Jerry Brisinger

On a daily basis we are assaulted by print ads from the time we step out of our houses until we go to bed again. We only remember certain ones. Why is that? What makes some print material stand out from others? It is actually a combination of triggers and aesthetics that are designed to catch and hold a readers’ attention. There is a great amount of debate as to which ones are the most important.

In my opinion there are two that are irreplaceable: the title and motivation. The title must grab a reader's attention and make them want to read what you are offering.

My business is not what you would call traditional. I sell in all 50 states. That is pretty common nowadays, but my product is individualized for each group based on their geographical location. The product varies from county to county inside of a state. Since the product varies, the sales material must meet that particular customer’s demands. I have to know that when I order brochures and sales materials that they will be done correctly and delivered on time.

I need everything to fall into place every time.

I have been covering a lot of SEO, SEM and social media lately. They are all necessary marketing tools in the modern age, but they will not stand alone if you want to grow your company fully. Traditional marketing tactics such as print media, postcards, coupons, etc., are more important than web advertising. That may be controversial to some, but it is true. Look at all of the largest companies. Do they have all their eggs in the web basket? No. Their budget weighs heavily on print, television and radio.

When I first began freelancing, I cheated somewhat. I still had a full-time job. My goal was to phase out the job as I became more successful. Several obstacles had to be hurdled as you can imagine. In the beginning I offered a low rate that barely felt as if it covered the work I put into projects. I wrote cheaper than anybody I knew and consulted for half their price. I had clients, but I still needed the full-time job. After about a full year of burning the candle at both ends, I decided I was at a crossroads in my endeavors. I had to shed the job, period.

Cloud commuting is a fairly new term — an upgrade if you will — for outsourcing. Outsourcing has suffered a bum rap from people whose perception is company owners laying everybody off to start again with a call center overseas. Enterprising business owners have been outsourcing work for years. In fact, if you look up “capitalism” you will find the “division of labor” right next to “global domination.”

Every red-blooded opportunist uses cloud commuting to offer the best-quality products and services in the most cost-effective manner.