The Incredible Shrinking Package
By JoAnn Hines
Has anyone noticed this lately? Your favorite brands are getting smaller yet the pricing remains the same.

Consumers are really starting to pay attention to “product shrink.” I first noticed it in my yogurt cup but thought oh well its less calories any way but lately I’m seeing a lot of different products shrinking yet the prices remain the same and in some cases shrinking product contents combined with increasing prices.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. If any of you have old cookbooks you will notice that the recommend amount of some of the products has changed. Especially when you are baking and you need one and a piece of something to complete the recipe. A cup of something is still however a cup so standard weights and measurements still apply.

We saw the shrinking of the detergent bottle (Ultra detergents) a while back along with the supposed claim of saving the environment with less packaging. The detergent is concentrated requiring less packaging material to make the bottle and less cost to ship it too. The real truth is however that it was a win for CPG companies and the packaging manufacturers not the consumer. You are actually paying more per wash with the new detergents rather than less. It looks good for the environmental packaging spin too.

But enough sour grapes on something that has become common place, packages are now shrinking to keep up with the cost of inflation. The price of raw materials is skyrocketing and companies are looking for ways to offset the increasing costs. One of the simplest ways is to reduce the amount of product inside while keeping the price the same hoping that consumers won’t notice.

Sorry, but we now have an educated customer that’s reading labels and taking notes. Not only are the reading them but they are comparing like products. Branded merchandise was already loosing ground to private label products, now even more so with the down turn in the economy. If your product shrinks and the consumer isn’t happy they WILL look for alternative especially if they are less expensive.

There are however other cost saving options as it relates to packaging. Some companies are doing what’s called “light-weighting”. That is reducing the amount of packaging material that’s used. I’m sure you seen how the thickness of your water bottles has decreased or how you can now squeeze your beer or soda can with one hand. That’s because the manufacturers have figured out a way to take out packaging material while still keeping the structural integrity of the package. Packaging technology has new and improved materials that makes this possible. Its important to note however, that there is a fine line between reducing material costs and the failure of the package. If it doesn’t get to the consumer in good condition then its a disaster.

Another way of reducing packaging costs is to re-configure the package to be more cost effective. That is to design a product in such a manner that it takes up less space on the store shelf or maximizes palletization and shipping or transportation by being a better shipping unit. A good example is the square milk bottle introduce by Wal-Mart where not only can the get more on the shelf a square bottle vs a round bottle but it also is more cost efficient shipping. This bottle redesign is a win for Wal-Mart considering the vast amount of money saved in making this change. A note of caution when contemplating a radical redesign of a common place item the jury is till out on consumer acceptance of the square milk bottle. Ever tried to pour one?

Considering consumer awareness of the incredible shrinking package a smart marketing person would be looking for ways to provide more value not less. Redesign, light-weighting or just simply keeping the product amount the same are all options in winning the hearts and minds in today’s consumer brand loyalty isn’t what it used to be and once they are gone they might never come back.

I’m JoAnn Hines The Packaging Diva. I’m tapped in to the latest packaging news. I can help you assess why or not you should consider changing your product packaging. At the very least I can tell you what your competition is doing.

If you are just chumming the “packaging” waters then be sure and visit and one of my web sites for lots of information and advice or to get your free packaging report “Why Packaging Fails”.

Considering that the cost of designing an average retail package is $7,000, what’s a few dollars to get it right the first time (or risk spending thousands more to fix it later)! It pays to do your homework!

So if you are seeking packaging expertise, consultation, assistance, design or RFPs, or just plain help, I can assist you with your ideas, goals, questions, issues and challenges. I promise I *will* find your packaging solution!

Visit http://PackagingDiva.com your one stop packaging solution site. Or give me a buzz at 678-594-6872.

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Using Blogs to Make Money

People spend a lot of time online. That is a fact about our society these days. And it
seems like the more time we spend online, the more ways people find to make the
internet a profit making venture. Relatively any type of business can find at least a little
success online, so most now have some type of website of their own. This gives business
owners a chance to attract potential customers by offering information about their
business via a sort of world wide billboard. This is what has paved the way to using
blogs to make money.

Besides simply hosting a corporate website, many businesses have also ventured into the
blogging industry. Those who own businesses or are experts in a particular field can
write articles or blogs about their particulare area of expertise. They can display this
knowledge quickly and easily and can reach an overwhelming number of people. If
good, knowledgable blogs are posted, readers will likely become repeat visitors and
possibly eventual customers.

Blogging for money is something that is not limited to one specific business type. There
are a number of various fields within that general description. Politicians use blogs to
promote their agendas and attract potential voters and campaign financing. Artists and
musicians use blogs to let fans know how tours are going and where they are headed next
and what types of projects they plan to attack in the future. Athletes and other sports
figures use blogs to talk about upcoming games, trades, and stats. No matter the industry,
blogs allow these businesses to find and keep potential fans and customers.

Clients can enjoy easy access to the blogs of businesses and corporations they in which
they are interested. When they are able to find accurate, timely, interesting information,
they will eventually develop a level of trust because they appreciate the information
being shared by the company. Previously, there was not always a simple way for
potential or existing clients to find information on the companies of interest and clients
often were left wanting information with no way to get it. Companies are now realizing
that customers want details and want to know what is going on within the company. This
is being seen through comments left on corporation blogs.

As mentioned, blogs have become more and more popular as a money maker for internet
users. There is content available through blogs of just about any interest that is appealing
to vaaroius groups. Many personal bloggers will allow advertisments to be posted and
receive payment per click or a base payment for each ad posted.

Blogs may be best used by corporations to gather potential customers for their business.
Or they may be for aspiring writers to express themselves and share their thoughts and
feelings with the world. Blogs are becoming more and more popular as a way to make a
little extra money, whether through marketing of a product or per click advertising.
Blogging is a business that helps to increase and grow other businesses.

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Related Adsense Sites

http://tipofday.com/blogging/index.php

Building an AdSense Site - A 5 Day Plan
By Steven Weber
I preach this all the time. However, I still have people contacting me who are struggling with their AdSense sites’ traffic. Many have skipped a few key steps. Some of these people are even customers of mine who should know better…Shame Shame!

Just kidding!

I realize the problem with impatience. I struggle with it myself.

The biggest mistake I see people doing when creating AdSense sites is jumping the gun and begin investing time before the idea is researched well. Many simply DO NOT spend enough time in the prelims. Internet marketers are all cut from the same cloth in some respects; when the next “greatest idea” hits our brains we cannot wait to implement it! However, the process requires time which is always in short demand. You must use it wisely.

Here is a rough time line you should follow to avoid wasting valuable time with a worthless AdSense site idea:

Day One: The idea pops into your head from nowhere! Go ahead; let it run wild inside your head for a day. Sleep on it well; then see how you feel about it tomorrow. Oftentimes things don’t look the same the next day. Whatever you do, resist the temptation to begin work on the AdSense site that very day! You can spend a bit of time surfing and looking at some possibilities, but don’t spend a lot of time there yet.

Day Two: If the idea still excites you, now is the time to rope it in and be business-like about it. Start planning your research. Surf the web looking at competitors. (If there aren’t many, you had better wonder why.) Start taking notes. Use free keyword tools to help you brainstorm. If at all possible, talk it over with someone. (My wife sure comes in mighty handy in these times; she does a very good job at keeping me away from the deep end.)

Day Three: Plan out and begin your AdWords test campaign. If you don’t do this properly (or at all), you are throwing darts in the dark. If you are not familiar with the AdWords test campaign, contact me! This is by far the most important step of all when building AdSense sites. I really can’t emphasize that enough.

Day Four: Usually, the test campaign only needs run for a day. After that you should have a good handful of very nice keywords which you KNOW receive searches. Today you will decide on the ones you will use. The keyword selection method for the AdSense site involves comparing the number of real searchers to the keyword’s competition. I like to optimize my index page with the one I feel is the best of all the possibilities. Again, if you are not familiar with this research process, contact me!

Day Five: If everything is still a go, it’s time to create the content and build the site. (Remember that 3 or 4 out of every 5 ideas usually are shown to be duds by the above research. Success in Internet marketing requires learning the art of “failing fast”!)

One last thing however:

I know how anxious you may be to get your AdSense sites listed in Google. However, do not begin submitting to the directories before you have most of the content published. It is best to show Google your AdSense site for the first time only after you have plenty of great content! I see far too many beginners throwing up a page or two and then pointing Google to the site. Have some patience and do it right!

If done properly, building small, niche Adsense sites can be a great way to earn a steady “paycheck” from Google! There is no rocket science or tricks involved. Just follow a proven process and success comes amazingly easy.

Steve Weber quit the rat race and now work full time from his home. Want to learn how you can do it too? Click here for a free video => http://www.weberinternetmarketing.com/videos/video-weber.htm

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