Timely Tidbits from Media II Advertising, Public Relations, Sales Promotion

New Look for the Public Bath Lite – Capability Added So You Can Send Newsletters Like this One

Not only does our newsletter look different, it has a lot more capability than the text version:

Introduction paragraphs that lead to longer articles so you won’t have to scroll down long pages.
Ability to add photos and other graphics.
Instant “take a poll” feature lets you comment and automatically see poll results – try it.
Easy opt-in, opt-out and registration.
Automated list management including bad addresses, opt-out, registration updates, etc. Helps ensure Can Spam compliance.
Tell a Friend feature that lets you easily forward this newsletter and automatically gets a potential subscriber for us.
Automatically responds with a personalized message and notifies us of new subscriptions.

There is a lot more this can do such as automatic archiving, personalization, reporting and other useful features. We are partnering with Enewsbuilder, a leader in the development of online newsletter tools, to provide this service. Click on the link below for more detail, or contact us for more information if you would like to have a newsletter like this for your company. Prices start at $300 to use this service, plus a one-time setup fee and copy and design per issue.

More Enewsletter Information

Enewsletter Features Overview

Key Features...

Instantly deploy both an email and a companion micro-site (landing page)
Acquire new subscribers and manage existing ones
Pass data back and forth - integrate, import and export
Rapidly distribute high-volumes of trackable, personal, full-color HTML email
Reports provide all the detail you need, and more
Segment, profile, survey, and identify active readers/customers
Personalized and Customized - in email and on the Web
Search and Obtain high-quality professional content

Instantly deploy both an email and a companion micro-site (landing page)

Automatically generate a well-formatted HTML newsletter that appears on the Web and in Email.
Flexible layout editor allows the "look and feel" of your Web page templates to be customized, no HTML programming required.
Set colors, font styles, column and background colors, and other preferences.
Add multimedia such as Flash and streaming audio and video.
Micro-site is dynamic - allowing articles to automatically expire and different content to be displayed depending upon the user.
Collaborate with others and "approve" or "reject" articles that are submitted.
Automatically keep an Issue archive.
Add a Search box to allow the complete archive to be searched by keyword or phrase.
Automatically reformats articles to a "Printer Friendly" version.
Link the newsletter to your Web site and add a subscribe box to any Web page.

Acquire new subscribers and manage existing ones

Opt-in Subscription Builder lets you expand your mailing list by collecting new subscriptions on your Web site. Collect email address, first and last name, mailing address, and any other information you need.
Subscription Form source code (HTML) is generated and provided for placement on any Web site.
Automatically respond to new subscriptions with a Welcome message, a specific newsletter issue, or the most recent issue. Auto-response can be personalized based on the information collected.
Manage up to 150 different subscriber lists - either opt-in/opt-out lists or interest lists
Integrated viral "Tell a Friend" feature encourages readers to pass newsletters along to their friends and associates.
Integrated email list management system with full subscribe/unsubscribe support and duplicate address removal.
Comprehensive bounce management system identifies bad addresses and allows for correction or automatic removal. Prevents typos in an email address from rendering a subscriber invalid!
Bounce manager tracks bad addresses, mail box full, and vacation notices separately.
Opt-out protection™, remembers who has asked to be removed from your list and prevents them from being added again.
Single Opt-in or Confirmed Opt-in (i.e., Double Opt-in) support, your choice.
Removal and Change Format options automatically added to the bottom of every message.
Subscribers can update their complete personal profile at any time.
Notification system can send an email to an administrator each time a subscriber is added, removed, or updated.

Pass data back and forth - integrate, import and export

Import engine allows email addresses, names, and other personal information to be uploaded into your account and synchronized to your database without duplication. Load data from almost any database or contact management system.
Large import file support - load up to 100,000 records per file.
Flexible import modes - add new and update existing records, load to a specific sub-list, prevent duplicates, etc.
Download report data to view as an Excel spreadsheet or to import to your corporate database.

Rapidly distribute high-volumes of trackable, personal, full-color HTML email

Intelligent, auto-sensing email system detects and shows the newsletter in the best browser format including AOL.
Send tests to pre-defined test addresses or to a test list.

Reports provide all the details you need, and more

See real-time statistics on how well your newsletter is being read, which articles are most popular, and which subscribers are most active. Measure clicks from email, emails opened, page views, pages forwarded, etc.
Obtain the list of subscribers that looked at a particular article or answered a particular survey question.
Build new, targeted, subscriber lists based upon subscriber behavior.
Filter reports based on subscriber demographics and profiles to analyze the performance of specific segments of your subscriber base.
All reports can be downloaded and viewed in Excel or imported to your corporate database.

Segment, Profile, Survey, and Identify active readers/customers

Segment your subscriber list based on demographic and preference information and dynamically determine the appropriate content to send to each subscriber. Each recipient gets a custom newsletter.
Allow readers to send "letters to the editor" in response to articles.
Use surveys to enhance interactivity and obtain statistics about your readers' opinions and preferences. Track individual survey responses back to the subscriber and build new segmented lists based on survey data.

Personalized and Customized - in email and on the Web

Personalize each newsletter with information from the subscriber database (e.g., Dear John, ).
Personalize the email SUBJECT line.
Send one mailing that appears to come from many different people by personalizing the FROM line for each message.
Use layout and display rules to automatically determine which content is available and to whom.
Automatically respond to new subscriptions with a personalized Welcome message.
Personalization extends to the companion micro-site on the Web. All pages within the newsletter can include personal and customized information for identified readers.

Obtain high-quality professional content on 100s of subjects - over 100,000 articles to choose from

We have a library of over 100,000 professionally written articles that can be selected and used as needed.
Or, we can provide custom articles written to your specifications.

Deliver more than just newsletters: Send promotions, invitations, announcements, press releases, and more.

NOTE: Availability of the features listed above depends on the service plan you choose.

For more information, email Roy Harry at roy@mediaii.com or phone 440-975-8201.

Take the Poll

Which format do you prefer for the Public Bath Lite?

The old text version?
This new HTML version?

Take Another Poll

What type of content would you like to see in the Public Bath Lite?

Web sites, email advertising, search engine optimization, electronic newsletters.
Print advertising and media.
Public relations.
Direct mail.
Branding and corporate identity.

Did You Know?

Media II was founded nearly 30 years ago under the name The Art Works! Primarily an art studio in the beginning, several early clients prodded the company to become a full-fledged marketing communications firm.

Good Ad/Bad Ad

The nice thing about this new newsletter format is that it lets us easily integrate graphics. So, with that we are adding a new feature to the Public Bath Lite, Good Ad/Bad Ad. This section will review various good and bad advertising not for the purpose of skewing one company or another, but to reinforce the value of good advertising and helping to avoid the traps of bad advertising. Have an ad you’d like us to critique? Send it to Roy Harry at Media II.

Link to the Good Ad

Coilcraft Ad has the Power

Clean ad layout, benefit-oriented headline and intriguing illustration are sure to make anyone in the market for a 100 Amp power inductor stop and take note. That’s the first rule for any ad, stopping power. Crisp copy gets right to the point without any wasted words for the reader to wade through. The mini product overviews are just enough to let the reader know the capabilities of their power inductors and that they’re RoHS compliant.

Good and very clear bid for actions: free evaluation samples, visit the web site, or order direct by toll-free number.

Betcha this ad gets them some serious business.

Link to Bad Ad

Kingbright Ad Needs to be Dethroned

This ad deserves to be overlooked, and it probably has been. The borrowed interest of a crown and the brag and boast headline at the BOTTOM of the page doesn’t readily stop anyone much less communicate quickly what’s being advertised, LEDs, and why. Beyond, “Accent your Designs with the Best Choice of Crown Jewels by Kingbright!” , there’s no reason to care about this ad. Are they readily available, what sizes do they come in, how bright are they, what problems do they solve, how do they stack up with other displays or competitive products? Why should a reader be interested in this at all?

Bid for action, there really isn’t any. Without garnering some interest, nobody’s gonna visit their web site or call.

This type of ad gives advertising in general a bum rap. It cost about $8,000 to place this ad in a major electronics journal and when the CEO of Kingbright doesn’t see a return on his investment from an ad like this, his sentiment will be: advertising doesn’t work. He really ought to talk to the CEO of Coilcraft to find out the name of their ad agency.

What Makes a Good Ad?

Advertising can be pretty expensive, if it’s done badly, and really inexpensive if it’s done well. Here are characteristics to help make your advertising as inexpensive as possible. A good ad:

... must stop the reader from turning the page. An ad has 5-to-10 seconds to jump off the page and grab the reader's attention.

... works like a good sales person telling potential customers what a product will do for them.

... is built on a concept or idea. The reader must instantly recognize the concept being communicated.

... sells a product's benefits rather than its features. People decide what to buy based on what the product will do for them, not for what ingredients it has.

... has a sense of urgency. It tells the reader to do something.

... promotes the name of company where the product or service can be purchased.

... speaks to a specific group of people it is trying to reach.

... provides all the facts a reader needs, without providing too many.

... is well organized in its layout. The orderly division of space makes it easier on the eye to read.

... uses white space. Crammed ads get poor results because readers don't want to work that hard - and nothing draws the eye more effectively to a spot on a gray page.

... conveys its message simply. It is believable and honest.

... is distinctive. Ads must be different, instantly recognizable and sell the advertiser in addition to the product.

... attracts a reader's eye. Using the basic principals of design as they relate to layout: proportion, balance, contrast, movement and unity.

... uses the FAB approach of Features, Advantages and Benefits.

... must be supported by sales and customer service, backing the advertising promise.

... uses the most popular words and phrases to consumers including: Free, New, Sale, Now, Guarantee, 100%, Easy, Bargain, Introducing, Now, Just Arrived, Easy, Results, Discover and Affordable.

... remembers who the customer is and what would make that customer buy.

... is news. Readers believe advertising in newspapers and magazines is as important as the rest of its content. The interactivity of a publication causes readers to seek out good advertising.

... limits its use of typefaces. A good rule of thumb is to use no more than three typefaces in an ad. This reduces the feeling of an ad being too busy or cluttered.

... sells answers to consumer's current needs. Advertising sells to people's wants not just to their needs. People need a car but want a Mercedes. They need clothing, but they want Polo.

…worst of all, the ad is in the wrong publication.

Move Update

The trucks will be arriving here on February 25 to move us down the road to our new offices in Willoughby Hills. Come see us.

Media II, Inc.
39400 Chardon Road, Suite 206
Willoughby Hills, OH 44094
440-975-1801

Jobs Wanted

A few of our friends are out looking for jobs. If any of these folks are of interest to you, let us know and we’ll send you their resume. Looking for a job? Send your resume and we will post it in the next issue.

Sales Manager – Strong experience in setting strategies, leading sales organizations and boosting sales in automotive, electronics and business services industries. MBA, registered professional engineer, highly skilled in customer relationship management.

C-Level Assistant – Fortune 500 company executive assistant experience, highly organized, creative and bright, great portfolio of skills, people-oriented.

Marketing Communications Manger – Highly experienced in all areas of marketing communications including advertising media, public relations, Internet, trade shows, etc. Outstanding, management and organizational skills, MBA. Fortune 500 and smaller company experience.

Electronic Marketing Manager – On top of the latest electronic marketing tools and strategies: database publishing and database-driven web sites, public relations, email newsletters, search engine keyword development, email advertising, Intranets, etc. Fortune 500 company experience.

Experienced Writer – Strong business-to-business writing skills for ads, collateral, web sites, and public relations. Advertising and marketing communications background.

Entry Level Writer – Recent college graduate looking for the first break. Good creative and, of course, writing skills.

Quote of the Month

OK, so what's the speed of dark?

-- Steve Wright

Bumper Sticker of the Month

You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

The Public Bath?

In ancient times, public baths were places that men of learning and curiosity gathered to exchange ideas. Today those places no longer exist (unless you count hot tubs), so we've tried to adapt the bath's open freewheeling tone into a newsletter. We hope you'll read our Public Bath in just that spirit.

The Public Bath is not "first-thing-on-Monday" reading. Rather, it is more like "fifteen-minutes-till lunch on Friday" or, "on hold" reading. Some material is amusing, some sociological, some newsy and we hope -- all thought-provoking.

We also want to answer your questions and hear your reactions. Have a topic you would like us to explore? Let us know that too. After all, public baths are places for both listening and talking.

About Media II, Inc. – Media II is a full-service marketing communications firm that specializes in serving business-to-business marketers in a wide variety of industries. We offer marketing communications planning, print and email advertising, public relations, sales literature development, graphic design, direct mail, web site development, webcasting, database publishing, and search engine placement services. Like to know more? Visit our web site www.mediaii.com

Media II, Inc. / 35353 Curtis Boulevard / Eastlake, OH 44095 / 440-975-8201 / www.mediaii.com

If you have a topic you would like to see us address or if you would prefer not to receive this newsletter, please let us know. Email roy@mediaii.com