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Partner Programs Blog

May 14th, 2012

Are you overlooking some of the most important types of branding for your business?


Chosen or not you have a brand. What is your branding saying about you and your products and is your branding working as hard for you as it should be?


5 Types of Branding Top Companies are Incorporating Today


1. Top of Mind
Social media, email marketing, vanity numbers on the radio and in display ads, and PPC advertising all come together to keep the best brands at the top of the customers' minds all the time.


2. Personal Branding
Personal branding may not be the leading choice for every product and entrepreneur but it should still play a role. Apple had Steve Jobs, Microsoft had Bill Gates and Berkshire Hathaway has Warren Buffett.


3. Culture Branding
Want to create more buzz and attract the top talent? Leading companies are now using culture branding to gain more visibility and better staff by crafting new types of workplaces and work cultures. Does your company offer a corporate fitness center, social work areas or unlimited vacation time?


4. Positioning
Branding is about more than just being recognized, it should be used to position your enterprise and products utilizing your USP.


5. Trademarking Your Branding
Scents, sounds, movements and colors can all be trademarked. How can you stand out and lock out the competition with a trademark? Lamborghini has its doors and insulation company Owens-Corning trademarked pink insulation so that it is immediately recognized and insulated from imitators.


Essential Branding Elements


Today complete, unified, effective branding means:

  • Domain names
  • Toll free vanity numbers
  • Logos
  • Custom social URLs
  • Taglines and slogans
  • Graphics
  • Shapes
  • Speed
  • Verbal branding
  • Stories behind the brand
  • Direct or indirect affiliations with other respected brands

 

Custom Toll Free affiliate marketing partners not only get to enjoy additional revenues, higher customer retention and longer on page metrics from web traffic, their branding is benefiting from affiliation with one of Washington's fastest growing companies and the many leading brands associated with the provider of the largest toll free number selection on the web.


May 7th, 2012

There are 5 core reasons advertising is an essential part of doing business everyday. Are you aware of all of them?


1. Visibility
It doesn't matter how great your business idea, product or service is if no one knows about it.


2. Constantly Driving New Business
Referral sources, strategic partners, channels and existing clients will come and go. It is essential to constantly advertise to keep revenues and income consistent, even if this isn't your main avenue for gaining new business.


3. Brand Positioning
Your consumer facing advertising is the key to positioning your brand. Besides just knowing your product or company exists no one may "know" that yours is the best, fastest or coolest to be seen with unless you shout about it.


4. Maintaining Market Share
Your competitors are attacking your market share every day. They don't just want a little piece either, they want it all. Companies must maintain their presence or risk losing ground to others, even those with inferior offerings.


5. Investor Confidence
Sometimes advertising is simply about maintaining shareholder or investor confidence or attracting investors.


There was over $467 billion a year being spent on advertising worldwide as far back as 2010, which speaks to its importance all on its own. However, it is crucial to keep the above factors in mind and incorporate the relevant features and strategies so that your advertising achieves these goals effectively.


With vanity numbers obviously being one of the most important parts of any advertising campaign on or offline, you could be cashing in on helping thousands of other businesses increase their advertising effectiveness by promoting them on your website, blog and social networks as an affiliate.


Of course besides the immediate revenue benefits, toll free affiliate partners also get to enjoy enhanced reputations and more referrals as they become known for providing something of real value which puts real dollars into contacts' pockets too.


April 30th, 2012

There's more than one type of toll free number. Is a transferable number best for you?


A "transferable" or portable toll free number allows you to move your phone number to any phone carrier at any time. Not all numbers are the same, so if this is an important feature, make sure you ask up front.


Normally there probably isn't much reason to move your number unless you get really tired of dealing with one of the big telecom giants. However, it can be a nice feature to have. Transferable toll free numbers can be found just like any others, with the same prefix, vanity and other feature options.


So what's the other option? Those seeking to reduce their overhead and whom only need a toll free number for select geographic areas may find shared usage numbers a more appealing option. This gives organizations the ability to reserve premium vanity numbers just for the locations they choose. After all, why fork out more money than you need to every month for phone call you don't want? Obviously, since there are multiple users of one of these numbers across the country the carrier must remain the same. However, in some cases this can be the only way to get the top line numbers that you want.


As a toll free number affiliate marketer you should be offering your clients and web traffic access to both. This can certainly give you the edge over the competition and increase revenues as there shouldn't be anyone visiting your website or blog who won't be able to find the perfect match in a toll free number that fits both their brand and budget needs. You can be sure they'll thank you for educating about their options too as some are unaware of just how affordable shared usage numbers can be.


April 23rd, 2012

The best branding has real value. The best businesses have brands that mean something and which can accumulate vast sums of equity and gone on to demand premiums regardless of what the market is doing.


What you are promoting shouldn't just be a product, service or business name if you want it to last. It's a lifestyle. Just look at how dedicated Apple users are, or the way Bentley owners drive, and the popularity of business coaching.


Meaningful brands set you up to unleash a series of ongoing products people will need and want to keep up the lifestyle and other users in the community.


What does your branding say about your customers?
What does driving a Rolls Royce say or having a home in the Hamptons?


Powerful, meaningful brands also make life better. You could say Facebook is meaningful because it keeps friends connected and provides a sense of belonging, just as toll free numbers can make it easier for successful entrepreneurs to stay connected to their families while trotting the globe and premium vanity numbers ooze success. What does yours do?


How to create meaningful branding? Many successful businesses have recently found it is all about creating a story behind the branding. However, product placement can go a long way too. Can you get your product in goodie bags at the Oscars or on TV? No, well you may be able to get 50 Cent or Kim Kardashian to Tweet about your brand for $10,000. On a tighter budget? At least focus on highlighting how your brand makes life better or what it means to show off your brand. It could even just mean caring about the environment and doing your part like owning a Prius.


As an affiliate partner of Custom Toll Free "the Lamborghini of toll free service providers" you can help your web traffic and clients build better, more complete branding with vanity numbers. It'll make their lives easier and their businesses perform better – that makes your own brand more meaningful!


April 16th, 2012

A toll free number isn't just for gaining more business; they are also powerful tools for protecting revenues and income.

Here are just 4 of the ways a toll free number can help protect your business and bank account...

1. Protect Your Market Share
Those who control premium industry vanity numbers can easily dominate their market place with the right marketing campaigns. Don't let the competition put you out of business due to your failure to reserve a quality toll free number.

2. Defending Your Brand & Lead Generation Tools
Just like your web domain name, your competitors won't be happy when they see your marketing become successful and will want to poach as many of your customers as possible by acquiring common incorrect dials of your toll free number. You'll want to reserve as many variations of your toll free number as possible including common incorrect spellings of your vanity numbers and your number with the other toll free prefixes including 800, 888, 877, 866 and 855.

3. Ensuring Business Continuity
Between tech issues, power outages, severe weather, earthquakes, terrorist threats and employee absences there are dozens of hazards which can impede your ability to operate consistently throughout the year. All it takes is being down for a day to lose previously loyal customers, burn an entire month's marketing budget or let the competition cash in on hundreds of your best prospects. These threats can easily be avoided by acquiring toll free numbers and utilizing all of the routing and forwarding options available to you. Just don't wait until you have an emergency to create a plan.

4. Diversifying Income
Between lightning fast changes in tech, ever evolving consumer shopping habits and often quite dramatic changes by the search engines, entrepreneurs are waking up every day to find they have been made redundant or their revenues have stalled, at least temporarily. By diversifying income through well-chosen affiliate marketing partnerships business and blog owners can keep the dollars rolling in consistently, no matter what is thrown at them.


April 9th, 2012

There is a big difference between starting a business which brings in a few dollars today and developing branding and a business model which remains profitable for the long haul.

There are 5 critical factors to keep in mind when planning to build a truly profitable brand…

1. Protecting Business Continuity
The dollar menu may work for McDonald's but despite the great branding it is unlikely a structure or strategy which will prove profitable for most organizations. Don't race to the bottom or you may be racing yourself out of business. Rather focus on building a valuable brand around a premium product or service.

2. Invest in Branding That Builds Equity
Whether cashing out, franchising or launching an IPO is in your plans now, it is smart to start building equity in your brand and its assets. This means investing in quality business phone numbers and Internet domain names.

3. Proactive Reputation Management
The Internet maybe the best thing to ever happen for entrepreneurs but it can also be the most damaging. Protecting your branding requires a strategy, plan and proactive approach to online reputation management.

4. Income Diversity
Businesses who want to be around for the long run and not have to wake up one morning to an empty pipeline need to strive for diversity in their incomes through multiple revenue streams. This can mean launching new product lines and services though is much more easily achieved by simply partnering with a select handful or quality partners through their affiliate marketing programs.

5. It Needs to Run Without You
If a business only works if one or two key employees are there it will be incredibly difficult to cash out and could see financial stability jeopardized at any moment due to a variety of factors, despite attracting branding on the surface. Business owners must recognize this and strive to incorporate systems and automation at every level.


April 2nd, 2012

How does toll free number ownership really work and is there more than option?


The last thing you probably want as a business owner is to build up an amazing brand and build equity in a great vanity number only for it to be lost. On the other hand, this does present opportunities for forward thinking entrepreneurs to scoop up premium toll free numbers when others forget to renew them.

There are two main ways to get a toll free number. Which one is right for you depends on your budget, how long you will think you will need it and how you will use it.

Portable numbers offer the ability to grab a great business phone number, maintain full control over it nationwide and even move it to be managed by any RespOrg you choose. As a marketer, call center, or if you have multiple branches, franchises or even affiliates of your own, you may want a portable number which you can maintain control over and keep a hold of even if your clients or partners flake out. This is a fantastic way to add extra value to your services and even ensure higher profitability.

On the other hand, shared usage numbers offer more affordable options for business owners looking for a premium toll free number. This means only needing to fork out for exactly what you need and being able to tap into a more powerful base of top notch numbers for less. Ownership of these numbers works just like a web domain name. You contract on a monthly basis or for up to 10 years for additional discounts and can extend or cancel your arrangement as you wish.

There are definitely advantages to both options. As an affiliate of a toll free service provider you can offer both to your clients and website visitors.


March 26th, 2012

Whether you are searching for a new winning vanity number for your own organization, or want to produce the best possible results for clients which you provide toll free numbers for, or rely on the profitability of clients to be able to come back and acquire more of your products and services, here are a few vanity number mistakes which you should avoid.

1. Does Not Unify Branding

Vanity numbers can be incredibly powerful branding tools but work best if they blend with current brand identity and positioning.

2. Believing You Must Have an 800 Number

There are now plenty of toll free vanity number prefixes to choose from. While 800 numbers may be the most coveted 888, 877, 866 and 855 numbers can all often work just as well and are often far more affordable.

3. Too Complicated

While your toll free number search shouldn't hold up launching a new business or marketing campaign it is definitely worth taking a few minutes to get the best vanity number possible. the less complex, easier to spell and remember the better they will work for you.

4. Failing to Test Your Numbers

It may sound obvious but before blasting marketing materials across the web and out into the street, business owners and managers really must test their numbers to ensure they are set up and routed correctly.

5. Not Using All Available Routing Options

There are now many routing, forwarding and filters which can be used for vanity numbers. Make sure you are getting the most out of them.

6. Love is Blind

Don't let your love for a specific vanity number cause you to throw common sense out the window. There are ways to acquire vanity numbers which show up as already being in use by someone else. Sometimes taking control of them can be the best business move, other times it can be a waste of capital if there are better numbers which can provide a higher ROI.

You can earn great commissions as a vanity number reseller or affiliate, just make sure you share these tips with your clients and website visitors too so that they get the most out of their vanity numbers and come back to you and refer others.


March 19th, 2012

There are many forms of Internet advertising to choose from for marketing businesses online today. Let's take a look at how a few of them work...

Search

Perhaps the the most common form of Internet advertising which everyone is familiar with without even realizing it is search marketing. It is no accident how certain websites show up before others when you search for something on Google. Businesses invest an enormous amount of resources in securing top placement so that they attract the most customers online.

Paid Internet Advertising

If you have spent any amount of time online yourself then you have seen paid Internet advertising at work all over the place in the form of banner advertising, text ads and image ads. This is Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC advertising) at work which involves bidding or buying clicks and website visitors as a form of lead generation.

Content Marketing

In contrast to the above methods of Internet advertising, content marketing is attraction or inbound marketing which draws in prospects. You see this every day, often without realizing it. The most popular types of content marketing today include blogging, article marketing and press releases.

Social Media

Social media is a type of content marketing too and much more. Unfortunately, far too many businesses underestimate the possibilities and real revenues social media offers or how to use it effectively. Use it to build a loyal customer base, expand your reach and attract more consumers for less.

Affiliate Marketing

While there are many types of Internet advertising that work, affiliate marketing remains one of the most powerful. These partner programs enable manufacturers and service providers to promote and ship less expensively to a larger audience while others are able to make incredible amounts of money online by using their own web assets and Internet advertising to move them.

However, while online marketing is the most popular and perhaps even the most effective for the majority of businesses, it is still just one more channel which companies should be incorporating into the mix. It is not yet a sufficient substitute to replace all other customer facing communications, meaning toll free numbers and live customer service is still essential.


March 12th, 2012

Checking the availability of toll free numbers has never been easier. Website or blog owners, entrepreneurs, and small businesses have a lot to gain from bringing this technology to their traffic.

Think about it. Every organization needs toll free numbers today. Start ups are in desperate need of quality vanity numbers to match and bolster their branding while established corporations are in constant need of batches of toll free numbers for marketing and testing.

These visitors who pass through your site or who follow you through your social media profiles are going to obtain these numbers from somewhere. Why shouldn't you benefit financially from this versus risking one of your competitors stealing incredibly profitable long term relationships and/or referrals from you?

Enrolling in a toll free number affiliate marketing partner program can enable your business to not only attract and retain more clients but speed up their companies and profits while adding an attractive new revenue stream. Plus of course, the more money they make, the more they have to come back to you with. In addition, guess who they are going to refer others to?

Those aligning themselves with the best toll free number service providers on the web can offer vanity look up tools right on their own sites and blogs in the form of a number of sticky widgets. These can include a keyword search, reverse look up and Custom Toll Free's prized Numspell tool allowing prospects to find great toll free numbers right from your pages.

In cases where there is a specific toll free number you absolutely must have, but which is already in use, you can even receive assistance in locating the number owner and negotiate. You can also monitor back order services to pick up the best toll free numbers at great discounts.


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