Create an ad that'll stick with your customers long after they see it.

Media fragmentation is accelerating. Mass media is losing its mass. The Grammy Awards and Winter Olympics were once regarded by advertisers as vast oceans of interested viewers. This year America yawned and ignored these events completely; too much to do, too little time.

To advertise effectively today, you must abandon the old-school idea of “reaching the masses.” The famous ad man Morris Hite, who was known for his good-ol'-boy approach to advertising, said it best when he quipped, “There is no such thing as national advertising. All advertising is local and personal. It's one man or woman reading one newspaper in the kitchen or watching TV in the den.”

Are you ready to open the doors to a new industry? Here are some strategies for getting up to speed and winning sales.

Thinking about introducing yourself, your product and your company to an industry you have not previously pursued? Perhaps you have a new service to sell, or maybe you've found new applications for your existing product. You may even be ready to branch out of your current customer base.

Whatever your reason, getting started in a new industry will require massive organic research and activity. By organic, I mean it becomes a part of you–breaking into the new industry becomes your focus 24/7. To accomplish your goal successfully, try these tips.

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You have a lot of contacts, but how well do you really know them? Strengthen the relationships you already have and you'll grow a strong network you can always depend on.

Recently someone I barely knew contacted me and asked if I would promote his business service within my networking organization. I considered this person a business associate, but definitely not someone I knew very well. That request made me think about how many people assume that if they've met you, they can ask for something that only a close associate would be willing to do.

Master networkers know that having a good contact doesn't necessarily make someone a good connection. Having run an international networking organization for more than two decades, one of the most important things I've learned is that it's not “what you know,” or even “who you know.” It's “how well you know them” that really counts in building a powerful personal network.

Know the risks and rewards of extending your brand before you put your name on the line.

When I interviewed graphic designers for my agency, I'd always get a little nervous when they claimed they could double as a great copywriter. That's because good design and good copywriting require two different skill sets rarely found in one person. I'd experience the same nervous reaction when clients discussed “brand extension,” or launching a new product related to their existing brand. It's not as easy as it seems.

By definition, a brand extension (for a product or service) should offer a different benefit and/or attract another market or market segment than its parent brand. Brand extensions seek to capitalize on the positive perceptions and associations of one brand, translating them to the new brand. For example, if customers associate safety with a certain company, they may infer that any product from that company is safe. Loyal customers of a parent brand may be more willing to try brand extensions. This, in turn, may decrease the cost of marketing the new product. The extension may strengthen the parent brand as well.