Direct mail post cards are one of the fastest and most economical ways to reach your customers. And, because there’s no envelope to open your messages are seen as soon as your post cards are taken out of the mailboxes. Consequently, you have the ability to instantly establish a connection, or kill a deal, so your message must be attractively packaged.

In keeping with that there are important elements of direct mail campaigns that you must include in order to get the most out of your marketing efforts. For example:

1) Keep it simple. Keep copy simple, direct, short and to the point. Also, use words that motivate.

2) Create bold headlines. Grab the reader’s attention and make them at least think about your advertisement.

3) Ask questions. Asking questions is also an attention getter, as the readers of your mailings are likely to pause and think of an answer.

4) Solve their problems. Remember that real estate sales people are in the problem solving business. Your prospects have real estate related problems, and your aim is to have solutions to them.

5) Call to action. Always include a call to action; the prospect must be motivated to respond. Be clear and direct about what it is you want them to do.

6) Choose appealing colors and fonts. Your choice and use of colors, font sizes, white space, etc influences the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, as does your ability to tailor your marketing messages to your targeted audience.

Marketing mailers, flyers, brochures and post cards are more affordable and accessible than ever, as they can now be easily published from your computer. Or, you can still go the conventional route of purchasing your marketing materials from a third party vendor.

And because they’re so affordable small businesses and individuals can wager year round marketing campaigns.

There’s no shortage of statistics about the importance of consistent advertising, but the bottom line is that repetition builds recognition. So, when you start a mailing campaign commit to it for the long haul, as it can take 3- 7 mailings before the recipients connect the mailings with you and your services, at which time you’ll be more than half way there.

So, the main goal of direct mail marketing campaigns is to get your name before as many people as you can, as often as you can, so that when buyers and sellers in your community need an agent they’ll think of you.

The more marketing pieces you put into prospects hands the sooner you develop warm and hot leads, prospects ready to do business with you. And the more frequently you do it the more leads you develop for sustaining your career.

Full gloss direct mail post cards can evoke powerful visual images with short, compelling marketing and sales messages - your messages! And with a direct mail marketing campaign you can deliver your sales messages quickly, often and save money doing it.

So, begin a direct mailing campaign when you’re ready to
? generate more leads with less time and effort
? create a steady stream of responsive prospects, and
? brand yourself as the agent/business of choice

Direct mail is a cost effective solution for every budget, and when combined with face to face, website interaction and other marketing strategies is so effective that it can set the tone for and sustain a real estate agent’s career.

Repeated mailings of a single, strong direct mail piece is a very effective strategy for Realtors on limited budgets, and consistently produces one of the highest rates of return on a small to mid-size size marketing budget… and did I mention you’ll save time while doing it?

Keeping customers informed of your real estate marketing efforts and successes should be your top priority, and simple, eye-catching post cards can be the solution!

There are many ways to go public in the US and there are many different listings and quotations.

The three major levels of listing are:

THE OTC PINK SHEETS: Often referred to as “pinks”, These companies are listed by the National Quotation Bureau (NQB). As of today, neither the NASD nor the SEC require Pink Sheet companies to maintain current reporting status nor undertake costly annual audits. However, this is soon changing. (Note, however, this is currently changing. Please see http://www.pinksheets.com/otcguide/categories.jsp )

THE OTC BB: The OTC Bulletin Board is operated by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and requires that all companies whose stock is traded on the OTC Bulletin Board (or Nasdaq or Amex) maintain their current reporting status with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which includes current audited financial statements.

EXCHANGES: While the OTC PINK SHEETS and the OTC Bulletin Board are excellent stock markets, some clients are interested in trading on one of the more mature U.S. stock markets - Nasdaq Small-Cap, Nasdaq NMS, NYSE or AMEX. There are varying levels of qualification for each exchange including asset levels, number of shareholders, required Board level committees, and market capitalization. All exchanges require the company to maintain a current reporting status with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which includes current audited financial statements Typically, a company wishing to trade on one of these exchanges will need a minimum of $20 - 100 million in annual revenue and net profits of at least $2 million annually.

For a US company a quotation on the US stock markets is a way to:

1)Leverage a larger retention of ownership;

2)Grow your company faster and make it more powerful by attracting top personnel without necessarily huge cash outlays;

3)Grow your company faster and make it more powerful by attracting top notch team members to your board of directors;

4)Raise money faster and cheaper by increasing the “liquidity” factor for your investors;

5)Grow your company faster and make it more powerful by increasing your ability to attract “mergers”, “acquisitions” and “strategic partners;

6)Grow your company faster and make it more powerful by increasing its ability to compete for large corporate contracts;

7)Leverage your personal return on investment as an owner by decreasing the amount of time it will take you to make money on your investment, as well as increasing the valuation of your company, as well as, changing the liquidity of your asset to a much more liquid form than that of a private company;

8)Grow your business faster and make it more powerful by increasing your status in the eyes of all those you do business with.

For a foreign corporation a qutation on the US stock markets is a way to:

1)Increase liquidity for the owners of the corporation by tapping into a liquid US market;

2)Tap into the US capital market (the largest in the world) for expansion of business at home and internationally;

3)Hedge against foreign currency - by diversifying your holdings into US dollars it is a way to hedge against the foreign markets volatility;

4)Tap into the huge leverage possible on the US stock market as detailed in leverage point above. Often time foreign laws and exchanges do not permit the owners the huge leverage available on the US stock markets. For example, being able to raise 100million dollars and keeping 70-80% control of the US corporation is not something you can do on all foreign exchanges;)

5)Expand your business into the US and tap into strategic alliances– US companies are more likely to do business (and do business on more favorable terms) with a US public corporation than a foreign corporation;

6)Tap into US and International personnel pools. Key US and INTERNATIONAL personnel are more available to a US public corporation;

7)Tap into the international MERGER and ACQUISITION market. US and INTERNATIONAL businesses are more likely to become an acquisition or merger candidate for a US public corporation.

An initial public offering (IPO) is the initial sale of the common shares of a company or corporation to public investors. A corporation issues an IPO to raise capital. IPOs come with a host of compliance regulations and other legal requirements. The term IPO refers to only the first public issuance of a company’s shares. Any further public issuance of shares is a Secondary Market Offering. The company offering its shares, known as the issuer, enters into a contract with the underwriters to sell its shares to the general public. The underwriters approach investors with offers to sell these shares. The IPO is a risky investment. As an individual investor, in the absence of historical data, it is difficult to predict the market’s response. Since most IPOs are of companies, which are going through a period of transitory growth, the future value of the stock tends to be uncertain.

Features of IPO
Like other financial assets being traded in markets, stocks also follow the principle of supply and demand. Many analysts obtain expertise in evaluating stocks. If the analysts consider the equity to be undervalued, they recommend buying the stock. They recommend selling the stock of a particular company, once the share price passes the fair value or target price. IPOs are unique stocks since they are newly introduced/issued stocks. The purchase of oversubscribed IPOs are the best bet as they usually appreciate considerably, since there is a great demand for these stocks.

Evaluation of the IPO
Generally analysts consider the following points while evaluating the new issue.

1 The reason behind the company’s decision to go public.

2 The company’s plan for investing the money raised through IPO.

3 The growth prospects of the particular sector or industry in which the company associated.

4 The growth prospects of the company in its own domain.

5 The vision of the company.

6 The career graphs of the people in the top management of the company.

The above information could be retrieved from the Form S-1 that is filed by the company before filing for the IPO.

Pricing of the IPO
Pricing is the most important feature of stocks, and it holds all the more importance in the case of the IPO. There is a marked difference between the prices of IPOs and their own pricing while dealing in the secondary market. This disparity in pricing can be credited to whether there is general acceptance among the investors. The IPOs, which appeal more to the investors, start with an initially high price. The increasing demand for these stocks can only be satisfied after the introduction of trading. This results in high prices for the shares in the morning hours of trading and falls or steadies as the initial rush for trading subsides.

Unforeseen Circumstances
The IPOs generally operate as discussed above, but at times there are some conditions for the issuer such as having a minimum balance in the account of the prospective buyer, a subscription to their premium services, or restrictions on the flipping of the shares.

Stock trading is the process of buying and selling shares of stock. Almost everybody has heard about the stock trading system, but not everybody knows how this trading system works. Most people wonder how it is possible to trade billions of shares everyday. It does not matter if you do not know the technical side of the system. However, if you are planning to engage in stock trading, you must have a basic understanding of how the stock trading system works. Stock exchanges use two basic methods to execute the trading. The first is on the exchange floor and the second is electronically.

On the Exchange Floor
Hundreds of people rushing around, talking and shouting on phones, their eyes on computer monitors, and fingers on keyboards. This is the picture, which comes to our minds when we think about an exchange floor. Keeping in view this chaotic atmosphere, you might feel it a very complicated process to execute trading on the exchange floor. However, it is not as complicated as it seems at first. The following is a simple example that helps to understand the basics of how a trade is executed on the exchange floor.

When you decide to buy a certain number of shares of a specific company in the market, you ask your broker to do it for you.

The broker passes your order to the order department, which then sends your order to the floor clerk working in the exchange.

The floor clerk lets the floor trader of that specific firm know about your order. The trader finds another floor trader, who is willing to sell the number of shares you desire. This is where things look quite complicated, but it is not that difficult to comprehend. The floor trader has an idea, which floor trader will meet your requirement. The floor trader knows every detail about which floor traders trade in specific stocks.

When the floor trader finds someone, who is willing to sell the shares, after a few negotiations, they finalize the price and complete the deal.

Depending upon the stock and the market, the complete process may take from a few minutes to a few hours. The broker then notifies you about the deal.

Electronic Execution of Trading
The stock trading can also be executed through an electronic channel, where a firm does not need to deal with floor traders. It all works through a vast computer network that connects the buyers and the sellers. Indeed, it is more efficient and faster than the exchange floor. However, if you are looking to buy or sell shares individually, you still need to execute the process through a broker, as individuals do not get access to electronic markets. Your broker passes your order to the system, and the system in turn finds a buyer or seller for your order.

Junk bonds are similar to regular bonds. They are IOUs from an organization or corporation, which specify the principal amount it shall pay back. The date on which this payment of principal will be made is known as the date of maturity. The interest amount to be paid is known as the coupon. The interest that junk bonds generate is higher than that of the usual ones. These high interest payments compensate the investors for the extraordinary risks they take. These are high yield due to the high risk.

The markets rate bonds according to the credit ratings of the borrower. In the descending order of the value of the bonds, the ratings are: AAA, AA, A, BBB, BB, B, CCC, CC, C and D. Anything with a rating below BB is considered a junk bond due to the huge risk factors associated with it. In some cases, the by-laws of the group to which an investor belongs to prohibit them from purchasing bonds rated below BB. The market below a BB thus, becomes more limited than the high-grade bonds, which are known as investment grade.

Junk bonds, because of their low cost, are attractive to various investment groups. Sectors that need significant amounts of capital for operations use them extensively. Telecommunications and energy sectors are areas where they have widespread utilization. Many companies falsely show accumulated debts to receive higher ratings. This gives them the advantage to easily trade in the market. Due to this factor, many people consider junk bonds to be a form of investment fraud.

All types of bonds possess different qualities. They also differ due to the credit quality of the issuers. They fall under one of the two qualities. Lenders facing low to medium risk issue investment bonds. The interest on these is not much, as the risk of the borrowers defaulting is low. These generally receive ratings as investment grade, between AAA and BBB. The second type, are junk bonds. They give high returns, since the borrowers are in a fix and do not have any other choice. Due to the low credit ratings, it is difficult for these borrowers to acquire money at inexpensive rates.

The junk bonds can be further broken into two categories. Experts once considered the fallen angle bonds to be investment grade. However, due to the poor credit quality of the companies issuing these bonds, experts now consider them to be junk. Rising stars are the opposite of the fallen angles bonds. As the credit ratings of the issuing company improve, these bonds may turn into investment grade bonds.

Words Of Caution
One must always remember that junk bonds carry high risks. Invest wisely. Be careful of fraudulent practices concerning any type of bond, whether it is called investment grade or junk