China to ramp up military drills around Taiwan after island hosts foreign head-of-state

China will ramp up its military exercises around Taiwan well into this week after the island hosted a foreign head of state Monday

China has been holding live-fire drills surrounding Taiwan for nearly a week since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island. Taiwan hosted St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, who insisted on flying to the island despite China’s ongoing show-of-force, on Monday.

“Prime Minister Gonsalves has expressed in recent days that the Chinese military drills would not prevent him from visiting friends in Taiwan. These statements have deeply touched us,” Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said in a welcoming ceremony.

Gonsalves ripped China as a “bully” in his own remarks. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is one of just over a dozen countries that has formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

FORMER CHINESE STATE MEDIA EDITOR SUGGESTS NANCY PELOSI BE ‘RESTRAINED,’ ‘PUNISHED’ BY CCP FOR VISITING TAIWAN

“As in our own hemisphere, the Western hemisphere, we do not like it and we do not support it when any powerful neighbor seeks to intimidate us or bully us,” Gonsalves said. “Wherever there are differences, we must settle them peacefully in a civilized manner.”

PELOSI TAIWAN TRIP: 4 US WARSHIPS POSITIONED EAST OF ISLAND

China’s ramped-up drills come days after the country announced it would hold “regular” military exercises on the Taiwanese side of the Taiwan Strait.

Chines leader Xi Jinping’s regime was furious with Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, arguing it broke the U.S. One-China policy.

The policy states that the U.S. acknowledges, but does not condone, China’s claim of sovereignty over the Taiwan. It also states that the U.S. will not keep formal diplomatic ties with the island’s government.

While President Joe Biden’s administration had advised Pelosi not to take the trip, the U.S. has made no apologies for her visit.

The U.S. has urged China not to overreact, however. South Korean airlines canceled flights to Taiwan this weekend as a precaution given China’s extensive military drills.

How to Build Paid Ad Campaigns Around Typos, Misspellings, and More

We all make mistakes. It’s part of being human.

Unfortunately, in some cases, mistakes can be costly.

If you’re a marketer running paid campaigns, mistakes can actually be blessings in disguise. That’s because you can build paid ad campaigns around typos, misspellings, and other types of mistakes if you play your cards right. 

Mistakes in ads have a high chance of going viral. People love making fun of other people’s mistakes. In today’s world, that means sharing your mistake with their network. An ad with a typo, misused apostrophe, incorrect homophone, or any other error could make more people aware of your brand than ever before.

Whether or not that’s a good thing largely depends on how you handle the issue. Rather than trying to cover up your mistake, take advantage of it.

While mistakes may be embarrassing and used well, they can also be a tool to shine the spotlight on your brand or product. 

6 Clever Ways to Use Typos and Misspellings in Paid Ad Campaigns

Sometimes using conventional digital marketing practices only puts you in the same league as your competitors. In today’s crowded market, you may need to give yourself an edge.

Sometimes that involves leveraging mistakes in your paid ad campaigns, particularly your ad copy. Here are six ways you can use written mistakes to your advantage when engaging in paid advertising.

1. Poke Fun at Previous Mistakes

If your brand made a mistake in a previous campaign, go all in and make a joke of the mistake in your next paid ad campaign. 

For best results, share the ad on the social media platforms where the mistake got the most coverage. Make sure to tag those who initiated the conversation around the mistake and any influencers who joined the chat.

There are two big reasons you should lean into your previous mistake.

It Humanizes Your Brand 

Admitting to your mistakes can be a great way of showing the human side of your brand. One particularly human trait that will stand out is humility, a quality that will help you earn your customers’ trust. 

Great Way to Fan the Flames of a Viral Brand Awareness Campaign 

The conversation around your first paid ad mistake is a spark you can fan into a blazing brand awareness inferno. Unless your error made your ad offensive, instead of apologizing, poke fun at yourself. Think of how many of the most beloved comedians are self-deprecating!

The next time one of your paid ads goes out with a mistake, take it as an opportunity to run a fun campaign. 

2. Incorporate Common Brand Name Misspellings

Some brand names were designed to be spelled wrong. Take, for example:

  • Dunkin’ Donuts
  • Kool-Aid
  • Froot Loops
  • Play-Doh

These were purposely misspelled for brand “stickability” so people remember them.

What happens if people often misspell your brand name?

Use that to your advantage by incorporating those wrong spellings in your paid ad campaigns.

A little humor here will go a long way. Humorously call out the misspelling of your brand name. When people search for your brand using the wrongly spelled version of your brand name, your ad may pop up. 

It’s a win-win situation. Your customers still get to find you, and you’ll still get the traffic you would have otherwise missed due to the typo.

Let’s face it. No matter how much you may try and educate people about the correct spelling of your brand name, you’ll always find those who still misspell it. 

That said, when creating your ad, make sure not to use the wrong spelling of your brand name in the business name field. This could get you in trouble as it goes against Google’s editorial guidelines.

Clever Ways to Use Typos and Misspellings in Paid Ad Campaigns - Incorporate Common Brand Misspellings

3. Use a Word With a Double Meaning

Creativity is an essential element of creating paid ads that work. One creative hack you can use to boost your campaigns is using homonyms in your ads. These are words that are spelled and sound the same but have more than one meaning. Examples of homonyms include:

  • bark
  • arm
  • pen

Words with more than one meaning can make your ad memorable when used well.

That said, be sure your target audience will appreciate the joke. Consider their preferences before going with something a little “scandalous,” for instance.

4. Use Sensational Spelling to Make an Effect

Sensational spelling is an excellent marketing gimmick you can leverage to differentiate your brand, products, and even ads. If you’re wondering, sensational spelling refers to the deliberate deviation from the standard spelling of a word while still maintaining its pronunciation. Common examples of sensational spellings include:

  • Blu-ray
  • Fiverr
  • Krispy Kreme

The purpose of sensational spelling is more for special effect than anything else, and that effect works on two primary levels:

Visual Impact 

The visual effect of sensational spelling is a powerful tool for stopping searchers in their tracks. Moreover, because the spelling looks out of the ordinary, it evokes a sense of curiosity.

Emotional Effect

Because they look cool, words that leverage the device elicit positive emotions from your target audience when they see your ads. This helps create an emotional attachment that works in your favor by giving your conversion rate a push.

5. Use Common Typos and Misspellings in Keywords

Keyword research plays a huge role in any digital marketing campaign. While it’s common to use exact match keywords and synonyms, marketers rarely consider using typos and misspelled keywords.

When conducting keyword research, take note of wrongly spelled keywords that have a decent volume. Chances are that few brands are incorporating them into their campaigns. Therefore, bidding on them won’t be as expensive as bidding on the correctly spelled version.

Including these types of keywords in your targeted keyword list will extend the reach of your ads while still keeping your ad spend relatively low.

Bidding on typos and misspelled words is an excellent way of tapping into premium traffic. However, you must be careful to execute your campaign strategically. Otherwise, it might backfire. For example, avoid using dynamic keyword insertion when running a paid ad campaign with typos or misspelled words. Using dynamic keyword insertion will result in the correctly spelled version of your keyword being placed in your ad. 

All that said, intentionally misspelling words often can lower trust in your attention to detail, and you don’t want to resort to unsavory techniques to include these misspelled keywords without them being visible to users.

Are there words that are commonly misspelled that you might use in your content? Then find ways to work them in naturally! For instance, if your company’s mascot says “Voila!” a lot, you could write something like “Voila, pronounced ‘walla’…”

Take advantage of them and build some paid ad campaigns around them. 

6. Misquote Popular Quotes

People love quotes. They spice up conversations, are a great source of inspiration, and can help build effective paid ad campaigns. 

Yes, you read that right.

Misquoting a well-known quote in your niche disrupts your readers’ thought processes and gets them to focus on the message you’re trying to convey. It may also make them chuckle.

For your next campaign, consider taking quotes from a popular movie or public figure and incorporate and put your own twist on it.    

Remember—make sure your audience knows you’re in on the joke. Otherwise, they could end up thinking you just didn’t pay attention. 

2 Examples of Paid Ad Campaigns With Intentional Typos

Need a couple of examples of paid ad campaigns built around typos?

I’ll do you one better and show you two.

1. You’re Not You When You’re Hungry—Snickers 

A classic example of a paid ad campaign that intentionally used a typo is the Snickers’ “you’re not you when you’re hungry” campaign.

Examples of Paid Ad Campaigns With Intentional Typos - Snickers you’re not you when you’re hungry

The campaign involved the brand bidding for about 25,000 of the most popular grammatical errors and misspelled search terms. Each time a person typed one of those in the search bar, the first ad would direct them to Snickers’ website.

One factor that made this campaign a success is the humorous nature of the campaign. Snickers even went as far as misspelling their name (and many other words too). For example, take a look at the ad below:

Examples of Paid Ad Campaigns With Intentional Typos - Snickers

An interesting element about this campaign is that Snickers didn’t build their campaign solely on brand or product-related misspellings. To widen the reach of their campaign, they targeted words that are commonly misspelled by people searching on Google. 

Now that’s what I call thinking out of the box.

2. Sleep Easy on a Spelling Slip—Poofing Pillows

Ten percent of search queries contain a spelling mistake. Knowing the common spelling mistakes for your product can give you the advantage of utilizing them in your paid ad campaigns. 

Here’s an example from Poofing Pillows:

Examples of Paid Ad Campaigns With Intentional Typos - Poofing Pillows

As you can see, Poofing Pillows clearly knows how to spell “mattresses.” However, they’ve used the common misspelling and the correct spelling in their paid ad to hit both keywords.

Make sure to create a different ad group for these types of ads for better tracking and management.

Frequently Asked Questions About Paid Ad Campaigns 

Before we wrap up this interesting discussion on building paid ad campaigns around typos, misspellings, and mistakes, let’s quickly answer a few FAQs about paid ad campaigns.

How do paid campaigns work?

Brands bid for keywords on search engines, social media, and other advertising platforms. The ad that wins the bid gets displayed.

Are paid ads still worth it?

Despite the stiff competition for keywords, paid ads are still a great way to generate leads and drive sales.

How can I make my paid ads stand out?

Be different. One way you can do that is to deliberately use typos and misspelling mistakes. People might stop to take a closer look.

Do paid ads with typos work?

If done well, paid ads with typos can work. They help you tap into a segment of traffic that few are looking to tap into. You can also get to spark interesting conversations around the typo, leading to a boost in brand awareness. 

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Paid Ad Campaigns: Conclusion

Paid ad campaigns. Typos. Misspellings. Grammar errors. Can anything good come out of these combinations?

The simple answer is…possibly. 

It all depends on how you build your campaigns. Using the tips and strategies outlined above, you can create paid campaigns around typos, misspellings, and other types of mistakes. 

These campaigns could help you drive brand awareness, boost sales, and achieve many other business and marketing goals.

Have you ever made a typo or other glaring mistake in your paid ads (intentionally or not)? How did that work out?

This Thanksgiving Day, Turn Things Around by Learning How to Build Good Business Credit

Many business owners don’t realize that there is even a question of how to build good business credit?  They think that business credit works similar to personal credit. Since business personal credit builds passively by simply with handling credit wisely, they think business credit does the same.  That isn’t the case however. The answer to “How to build good business credit?”can be summed up in one word, intentionally. You must make it a point to build business credit. You have to make it happen. 

How to Build Good Business Credit: Fill Your Cornucopia with Business Accounts

In traditional Thanksgiving Day pictures, you see the ever overflowing horn of plenty known as the cornucopia.  There are breads, fruits, vegetables and nuts pouring out of the horn shaped basket. If you are a business owner, you need two cornucopias.  One is for your business credit, and one is for your personal credit. While you want them both overflowing with healthy accounts, what happens with many is that the business credit one is empty or non-existent.  They think it is there and full, while in reality all the accounts they think are hitting their business credit report are actually hitting their personal report. 

Why Do you Need Two Cornucopias? Does Business Credit Even Matter? 

If you’re wondering why it is important to know how to build good business credit, here is your answer.  The business credit cornucopia can hold more. Let me explain. If you try to run a business with only what is in your personal credit cornucopia, you will not have enough. You will need more than what it can hold. 

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit.

Here is what that looks like in real life.  Your personal credit cards are going to have lower limits than what business credit cards have.  Business expenses are, by nature, a lot higher than personal expenses. Therefore, if you try to put business and personal expenses on the same credit cards, you are going to overrun your limits.  

Even if you make your payments on time, or even pay off your balances each month, you are likely going to keep hovering near your limits.  Not only does this reduce the funding you have available, but it can also have a negative impact on your personal credit score. Here’s how.  The closer your balances are to your limit, the higher your debt-to-credit ratio is. A high debt-to-credit ratio has a negative impact on your credit score. 

So, this means you need to ask how to build good business credit for two reasons.  First, you may not have enough credit availability to run your business successfully without it.  Second, if you do not build business credit, you could end up ruining your personal credit. Consequently, not only would your business success be in question, but you could lose the ability to do things like buy a house or a car. 

Where Does that Second Cornucopia Come From?

Here is what most business owners do not understand.  You have to intentionally go out and get that separate business cornucopia.  If you don’t, then any business accounts you open will just go straight to your personal credit cornucopia and wreak the havoc mentioned above. So, how do you do that?  How do you establish business credit in the first place so that business accounts report to that, and not to your personal credit? The key is to make your business appear to lenders as a fundable entity, separate from yourself as the owner. 

how to build good business credit Credit Suite

How to Build Good Business Credit: Establishing Fundability

The first thing you need to know is, it is easiest to do this as you are establishing your business.  If you are a new business owner just getting started, then set your business up this way on the front end so that you can begin building business credit now. If, however, you are already up and running, it isn’t too late.  You may have to do some backtracking, but it will be so worth it. Either way, this is what has to be done. This is the first part of the answer to the question of how to build business credit. 

Separate Name and Contact Information

This is an essential first step to weaving a separate business credit cornucopia.  Of course, most businesses do not have the exact same name as their owners. The key is, you have to list the business in the business directories under that business name.  In addition, it needs to be listed with its own address and phone number. 

A question often asked about this is, how do you get a separate business phone number and address if you run your business out of your home or online.  Actually, there are several options now for a business telephone number that do not even require you to have a second phone. You can just have your business number forwarded to your personal line. 

As for an address, there are a number of virtual office companies that offer a physical mailing address to businesses for just this purpose.  Typically, they also offer a number of other useful services such as meeting spaces and live receptionist services. 

Get and EIN

When you apply for credit, they always ask for you Social Security Number, or SSN.  If you are applying for credit in your business name, you shouldn’t use your SSN. If you do, that account will automatically relate to your personal credit.  The way around this is to get your business an EIN.  They are free on the IRS website.  You may still need to use your SSN for identification purposes when applying for credit under new fraud regulations, but that needs to be the only reason you use it. 

You Must Incorporate

This isn’t an option.  While it is much easier and cheaper to operate as a sole proprietorship or partnership, you cannot get the separation needed if you do not formally incorporate.  Whether you choose an S-corp, LLC, or corporations will depend on your other needs and budget. Any of them will work for establishing fundability. Still, you must choose one. 

Get a Business Bank Account

When building fundability, you need to have a separate business bank account.  This serves a number of purposes. First, separate from building fundability, this helps you keep your business and personal expenses separate.  That will be a tremendous help come tax time. 

Secondly, some business credit cards want to see a business bank account with a minimum average balance before they will approve credit.  Lastly, it helps lend credibility to the fact that your business is a fundable entity on its own, apart from the owner.

Professional Website and Dedicated Email 

In today’s business world, if you do not have an online presence you do not exist.  Having a poorly executed online presence is just as bad. You need a professionally built, working website.  Pay for design and hosting. The free services are not going to be good enough to help you out here. In addition, you need a dedicated business email address with the same URL as your website.  Free email platforms such as Yahoo and Gmail do not look professional.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit.

Get a D-U-N-S Number

There are several business credit reporting agencies, or CRAs.  The 3 most commonly used are Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax.  Of those three, Dun & Bradstreet is definitely the largest and most commonly used.  Before you can have a credit profile with them, you must have a D-U-N-S number.  This is how they identify your business.  

If you do not have a D-U-N-S number, you will not have a credit profile with Dun & Bradstreet, so you definitely need the number.  That’s all you need though. They will try to upsell you on other services, but stay strong and resist. You just need the number, and it’s free. 

How to Build Good Business Credit: Fill the Cornucopia

Once you have your separate business credit cornucopia, it’s time to fill it with lots of yummy accounts to build your business credit big and strong.  That, again, takes intentionality. You cannot just go out and start applying for credit in your business name. It won’t happen. Just as those that celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day had to actively work to provide the food for the feast, so you will have to actively build business credit. To do this, you have to work through the business credit tiers.  

Starting at the bottom tier, you build enough accounts and business credit to move up to the next tier, until you reach the top.  Here is a little more about each tier and what it takes to move on to the next. 

How to Build Good Business Credit Using The Vendor Credit Tier

This is the first tier on your journey to fill your business credit report with accounts.  It consists of starter vendors. These are vendors that will offer your business net terms on invoices without first checking your credit.  Then, when you pay, they will report those payments to the CRAs. This is the second part of the answer to how to build good business credit.  In this way, you can begin to build credit without having credit. 

They will look at other information however.  Some like to see a certain amount of time in business.  Some will want you to place an initial order, or more than one, before they will extend net terms.  Others will want to see a business bank account with a minimum balance. Another thing they sometimes look at is a listing in the business directories.  Starter vendors may require any combinations of these things. Find out more about some of the most common starter vendors here

How to Build Good Business Credit With The Retail Credit Tier

After you have 8 or 10 accounts from the vendor credit tier reporting positive payment information to the CRAs, you can apply for credit in the retail credit tier.  These are those cards that you can only use at the specific retail store that issues them. For example, Office Depot cards that you can only use at office depot are in this tier.. 

How to Build Good Business Credit: Continuing to The Fleet Credit Tier

After you have enough accounts reporting from the retail credit tier, you can apply for cards in the fleet credit tier.  These are cards that you can only use for fuel costs and automobile repair and maintenance. Fuelman and Shell are examples of companies that issue cards in this tier. 

How to Build Good Business Credit: Finishing with The Cash Credit Tier

This is the top credit tier.  It’s the goal. Once you have enough accounts reporting from the fleet credit tier you can apply for cards in this tier.  It consists of the standard Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express cards that are not limited to a specific store or type of expense.  

How to Build Good Business Credit: Don’t Let Things Start Falling Out

Even though the overflowing cornucopia makes for a pretty Thanksgiving Day picture, you don’t really want the same effect with your business credit.  If you do not handle the credit you have properly, you’ll start losing control. Be sure to pay accounts on-time. Remember, don’t buy things you cannot afford just to build business credit.  You will end up with the opposite of what you want. Also, be sure you keep an eye on things. You wouldn’t want a bug eating up all that good food in your horn of plenty right? 

Monitor your business credit regularly to ensure there are no mistakes and that everything is up to date.  We can help you with that here.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit.

How to Build Good Business Credit: May Your Cornucopia Be Full

I think it’s clear at this point.  It takes more than just paying your bills on time to build business credit.  Unlike your personal credit score, your business credit score does not appear passively.  You have to work to intentionally build it. It isn’t a hard process, but it is a process. You have to trust the process and act responsibly.  Now that you know how to build good business credit, it’s time to get started.

 

The post This Thanksgiving Day, Turn Things Around by Learning How to Build Good Business Credit appeared first on Credit Suite.

This Thanksgiving Day, Turn Things Around by Learning How to Build Good Business Credit

Many business owners don’t realize that there is even a question of how to build good business credit?  They think that business credit works similar to personal credit. Since business personal credit builds passively by simply with handling credit wisely, they think business credit does the same.  That isn’t the case however. The answer to … Continue reading This Thanksgiving Day, Turn Things Around by Learning How to Build Good Business Credit