Custom Radio & TV Jingles - 10 Tips To Increased Sales!

1. Know exactly what you want to accomplish before production begins. While you might not have every detail in place and know exactly how the commercial is going to take shape, you should take time and jot down all of your sales goals and expectations.

2. Dont get caught up in the latest and greatest. While there is a host of video production and cool music effect software out there, make sure that your commercial is substance over style. This will always pay off in the end.

3.Dont use custom music just to have your company name or slogan sung. It is tempting for cost conscience business owners to go with the more affordable music guy who is operating out of a bedroom or a basement with little to no experience, but it does not pay off. Cheap music, that sounds cheap, and you need to know that while most people arent musicians or have a musicians ear, know good music when they hear it. Chances are, that you wont increase your sales and achieve your goals with basement productions almost guaranteed.

4.Employ the best possible voice over talent. Your voice over talent can make or break your commercial. And good voice over talent doesnt have to break the bank. A good production company will steer you in the right direction and audition a number of folks so you can decide before production begins.

5. Be careful with humor. Humor when done right is quite effective and you will notice that a lot of the big boys on TV and radio use it. The problem lies in that good humor is not that easy to write and less readily pulled off on camera and especially radio with a limited budget.

6. Stay away from the same old tired production and industrial music. Many sales reps from radio and cable will try and sell you on keeping your costs low by employing their staff voice over guy and production department. You will find out very quickly that your commercial will not have any zip and will look and sound just like everyone else out there, and you will not get the sales numbers that you were hoping for.

7.Big dollar commercial productions do not always equal the same in sales volume and expectations. Like in any business, the degree to varying bids on any given project can vary greatly for any number of reasons. For the average small mom and pop business a 30 second regional spot, with good voice over talent and singers should cost somewhere between $1,500 - $2,000. Thats a realistic figure and one that should get you to your sales goals and credibility factor in the marketplace and should far exceed your initial costs.

8. When you approach a music production company, having a good idea of what you want to get produced will save everyone time. Do a little research and figure out which websites have an intro that you like or a particular commercial that youve heard on TV or radio. This will get everyone on board with your initial idea and then let the creative team do their thing and a reputable company will undoubtedly make you say wow and get you excited about your commercial spot.

9. Dont be afraid to venture off the path a little if your creative team has a good idea. Sometimes its those little things that set your company image and ultimately the increased sales into motion.

10.Small campaigns can yield big sales and profits when done right. While you dont want to get taken, you also dont want to employ the cheap guy with your marketing image, credibility and ultimately increase in sales. Get it done right and you can see great results!

Mr Gauger is an accomplished TV and radio writer with too many credits to list here. You may contact the author at tgauger@reelmusicianpro.com or 615-300-5030. You may visit the author's website at http://www.reelmusicianpro.com This author works with small business to national brand names.

Digital Wedding Photography: Myth Vs. Reality

1.Myth: Digital photos are pixilated or fuzzy. Reality: most people that say that have never seen a photo produced by a professional grade digital camera. The quality of modern digital cameras is equal of greater than film cameras.

2.Myth: Digital photos don't last they will fade in a couple of years. Reality: Only the photo capture part is digital. The printing is done using traditional photo paper on the same paper and chemistry used to print film photos. So, both will last the same.

3.Myth: Digital colors are muddy. Reality: Only if they are produced with cheap, low quality cameras and/or the photographer doesn't know how to adjust them and process them for printing

4.Myth: Digital photos are dangerous; the photographer can lose your photos.

Reality: Nowadays most photos are stored using Flash Cards that is one of the most reliable forms of digital storage. After the wedding the photos are downloaded to the computer and additional backups are created on CD or DVD allowing several copies of the same event to reside on different locations. In the case that photos are accidentally deleted they can be recovered using software. With film there is only one copy. It is not uncommon for the photo labs to lose the film, damage it in the printing machine, process it in the wrong chemistry, scratch it, etc. Film also can be damaged in camera, be fogged, damaged by X-rays at the airport, suffer color changes due to heat or age etc.

5.Myth: Digital photos lack detail. Reality: Only if they are produced with cheap, low quality cameras. It is not unusual for us to produce 30x40 inch prints from our professional grade cameras with stunning detail.

6.Myth: Digital is cheaper because there is no film. Reality: Professional grade digital cameras and lens are very expensive. In addition the professional photographer has to invest on computer equipment and software to process the photos.

7.Myth: I got a digital camera that takes great photos now I can start a career as a wedding photographer. Reality: Wedding photography requires that you have artistic talent and that you learn photography including composition, lighting, etc. A wedding is an uncontrolled event that requires technical and artistic skill. It is not the place to learn photography.

8.Myth: I don't have to take care when I take photos anymore I can fix it later in Photoshop or other photo-editing program. Reality: Garbage in and garbage out. There is no fix for badly composed photos, out of focus, bad lighting, etc.

9.Myth: Digital photography is easy now I don't need a professional wedding photographer. Reality: If you trust your wedding memories to somebody who doesn't have the professional skills you are likely to be sorry or disappointed.

10.Myth: I am afraid that the photographer will do weird effects. Reality: the purpose of the editing software is to enhance the quality of the photos. It is not a license to create weird stuff. Talk to your photographer about your expectations.

11.Myth: Digital will never be better than or equal to film. Reality: Digital cameras are equal or better than film in terms of resolution color fidelity etc. and far superior in low light situations. The "film look" can be easily emulated using digital imaging processing techniques.

12.Myth: I got a bigger fancier camera with more megapixels than your so my photos will be better than yours. Reality: Unless you have the technical and artistic skill the camera that you use will have minimal impact on the quality of the photos that you produce. A great camera in the right hands will produce great results. Some of the greatest photos in history were produced using mechanical cameras.

Juan Carlos Torres is a very respected and awarded wedding photographer in Oregon. He has a Masters Degree in Remote Sensing with a strong background in digital image processing and photography. He is a member of the several professional photographer organizations including the Professional Photographers of America, the Professional Photographers of Oregon, the Wedding Photojournalist Association, and the Oregon Wedding Photo Guild. His wedding photographs are unique and very artistic and have been featured in national and international magazines. For a sample of his works please visit carlosphoto.com">portland oregon wedding photographer and eugene oregon wedding photographer For a discussion on wedding photography see our Blog at oregon wedding photographer