Traditional Marketing Vs. New Marketing

The introduction of the Internet has changed marketing. It has vastly altered the ways in which people view, use and interact with media and this has in some ways changed the effectiveness of certain traditional marketing techniques, while creating new marketing opportunities. This article takes a look at how some of the traditional and new forms of marketing fit into business today.

TV advertising has changed in many ways over the last ten or twenty years. The ways in which television advertising is used has changed. Although there are still commercial breaks, with the vast number of channels now available to many they have become less effective. Viewer behaviour has changed, with many changing to another channel during the adverts or turning the sound off. In an effort to combat this some businesses have chosen to sponsor specific programs, or genre’s, for example drama on ITV or films on Channel 4. In these cases an advert is shown at the beginning and end of a program, as well as at the start and end of the commercial breaks. This increases the chances of viewers seeing them, and because they are shown over and over again throughout the program, possible on a weekly basis, viewers establish a connection between a program and the product being advertised. Adverts can also be tailored to the program they are in partnership with.

Newspaper adverts are still a popular form of advertising but the numbers buying a newspaper daily has decreased so it is not as effective as it once was. The availability of free online news is partly to blame for this. A newspaper advertisement will still reach a large number of people but not as many on a regular basis.

Billboards can still be as successful as they ever were. The reason for this is the very nature of them; that they are large posters in public places. If someone is driving or walking past a billboard it really can’t be avoided. Unlike television and newspaper adverts people are still just as exposed to them

Although leaflets being dropped through letter boxes are still used by many marketers they are not deemed as successful as they once were. There was a time when there were so many that the effect became diluted. Many people get frustrated with unwanted leaflets and immediately through them away, meaning that even people who would potentially be interested in what is being sold will not notice them.

The main new marketing tool is a website. It is a way for businesses to get everything they do and any information they would like people to know about them into the public domain. It has got to the stage where people expect a company to have a website. If they want to look into using a specific company for something they will look for their website. If they are looking for a particular service they will search for it using a search engine. Therefore having a website is crucial for all businesses, whether they trade directly through their website or not.

SEO is an important related marketing technique. It involves a variety of techniques to encourage good search engine rankings. This can make a significant different in the success of a website, and therefore a business as a whole. For example if someone is searching for a divorce solicitor, they may search for Family Law London in a search engine. If a particular divorce solicitor is not found for this they are letting potential clients fall through their fingers. If they are top of the search engines for this though, it can make a massive difference to their overall income.

The Internet can also be used for advertising on other ways. Similar to advertising in a newspaper or magazine, many websites carry advertisements. This can lead to a much quicker sale than with print advertising. A visitor may click on an advert, reach the website and purchase something immediately or send an email to set the wheels in motion. With a newspaper advert they would only see the brand advertised and maybe a telephone number, with the purchasing decision coming at a later date. They may forget about the advert altogether. Another advantage of online advertising over print advertising is the possibility of video or audio advertising.

Which types of marketing work best depends on the type of business and the behaviour of potential customers. A website is though, almost essential now. Tradition marketing techniques can still be successful and shouldn’t be disregarded altogether. A mixture of traditional and modern marketing is often the best marketing plan.

Andrew Marshall (c)

Different Hosting for Different Websites

There are many different types of web hosting available and thousands of different types of websites out there. The type of hosting required often comes down to the type of website. Below are some examples of websites and the hosting needs they have.

SHOPS

The type of Business Hosting required for the websites of retailers largely depends on whether or not they offer online shopping to their customers. If they do not and it is purely an information site then the hosting does not have to be particularly complex. The website may just have information on what they sell and where they are located, or any upcoming sales.

Shops with online shopping facilities need much more advanced hosting solutions. The site will need up-to-date stock information, such as what is currently available. It may require automated systems that can tell when particular items are out of stock. The hosting must also be secure so they can take payments online.

AIRLINES

Airline websites have become more and more advanced as far as the usability features are concerned. This mean that the type of hosting required now is much different to that of a few years ago. With most airlines it is now possible to book flights online. It is therefore crucial that it updates immediately, as users must be able to see what is still available. They also need up-to-date flight information, such as take-off and landing times, and whether a flight is delayed.

Many airlines now have check-in facilities, so passengers can check-in before they leave home rather than at the airport. The web hosting needs to be sufficient to cope with all of these features, hosting which is able to cope with large and often updated databases will be required.

HOTELS

As with retailers, the websites of hotels vary in terms of the capabilities of their websites, and therefore the hosting that will be needed. Some will only contain information on the hotel such as their rates and directions. Others may have online reservation capabilities so guest can book rooms through the site. The size of the hotel will also affect the size of the website and the hosting; the Ritz is going to have very different requirements to a small independently run hotel.

GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS

Government bodies can have very large sites, which will require the appropriate bandwidth. Depending on the type of website there may be times when it is extremely busy and there is a large increase in visitors. With government websites is might be very important that a site never go down, so reliable hosting could be a priority.

RECRUITMENT WEBSITES

Recruitment websites need to be kept up-to-date as they have to make sure they are not advertising jobs that have already been taken. Many can take applications through the site so the hosting needs to allow this.

REAL ESTATE

Websites advertising homes to buy and rent also need to be constantly kept up-to-date. When a property come onto the market it needs to be uploaded quicker and it must be removed once it is sold or rented out.

NEWS SITES

News is fast changing, and the latest news needs to be uploaded almost immediately. Hosting where this can be achieved will need to be purchased. News websites such as the BBC and CNN are very large sites and have millions of users, so the available bandwidth for these must be sufficient.

GENERAL INFORMATION SITES

The majority of the time general information sites may be able to cope with basic hosting. Although it is dependent on each individual website, they may only be providing information for visitors to read. If it is a fairly static site then this is even more the case, as it will not need constantly updating.

PERSONAL SITES

The operations of a personal site are not that important when compared to a business site where the hosting can affect income. It may just be for family and friends. Therefore, even free hosting may be adequate.

Andrew Marshall (c)

Causes of Homelessness

Homelessness is a very complex issue. There are many things that can lead to someone becoming homeless, including the following reasons.

UNEMPLOYMENT

Unemployment is always an issue for some, but has become so for more people over the last two or three years due to the economic climate. The reasons for unemployment leading to homelessness are obvious, if people lose their jobs they may no longer be able to afford to pay the mortgage or rent. This has been a particular problem due to some of the large mortgages some have. In many ways, this is all a knock on effect of the rise in house prices over the last few years.

ADDICTION

Addiction to drugs or alcohol can take over someone’s life. This can cause all sorts of social problems for the individuals involved and makes it very difficult to function properly. It is one of the most common causes of homelessness. It can lead to unemployment or relationship breakdown, which then goes on to cause homelessness.

ABUSE

Those in abusive families may feel they have no option but to leave their home, and if they have nowhere else they can go it may lead to homelessness. There are many young homeless who sleep on the streets and these include those who left home due to abuse. But it is also adults who can suffer abuse. Many are homeless due to abuse from their partner. This is more common with women than men.

PRISON

Many who leave prison have nowhere to go and to begin with they may have no obvious income stream. This means they have no home to go to, and are unable to afford to buy or rent anywhere. Therefore, the streets may be the only option. The authorities have often been criticised for not having systems in place that can help those released from prison. It is not only homelessness that can be caused by this, but reoffending, and for some it can become a vicious cycle.

DIVORCE

A surprising number of people end up homeless following a divorce. If a family breaks up someone will have to find somewhere new to live, and this is not necessarily easy. There may be no obvious place to go and lack of money might be a problem. Some may end up sleeping on the streets temporarily, and for a few this can lead to longer term homelessness.

HOUSING PROBLEMS

In the UK a lack of social housing is sometimes a cause of homelessness. The list of those requiring housing is significantly longer than the amount of social housing available. A large part of the issue is the price of housing meaning it is unaffordable for many.

NATURAL DISASTERS

In some countries natural disasters can lead to homelessness. Obviously regions where natural disasters are more commonplace are more susceptible to this. This is less likely in richer countries where better contingency plans are usually in place, although the affects of Hurricane Katrina in the United States in 2005 is an example of a rich country where a natural disaster lead to many becoming homeless.

Andrew Marshall (c)

The influence of the Asian stock market is ever increasing. Asian Stock Market Investments are now popular for traders all over the world. The three biggest stock markets in Asia are Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Here we take a look at the history of these three stock markets.

TOKYO

The Tokyo Stock Exchange (commonly known as the TSE) is Asia’s largest stock market. It was first established in 1879, and gradually grew in importance over the course of the next sixty years. During this period it collaborated with several other stock exchanges across Japan, and by the 1940’s was combined with ten others. These partnerships ceased after World War 2. During the war trading stopped. The Tokyo Stock Exchange once again opened for business in 1949. It saw major success in the 1980’s and for a time accounted for over 60% of the world’s stock market capitalisation. In 1990, though, it crashed in a major way. It has since recovered and is currently the world second largest stock exchange after New York.

HONG KONG

Informal security exchanges have been taking place in Hong Kong since 1861. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) was opened thirty years later under the name of the Association of Stockbrokers in Hong Kong. In 1914 it was renamed the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In 1921 a separate Hong Kong Stockbrokers Association was founded but this later merger with the HKSE. Between 1969 and 1972 three other organisations were founded; the Far East Exchange, the Kam Ngan Stock Exchange and the Kowloon Stock Exchange. Although they all operated independently of each other they did, along with the HKSE, share information. Eventually they all merged. Hong Kong is the second largest stock exchange in Asia.

SHANGHAI

The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) differs to Tokyo and Hong Kong in that it is not entirely open to foreign investors, although they do play their part. This is because of tight capital account controls by the Chinese authorities.

Securities trading first began in 1866 in Shanghai but a stock exchange was not established until 1891. In that year there was a boom in mining shares and foreign businessmen founded the Shanghai Sharebrokers’ Association, the first Chinese stock exchange. In 1904 it was renamed the Shanghai Stock Exchange. In the 1920’s, in place of the SSE, the Shanghai Securities and Commodities Exchange and the Shanghai Chinese Merchant Exchange started operating independently. They combined again in 1929, and Shanghai became the financial centre of the Far East in the 1930’s, with significant Chinese and foreign investment. During World War 2, the Japanese invaded the Shanghai International Settlement in late 1941. The stock exchange was closed between 1941 and 1946. It then opened again for three years before closing during the Communist revolution in 1949. It wasn’t re-established again for over four decades, in 1990. A successful decade followed with a 2001 peak, but this was followed by a four year slump in which its value halved. It reached another high in 2007 but has fallen since due the global economic conditions.

Andrew Marshall (c)

For Asian Stock Market Investments visit Witan Pacific.

Starting a Charity – What you need to think about

Setting up a charity can be a complicated business and there are many things that need to be taken into consideration. Below are some of the things that need to be thought about.

LEGAL ISSUES

For of all you must establish the legalities of your charity. Not just anyone can claim to be a charity; there are certain requirements that must be filled. The most important thing is that a charity must be working for the public benefit. It must be fulfilling a specific purpose. There are three different types of charity, and a charity organisation must come under one of these three umbrellas. These are a Charitable Trust, a Charitable Company, and an Unincorporated Charitable Association. An Unincorporated Charitable Association is the easiest to set up, and the majority of charities fall under this category.

There are many other laws that dictate how organisations which claim to be charities must operate, and organisations are breaking the law if the fail to follow these rules.

TAX

The good news for those starting a charity is that charities get certain tax breaks. They will not be paying the corporate tax that businesses do. These tax breaks exist to encourage people to set up charities. New charities must therefore contact the HMRC to register as a charity for tax purposes. There are rules that need to be followed to receive these tax benefits.

BANK ACCOUNTS

Who to bank with can be an important decision for a charity. Similarly to businesses banking, different banks will offer different rates, so it is beneficial to shop around. Many banks offer favourable interest rates to charities.

REGISTRATION

As already mention you can’t just claim to be a charity, even if you are working in the public benefit. To be able to legally claim to be a charity you must first register as such. Organisations who successfully register as a charity will then be given a charity number, will get certain tax benefits, and be legally allowed to call themselves a charity.

WHY ARE YOU STARTING A CHARITY?

A charity is an organisation working for a particular cause or causes. You need to decide the reasons why you are starting a charity and the particular aims of your charity. You must decide which specific groups you are looking to help and you need long term goals. Fundraising for a particular purpose is not a charity; a charity is a long-term organisation working in the public interest with particular aims.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY OF HELPING?

The particular operations of your organisation also need to be thought about. For example, how can you help those who you aim to assist? You may aim to raise money simply through donations, or you may want to run events that make money, which you then put towards the relevant causes. It may be that you decide supplying volunteers is better, and that time is better than money. This partly comes down to which causes you are trying to help.

Andrew Marshall (c)

The Impact of spending cuts and tax rises on Families

It has been well documented that the British coalition government will be making many spending cuts and tax rises over the next months and years. Many of these will affect families, either directly or indirectly.

JOB CUTS

There will be a number of job cuts in the public sector, but there will also be a knock on affect meaning some private sector jobs will be at risk. For examples, if public road maintenance is cut then it will affect those who supply this industry. Job cuts have a very obvious negative effect on people; it means they have less money coming in, something that could have a major impact on many families. The planned public sector pay freeze will impact people’s earnings as well, as pay will be reduced in real terms. This will not have as much affect as those losing their jobs, but will still be a problem for some.

VAT RISE

From January 2011 VAT will be increasing from its current level of 17.5% to 20%. This will affect most things people buy. This will mean families generally have less money. Most food and children’s clothes are exempt from VAT so the prices of these will be unchanged, but children’s items such as toys, prams and cots will rise in price.

INCOME TAX

Income tax will affect people in different ways depending on how much they earn. High income families will take a hit with the rate at which people begin to pay 40% tax on their earnings set to rise. Low income families could benefit though with the rate at which people start to pay tax rising by £1,000 to £7,475. This will bring some people out of paying tax altogether.

CHILD BENEFIT & CHILD TAX CREDITS

There will be a child benefit freeze for the next three years, meaning as with some public sector pay, this will be reduced in real terms. Although this will be fairly minor it may impact the least well off families.

Child tax credits are due to be reduced for families earning a total of over £40,000, which may alter the lifestyle some are able to live. There will be an increase in child tax credits though for low income families with it increasing by £150 per year for each child.

HOUSING BENEFIT

In future housing benefit will be limited to a maximum of £400 per week. Large families living in expensive areas could be affected, for example a family who require a five bedroom house and live in an affluent area of London.

PUBLIC PROJECTS

Many public projects will have their budgets reduced or will be scrapped altogether. Depending on the projects this will impact all sorts of different people. Some that have already come under threat are playgrounds and other community project that benefit children, so families could be affected in this way.

The cost of bringing up children is ever rising and according to a survey by the Liverpool Friendly Society is now on average £193,772 for one child from birth to the age of 21. This means that even minor cuts and tax increases could have an impact on many families.

Andrew Marshall (c)