New poll

We are trying to get some feedback about a sales and marketing conference.  Check out this poll:
http://polls.linkedin.com/p/108189/eszxe

Wine Tasting

Join us in Sherman CT for a wine tasting in the beautiful foothills of Connecticut while the fall foliage is here.

This business networking event is only $5.00, thanks to our sponsor, Aleweb Social Marketing. With that, you get 4 wine tastes, some sangria, and a souvenir wine glass. There will be cheese and crackers as well and the tasting will be done in the winery's special art gallery. The owner of the winery, Eric Gorman, has offered to provide a tour of the winery as well.

More info and RSVP can be done at http://bit.ly/aWYDAO

Ad Bag Promotion is Launched

HV Promotions announces a new promotional program like no other in the country. Our initial run with this program will allow over 4 million (that's 4,000,000+) ad messages to be automatically distributed daily, for about two months, to as many as 200,000 homes in Fairfield County, CT and surrounding areas.

Or maybe you just want your neighbors in your local area to know who your are and what you do. This program allows for that too.

But there's more! Our system is designed to dramatically drive foot traffic through your doors and straight into your business. If your business, or maybe your client's business, could benefit from an increase in foot traffic, then you have to check this out.

Space is limited and time is running out!

This program goes to production by the first week in August and there won't be another run for two months.

Act Now! Find out what all the hype is about.

New Research on Promotional Products

New research shows some interesting facts including:

• Most people have at least one or two promotional items in both their kitchen and office/work
• The best recalled promo items include pens, calendars, magnets, and key tags.
• These items were not the items that resulted in the creating a more favorable impression. These were typically more expensive items with food baskets topping the list, followed by MP3 Players, clocks or watches, digital picture frames, luggage and mugs.
• The study also showed that recall rates were better for promotional products compared to the other media studied (TV, Print, and Online Advertising (not email)).

Check out the full study at: http://bit.ly/baaSZK

Initial Ad Bag Promotion is underway.

First area to be serviced is Fairfield County CT as well as parts of New Haven and Litchfield counties. Folks, this beginnig will provide over 4 MILLION ad placements to over 200,000 homes in the targeted marketing area. The ideal clients for this program are businesses looking for a dramatic increase in foot traffic, and therefore sales, such as retail establishments, restaurants, amusement facilities, etc.

Find out why this would work for your business.

Find out how we can actually increase the foot traffic substantially.

Call us at 203-885-4933 or email at mattscofield@live.com.

Update on Ad Bag Promotions

Our Ad Bag Promotion is printing ads on newspaper home delivery bags. This form of advertising has been around for years and has proven to be a very effective ad medium. However, it has been prohibitively expensive for most small businesses.

What we have done is reduced the cost of the bags by

• printing only in black on white bags
• further making them affordable by dividing the cost among four different advertisers.

Traditionally, the way these bags are used is to purchase enough bags so that all the newspaper's customers receive their newspaper in these bags for one day, usually Sunday. Because we have reduced the cost so much, these bags are designed to be used everyday as the motor route carriers would normally use them, for a period of between 2 and 3 months, depending on the size of the print run and the weather (bad weather will use up the bags faster).

The ads are set up to show one large ad on one side of the bag and three smaller coupon sized ads on the other side.

Another advantage of this program is that it is able to be targeted geographically. Therefore, if someone wants to advertise their pizza restaurant, they can advertise to potential customers in their area and not to someone three towns away.

The Main Reason businesses will advertise this way is to create foot traffic in their establishments and increase sales. Each advertiser is encouraged to put a "call to action" on their ads such as a special discount coupon. This helps bring paying customers in and is an excellent way to track the success of the program for that establishment.

To encourage increased foot traffic alone, we are putting a fill-out form on the bags so subscribers can enter a contest to win a choice of some outstanding trips / vacations. The only stipulation is that the bag with the completed form, or the same info on a card or paper inside the bag, needs to be brought into one of the advertisers' place of business to put it into a special box located at the business.

Therefore, advertising with Ad Bags provides a highly effective way for small businesses to advertise directly to the driveway or front steps of every home delivery customer of the local daily newspaper over a period of time.

This week only, special on pens

Geronimo Ballpoint Pen Sale

IT'S OK TO YELL GERONIMO!

A 1939 movie inspired US Paratroopers in 1940 to yell "Geronimo" as they jumped. The tradition now is fine any time you jump from a high place. Here is your limited and exclusive chance to jump from a regular price of $.89 down to the K&B special of only $.55 - a 38% savings - Geronimo!!

Contact Matt this week to take advantage of this exclusive offer. 203-885-4933

EG1027 Colors: metallic black, blue, burgundy, green, silver
All with matt metallic silver clip, plunger and nosecone with black rubber grip.

Refill: Medium point blue ink (black not available)
Regular catalog price: $.89
Exclusive K&B Special Price: $.55(c)
Min. 400
Price includes 1 color imprint in location next to clip in area 1 ¾" x ½". Add setup $30.00 (c). Individual poly bags included at no charge. Shipping weight 10 lbs/400 FOB NY. 5-7 working days.
48 Hour Rocket Service available. Spector & Co.

Sales Position Available

We are expanding. We're looking for experienced professional sales person looking to make $6-10K per month. Email resume to mattscofied@live.com

Sales and Marketing info

Here is some great sales and marketing info on my newsletter. Check it out: bit.ly/hvpromotionsnewsletter62010

Research study on integrating Promotional Products into your Marketing Mix

Check out this research study done by Lousiana State University and Texas State University at San Antonio. It show the impact of using promotional products as both a stand-alone advertising medium as well as if it is combined with other advertising media.

http://bit.ly/EiWbH

AdBag Promotions

Our Ad Bag Promotion is printing ads on newspaper home delivery bags. This form of advertising has been around for years and has proven to be a very effective ad medium. However, it has been prohibitively expensive for most small businesses. What we have done is reduced the cost of the bags by printing only in black on white bags and further making them affordable by dividing the cost among four different advertisers.

Traditionally, the way these bags are used is to purchase enough bags so that all the newspaper's customers recieve their newspaper in these bags for one day, usually Sunday. Because we have reduced the cost so much, these bags are designed to be used everyday as the motor route carriers would normally use them, for a period of between 1 and 3 months, depending on the size of the print run and the weather (bad weather will use up the bags faster).

The ads are set up to show one large ad on one side of the bag and three smaller coupon sized ads on the other side.

Another advantage of this program is that it is able to be targeted geographically. Therefore, if someone wants to advertise their pizza restaurant, they can advertise to potential customers in their area and not to someone three towns away.

Therefore, advertising with Ad Bags provides a highly effective way for small businesses to advertise directly to the driveway or front steps of every home delivery customer of the local daily newspaper over a period of time.

April 2010 Specials

Pictures from the Business Development Center

Here are some pictures of the Housatonic Valley Business Development Center. From the left: (1) Our "comfy corner" allows for smaller groups of up to 10 to meet in an informal yet comfortable environment, (2) our seminar facility (here with Harrison Tonne during our social media seminar series) is a great way to learn and interact with the speakers, (3) our Blue Screen wall allows a place for people to record video blogs or commercials, and (4) our seminar facility can accomodate up to 50 attendees,

Thanks to our March 2010 Seminar Speakers

A special thanks to our seminar speakers for March 2010. The feedback from those who attended was outstanding. Many came for all four seminars and I think they all got a good understanding of social media and how to use it in their businesses. Once again, thank you.

From left to right is Ron Boyle from Veritage Marketing, Tara Alemany from Aleweb Social Marketing, and Harrison Tonne from Rapture Image.

Tara Alemany's Interview with Matt Scofield

Ron Boyle's interview with Matt Scofield

How to increase sales right away

Interview with Harrison Tonne from Rapture Image

BDC Open for Business

New Video

Check out my new commercial / elevator pitch. Go to our Facebook fan page and check it out. http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Housatonic-Valley-Promotions/192506118275

Our first seminar series

We are well underway with our first seminar series. Last Thursday, Tara Alemany of Aleweb Social Marketing did a great job letting our audience know why we need to be interested in social media as a way to market our companies and how to monitor and control the conversation about us.

This week we have Harrison Tonne from Rapture Image to talk about where social media is heading as we venture into a new decade with many aspects / platforms of social media less than ten years old.

Next week we have Ron Boyle from Veritage Marketing to talk about how to use Linkedin to increase market penetration and branding yourself and your company.

Then on March 25th, we have all three returning for a panel discussion to answer all your questions about how to use these incredible marketing tools.

You can find out more at my website's seminar page at http://www.connecticutbdc.com/index_files/Page1024.htm

Where the BDC is located

This is it. 26 Hawleyville Road, Newtown, CT.

We are upstairs above the Hawleyville Deli.

To get here, take exit 9 off Interstate 84. Turn North on Route 25 towards Brookfield. After you cross the railroad tracks, the center is in the next parking lot on the right

Pre-construction office visit

New Website

Our new website is up and running. The address is http://www.connecticutbdc.com

Business Deveopment Center Announcement

The Three Keys to Succeeding

First: You need to educate yourself. Become an expert in your field. Learn everything you can, and then stay updated. Subscribe to journals or magazines that pertain to your industry. Go to seminars and workshops. Continue to educate yourself. But, if best computer technician in the world doesn't have any customers, then he is employed by someone else who can get the customers. The answer - educate yourself about sales and marketing. This is critical. If you can't do this, then you'll have to hire someone. But you need to produce sales so that customers can appreciate your expertise in your industry.

Second: Set Goals. The old saying "If you fail to plan, then plan to fail" is true. You need to set goals for aspects of life (business, family, relationship, spiritual, etc). Goals have 5 parts that are needed. Missing one, you have a wish and we know that most wishes don't come true.

Those parts are:

1. Your goals need to specific and measurable. In other words, you need to know
when you achieved your goals.
2. Your goals need to be within a specific
time frame. This could be one year, March, this week or the next five years.
There needs to be a drop-dead deadline for achieving your goals.
3. Your
goals need to be achievable but our of your comfort zone. Goals should force you
to stretch in order to achieve.
4. You need to write the goals down. The
simple act of writing them down does something in your brain that makes what you
write down sink into your brain so write them down, write them down often, and
place the written goals where you can see them everyday (refrigerator, car
dashboard, bathroom mirror, etc.)
5. Publicize your goals. You don't need to
tell everyone about your great goals (it may seem like bragging) but you do need
to let someone else in on your goals. This could be your boss, coworker, spouse
or other family member, etc. By telling someone, it make it tougher to change,
amend, or abandon your goals.

Three: Commit. Commit. Commit. Commit. Did I say that enough. OK, then you need to commit to your goals with every fiber of your soul. If you give that level of commitment, then you will surely achieve great things.

That's It. There is no more great advise to achieve great things than these three essentials to succeeding. You can look at professional athletes, successful business people, journalist, politicians, and so on who have achieved the top of their field, and you will find these three motivating factors in their lives.

New office / new opportunities

I am in the process of opening the Business Development Center in the Hawleyville secion of Newtown, CT. This will be a state-of-the art seminar and meeting facility which will cater to businesses and salespeople who want to expand their abilities and influence.

My first seminar series to be scheduled will be a four part seminar with the working title: "How to Use Social Media to Increase Sales". This promises to be an exciting seminar series.

I am also working on some seminars or workshops to help those who are out of work. Using social media, especially Linkedin, to help find a job. That sounds like a worthwhile seminar.

Keep in touch. Changes are a coming, and the BDC is where it is happening.