The Importance of SEO in Boosting Online Visibility for Businesses

 In today’s net-savvy world it has become common for any business to have a website which they use mostly for advertising their products and services. With the advent of search engines it has become even easier for the customers to search for the stuff online. For a website to be successful its link should land in the first three pages which the search engine brings and the rank of the page should be high which means many visitors come to the site. This can be achieved by applying search engine optimization or popularly known as SEO. This is a marketing strategy which increases the quality and quantity of traffic flow to a particular website via search engines. 

SEO not only affects the search engine results, but also image search, video search and industry specific vertical search engines. It determines how a search algorithm functions and searches what is popular with people. When a website link is submitted to a search engine, a spider crawls through a page to gather links which lead to other pages and stores those pages on the server of the search engine. The information collected from these pages is sent to the indexer, whose job is to extract information from those pages such as the keywords and their weights, the location of the page and other links that are stored for the spider to crawl in future. 

In the beginning, the search engine optimizer algorithms were dependant on the keywords, Meta tags, and index files provided by the Webmaster. Meta tags provided information about a particular page, but using them for indexing the pages didn’t prove to be successful as some Webmasters added irrelevant Meta tags to increase the number of hits and earn huge ad revenue. They even changed the HTML of the web pages to achieve a good rank for the page. But this was a case of abuse as it fetched irrelevant pages.  

Search engines then began utilizing complex ranking algorithm, which were difficult for the webmasters to manipulate so as to provide web surfers with genuine results. The rank of the web page was calculated mathematically by functions using strength and quantity of the inbound links. The higher the rank of the page the more chances it had to be viewed by a person.  Later algorithms were developed which considered various other on-page factors such as rank and off-page factors such as hyperlink. Since the webmasters couldn’t manipulate the page rank, they began exchanging, selling and buying links, which lead to link spamming and even creation of numerous sites dedicated for this purpose. 

Algorithms became more complex by every passing day and top search engines kept their algorithms a secret. As the cost of SEO increased, advertisers were roped in to pay for it, which finally resulted in high quality web pages. Although investing in SEO is very fruitful, but at the same time is risky because with out any prior notice the algorithms being used are bound to change and the search engine will stop directing visitors to the page. Many consultants are available in the market that provides SEO services. They manipulate the HTML source code of the web site like menus, shopping carts and sometimes even the content of the website to draw more traffic. Search engines like Yahoo has algorithms that extract pages not according to the page rank but according to the cost per click or set fee, that is if a advertiser desires that the page containing his ad be displayed, he is expected to pay money for it. This is a point of controversy, as only the big businesses will be able to increase the number of hits of their page but not the small business who might be having a better quality page.

Google Ad Words explores ads which have words typed in the search box by the surfer. The Million Dollar Homepage started the concept of Pixel advertising, which is a graphical kind of advertising. Depending on the pixels, the space is sold to the advertiser. Keyword advertising involves advertisers who buy URLs of a site and place their ads at that location. Thus SEO is a market in its own which is yielding great results for businesses on Internet.

The Role of Research in Creating Effective Advertising Campaigns

 Research in advertising is done in order to produce better advertisements that are more efficient in motivating customers to buy a product or a service. The research can be based on a particular advertising campaign or can be more generalized and based on how advertisements create an effect on people’s mind. Lots of approaches are involved to go about conducting an advertising research like economical, psychological, demographical and sociological.  

When designing an advertisement for a particular product many things should be researched like where it should be displayed, whether the advertisement can be printed in newspapers or magazines or broadcasted on television or radio or published on the Internet. Many methods are undertaken to collect relevant information. The research itself is of two kinds, syndicated and customized. Syndicated research is a single research done by the company that is available to other companies as well. Customized research is research based on certain criteria and is done for a particular company and its results are available to only that company. 

Pre-testing or copy testing is a type of customized research that determines the in-market efficiency of an advertisement before it is released or before the final production. The more the pre-testing is done the more likely that it will be a successful advertisement and each pre-testing should be applied number of times. This can done by studying the level of attention the customers have, motivation, brand linkage, communication and entertainment. Flow of emotions and flow of attention are broken down and studied individually. The results are applied on the advertisement that is still being developed to recognize the weak points and replace them. A reliable feedback loop can guide the researchers, client and the agency to work in harmony. Tests should be applied during the storyboard stage of ad making. This is an early stage and the results are highly predictive. During this process images are selected and used as integrated campaign print ad.

Post-testing or ad tracking studies are either syndicated or customized. Studies are done over a period of time or continuously. The in-market research is done to understand a brands linkage, performance, awareness, and preference along with product attitudes and usage. They are done by, conducting interviews either on phone or Internet. Testing the finished advertisement provides the confidence and gives an idea whether it is following the strategy. 

All the above studies should facilitate the client’s advertisement development make the end product easier to achieve. The study should contain rational information having not only surface knowledge but also provide deep in-sight that will open window to a customer’s mind. The customer, too, should provide precise information based on facts and not based on imaginary thinking and self-delusion. He should be able to explain the role of advertisement in the whole marketing plan. Working in vacuum doesn’t get the desired result.  

The basis is to provide in-depth understanding about the consumers for improving on the advertisement techniques and other marketing decisions. The traditional methods of qualitative and quantitative techniques have been improved to analyze the information with good insight. 

The rapidly changing likes and needs of the customers are difficult to track, but should be studied in order to increase the quality of advertisement. The changes are because of the huge number of options offered to them by the market. 

Effective Low-Cost Advertising Strategies for Home-Based Businesses

 There is no better advertisement campaign that is low cost and also successful at the same time. Great business ideas when utilized effectively can save lots of money. This is not only easy for those who work full-time as an advertiser, but also for those who work from home. 

Advertising from home is also a low cost option, which involves making and distributing fliers. Usually potential customers will visit home for business dealing. Print good amount of fliers and give it to anyone who is visiting home like family, friends, mailman, etc. Business cards can also be distributed. Few selected people can be given sample of the product. For those who work outside home, employ college students to distribute fliers at supermarkets, community centers, or malls, especially on weekends, when there is a rush. 

Spread the word by the mouth. Talk to everyone about the product and ask them to talk about it to others. It’s a very powerful tool to increase the network and doesn’t even cost anything. When receiving a casual call from family members and friends, don’t forget to tell them about the latest events, discounts and promotions and ask them about what they are up to. If the parties are into the business, it won’t hurt to promote each other. Joint ventures can be started with trustable people of the same trade. The only cost that will be incurred during the whole process is of printing fliers. For a better quality, professional can be hired to design them, as they will be able to play with colors and write motivating material.    

Most of the businesses have company bulletin board that they use to put up company’s latest news. Fliers and business cards can be tacked on such bulletin boards. But before doing so, check out with the human resource department before placing the information as most of the HR departments make it compulsory to consult them. 

Parents are required to be in regular touch with the teachers to know about the progress of the child and they have meetings from time to time. Do not miss this opportunity and spread the word. Hand them the business card and fliers personally at the meeting, instead of just giving the contact number. 

Get involved with fundraiser at schools, as it’s a nice approach to market business. Prior to handing out the order received, collect all necessary information like business card pack, fliers, with proper information. Information can be based on what is the company about, what are the products and services provided, or how to get in touch with the company. In each individual order, carefully place all of them and seal the package properly. Presentation, too, is of importance and should be paid attention.

Voice mails can be put to good use, other than recording messages. They can help to deliver the marketing message. Greet with a brief message, following with website and email address, so that who ever calls will be already having the telephone number and they will be able to learn more about the business by visiting the website. When the company is providing special promotional offers and discounts, include information about those in the voice mail. Discontinuation of any services of products can also be informed about. Repetitive voicemails sound boring, so keep changing the voice mail frequently and add some creativity to it. 

Most of the big businesses attach business cards or fliers with out going mail. This works for companies who send bills to their customers. For those who have customers paying online, they can send the information through emails. 

Advertisements can be done, in the locality, by placing fliers on the bulletin boards of the local grocery stores, businesses, barbers, or butchers. People frequent these places and there is a possibility of getting a good response. Some businesses place a jar at the reception counter where the business cards can be dropped for future reference, while visiting them.  

The Impact of Color Psychology on Advertising Effectiveness

 Human brain receives signals faster through eyes rather than ears. Visual appearance is supposed to be more appealing when compared to any other senses, no matter what the medium of presentation is. So, there are methods by which one can increase the visual appeal. Other senses facilitate visual appeal, and are also important to concentrate on.

Typical example is color when accompanied with audio, and writing. According to a study, big budget companies spend billions in the color market research, which helps in product and packaging development. Color, along with content, helps to pertain the interest of the visitor and makes him surf the website longer. A colorful article will make the reader read it till the end. Color makes things look more amiable. 

Colors are known to influence the behavior of a person. Like blue color is said to have a relaxing effect. Red represents passion and love. A dating website can have red as the background color. Fast food restaurants have bright picture of food beautifully decorated pasted on the walls. This tempts the taste buds of the customer and the customer pounces on the food, eats and leaves quickly. And this is exactly the reaction expected.

Light effects can also be used to play with the mind of the on-looker. Advertisements, especially for food products, have strategically placed lights. The light effects trigger the hormones in the brain, which increases the hunger. If the same is placed in a slightly dim light, it won’t be equally tempting.  

Countries around the world have different cultures that relate a color to an occasion or emotion. Climatic conditions also attribute to this. Like in America, people relate black to death and where as in Asia, white is related to death. People living near the equator like warm colors and people living nearer to the poles like cold colors.

It’s a must for an advertiser to have the knowledge about the colors and what they refer too. Black stands for elegance, sophistication, seduction and mystery. White stands for peace, pure, clean, mild and youthful. Gold stands for prestige, luxury and elite. Silver stands for prestige, scientific and cold. Yellow stands for warmth, happiness and cheer. Orange stands for warmth, playfulness, and vibrant. Red stands for love, excitement, strength, passion, and danger. Pink stands for nurture, sweet, soft, and security. Green stands for nature, fresh, fertility and abundance. Blue stands for cool, trust, belonging and reliability. And lastly Purple stands for spiritual, royalty, and dignity.  

From the advertiser’s point of view, we can conclude that colors can determine the shopping habits of customers. Black, blue, red and orange attract impulsive buyers. Smart shoppers are attracted to pink, light blue and navy blue colors. Companies use colors in logo, advertisement, etc., to pass the right message to the customer. Wal-Mart advertise has a navy blue background and its catch line is “We sell for less”, which means smart customers are their goal. Mercedes has a silver logo, true to its class. 

Before designing an advertisement, the targeted customers should be recognized and the advertisers shouldn’t use the colors that are their personal favorites but according to the ad campaign. Advertisement for children should have bright and vibrant colors. Yellow, red, blue and green, which are the primary colors, are the colors, which attract the children, which is why parents buy those colors for their kids. These colors represent warmth, sweetness, trust, reliability, playfulness and security.

Crafting Effective Advertisement Content for Brochures and Flyers

 To write successful advertisement content is to catch the attention of the customer at first sight as they flicker though the brochures and fliers like they flip through a magazine and not how they will read books with concentration. It need not be necessary that the customer reads each and every line of the advertisement; hence, each line should be effective and should pass out a message. So it’s not only necessary to write logical matter, but it should also be creative enough.   

Firstly, only relevant and specific matter should be written in the ad. Some content writers fear missing out information and write as much as they can. This will only disinterest the customers more and space will be wasted. The writing style should be related to the type of flier or brochure that is to be written. Its usual for the reader to read skipping lines in between and there is a possibility that they will read it from bottom to top. It always helps to use words that sell. But still, the content should be properly organized with the heading at the top, body in the middle and conclusion at the end. The main points can be written as sub-headings, in bold font. The body following the sub-heading should discuss the sub-heading and if it is related to any other sub-heading, even those points should be discussed. If the product is to be discussed from the technical point, it should not be so technical that it sounds like a foreign language to a common man. 

Chucking is another technique that can be used. Chucking is writing small stories with conclusion at the end. They can either have or not have connection between themselves. Its better if they aren’t connected, because it won’t require the reader to go back to a previous chunk in order to understand the present chunk he is reading. This works quite well when there are pictures in the advertisement and the chunk illustrates the picture. The two-dimensional picture is speechless unless some well-chosen words talks about it and motivates the customers. Obviously, while chucking, sub-headings can be used to let out critical information. Another point to be considered is the product or company about which the content is based on. Suppose if the brochure is related to a corporate, the style of writing should be formal.  

Spelling mistakes should be avoided to the maximum extent. They reflect poor quality and bring bad reputation to the client. The design should speak clearly and loudly about the organization being discussed. Unclear, cluttered and illogical information creates an illusion that the company also has the same characteristics. Catalogues are the only source of advertisement for some businesses, because of low investments. Such kind of business catalogues won't require much writing, just product description will do. Instead one can work on the font sizes, colors, etc. 

The next step should be writing information about contacts so as to buy the product; detailed forms are big turn-off. Contact information, postal address and website URL should be clearly specified. Also include whether the business accepts cash, check or credit card. Another thing to be taken care of is the contact information, which is usually written on the forms, which have to be mailed. It is better to write them on the advertisement also so that the customers can save it for future reference.

After the final content is written, it’s the time for organizing it. Depending on the demand of the products, arrange them in hierarchy, especially when designing a catalogue because each of the products should get the consideration and attention they deserve.  

It is a good habit to write down procedures, which have been applied to every kind of advertisements written. And also save the information like what customers were targeted with what kind of advertisements, to use to the same kind of logic the next time to similar customers. This helps to create a blueprint for a future job. 

Effective Advertising Strategies for Business-to-Business (B2B) Firms

 Business-to-business firms are those firms that sell products and services among themselves. The selling is done to a client of other company, who might use the product for intermediate purposes or so. The advertisements relating to B2B companies should not only generate interest but it should also be simply out standing despite the tough competition. In the market, there are several firms who produce the same stuff and they reach out for clients with whom they want to do business. So finding the right client isn’t a big deal, but actually getting hold of them is.

In written content, use the name of the company in the first sentence; preferably first word. It is not pleasing to start with ‘we’. Following it, give a brief introduction about the company. In todays busy world people don’t have time to waste so deliver the message right away. Using catchy adjectives will do the trick. The sentence should be framed so that the client knows about the company, what it does and how it is unique from others. Pose questions before creating the writing material, like what is that the customer will expect and do they demand high quality. Don’t hesitate to use ‘you ’ very often. The reader will feel that he is directly being referenced and it will be easier for him to relate to.   

Play with customer’s psychology. Understand the difficulties faced by them and then show them how the company or the company’s product can solve it. Call of action can be given then and offer to clear their doubts. It should be more than just a helpline. The action should be really immediate. Simply don’t let the client slip away.  

After the initial writing, write in detail about the product or service provided. This is in-dept information for those concerned about your company’s product. Point out the advantages of using them. Write them in a hierarchical form with numbering or bullets. If writing short paragraphs, strong sub-titles can be used as heading of individual paragraphs. Again, using adjectives will be good. 

A good amount of entertainment factor should be added. This will retain the interest of the customer and will not distract him. But if lots of it is used, it will simply become shabby. It’s a nice idea to use product noun as a verb along with other adjectives. 

Submit website and advertisements to search engines. Millions of people use it everyday to find what they need. If the website is search engine optimized, it will surely get lots of traffic. The name of the company and keywords should densely populate the website content. Make it a compulsion for the visitor to go through the advertisement before moving on to the registration or payment process. Some B2B websites don’t allow adding an email address or URL in the advertisement. They can be tracked in by actually spelling out dot or at in the email address or website link. 

Once the customer is lured, they should be maintained. Product should be delivered on time. Quality should be maintained. Once it is done, not only will they start trusting the company but also at the same time they will spread the word about the company. They will advertise for free. Their experience with the company will motivate others to join the bandwagon.    

Key Considerations for Crafting an Effective Advertising Plan

 Many factors have to be considered when making an advertising plan. Like the type of message to be delivered, the audience to be targeted, how they should be targeted, budget, etc. all of which depends on the nature of the advertisement. 

Regarding the type of message to be delivered, try thinking from the point of the customer. What will impress him and catch his fancy. Note down points what the customer expects from the company and what advantage will he have when dealing with the company. Effort should be made to retain viewer or listener’s or reader’s interest in the advertisement until the end. This procedure is known as message selection. 

After creating the outline of the picture, pick lines that will actually attract the customer. The message shouldn’t be long enough to bore the customer. Some advertisers are under the illusion that more the matter written, the better the message delivered. Usually they fear that they don’t miss out any information. This does nothing but decreases the effectiveness of the ad and customer is left unsatisfied.

For example, the heading of the advertisement shouldn’t be just “We Sell Clothes”, which is too precise. The liking of the people should be studied and the headline should be designed such that the customer feels that his needs are met. It should also take into consideration seasonal changes like If the season at that time is summer and there are lots of beaches around that area, the heading of the ad should be something like “Summer Clothes for Sale” or “Get the heat off – Buy Swimwear”. The body of the advertisement should talk of the necessities to switch to summer clothes like cotton clothing. It should discuss the health point of view too, like cotton cannot be used as swimwear as it will cause contamination, therefore the swimwear is made of synthetic material. Also include lines about swimwear for overweight people. 

Ads are either traffic builder or relationship builders or reputation builder. Suppose the budget involved is less, the target should be relationship builder. Because once the customers are established, they will start trusting the company and won’t switch to other companies. According to a research it takes ten percent less resources to retain existing customers than attracting new customer. If the focus is on brand recognition, the advertisement should be traffic building. 

The next point is whether the advertiser wants quick results or long lasting results. If quick result is desired, then a time limit should be levied. Like in case of seasonal sales, the customer hurries to get advantage before the offer is over. So quick results are expected in this case. But the disadvantage with advertisement with time limit is that the customer are bound to forget about the product or the company within a short period and it doesn’t creates a deep impact on the minds of the customer.

Competing against rival company’s ad also contributes to a successful advertising plan. The power of the message should be compared to that of the competitors’. It doesn’t mean that the advertiser should use the same plan like his competitor, it would look like imitation and effectiveness will be decreased. But the advertisement should be planned smartly via a different and effective path, to out-do the competitor’s advertisement. 

The description of the product is also very vital like suppose an advertisement is made for a restaurant, it will get customers immediately, if it is attractive. But if the advertisement is for a computer, it won’t yield immediate results, as it’s not every day that someone buys a computer. This is called analysis of the purchase cycle. 

If targeting for a higher impact, newsletter is the best bet. But if the newsletters are sent to the real potential customers, then this approach should be adopted for message delivery. It should only be opted be after thorough analysis, no matter what the budget is. Another important point is to always hire a professional advertiser or an ad writer because not hiring one will sometimes be more expensive and results in more losses.

Cultivating Creativity in Advertising: Practical Tips for Unlocking Your Creative Potential

 Those who don't have creativity as an in-built talent, it takes some hard work to learn the art of advertising. There are some really basic tricks involved. 

First, try to put things that you have, to use i.e. the five senses along with the brain. Eyes can capture the most beautiful scenes; try remembering those that are creative. Try to observe the Mother Nature like observing the sunset, the patterns of colors like yellow, orange, red and violet. Observe greenery around, the flora and fauna. Next put your ears and mouth to use and try increasing the observation power. This can be done by walking around the neighborhood or nearby park and trying to observer new things everyday at the same location. Just seeing a thing isn’t enough, analyze the expressions of the people around you and analyze the emotions they depict. The brain can be fed with many things at once, so carry a camera along and take a lot of pictures of objects from different angles and lighting. Try to understand and capture the mood and things, which will help in creating a perfect scene. Like vanilla ice-cream will becomes more attractive when cherry and mint leave are added as topping. Play around with the lightning effects.

Take notes along with the pictures. It is like creating a blue print that will be useful in future works. Things that are important can be underlined or marked with a star. During this procedure if any question arises in your mind, note them down also, so as to find an answer for them at a later stage. This is a great learning technique. Try to listen a lot, compile those things in brain and then output it through your mind. Try to create a rhythm between works, something like poetry, but not exactly it. The fifth sense, touch can be used to learn a different perspective of life. Try closing your eyes and feel objects around you like the feel of a satin sheet is more tempting than a cotton sheet.  

Develop a habit of carrying a pen and notepad all the time. It’s not only useful for taking down notes, but also it can be used as a reminder of meetings and interviews. While waiting for something or someone, scribble on your notepad. Try to draw things and apply those amazing ideas which come to mind. Go back home and then paint those ideas, if not everyday, at least on weekends. Other than painting, try doing something new on weekends like golfing, canoeing, or rock climbing. Watching television and shopping can also provide good ideas. When something is troubling the mind, don’t go to sleep until the issue is resolved. This increases the enthusiasm and determination. Again, note down points in the notepad at this time. 

If there is ample time available, join courses that increase creativity like photography, painting, martial arts, etc. It need not be necessary that they be directly linked to advertising. Maintain a diary and note down daily happening, especially good things. Learn the art of humor, read books, watch people and animals and then apply it practically by trying to put a smile on faces around you. Do research about great personalities who are related to arts. Read their biographies, some of the problems you are facing may be answered and the path to be taken can be learned.  

After going through all the above steps the creative instincts will start to develop. So the next time any idea clicks, trust your instincts and work on it. Don’t hesitate to try new ideas. And try to interact with people who encourage you with this and believe in you and not inhibit your thinking. After breaking the core you can approach newspapers, ad agencies with your stories, articles and original work. Whatever being learnt during the whole experience, there is no harm in sharing and teaching that with others. 

Getting Started in Advertising: A Guide to Building Experience and Networking

 Most of the professionals in the advertising industry agree to the fact that obtaining a degree isn’t a must to get started in the industry, but on the contrary all the classifieds ask for a bachelor’s degree at least. Another advantage of taking a degree is that if internship is taken during the course, it will provide the adequate experience that ad agencies and companies usually ask for. The internship director of the university can help in this regard. He may have links that could make it possible to get a break in radio, television or even in an ad agency, the choice totally depends on interest. 

In case the internship director is of no help, become a part of a network and get to know people around you. This will surely land you somewhere. It wont hurt to search for an internship on your own. Check out the local newspapers for classifieds; call up local radio and television stations and even ad agencies inquiring about any vacancies. Usually there are lots of ads in the Sunday edition of newspaper, drop in a resume at their office. Best idea is to get in contact with the production manager or the news director of the company. Send them a mail; give a good reference, which can be of big help. 

Usually there are lots of chances for internships in the production department. If there is any success in finding an internship, bring it to the notice of the internship director; most probably her reference can be of some advantage. If these attempts don’t work, volunteer to work for free at any local fair, functions and events. Display your creativity to the fullest. This can catch the attention of someone important sometime who can give you that jump-start.    

For people who don’t opt for regular college, they can always find lots of material related to advertising on the Internet. Other than studying the theory work, try to observe the work of famous personalities in the industry. Get some ideas, mix it with some creativity and create some original work and approach the local radio station or television channel. Since there are number of shows running there will be some kind of a vacancy. 

Get a chance at cross-training too. If initially a job was provided with other shows at the station, try to switch to advertising after winning impression. After getting a break into advertising, it will automatically increase the exposure to the advertising industry and even to other ad agencies. This will be a good point on the resume, as most of the employers get impressed with television experience. And when working on your first job, there will be a great chance of learning the basics, so don’t hesitate to explore the ground. But since it is easier to get a job here and there is lots of competition for that post, the returns aren’t that good and there is no job security.

After getting good experience whether it is internship or local radio or television station, resume is the next important step. Fill it up with creativity as that is the main essence of this field. Don’t forget to include past experience, even if it is small or not related exactly to the job description, recommendation, if any. The more the information added, the more strong the resume and the easier it is to maneuver to the top. 

Breaking into Advertising: A Guide for Aspiring Creatives

 The first and foremost criterion for getting a job at an ad agency is having tons of creativity. Advertising business is all about creativity; once the creative juices begin to flow the rewards are overwhelming. A good degree can take you places. Any course or a degree at a reputed university or an advertising school is a big advantage. People with fewer resources can utilize the Internet to maximum, as lots of material regarding advertising is available online, learning from the comfort of home. Having internship experience counts when trying in an ad agency. Internship provides ample exposure to the advertising industry and basic training can be skipped after getting a job. It is better to opt for an entry-level position as this makes your foundation in advertising very strong. Many successful people are known to have started from the bottom most position. This provides us with an opportunity to work outside the job zone assigned which helps to learn the tricks of the trade. Even if future doesn’t look bright enough in the present institution this experience will certainly count when looking for a job elsewhere. 

The resume is an important part of the job search and should reflect the creativity of the applicant. It should be amusing and at the same time professional too. Addressing a letter to the Creative Director of the company can be of good help. Find out thoroughly about him before writing a letter, which might also help in creating an impression during the interview. If the response is taking time don’t hesitate to post another letter. Calls are usually not appreciated as most of the people at an ad agency are busy round the clock and professionals at a higher position have to deal with many projects at once.   

Look out for people in your the network which can sometimes fetch opportunities through references. These networks can be a source of information about the seminars, educational workshops and local advertising clubs. Doing voluntary work for special events will be worth the effort because if the work is really eye catching it will be appreciated by the guests who visited the event and one of them can be a potential employer. 

If the big break seems real far its better to start freelancing rather than wasting time. Try creating original work and approach ad agencies and small business with your work. This can spice up the on-going job hunt. A graphic designer and a copywriter will have an advantage in this approach. If it’s hard to get a start create spec ads. Spec ads are personal versions of a published ad. A little bit of twist can sometimes result in a better ad than the actual one. Even if it isn’t this sure will bring you opportunities in small local businesses.

Start with businesses residing in your locality like the grocery store or the butcher’s shop. Later on approach television and radio stations. They always have vacancies for commercial writers and need a helping hand to develop programs. Since the income is less in these type of jobs its easier for a beginner to get a job. 

At the end of the day passion for work really counts. Sometime or the other there will be an employer who will have respect for true passion and creativity and all that energy will give you that much needed break and take you places.