<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="0.92">
<channel>
	<title>Pelland Advertising Blog - Web Site Development for Small Businesses</title>
	<link>http://blog.pelland.com</link>
	<description>by Peter Pelland / Pelland Advertising</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:45:35 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Friendly’s &#8211; A Sign of the Times or Simply Behind the Times?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It came as no surprise when I learned of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing for Friendly Ice Cream Corporation last week, once a local success story. Will Friendly’s recover? Can nostalgia come to its rescue? I doubt it. Like so many other brand names from the 1950s, Friendly’s is probably destined to fade into oblivion.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2011/10/12/friendly%e2%80%99s-a-sign-of-the-times-or-simply-behind-the-time/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>How to Avoid Turning “Likes” Into “Unlikes”</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In the social networking world, whether your business is keeping in touch with its customer base using Facebook, Twitter or e-mail marketing, your message is only as effective as the number of people who read it. One of your primary objectives, therefore, must be to build your base of likers, followers and subscribers. You should do your utmost to avoid forcing those folks who have “liked” your page from changing their minds and “unliking” the page, effectively cutting themselves off from your marketing messages. The best way to maintain your base of fans and followers is to understand the type of content that they want and expect to see, and to understand the predominant reasons that people choose to leave.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2011/06/22/how-to-avoid-turning-%e2%80%9clikes%e2%80%9d-into-%e2%80%9cunlikes%e2%80%9d/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>An Award Is an Award, or Is It?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We all know that there are some very legitimate awards and competitions. Probably the first to come into mind are the Nobel Prizes. Since 1901, the Nobel Foundation, presents awards for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. The Nobel Foundation has a nominating committee, and recipients receive a significant cash award (that many recipients, in turn, donate to charitable causes). The Nobel Prizes are very real. If you are a journalist, the Pulitzer Prize is the ultimate recognition. If you work in the film industry, it is an honor for your film to be presented in a major film festival from Cannes to Venice to Tribeca to Sundance, and one of the ultimate honors is to be presented an Academy Award. Yes, there are many very legitimate awards; however, for every legitimate award, there are probably 100 scams, and scams breed on the Internet. The scams have been proliferating recently. If you are told that you or your business is being nominated for an award – or is being presented with an award – it is probably best to think twice before you run out to buy a new tuxedo or evening dress.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2011/06/11/an-award-is-an-award-or-is-it/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>The Multiple Powers of Facebook Comments</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Presuming that your business has a Facebook Business Page – as it should – there are some powerful tools at your disposal. One of the most powerful of these is your ability to comment and respond to comments posted by others. One of your key objectives should always be to build your number of followers (you may prefer to refer to them as “fans” or “likes”), particularly followers who have a true interest in your product or service and who will be likely to engage in ongoing conversations. These conversations will take the form of posts, allowing you to further a rapport with your followers in a manner that enhances your marketing efforts in a very subtle yet highly effective manner. Use these tips for creating posts and responding to posts in the best manner possible.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2011/06/03/the-multiple-powers-of-facebook-comments/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Problems with Merchant Account Services Provider, Sage Payment Solutions</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Unfortunately, when you sign an agreement with merchant account services provider Sage Payment Solutions, you better expect to be taken hostage. Plan on being charged for services that you neither use nor authorize. You will learn why the company has an “F” Rating with the Better Business Bureau ... the worst possible business rating, based upon “failure to respond to 5 complaints”. I can only suggest avoiding Sage Payment Solutions under any and all circumstances!]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2011/03/21/problems-with-merchant-account-services-provider-sage-payment-solutions/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Understanding Forgotten Rules of Clarity in Communications</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The most successful businesses these days are those that are able to communicate with their customers in real-time or near real-time. An effective message must be crystal clear and not be subject to misinterpretation. Review your message, not from the writer’s perspective, but from the reader’s perspective, recognizing the difference between conversational language and the written word. Follow some basic and common-sense rules of grammar to succeed.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2011/03/06/understanding-forgotten-rules-of-clarity-in-communications/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Rebranding A Company and Doing It Wrong</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ Hyundai, in the case of the automotive division of South Korea’s industrial behemoth, has a reputation for building highly affordable, stylish, economy cars that have established a growing niche in the U.S. market. What happens when Hyundai decides that it wants to sell a new line of vehicles with an MSRP that starts at $58,000? For starters, it had better do things right.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2011/01/16/rebranding-a-company-and-doing-it-wrong/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Don’t Waste Time Fishing in an Unproductive Pond</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Just as a successful fisherman will spend time fishing in a productive habitat, any advertiser should focus ad buys on media outlets where prospective buyers spend their time. Comprehensive and current statistics on how we spend our time are not easy to find. If the information was easily accessible, it would probably be outdated as soon as it was published. We can sometimes only work with bits and pieces and get a general feeling for overall trends. With the advent of social media, where users volunteer and share a wealth of demographic information, we now have access to the type of real data which allows target marketing to go beyond inference and finally live up to its real name.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2010/08/15/don%e2%80%99t-waste-time-fishing-in-an-unproductive-pond/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Backward Compatibility and Browser Testing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[If your site looks gorgeous on your monitor, I would suggest that you do not sit back on your laurels and presume that everyone else is enjoying the same experience. You need to do some testing and, if necessary, some reverse engineering in order to insure backward compatibility with older browsers.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2010/07/22/backward-compatibility-and-browser-testing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Domain Tasting: The Sour Follow-Up</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Just in case there were any doubts about the validity of my previous post, here is a current real-world example in evidence.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.pelland.com/2010/06/09/domain-tasting-the-sour-follow-up/</link>
			</item>
</channel>
</rss>

