1. PR is cheaper than advertising Think about magazine ads in either widely distributed magazines or more industry-specific magazines. Either way, you’re looking at about $6,000 for a full page ad. And that’s not including the creative, graphics designing and time spent for multiple approvals. When it’s done, you have an ad that if you’re …
READ MOREBesides the dedicated expertise and experience that Firecracker brings, did you know that hiring an employee has many other hidden costs besides just salary? Here is a simple example: Costs Estimated (example) Salary and benefits Proposed salary $50,000.00 Benefits Medical $10,000.00 Dental $2,000.00 Vision $1,000.00 401 K $5,000.00 Subtotal $68,000.00 Administrative costs Hours Calculating …
READ MOREMost businesses attend annual tradeshows in their industry. These can be smaller regional shows or large blockbuster extravaganzas like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The benefits of being live at an important show are obvious, but in order to really maximize your substantial investment of a tradeshow, a lot of thought and effort needs to …
READ MOREIn other words, stand out from the crowd or risk your business sliding into oblivion. This in fact was the title of an excellent book by Jack Trout, one of the foremost authors on marketing and branding. Along the same lines, another great book on the subject was “The Purple Cow” by renowned author Seth …
READ MOREWe all know by now that the shelf life of emails is a double-edged sword. Sure, it’s great to archive so you can find historical information about how you dealt with so-and-so. But increasingly, emails are coming back to haunt the original senders. Almost every criminal case these days seems to involve damming email exchanges. …
READ MOREAs you know, every so often we at Firecracker come across some great articles that we think will benefit you. Keeping in mind that imitation is the finest form of flattery, here’s a reprint of one of those on the relevant topic of email marketing. To many in this era of Facebook and Google, email …
READ MOREUncertainty. That’s the name of the game in the economy right now. Businesses and consumers still feel uncertain about what the near future holds in store for us. But regardless of whether we boom or bust, there are things you can do for your marketing and public relations on a consistent basis that will help …
READ MOREHappy Mother’s Day to all those moms who toil behind the scenes. They are the true unsung heroes. Often I’ll come across a great article that deserves a full reprint. Here’s one that will get you thinking. Time on Site is an important metric, one that you can find in Google Analytics. It’s not enough …
READ MOREFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube…aghghhghghhh! If you’re like most companies, all this social media stuff is enough to make your head spin. Should I do it? If so, how? How much? When? What to post? What does it all mean? Here are some practical tips that can help bring some sanity to your social media strategy: …
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