anytown http://www.artwoo.com Returned search results for anytown Copyright 2008 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:29:59 +0000 http://www.artwoo.com/rss/anytown Choosing A Name For Your Company... That Makes http://www.artwoo.com/article/choosing-a-name-for-your-company-that-makes http://www.artwoo.com/article/choosing-a-name-for-your-company-that-makes#comments Mon, 19 Jun 2006 00:32:06 +0000 target marketwatson engineeringpreferablyanytowntranslatetechnology savvy marketrunning http://www.artwoo.com/article/choosing-a-name-for-your-company-that-makes
So What?

So, if you're planning on a professional operation, don't call it 'A1 Supplies' just because you want to be listed first in the phone book. You have to pick a name that says something about you and your business, and that people in your will be able to say without feeling stupid.

The Professional Name.

If you're running a serious business targeted at other businesspeople, you'll probably want to keep the name sober, but memorable. A good formula is your surname, followed by what you do: 'Smithfield Tailoring', or ''. You might also want to add the name of the town where you live: 'Watson Engineering '. Little things can make a big difference: 'Watson and Associates Engineering' or 'Watson Engineering Co.' both sound quite good, for example. Don't use your first name, though -- it sounds terribly amateurish. Would you rather deal with Ted's Office Supplies or the Johansson Office Supplies Co.?

Another approach is to leave out your name altogether, and simply become 'Anytown Engineers' or 'The Anytown Engineering Co.'. This makes you sound like the first choice locally, especially if your main competitor has the name of another town nearby in their name.

The Corporate Name.

They sound quite bad, I reckon, but there's a still a place for them -- mainly if you want to deal with the big companies that this kind of name appeals to. Simply think of a word to describe your business and it into Latin. Then add the word "Consulting", if you want.

The Trendy Name.

If you're going for a more young or technology-savvy market, you might want a less formal name. Names of this form should be kept to one word, and written in lowercase, URL-style. Another common trick is to make '.com' part of the name. Notice the difference between 'Fun House' and 'funhouse.com' -- the Fun House doesn't sound all that much fun, does it?

The Playful Name.

You'll be surprised how many people will love your name if you just decide to name it after an animal, and use that animal in your logo too. If you don't have much of a marketing budget, this is a good way to get a quick brand identity -- if you choose the panda, for example, then people start associating you with pandas, and you can have panda-pattern designs on your stationery and decorate your office with bamboo. Don't underestimate the power of this, seriously.

The Shortened Name.

One naming method that seems to be especially well-used by the big hitters is to take two words that describe your business, shorten them both, and make it one word. So you end up with Fedex (Federal Express), or Microsoft (Microcomputer Software). This is good for suggesting what you do without having an overly lengthy name.

The Random Name.

If all else fails, a great way to make up a name is to just string together sounds that you like until you come up with a made-up word. This can be a surprisingly good way to come up with a name -- and it will be completely unique.

Make It Easy.

Whatever you do, though, make sure your business' name is easy to pronounce and spell. If your surname is hard to say, don't use it. If people seem to have trouble spelling a made-up word, come up with something easier. You'll lose out on an enormous amount of word-of-mouth business if people have to write your name down just to communicate it to each other.

Check for Others.

Once you've got some ideas, make sure you check that no-one else is already using them. It will be expensive to get halfway through starting up a company only to find that the name you wanted is already taken. Also, you'll have trouble establishing any kind of Internet prescence with an over-used name, if that was part of your plan -- if your name is too common, you won't stand a chance of getting yourname .com. See How You Can Profit From Your Very Own Pay Per Click Search Engine By Selling Traffic To Millions Of Advertisers. Visit http://www.ppcprofitsguru.com Active hyperlink must remain with article. ]]> The Next Vital Step: You Need A Marketing Plan http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-next-vital-step-you-need-a-marketing-plan http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-next-vital-step-you-need-a-marketing-plan#comments Tue, 06 Jun 2006 03:32:04 +0000 marketing planreceive offersmarketing strategywebsite advertisingcateringbusiness planplace ads http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-next-vital-step-you-need-a-marketing-plan marketing plan as a section in their . Really, though, marketing is important enough that it deserves a plan of its own, separate from the technical details of the business. Here's what your marketing plan should include.

Your .

It might sound silly, but it's good to get the core of your marketing plan written down, just so people can see what the rest of your plan is aiming at. Keeping your strategy in mind can also be good when you to here, there and everywhere -- you can ask yourself whether it really fits in with your overall strategy.

Your Competitors.

You should have a list of everyone in your area who could be considered to be a competitor, followed by how you plan to differentiate yourself from them.

Advertising.

Your marketing plan should contain a comprehensive list of all the advertising you plan to undertake. This includes a website, advertising in newspapers, leaflets, and so on. For each method of advertising you should list an estimated cost, and the number of customers you expect the advertising to bring in. This allows you to work out your 'cost of acquisition', which is how much you need to spend on advertising to bring in a customer. The market works out so that this will be more for higher-end customers, and less for lower-end ones.

Pricing.

Your marketing plan should also list all of the pricing policies you plan to have, as well as any special offers that you think will be good. That doesn't mean that you can't make up new offers later, but it's still good to have some on the plan for the long-term.

An Example.

The and Cake Co.: Marketing Plan.

Strategy: Our marketing strategy will be to advertise sufficiently that we will be the first company coming to mind when catering is needed in the Anytown/Othertown area. Marketing will be especially targeted towards people arranging weddings and people planning corporate events, so we will always be looking out for new ways to reach these customers. We will not repeat any marketing effort where the COA proves to be more than 20% of the profit those customers provide.

Competitors: In the Anytown area, the established catering companies are Cathy's Catering and Funfoods. Cathy's Catering mainly cater for low-end corporate events, while Funfoods specialise in food for children's parties. Our position in the middle-market means that we would be unlikely to provide children's birthday cakes, and could provide a higher-quality alternative to Cathy's Catering for corporate customers.

The company that we believe would be our main competitor is Luxury Food and Cakes, based in the Othertown area. They serve the same kinds of food we plan to, and to similar events. However, we differentiate ourselves from them by offering our food at far lower prices. While they use more expensive ingredients, our taste tests have shown that most consumers are unable to tell in blind taste tests which food cost more. Offering mostly indistinguishable quality at a lower price gives us a powerful way to move in on Luxury's customers.

Advertising (in order of decreasing cost-effectiveness): Leafleting. $0.01 printing per leaflet, 10,000 leaflets, plus delivery at $100 = $200. Projected 50 customers. COA $4. Local newspaper. $500 per half page, run once monthly. Projected 100 customers, COA $5. Corporate mailshots. $0.10 printing per mail, 100 mails, plus delivery at $20 = $30. Projected 3 customers, COA $10 (however, customers are high-value). 'Weddings' magazine. $200 quarter page, quarterly. Projected 20 customers, COA $10.

Pricing: Basic catering: cost + 50%. Deluxe catering: cost + 70%. Cake: cost + 100%. Large cake: cost + 80%. Personalised cake (large only): cost + 120%.

Special Offers: Business is slower in winter than in summer, so there are special winter deals. For example, we plan to offer 'every third person free' on basic catering to give extra value for corporate functions in the winter months (November, December, January, February). There will also be a 'free champagne' offer with the deluxe catering in these months. UNIQUE Internet Marketing Software Saves You At Least 33 Minutes Of Your Valuable Time Per Day! Visit http://www.promobuddysoftware.com You may reproduce this article as long as an active hyperlink is accompanied. ]]>