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By Marcus Stout

Bottled water and bottled water delivery has grown in popularity in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in recent years.

This popularity is due to a number of factors like poor municipal water quality and a growing awareness of the role of good health in modern living. In addition there are a small number of high quality water suppliers who have adjusted their product and service offering to the unique needs of the marketplace.

But marketing has come under attack by municipal water suppliers and other groups who have a vested interest in supplying lower grade municipal water. Claims are made that bottled water is unregulated (not true for bottled water companies that engage in interstate commerce) or that bottled water is often nothing more than repackaged bottled water (partially true for even some large bottled water suppliers). Criticism is also levied against spring water in bottles because of contaminated spring water due to industrial and organic pollution.

These critical statements about the use and misuse of bottled water marketing however are superficial and do not examine the real role of proper bottled water marketing. In essence marketing is nothing more that identifying and segmenting consumers with shared desires and needs and preparing strategies to meet those shared desires. Done right, marketing is more than spin, hype or puffing and true marketing benefits all involved.

Proper marketing of bottled water products must, at a minimum address the following needs in the market place.

— Water quality – Since municipal water is terrible in both level of contaminants and odor and taste, bottled water suppliers must produce contamination free water that tastes good. Purified water based on a distillation/oxygenation process is considered by many experts to be the highest quality best tasting water on the market today. The water is 99.9% pure and, because of the addition of oxygen, it has a fresh, light taste.

— Product features – Customers in the market are interested in product features that make the product safe and easy to use. Features such as spill proof caps, carrying handles and bottles made of safe materials are required to be successful in the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia market.

— Quality customer service – Many large suppliers in the market give only lip service to the customer service needs of the customers and respond slowly or not at all to customer requests and complaints. However, there are good companies with a culture of customer satisfaction that meets the needs of the market place.

— Supplier integrity – Some suppliers in the market offer low loss leader pricing coupled with a long term contract and penalties for cancellation. At best this unfair to the consumer and at worst this practice is unethical. Consumers are urged to choose a water supplier with fair prices and without hidden charges.

–Community support- Look for a company that includes giving back to the community as part of its culture. Many companies are interested in selling products only to the community and do not support community events or charities. Some suppliers, however, participate in supporting the Washington and Northern Virginia community events as a matter pf policy.

Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia represent vibrant, growing communities that are health and family oriented. Pure water is a part of this lifestyle. If you are choosing a water supplier, pick one that markets honestly and fairly and meets your needs.

About the Author: Marcus Stout is President of Element H2O. For more information about

bottled water

,

private label bottled water

and

bottled water delivery

go to www.elementh2o.com

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

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By Matt Bacak

Have you written a sales letter for your product or service? The first half of your sales letter should contain: a headline, subheading, salutation, and short opening paragraph, evidence of your credibility, testimonials, mini-headlines, and more testimonials. Does the first half of your sales letter contain these items?

Let’s discuss the items that you should include to finish you sales letter. These 8 items should come after your second set of testimonials. Therefore, the first item we will discuss is actually the ninth item in your sales letter.

Sales Letter Item #9: FREE BONUS. Every customer wants to feel as though they are getting a bargain. Offering free bonuses is a great way to entice customers. Write down the estimated value of each bonus so that the customer can see the extra value they will receive free. Be realistic about the bonus values. A proven way to increase sales is to create a sense of urgency in your offers. For example, you can offer a free bonus on a limited basis which creates urgency and kick starts a sale.

Sales Letter Item #10: MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. A customer is more apt to buy your product or service when you offer a money back guarantee. Provide specific details as to how they can return the product or service with ‘no questions asked’. Allow your customers to return your products after six months or longer. This may seem like a long time, but research has shown that longer refund periods actually lead to fewer returns.

Sales Letter Item #11: PRICE. It is crucial to reiterate exactly what the customer will receive before you display the price.

Sales Letter Item #12: PAYMENT INFORMATION. Inform customers of what type of payments you accept, such as credit cards, Paypal, check, phone order, etc. Provide specific instructions as to how they can pay. It is recommended to accept American Express because big ticket spenders often use this type of credit card.

Sales Letter Item #13: INSTALLMENT PLAN. This item is optional, depending upon your preference. You can offer an installment plan of smaller payments to customers. Be wary of using an installment plan because some customers will only make one payment and then cancel. They already have your product at this point, so you have lost money.

Sales Letter Item #14: THE WARNING. You should warn customers that if they don’t order now, the price of the product or service may increase or the number of copies of the product will run out. This causes a sense of urgency pushing the customer to act now.

Sales Letter Item #15: THE CLOSING. Provide specific instructions as to what you want the customer to do. For example, you can say, ‘Pull out your credit card right now and click on the link to buy this product.’

Sales Letter Item #16: POST SCRIPT (P.S.). You should restate the offer in the post script. Research has shown that many potential customers read the headline and then skip to the post script. They do this to help them decide if they should spend time reading the sales letter.

Your sales letter is one of your biggest marketing tools. Spend time writing it and make sure to include all 16 items so you will have a killer sales letter that will knock the socks off your competition.

About the Author: Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter and Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz radio show host, and now a “#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short hours, has helped thousands of clients target his specialty, opt-in mail direct marketing systems. The Powerful Promoter is not only a sought-after internet marketer but has also marketed for some of the world’s top experts whose reputations would shrivel if their followers ever found out someone else coached them on their online marketing strategies. For more information, visit Bacak’s site at

powerfulpromoter.com

or sign up for his Powerful Promoting Tips at

promotingtips.com

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

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By Matt Franks

Have you ever thought about the many ways you can use printed vases? Most of us probably don’t think of promotional tools when we think of vases but this is just another way you can get creative with your ideas. Whether you give a vase with flowers in it already or just the vase as a gift or award, there is something much more personal about giving one that is printed or engraved with something.

Engraving or printed vases are more personal and have special meaning to the person you choose to give them to. There are also many different types of vases that can be printed. A nice engraved glass vase will make an elegant gift but a plastic printed vase can also be a great award or token.

If you’re looking for a creative and unique way to advertise or spread the word about your business or company, printed vases could be a way to achieve this. If you’re looking for a way to say thank you to someone special or to people who helped you or your business in some way, this could be an idea.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to printed vases as gifts and awards. It can also help you to advertise a new business, event or activity that you are sponsoring.

Uses for Printed Vases

So what are some of the different ways you can use printed vases as gifts and awards? Here are some ideas:

— Wedding favors

— Employee of the month

— Creative employee award

— Give to family members (i.e. ‘best mom’, ‘best grandma’ awards, etc)

— Holiday presents

— Birthday gift with flowers (the special someone can save the vase after the flowers are gone)

So how are these printed vases used? One example is as wedding favors. Small vases can be used as wedding favors and printed with the name of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding.

What to Have Printed

When it comes to using printed vases as gifts and awards, you need to consider what you can have printed on the vase. Once the printing is complete, the process will be final and it can be expensive to have a misprint and have to order new vases. Before you place an order for printed vases, make sure you know what you want to have printed on them.

Exactly what you have printed on your vase will depend on what you choose to use your vases for but here are some ideas:

— Name of people or company

— Business logo

— Name of someone you are giving the vase to

— Occasion or date of use of the vase

— The year or the date the vase is given

— Names of a team or group

— Photo or other related image to the purpose of giving the vase

— Special message (such as ‘I love you’ or ‘happy anniversary’)

Feel free to use your own creativity and think of ways you can use printed vases in your own personal life or business.

About the Author: Matt Franks is director of Fluid Branding, the UK’s largest supplier of

printed Vases

and other

Promotional Products

at www.fluidbranding.com. For Eco Friendly promotional products, including Recycled, Organic and Sustainable items visit www.ecoincentives.com

Source:

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