- Thirty-eight percent of teenagers surveyed text-message friends and family during school.
- Meade confiscated the ringing cell phone to the owner’s displeasure.
Nearly a decade ago owning a cell phone was a thing of movies. Nowadays, it is beginning to seem that not owning a cell phone is a thing of fiction. Moreover, cell phone usage in schools are becoming quite a distraction to both teachers and students alike in schools nationwide.
According to 9News.com, six weeks ago at a business law class at Purdue University, Professor Meade was teaching class as he did every day. However, when one of his student’s cell phones started ringing, Meade confiscated the phone. According to Meade, the student failed to promptly turn it off. Meade said he had every intent to turn over the cell phone to the dean’s office the following morning. However, in a accelerate to get his phone succor, the student contacted Purdue police. The officers informed Meade that failure to return the phone to the student would be considered theft. Therefore, while Meade was speaking with the police officers, the dean of Purdue’s School of Management, Richard Cosier, arrived to retrieve the phone and return it to the student. Cosier lectured the student about the importance of not using cell phones during class, as per the school rules.
Ironically enough, the special prosecutor in charge of this case could not have experienced worse timing for informing the judge that he was clear of theft for confiscating the phone, as his own phone began ringing when delivering his report in Tippecanoe Genuine Judge Meade’s packed courtroom on Friday. The prosecutor quickly left the courtroom. On his exit, he passed a posted stamp asking those who enter the courtroom to turn off all cell phones.
The prosecutors own cell phone mishap amused the judge. The think enjoyed the prosecutors ringtone – “I Fought the Law (and the Law Won).”
“It was the perfect ending to this little annoyance,” Meade said to the Associated Press.
According to an M:Metrics relate, thirty-eight percent of teenagers surveyed text-message friends and family during school. Many high schools have cell phone policies in tact, in an effort to avoid an escalating situation such as the one previously mentioned. At Shelby Junior High in Shelby Township, MI, cell phones are not to be seen nor heard during school hours. This rule is current nationwide.
According to U.S. Cellular statistics, an estimated sixty percent of teenagers in America own a cell phone. In addition, U.S. Cellular statistics found that most of these teens spend an hour per day on the phone, which is the average time a student sets aside for homework completion.
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Filed under Small Business Cell Phone by on Jan 21st, 2012. 
The LG Scoop is a middle range handset within Alltel’s handset line up. At the moment, this is the only standard handset equipped with a full keyboard for text messaging. This phone is a text messaging machine. Sliding open the Fat keypad automatically brings you to a menu with your messaging options, making starting your text message very easy. The phone is reasonably price at $19.99 after a $50 Mail In Rebate. The price point of course requires a 2 year service agreement with the company. The average non contract price for this phone is $219.99. The Scoop is also one of the only phones in the line up that is a bar style phone. Here is a quick run-down on the phone.
Features
-1.3 Mega Pixel Camera
-Full QWERTY Keyboard (slides out when needed)
-Media Player (MP3 Compatible)
-Micro SD card slot (expandable up to 2 GB)
-Bluetooth
-SMS, MMS capable
-Bar style phone with Internal “hidden” antenna
General
The phone feels very solid. The kind of phone I would think you could descend a couple of times without being worried about it. The charging port is covered with a plastic door that swings out of the way to allow the charger entry. For the price, the phone is pretty well packed with features. The only extras that I wish the phone offered is EVDO data instead of objective 1xRTT. The phone is very easy to use, with intuitive menu options. LG customers will be immediately familiar with the menu. The buttons on the standard phone keypad are slightly rounded to allow greater control over dialing, and numbers are displayed magnificent large on the cloak when pressed. The speaker phone is very good, especially for a phone that includes Bluetooth. The MP3 player screams out pretty well also if you are not plugged into the optional wired stereo headset. I effect the phone through pretty tough signal testing, and found the phone to be quite pleasant. The signal is not the best Alltel has to offer, but far from poor. The only complaint that I could rep with this phone is I can not set an MP3 from my media card as a ring tone. Battery life was acceptable with frequent text messaging, as well as phone calling. I am a power user, and found the battery to last a full day. The phone comes in a few color choices Turquoise Blue, Citrus Orange, Grey, and Lavender. All the colors are very nicely done, but I am partial to the black. There is a wide assortment of colored hard covers available for this phone that “click” on over the top of the phone, and the black just goes well with any of the covers. Covers leave some of the phone surface area exposed around the screen, and between the keys so the black will go with any color cover. I deducted one point for lack of EVDO data, and 1 point for not being able to exercise MP3’s as ring tones. This brings my overall rating of this phone to 8 out of 10.
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Filed under Small Business Cell Phone by on Dec 14th, 2011.
- Marketing should be allotment of all the various aspects of running a business.
- Branding is essential in today’s marketplace.
- Selecting a message and determining the media to use are predominant factors in advertising.
Several decades ago, marketing was often thought of as the promotion of a business. Today, marketing seems to have its hand in every conceivable aspect of running a business.
This growth, however, has not overshadowed the importance of good promotion. This should be sure to anyone who watches the Superbowl, and knows how much companies pay for those commercials. (I think the hype of it is actually the success of the TV stations’ marketing.) With that in mind, deem for a moment of how to get your business noticed, and remember, entrepreneurs aren’t shy.
Promotion is comprised of all the tools available to the marketer for marketing communication, a process that is made up of several different elements including sales, public relation, teach sales, sponsorship, and of course, advertising.
Promotion of your company can entail subtle activities such as procedures and policies designed to give your company notice. These could include something as simple as making “every third time you have contact with a client, whether by phone or mail, have nothing to do with your services-such as telling them about an article or gathering” (Davidson in Roha, 1999). Would this constitute promotion of your business? Does this promote a customer service atmosphere? Would your customer talk about it, or you, for telling about it? If yes to any one of these, it is promotion.
The main focus of promotion has always been advertising, and while there are distinct industries and styles of business that rely more heavily on other avenues to promote their business, advertising remains a major force and tool in promotion. Again, we have only to look at the sums paid to run ads during the Superbowl.
Anderson & Vincze (2000), break down the determination of whether or not to use a heavy advertising campaign into five key conditions.
·Favorable trend in demand.
·Strong product differentiation.
·Hidden attributes.
·Emotional buying motives.
·Adequate funds.
Does a market query your product or service? Is your product different? Are there attributes to your product or service that customers would have to rely on you for knowledge about? Can your product or service really get people emotional? And of course, do you have enough money for a successful advertising campaign? All these are qualities that can be exploited while using advertising to promote your business.
Selecting a message to communicate and determining the media to use in communicating it, are also predominant factors in managing an advertising program. According to Anderson & Vincze (2000), “a media plan should be based on an understanding of the objectives for IMC [Integrated Marketing Communication] and how consumers, users, and purchase influencers receive information.”
A thought targeting magazines, for instance, can exercise the high specialization of some magazines to increase their advertising power. But who are the market you’re looking for? Without adequate research into consumer markets, how will you understand and manage promotional objectives?
Many companies today have chosen to rely heavily on research and data, some you might not have thought of. Many supermarkets, for example, live by discount programs that allow your every shopping detail, from times you shop and products you buy, to what you pay with, to be monitored and tabulated for later consume. Do you think MasterCard would like to know this information? How about the actual supermarket product manufacturer? Do you think it would help them originate commercials highly targeted to their prime customers? A goldmine!
Not all consumers are ecstatic with such tactics. When one man’s local market began using a bar-code scanner card to give discounts, he said “…their cashiers are in my face every time I shop, warning me that all sale prices henceforth will be tied to the card, and I better get with it” (Sullivan, 2000).
This sort of strong-handed practice is not recommended by the author, and research by any company should never subvert the underlying goals of the company, which, according to Theodore Levitt in his 1975 article on Marketing Myopia, should rest in the ultimate consumer.
Branding is another advertising strategy that requires some management. “When it comes to brands, familiarity breeds loyalty, not contempt, as consumers come to trust a recognized message or logo, whether it be the tag on Cannon towels or Pepsi’s ‘Joy of Cola’ jingle” (Howell, 2000).
Many of the same things that determine a good advertising campaign come into play, such as differences, and the accurate message for your target market. . When these aspects are outstanding, branding happens.
What if people knew your company so well, they thought you were best at things you didn’t even do? “Debbie Lee Yohn, Sony’s director of corporation branding and consumer branding, said she wasn’t surprised [a] survey showed Sony’s brand power transcended its product offerings,” when a Consumer Electronics poll was shown to her (Howell, 2000).
Whine selling, is another form of promotion. It can happen before, or even during the sale, as a salesperson pitches the features and benefits of his company and product/service. “Catalogs and telephone marketing were the two primary means of direct marketing until 1994, when marketing via the World Wide Web began” (Anderson & Vincze, 2000).
Now, of course, millions of people are pitched everyday in countless ways. When you log on to America Online’s internet service, you are immediately presented with a pop up ad. Some may not consider this a prime example of direct selling, but let’s not build blinders on an idea that has made its own share of millionaires and successful businessmen. I do consider it direct since you have to physically click on the ad to get it to go away and continue to do what you want. If you click in the ad, you’ve said yes, but if you conclude it, you’ve said no.
Not long ago, I was woken in the middle of the night to the sound of my cell phone. It was a simple little text message ad. I was horrified, but later informed that companies had just won the right in court to spam you on your cell phone. I immediately turned off the text-based messaging function.
Direct marketing can have a tendency to be too invasive for many consumers. It’s simply done so much, that consumers have gotten tired of it and judge it to be rude. This doesn’t stop the exercise of such tactics, however, and it can be highly successful. Such a program should either be solicited, or done on such a large, inexpensive scale the few sales will make up for the thousands of “hang-ups”.
Seminars and trade shows are another great way of promoting your business. The simple act of getting your name out to prospective clients and suppliers is one type of promotion you’ll suffer without. My company regularly attends trade shows and conferences as well as touring manufacturing facilities. This is where we network with mill representatives, find installers, and even gather up some sizable prospects. Don’t be afraid to hold your possess seminars and free clinics as well. It’s a vast way to sell the services of your company and educate potential clients and associates.
Probably one of the biggest decisions a company will face today is whether or not to promote their business on the World Wide Web. Few businesses can compete today without some semblance of a web page, even if simply a static page with other contact info.
Companies must decide on how much and what type of promotion to do on the Internet. Will you have a full-fledged storefront, able to process complete orders and handle customer service issues, etc., or a mere graphic “mini-movie” for customers to see and remember you by? Think of all the marketing data you could gather with every “hit”.
A big source of further promotion on the web are links. Links are basically ads on other businesses web sites, but these ads do something special; they take customers with the click of a button to your web site. Links can multiply your number of status hits exponentially.
Promotion on the web has taken on some original and unusual twists. Adult sites consistently push the envelope with various pop up ads and un-closeable windows; all sorts of tricky new gimmicks to lure in meal tickets. While these annoying tactics may be too great for mainstream business, many of the techniques developed can be feeble in innovative ways that will capture the market you’re aiming for.
Simple things such as contests, coupons, and samples are all devices to promote your business.
Sponsorship is another type of promotion where an organization pays to be associated with a particular event, cause or image. Companies will sponsor sporting events such as the Olympics or the NBA. The qualities of the event are then associated with the sponsor.
This “win-win” area has been promoting businesses on dinky town Puny League fences for many, many years. It has also championed goods like soda, and maybe much more strangely, life insurance.
Public Relations is usually something that isn’t thought of until you’ve had quite a successful campaign, or impartial invented the Cabbage Patch Kids. It can be a surprise to some, but should be a planned and sustained pains to create understanding between an organization and society in general.
The costs of public relations can vary substantially. Successful strategies tend to be long-term and encompass future possibilities. These should readily include disasters…like lawsuits. The pre-planned public relations team can then gear up very quickly with an effective plan.
As you can see there are many possible ways to promote your business. All require different levels of effort and are certainly varied in costs. Using as many of these tools as possible can increase the exposure of your business many times over. Without some, your business can flounder and die.
The level of commitment you will need is complex and based on factors such as the recent popularity of your product or service, the level of promotional marketing your competitors use, and the capital you have at hand, among other things.
Remember, promotion is one of the 4 P’s, so the marketing of your business will depend on it. It’s simply a matter of whether you want to be or not to be noticed.
References
Anderson, C. H., & Vincze, J. W. (2000). Strategic Marketing Management. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Gurley, J.W. (1997). Marketing myopia: Is a software company a software company? Retrieved on September 13, 2002 from http://news.com.com/2010-1072-281042.html
Howell, D. (2000). The Hallmarks of Familiarity. Retrieved on September 03, 2002 from http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0FNP/20_39/68706284/p1/article.jhtml? term=marketing
Landry, M. (2000). Beyond Marketing Myopia: The Service of Minute Railroads. Retrieved on September 14, 2002 from http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1038/6_43/67879636/p1/article.jhtml? term=marketing+myopia
Rhoda, R.R. (1999). How to Raise Your Profile. Retrieved on September 15, 2002 from http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1318/5_53/54432797/p1/article.jhtml? term=marketing
Sullivan, J. (2000). Forget the Product! All That Matters Is That You Know They Want It. Retrieved on September 10, 2002 from http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0BUK/38_18/65482594/p1/article.jhtml? term=marketing
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Filed under Small Business Cell Phone by on Dec 7th, 2011.
- . Do you wonder why people feel that you must answer them at the moment that they send you a commun
- I do have to admit that I felt a bit naked without my phone.
- My previous cell phone became a casualty in a tug of war between my teenage daughter and myself a fe
I just got a new cell phone today with lots of bells and whistles. I am never at the front end of cell phone trends, so I still don’t have a touch screen, but now I have a keyboard on my phone for easy texting, and I am already in love with the new phone.
My previous cell phone became a casualty in a tug of war between my teenage daughter and myself a few weeks ago. She seems to think that she knows more than me about any technical electronic device (usually because she does), and grabbed it from me to fix something. I just wanted it back, and during the tug of war the phone pulled apart resulting in a blank screen. Unfortunately, my phone is also my phone book, and this resulted in my loss of phone numbers that I use on a daily basis.
Since we were up for a new contract in a few weeks, it just didn’t seem worth buying a new phone for just about four weeks, so I decided to live without one.
Really, I must utter you that I had no idea how much I used my phone to win people’s numbers, to call and receive calls from them, and to screen calls for the ones I really wanted to receive. I felt quite adrift both in business, and in my personal life. I generally call family members a few times a week while driving in my car, and so got cut off from them. I also let my husband know where I am and how my day is going, as well as call vendors, and customers from my phone.
I was in the midst of negotiating a new lease for a retail store, and ended up having trouble getting together with my realtor, and new landlord during this time. We communicated via email, but it wasn’t quite as effective. Everything seemed to take longer than usual.
Some people only have my cell phone number and they became a little upset that they couldn’t reach me. Do you wonder why people feel that you must respond them at the moment that they send you a communication? I remember the days when no one had cell phones, and sometimes it actually took a day or a few days for them to get in touch with you. I still feel that I have the need, and the right to absolute privacy, and do not have to call people back nor answer all of the time. But those people calling do not necessarily agree. I have had people phone me, then email me, and text me within a five minute period all because I do not hold up my phone immediately. I wonder if they reflect that I do not have anything else to do besides respond their call.
I do have to admit that I felt a bit naked without my phone. I do like to be able to consult with my husband, and fetch ahold of my sister whenever I want to. I also like to keep my important phone numbers in the phone for easy access. And I just like playing with it. My phone is sort of a personal toy for me. The new one is really fun, and I can see why people go overboard on texting.
Now that I have my new phone, I am thinking about a bluetooth. That will tie me even more closely to the outside world, and make everyone think that I should answer my phone even more. I plan on remaining stubborn, however, and keeping my private time private anyway.
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Filed under Small Business Cell Phone by on Dec 6th, 2011.
Writers being self employed has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the disadvantage is that being self employed costs us more than just a regular employee working for some other employer. This is just my own personal advice. I am not a CPA. It is amazing how powerful items that we writers occupy over the months throughout the year that we can write off at tax time. So what can we write off at tax time? Make sure to check with your CPA since the laws do change every year. Here are some tips.
Documents
Make sure to have documents for everything that you want to write off at tax time. You need to have the receipts and also have a log for car mileage. You need receipts and other documents objective in case you ever get audited by the IRS. You need to be able to help up with proof of papers everything that you do. Make determined to accept a list from your CPA of everything that you can write off so you don’t throw out any important documents.
Advertisements
Any advertisements that you have such as business cards and brochures is a write off. Any website design software that you did acquire to design your website then you can also write it off. If you pay someone to design your website for you then you can write it off also. Any domain costs that you pay each year and hosting fees each month is also an expense. You need to remember that anything that you do to promote your books or articles is an expense.
Supplies
Pens and Papers is also an expense. You can buy the most expensive pens in the store since it is a write off. You can buy the most expensive professional paper too. Most things such as envelopes and postage is another write off. Writing software is something else that is a write off. Any printers that you buy and the new ink also matters. Software that you buy to design business cards or if you hire someone to produce and print business cards does matter too. The miles that you drive to the store to get supplies or to send mail does count so make obvious to record it in a miles log.
Computers and TV
Desktop Computers and Laptop computers is also a nice write off at tax time. Any repairs or upgrades is an expense. You can buy a recent wireless mouse or a nice nifty wireless keyboard since it is another write off. Make sure to check with your CPA before you buy a new computer they will let you know when it is the best time to buy a unique computer. You can also buy a new TV if you use it only to watch DVDs or programs that is suppose to help improve your writing.
Office and Phone
The office dwelling is a write off regardless of it being a home office or regular office. Your nice comfortable chair is considered an expense. The desk in your office is another expense. The decorations in your office count. Your office phone and cell phone expense is also another write off. Your Internet fee every month for Internet is also an expense so get the expensive high speed Internet.
Education and Magazines
Any education classes that you retract is another write off so remember to save the receipts. It doesn’t matter if it is on line via the Internet or at a local college campus. If you get any business magazines that is for freelance writers or authors it can also another write off. Execute sure to save the receipts for your yearly magazine fees.
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Filed under Small Business Cell Phone by on Nov 19th, 2011.