scope and has won numerous awards. |
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| WES ROSNER Blue Fox, Inc. |
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| FORM & FUNCTION: HOW TO HAVE A PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED WEBSITE YOU CAN MAINTAIN Organizing information on your website that looks professional and is up to date can be a full time job. We will show you that it does not have to be. Through the use of visual and interactive examples we will demonstrate how 'form', in the shape of dynamic - high quality design, can aid your business image while increasing the efficiency of your content management. We will then explore 'function', content management itself, and show simple and effective ways to reduce your reliance on your web developer and save you money. Blue Fox offers a broad range of high-end graphic design and software development solutions. While combining our expertise in both the technical and creative sectors, we achieve seamless integration on projects. Projects are approached by examining the possible impact or integration with other systems, such as existing databases or other business processes. Likewise, we bring in our design and marketing talent to technical projects to ensure that the visual and marketing impact is a strong as possible. The marriage of these two skills under one roof allows for focused communication and project management, as well as powerful project strategies and end results. Blue Fox Inc. is an experienced information technology firm that strives to marry creative and technical solutions seamlessly. Our client list includes, Sony, MIT, JavaNet and more. |
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| WENDY ADAMIK Techistry, Inc. |
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| TECHISTRY'S “MARKETING MANAGER PRO”: TAKING YOUR WEBSITE TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF EFFECTIVENESS This presentation will demonstrate how Techistry's Marketing Manager Pro can integrate with your website to store customer data, provide a streamlined means of communicating with customers, and increase website traffic. The Marketing Manager, when used in conjunction with a solid marketing strategy can help a business make effective use of their website investment. We will provide real life examples of the Marketing Manager in action in several of our higher profile client's websites. Techistry helps small to medium sized businesses establish a web presence, enhance their existing web presence and increase their website visibility through the use of our Small Business Suite products. We also offer outsourced IT consulting services to mid sized companies that do not have internal IT staff. From network configuration to cross platform software integration, Techistry fills the IT gap. |
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| CAROL DEVINE Gravity Switch |
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| BEFORE YOU TALK WITH A WEB DEVELOPER: TIPS TO SAVE YOU TIME, MONEY AND FRUSTRATION If you are thinking of hiring a web developer to create a new website or redesign the one you have, there are things you can do beforehand to make the process go smoothly and help you get a site that meets your needs. Gravity Switch will explore the critical questions you need to answer before you pick up the phone. What should you know about your target audience? What can you do upfront to avoid scope creep and project delays? How will investing in a good plan at the beginning of your web project save you time, money and stress at the end of it? Gravity Switch is an award-winning interactive media firm that designs custom technology solutions delivered via the web and CD-ROM. We've worked with companies like Honda, Polaroid, Sega and Hartford Life, colleges such as Smith, UMass, and Mount Holyoke, and numerous non-profits and local manufacturing and service organizations. |
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| PETER FARBER, MSW, MS MANAGEMENT Loyal Customer |
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| E-MAIL: THE NEXT GREAT MARKETING INNOVATION We are now in the first generation of what will be the most powerful marketing tool ever available to marketing directors. Spam is the reflection of an idea in its infancy. With your customer's permission, you can educate the benefits of your products, business, and build brand loyalty as never before. The rules of successful e-mail marketing are being defined, as we learn from spam what not to do. This presentation will describe the developing rules of successful e-mail marketing, and what we see working for our clients. At Loyal Customer we have over 8500 recipients for our weekly e-mail, building customer loyalty for retailers and partnerships with manufacturers. We have a 2 to 4% response rate, and a negligible unsubscription rate nine months since our launch. What we hear from our clients, from what they hear from their customers, is that our model for e-mail marketing works! There is an art and a science to making e-mail work successfully, and at Loyal Customer we are pioneering the rules of 21st century marketing. |
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| KAREN UTGOFF Karen Lauter Utgoff Consulting |
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| DESIGN YOUR OWN MARKETING AUDIT This presentation will give you the opportunity to develop a marketing micro-audit worksheet you can use to get a fresh perspective on your company's current marketing. Strategy, tactics, and execution will all be addressed. Karen Lauter Utgoff Consulting prepares emerging and established companies to go to market by providing business planning, go-to-market strategy, training, and strategic counsel. |
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| ANTONIO COSTA cdeVision |
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| FLASH MEANS BUSINESS: BENEFITS OF USING FLASH ON THE WEB This presentation will explore the power of Macromedia Flash. Flash began as an animation tool, but in recent years has transformed itself into a robust platform to deliver almost any content for your website. With Flash you can integrate audio, video, text, consistent display, animation, and dynamic content into an engaging experience for all your viewers, regardless of platform or browser used. Flash is installed on more than 97% of Internet-enabled desktops and many popular devices, making it a great all in one player and convenient for your viewers. Developing in Flash has the benefit of minimizing file size, faster development time, and lower development cost in most cases. cdeVision’s diverse client base includes entertainment industry, recording artists, fine artisans, and business. We provide web design, web programming, branding and print design. We make engaging user experiences by combining design and programming and offer ready-made tools that can be customized, including content management systems, web editors, e-mail marketing, and media players. |
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| IRA BRYCK UMass Family Business Center |
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| HOW TO BE YOUR OWN BETTER MOUSETRAP* Customers will not be the first to beat a path to your door, when your company is an expression of your admirable, yet practical, elegant, yet grassroots, set of values and principles, made real through top shelf policies, incentives and corporate culture. Employees will desire to work for you, and the simple notion that such a great company just has to deliver great products and services will be your perpetual motion marketing machine. Hear how to get it all going from Ira Bryck, Director of the UMass Family Business Center, a learning community providing honesty, frankness, wisdom and experience to many closely held businesses in Western Mass. * this is a 20 minute presentation |
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| DIANNE FULLER DOHERTY Massachusetts Small Business Development Center |
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| HOW TO CASH FLOW A MARKETING BUDGET* A wise and savvy marketer once said “Half of all advertising dollars are wasted. The problem is you don’t know which half.” This overview is designed to help you maximize you marketing dollars through thoughtful allocation of resources. Our discussion will be focused on the importance of Budget Considerations and Cash Flow Analysis. Topics covered will be reviewed in handout, including Business Plan outlines and Cash Flow Analysis. The SBDC staff will be available to help address the marketing challenges of small and early stage companies. * this is a 20 minute presentation |
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| Home Page | Online Pre-registration | ||||