X-CUBE: Empowering Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Firms with Marketing Insights and Opportunities

X-CUBE is a free E-zine, produced by Out of the Box Marketing, to provide
small, minority and women-owned firms in the A/E/C industry with helpful
marketing and business information.

Thanks to all for the positive feedback about X-CUBE. We are glad that
X-CUBE is filling a need and helping businesses stay informed. Here’s what
some folks have to say about X-CUBE:

«Thanks for this informative E-mail and I will most definitely be a
regular X-CUBE customer.»
Sondra Stovall, P. S. Communications, Inc.

«I just read your new X-Cube newsletter – congratulations, it is
well written, full of really useful information, and your energy is steaming
from every sentence… I like it very much… You are hitting the hot
issues, and I find it helpful.»

Leila Vujosevic, AIA – President, OMNI Architects, P.C.

«This is an absolutely excellent and valuable newsletter. I learned
about lots of events and opportunities that are relevant to the work I do
here at EDC. I just got back from an e-Marketing conference in Chicago and
networked with lots of folks in the industry. I will be forwarding X-CUBE to
some of them and to my co-workers.»

Cynthia Reddrick, Marketing Manager, NYC Economic Development Corporation

Marketing Know-how: Network! (But I’m shy!) Here’s help.

Marketing Article: Top 10 Website Traffic Sources

Diversity News: Competitive Edge VII Conference for Small, Minority and
Women Business Owners

Cyber scene: Events & Factoids

Industry Events

Non-Industry Events

Out and About – What’s Buzzing in NYC with A/E/C & New Media Folks
this Summer

Marketing Know-How: Network! (But I’m shy!) Here’s help.

I know, we are all networking because of that steadfast rule that you get
work through referrals or «who you know». We’re all out there,
trying to know more whos. But for many of us, it never gets easier
networking in a new crowd. Here are some tips that may help the shy but
willing schmoozer…

1.

Know the host/hostess – When you know the host/hostess they are
usually kind enough to introduce you to people and you can build your
conversations from there. Even if you don’t personally know the
host/hostess, you can usually establish some type of connection with them
before the event via email or when you are RSVP-ing. So at the event you can
introduce yourself to them share why you are there and what you hope to get
out of the event. A good host/hostess will try to make some initial
introductions for you.

2.

Get to the event early – If you are among the first people to attend,
you will get the attention of the organizers and hosts of the event. It will
be easier to talk to the people coming in because those intimidating little
circles of people talking (which always cause people to think, it looks like
everyone here knows each other already!) won’t have formed yet.

3.

Let your interest guide your conversation – Some folks freeze up when
it comes to small talk. If that is the case then jump into something you
have a question about. If you meet someone from an organization, ask what
programs they have lined up for the fall. If you meet an electrician, ask
them how it is going with wiring up all these new dot coms. If you meet
someone who just came for the free booze, ask them if they have tried all
the flavored Absolutes and which ones are the best!

4.
Bring a friend or two – It’s much easier to start talking to people
you don’t know when you have a support system backing you up. And if you
whimp out and end up talking to your friend all night, so what? At least you
got a chance to catch up with a friend.

5.

Hocus Pocus – If you say to yourself before the event that you are
going to leave with business cards or contact information from three
interesting people, you probably will. Call it visualization, call it what
you will, but it works.

By Jim Daniels www.bizweb2000.com

Whether you are promoting products, services or affiliate programs, more
website traffic means more income. This article will share with you the
best free and cheap ways I’ve learned to get website traffic to my
website.

Newbie Note: If you’re new at e-commerce, before concentrating your efforts
of getting site traffic, take the time to make sure «what» you
will be promoting will actually sell. If you plan to market your own
products or services, you’ll need to identify a large group of potential
buyers first. If you plan to promote an existing product, service or
opportunity get some real income figures from others already doing
it. Once you’ve accomplished this, you’ll have some solid figures to shoot
for and you can start pouring on the traffic.

Here’s what really works for growing lots of site traffic…

1. Give away value with no strings attached
Giving something of value away for free is a great way to attract website
visitors. Thanks to the web, distributing freebies is in itself, free. You
don’t have to spend a dime to pass out freebies left and right. All you need
are a few quality freebies.

2. Go «viral» with your freebies
Viral strategies allow you to multiply your marketing efforts without
actually doing more work. For example You offer a great freebie like an
ebook or tutorial. Now, let others give it away for free at their site too,
as an incentive, bonus or just for the heck of it. Why not? It adds value to
their offering and it creates more visitors to your site as your freebie
spreads.

3. Position your site in the search engines
While you absolutely must add your website URL to all the major
engines, search engine promotion does not stop there. You need to improve
your raking so that your website is not lost among the millions of sites on
the web. Unfortunately, many webmasters spend FAR too much time on their
search engine ranking. The best strategy in my experience is to optimize all
your pages for good ranking, concentrate on getting links, then let the rest
take care of itself.

4. Use «pay for rank» search engines
Every month I get a few thousands visitors from goto.com, the web’s leading
pay for rank search engine. These visitors cost me an average of less than a
dime each. There are more and more «pay for rank» engines cropping
up on the web and they offer a great way to get targeted traffic cheap. I
suggest you try a few.

5. Advertise in email newsletters
Still a bargain. Have you noticed the larger companies jumping on the ezine
advertising bandwagon? They know the value of a dollar. For a few thousand
bucks they can take out a half-page ad in ONE magazine offline. For the same
price they can advertise in multiple ezines and reach literally hundreds of
thousands of prospects, faster and cheaper.

6. Publish your own ezine!
I’ve been publishing my own e-newsletter, the BizWeb eGazette
<http://www.bizweb2000.com/sample.htm> since August of 1996.
Looking back, starting my own opt-in list may have been my wisest decision
to date. My e-newsletter brings customers back to my site on a regular
basis. Every webmaster should offer a way for surfers to sign up for a
regular email notice. It doesn’t have to be an ezine, you can send specials,
freebies or even site updates notices. The key is to keep in touch with the
people you manage to get to your site. It’s hard work getting traffic, don’t
let them leave without offering to stay in touch!

7. «Rent» Opt-in email lists
Here’s a promotion method that works. It can be a bit more costly than the
other methods mentioned here, but it does pull in lots of website traffic.
Just visit www.postmasterdirect.com — arguably the net’s most prominent
opt-in list services provider, and click on «read some case
studies». There you’ll see an unsolicited testimonial from yours truly.
Although I don’t spend money on opt-in list rental too often (I’m cheap!) I
do use opt-in services when I need a quick boost in sales.

8. Offer an affiliate program
If the product or service you are promoting is your own, adding an affiliate
program to your site is a great «pay for performance only» method
of increasing website traffic and in turn sales. It’s no wonder that
thousands of websites now offer to «share the profits» with their
customers.

9. Write Articles
Anyone who reads my stuff regularly knows I rave about this promotion
method. The fact is, it is responsible for a large part of my traffic. It
still surprises me how many people don’t try this. All it takes is a few
hours each week or month to write about what you know and then have it
looked over by someone with editing skills. Then, you tack on a small footer
with your URL and fire it off to a list of editors who publish material
related to what you’re marketing. You then post the articles at your own
site with re-publishing permission for other webmasters.
Article Submission Sites:www.ideamarketers.com <http://www.ideamarketers.com/>,
web-source.net <http://www.web-source.net/articlesub.htm>

10. Create and promote joint ventures
Up until last year I had overlooked joint venture marketing almost
completely. What a mistake. Joint ventures are a powerful way to get traffic
and additional income online. One particular joint venture I’m involved with
is solely for generating for new ezine subscribers. The JV «contest»
<http://www.ezinehits.com/index.html?Bizweb2000> includes five
other ezine publishers like myself and generate over a hundred new
subscribers every single week! Your own JV possibilities are limited only by
your imagination. If you haven’t tried JV’s yet, start by keeping a notebook
of possible joint venture.

Diversity News: Competitive Edge VII Conference for Small, Minority
and Women Business Owners

The Competitive Edge VII Conference, a two-day program for disadvantaged,
small, minority and women business owners will begin with a Networking
Reception on Monday, August 28, 2000, 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at One World
Financial Center in the Rotunda. The Plenary Session and Conference
Workshops will be held on Tuesday, August 29, 2000, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at Stuyvesant High School, 345 Chambers Street, New York, New York. The
conference now in its seventh year is open to all disadvantaged, small,
minority and women business-owners and is designed to upgrade their access
to contracting opportunities in the New York/New Jersey area. In the coming
decade, billions of dollars in contracting opportunities involving key
corporations, government agencies, organizations and authorities has been
earmarked for the Northeast Corridor of the U.S. and this conference will
supply valuable information and resources on these developments.

This year’s theme is “Providing Entrepreneurial Leadership for the 21^{st
Century”, and will feature workshops on “E” Business,
Financial/Business Planning, Banking – Access to Capital, Industry Trends,
and more. Key speakers during our Plenary Session include the Honorable
Clarence Norman, Jr., New York State Assemblyman, and prominent business
leader Randy Daniels, Senior Vice President, Canyon Capital Realty Advisors,
LLC. Conference Luncheon Keynote presenters include the Honorable Nydia M.
Velazquez, Congresswoman, House of Representatives and Jose O. Aguiar,
President and CEO of Kleener King.}

Competitive Edge VII conference attendees will receive a wealth of
valuable information to guide and assist them on how to prepare and
successfully compete for contracts from the Empire State Development
Corporation, Hudson River Park Trust, Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City
Authority, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NYC Health and Hospitals
Corporation, NYC School Construction Authority, NYS Division of Housing and
Community Renewal, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Bovis Lend
Lease, Inc., HRH Construction Company, Turner Construction Company,
Association of Minority Enterprises of New York, Caribbean American Chamber
of Commerce, Brooklyn/Queens Minority Business Opportunity Center, Jamaica
Business Resource Center, NYS Association of Minority Contractors, and The
Regional Alliance for Small Contractors.

CONTACT – Mario A. Torres, Vice President, Community
Relations/Affirmative Action

Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority, (212) 416-0573

e-mail: torresm@bpcauthor.org <mailto:torresm@bpcauthor.org>,
website: www.batteryparkcity.org <http://www.batteryparkcity.org>

A.
Favorite Find of the Month!
Low-Tech Internet Marketing Tips are a service of LRP Designs, a web and
graphic design studio in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Martha Retallick is the owner
of LRP Designs and author of the Tips since the series began in January
1999. In addition to offering easy-to-implement marketing ideas, this e-zine
offers a look at some of the latest (and sometimes) greatest books about the
Internet. These reviews will help you separate the Good Reads from the
Wastes of Ink and Paper. http://www.lrpdesigns.com/subscribe.html

DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION (DMA): LIST VISION 2000 «Taking Your
Place in

a New Marketing World». Thurs. 8/17. 7:30 am – 5:30 pm. List Vision
is about education,

creativity, leadership, and vision — about how the Internet & e-mail
marketing impact the list business. Register now at 212.790.1500, or http://www.dmalistvision.org

A new report from AdKnowledge has revealed that 60 percent of customers
who buy or register at a website after clicking on a banner ad do so within
30 minutes of clicking. Another 30 percent onverted within a week. Portal
keyword placements were the most effective form of advertising online.
Run-of-Network (RON) and Run-of-Site (ROS) placements also showed greater
click rate averages on ad networks and heavy-content sites compared to
portals. According to AdKnowledge, CPM rates (cost per 1,000 ads shown) are
remaining comparable to last year’s figures, and they continue to remain

constant for the last quarter, standing at $34.34. This stability has
come at a time when the number of websites selling ads rose by 13 percent.
For more information contact: Ellen Partal at epartal@adknowledge.com,
650/842- 6597

http://www.adknowledge.com/corporate/press/pr_073100_q2oar.html

Fueling dot.com growth and recovery….how to stay alive and profitable
in an unpredictable market – Sponsored by: Strategic Research Institute
& Alston & Bird, LLP. Member Discount Price: $1255 for dot.com
companies. Regular Price: $1395. Date: Thursday, September 14, 2000. Time:
12:00 AM to 11:45 PM Event Site: Windows on the World World Trade Center, 1
World Trade Center/106th flr, Manhattan, NY. Contact: Strategic
Research Institute, Phone: 212-967-0095, Email: info@srinstitute.com <mailto:info@srinstitute.com>,
Web: www.srinstitute.com <http://www.srinstitute.com>

AIA NY Chapter is hosting The Effects of the New Zoning on Hospitals on
Wednesday, 08/16/2000, 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Location: 200 Lexington Avenue, 1st
Floor Conference Center This seminar will focus on how the new zoning
regulations will impact medical facilities and what is being done to address
known concerns. Speakers: Michael Parley, Development Consulting Services
and Mark E. Ginsberg, AIA, Curtis & Ginsberg Architects, Co-chair of the
Zoning & Urban Design Committee Reg. Tel: (212) 683-0023 ext 21 Member
Price: $5.00 Nonmember Price: $10.00 CES Lus: 2, CES HSW: 2 Sponsored by:
Barr & Barr, Inc.

Blacklines Magazine will be hosting Bridging the Gap between
Education, Theory and Practice Blacklines 2000 Architecture Conference,
Design Showcase and Exhibition October 19-21, 2000 at Pratt Institute,
Brooklyn, New York. This three-day conference will feature two (2) Keynote
Speakers, panel discussions on Education, Theory, History and Preservation;
a Design Showcase and Exhibition of the work of designers- architects,
interior designers and artists; a Hip Hop Design Charette on a Brooklyn
Museum; product displays; and a Brooklyn Historic Tour. For more
information visit the Blacklines web site: www.blacklines.net

Downstate? Upstate? Who Are the Architects Here? Tradition Inspires
Tomorrow – the AIA NYS Convention @ the Brooklyn Marriott takes this
milestone year is a perfect time to reflect on the past & explore the
directions of the architectural profession & the built environment.
Thursday-Sunday, September 21-24 Brooklyn 2000″ will feature continuing
ed programs, design awards, exhibits & more. Q? 518 449-3334 or <aianus@aianys.org>.

DesigNation3: DesignMinds 2000 Conference Scheduled for Los Angeles –
Contact: Bill Browne 202-488-1530 Web: http://www.DesigNation.net
DesigNation®, the Organization of Black Designers Multidiscipline &

Multicultural Design Conference announces its fourth National Conference
– DesigNation3: DesignMinds – October 2000, Los Angeles. The International
Design Conference is expected to attract 5,000 attendees and a variety of
corporate exhibitors.

Antonio Gaudiÿ – Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigaharaÿs little seen 1985
documentary about the great Catalan architect, with a score & sound
effects by Takemitsu, has been described as ÿvisual poetry. The Lincoln
Center Film Societyÿs Walter Reade Theater, Broadway @ 66th Street, screens
this film as part of its 10th anniversary tribute to the little distributor
Milestone Film & Video. (IRT -Broadway 1/9- 66th Street/ Lincoln Center
station.) $9/$5 members/$4.50 seniors @ weekday matinees. Q?/Reservations:
212 875-5600 or <www.filmlinc.com>.

The American Woman’s Economic Development Corporation (AWED) is
holding an awesome Fall Program series of Brown Bag Lunch Seminars for FREE:
9/15 – Networking for Entreneurs
9/28 – Winning Business Presentations
10/12 – An Entrepreneur’s Tale
10/25 – Negotiation Skills for the Woman Business Owner
11/3 – (Our Favorite) – Get Creative: Think Outside the Box
11/21 – Mastering the Cold Call
12/19 – How to Make Your Part Time Business a Full Time Business

For more information and to register call (917) 368-6100.

Another new magazine? Yes! July saw the launch of Publisher Lara
Hedberg’s new zine called «dwell». And what a launch party!
Held in the Penthouse of a Village building, party attendees were treated to
breathtaking views of downtown Manhattan, ever-flowing wine and martinis and
an azul pool with lotus flowers. «What is most interesting to me,»
wrote Hedberg in her premiere issue, «is the way Modernism lends itself
to new ideas and individual approaches. I’m hoping dwell will foster a
discussion about how we can best build our homes to respond to the cultural
changes that take place.» An interesting triumph for the magazine is
that while it appeals to designers and architects, anyone can pick up the
magazine and appreciate the articles — it is like a de-toxed Wall Paper
Magazine. The Editor-In-Chief is Karrie Jacobs. For a subscription to dwell
call 877.939.3553
X
NYC’s Department of Design and Construction held their annual open house on
July 20th. DDC is wrapping up 97% of their projects into huge
requirements contracts. Small firms must form alliances with bigger
firms or look for work elsewhere. For a full report send an email to ega@outoftheboxmarketing.net
with «DDC Report» in the Subject field.
X
Philip Nobel, an architecture and design writer, and His Friend Mark hosted a
lovely evening of cocktails at the Storefront for Art and Architecture
sponsored by Buzzsaw.com on August 10th. The crowd was pleasantly
diverse and included the likes of Ray Gastil of the Van Alen Institute; Meta
Brunzema, designer of the winning transparent Hudson River pool scheme;
IZUMI, a Japanese/Itallian painter who is doing painted portraits of
biracial people; Andrea Monfried of the Monacelli Press; and a brilliantly
happy group of Danish architectural photographers who were ecstatic because
their gorgeous photos of a sexy residence in Acapulco made it on the cover
of Interior Design.
X
Raise your hand if you’ve been to one of those «Get Published»
seminars where there is a panel of editors from trade papers you want to be
published in and the editors are telling the audience how they like to
receive submissions. Blacklines of Architecture Magazine held a
«Getting Published» event in July. The panelists were great:
Susan Szenasy from Metropolis, Cliff Pearson from Architectural Record and
Jane Merkel from the AIANY Newsletter Oculus. But there was only two people
in the audience. This came as a shock because minority designers often
complain that they can’t get published and yet, here is a great way to meet
the editors and no one shows up! A word to the wise: don’t waste golden
opportunities!
X
How are dot coms marketing themselves on the web? Find out for just $15,000
a month! (That’s how much it costs to hire a large PR firm to market a new
dot com.) The New York Downtown Alliance and the Founders of AlleyCat
News sponsored a free breakfast seminar on Marketing the Internet. The
event was held in the Digital Sandbox at 55 Broad Street and it was packed.
People were standing in the back and sitting in the isles. Tips from the
panel included:
– add a PR professional to your advisory board
– prepare for a PR campaign early by telling writers and analysts about your
product/service before it launches
– analysts are very important to dot coms because they write about internet
companies in trend reports and articles
– analyze how your company fits in a category, how you stand next to your
competitors
– if you’re on a tight budget then do viral and guerilla marketing – it is
free
– don’t cut marketing staff in bad times
– measure your investment in marketing by tracking visitor habits on your
web site and counting the number of leads generated by your PR effort
– for B2B marketing, make sure your business model is strong and sell the
story of your business
– the perceived value of your brand is very important, build sales overnight
and brand over time
– network to make sales, form alliances and build your database
(A lot of other tips were shared at this fantastic event. If you would like
to get more of them, send an email to ega@outoftheboxmarketing.net and put
«Internet Marketing» in the subject field.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or if you have an event that you
would like us to include in X-CUBE, please email Elizabeth Geary-Archer at
ega@outoftheboxmarketing.net

info@outoftheboxmarketing.net

295 Greenwich Street

Suite 238

New York, NY 10007

Tel. 212.726.8512