49 Most Recent Articles
Written By: Marcia Yudkin

1	Four Warnings Regarding a Foreign-Sounding (or Foreign-Looking) New Business Name Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2010-02-09 | - Word Count: 726 | Viewed: 260 | Votes: 1 | Rating: 2.00 Foreign names for companies or products sometimes do very well in the American market. We also see plenty of pseudo-foreign names - created by misapplying spelling patterns found in foreign languages. Use my four-point checklist to make sure you're branding well by giving your name a foreign flavor rather than burdening your creation with a seriously disadvantageous name.
2	Your New Business Name: Three Problems That Could Spell Trouble Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2010-02-04 | - Word Count: 596 | Viewed: 259 | Votes: 1 | Rating: 3.00 If customers, referral sources and media people can't correctly translate the spoken version of your business name into writing, or if they can't make sense of it when they hear the name, word of mouth publicity hits a major snag. Avoid these serious problems when deciding on your new company name.
3	A Company Catchphrase: Creating a Motto or Slogan That Promotes Your Business Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2010-02-02 | - Word Count: 608 | Viewed: 741 | Votes: 2 | Rating: 3.50 Catchphrases, mottoes and slogans truly influence customers, and that's why you want one for your own company. In just three steps, here's how to make one up for your company.
4	Naming Your Business: Five Hidden Pittfalls of Using Creative Spelling in Your New Company Name Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2010-01-28 | - Word Count: 549 | Viewed: 244 | Votes: 1 | Rating: 4.00 Many companies put the quirks of the English language to work by concocting an alternate spelling of a key word for their name. This associates their organization with a certain quality while standing out with a unique-looking name. However, creative spelling in a name has five significant disadvantages.
5	Crowdsourcing: Three Ways You Can Find a Great New Company or Product Name Free or at Low Cost Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2010-01-26 | - Word Count: 782 | Viewed: 273 | Votes: 2 | Rating: 2.50 Increasingly popular, "crowdsourcing" involves inviting a large number of people to perform a task, with a prize promised to the person or team whose work is selected as the winner. Discover three methods of crowdsourcing, five advantages of generating a new company or product name this way and five disadvantages.
6	Crowdsourcing: 9 Hidden Pitfalls of This New Method of Generating Your New Business Name Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2010-01-21 | - Word Count: 1053 | Viewed: 467 | Votes: 1 | Rating: 2.00 Want to get a spiffy new company name or product name fast, at low cost? A lot of Internet-savvy people are looking into a method of finding new names called "crowdsourcing." Although it produces possible names fast, at low cost, crowdsourcing carries with it nine significant disadvantages.
7	Company or Product Naming: 7 Ways to Add Pizzazz to a Boring Business Name Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2010-01-19 | - Word Count: 407 | Viewed: 328 | Votes: 2 | Rating: 3.50 You're starting a new company, launching a new product or trying to inject pizzazz into an existing company or product that seems way too boring and ordinary. Try these 7 techniques to shape the basic facts about your business into a name with energy and zing.
8	Five Ways to Make Your Company Slogan Catchy or Your Tag Line Terrific Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2010-01-14 | - Word Count: 526 | Viewed: 977 | Votes: 3 | Rating: 3.67 Your company slogan should say something interesting in a snappy way. It performs marketing magic by making the company stand out from competitors and stick in the minds of customers. In this article, we start with a couple of bland company names and then jazz them up with five tag line techniques...
9	Generate Your New Product Name: Brainstorming Tips Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2010-01-12 | - Word Count: 595 | Viewed: 502 | Votes: 4 | Rating: 1.75 Use these nine methods of brainstorming to pile up loads of naming ingredients for your new product. Then combine and tweak them to create possible names. Have fun while doing this, because a playful attitude promotes creativity.
10	What Science Says About Selecting the Best Business Name for Your Company Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-08-13 | - Word Count: 729 | Viewed: 331 | Votes: 10 | Rating: 2.30 If you turn away from the idea of naming as a black art, you can find some secrets of branding in scientific studies that have been published after having been reviewed by academic authorities as reliable. Here are four points on which researchers have given us insights that help guide the creation of effective business names.
11	Frequent Mistake #3 While Naming a New Company or New Product Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-08-11 | - Word Count: 432 | Viewed: 301 | Votes: 10 | Rating: 2.40 Too often, business owners strain for an unusual name, just for the sake of attention. And the very unusualness of the name then becomes a serious liability. Sometimes, a name that is simple and clear is best. Here's why, with two examples.
12	The #2 Most Common Mistake In Naming a New Company or New Product Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-08-06 | - Word Count: 567 | Viewed: 310 | Votes: 10 | Rating: 2.60 Too often, business owners and organizational marketers don't take the time to think about possible shortcomings of the name they settle on. Instead, those shortcomings emerge over time, costing them dearly in sales and opportunities. It's far more cost-effective to name your product or service properly in the first go. Use this checklist to identify hidden pitfalls of some names so they don't blindside you.
13	Top Mistake #1 When Naming a New Company or New Product Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-08-04 | - Word Count: 780 | Viewed: 449 | Votes: 10 | Rating: 1.40 The top mistake in choosing a name is deciding on the name you like best. That very obvious-sounding strategy is wrong because of four pitfalls. Learn how evade those pitfalls to arrive at a name you can grow with.
14	Have You Outgrown the Company Name You Started With? Renaming Tips Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-30 | - Word Count: 575 | Viewed: 301 | Votes: 11 | Rating: 2.09 The second most common reason my firm gets hired for renaming is that the company has outgrown its original name in some way. If this applies to you, here's how to proceed so you end up with a company name you can live and grow with for many years.
15	For a Better New Product Name or New Company Name, Create a Scorecard Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-29 | - Word Count: 501 | Viewed: 611 | Votes: 18 | Rating: 2.11 Create a list of criteria for your new business name or product name before you start brainstorming. This enables you to winnow your list to the top names with confidence.
16	Does Your Proposed New Company Name Open the Door to Ridicule? Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-28 | - Word Count: 516 | Viewed: 304 | Votes: 6 | Rating: 2.00 A lack of attention during the naming process can inadvertently make it easier for comedians, protesters and whiners to poke fun at your company. Before finalizing your new company name, run it by these tests so you can tweak the name or reject it if necessary to avoid predictable problems.
17	A Good Business Name Must Be Bold: Oh, Really? Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-23 | - Word Count: 398 | Viewed: 386 | Votes: 9 | Rating: 2.89 T h e n a m i n g " m u s t " y o u ' l l e n c o u n t e r m o s t o f t e n i s t h i s o n e : A G o o d B u s i n e s s N a m e M u s t B e B o l d . I t m u s t m a k e a s t a t e m e n t . I t m u s t s t a n d o u t . I t m u s t c a l l a t t e n t i o n t o i t s e l f . B u t n o , t h a t ' s n o t t r u e - n o t a l w a y s .
18	Need a New Business Name? Try an Extended Metaphor Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-23 | - Word Count: 522 | Viewed: 607 | Votes: 14 | Rating: 2.00 When images and words work together to develop one concept in several different ways, that's an extended metaphor. Extended metaphors give readers pleasure, make a company more memorable and have unlimited creative potential to help a company's new name stand head and shoulders above the competition.
19	The Mystique of Numbers in Company Names Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-22 | - Word Count: 524 | Viewed: 423 | Votes: 7 | Rating: 1.57 Numbers have personalities that you need to be aware of when using them in company or product names. This principle is illustrated with several examples and a few warnings about using numbers in company names.
20	Has Your Company Name Landed You in Legal Hot Water? Renaming Tips Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-21 | - Word Count: 506 | Viewed: 345 | Votes: 12 | Rating: 3.17 The #1 reason business owners hire my company to create a new business name within a week is they've received a cease-and-desist letter from an attorney. Such a letter means business. Never ignore it! Find out what to do about it.
21	Is a Tag Line Absolutely Necessary Along With Your Company Name? Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-21 | - Word Count: 507 | Viewed: 381 | Votes: 12 | Rating: 2.58 In some instances, a perfect name can get the company's message across on its own, without a tag line. Learn when this works and why.
22	Does Your Company Tag Line Pass These Five Crucial Tests? Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-16 | - Word Count: 504 | Viewed: 581 | Votes: 11 | Rating: 1.45 After looking at the many disastrous slogans that state tourism boards have happily paid tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for, I suggest replacing the "feel-good" test with five much more grounded criteria. When you're trying to decide on the best tag line to accompany your organization' s name on the web site, brochures, business cards, stationery, ads, mugs and mouse pads, make sure your winner passes these five tests.
23	Changing Your Company Name: The Good, The Bad and The Unnecessary Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-16 | - Word Count: 520 | Viewed: 572 | Votes: 12 | Rating: 2.00 Wondering whether or not to change your company name? Several reasons for doing this are legitimate. Other reasons should make you stop and reconsider.
24	For Word of Mouth Marketing, Make Sure Your New Company Name is Sayable Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-15 | - Word Count: 510 | Viewed: 626 | Votes: 12 | Rating: 3.33 Saddling your company with a name that you need to instruct people how to pronounce means putting it at a distinct disadvantage. Spend a little more time and selectivity in naming to give your organization a name that people can easily say when seeing it.
25	Avoid These Five Tragic Tag Line Misfires Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-14 | - Word Count: 845 | Viewed: 523 | Votes: 11 | Rating: 1.82 A tag line is the little slogan that follows a business name on a web site, in ads, on company stationery and elsewhere. A prime branding opportunity, it should say something that encourages ideal customers to do business with you.
26	For Snazzier New Product Names, Use Creative Naming Prompts Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-14 | - Word Count: 286 | Viewed: 573 | Votes: 12 | Rating: 3.08 Try these six brainstorming prompts when you have to come up with a new product name. Examples included!
27	When It Comes to Business Names, Acronyms Are FUBAR Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-09 | - Word Count: 553 | Viewed: 525 | Votes: 10 | Rating: 2.30 When you're dreaming up a new company name or product name, avoid acronyms. Here's why.
28	Lessons in Business Naming from Newspaper Headlines Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-08 | - Word Count: 538 | Viewed: 542 | Votes: 8 | Rating: 2.38 Newspaper headlines often involve enjoyable wordplay - which could easily figure in business names or tag lines as well. By pondering a couple of dozen headlines, I was able to extract four lessons for naming.
29	Understanding Connotations in Tag Lines, Business Names and Monikers Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-07-07 | - Word Count: 523 | Viewed: 319 | Votes: 12 | Rating: 1.75 Discover a simple secret for preventing communication disasters in company names or product names. Instead of fighting what words mean to your audience, you can increase your ability to nail a thought or idea in powerful names, sentences, nicknames or slogans.
30	I Was Quoted in the News, Now What? Publicity Dilemma 10 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-04-16 | - Word Count: 597 | Viewed: 369 | Votes: 10 | Rating: 2.90 Whether it was the Wall Street Journal or Hometown News Radio that quoted you last Monday, congratulate yourself. You have achieved a credibility-boosting distinction that many businesses never attain. Now find out how you can derive lasting benefit from your media coverage.
31	How Can I Take Advantage of Breaking News? Publicity Dilemma 9 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-04-14 | - Word Count: 665 | Viewed: 381 | Votes: 3 | Rating: 2.67 If a news story breaks that relates to the services or products you sell, become alert, find an interesting way to make the connection, and take action as soon as possible. This is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to earn media coverage that captures attention in the marketplace.
32	I'm Afraid of Being Misquoted! Publicity Dilemma 8 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-04-09 | - Word Count: 667 | Viewed: 399 | Votes: 6 | Rating: 2.17 It's understandable to be apprehensive about being misrepresented in the news. You don't want to show up there with the equivalent of toilet paper snaking from your shoe. Yet being misquoted is not usually the catastrophe most people think it is.
33	Can a Press Release Be Controversial? Publicity Dilemma 7 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-04-07 | - Word Count: 700 | Viewed: 344 | Votes: 7 | Rating: 3.43 Controversy gets attention. And from the standpoint of publicity, the best kind of controversy is a position or practice that goes against a habit or belief shared by the public, a profession or a niche population, yet has a solid rationale in its favor.
34	What if My Publicity Angle Needs a Photo? Publicity Dilemma 6 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-04-02 | - Word Count: 521 | Viewed: 364 | Votes: 7 | Rating: 3.57 Photos need context and verbal pointers to be complete and persuasive, yet words by themselves can tell the story and sell the reader. So give your story the best possible shot at media coverage by carefully providing context and details in your verbal pitch and amplifying that with a photo.
35	Can I Target Only High-end Customers With My Publicity Offer? Publicity Dilemma 5 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-04-01 | - Word Count: 558 | Viewed: 350 | Votes: 6 | Rating: 2.33 Things get tricky when you hope to restrict your publicity bait to a certain population. Here's why.
36	Do We Need to Buy Ads to Get Media Coverage? Publicity Dilemma 4 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-03-12 | - Word Count: 604 | Viewed: 354 | Votes: 4 | Rating: 3.25 The larger and more prestigious the publication, the less it's true that you must "pay to play" - buy advertising in order to get media coverage. That's because it's a time-honored principle of journalistic ethics that advertising and editorial copy must be functionally separate. Here's how to maximize your chances of new product coverage.
37	We're Trying to Do Good But Got No Response: Publicity Dilemma 3 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-03-10 | - Word Count: 561 | Viewed: 505 | Votes: 4 | Rating: 4.00 When a plain old press release doesn't attract media interest in your cause, it's time to inject the outreach for your do-good project with one or more of five irresistible publicity elements for non-profits.
38	What's the Right Timing for Publicity? Publicity Dilemma 2 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-03-05 | - Word Count: 495 | Viewed: 439 | Votes: 5 | Rating: 1.40 Media deadlines are the most important element in proper timing for publicity. Follow these guidelines to make the publicity process work in your favor.
39	Should You Use Publicity to Defend Your Reputation? Publicity Dilemma 1 Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-03-03 | - Word Count: 633 | Viewed: 434 | Votes: 2 | Rating: 2.50 Keeping quiet when you feel your reputation is becoming tarnished goes against the natural impulse to defend yourself. Find out why you might very likely be making things worse by responding.
40	Preview Teleseminars: Avoid These Off-Putting Mistakes Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-02-03 | - Word Count: 920 | Viewed: 346 | Votes: 8 | Rating: 3.38 When you have a new product or an upcoming event, a free preview teleseminar can do a great job of drumming up excitement about it. It's vital to execute this strategy with due consideration for your teleseminar listeners. Be straight, be fair, be professional. These may sound like common sense principles for marketers, yet I've heard them violated in major ways during preview calls.
41	Interviewing an Expert For a Teleseminar? Avoid These Six Mistakes Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-01-29 | - Word Count: 660 | Viewed: 453 | Votes: 1 | Rating: 0.00 Recording and interviewing an expert on a topic that has value for a group of listeners is one of the quickest and easiest ways to create a saleable product. This sort of teleseminar can also help drum up interest in an upcoming event as a free preview call. However, as someone who has been interviewed or interviewed others dozens of times and listened to scores more expert interviews, I've observed several pitfalls that can affect the quality of the product.
42	Six Technical Mistakes to Avoid When Running Teleseminars Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-01-27 | - Word Count: 508 | Viewed: 354 | Votes: 4 | Rating: 1.00 With teleseminars, teleclasses and teleconferences increasingly popular, newcomers to this remote learning format make numerous mistakes that mar their prospects for making money from the telephone sessions.
43	Teleseminars: Eight Factors That Boost Their Perceived Value Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-01-22 | - Word Count: 721 | Viewed: 380 | Votes: 6 | Rating: 3.50 If you're savvy about factors that boost the perceived value of teleseminars, you can charge many times more than the going rate.
44	Transform Your Teleseminar into a High-Ticket, High-Value Course Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-01-20 | - Word Count: 542 | Viewed: 382 | Votes: 6 | Rating: 3.00 Over the summer, a marketing guru was grilling me about my audio courses when I could hear him suddenly sit up straight and pay attention in a different way. Once you read this article, you will sit straight up and pay closer attention to my words, today and in the future.
45	Why You Should Edit Teleseminar Recordings - and How Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-01-15 | - Word Count: 508 | Viewed: 393 | Votes: 7 | Rating: 3.00 For years, I led single-session teleseminars and sold them as products without doing any audio editing. When I shifted from offering one-off teleclasses to multi-session classes, however, I raised my standards.
46	Host a Teleseminar Like a Talk Show Pro Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-01-13 | - Word Count: 572 | Viewed: 389 | Votes: 3 | Rating: 0.33 It's extremely rare to host a teleseminar exclusively with people who already recognize your voice. Likewise, listeners may not recall the name of your guest. They may have downloaded or received your audio recording without an adequate written introduction. So always introduce both yourself and your guest using both first and last names.
47	Tips for Teleseminar Offers Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2009-01-06 | - Word Count: 457 | Viewed: 359 | Votes: 6 | Rating: 1.17 Whether it's your own teleseminar or you're appearing as guest expert on someone else's teleseminar, you will often have an opportunity to tell listeners about a special offer. Normally you'd offer a discount not available to the public at large or something free that isn't generally advertised at all.
48	Teleseminar Security Tips Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2008-12-30 | - Word Count: 537 | Viewed: 372 | Votes: 7 | Rating: 3.86 How do you prevent people who have registered for your teleseminar from passing around the teleseminar call-in information to those who haven't paid for it?
49	Teleseminar Handouts: Everything You Need to Know But Forgot to Ask Written by: Marcia Yudkin | Distributed: 2008-12-23 | - Word Count: 998 | Viewed: 396 | Votes: 4 | Rating: 0.00 Whenever you present a teleseminar, teleclass or teleconference, the main channel of communication is auditory. After all, you are speaking to your audience on a telephone bridge line, and in many cases the audience is also talking back to you and to one another.