Hurricane Sandy & EggZack

EggZack.com has not had any issues related to Hurricane Sandy so
far. Our team has been affected personally yet with no power and
spotty internet access, we managed to keep things rolling
smoothly, thanks team!. Thanks to Lehigh University and Ben
Franklin Tech Center for getting our office's power back so fast.

It may take a while for everyone to get their power and daily
lives back, yet in the mean time if we can help anyone please
reach out to us.

Thanks

Jon Zack

EggZack selected to present at MADV PACT Venture Conference

EggZack is one of eight companies selected to present at the
prestigious Mid Atlantic Diamond Venture and Philadelphia
Alliance for Capital and Technology's Annual Venture
Conference. This event kicks off the Spring Capital Raise
season. EggZack's CEO Jon Zack said "We are really excited to
be a part of such a great event. The MADV provides great
support and guidance to start up and growth companies. They
have been and will continue to be a tremendous help to us."

Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures (MADV) is the region's only
year 'round venture forum program for early-stage technology
and life science firms. MADV provides coaching and
consultation on investor materials, business model, strategy
and more, and its steering committee is comprised of
successful, seasoned entrepreneurs, investors and senior
executive consultants. Their ultimate goal is to link
entrepreneurs with innovative, commercially viable
technologies to funding to grow their businesses. MADV is a
program of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute at
Temple University's Fox School of Business -- a top 15
nationally ranked program in entrepreneurship. Visit MADV's
website at www.fox.temple.edu/madv

Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies
(PACT)'s vision is to be a premier resource for emerging
growth companies in the information technology, clean
technology, and life sciences industries. We connect
emerging growth companies venture investors, professional
advisors, and technology-focused corporations to network,
develop relationships, pursue business opportunities, and
market and promote their businesses to foster growth and
innovation. PACT's mission is to create a strategic Hub for
the region's emerging growth companies in the information
technology, clean technology, and life sciences industries,
manifesting in a competitive edge for the Greater
Philadelphia region. Visit PACT's website at
www.philadelphiapact.com

How often do you send email newsletters? Reader's Poll Results

Weekly – 33%

Twice a month – 16%

Monthly – 16%

Quarterly – 33%

Feedback – The results show that most businesses are using email marketing as a valuable tool for connecting with their customers. The question that I would like answered is, are they seeing the results they expected and if not would increasing the frequency of their newsletter help? 

EggZack goes TV

Yesterday, we shot our first TV commercial with the great folks at TK productions in Boyertown PA. Chris Manos our crazy director, and John White did a great job teaching me the ropes. Karen and Todd thanks for the great team. Eggy is on his way to national stardom. Thanks TK

Your brand is the most important asset you have, it’s the virtual you.

Recently I had the pleasure of working with an incredible
photographer. It was during a photo shoot that I realized
that he, in particular, was more than a picture taker, he was
an image maker. He takes the subtle nuances and feelings of a
person, place or thing that can only be experienced in real
life, then conveys as many of them as possible in his
photography, so the viewer can experience those same nuances
and feelings via the photo. It is these subtle nuances and
feelings that also make up a person or company's brand.

A lot of small businesses joke with me when we talk about
their brand, "I am not a brand, Coke, Nike and Wal-Mart are
brands." I usually reply "Yes you are!" Every person, place,
thing or entity is a brand. They all emote feelings and/or
images when we talk or think about them which in turn defines
their brand. The big question is "Is the brand fully defined
and who defined it?" When we mention Coke or Nike or Wal-Mart
certain feelings and/or images immediately come to our minds.
These companies spend billions defining their brand and what
it means to consumers, hoping that the feelings and/or images
result in sales.

A brand can be defined by the company or by its consumers. If
consumers define a brand the company has lost control of the
brand. For example - Brand A is viewed as a cheap alternative
to Brand X yet Brand X sells much more product because it's
brand is viewed as a better value, even though it is more
expensive and lower quality. Brand A did very little
marketing and let each consumers define their brand, while
Brand X executed a well thought out marketing strategy to
define and manage its brand.

Everything a business does defines their brand. How the phone
is answered, the appearance of a delivery person, how an
invoice looks, even how timely their collections are; these
are all reflections of the business which ultimately defines
the brand even more than marketing. Accordingly everything
that touches a client should be reviewed as a marketing and
brand defining opportunity. Consumers indirectly view it this
way, so should businesses.

For most small businesses, their brand is typically the last
thing they think about. Yet over coming a bad or consumer
defined brand is much more expensive and time consuming then
properly planning your brand strategy as part of your
marketing strategy. A well defined and supported brand
facilitates and accelerates word-of-mouth marketing,
referrals and loyal recurring customers - the very things
that will determine if a business is slightly or extremely
profitable.

Small businesses have more to gain by properly defining their
brand because they can focus on the specific needs of their
market much better than the national brand of a big box or
chain store. Small businesses need to invest in their biggest
and most competitive asset, their brand, before someone else
takes control for them.

Good marketing is stuck in your business, and it’s probably not what you think marketing is.

When someone hears marketing they think, well crafted
messages, logos, press releases, and advertising. They are
all a part of marketing, but what about your everyday
information? Things like your lunch specials of the day,
industry news, do-it-yourself information, an employee of the
month memo or a list of products that have price reductions.
All of these things tend to get posted in your business and
never make it to your website or the web. It's a shame
because this type of information can be more helpful than
most marketing. It's the type of information that people are
looking for everyday.
People are always looking for information to help them make
their lives easier, whether it's parenting, working, fun
seeking, purchasing, house work, etc. The simple information
that you produce and use everyday in your business, can be
re-purposed as marketing.
As marketing? Yes marketing! In fact this type of information
will probably do a better job in connecting you with the
right consumers on search engines and social media than most
other marketing. It will help you because it is real and
focused, not made to sound self-promoting. It contains just
enough text to convey the information without the extra
marketing speak. Good simple information, properly placed on
your website and the web, is a powerful online marketing tool.
Try it!

Everyone likes a deal. The Power of Deals in Marketing

Recently we asked "Do you use coupons or special offers in
your marketing?" The resounding answer was yes: 88% of survey
respondents said they do. The interpretation was that maybe
the economic times called for a way to bring in more people
and keep cash flowing. So this week we will talk about the
power of offering deals, and how they can be used as a
powerful marketing tool for your business in good times and
bad.

Everyone likes a deal, even the mega-rich. There are two
deal types that consumers respect and respond well to: work
& reward and one-time/blow-out. Work & reward
involves a reward for consumers doing some work where
consumers feel that what they are gaining is more valuable
than what they are giving up; if there is no give and take,
there is no perceived deal. A blow-out or one-time deal is
something that is drastically reduced in price with the
perception that the reduction is a once in a lifetime offer.

Examples of "real deals"

· - A "buy one get one free" requires the consumer to
buy something in order to get the deal

· - Save $100 off the normal price of a $500 item
because we need to reduce inventory or we made a great buy at
a drastically lower cost. Only 10 are available at this
price.

As the saying goes "If it sounds too good to be true...it
probably is." Consumers are skeptical, so when you want to
create a "real deal" follow this simple rule - Consumers know
you are trying to lure them in, so be straight forward about
it and either give them a reward for their efforts or a
price/discount that they can't pass up. As obvious as this
may sound, it is not practiced often. When it comes to deals,
quality is much better than quantity. One well advertised
"real deal" will produce more new sales and customers than
many so-so discounts that just dilute your regular offer.