Small Business and Personal Branding: What Should My Business Card Say?

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I am going to have to give in and get business cards. Not because I think that having a business card will make some wonderfully amazing difference to my marketng and branding but I have thought about some of the more practical aspects of branding – because when you’re actually trying to embrace you brand more thoroughly, you may be in a lot of situations where you’re meeting people but there isn’t the time or the opportunity to really give some detailed pitch on who and what you are and do.

It’s one thing to create “wow” factor but it’s probably a good idea if people also understand what it is they’re actually associating that “wow” with. I think building a dynamic brand is a great idea but not if it actually starts to eclipse the product it’s supposed to represent.

Especially in marketing you see these guys and they’re doing all sorts and everything so it’s hard to get a grasp on what exactly their bag is, what their key activity is.

CD DVD Duplication is basically my main business day to day, where I make most of my money so I feel that has to be represented in some way, especially if I’m actually doing this to build my business rather than showboating with my bloody business cards. My poster printing and distribution is also a regular earner, and whats more I’m going to be pushing further into colour copying services. Of course the whole point of the card is to let people who I meet know that I actually do a lot of stuff so there’s something I can do for them.

But we don’t want to make it too cluttered. We don’t want to lose focus on the main activity I’m trying to advertise.

So the big question is how do I cover the marketing stuff right. I’m liking “Online Promotions” right now because it reinforces general promotions as our platform and I think “promotions” sounds more personal and “brandy” than “marketing” because “Branding” does sound too vague and pretentious. A big company needs branding. A medium company needs marketing. Little guys need promotions. That’s the feeling I get anyway.

Finally it comes to the less business oriented stuff. Nothing else that I’m thinking about it my business is worth considering for the business card aside from promoting the space but I’m sure that can be a future addition.

The Pirate birthday entertainer stuff is the one exception because I want to stay involved with that just as a personal challenge. It’s something I gotta do.

I mean, ultimately I have this stupid idea of being someone who stays in business from the reputation and uh brand generated by my art not funding my art through my business. I want more people to know that I DJ in Auckland and I make beats and I put on parties and I want to continue to make more music and video . . . even if it it detrimental to my business.

So the question is

if someone wants to get 1000 dvds done is this the card to give them?

If someone is interested in printing a whole lot of posters or flyers, will this card work?

What about online marketing? Will this get people who get this card interested in what I can do there?

Can I give this to A pirate party mum so she’ll pass it to her friends to book me?

Am I actually going to push forward my music by promoting it in this way?

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http://www.kurb.co.nz
http://www.cd-dvd-duplication.co.nz
http://www.aucklandposters.info
http://www.kurbartistmanagement.info

Kurb is an online promotion services company specializing in digital music marketing and artist management.

Follow our blog at Music. Marketing. Management. for cutting edge web promotion and check out www.newmusicmarketing.com – our artist community putting artists, musicians and managers in control of their online promotion and revenue management.

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Okay that’s it I’m outta here.

Okay so the journal didn’t work.

The big vent didn’t help either. Not sure blogging is the best platform for the traditional vent.

But I still want to start a business blog. So I will.

I’m off to http://smallbusinesspromotion.info

Seeya there!!! Bye now!

not Venting and not bootstrapping

Mmmm. Venting probably not the best idea because it associates negative vibes with my blog.

oh . . . not for you! For me. I had a nice thing going there!

But anyway.

The thing I like about bootstrapping is saving money. Now I’ve actually spent money trying to get a new project off the ground . . . mmm well I kinda realise what it’s like for my clients paying to bring in someone to sort it out for you and being anxious about the results.

But back to bootstrapping, I wish I could just do everything my self, thats how I’ve always managed. My problem is as an entrepreneur it’s all very well to wail and gnash that things aren’t good enough but that’s the way it is when you don’t have massive funds and massive support networks of personel with a range of skills.

You cant do everything yourself.

 
 

 

part time after school music industry jobs work employment auckland city

part time after school music industry jobs work employment auckland city JUNE 2008

this is an ad I put together a few months ago but I am getting considerably more desperate so am willing to negotiate a bit – if someone decent came along who wasn’t a teenager I might consider creating an opportunity to do something there that wasn’t minimum wage youth rate poverty line pay.

But what it still comes down to is that anyone who spends enough time with me will learn to make a decent living out of the music industry long term and knowing as I do how many people dream of that kind of thing, I believe that gives me the right to offer quite crap pay. And of course I’m not a slave driver, and I’m very rewarding of those who show loyalty.

Wouldn’t it be exciting to have a part time job working in the entertainment industry, promoting music and events, creating and distributing promotional materials for local acts and learning about how we promote music and other digital products online?

This is a unique opportunity for someone young and enthusiastic to help us out!!!

 

This will involve jobs like guillotining paper and card, duplicating, printing and putting together packaging for cd’s, dvd’s, media kits etc., post errands, local deliveries, dropping flyers and posters off to retailers around the CBD – that kind of thing, different jobs all the time.

Probably 1 or sometimes 2 afternoons over the week, helping out when

 

Right now, if you think you can handle a guillotine without making any mistakes, you’d be great around here!

 

But ideally you will be:

 

16+

 

 

Local & flexible:  It’s very likely you’ll only get a day or two notice when we need you. We’re in Grey Lynn – being able to call you in or drop materials off in a hurry would be super convenient, or if you’re close to the CBD or Ponsonby – areas which we often work in.

 

Hard working: Starting at the bottom was never glamourous! This really is a unique opportunity so we’re looking for someone who’s really going to stand out as a hard worker with a lot of potential. There’ll be postal errands and deliveries where instructions will have to be followed closely.

 

 

Having regular internet access at home, photoshop experience, and know all about myspace, facebook, bebo etc. – these are the skills that will make you useful to us once you’ve proven you can hack So get this: once you know what you’re doing and how we do things, you’ll be able to work from home!

YOUTH RATES APPLY

 

kurbpromo@gmail.com

027 684 8250

bootstrapping and customer service

Today was actually pretty cruisy except that I had agreed to carry out a task for a random client which was just not worth my time. It’s ironic because there was a hold up at the printshop which protracted the issue, and let’s face it, many of the jobs $3 I get done at the printshop when I just want to print a poster design are not worth their time either.

All I can do is think that when I have the equipment to do high end print jobs it’ll save me one extra task.

I am learning that when you are bootstrapping you just cant bend over backwards for everybody. Those customers who come back, pay on time and you have an established understanding of the specifications they require, they are gold.

Yaro starak had a post on customer service that really resonated with me. I then read his free internet business pdf and realised this guy is a cut above the rest of the pack in terms of entrepreneur blogs – that’ll be the reason for the almost 30k subscribers! Definate quality from this man.

http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com
Obviously I’ve got no problems with marketing. But I’m looking to network around other areas. I hope the people I’m reaching out to understand I don’t need any more business! Getting on top of the business I do have and getting more organised and systematic there is where I could use some inspiration.

Found some kiwi online entrepreneurial activity at http://www.ijump.co.nz

Watched a great video there interviwing a guy from PlanHQ. Was really stoked to hear such a clued up young kiwi entrepreneur discussing social marketing and community building around a product or service.

For me it’s actually reassuring to see other new zealanders getting successful doing this stuff because it means it’s going stop being fringe

http://www.kurb.co.nz
http://www.myspace.com/kurbpromo
http://kurbpromotions.wordpress.com

http://www.twitter.com/mattnz
http://www.cd-dvd-duplication.co.nz
http://www.kurbartistmanagement.info
http://www.aucklandposters.info

Bootstrapping with poor equipment and innovating around weak spots

Today I got stressed out once again because equipment is not up to scratch. I’ve had trouble admitting this has been a persistant problem for my business. but it’s part of bootstrapping. If I’d had to outlay tens of thousands in equipment costs I would have never got into business. This is another gowing pain. Knowing that new equipment is just around the corner and when it arrives I’ll be doing my work in half the time.

I tried to remind myself it was like when I got my Beamer. The night before I picked it up, I got pulled over and given a ticket for driving around in my banged up Honda. That last kick in the balls, knowing that when its sorted, I won’t have to worry about this crap!

but tonight I also got innovative and highlighted two opportunities to trade off value.

On my CD’s, because assembling the full cd or dvd in jewel cases is such a hassle i’ve decided to give customers a significant discount if they do it themselves. My favourite thing about it is as long as the printing is of a standard they cant complain about the assembly!

The other was offering a significant discount on a flyer and poster design + print + placement in Auckland - or rather, increase the prices on print and placement so increasing the perceived value of adding the design into a low priced package – which of course has no overheads – no fuel costs! no additional expenses for me in creating a higher value offer.
 

 

 
 

 

 

online promotion activity update

 

In this blog:

- Google PR update

- Kurb homesite shifts hosts; years of work undone: How badly will changing hosts effect my search rankings???

- Ad supported revenue rampage produces results!!!! Have already jumped to earning over $US1 a day only days after the rampage!

- Ad words is tu meke (That’s “Too Much” in Maori) had to SUSPEND my adwords campaign due to unsustainable demand on my services causing me to reflect when it’s right for artists to start using the power of adwords

The internet marketing and blogging world is going frantic as googles Page Rank system updates today which they do every 2-3 months/ Remember Page Rank isn’t directly related to your search rank, but an indicator of how much authority your site passes on to others – which determines your search rank.

That’s why having my sites and blogs rank highly is important for me passing on that authority when linking to my clients and other partners in my work.

No shift on my wordpress blog which is at a reasonably healthy PR4, or any of my dozens of satellite blogs that im cultivating for the purpose of long tail ad supported earnings but my blogspot blog did jump from PR2 to PR3.

But the killer for me was discovering this morning that the whole kurb website has been moved to another host by my guy who helps me out with the tech side of things and despite the update the whole of the kurb site . . .

IS BACK AT SQUARE 1!!!!! PAGE RANK ZERO!!!!!

So whats the take away?

A lot of the kurb home sites influence comes from the fact that I’ve been working on it for YEARS, before myspace, before I even started Kurb as a business, when I launched it as an e-zine as part of the record label I was running back in 2004.

4 years online is a really important reason why the kurb site is influential and thats why I suggest in online promotion, dont obsess over it, just get started, because it may be a long way down the line before you see the benefits. 

BUT this is why it is so important to set your website up for long term sustainability and accessability and don’t cut corners. This thing could be your bread and butter for 20 years or more!

It will be interesting to see how this effects traffic to my business! I am getting my own hosting set up straight away through http://hostgator.com just so I’ve got options.

I’ve made my website my biggest asset by slowly building, optimizing and turning it into a place where a chain of events gets put into place that ends with me making revenue. And I do!

Following the ad supported rampage last weekend where I added adsense as well as amazon associates to all my little blog projects as well as my website my blogging income has LEAPT up to over $US1 p/day!!!! My goal of having each blog earning a $1 p/day by next year might not be that far off!

And GET THIS, I have actually had to pull the plug on my adwords campaign because my $40 p/week budget was just getting more business than I could cope with.

Now adwords – googles ad platform, you see those damn little ads on myspace, everywhere – for musicians deserves a whole blogpost but the points I wanted to make is that i’ve been using adsense on my site for months on a website I knew already “worked” – people were emailing me, calling me, so I knew that what I had created was compelling enough for people to act.

More people visit, more people are compelled, more people act. Thats why adwords advertising is something a musician should definitely think about using but only once their website reaches that point that it is converting – people are signing up to the mailing list, people are downloading songs and engaging in ways that can be monetized either immediately or eventually.

In theory the kind of customisation and targeting delivered by Google represents a new paradigm in advertising which is an opportunity for all content creators to both grow their audience and create revenue from it. But this stuff – the highly nuanced targeting, the development of ad text, following a few marketing basics -y’know this is stuff that I’ve got a pretty good grasp on and I suggest this is another reason why an act might look at getting on a online promotion and digital coaching packages from kurb. if you’ve got the budget combined with marketing skills and experience in this area, – and of course a killer propostion – this method can be staggeringly effective.

Kurb is a media promotions company providing a regular blog on digital music promotion, marketing digital content and creating revenue from new media online.

Kurb also provides online promotion and revenue management services for musicians and artists  internationally 

AS WELL AS SMALL BUSINESS ONLINE AND INTERNET MARKETING

CD / DVD printing and duplication and poster services.Our physical media services come with free graphic set up and support, free delivery, and free promotions advice and support for musicians. 

cd and dvd printing and duplication

CD and DVD duplication and printing in Auckland and New Zealand

You absolutely shouldn’t waste your time reading this. What follows is SEO drone (SEO stans for search engine optimisation, the art of ranking highest for Google and other search engines. Google is the search engine used in 92% of New Zealand based searches.)

Why is this important? 72% of ALL visitors to http://www.kurb.co.nz come through search engines.

So these are the types of articles dudes in India write for businesses which have no purpose – because, seriously who would read this? – except to tell google that the site that this article and the links in it are important for search terms to do with CD and DVD duplication because . . .

You’ll notice in the way its written, it just keeps hammering those keyword phrases again and again.

That’s why when I’m writing about Auckland new Zealand based drum and bass and downbeat artist romantech I will go on about how he is a drum and bass DJ and drum and bass producer of drum and bass songs and provides free drum and bass mp3’s so you can download free drum and bass mixes from his site.

you get me?

just make sure you get your code right for when you’re commenting , blogging, etc.

Not just the name of your band goes here in the “anchor text”, but important search keyword terms – genre, location, even bands that sound like you!!!

cd dvd duplication and printing auckland new zealand

Worried about the deadline for pressing CDs that you need to give away at the upcoming trade show or training seminar? Well, you need not loose sleep over it, for you can utilize the services of a company that specialize in bulk CD and DVD production. Please ask for that assistance from one of these renowned CD manufacturing companies in New Zealand that have been forerunners in the business:

http://cd-dvd-duplication.co.nz

cd dvd duplication and printing auckland new zealand

Kurb cd dvd duplication

The company has a vast experience in DVD and CD manufacturing and the methods adopted are – CD and DVD duplication. CD duplication or burning means making copies of CDs. This method is only used when you need less than 1000 copies.

By using the method of bulk CD duplication, you can save a lot of money and at the same time get CDs that look like the original. You can get all kinds of CDs replicated – be it music CDs, data CDs or movies. You can also go for CD replication along with different packaging combos /options available at DVD Replication’s website, to save additional costs.

Everyone enjoys listening to music, which is why music CDs are the perfect companion for almost any occasion or event. Many musicians are now becoming their own records companies and doing their own CD and DVD retail and distribution. Independent distribution of music CDs is now commonplace in the market as the cost of CD replication technology has fallen dramatically since the turn of the century. It is now the case that you can get studio quality copies of your music CD by getting them duplicated at local vendors and market them on your tours and your venues and concerts.

The duplication process can complete studio quality cds and DVD in a relatively short The quality of the CDs created by CD and DVD are world class and also very cost effective, due to which this process is being adopted very successfully by the music industry now.

For getting professional quality music CD replication, you can simply log on to Kurb cd dvd duplication and get quote your bulk CD ad DVD duplication project from one of New Zealand’s leading media companies that offers specialised CD and DVD duplication services. In addition, you can also get a huge range of cover printing and packaging options.

CD Roms or Compact Disc Read Only Memory-type of optical disks are the most commonly used medium for storing large quantities of data. You can get these CD Roms manufactured in bulk by using the method of CD duplication. This is the most cost effective and quickest method of getting copies of any kind of CDs – be it music CDs, data CDs, movie CDs or any other form of CDs.

The method of CD duplication is adopted when the quantity of CDs are in the range of 1000 or less. The advantage of this process is that it can be completely automated by using a robotic arm with a duplicating tower. As each disc is burned the robotic arm will remove it and replace the disc with another blank disc to repeat the burning process again. In this way, you can get these CDs duplicated in a very short period of time. However, if you need more than 1000 copies of CDs, you should go for the process called CD replication.

To get worldclass cd replication,n which is a better quality process that CD Rom duplication services, log on to Kurb cd dvd duplication. We will be happy to quote for you project. Offering excellent service, quick turnaround time and door to door delivery for all purchases.

The advance in technology has give rise to a new method of pressing CDs and DVDs in bulk. This method is called CD and DVD duplication. In this method, you can create replicas of the original disc. The artwork will be printed directly onto the disc surface just like you find in retail stores.

There are many advantages of using this method. CD and DVD duplication saves a lot of money that can be channeled for other purposes.

With so many advantages offered by DVD and CD duplication, you can do away with all your worries and concerns and go for media duplication services. For more details in CD duplication and to order your set of bulk DVDs, please visit Kurb cd dvd duplication

Over the past few years, the way we store data has changed significantly. Floppy disks and video cassettes are virtually obsolete. Now, with state of art technology, we have entered into the age of the DVD (Digital Video Disk). DVD’s can store large amounts of data in comparison to regular CD/VCD, as you can store anything from 4.7GB (DVD 5) up to 17GB. As an optical storage facility, it is superior for its resolution quality and amazing storage capacity.

At Kurb cd dvd duplication we provide the best facilities for the production of customised DVDs that can be duplicated in bulk. we provide DVD printing, duplication and packaging solutions with expertise and professionalism, you can market your products and services in a novel and innovative way, which is sure to capture the attention of potential customers.

At Kurb cd dvd duplication our DVD s can be useful in making business presentations and showcasing multimedia utilities. CDs and DVDs can also be used to carry resumes. Because they are portable and can be customised according to your needs, our mini DVD’s are great value for money. For more information about our DVD business card, DVD replicated services and DVDs, visit us at Kurb cd dvd duplication

The DVD is a relatively new storage method which lets you store 14 times more data than on a CD-ROM – from 4.7 to 17 gigabytes. DVD’s can be replicated with data on one or both sides and a dual DVD can also be produced to increase the amount of data you can save on one disk. Today, the use of the DVD has become widespread as people have come to prefer them as a media storage device. For commercial DVD production, duplicating or copying a DVD can be a tedious task. Therefore, it is better to appoint a commercial CD/DVD manufacturer to meet bulk duplication requirements.

Commercial DVD production will deliver a professional and innovative marketing tool in the format of a DVD business card. The DVD is perfect for sales catalogues, presentations, training, multimedia content and resumes. The Mini DVD is also a smart option for commercial DVD production. The Mini DVD is an 80mm diameter disk, with a capacity for holding 120 minutes of footage.

There are various types of DVD’s. DVD 9 is a marketing term for Dual Layer DVDR-R and DVD+R. DVD 5 is a one-sided, single layer disk on which data of up to 4.7 gigabytes can be stored.

The DVD is a relatively new storage method which lets you store 14 times more data than on a CD-ROM – from 4.7 to 17 gigabytes. Your DVD can be replicated with data on one or on both sides. www.dvdreplication.co.nz offers one of the best DVD/CD replication facilities. We offer fast, efficient CD and DVD replication services to customers world-wide.

For more information about CD manufacturing, DVD replication, Bulk CD replication log on to Kurb cd dvd duplication For all your bulk DVD replication requirements, our company offers great value, expertise and professionalism both locally and internationally. We produce DVD’s and CD’s of exceptional quality at very affordable prices. Our expertise and professionalism is second to none. Something else – we offer 100% customer satisfaction and are committed to delivering excellence of product and service..

DVD is the new generation of optical disc storage technology. DVD stands for Digital video disc. DVD is essentially a bigger, faster CD that can hold cinema-like video, still photos, better-than-CD audio, and computer data.

DVD has replaced laserdisc, is well on the way to replacing videotape and video game cartridges, and could eventually replace audio CD and CD-ROM. It aims to include home entertainment, computers, and business information.

DVD has widespread support from all major electronics companies, all major computer hardware companies, and all major movie and music studios. With this unprecedented support, DVD became the most successful consumer electronics product of all time in less than three years of its introduction.

To find out more about what DVD is please visit Kurb cd dvd duplication

Marketing 2.0 for web 2.0 – how could your business benefit?

The Internet is the most powerful and far reaching marketing tool available to small businesses and increasingly word of mouth is now word of blog, email or IM and thats what web 2.0 is – when we stop hearing the messages sent by those who can afford to send them and we just learn from the messages we share from the access we now have to one another.

According to Tim O’Reilly who coined the phrase “Web 2.0″ in 2004:

“Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as a platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.”

Web 2.0 presents opportunities use the internet in new and interactive ways to deliver an unprecedented amount of information and choice to an unprecedented audience.

Unlike declining traditional media the internet offers users control over access and it gives consumers choice. Web 2.0 represents a major blow for traditional advertising methods because Web 2.0 is about the online experience the user has customised – and no one wants ads! Marketing is to survive only as part of a media experience that is embraced, not an unwelcome interruption to be filtered out.

Social Networking
Social networking – the explosion of sites like Myspace, Bebo, and Facebook – has transformed the online social environment into a place where branding happens naturally. Myspace, the big daddy of social networking sites, created an online environment where brands as well as bands, characters and ideas could be accounted for with online identities.

You only have to go to the stats to see the wild popularity of these sites in New Zealand and around the world. Even I choked when the Herald quoted 800,000 kiwis use www.bebo.com. It comes behind only Google and Trademe.

By creating a presence for your business on social networks you are able to present content and interact with other users participating in a massive global network either as an individual representing or creating awareness (this will be required on facebook and bebo which are not so friendly to commercial brands), a brand profile of your business, or even a key product! Or all three! There’s no rule against having multiple accounts.

SEO and web 2.0

It is still the truth that most of your website traffic will come from search engines and in New Zealand that is almost overwhelmingly the Google search engine. To put what is often reported to be a complex and competitive study into simple terms, search engine optimisation (SEO) is based around keyword matched content and the ranking of its relevancy in the search by the amount of links to it and the quality of those links.

Search engines can be influenced in two ways – by both the quality and quantity of written content you make available and the quantity and quality of backlinks created to your site from other sites. Distributing and sharing as much content furnished with links back to your site as you can make available is the most effective way to dramatically increase your search rank, send your brand around the world and bring traffic to your website.

All I will say is that websites that follow the web 2.0 format which are some of the highest ranked in the world – myspace, youtube, blogger – the last two of which of course are owned by google, are ranked in a different way by google, and using these sites in different ways to make people aware and provide links to your website can have dramatic results.

But when your marketing message has assumed the appearance of a media experience – whether a blog, a podcast or a short video demonstration – that you have made available through your various online social network to share and enjoy as “infotainment” it’s no longer advertising! And when people are motivated to share the information you have provided they are not only building your search ranking but sharing your marketing message that testifies to your personal brand representing knowledge and experience of the products and services you provide.

Video Marketing

Video marketing is the hottest thing in internet promotion right now and youtube is popular with an older demographic where social networking hasn’t spread. Unlike everything else I’ve talked about – videos in themselves will not increase your search rank on google! But the message out there is if you can do it, prove it – film it! People want to see for themselves and now you can show them!

Video content provides important information, breaking down the anonymity that effects a potential customer or clients decision to purchase online based on trust – and an opportunity to offer deeper understanding through presentation and demonstration.

many more people will connect with your marketing messages as a visual image and when it comes to media – the types of companies that could never dream of affording to market by broadcasting video can now provide it cheaply in a way that makes it accessible long after it is first made available.

One of the most successful viral campaigns focused on a series of short clips experimenting with blending different unusual objects in a brand presentation for a blender – the clip featuring an iphone received over 3 million views on youtube.

XML, RSS, P2P, Aggregation

Web 2.0 continues to present newer and better solutions for distributing and accessing information but unlike social networking and video marketing these concepts of syndicating content feeds and providing ever more options for choice and access ideas which time is yet to come.
But it remains that web 2.0 marketing is about “pull” and not “push”. Using social networking, and sharing blogs and videos, generating content that appeals to users whether it be through information, experience, demonstration, experiments or simply just the quirky, entertaining or humourous is a chance to build awareness of your business while connecting with people in a way they will appreciate and remember.

People are far more likely to “go with what they know” so establishing social profiles and participating in online communities, providing content that people will use and value, in a way that supports higher ranking in searches for your site is the best way for generating leads and contacts in the new online environment.