Just came across a Youtube video titled “Hans Brinker Budget Hotel Eco-Tour” and claiming to be the world’s worst hotel. Out of curiosity I checked out the video. I have embedded it here so that you can see for yourself.
The video starts with introducing various eco friendly features of the hotel. As the camera enters the old creaking doors and reaches the reception you find the attendant sleeping with a green tag – “eco staff”. Staff save energy by sleeping when the clients are not there ( even if the clients are there, who cares).
Next you have eco friendly elevators where the only energy utilized is the guest’s. Then they have eco friendly toilets that are never cleaned, green climate control system where you the guests have to open and close the window to control the flow of chilling winds. There are Eco friendly toiletries that are probably super bio degradable so not available for use. They also say in the ad that - please leave your towel on the rack, it won’t be cleaned. Leave it on the floor and it won’t be cleaned either.
At the bar the bartender cleans the serving area with a small piece of cloth to collect spilled beer and water and squeezes it back into the beer glass to make your glass of Eco beer. The hotel also boasts of an eco friendly courtyard that is heated only when the Sun is overhead (garbage every where too).
Now here is the best part the Hotel is riding high on the hilarious marketing stunt and is running 80 percent full in this low season. Remember it is a 650 bed facility. No doubt a new age of marketing.
Welcome Message
Why people prefer banners?
The answer is simple. They give more click per thousand impressions ratio than text based ads. Reason behind that is plain as well. The banners being visually more attractive draw the attention of the visitor faster than the normal ads. Banner ads also tend to occupy more space on the page hence have a higher visibility. More space means more area for the designers to show their creativity and send a stronger message to the prospective client. Today multimedia banners virtually dance before the eyes of the web surfer and entice him to go for the product. No wonder the click through rates are higher.
Are web banners cost effective?
Yes very much, but only if you know how to make the best use of them. At the first glance, the advertisers who are used to text link ads find the image ads costlier. But what is not apparent on the first place is the ROI (return of investment) on each method. When properly done web banners fetch far more returns than normal ads. The charges for banners are higher because image ads take up more ad space. You are charged more for thousand impression compared to text ads but the biding per click may not be higher. To sum up, banners are not a costly affair for business promotions. You can get a thousand impressions for as less as five dollars.
What is the best way to design a banner?
If you are using a popular internet advertising platform like yahoo or Google then they have predefined banner dimensions that you need to follow. On the other hand if you are targeting some particular site then you need to design the banner according to the specifications for the host site. In this case it is advisable to design the banner on the lines of the sties theme and page content.
Try to include some contrasting colors so that your banner catches the eye immediately. Don't over do it. Try to get the banner done by a professional designer. You may be a dab hand at MS Paint but let an expert do it for you. If its a multimedia banner then give enough time between the slides and animation so that they are easily readable by your granny.
Where should the banner be placed for best results?
It would be obvious to you that placing a banner on a page that already has a dozen banners wont help your cause. More over such pages give a spammy look and scare away the visitor. Try to get the as space toward the beginning or the end of the content on the page. Keep changing the location to see where you get the best click through rates. Having your banner closer to the content (after, between or before) will make sure the visitor who is interested in the content does not miss the banner.
Where should the banner ideally take the visitor?
This is the part where most people fail and hence their ROI tumbles. The banner should directly lead to the conversion page. I have seen many advertiser just directing the prospective client to the home page. Believe me this is not going to do any good. The first thing you must keep in mind is that the public does not like to thing and decide. Make a dedicated page for each product or each section of target market. Have every bit of information ready on the landing page that is necessary for the visitor to buy the service of product. Include the product features, shipping options, price and discounts, comparisons etc on the same page. Keep them short and include a link more more details if required. Clarity of language is mandatory as any confusion in the visitor's brain will result in the mouse moving up to the right most corner and closing of your page.
With advent of new technology and rise in the spending power of the consumer the market is soon going to see completely new business ideas. They may sound weird today but with the passing days they might become a day to day affair. Long ago when we used to have messengers running afoot or on horseback delivering high profile messages, the idea of emails would be laughed at. Even the Wright brother's idea of pumping air into the bicycle wheel was an object of mockery at one time.
If I tell you to pay me to preserve your brain so that I might bring you back to life some 50 years latter, what would say. May be you will laugh your ass off and ask me to see a psychologist. But friends, in case you did not know its already a business today. Those who are optimistic about the advances of life science and can afford it are already using this service. This is called cryonics. Citing Wikipedia - “Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals that can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine until resuscitation may be possible in the future. “
Cryonics shot into limelight when the big guy of base ball, Ted Williams, was deep frozen by his son. After that many famous professors and celebrities have either followed the trend or expressed willingness for the same. Companies like Alcor are already commercially marketing this idea.
My point is not whether scientists can actually bring back the dead awaiting in the deep freezer. We have heard of mummies and draculas doing this successfully in a series of hollywood hits. The point is how is the market going to be. This is the next generation insurance policy as it seems to me. There is going to be a lot of debating and protests and propaganda on this matter before it becomes a normal service in market. But this is definitely some thing to think about – ways to sell hope.
Author: Jojo King , MM Enterprises , Engineering Recruitment Agency, India
Currently it has come to the notice of international community that Chinese Fake Drug peddlers are using the tag “made in India” and name of Indian pharmacy companies to break into the African drug market. This is rampant in countries Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana. A recent seizure of a fake drug consignment in Nigeria has brought to light the crime. The origin of the consignment has been tracked to china and Indian authorities have taken up a strong stand with Chinese counterparts on this issue. With adequate support form the Chinese authorities the actual perpetrators of crime can be brought to justice.
It’s not only a heinous crime selling fake drugs to poor people but on top of that they are bringing Indian nation and its pharmacy companies to disrepute. Such unethical and inhuman business practices bring death to people and tarnish relation between nations. Probably the gravity of the situation is not very apparent to you but it could lead to serious consequences like Genocides and War. Indian have always stood by international brother hood and especially with Chinese.
Source – Yahoo News
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/
Market born does not generally discuss IT and web technology affairs in this blog. It is reserved for market. I am sticking to the trend today and discussing Search Engine Optimization as a career option and its scope of today's market.
Virtually every business house, that is serious about business and wants business irrespective of geographical reach and location is also serious about online business. The basic requirement for this is a website. This is a virtual office/sales counter/showroom what ever you want it to be. People are now aware of the advantages of online business. Especially this recession has helped online enterprises survive and prosper against all odds.
Considering India where there are as many IT firms as supermarkets it is not always easy to find the right people who can do your job. You might have paid a web development company in your area to make you a website. It might be pretty and highly functional but then you still wonder how is it going to bring business to you. Its like having an office in a lane. You get business only when your prospective clients know what services you provide, how good are you at this and where you are located. In short – promotions. Like the good old brick and wood business establishment the online ventures need promotions too.
This is where online marketing comes into focus. Particularly Search Engine optimization has a mammoth role to play. Netizens today Google up best burger outlets, manpower consultants, movie show times, stolen car dealers, nuclear missile spare parts, boy friends ex etc etc and etc. I mean to say what ever be the requirement people search for it on Google/Yahoo/MSN and other such search engines. This is how business converts in cyber sphere these days. Would you not like to put forth your product when some one is searching for this. Brand name promotion is another thing that is easily done with SEO. Personally I don't like to deal with a company that does not feature on top for a search related to its own brand name.
Search engine optimization can help you boom your business irrespective of size and product range.
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