Printing + Advertising

How To Start a Conversation with Prospects and Customers

2008-11-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

In tough times, who do you turn to? You turn to people who are friendly, helpful and trustworthy, right? You turn to people you know, who are open with you and who you can count on. You probably turn to friends and family. Well, when it comes to making purchasing decisions when money is tight, most people will turn to the merchants they know. Merchants they trust. Brands that they know are willing to start a conversation and keep it going. Now that people are losing their jobs and banks and car companies are losing their traction, people are thinking twice before buying anything other than grocery items. And some are even thinking twice about where to go grocery shopping.

Nowadays, your marketing approach has to be just as trustworthy if not more trustworthy than ever. These are unsure times and when consumers are unsure about their next paycheck, they think long and hard about where to spend their current one.

Tailoring your marketing message does mean emphasizing low prices, like how Target is right now, with TV commercials that actually list prices for all the items shown. But it your marketing message also needs to evoke a sense of trust, a sense of “I’m listening” as Dr. Crane on “Frasier” would say. The easiest way to market your trustfulness is to start a conversation on a blog. Blogs allow you, me and Joe Schmoe to have his say to the big companies, and the companies can talk back, starting a conversation (not talking back like how a teen talks back to her parents!).

Having a conversation means getting to know one another – you get to know what your customers really want, because, let’s face it – people are more brave and honest on blogs than they are face-to-face or on the phone. And, your customers get to know that you care about their opinions, which makes them care about you in return. Customers show that care by buying from your store.

If you have a brick-and-mortar store with employees, your employees are vital parts of your conversation with consumers. Many times, employees from cashiers to stockers are what customers think of when they think of your store. If your employees don’t understand your marketing message, or aren’t giving out your marketing message in every interaction with a customer, that could be a problem for you. You need to train your employees to treat customers in a way that will evoke whatever feeling(s) you want them to feel when they think of your brand.

Online, start a conversation by creating your own blog and by visiting forums. Social networking is a great place to connect with customers, but not a good place to sell to them. Just talk to them. The sales will roll in once you start the conversation. In a brick-and-mortar store, your employees as well as your signage can get the conversation started. Encourage employees to make small talk and get to know the customers. The rewards for getting to know customers will come back to you, not only in sales, but in word-of-mouth marketing and you can’t put a price on that.

Marketplace Influence of the Affluent

2008-11-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

Avner Offer, professor of economic history at Oxford University, has said that “today’s rapid pace of innovation includes developments in science and technology, a widening range of consumer goods and services, and the powerful effect of media, advertising and the Internet—all pressuring us to make choices….”

What does this lead me to believe? That the affluent influence the marketplace – for themselves and for other classes below them. The middle-class and lower-class are offered what the affluent class decides is needed or wanted. The rich people are those that drive the marketplace offerings. People can afford to get high-end cars, which makes other classes of people get high-end cars, but it leaves the lower classes in a debt situation. This leads to more and more people taking out loans and using high-interest credit cards that they can’t afford. This leads to our tough economy where people can’t pay back what they’ve borrowed so the government has to step in.

Now I’m not saying that the affluent are bad in shaping the wants and needs of the lower classes; I’m just saying it’s a fact that we should be aware of. As marketers and consumers. The younger generations are used to getting what they want without having to pay for it. Mommies and daddies are charging everything for their precious little ones. And there are even games like Electronic Monopoly in which you charge things on a credit card instead of buying them with cash. Now what kind of message is that sending?

And as packaging and production methods get cheaper with outsourcing, we’re just filling up our landfills with last year’s products.

Of course, there is also global warming. With all of this extra production of products that people are just going to throw away, the factories are working year-round, 24/7 producing lovely smog clouds that are tearing up our atmosphere and killing us underneath.

And, one last effect of our affluent tastes – we’re getting fat! Obesity is at an all-time high due to the processed foods and easy access to drive-thrus every few blocks.

So what does all of this mean for marketers?

Market your line of products to all classes. Market your more affordable items to the middle- and lower-classes so that they know they have a choice. Two widgets sold at $20 each is just as much money as if you get an affluent person to buy your $40 widget. The lower classes shouldn’t be ignored – they have spending power.

Green your production methods. Whether that’s just for marketing – using recycled paper or using more online initiatives – or whether you can talk the CEO into using greener inks, greener packaging or whatever, you can then tout your greener methods to consumers. Everyone is concerned about the environment now, and you can get customers from all classes by showing how earth-friendly your products are. Market to the affluent responsibly. While marketing to the tastemakers of society, use your marketing prowess for good. Tout all of the socially responsible things your company is doing so that the affluent will tell their friends and family. This word of mouth marketing will trickle down to the lower classes and encourage them to buy products that are more socially responsible.

The Difference between Advertising, Marketing and PR

2008-11-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

I’ve scoured the Internet for a good, succinct article that tells me the difference between advertising, marketing and PR. They seem so similar that I think certain functions of each overlap each other’s categories. As I write this, I haven’t done any research yet, but I think of marketing as a broad category under which advertising and PR reside.

I’m going to present the definitions here for myself and anyone else who is confused about the terms. I’m going to try to write them so that the differences are self-evident. I’m going to choose the best explanations on the Web and word them in language I can understand because I think that’s also part of the problem – explaining jargon with jargon. I’d like to note that I got most of this info from About.com – it’s the best guide I could find among many with convoluted messages.

Advertising
A paid announcement of a persuasive message by a sponsor, usually showcasing the sponsor’s own product(s). Advertising is not a process and it doesn’t take a lot of time – it’s something that can be done fairly quickly. Advertising is getting the word out about what you have to sell. Selling to a target audience. Brochures, TV commercials, and magazine and newspaper ads are best examples.

Marketing
The planning and implementation of activities that create a relationship that’s good for both the seller and buyer. Marketing takes time. Marketing affects how people perceive your company. Planning with a target audience in mind. Business cards, logos and anything else that you hand out to consumers that doesn’t include a direct selling message are best examples.

Public Relations
Getting free publicity, often focusing on media exposure. Gains more credibility than advertising or marketing because the audience doesn’t know that they’re reading a story that resulted from a press release. Or, if they do know that, they at least know you didn’t pay for the story. Public relations is what comes into play when your brand has a crisis – if your brand doesn’t do what it says, it’s the PR that saves it by either settling the crisis or building up your brand after the crisis. Planning with editors in mind – not talking directly to the target audience. More visible with the media. Press releases and speeches by spokespeople (PR people) are best examples.

Marketing is a Pie
It looks like my thinking was along the right lines, according to Laura Lake, About.com’s Marketing guide. She says, “The best way to distinguish between advertising and marketing is to think of marketing as a pie, inside that pie you have slices of advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy.”

So, marketing is the all-encompassing process that has the goal of creating a relationship between a company and consumers.

A Very Unconventional Approach to Discourage Speeding

2008-11-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

Here’s an innovative idea to get people to stop speeding: make them sign their organs away instead of paying a $50 fine.

Governments launch many mass advertising campaigns to educate and influence social behavior. Whether it’s warning against drunk driving or buckling up, or even being more “green,” it’s hard to actually change behavior though.
The Latvian government needed to create an ad campaign that targeted young males, aged 20-35, who are the fastest drivers and the ones always getting into car crashes. An ad agency from Latvia called MOOZ! developed a campaign against speeding and aggressive driving by incorporating a punishment with a social problem – lack of organ donors.
The agency concluded that educating this group was useless, because they didn’t drive fast and recklessly because they don’t know the risks; they do it because it makes them look cool in front of their peers.

So, MOOZ! created an Organ Donors Certificate as part of the ad campaign. During the campaign, those drivers that were pulled over for speeding were asked to sign their organs to someone who is waiting in line for a transplant. Certificates were issued directly to drivers who were pulled over by the Latvian road traffic police.

No word on how all this would have been enforced, but the message was effective. The number of victims dropped by 29 percent!

Here’s a copy of the exact wording on the certificate, which those pulled over had to read and sign:
“Organ Donor's Certificate.There are people who would give up everything to be in your place, and being in your place they would never play with their life. THINK!

I, ____ _____. Since I tend to exceed the speed limit and/or drive aggressively: With this I certify that my life is not important to me and I would gladly spit on it. Being of sound mind and body I am aware that sooner or later an accident will occur, and therefore immediately after the accident I agree to bequeath my heart, kidneys, as well as any other organs that will not be damaged upon impact to those who need them more.I ask for forgiveness in advance for those people and their loved ones who I will have killed or crippled in the crash. __, _______, 200_. Signature __________.”

You can see the organ donation certificate at AdsoftheWorld.com.

In my opinion, reading this will definitely have more impact than paying a fine will. But I’m surprised that the government didn’t want to have the offenders sign the certificate along with paying the fine. I guess that goes to show how serious the Latvian government was about this campaign.

And the other nice thing about this campaign was that it highlighted the social problem of the shortage of organ donors. A one-two punch if you will.

Font Choices for Your Marketing Materials

2008-10-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

Whenever you create a sales presentation or brochure, the first things you think about are probably color and graphics. Writing the text probably comes next. But where does the choice of font factor in? As an afterthought? Do you always go back to the same ol’ Times New Roman? Knowing about fonts and making smart font choices can help you deliver your message effectively in any ad by creating a certain feeling.

Sans-serif fonts (more about those soon) emanate a more modern feeling. Serif fonts give off a more traditional feeling. And any variety of fonts in these categories can create a number of feelings. It’s best to include font choice as part of your ad design, instead of making it an afterthought.

What are fonts? A typeface is generally defined as the specific letter form design of an alphabet. Typeface talks about the style of the letters. A font is a collection of all these letters of a typeface. A font generally means a bold, italic or roman type, while a typeface means a consistent visual appearance or style. When you say I’m using Times New Roman, you’re talking about the font – the collection of that style of typeface.

Font “personalities” Font personalities refer to the classifications of fonts: serif, sans-serif, script, symbol and display. Each of these gives off a different feeling and that feeling affects your ad.

Serif fonts have “feet” (finishing strokes) at the ends of the letters. Some examples are Garamond, Times New Roman and Georgia. Serif fonts give off a traditional, serious appeal and are mostly used in businesses. Serif fonts are generally easier to read in a smaller size, so serif fonts are used in body text.

Sans-serif fonts don’t have “feet” (“sans” means “without” in French). Examples are Arial, Verdana (popular on Web sites) and Century Gothic. Sans-serif fonts are seen as more modern and clean. These are best for billboards or when you need a bigger font because they’re more legible at a bigger size than serifs, with their feet hanging out everywhere.

Script fonts look like calligraphy or handwriting. These are best left as accents or only for bigger text because they are hard to read in a smaller font size. These give off an air of royalty or of a personal note.

Symbol fonts have characters and shapes that don’t look like letters. These are used for emphasis or decoration. Examples include Symbol, Webdings and Wingdings. You’d only need to use these if you want to decorate your text a bit.

Display fonts have some personality and attitude. They often suggest an era or time period. Examples include Broadway, Playbill and Chiller. They should be used sparingly in ads or for special occasions. The Chiller font would work well for a Halloween sale, for instance.

How many to use? Experts recommend only using two fonts on a single ad. Generally, you should use a sans-serif font for all headings and headlines, and use a serif font for body text. You should also only use bold or italic sparingly in ads so that the effect actually sticks out. If you bold every other sentence, none will stand out.

Which to use? Use whichever font gives off the feeling of your product and your brand. Everything in your design should reflect your brand. If you’ve got a modern brand, use mostly sans-serif fonts. If you’ve got an older brand, use serif fonts in your ads. Your logo can be in any kind of font that gives off your brand’s personality. Just make sure it is readable.

When Packaging Lies

2008-10-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

How many times have you opened a frozen dinner and have found the contents to look nothing like the tasty picture on the front of the box? Probably every time I would think. I know I can’t think of a time when I actually opened a frozen meal to find something that closely resembled the mouth watering, or at least, somewhat non-nasty-looking, photo on the front of the box. Bamboozled again!

Actually, I’ve come to expect that, as I’m sure you have too. It’s a rare treat when the frozen contents looks like what the box promises. If you’d like to see some gross examples of all this talk of frozen goodies, go to the Fresh Creation blog. It’s pretty nasty. If you’re hungry and don’t want to be, take a look at this site right now!

In the same way, how does your brand keep its promise to customers? When someone opens the packaging of your product, are they disappointed that it doesn’t look like the pretty picture on the package? Do people feel all warm and fuzzy inside (whatever adjectives you told them they would feel) when they use your product? If not, your brand is lying. Your packaging is lying, and your packaging is simply an offshoot of your brand. If your packaging lies, your brand lies. Your pants are on fire, Mister!

And consumers have come to expect lies from marketers and advertisers. Seth Godin even wrote a book called All Marketers Are Liars. At least he’s telling the truth…or is he?

Godin says that marketers are storytellers and that over the years, their stories have become more unbelievable and even predictable. How many times have you heard companies state that they “care about their customers.” Or that they have “the lowest prices” or “the best customer service”, when really they don’t have any of that? It’s almost as if these are just phrases that they pull out of a marketing template that every single marketing department in the world uses. People are sick of hearing these lies.

Consumers expect to hear lies from marketing, so the best way to get their attention? Tell the truth. Here’s how.

1. Look at your brand from a consumer’s perspective. They know nothing about your inner workings. Where did your product come from? What is its value? What do the top management believe and how do they act? Ask yourself what truth you would want to know if you didn’t know your company.

2. Look at your competition. What are they saying about themselves? Is it the truth? Does it even sound truthful or are they pulling from the “marketing template?” You don’t want to say the same truth that they are, so be sure you know what they are saying.

3. Pinpoint what will drive your relationship with customers. Determine all of your attributes and pick out the one or two that customers will care about and that will help them trust you. Will the fact that yours is a family business make them believe you and trust you? Or will your top-rated customer service be the driver of the relationship?

4. Get to know your customers. What are they interested in? What makes them happy? What are they willing to believe about your brand that is different and more attractive than the competition? Once you know what is important to them (family values), you’ll know what truths about your brand and company you want to play up (family-run business).

Basic Tips on Writing Print Ads that Pop

2008-10-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some basic tips for advertising newbies or small business owners on how to write print ads with the top-down approach. The top is your headline and the bottom is your contact info.

Headline
This is the first phrase or short sentence your prospect is going to see when looking at your print ad. Your headline should:

Grab people’s attention
Give people a benefit of using your product
Use strong power words

Numbers grab people’s attention, so if you can ever use a number in your headline, by all means do so! Be sure to write out the numeral: 7, rather than seven because it’s the shape of the number that grabs people’s attention. Use non-round numbers like 7, 8 or 9 rather than 5 or 10. These “round” numbers (usually ending in 0 or 5) have been used so often that people tend to skip over them. Also, non-round numbers sound more truthful. If you have over 20 items in stock, give the exact number: “We have 23 cars on our lot, ready to go home with you!”sounds more truthful than “We have over 20 cars on our lot!”

Subhead
Not all print ads have subheads, and that’s okay. It’s a matter of preference. It’s best to keep headlines short and sweet, about 8 to 9 words at the most. A subhead should be a little smaller size font than the headline, or in a different headline that shows it’s not as important as the headline. It’s still important, mind you, if your headline doesn’t tell the whole story. For example, a Lunchables headline reads: “Feed Their Wonder.” That’s an interesting headline with an interesting word and a benefit. But I have no idea what it refers to. In this case, the subhead is needed and expands the headline to draw the reader in further: “Introducing Lunchables Wrapz!”

Okay I was pulled in by the headline to find out more, and then the subhead pulled me in again. Very nice. On to the body copy.

Body copy
Your body copy needs to be written in a friendly format – it shouldn’t sound like a boring professor’s lecture. Talk directly to your prospect, like you are telling a friend about a great product. Depending on your audience and the type of publication you’re advertising in, your body copy can be long or short. Generally, long copy works best with magazine and newspaper ads. Shorter copy works best with kid-oriented publications or online pubs. Keep your paragraphs short so that those who want to skim can get the info they need and those that want more details can read on.

Images
Graphics and photos are not a must for all print ads, but for most print ads. Just be sure you use an image that reflects what your ad is about – don’t use a cute picture of a puppy just to draw people in and then talk about drain cleaner. The image must be relevant to your message.

Call to action
This is the sentence where you tell people what you want them to do. “Call now.” “Visit our Web site for more info.” Don’t ask people to contact you; tell them. People aren’t motivated enough to contact you on their own. And wherever you place your call to action (like on the back panel of a brochure), be sure to include your contact info nearby.

Contact info
People can’t call you if they don’t know your phone number. How will customers stop by your store if you don’t provide an address? You want to end with contact info, because it is the basic, boring info that only people who read to the end of your print ad will need. It’s necessary, but takes up valuable space if you list your contact info first. You need to get people interested in your product before you give your contact info because they won’t want it until they want your product.

The Ads on the Bus Go ’Round and ’Round

2008-10-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

Kids’ attention is a hot commodity these days. According to numbers from CBS, companies spend almost $17 billion a year to market to kids. Also, 8- to 12-year-olds spend $30 billion of their own money and influence $150 billion of their parents’ spending each year. And companies are finding more and more ways to advertise to kids.

In some states, such as Michigan where district schools are now considering allowing advertising inside school buses, advertising on the outside of school buses is against the law. Not all states have this law though.

Some schools already have advertising on the outside of their school buses, as well as in their schools. But I didn’t find anything about school buses having ads inside the bus.

Cherry Creek schools in Colorado sold ads on the outside of schools buses, featuring advertisers from local TV station to rec centers and the U.S. Army. The ad revenues topped out at $54,000. The school district’s spokeswoman said that no parents have complained about the ads.

The Humble, Texas school district signed a contract with Steep Creek Media to sell school bus ads in the district, hoping to make $1 million per year.

On the other hand, the South Carolina School Board banned school bus ads just this past September.

With school budgets being cut more and more each year, many school districts feel this is what they have to do stay afloat or to afford to keep teachers on board.

On the other hand, advertising is allowed in schools anyway, so why not take it one more step to the buses? The Grand Rapids public school district in Michigan takes advertising for its Highlights newsletter, which is sent to every single house in the city. In Seminole County, Florida, McDonald’s advertised on elementary school report card envelopes that students with good grades, behavior or attendance would get a free Happy Meal. In exchange for the ad space, McDonald’s paid for the printing of the report cards and the report card envelopes, which totaled about $1,600. McDonald’s and the school planned to do this for the entire year, although McDonald’s had made a promise to stop advertising in all elementary schools. It’s funny that this statement was reported on Dec. 6, 2007: “The school district said it will continue to run the ads on the report card envelopes throughout the year. It will take into consideration the one complaint it received from a parent into consideration for next year.” And then the one parent caused enough of a ruckus to make McDonald’s pull its ads on the report card envelopes only one month later. On Jan. 18, 2008, it was announced that McDonald’s would no longer include ads on the report card envelopes and would pay to print new report cards and envelopes that were void of ads.

This is a thin line to skate on – advertising to kids is loathed, but school districts need that money in this economy where their budgets are shrinking. Do you think ads inside schools and school buses are acceptable? I don’t think so. But then again, would I want to pay higher school fees for public education to make up for the loss of ad revenue? Probably not. I think that’s the questions parents need to be asked – do they want to make up the difference in the budget or let the advertisers do it?

Why Slashing Your Advertising Budget in a Recession Is Not a Good Idea

2008-10-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

The current economy has already drawn comparisons to the Great Depression, even though we are nowhere near that bad of a situation. Thank goodness. Experts say we are heading for a bad recession, just not as bad as the Great Depression, which saw unemployment rates of around 25 percent. The unemployment rate was at 6.1 percent in September, obviously not near to the Great Depression percentage.

In the slowing economy, businesses are laying off and firing people due to the anticipation of financial difficulty, and not because of actual difficulty. The New York Times’ Brad Stone and Claire Cain Miller aren’t trying to make people nervous or panicked by saying “a pall of anxiety seems to be spreading over the land.”

Financial services and automakers are tightening their advertising budgets and online businesses are starting to take a hard look at their budgets. Online businesses rely heavily on advertising for their income.

But tightening the advertising budget is not the answer. History has shown that lowering advertising during hard economic times just results in less business once the economy recovers.

Even during the Great Depression major companies knew that. Chevy, Camel cigarettes and Proctor & Gamble (which helped foster soap operas during this time) kept advertising because they realized they needed to just to maintain brand loyalty. They also created much brand loyalty during this time, as people saw stability in these brands that kept advertising.

Why You Shouldn’t Slash Your Advertising Budget
People are still buying stuff. People still have money to spend; they just aren’t spending it on extravagant items right now. Then again, all those CEOs that the government has bailed out from the investment companies and failed banks have millions to spend. AIG CEO Martin Sullivan got a cool $47 million after ruining that company. Stanley O’Neal at Merrill Lynch got a nice severance package of $66 million right before the company was taken over by Bank of America. So, see, there are still some people buying!

Seriously, though, people are still buying essentials. People that have been saving money for big-ticket items might even be more apt to buy them with all of the price slashing that many big companies are intending for the holiday season. All is not lost.

People are staying at home more, reading magazines and watching TV. That means they’re seeing more advertising. Family-oriented items for the house are still going to sell and those companies make a profit.

Advertising is a way to show consumers that companies are healthy. Many people don’t watch the stock market and they don’t watch the news. What they do figure out about the economy comes from advertising – those companies they continually see must be doing well, they figure, and those companies that can’t afford to advertise, don’t.

By keeping your advertising budget where it is you’ll garner more consumer trust. You’ve been there through good times and bad, and you’re a stable company so it’s best to invest your products and services. Isn’t this the kind of brand image companies want? The companies that keep on advertising during hard times are the ones that fit this image.

Subliminal Advertising

2008-10-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

Australian TV network, Network Ten, used subliminal advertising during the 2007 ARIA awards, but will not be punished by the media authority in Australia. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced on October 7 that it found Network Ten guilty of breaching the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice during the broadcast of the 2007 ARIA Music Awards on October 28. (ARIA is the Australian Recording Industry Association, similar to the American Music Awards in the United States.)

During the introduction of the awards show, when they announce the nominated artists, Network Ten “broadcasted quick one-frame bursts of sponsor logos, which included Chupa Chups, Big W, Olay, Telstra Bigpond, KFC and Toyota” according to BusinessDay.com. It was ABC’s Media Watch program revealed the breach.

ACMA reviewed the material and found the “rapid-cut graphics used in the program was a technique that attempted to convey information to viewers below or near the threshold of normal awareness.”Network Ten argued to the ACMA that “the rapid-cut graphics were intended to be creatively consistent with the fast-paced look and feel of the music presentations.” Uh-huh. Sure. That’s why most people weren’t even aware of the graphics. What good would that do unless the network was really trying to use subliminal advertising, which the evidence suggests it was in fact doing.

The ACMA warned Network Ten not to try that again with the upcoming 2008 ARIA awards, airing October 19.

What is a subliminal message?
According to Wikipedia, “A subliminal message is a signal or message embedded in another medium, designed to pass below the normal limits of the human mind's perception.” You don’t consciously register what you’ve seen, but your subconscious mind and unconscious mind can be influenced negatively or positively by subliminal messages. Later on, when you’re considering what kind of car to buy, for instance, you might think of Toyota over Ford because your subconscious mind remembers seeing the flicker of Toyota ad during the ARIA awards.

The key in subliminal messages is to keep it short – the mind can only perceive one word or one image at a time at that low of a perception level.

Subliminal ads
Subliminal ads aren’t just on TV – many print ads also have a subliminal message. Check out the following sexy, subliminal ads: http://mioliz.com/?p=166. Look closely at the Coke ad – I can’t believe Coke would do that!

I’m sure you’ve heard of subliminal messages in Disney films too – suggesting erotic overtures. But not all subliminal ads have to do with sex, although that seems to be the most popular examples when I Googled “subliminal advertising.” Any word or image that is flashed in milliseconds within another medium can be considered subliminal. Just as any word or image in a print ad or even spoken during a radio commercial that is intentionally inserted for milliseconds to increase influence in product choices can be subliminal. Some might not see anything wrong with subliminal advertising, but it is wrong because people should be aware of what kind of info they are consuming.

When to Use Digital or Offset Printing for Marketing Materials

2008-10-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

Whether you’re printing a poster, brochure or flyer, you’ve got the choice of printing these items digitally or by offset. Offset is the traditional way of printing with large plates to a rubber blanket to the paper. Digital printing does not use plates or rubber blankets, and instead uses computer files that are transferred to a printer to create images.

When is digital printing the best printing process?
When you need to print only a few items. Digital printing is expensive so it’s best to use this option only when you need less than 100 items.

When you need print jobs quick. It’s easier to get a rush delivery on a digitally printed item because you don’t have to account for any time to create the plates as in offset printing. Also, in digital printing, the ink dries faster – usually not much longer than the time it takes to expose the ink to the air. You can often get an overnight project printed with digital printing.

When you want to print on something other than paper. Digital printers use an ink that adheres to materials like vinyl, plastic and fabric better than the ink used in offset printers.

Extra large posters (bigger than 50 x 100 inches) are printed on digital printers more easily. And, extra large posters are generally printed on more durable material, such as vinyl or fabric, which goes back to our previous reason for using digital printing.

When is offset printing the best printing process?
When you’re printing in large quantities or want a bulk discount. The high velocity rollers of offset printers can product many more brochures or flyers in an hour than a digital printer.
When you need faster printing of many items. The ink of digital printers might dry up faster, but the actual printing process itself takes a lot longer than an offset printer. If you’re printing over 1,000 items, you’ll be waiting for weeks for your digital printer to actually print your items. Although the setup of the plates is time-consuming, if you’re printing more than 100 items, you’ll more likely get your product faster by going with offset printing.

Offset printing has more industry standard poster sizes, brochure sizes and flyer sizes of paper ready to go. This can make it cheaper than digital printing for these sizes because digital printers might not stock as many of these papers, meaning you have to pay for them to get the paper and you also have to wait for them to get the paper. Going with an offset printer is often cheaper than digital when you have standard items to print.

When you’re on a budget. As of now, offset printing is cheaper than digital printing no matter what kind of item you’re printing and in no matter what time frame.

Spruce Up Your Marketing Materials

2008-09-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

No matter what your marketing materials entail, from a boring listing of a house for sale to a brochure for an exciting new product, there’s always a way to make your marketing materials look more glamorous. Check out this great example from the national real estate magazine blog: http://agentgenius.com/?p=4448. Lani Anglin-Rosales spruced up a boring MLS listing to something with much more pizzazz.

I’m going to use the makeover of that house’s flyer as a jumping off point for this post of how to spruce up marketing materials.

First, get great photos. The house’s first flyer had a boring picture of the front of the house. Yawn. No other photos were offered so you couldn’t see the inside of the house. The inside is just as important as the outside. The photos Lani chose for the makeover flyer are so much better (professionally taken) and show the inside of the house.

So, no matter what your marketing materials are selling, be sure you include great, crisp, non-blurry photos of every angle of your product that is important. A dishwasher, for instance, needs to have its inside and outside shown. Not only do I want to see the inside, I want to see the inside with the racks pulled open. The outside might seem boring to some, but I’d like to see what the buttons or levers look like. Take your audience’s preferences into consideration – will your audience want to see the aesthetics?

Add some cool design elements. This could be anything from a modern-looking font to recurring shapes like circles or squares in the corners of the marketing piece. You’ll also want to add your logo, and whether the logo is a main element is up to you. If you have a funky, modern logo that goes with the design theme for a certain marketing piece, use it as much as possible. If your logo is a classic style that goes with a classic design with more traditional fonts and photos, use it. Just make sure you don’t overuse your logo with designs that don’t match the design or feel of the logo.

Use Photoshop effects. Photoshop has lots of great graphics effects like blurring, fading and diffusing that can give old photos a new look. Photoshop also has some good bordering effects that can give your marketing photos a whole new look.

Use colors that pop. You should ideally only use two or three main colors, so make one of those colors pop. Using gray, black and red can produce some eye-catching and interesting designs with the pop of the red against the darker background colors. Just be sure to use complementary colors, not contrasting colors that will have people squinting and looking away.

Brochure Printing Guidelines

2008-09-11T16:08:00.001-07:00

Your company may have business cards, letterheads, and other basic marketing materials, but have you considered brochure printing? Brochures can help your company make the transition from being perceived as another small business to that of a legitimate business partner. Consumers and businesses alike have reason to be skeptical if they have never done business with you before. Improve your odds of opening dialogue between you and your potential customers with a brochure.

Here are three reasons every business, and especially online businesses, must have a brochure in their arsenal of advertising tools.

Credibility
Anybody can set up a small business, print off a couple of business cards, throw up a basic website, and call themselves an expert. When your company produces brochures, the customer has one more reason to think they can trust you. There’s an expectation that if your company is legitimate then you will have sales literature, such as a brochure. For a big credibility boost, consider brochure printing.

Research
Consumers and businesses consider having a brochure to be an opportunity to research not only the products and services being advertised, but also the company. By giving your customers a brochure, you are inviting them to scrutinize you and your products. This builds on the credibility discussed earlier, but goes further by providing the customer with research they can use on their own time. Show your customers that you value their time and trust their judgment by giving them research materials through your brochure.

Competition
Like it or not, your competition probably already has printed sales literature. If you want to be considered a legitimate alternative, then you have to at least match what your competitors are doing. Of course, if your competition is not already engaged in brochure printing, this is your opportunity for one-up-man-ship. To make sure your potential customers perceive you to be legitimate competitor, put a brochure in their hands.

Brochures improve credibility in the mind of your customer, it gives them the ability to research you and your products at their convenience, and puts you the same ballpark as your competition. As competition becomes more fierce, you need every advantage at your disposal. Brochure printing can create that little extra energy that pushes your company over the top.

4 Quick Tips for Poster Advertisements

2008-09-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

Advertising with poster printing involves the artful use of colors, text, and images wrapped up in a simple design. Effective posters also rely on the ability to be unique, so make sure that you do not limit your ability to design a poster that stands out. Use custom poster printing so that you will have the freedom to choose the options that you need.

Colors - Use only two or three different colors to avoid overwhelming viewers. You may want to choose colors that help to establish your brand, such as those that match or are included in your logo. For professional color poster printing, find a printer that uses the full color method for vivid images.

Text - Choose a text size that can be easily read from the distance that consumers will be viewing your poster. Never use all caps as this can be difficult to read, but rather use contrasting colors or a larger size for emphasis.

Images - Don't clutter your poster with lots of pictures. Instead, choose one image that makes your offer believable. Use a professional picture for your poster printing to avoid blurring when enlarged. The resolution of photographs are measured in dot-per-inch (dpi) - poster images should use a minimum of 300 dpi up to 800 dpi for the best results.

Customization - Using custom poster printing means that you will be able to make your posters unique, which is important for capturing the attention of prospects on the go. Find a printing company that will allow you to choose your own printing options, instead of a printer that only gives you a few generic layouts.

Choose your colors, text, and images carefully as posters rely on their ability to capture attention. When choosing a printer, find one that offers custom poster printing so that you can order the posters you need. This way, your posters will be a worthy advertising tool that grabs the attention of any consumer.

The Importance of a Strong Slogan

2008-09-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

Does your company have a slogan?

This little detail is often overlooked when companies start up their brand name. A logo is often one of the first things they take care of, because a logo is more visual, and more noticeable to the average person.

But what about a strong company slogan? Often short, simple, sometimes clever, and always to the point, a slogan adds a strong element to the brand that you just can’t get any other way.

Many companies who do have slogans fail to properly emphasize them. I’ve had several different companies I’ve done business with for years and then one day I’m looking a little closer at some of their general company information and notice a slogan I’d never even seen before. They never bothered to put it on their business cards or put it in their other kinds of color printing, so why did they even bother making one?

Let’s take a look at some of the better known slogans different companies have used. American Express: Don’t leave home without it. Alka Seltzer: I can’t believe I ate the whole thing. Delta Airlines: You’ll love the way we fly.

All of these have a common theme: they’re very brief and they connect well with the company and what they do. Some are more simplistic, such as the one for Delta, that simply tells you you’ll like their services. Others use humor to be memorable, like Alka Seltzer’s slogan, and by doing so were able to gain a greater recognition in the market place.

But no matter what kind of slogan you use, you need to be using it every chance you have. All of your business cards should have it. Put it under your company name on your brochures or postcards. Every type of color printing you get done needs to have that slogan somewhere people can see.

A strong brand is derived from a strong personality in a company. There are all sorts of different details that go into making that image strong. A logo and slogan are two very important parts of a marketing campaign designed to increase brand awareness.

Remember also that a slogan isn’t always quite as set in stone as it seems. Many companies have managed to establish multiple slogans over the years. Of course, for a company just starting out I’d suggest instead focusing on a single slogan initially to help spread your brand. Don’t confuse people by sending out multiple slogans or trying to have too many messages.

Given the challenges that come with getting a strong name brand developed, there’s no reason to avoid using a tool like a slogan to make the job easier on you. Make yourself unique, and make yourself stand out from all the other companies in the field.

Understanding What a Niche Market Means

2008-08-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

The term niche market has been around for a very long time. Many companies are able to sustain themselves completely by focusing on a niche, but if you’re new to the world of business you might not fully know or understand what the niche market means to a business, or even why they exist.

There are primarily two different areas of the business world: the mainstream and the niche marketing. The mainstream is going to be all of the things that larger companies focus on and go after. Think of computers, furniture, food, and all sorts of various commodities. The overall idea of these things is the mainstream, while buried deep within each area is what one calls the niche market.

Food might be a mainstream market, but Middle Eastern or German food is the niche market. There are fewer people interested in eating these kinds of foods, and so the market for them is smaller, which means most large companies won’t bother with it.
The way you market to these kinds of customers isn’t always going to be the same, either. Custom printing will be employed to best appeal to them in a way different than you would the mainstream market, and once again, larger companies might decide that the costs of altering their operation to appeal to a small subset of the market just isn’t worth their time or money.

This is why niche markets are ideal for the smaller business, because quite often these smaller markets are easily capable of sustaining a company so long as they know how to appropriately market to them.

Plus, something else that becomes very important is that the better you are at marketing to a niche the better your chances are at getting that niche to grow. What began as a postcard or brochure campaign to target people who like German food might end up attracting people who have never tried it, but have interest. Now your niche becomes larger and larger.

Consider this: computers began as a niche market. The early days of computers, back when the Commodore 64 was being introduced to the market, there weren’t a lot of people who were paying much attention to the personal computer market. Those early companies were the ones paying for custom printing, designing advertisements aimed at what were considered tech geeks.

But their marketing coupled with the innovations in the market allowed them to progress beyond what the original niche market was. Microsoft itself was once deeply involved in what was only a niche. Look at what they’ve become now.

Strong marketing and persistence can make a niche into something much larger than it was when you first started, but for it to grow you need companies willing to invest their time into the market. If no ones paying to have brochures, posters, postcards, or flyers printed, than no one is going to be encouraged to have interest in the products.

Brand Utility and You

2008-08-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

The simplest definition of “brand utility” is connecting your product with a “cause” in the minds of consumers. Traditional advertising seeks to inform consumers about the features and specifications of a particular product. The brand utility method is concerned less with feature sets and more with functionality. How can your products make the lives of consumers better? That is the question that a brand utility advertising campaign seeks to answer.

One company that has embraced the brand utility message is Nike. You’ll rarely find an advertisement that simply explains the specifications of one of Nike’s running shoes, as an example. Rather, the emphasis is on reaching your maximum potential. This resonates with consumers because we all want to be the best versions of ourselves.

Companies can engage in brand utility advertising through a number of methods. In fact, the sky is really the limit. Any way that you can imagine improving the lives of customers with your products, or even indirect uses of your products, could be a brand utility advertisement.

An example of directly improving the quality of lives with a product could be as simple as a headphone company displaying people using their products and enjoying their music. In contrast, a traditional advertising campaign may focus more on features such as listening comfort or a cool design.

Indirect methods of brand utility advertising could be something along the lines of the same headphone company giving away free mp3 players during the Christmas shopping season. This indirect method of brand utility connects consumers with methods for improving their lives through the use of these headphones as an included gift or just seeing happy people with your products. All without directly representing features and specifications of the product.

If you are wanting to know how consumers perceive your products or how they use your products, begin by asking them. You may be surprised to find that consumers are fully aware of your products and their features, but not really connect what you have to offer with a use that could improve their lives.

Brand Pitfalls to Avoid

2008-08-25T01:16:00.000-07:00

Developing a strong brand can be a difficult process, and one easily met with failure if you don’t know what you’re doing. There are certain mistakes a lot of companies make in relation to their brand name, and my hopes here are to point out some of the more common ones so that more companies will avoid them.

First, don’t think that just because you’ve come up with a logo and brand name that people are going to immediately accept it as your brand. A lot of companies don’t promote their brand as much as they really need to because they think people are quicker to accept a brand than they often are.

Print color flyers or color posters with your brand name all over them. Send out as many brochures as you can dealing with the strengths of your company and all the things you can do for people. If you aren’t pushing your brand name than no one is going to know anything about it.

Next, don’t stretch your brand name too thin by trying to deal with too many different products or industries. Laura and Al Ries states in their book The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding: How to Build a Product or Service into a World-Class Brand that, “When you put your brand name on everything, that name loses its power. Chevrolet used to be the best-selling automobile in America. No longer.” So why do companies do it? As they go on to state, “Why does Chevrolet market all those models? Because it wants to sell more cars. And in the short term, it does. But in the long term, it undermines its brand name in the mind of the consumer.” If you aren’t careful the same will happen with your brand name.

Next, you have to realize that your brand can’t please everyone. All of the popular brands have always targeted a specific market. The more people you’re hoping to appeal to the more you dilute your brand name and image.

Along the same lines, if you want your brand to be successful you need to know exactly what that brand is supposed to be and stand for. How can you design marketing material that promotes your core brand message if you aren’t positive about what that message is to begin with?

Even after a brand has been established there are still risks to be aware of. Failing to maintain a brand will quickly drive away all those people you spent so hard trying to get. The previous example of Chevrolet is a perfect fit, where by stretching their brand they lost a certain portion of their existing customers.

This also means you have to always have a solid marketing plan dealing with your brand to ensure you never lose sight of your brand name or who you’re trying to appeal to. Once a brand is established, every form of advertising has to have the question asked first: how will this affect our brand name?

Hopefully this information will help you to avoid some of these common mistakes that other companies fall into. A careful eye, and a dedication to your brand, will do wonders to ensure your brand name is long lasting.

Customize Your Look

2008-08-25T01:13:00.000-07:00

Here’s a test: take the last few advertisements you printed and lay them out on a table. Next take the last few advertisements from your competition, however many companies that might be, and lay them out on that exact same table.

Now, when you stand back and look at the purely visual aspect of the ads, how different are they? Are certain ads vastly superior to the others, are they particularly eye-catching, something that leaps out of the grouping, or are you finding yourself blending them all together in your mind.

Is anything jumping out?
When I do this with various companies I find myself not really knowing anymore which ad came from which company. They all just look almost exactly the same, with maybe a minor color differences being the sole distinction.

How are you going to be noticed in the marketplace if your ads aren’t doing anything different from everyone else?
And this isn’t necessarily about coming up with completely different types of advertising either. If postcards have been doing wonders in your industry than you would be smart to keep using them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t vary up the postcards.

Custom printing should always be taken into consideration. Never settle for something unless it really grabs you. Maybe slightly altering what you’ve been doing might be enough to pull your advertisements out.

If brochures have been your things, why not try using pocket brochures? They’ll attract the same kind of people that the brochures were, but they’ll have the extra touch with pockets that allows you to put more information, and makes your brochures catch the eye in a way the normal brochures won’t.

Something very important to look at to is what everyone else is doing. Custom printing only remains custom if fewer people are doing it. If everyone in your industry started using pocket brochures, suddenly normal brochures would become custom instead.

That’s why I first suggested lining up your ads alongside everyone else’s. You need to do the research first to see what people are up to before you can change things up and do it differently than them.

You might start up a system of keeping careful track of everything the competition is putting out, that is if you aren’t paying attention already. Part of the trick is to stay ahead of the pack. If you alter your style and it picks up in popularity, you can bet the other companies are going to start copying you.

As soon as they do switch to something else, leaving them behind the times, and always trying to play catch up with you.

Those who lead the pack are going to be the ones getting all the business. You need to be sure that you aren’t just following behind someone else. Start innovating and get all the others to try copying you instead.

How to Transform Your Catalog Copy to SEO Copy

2008-08-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

When it comes to online catalog copy, it’s not in your best interest to simply copy and paste your print catalog onto your online catalog’s Web site. Print catalogers know that short, punchy descriptions of multiple products per page are what increase the ROI of catalog printing, but those short descriptions won’t help you with SEO copy on your online catalog site. Search engines like Google “crawl” Web sites to find relevant information and the sites that are most relevant to a search go to the top of the list. The top is where you need to be if you want to have a good click-thru rate.

You can use your print catalog copy on your Web site – you just have to tweak it a bit to make it SEO-friendly.

Two Markets, One SEO Strategy
You are trying to reach two markets with SEO strategy: those who are ready to make a purchase now and those who are still researching. You must develop a content strategy that satisfies both camps to drive targeted traffic to your Web site at each stage of the buying process.

Your Landing Page Copy
Instead of creating a new mini-site for each product, you can create a pay-per-click landing page for each product that is connected to the rest of your online catalog site. The copy you write for a landing page that is SEO-friendly and puts you at the top of the search results can also be used as a pay-per-click landing page. This gives you double the visibility on the search results list. So how do you create an effective landing page?
Follow these tips:

Focus your keywords for each product
Consumers and business buyers use search phrases to find your products and some search phrases are used more than others. The key to getting a good SEO ranking at the top of the search results list is to figure out what people are searching for most. You can use industry tools like WordTracker (www.wordtracker.com) to help you determine which keywords and search phrases are most popular for your specific product or your industry.

Then you include two to three keywords or search phrases in each page of your Web site and repeat each word or phrases two to three times. Choose words that are general and specific to your product.

Write longer product descriptions
In print catalogs you only have a little space to write a product description. For online catalogs, each product should have its own page which means you have room to go into detail about each product. Longer product descriptions work better with SEO than shorter descriptions. Try to make your product descriptions at least 200 words and sprinkle in two to three keywords repeated as much as possible (with a limit of three repeats each) to make your product page flow well and so that your keywords don’t stick out and disrupt the flow of the text.

Repeat your company’s benefits on each product page
Since each product page is acting like a separate landing page, you need to let customers know about your company’s benefits and other offerings to motivate people to click thru to the rest of your catalog. Include a short paragraph about what makes you different from your competitors and feature whatever kind of sale or deal (like free shipping) you have going on at the time on each page.

Create a distinctive title for each product page
If each page of your online catalog has the same title, e.g. “Our Catalog” instead of a distinctive title describing what’s on the page, your search results will suffer. The page title is what people click on from the search engine’s list, so the more specific you can be, the better. Include a keyword or search phrase in your page title and you’ll move up even higher on the list.

The Newest Definition of Marketing

2008-08-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

The newest marketing definition was born January 14, 2008. Yes, that’s right, there’s a new one. The American Marketing Association (AMA) has a nine-member committee that rewrites the definition of marketing every five years. Does marketing need a new definition every five years? I don’t know, but the AMA seems to think it does, so I’ll go with it.

The AMA issued a press release, which stated: “One of the most important changes to American Marketing Association’s new definition for marketing is that marketing is presented as a broader activity,” said Nancy Costopulos, chief marketing officer of the AMA. Costopulos went on to state, “Marketing is no longer a function—it is an educational process.”

Ta da! The new marketing definitionThe new definition reads: “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large.” The old and now obsolete definition stated: “Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.”

Let’s break down the definition
So, marketing is an activity, which is probably viewed as a collective activity of everything from newsletter mailings to postcard mailings to posters for a tradeshow.

Institution means “a significant practice, relationship or organization in a society or culture” according to Merriam-Webster, so I guess we could say marketing is a set of practices as well as processes to achieve those practices? I’m really not sure about this part of the definition, so if anyone would like to enlighten me, please do.

The processes probably include the likes of market research, planning, advertising, sales promotions and publicity.

Then, after we plan and create these activities, we implement them by communicating them and delivering them to customers. We deliver them in the way our customers want them. If we know our customers watch TV more than they surf the Internet we inform them through the TV. We deliver our goods effectively.

I’m not sure what “exchanging offerings” means. I will assume (and now we’re in dangerous territory with assumptions) that it means we offer our customers something of value.

Okay, the new definition makes some sense, but the language is a bit of a head-scratcher if you ask me. Basically, instead of being a function, marketing is a process. Are creating marketing posters really part of a process instead of a function? Couldn’t they have just deleted “function” and put “process” in its place in the old definition? I’m just sayin’.

Logos

2008-08-18T00:00:00.001-07:00

You need a logo. That isn’t really much of a secret, but it’s still a very true statement. If you want people to remember you and you want a strong image people will easily be able to attach to then you just have to have a good logo. They go on anything and everything related to your business. Do you have some full color business cards? Slap that logo on them as soon as you can. What about brochures or postcards? Both should always have your logo someplace people can easily see.

I know it seems kind of odd to think about listing off different examples of logos because they’re just everywhere you look. Every form of advertising has that company logo on it. Every car you see driving down the street has a logo for all to see. If you pick up just about any kind of software, any kind of clothing, or any kind of food product guess what you can expect to find.

But when it comes time to actually do your own graphic designing things aren’t always that simple. When you’re sitting in front of your computer with InDesign up you might not be considering what all the other companies are doing, or you might not think it will work for you.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be taking a look at other company logos, but what might work better are looking at logos you don’t have so firmly associate with big name companies. The website www.logodesign.ca is a good source for a slew of logos for companies you might not be as familiar with, and so can learn a little more from.

The styles they show vary greatly from the more simplistic designs to a more complicated picture. Not all of these images will work for every company. The more complicated images will probably help an online company better than one doing a lot of print advertising. Simply logos have become well known for a reason: they are easier to put anywhere.

But one thing you should notice with all of them is that the logo is always right next to the company name. Now, that won’t always be the case with your logo. All cars have them but not all cars have the company name right next to the logo. A great logo should function on its own, but the more you pair it up with your company name the better.

The point is to develop a strong long lasting relationship in people’s minds between your name and your logo until the time arrives when all they need to see is one or the other to recognize you.

Take these examples and try to apply them to your own work. Logos can be difficult to design sometimes, but if you want people to really come to know you, be prepared to start designing.

The Power of Questions

2008-08-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

What do you do when someone asks you a question?

I bet you probably do the same thing I do: I stop to think about it. That’s what most people naturally do when they’re asked a question, even if they don’t know the answer. You stop what you’re doing to focus your attention on that one question just to make sure that you don’t know what the answer is.

It doesn’t matter what else I’m thinking about or what else I’m doing. I find my mind coming to an abrupt halt in order to consider what was asked of me. This can be a very powerful tool and a great way to get someone’s attention if you know how to make it work right for you.

Just think about the postcards you probably get in the mail. Now what is going to make you stop more: a postcard saying, “We can save you money on your cable bill,” or one asking, “How much are you paying for your cable?”

The second one makes you think in order to answer, and odds are good when you see the question the first thing you will do is mentally answer that question. And of course, the unspoken follow up is obvious. They’re asking because they can help you pay less.

The whole point of paying for color printing for any advertising is to get people interested in your products, and to do that you need to make them think. You have to encourage in them a desire to learn more about you.

This is what questions are able to achieve. A color poster is going to be a lot more effective if it has a giant question next to an eye-catching graphic. The graphic makes them look and the question makes them think.

Once those gears are turning you’re in a good position to start getting them to listen to the rest of the pitch.

All brochures should follow a similar format to help increase the odds of getting people interested. The question is what sets up the whole mood of the brochure in order to get people interested in what else it has to say. You won’t get people to care about your brochures if they aren’t hooked right away by a strong question.

Every advertisement is all about the hook that first gets people talking. If you don’t have the hook than it really doesn’t matter what else you have going for you. The hook is the defining aspect of the advertisement, and if you have no hook you can’t expect people to read through it.

Start asking yourself in the future what your hook is. I’m not saying you always have to use a question, but it is a very strong way to get the mind going. And as soon as a person starts thinking about your advertisement, you’ve succeeded.

Going Beyond the Sale

2008-08-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Marketing isn’t always just about selling something. Such a shocking statement, I know, but it’s still true.

Of course first I should say what I mean by selling. Most forms of advertisements are big on pushing the sale. They tell you what a great deal it is, how much you’d love to own this item, and that you should act fast and buy it today. For a lot of different merchandise this is certainly the way to go when you’re getting those orders of commercial printing done. I mean, that’s what postcards are meant for, and they do their job well.

But when you start getting up into those big, once every few years kind of sale, things tend to change a little, and many companies don’t seem to be aware of it.

A big screen TV isn’t an impulse buy for me, nor is it for most people. If I’m going to plunk down that much cash I need to know more about whatever I’m buying than I would when picking up a ten or twenty dollar product.

This is where brochure printing comes into play as a very effective way of selling without directly selling. You can hand someone color brochures that don’t tell people that they need to buy this product today or says that they should act right away.

Instead your brochures tell them about all of the details of the product. It tells them how many channels they’ll be able to get in high definition with that TV. It tells them about the warranty and how long it will last.

The same goes for computers. What most people want to know is what the computer can do. How much ram does it have, memory, graphics cards, and so on. The person probably has already decided that they want a new computer, and that’s why they’re talking to you, which means forcing the sale will be counter productive.

Information is just as much of a means of selling something as the more direct methods. What you’re doing is helping them make a more informed decision. You’re there to assist them, not pressure them, and by doing so you’re increasing the odds of getting a sale.

And you know, sometimes sales can come in ways you’d never expect. I knew a friend once who worked at a car dealership. He had someone come in who asked him a lot of question, went over different details about the various models. He handed them a brochure covering the kind of protection the dealership gave in terms of warranties and so on.

Well, that person left that day without making a purchase saying they needed to think more, and in the end never came back. But instead someone else came in who my friend also helped, which did end in a sale, and after everything was said and done the person mentioned that they were friends with the previous customer, and had come into that dealership because they’d heard about the good service and information given.

Never doubt the power of information and what it can do to boost up your sales.

Business Cards for Beginners

2008-08-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

You’re just starting out in the business world. You have your company all set up and ready. You know what you plan on selling and you know who you plan on selling to. You’ve got the kind of excitement rushing through you that only comes with something big in life, and starting up your own business is certainly something big.

Now comes the time to start looking into marketing. You don’t have the biggest budget in the world and so most of the marketing is going to be done by you. But that’s okay, because you have a good computer with Open Canvas on it and you’re more than willing to get your feet wet.

The first experience you have with both designing and commercial printing will probably have to do with business cards. This is the most common first step for the new business owner because every business owner is going to have a business card.

I’m here to let you know how to make business cards that get the job done.

There are certain basic bits of information you should be aware of that go into the basic business card template. On the front of the card is going to be your contact information along with your company name. If you have a logo—and I would suggest you get a logo—it should go next to your company name as a visual reminder for who you are.
It isn’t hard to get some basic business card samples. Just go to any seminar or workshop and I’ll bet that you’ll come away with plenty of business cards to take a look at. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go beyond what everyone else is doing. This is your card, after all, and you should have a little personality in it, especially if you’re designing it.

Put additional information on the back of the card. Add in a description of your company and what you do. You might put a quote underneath your company name or your company motto if you have one.

Do you want to put a picture of yourself on the front of your card? Go for it and you’ll end up with a memorable card. If you have some other kind of interesting design that will work well with your company image than don’t be afraid to add that in as well.

I would suggest that you don’t get your card too cluttered up. You want things to be well organized and pleasing to the eye, and given the small stature of the business card, the more you put in the more packed in the card will look.

But don’t let that stop you from having some fun and experimenting. Business card printing isn't the most expensive branding material you’ll ever have done, which means you have room to work. If one card doesn’t work, make a new one.

If you’re going to be jumping into the world of marketing, do it with both feet.

Types of Booklets Explained

2008-08-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

A booklet is any small book that informs about issues, products, or a company. Usually bound by staples or glue, a booklet contains a cover and at least four pages. Some include a table of contents, page numbers, and headers throughout. Although most booklets have a similar layout, each type requires slight differences to accomplish the unique purpose.

A public issue booklet informs the public on issues pertaining to health, political parties, economics, or any other issue that concerns the community. The cover usually contains a title that clearly represents the topic and opinion, sometimes with a subtopic. The author or organization name follows the title. Sometimes the cover will also include a small image representative of the topic. The tone is usually emotional and slanted to support the opinion of the author. Often located on the back cover page is contact info for further facts or for getting involved.

A booklet that promotes one or more products often prints a picture of the featured item on the cover. The headline can be the name of the product or line of products and is often followed by a phrase that both accurately tells what the product does and also why it is the best. The company name or logo can be on the front or may also be on the back cover along with contact information. The inside of the booklet will contain graphics with different views of the product and detailed explanations on how it works, why it is necessary to own, and how to purchase it.

Some companies use booklets to inform prospects or potential business partners of their company. The company name is the title, followed by the company tag, such as “Bringing the World to Your Front Door.” A picture promoting the company image and often the logo are also located on the cover. Inside the booklet is a thorough explanation of the inner workings of the company. The interior may also contain pictures, customer testimonials, and a list of current clients. Contact information may be listed inside the booklet or on the back cover.

No matter the type needed, booklet printing is an effective marketing tool when the amount of information is too much for a brochure or flyer.

Things to be Aware of Before You Print

2008-07-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Even though companies are doing it all the time, many people don’t really know all of the details that go into printing their marketing material. There are a lot of important facts to be aware of if you want to make sure you don’t end up ruining a advertising project due to lack of knowledge.

One of the most important printing tips to be aware of is the fact that what you see on your screen is not always going to be the same as what you get on the paper. I recall when I first began designing press releases the first thing I was told was to print out a copy of one before sending it to anyone else.

Why was this so important? The way the colors appear can be surprisingly different on paper than they appear to be on your screen. They might even differ from screen to screen depending on the resolution you happen to have on your computer. Make sure that you’re careful to ensure that the colors are exactly what you want them to be before you send that bulk order only to realize after the fact that the colors aren’t anything like you were expecting.

Another important printing tip is to be sure you always order projects in bulk. The most expensive cost when having something printed is setting up the machinery to do the actual printing. Adding on a few additional copies isn’t going to have a particularly big difference in the cost.

Part of this means you need to plan ahead with your marketing to be aware of how many copies you’re going to need for the next year in order to get all of them published at once. If you aren’t sure what you’ll need a few months down the line you won’t be able to gauge your needs.

It’s a good idea to talk to your printer beforehand to figure out what the rates are and find the ideal number of copies to make to maximize your budget and get as much as possible for your printing.

Going back to the look of the advertisements, be sure you know what type of paper to use as well. The quality and style of the paper you choose will greatly change the impact of the results, and will greatly improve an advertisement if the right type is chosen.

Similarly, if you pick a paper type that doesn’t really fit your medium, you’ll end up with a piece of marketing that won’t be as effective at doing its job. Your printer should be able to explain to you what kind of paper stock will fit best for your particular project if you don’t know what to ask for yourself.

The most important printing tip is to simply be aware of what the process
contains. If you know what’s happening, you’ll be in a better position to make sure you get exactly what you want.

Is Podcasting for You?

2008-07-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

Any good marketer should be keeping an eye out for the new forms of marketing. Those were the first people putting radio ads on the air and those were the first people filming TV ads when the technology was still new. Lately, we’re faced with yet another form of marketing that a lot of people are starting to take advantage of, and that’s marketing through podcasting.

Yes, the growing form of podcasts, a more focused version of the radio that allows people to send out a message to a potentially wide audience. You don’t have the same limits of signals and other issues radios face, allowing you to target anyone who has an internet connection. Of course, unlike a radio a podcast is going to be downloaded and listened to at a separate time, and unlike a radio people will have the ability to skip over an advertisement.

So, how does one turn this into a great form of marketing? While people can skip over certain parts of a podcast they aren’t as likely to because most people simply aren’t as used to, and if you give them something that will really appeal to them they simply won’t want to skip over it.

What this boils down to is a drive by you to focus on a strong niche market. Figure out the right kind of podcasts that you know your niche market is going to download and get your advertisements into them. You can set up your advertisements similar to a custom brochure when it comes to the information you hand to people, but package it by having a well known announcer, or perhaps some other kind of celebrity within your niche market to help make people listen.

If you have a short and sweet message like what you’d find on a flyer just give it to them straight and people are going to listen. The sooner you get to the point the less likely it will be that people will even care to skip past you, because you’ll be immediately telling them something interesting.

Podcasting can be a lot like direct mail marketing in that you’re getting your advertisement directly into a person’s home. Figure out how to tailor your message for your particular audience, and you’ll have plenty of success marketing through podcasting.

The Benefits of Postcards

2008-07-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

If you own a business, you should consider sending out marketing postcards to the people on your mailing list. Add postcards to your advertising strategy, and you might just see a nice little spike in revenue.

Why is postcard printing so effective? Oh, let me count the ways:

Cost
Postcards are not very expensive. You can get a large number of very good looking postcards for a very reasonable price. If you search around for a reputable commercial printer, you can even enter into a very good working relationship and get future discounts.

Convenience
Postcards are wonderful because they are ready to send as soon as they are produced. Obviously, you have to design the postcards to meet the regulations of the postal service. But as long as you do that, it will save you a great deal of time, not to mention the money you will save on address labels and the like.

Usefulness
Postcards can be used to attract customers and build loyalty among existing customers. Make your postcards informative and beneficial to the recipients. And don’t even try to sell anything on your postcards. Just make them interesting and useful, and the customers will come to you. That is when you can sell them products or services.

Targeting
You can send your postcards to specific target customers, which allows you to run an efficient marketing campaign. You save money by not sending materials to people who are not likely to buy your product or services. You also save time because you don’t have to search around for people to give your literature to.

Repeatability
Once you design and use a postcard that proves to be effective, you can use it again. Even if you have to have another batch printed, they will still continue to generate revenues for your money.

Get Educated about These Five Marketing Mistakes

2008-07-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

There are many marketing traps that can ruin your marketing campaign. The best way to avoid these traps is to know about them and get educated about them. Read on for five mistakes you should watch out for in your marketing campaign.

Unproven claims: Many companies make the mistake of advertising a claim they think customers most want to hear, and then once customers get in the door, they can be distracted into forgetting the reason they walked in. This doesn’t work. If you can’t back up or follow through on your claims, you’ll lose customers as fast as you gained them. Be sure to only use outrageous claims that you can deliver on. You have the fastest oil changing business in the area? Prove it and you’ll have customers for life. You’ll also have customers who tell their friends about you and voila! – free word-of-mouth marketing. A bonus just for proving yourself!

Creating one advertisement instead of a marketing campaign: One ad cannot tell your entire story. If you try to get your multifaceted message across in one brochure, you’re just going to convolute your message and readers won’t be able to tell which point of your brochure they should remember. If you have seven different points you want to make, you need to create seven different brochures, each highlighting one point.

Sending out mailers late in the week. Why compete with all the mail that comes Thursday through Sunday? Those are the busiest days of the week for people to receive mail. Yes, you may want to get into the customers’ minds right before they go shopping, but trust me, they’ll keep your ad from Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday because your mailer will stick out amongst the bills in the small pile of mail delivered on those days.

Relying on event marketing. A marketing event, like a contest or demo held in your store will definitely help you garner some long-term relationships with customers. But what about the customers who weren’t at the event? You’ll have more people that didn’t get to attend your event than you do that did get to the event. What kind of message do you have for the no-shows? You need to create the same message as your event, but make it portable. You could set up a video of the demonstration and play it on your Web site or on TVs throughout your store. You could also create brochures to hand out at the event that people can take with them; there’s a high probability that these people will talk to their friends about your event and give them your brochure. Make sure you’re doing something other than events to market your product or service.

Sacrificing clarity for creativity in your sales copy. Many marketing materials today have some kind of clever joke people don’t get or reference something the general public doesn’t know. If you use this tactic in your sales copy, you have a greater chance of alienating customers rather than impressing them. Keep your words clear and persuasive instead of creative and you’ll reach a much bigger audience.

Brochure Basics

2008-07-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to make your brochures work for your company. For one thing, you have to make them stand out. There are a whole lot of brochures out there, and yours can easily get lost in the crowd if you don’t design them properly.
In the end, though, there are some basic elements that you should include in your brochures to make them as effective as possible:

White Space is Good
Many people try to fill up every available millimeter of space on their brochures. Let me tell you: that is not a good idea. Filling up every bit of printing space does two things, neither of which is good. First, it makes your brochure look cluttered and not very well thought out. Second, it overwhelms the reader. Most people will glance at your brochure, see your complicated design, and move on to the brochure next to it on the rack.

Don’t be Afraid to Experiment
Go ahead and live a little the next time you design a brochure. Try a different size or a new type of paper stock. Try a different folding pattern. As we said earlier, the more you can make your brochures stand out, the better they will work.

Go with Color
You should always, always, always use full color brochures if the option is available to you. Color brochures are much more effective than black and white ones. Think of it from the customer’s point of view. If you are looking at a rack full of brochures, which ones are going to grab your attention? If you are honest with yourself, you will say that color brochures will catch your eye before a black and white one.

Stay with Simple Fonts
Do not get all fancy with your text. Many companies try to use the most exotic type fonts they can find. Others throw four or five different font types into one brochure. Both of those tricks will backfire on you. Again, you do not want to confuse or overwhelm the reader. Readers will know when you are getting fancy. You simply want to relay your message to the reader in the simplest, most straightforward way possible.

Make the Words and Look Work Together
Sometimes, you will see a brochure that just doesn’t look right, but you can’t figure out why. It may be because the text and the images just don’t mesh. Make sure the fonts you use work well with the graphics that you have chosen. There is no concrete way of determining this, but if you don’t like the “feel” of your brochure, the customers won’t, either.

The Balance Between Images and Writing

2008-07-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

No matter what kind of advertising you plan on designing, there is always going to be the question of how much should you focus on images and how much text do you need to get your point across. See, both have a very distinctive purpose, and both are necessary, but how much you have of each can have a big impact on your finished product.

Certain forms of advertising are going to have a natural focus on one over the other, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a careful balance to be paying attention to.

For full color flyers for instance, you’ll like have only enough text to get your point across while the rest of the design will be focus on images that will grab people’s attention. The typical flyer only gives the most basic information it needs to, which is going to be an announcement of some kind, and the rest will be dedicated to getting people interested in looking at it.

However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be a time when additional text might be important, especially if the text is going to take up the slack for the lack of images. Maybe the headline will be the eye grabber rather than a picture? So you still have to decide which one you’ll need more of, or if you’ll need an equal amount of both.

In other areas of color printing like printed booklets the emphasis will be on text, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to have any images in them. Maybe a picture of some kind will support each page, or maybe this will only draw the eye away from the text, which will end up hurting the book’s message.

Take color brochures. Here is a very tough case of images versus text. Certain brochures are simply going to need to have more text to explain to people about a product or service, while other styles will be very picture heavy to help bring people into the idea of the product and where it can take them.

Now, what is really the point in mentioning all of this? I’ve seen enough forms of color printing where I can tell that the person who designed it really wasn’t considering the struggle between images and words. This can be one of the most defining aspects of any form of advertising, and because of it, it should be given heavy consideration.

The best way to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t is by looking at existing advertising and ask yourself which ads appeal to you the most and why they do. Figure out if something could’ve said more about the product without harming the visual motif of the ad, or if more images could’ve complimented the words being written.

The point isn’t to tell you a definitive right or wrong way to do it, but to point out the importance this decision will make, and to state you should be aware of it.

How to Pre-Plan for Trade Shows

2008-07-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

Trade shows are about promoting yourself, your brand, your product or service, and your company. To make the most of your next trade show, you need to start planning for it 6 to 8 months ahead of time. Even if you don’t know what you’re going to eat for your next meal, you need to know how you’re going to handle the trade show attendees that come your way. Here are some planning tips to follow:

1. Plan your pre-show strategy.

You need to get people buzzing about your trade show appearance, and get them eager to visit your booth. Let people know ahead of time by:

Emailing or mailing personal invites. You can send e-vites by special Web sites that do just that. You get to choose the background and color palette (there are some really cute e-vite design on Sendomatic.com) and then you send the e-vite from the Web site. Sendomatic.com charges for sending more than 4 e-vites, so check around for some free sites. Of course, you won’t have as much selection from free sites, but it’s still worth taking a look.

Sending direct mail pieces. Let people know the date and times, location of the trade show, and if possible, the location of your booth.

Making an announcement on your Web site. This is an easy way to generate interest – create a blurb on your home page, and include a link to the trade show’s Web site.

2. Plan your promotional activities and items.

This includes any effort you make to promote yourself at the show. What kind of events will you have, if any? Some promotional options:

- Posters, brochures and other print materials that show benefits of your products

- A television in your booth with testimonials from your most satisfied customers.

- A demonstration of your product

- A game for attendees to take part in, like a Jeopardy-type of game with answers that pertain to your business or product

A demonstration or a game is great interactivity that will draw people to your booth like nothing else will.

3. Pick some giveaway items.

Trade shows are becoming almost famous for giving away freebies. You need to make sure you pick something that will be of use to the attendees, and won’t be thrown away on their way out. You’ll have a lot of other giveaway competition, so give away things like calendars, small calculators, hats, or even samples of your product.

Just remember to make the giveaway item something that is related to your business; that reinforces your marketing message; and is unique. Try not to give away pencils and pens and things that will be handed off to the kids.

4. Get some media attention.

Entice media outlets to cover the trade show, and to focus on your company, by giving them a newsworthy story. Send out press releases and use press conferences to relay this information. Let the news outlets know if you revealing a new product for the first time at the show or if a portion of your profits from the show will go to a local charity. The more attention you can get for the show as well as for you, the more attendees you’ll have to woo!

Design Basics: Postcards

2008-07-09T02:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, let’s talk about postcards. This can be a very important form of marketing for many companies both big and small. The applications for postcards is rather large, especially if you have any interest in using direct mailing, and direct mailing is a very good way to market.

But before you can get to any direct marketing you would first need to be able to get those postcards taken care of. Since the purpose of this article is design, we’re assuming here that you’re either designing them yourself, or you’ll have enough of a hand in the design elements to talk to someone else about it.

If you are handling it yourself, try to get a design program like InDesign, where you’ll be able to do pretty much anything you want to with your postcards.

Now, the best way to use postcards is to continually send them out. Because of this you want to form a basic postcard template. By doing this you have your general layout already decided, and if you want to tweak it, you can easily do so.

There isn’t much to the basic business postcard design given how little room you have to work with, but that doesn’t mean you want to spend all that time designing a new one every time you need to send more out.

When it comes to the message you’re sending, remember the limited space you have. Postcards are best used with upcoming sales or a new store opening, maybe a new product release. All of these things are centered around a single, strong statement, which is where the postcard shines. You can have your message in large letters to give people the right message right away.

In order to catch their attention you’ll need an image that is eye-catching enough to get them looking. Photo postcards will have a prominent image that compliments the message being sent. Sometimes this will be rather obvious, such as a new product release being accompanied by a picture of a product, but if your message doesn’t have such a clear-cut image to add to it, think of something that is visually appealing.

The charm of the postcard compared to other mailings is that a postcard is out in the open, so you don’t have to worry about an envelope hiding it from people. This opportunity to grab them with a strong visual is the strongest element of the postcard.

You can make postcards a lot more complicated than this if you really wanted to. I’ve seen things as unique as a postcard newsletter with multiple small stories printed on it. Something like this is well within the boundaries of what a postcard is capable of achieving, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the basics.

Postcards have been used for promotions and product releases for as long as they have for a reason.

Make Something Memorable

2008-07-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

While these days I don’t have quite as many as I used to, there was a point back in the day when my walls were just coated with movie posters. There are some very cool movie posters out there, and I think all of us can agree on that.

I mean, why wouldn’t they be cool? That’s the whole point of some of these. I’m supposed to look at that poster and say, “Now that’s a movie I feel like seeing.” When you reach the point that people want to buy posters that you’ve made you’ve hit on something very successful.

But I have to say I’ve never gone out and bought a poster from a company advertising a normal product. It’s possible that other people have, and if that’s the case good for them, but I just don’t envision a mad rush to the store to buy posters advertising a new carpet cleaner.

What I have seen are posters from companies that mimic movie posters, but often they’re very tongue in cheek in the presentation they give. They’re parodying a movie poster rather than trying to make something of equal quality to it.

I think it would be nice to see more companies put some very serious effort into trying to make something interesting with their posters. Go for the photo poster printing and try to come up with an interesting looking design.

The thing about graphic design these days is that you can do so much of it by yourself if you take the time to get a feel for the software out there to choose from. Something like InDesign is a simple, straightforward kind of software, and you can do all sorts of professional looking designs using it.

Some products just aren’t that interesting. I know you’re going to be hard-pressed to make a product like paper towels look like something exciting. I’m not really saying you should do your best to make your posters be exactly like movie posters, just that you should try to do something unique with them. Ask yourself how you can advertise them with visuals different than what people are expecting.

Before you print posters take a few sample designs and run them by some trusted people in order to see what images jump out at them the most. My reason for mentioning the movie posters is because these are probably the pinnacle of eye-catching posters, and I’m betting there’s been a time when you saw a poster for a movie you’ve never even heard of and the poster alone was enough to get you interested.

What was it about the visuals that caught your eye? Maybe you can translate that to other kinds of products.

Mess around with whatever design program works best for you. Try to put those movie posters to shame. You never know what you can make until you start trying.

6 Ways to Find New Customers

2008-07-03T00:47:00.000-07:00

If you are just starting a small business, you are undoubtedly trying to find ways to bring in customers. Of course, if you’re not – well, you are in trouble. Without customers, you won’t be in business long. Here are a few simple ways to bring in some customers for your new venture.

1. Friends and Family
Start with the people you know. Your friends and family will usually be very willing to buy something from you just to help you out. But, you can also ask everyone you know to tell everyone they know about your business. You will be amazed at how fast the word can spread if people start talking. The thing is: you actually have to ask them to start spreading the word. They are not going to do it on their own, most likely.

2. Talk to Other Business People
This is called networking, and it is something that you should be doing constantly. Try to get to know all of the other business owners in your area. You can get a wealth of information and help from them (as long as you are not competing with them, of course). And, best of all, they can help you out by sending customers your way. Usually, you will return the favor and send referrals to them, as well. This is a great way to build a customer base and a list of associates at the same time.

3. Start a Web Site
No matter how limited your computer knowledge is, you need to have a website. If you don’t know how to turn on your computer, you can still get a professional looking website from a variety of sources. Ask your new business owner friends how they build their sites, and do some research. You absolutely must have a presence on the web to succeed today.

4. Good Old Fashioned Advertising
Place ads in the newspaper. If you can’t afford merchant ads, just place one in the classified section. If you have some extra cash, put a commercial on the radio. Print posters and brochures and flyers. These old fashioned advertising techniques are still quite effective, but only if you use them. They are inexpensive, too, so they are perfect for the new small business. If you plan on designing these things on your own, buy a copy of Adobe Photoshop or QuarkXPress to help you make them look good.

5. The Phone Book
Make sure your company is in the Yellow Pages. That should go without saying, but many beginning business owners completely overlook this simple step.

6. Free Attention from the Press
Another overlooked tool is the good old fashioned press release. Either write one up or have one written for you, and send it to every newspaper and radio station in your area. You might just get some free attention for your efforts.

Advertising and Marketing are Different

2008-07-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

As a small business owner, advertising is certainly a major part of your life. You are constantly trying to find ways to promote your company and bring more customers into your store. You become an Adobe Photoshop expert. You print materials and send them out, place ads in the newspaper, maybe even buy a spot on radio. This is all part of marketing, right?

Well, not exactly. Many people use the terms advertising and marketing interchangeably, but they are not the same.

Let’s take a look at Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary to get a definition of each, and we’ll see if the differ.

According to Webster’s, advertising is:
“The action of calling something to the attention of the public, especially by paid announcements.”

Okay, that makes sense.

So what is marketing? Well, according to Webster’s, it is:
“The process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service.”

That does not really help us a whole lot, does it? At first glance, those two definitions sound a lot alike. Take a closer look, however, and you will see a major difference.

Advertising is calling something to the attention of the public, which is another way of saying “promoting”, right? Okay, well, marketing is the act of promoting, as well, but marketing also involves distributing and selling that product.

So, marketing involves much more than advertising. In fact, advertising is just one part of your marketing campaign. When you make a brochure and give it to your customers, you are advertising your company. When you send postcards to your loyal patrons, you are exercising a form of advertising. When you place an ad in the newspaper or on the radio, you are advertising. When you take all of these things and look at them as a whole, that is marketing.

Think of it this way: marketing is a strategy. It is the overall direction of your company; the philosophy you use to spread the word about your business.

Advertising is the specific ways in which you act out that philosophy. It is all of the little things that you do that make up your marketing strategy.

So, be careful the next time you talk about your advertising efforts. Marketing and advertising are very different creatures. Both are important, to be sure. But you have to have a solid marketing strategy before you can effectively advertise.

A More Effective Approach with "Free" Marketing

2008-07-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

One sees "free" offers from companies all the time. They can be advertised from postcard printing or flyer printing. Meant to entice customers in the store, "free" offers can be subject to a complex web of regulations. Small business owners need to make sure their "free" offer is legal before sending out those marketing postcards.

A "free" offer cannot run for more than six months out of a given year. Once you stop the "free" offering you must then wait a month before starting the next one. You cannot manipulate your prices by increasing them briefly then reducing them back to normal then offering a "free" product with another one purchased.

You must disclose any terms or conditions clearly right next to the "free" offer itself. For example, you cannot make a "free" offer then in small print at the bottom of the page add that the customer must buy 25 of the same product to qualify for the one "free".

Many of these rules are common sense. However, some can be tricky and hard to understand. For that reason it becomes imperative to seek professional legal advice before engaging in a "free" offer. Also, you must ensure the customer truly feels they got a free product. If they leave your store thinking you suckered them in and the product wasn't free at all then you will not be seeing them return. They will also probably tell their friends to avoid your store. Make sure "free" offers are really free and your customers will leave with a smile.

7 Big Brochure Mistakes

2008-06-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to create an effective brochure for your business. Unfortunately, there are just as many ways to create a bad brochure. Here is a rundown of 7 of the most common mistakes businesses make when printing brochures:

1. Thinking of Looks, but not Goals

Yes, the way a brochure looks is important. But the ultimate objective is to make a sale. The only way to do that is with good content within the brochure. Too many businesses forget about this important aspect when they design their brochure printing project, and end up creating a slick, attractive brochure that doesn’t have any substance.

2. Blaming the Printer

When you turn in a brochure project to be printed, you will only get what you have given. If you give the printer a poor design, you will get a poor brochure – and it won’t be the printer’s fault. Make sure you have the brochure designed exactly the way you want it before you turn it in to get printed. Printers a good at what they do, but they cannot do magic (at least I haven’t met one that could).

3. Not Tracking Results

Far too many people print a brochure and distribute it, and then forget about it. It is very important to keep track of how well the brochure performs. If you don’t, you may continue to use the same ineffective brochure, which will just cost money for no reason.

4. Getting Too Complicated

Keep it simple, stupid. That is a good cliché to remember when you are thinking about your next brochure printing project. Trying to include too many sales points or pictures will result in a cluttered and overwhelming product. What you should be aiming for is “simple but effective”.

5. Giving Brochures to the Wrong People

The only way a brochure can work is if it is the hands of the right people. Resist the urge to give them out to everyone you meet. Instead, determine who your target customers are, and give your brochures to them.

6. Trying to Fool the Readers

In many industries, the price is the only factor that a customer will consider when deciding what company to go with. However, many businesses include product listings in their brochures without giving out the prices. This is not a practice that you should emulate. If you include products in your brochures, give the prices too.

7. Using the Wrong Information

Along with using too much information on a brochure, many people also make the mistake of using the wrong information. You should focus on telling the customer what aspects of your company make it unique. What about your company makes it better than its competitors? That is the information that you want to give out in a brochure.

Ideas for Generating Customer Interest

2008-06-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

Have a Sale or Special

Obviously, one of the best ways to generate interest in your business is to have a sale. Everyone loves a sale, and if you can communicate your special to enough people, you will see a great increase in sales. Of course, being able to communicate with your target customers is the key here – but we will cover that more later in this article.

Send a Picture Postcard

Well, it does not necessarily have to be a picture postcard; any kind of postcard will do. Design a postcard that not only promotes your business (and your sale if you are having one) but that also relays key information. You want to send your postcards to carefully selected customers that are likely to be interested in your product. With that in mind, include enticing information that will relate to those customers on your cards.

Use a Booklet

Booklet printing can also be a good idea when you are trying to drum up some additional interest. Design a small booklet that highlights your products and their benefits. Send it to (again) carefully selected recipients. Ask these recipients to share your booklet with their friends and family. A very effective technique is to ask your recipients to take their booklet to work with them and share it with their coworkers.

Ask Your Customers for Help

Customer testimonials are wonderful advertising tools. If you have some loyal customers, ask them to help you out by providing a testimonial of their experiences. You can do this by sending a personalized letter to each customer, or you can incorporate this into your postcard strategy. Most customers, if they have been happy with your products or services, will be more than happy to give a brief account of their experiences with you. Take advantage of that and get as many customer testimonials as you can. And then, once you have them, display them prominently as often as possible.

Copy Your Competitors

Watching how your competitors are advertising can give you an idea of what you should be doing. If you have noticed a decline in sales, while your competitors have been increasing, that may be a sign that they are doing a better job than you at marketing themselves. Keep an eye on what they are doing and how they are approaching your target customers. If you notice something that is lacking in your own efforts, act quickly to remedy the situation.

Communicate Regularly

No matter how you generate more interest in your company, be sure to communicate regularly with your customers. Do not take any customer for granted. Even if you have loyal customers that regularly come to your store, be sure to keep going after them with your advertising. You never know when your competitors will step in and take your place.

The Impact of a Product Launch

2008-06-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

I find it amazing thinking about all the buzz a new product can bring about. In our world of constantly changing gadgets and other technological advances people are getting more and more used to the idea of new products coming along, and gladly welcoming them.

The better the new product the bigger the buzz is going to be, too. The only problem it seems for a lot of companies who aren’t very well known is the risk of being overshadowed by the product launch.

I’ve seen some big product launches where I couldn’t really remember what the companies name was that was releasing it. The company gets lost in the glamour of the launch, which might not always be a bad thing, but as soon as another company starts competing with them, it becomes a problem.

All they really need to do is make sure they’re always ready with a full color business card to hand to be in order to get their name associated with the product. It isn’t as if business card printing is that rare of a thing, after all.

At least then I’ll have the company’s name firmly associated with the product launch.

Your Image is Everything

2008-06-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Your image is what explains to people your company, how it is ran and services you may provide. From the beginning of small business image is everything needs to be the model. Your company needs to be seen and to make this a triumph you will need to remember to go back to basics. Custom poster printing as well as flyer printing can be an economical way to promote the image of your company.

The image of most recognized companies takes several years to develop so there is no quick way to ensure an image victory. With good planning and observations in your market you can however make an impact that will boost your image. Knowing the competition is a great way to prove the difference in your company and why it offers the best in the market.

So as you can see image building when done properly can start quickly but will take time to develop the perfect strategy. Your reputation will need time to grow and thus grow the positive image you wish your customers to have when they see your poster while walking down the street.

Tips for Creating Smart Marketing Brochures

2008-06-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

There are a few key things to remember when you design brochure printing pieces. You want to create a brochure that is informative, visually pleasing and most importantly, will encourage people to read it. The following tips will clue you in on what to consider when creating smart marketing brochures:

Brochures save people time. People pick up brochures to read at a later time, not when they pick up the brochure. If someone is in a hurry at the bank, but is interested in the types of loans offered, it’s no coincidence that loan brochures are usually right next to the teller windows. Brochures are a convenient way for people to take information with them to peruse at their leisure.

Consumers want their questions answered. That’s the main reason they pick up a brochure. This clue means you should write your brochure in the order of how most people will question your product. Your front panel should answer “What is it?” or “What does it do?” Your next panel should answer “How does it do it?” and so on. Think of a logical progression of questions readers might have, and design your brochure to answer their questions in that order.

Consumers want you to talk directly to them. The word “you” garners a lot more attention than “people” or another third-party word. Using this style of writing is more personal and encourages people to read more about what you are telling them.

Consumers may not know how to take the next step. This is why you must include a call to action in each brochure. Should they visit your Web site, call you or stop by your store? Tell them the action you want them to take and the steps needed to do it. Spell it out for them so they don’t have to guess.

Staying on Top by Keeping in Touch

2008-06-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

Staying in touch with your customers is one of the easiest ways to make sure you retain their business. There are a number of ways you can do that including postcard marketing and printing greeting cards. That certainly doesn’t mean you have to invest in postcard printing by any means, but if you are very busy in the sales end of your business and don’t have the time to sit down and write a letter or email you can save time if you have something already prepared that you can simply sign, address and mail. You still want to take the time to write a short note even if it’s only one sentence.

The idea of postcard marketing has become very popular as the competition throughout the nation has become stiffer. Sales staffs are looking for new and innovative ways to make sure that they do not lose their customers to someone who has a better personality, shows more interest, or has a better marketing plan. Each person has to look out for him or herself and that means finding the best way to let their customers know that they understand the meaning of an importance relationship between a company and the sales staff that represents its vendors.

Smart Marketing for Small Businesses

2008-06-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

An effective marketing plan involves the development of a plan that addresses the needs of the customers and strives to meet those needs. Your plan may start with marketing brochures that provide enough information about your product line for customers to gain an understanding of what you can do for them. Of course, the process of brochure printing is only a small part of a complete marketing plan and must go hand in hand with other things such as bringing in new customers, persuading existing customers to buy more products, more expensive products, or those products that are more profitable.

If you are looking toward long-term growth, you must be willing to make the investment into marketing your business plan. That doesn’t necessarily mean an investment in money but rather an investment in your time. You need to conduct research to identify your target audience and work toward getting the marketing brochures into their hands. You need to overlook the cost of brochure printing if you want to increase the profits of your business. You have to invest some money into advertising, and brochures are a more effective way of marketing your business than running dozens of ads that may not reach your target audience.

How to Get the Attention of Potential Clients

2008-06-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

When you are in the company of a perspective client, you need to learn how to converse without seeming as though you are desperate or boring them to death. Even when you present color business cards, the prospect is not obligated to pretend he is interested in what you have to sell. The concept behind business card printing is to provide a means for someone to contact you later if they are interested. There may be times at a party when someone may question you about what you do, and you have to know how to answer the question without driving away a prospect. Never provide your title or you will surely drive someone out the door. Once the prospect leaves, you do not have an opportunity to redeem yourself.

If you exchange color business cards your title is already visible so you want to develop a description that is straight forward and doesn’t overemphasize the importance of your job. Don’t use a description that is likely to make it sound as if you are the epitomy of greatness. Choose words that are descriptive but modest—don’t make it sound like the world couldn’t live if you weren’t in it.

Turn Your Brochure into a Superhero for Supersales

2008-06-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

With so many companies marketing brochures, it’s difficult to understand why they are still complaining of sagging sales. After all, full color brochures are readily available and provide plenty of information for the prospective buyer—or do they? The truth is if you are marketing brochures you have to provide prospects with enough information to make them interested in what you are selling. The information must be educational and show the prospect that the information is not just hype by providing testimonials and other information to document the information in the brochure.

Many companies that provide full color brochures do not provide enough information to interest a prospect into making a telephone call. Another problem may be that they feel pressure from the sales person when they may not be ready to make a purchase at that time. A brochure should be a means to introduce a prospect to a product line without any pressure to buy. Give them an opportunity to look through the information and when they are ready, they can call for more information. Brochures should provide enough information to draw the customer to that product line. Brochure printing should include more than just one or two products and should be educational and informational for your potential customers.

Compiled Business Card Tips

2008-06-07T01:55:00.000-07:00

When you choose custom business cards, you want to make sure you choose a product that is going to provide the most benefits for your business. That means don’t choose color business cards that are gaudy and bright and deflect from the purpose of the cards. Choose colors that are easy to see—light background with dark printing rather than dark backgrounds with font colors that are hard to read. Don’t choose fonts that are flashy and fancy by stay with common fonts when you choose business card printing options.

Even if you choose cheap business cards you can choose those that look professional and serve the purpose of your business. That means making your logo and name the largest print on your color business cards and including your advertising slogan and website address on your business cards. If you don’t have a logo for your business, many online companies can create one for you inexpensively. Your logo is the most important part of your business and who you are. You don’t want to use simple clip art as your business logo—you want to personalize the logo to show others about you, your company and what they can do for others.

Making Your Calendar Work for You

2008-06-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

For those in the marketing field or even a small business owner who must do marketing for his or her company, custom calendars can be a great advantage. Not only will calendar printing prevent the possibility of missed appointments, it will allow you to organize your days and weeks so that you know how much time you have to devote to advertising and marketing. You have the opportunity to sit down and work out a schedule that will allow you to work around any other work or personal commitments that you may have. Seeing your schedule in front of you will prevent any over scheduling or over planning.

Though actual calendar printing is not necessary, if you are away from your computer or PDA, you may have to rely on your memory. When it comes to business, you do not want to attempt to rely on your memory and possibly forget something important. Whether you choose a marketing calendar or just an agenda book say as Franklin or Day-Timer you need to develop the habit of using a calendar for all of your business events. You don’t need necessarily need custom calendars, but you need something you can carry with you at all times.

Steps to a Solid Corporate Identity

2008-06-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Your company's identity, or brand, is very much like the clothes your wrap yourself in each morning. They both send a message the world and are responsible, fairly or unfairly, for most people's first impressions. First impressions are critical for both companies and people alike.

Before deciding how to dress you need to understand where you are going. Creating a brand without knowing your market is like trying to dress for an event which you only know the time. It could be a black tie wedding or a night at a professional wrestling grudge match. You have no clue. How should you dress? Answering branding questions without market research presents the same quandary.

Once you understand your market and have crafted the ideal logo, color business cards and web site it then becomes paramount to have people actually see them. Without exposure, even the best sales copy is worthless. Your work does not end after leaving the business card printing shop.

Obviously important is to provide the promised product or service. If your brand evokes filet mignon while your product is hamburger you're bound to end up with disappointed customers. This will kill repeat sales and create negative brand equity in the marketplace. Your product or service must match your branding and be suited to your target customer.

Do your research, create a great brand, and put out a conforming product or service. These are simple thoughts which will translate to a strong corporate identity.

Why Your Layout Needs More TLC

2008-05-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

I find it kind of fascinating how the smallest change in the look of something can have such a big impact on me. Often times I’m not even sure why it’s affecting me at all, and yet once I have it pointed out to be, I can see that it did.

Take custom business cards. The majority of business card printing use a very basic, simply style of having the name of the company in the middle of the card with additional information, like a person’s name, on the bottom or top. But all of this information is always going to be lined up and evenly spaced, probably with the same font.

Why?

Subtle differences in this kind of design can have a negative impact on the viewer. If the letters aren’t aligned right, are even off by only a little, you might not consciously notice it, but odds are you won’t find that card as pleasing to look at.

The same goes for the kinds of colors used in full color business cards. Often times people try to add too many of them. I can’t always put my finger on why a card looks wrong to me when it simply has too many colors, but I feel the difference, and I don’t like that card as much.

All little things, and all of them can make or break a business card. For future reference I plan to take careful note when I’m designing my business cards.

Direct Mail Offers a Step Up To Achieve ROI

2008-05-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

All marketing expenditures are measured with the ROI metric. ROI stands for return on investment. If you invest money in a given marketing plan, then how much money will come back from it? This is obviously the main reason for marketing in the first place.

Marketing can be broken down into two basic categories. The first of these is mass marketing. A billboard is a good example of mass marketing. It is placed up there for anyone to see. There is no great focus upon differentiating who will view it.

The other facet of marketing is called direct marketing. Printing greeting card batches during the holiday is a simple example. You are targeting your audience directly as opposed to sending cards to every living person. Postcard printing supporting a postcard marketing campaign is another salient and potentially high ROI example.

Each of these types of marketing can fill a role. Unfortunately, many companies sacrifice direct marketing in order to solely pursue mass marketing avenues. This is done to their detriment. Direct marketing is an excellent route towards developing smaller niche markets.

It is paramount to target the right audience when you engage in direct marketing. Subsumed is that you know and understand what drives your audience. This enables you to craft a custom message addressing their unique needs and concerns. This is the main power of direct marketing.

Very important is the ability to track which sales come from which campaign. Without this ability it becomes impossible to ascertain the profitability of a given effort. Advanced software can now be used to facilitate ROI calculations.

Make sure your business is using all marketing tools. Leaving direct marketing methods out of the equation is a sure way to reduce your aggregate ROI.

Know Your Competition

2008-05-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

You don't have to own a trench coat in order to be a good competitive intelligence agent. Competitive intelligence doesn't relate to the locations of nuclear missiles or dark secrets about foreign leaders. It is often as simple as newsletter printing and business card printing. In business, competitive intelligence is simply knowing the most possible about your product, your customers and your competition.

There are many sources for this information. Keeping up to date on news about your industry is an obvious example. Perusing a competitor's web site is another. Trade group publications also prove to be a treasure trove of information.

Business owners who fail to gather competitive intelligence face many disadvantages. The most salient relates to marketing. Without understanding your audience it is impossible to formulate the right message for your branding efforts. For example, if you are trying to design a layout before postcard printing, then you need to know which words and images would most appeal to the segment you are addressing.

The other arena in which competitive intelligence is crucial relates to product pricing. A business owner must keep close tabs on prices within the marketplaces for all products they sell. Pricing in the dark will hurt either your revenues if your price to high or your profits if your price too low. Out of all the caps you wear as a business owner make sure one of them is your spy hat. Lack of business intelligence can lead to less than smart results.

It's All About Words

2008-05-16T03:08:00.000-07:00

It has been said that one should never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. Words can prove to be strong weapons. This is especially true in the marketing world. The logo you select, slogan you devise, and flyer printing you order all are critical components of your sales effort. The wrong message will result in the failure of even the best product or service.

One cannot know what the right message for their company is without knowing who will be reading it. Different companies seek to cater to varied market segments. Each segment is unique and requires a specially tailored message. Just like a comedian, you will bomb on stage if you use the wrong jokes for that night's audience.

The most important part of your message is your slogan and first sentences of the advertising flyer. Engage the reader up front and you have them. Bore, offend or confuse them and watch a potential transaction end up as landfill. Give the utmost consideration to your header and sub headers.

Lastly, you must get your marketing message out through the right channels if the words are to be read at all. Many swear by postcard marketing mailings. Others prefer to focus on the interactive world. Each business is unique and requires its own strategy. Knowing your audience will help facilitate these decisions.

Marketing is said to be the most important facet of an operation. With no clients there are no revenues hence anything for the bean counters to count. An absence of orders leaves the operational staff with nothing to do. All depend upon the marketers to effectively craft and get out the company's message.

Going Back To Basics

2008-05-16T02:56:00.000-07:00

Everything from your business cards to your advertising flyer sends a message. Everyone who comes into contact with your company's promotional materials will come away with a given feeling. Ideally, it is the message you desire to convey. Oftentimes, however, a company will attempt to cut corners on its branding and send out an ineffective message. This is a perfect case of being penny wise and pound foolish.

Lost revenue from poor brand equity most often far outweighs savings, for example, on cheap flyer printing. Whether it is online or in the physical world, the colors and words you use create often immutable first impressions. Human psychology disallows your potential customers from giving you a second chance. Ponder this thought deeply the next time you are putting together marketing materials.

There exists no "one size fits all" branding effort. You must carefully analyze your target audience. A brand geared for teenage boys would obviously entail much different formulation than one seeking to sell menopause treatments. Major corporations employ a staff of psychologists, designers and other experts. You obviously do not have this luxury. However, you do have your wits, common sense and a wealth of marketing resources available online.

The Importance of Layout

2008-04-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

I find it kind of fascinating how the smallest change in the look of something can have such a big impact on me. Often times I’m not even sure why it’s affecting me at all, and yet once I have it pointed out to be, I can see that it did.

Take custom business cards. The majority of business card printing use a very basic, simply style of having the name of the company in the middle of the card with additional information, like a person’s name, on the bottom or top. But all of this information is always going to be lined up and evenly spaced, probably with the same font.

Why?

Subtle differences in this kind of design can have a negative impact on the viewer. If the letters aren’t aligned right or off by only a little, you might not consciously notice it. But odds are you won’t find that card as pleasing to look at.

The same goes for the kinds of colors used in full color business cards. Often times people try to add too many of them. I can’t always put my finger on why a card looks wrong to me when it simply has too many colors, but I feel the difference, and I don’t like that card as much.

All little things, and all of them can make or break a business card. For future reference I plan to take careful note when I’m designing my business cards.

How to Boost Your Advertising Campaign

2008-04-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

I am not perfect. I have made mistakes, just like everyone else I’ve ever met. And as a small business owner, I haven’t always made the best business decisions along the way. But that’s part of the growing pains, I think. The trick to succeeding is learning from your missteps, and I’m pretty confident that I’ve done that.

One of my earliest mistakes was failing to realize how important it is to invest in color when it comes to advertising. All I knew, when I was starting out, was that I had a very limited budget, with a whole lot of bills to pay. I was focused on paying what I thought were the “important” items, and cutting costs as much as possible on the other things. I included full-color ads in with “other things”. That was my mistake.

I quickly realized that investing extra money into good, color advertising flyers and promotional flyers will pay off in no time at all. I have never, ever skimped on my advertising budget since those early days. Now, when I am getting my promotional literature printed, I go with full color brochures and color flyers. I don’t even consider anything less.

If you are just starting up a business, take my advice: invest in good, colorful advertising literature.

Marketing in the Moment

2008-04-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes an unplanned and surprise find ends up being one of the best deals we've ever found. I’ve gone out before with my checklist of eight things to do that day, all of my destinations for the day already planned out, and then, walking down the sidewalk, I happen to catch out of the corner of my eye a full color, custom poster in the front of a store. Maybe it’s for some kind of food or candy and my mouth starts watering or maybe it’s for a new product I hadn’t known was out, or maybe I just like the look of it. I stare at this sign and into the store beyond it and I think, “How did I ever miss this place?”

I walk in, I look around, and often I make a purchase, and just as often I keep coming back for more. Would I have ever stepped foot inside had that colorful poster not drawn my eye? That is the point of them, after all, and evidence that they still work. I know I’m not the only one this has happened to, and I’m quite sure I won’t be the last. And really, it’s always nice to come alway with that pleasant surprise of finding a nice, new place to shop at.

Understanding the Marketplace

2008-04-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

I’ve always found it annoying to be handed a flyer or a postcard or even a full color brochure and realize the people giving it to me have no idea what the recent trends in marketing are. How do I know this? The way the thing is set up or the phrasing they use can easily reflect a marketing strategy from perhaps even ten years ago that has run its course and yet here they are, still clinging to it.

I don’t mind looking at those flyers or postcards, but please, I say to all businesses, be aware that times change, and people don’t want to just be handed the same old line over and over again. Pay attention to what’s going on, do your research, and next time I pick up a full color brochure from you I won’t roll my eyes at your outdated approach but take interest in the product you’re trying to promote.

Energize Your Business Cards

2008-04-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Not long ago I went to a career fair to check out the field. Every stand I went to had a business card to hand me. There wasn’t really a question about whether or not I’d get a business card from them. If they had any idea about what they were doing they’d surely have one on hand. Most of these I just shoved right into my pocket with little thought, but occasionally there would be that different one, the full color business card with a design so different what else could I do but stop to take it in?

It isn’t very surprising thinking about which of those businesses I still remember today. Anyone working with any variety of businesses is going to collect quite a few cards. After collecting a fair share of my own, I understand full well why the unique cards are the ones that stand the test of time. The black and white cards are the ones I couldn’t even begin to remember the name of. If someone wants me to remember their business, they better give me a good reason to.

Entry by Philip Roberts

Right Way to Market Postcards

2008-04-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

I see it all the time, just like I’m sure everyone else has as well: I get a postcard in the mail that looks like the company didn’t even care. “Let’s just shove this out there, and maybe someone will look at it,” I can almost hear them saying.

Why spend the money if you aren’t getting the most out of what you send? Sure, postcard printing is inexpensive, but is that an excuse for sending a black and white little nothing? And even if I do take interest, I’m not always going to remember a month down the line.

Listen: take the time to design a nice, full color postcard and then decide your marketing strategy for them. You have a good potential business starter, but it isn’t any good if you don’t use it well.

And the truth is it is cheap, but rather than consider it a poor strategy because it’s cheap, think for a second about the possibilities it gives you. Keep sending them out, and not just to new customers. Maintain that customer base. Keep them up to date on what you’re doing. Can you really afford to waste such a great strategy? That’s the question I’d be asking.

Entry by Philip Roberts

Create Your Business Cards Like A Car Dealer

2008-04-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

Were you ever faced with a problem where you have so many custom business cards leftovers in storage and you didn’t know what to do with them? I'll bet once or twice, recycling them and just scratching out your old agent's name, an old cellphone phone number or address has most probably entered your mind.

Forget it.

Outdated cards should be thrown away, especially if the information they hold are obsolete. Let it go. They’re money down the drain and there's nothing you do about it anymore.

Lesson Learned?
The next time you plan on sending a business card printing order, try what car dealers have done to minimize leftovers. They print their cards with the information that has a lesser chance of changing. Some don't include names and just put it a toll-free number and an email address, basically just very basic information like any other standard card. If you print cards for your agents, instead of printing their names on the card, try leaving ample space where they can handwrite their names? This way, every time an agent is sacked and a new one hired, the latter can still use the card and write his or her name on it.

Custom cards has its upsides but if you don't plan it well, you better be ready for the downsides.

Overcoming Buyer Hesitance To Get That Final Sale

2008-04-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Expert marketers and sales people know that product resistance is often part and parcel of selling your products and services. It's usually due to a particular concern on the reliability, usability or usefulness and feasibility of purchasing product that’s preventing your prospective customers to finalize a sale. Most of the time, your buyers are able to express their reluctance verbally. Some of the time however, it's up to us to read their gestures and facial expressions to determine if they're leaning towards the product or against it.

As negative as hesitance to purchase is at first glance to a business, if you look deeper and analyze such reactions, you'll find that such reluctance is actually a good thing. Having your customers react as such means that even through objecting, your target clients are actually listening to what you're saying and are considering your product if not for a few concerns they have. And knowing how to address these concerns, saying the right things and appeasing your cusotmer's doubts, can certainly allow you to resume the transaction and finish off with a sale.

How do you deal with your customer's concerns?
Trained sales agents know this. And as a business owner you should too. Most often than not, the concerns brought up by your consumers may not be the real issue that causes such doubt. In fact, it may just be that they’re not sure how to communicate that they need to know more about the benefits of your products and services. This silent, unknown choke-up then makes it difficult for your target clients to agree to what you are offering as they are distracted by questions in their mind. Unless you extract those doubts, then understand and overcome the issues causing their objection, you will never be able to get your target customers past the reluctance that stands between a failed and successful transaction.

Commitment Issues
It's hard to communicate effectively if the person you're talking to is listening only through a crack through the door. Unless you get your consumer to have an open mind to what you're trying to say, your message will only fall in deaf ears. This is certainly the most challenging part of the selling process. When your prospect hesitates to make the purchase and responds with a resounding ‘no’, you should be able to handle and overcome it. Most successful business owners can vouch that when you are able to rise above the rejections, you’ll more likely to get customers who are not only one-time buyers, but repeat business clients as well.

Overcoming communication barriers lead to a more open mind, trust and confidence. And most of the time overcoming this barrier only requires more compassion and understanding on the customers needs and train of thought.

How Words Can Work Like a Charm

2008-03-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

What gets your audience hooked to your advertising flyers printing? It’s your words that make them want to stay and get to know you more.

Sure, your design can get their attention, but it’s actually your copy that would make them keep you for much longer time. It’s what you have to say in your copy that would finally convince them that you have something valuable to offer with your products and services.

And the right words can actually make your leads become potential buyers of your products. The right words can encourage browsers to become definite buyers. This is particularly important with flyer printing. You have to remember that you are only working on such limited space that you have to put your message through with minimal effort. You don’t have to explain it in a lengthy discussion of your features; you have to make your copy work in such small space provided in your flyers.

A good copy can get you the time you need to convince your target readers of your worth. A great copy however, can build the relationship you need to grow your business. Hence, the right message can go a long way in making your dreams of success possible.

Get The Upper Hand With Your Business Cards

2008-03-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

If you want to have the upper hand, you have to make sure that your custom business cards do what their supposed to do – that is, to effectively promote your company as well as your image to your target audience.

Remember that your business cards are your powerful tools to help you send a positive image to your target audience. Not only does your card hold your information, your print card also has the capability to provide you the opportunity to build a lasting relationship with your clients and prospects.

Don’t just make one so ordinary and of the same stock as that of your competition. You need to come up with a distinct card that would give you the edge over the others. Be creative, and be open to a lot of options before you finally decide on the right card for your business and image. All you got to do is to explore new possibilities and think of how one design can make you different.

Being unique really makes all the difference in the world when it comes to getting the attention of your target audience. When you offer something distinct to your clients, you’ll have the opportunity to make them interested not only in your design but most importantly to the message you want to convey to them.

Branding

2008-03-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

Branding is the key factor to success for all businesses regardless of size. It draws recognition to your name at the same time strengthens your identity in the market, making a high-impact contribution to the overall growth of your business.

There are different branding schemes to allow your business more exposure. Flyer printing, for example, can be a key component in branding. Distributing flyers and full color brochures are important to give you the public visibility needed to grow your business. Creating attention-grabbing and eye-catching flyers and brochures will not only help get you recognized but provide your brand with very effective recall. Your chances of being remembered are greater if people see your business name, your logo or any other associated company insignia more often. As a result, they will remember your name long after the image of your logo is out of sight increasing the likelihood of them using your services when needed.

The use of flyers and brochures is an effective way to brand your business such that your logo becomes very visible and is almost always the first thing people see. Of course, this would also depend on how effective you’ve executed the layout of your marketing collateral but that’s a different story. Bottom line is you have to embed your brand on your marketing media and make them stand out. Make it easy to distinguish and remember.

Another way to introduce and strengthen your brand is by getting into newsletter printing. It not only complements your single-page printed media but also provides a more elaborate spread about the goings-on within your company. It helps encourage the development of a community of people who are interested in your business and what you have to offer. Having multi-page prints not only indulges your readers about the latest in your company but it more importantly also allows you more room to advertise and brand your products and services.

When instilling your brand onto your visual marketing media such as your full color brochures and newsletters, remember that a good mix of consistency with just the right amount of creative distinction can determine the effectiveness of your branding strategy. Master the mix and you’ve unlocked the secret to establishing a sound corporate identity.

How Do You Communicate

2008-02-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

The level in which your advertising style can effectively extend your message greatly affects how your clients and prospects understand and react to what you offer. It goes beyond the words you use and also involves your use of reference, your triggered emotion, the situation you use as an example and the overall mood or style of your ad. Often, your style of advertising depends on all five senses to sufficiently convey your message.

Relying on our senses, there are three modes of advertising that marketers and business owners use to communicate:

The Auditory Style –
This style uses the sense of hearing to reach out to target clients and customers. “I hear what you’re trying to say…”, “It does sound good…” – these are the common phrases you’ll see in an auditory style of advertising. Often, these types of ads explain and talk about their business in recorded information and music. And it makes target clients want to go over the message by repeating the information out loud so that they can better understand what you’re saying.

The Visual Style –
On the other hand, the visual style of advertising uses the sense of sight to attract and appeal to its target audience. That’s why you’ll see mostly colorful and interesting pictures, witty headlines and an overall pleasing and well-thought-of layout in today's ads like flyers, marketing brochures and even in color business cards, to emphasize the message and stimulate better response.

The Kinesthetic Style –
This style recognizes that many of their target clients are actual doers and would more likely respond to ads that let them to get in touch with their emotions and preference to act. That’s why with this type of ad, you’ll see a lot of hands-on activities that allow clients and prospects to go through the motion of any process or procedure.

And remember, the more senses you stimulate, the better recall your business gets. So reading through these three styles, which one's yours?

When It’s Time To Order Your Business Cards

2008-02-22T17:57:00.001-08:00

Now that you have a basic idea of what you want for your custom business cards – the design, layout, message, and all that – it’s now time to order your batch from a professional business card printing company.

Once you’ve chosen the type of business card for your business, you got to sit down with your printer and talk about the main elements to consider when ordering your cards:

1 – Weight. How much your cards weigh depend on the kind of stock you’re going to use. Ordinarily, they are printed on an 80-pound cover stock. But you can always choose a stock that is unusual for your business cards. Just remember that the kind of paper you use can also add to your costs.

2 – Color. Most traditional business cards apply two-color printing. But there are also 5 to 15 standard colors to choose from. But if you choose to have a different color, then your business card printing house can show you a system where you can look at all the hues available. As always, more color means more costs.

3 – Quantity. How many do you need? Usually, business cards are printed by bulk because the process is set up that way. Hence, it pays to print more cards than fewer ones. It’ll save you time and money.

4 – Finishing. Finally, you also have to consider the type of finish you require for your cards. Would you like it smooth, linen or laid? The smooth finish is often the most popular choice among business owners.

Evolution of Branding

2008-02-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

Centuries ago, branding used to be known as the means of cattle owners to know whose livestock belongs to whom. They burn a mark onto the flesh of the animal to ensure their ownership. And before, branding was not only relegated to animals; even slaves and criminals endure such treatment.

For the past decades, branding has evolved into something else; something more creative and corporate. It is now being done by companies everywhere to identify themselves in whatever industry they're in.

Branding provides your target market a way to distinguish your business from everybody else. It communicates what sets you apart, what products you offer, your marketing approach, which all lead up to an ideal reputation of your company that you want the public to have.

Every day and moment is an opportunity for you to promote your brand. In everything that you use to reach out to your clients, either through printed ads like your marketing brochures or club flyers or through a more interactive medium, there is an opportunity for you to build on stronger brand recognition. Each and every promotional tool you create and send out to the public should all communicate the same message as your brand. All your marketing collateral brought together should work together in consistency for better brand retention.

So the next time you start your marketing campaign, think of your brand. Use your marketing collaterals to support your brand and you’ll see a big difference in business growth.

Trade Advertising As A Strategy

2008-02-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

Looking for a way to get advertising for free? Well then, its’ time for you to trade.

That’s right. Trade your products and services for an advertising campaign, be it in tv or radio or even in your full color postcards. You don’t even need to have cash or funds to do it. All you need is your creativity and imagination to come up with a valuable and worthwhile exchange between you and another company.

Trade advertising is actually not new in marketing. In fact, many business owners, especially those short in funds, use trade and barter as their means to get quality and expensive advertising for their business.

One station owner had free coffee for everyone everyday in exchange for free commercials on one of his station. Another shop owner who sells bagels gave boxes to a few radio stations so they can tell their daily listeners how good the bagels were and where they could go to get one. And the cost for these business owners? None in cash and a few of their products which they can gladly give away as spare.

The moral of the story is that trade advertising can be a very valuable means to effectively advertise your business. What’s more, you don’t even have to spend so much for it. You just have to be creative in finding ways in which you can have a worthwhile trade off. There will always be a newspaper, tv or radio station, a postcard printing company, or even an internet site that needs your business.

How To Cross Promote

2008-02-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

When done right, cross promotions can help you a great deal in generating leads that are other wise difficult to do when you’re promoting alone. So how do you do it?

First, you have to identify your target market. When you have the group you’ll focus on, you’ll be able to identify possible companies that have the same niche market.

Two, consider then your partners for cross promotions. Partner with those owners or managers who want to reach out to the same target market. In addition, considering businesses that have a “universal” market can help you widen your reach. Examples of these types of businesses are the banks, supermarkets, and gas stations. People go to these establishments no matter where they come from or who they are. That’s why it’s easy to reach out to more people this way.

Third step is to identify a marketing campaign that is easy and has lower risks to propose to your potential partner. You can either propose a postcard printing ad or advertising flyers to jumpstart your cross promotions.

Remember to propose to those you know already or who has the same target market as yours. And make sure to highlight the benefits that you and your partners can get from cross promoting your businesses.

Cross promoting is simple and easy to start. If you have suitable partners to work with, you’ll be able to have a more successful marketing campaign that can work not only for you but for your partners as well.

Edit, Edit, Edit!

2008-02-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

Saying it once is not enough when it comes to proof-reading and revising your text and designs before sending out the final copy in booklet printing. The number of modifications you actually do does not matter nearly as much compared to how clear your booklets will perform when communicating with your clients.

It takes a good copy to get your target clients hooked to your ad. At the same time, all it takes is a few misspelled words and grammatical errors to turn away your readers and lead them to believe that your ad and business are equally as questionable and unreliable. Let’s face it. An ad copy that has so many errors spells non-expertise and incompetence as far as your business is concerned. People do look for ads that have perfect content to help them understand what you do clearly and completely.

Is your ad able to describe what you do exactly? Can your target readers understand right away what you want to tell them? Is it 100% clear what you do in your business? If not, then it would do you a world of good to edit and change your ad copy to make it simpler and clearer for your target audience.

Vagueness and ambiguity, even in the most remote level, can end up in miscommunication and misunderstanding among your target clients. And when they do, that’s already lost opportunity for you and your business. So don’t underestimate the power of a clear and understandable copy in your ad. An excellent and perfect ad copy can go a long way in getting you the sales you need to gain profits.

Tickle Your Clientʼs Funny Bones With Humorous Ads

2008-02-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

You know what will help you get better response to your marketing collaterals? In addition to a brilliant design and compelling copy, marketing collaterals that induce laughter would bring you the response youʼre looking for.

It was proven that clients and prospective customers liked to be convinced by humor rather than an aggressive sales pitch. Your clients tend to be more appreciative of your offer when done in a light and charming manner than outright selling.

Letʼs face it. People pay more attention to print ads that makes them want to laugh. In fact, marketing campaigns that are memorable are those that contain entertainment and fun in their elements. They ordinarily donʼt want to hear aggressive selling although thatʼs the purpose of your brochure print ads anyway. But providing a cover to your sales pitch with entertainment can do a lot of good in getting your target readers to appreciate what you have to offer.

So the next time youʼre thinking of creating a new set of marketing collaterals for your business, why not try to infuse humor in your full color brochures. Instead of the regular and boring copy, make them more entertaining and see how your target audienceʼs reaction turns positive.

What Is Advertising Wear Out?

2008-02-12T16:23:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of advertising wear out? If not, then you better listen lest your marketing campaign become one.

Advertising messages such as in your night club flyer printing ventures, when repeated would often have a negative effect on your target clients. Why? Because as much as we want our potential customers to remember us by repeatedly bombarding them with our marketing material, the high frequency tends to provide them with nothing new to be excited about.

This is advertising wear out. When at some level of repeatedly running your advertising campaign, the response you get is either no longer positive or it reflects a decrease in significance as far as your target clients’ are concerned.

As it reflects negative attitude from your customers, you’d do well to avoid it. Unless you want to weaken your relationship with your clients and prospects, it would be best to remember that you need to carefully plan and implement your advertising campaign.

And that would be reflected in the amount of times you’re going to run your ad. How frequently should you expose your ad to avoid wear out? Probably the best way to do it is to imitate other marketers. What they do is to develop an ad that has the same message and offer, and then rotate it to a pool of marketing vehicles so as not to bore your clients to the regularity of your ad.

This just goes to show that using specific elements in your ad and using them across your vehicles delay the beginning of wear out and would provide you with the result that you want for your marketing campaign.

What You Need To Remember When You Advertise

2008-02-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

What you need to remember when creating your print ad for your business, in addition to getting a professional commercial printing company to make one for you, is to choose the most appropriate ad vehicle for your products and services that would generate interest.

And it doesn’t matter whether you choose a flyer, a postcard, or even a brochure to promote your products and services, you need to have something extra that would grab the attention of your audience and make them want to act on your message.

There are ways and means to do this, the most popular being the freebies. Now tell me. Who doesn’t love a freebie? Everyone does! Even the most indifferent person could never resist a gift or a product given for free. You can always offer a potential client with a free gift every time he or she makes a purchase. What about a free sample when a prospect or a customer call or visit your website? Offer free handling and shipping. And as always, you can create the buy-one-get-one promo to encourage your clients and customers to buy your product.

Then there’s the price cut-offs and discounts. A very popular strategy is to offer a 50% discount on the second purchase of one of your product.

The key is to get your target clients not only interested, but so much so that they would want to act on it and buy from you. By giving your clients a reason to buy your product, you also improve your chances of growing your business to what you have imagined it to be.

Be Specific In Your Message

2008-02-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

Marketing messages are one of the things that are constant in life. In addition to breathing, thousands of marketing messages seem to be anywhere and everywhere you go – in TVs, radios, in magazines and newspapers, and especially on billboards and full color postcards that we get in our mailboxes. They’re everywhere. And it’s very hard to ignore them.

With their number, in order for your message to be heard, you need to be very clear about it. In fact, you got to be crystal clear if you want your target audience to understand what you have to say regarding your business. Our world is a noisy place that for you to be heard you should avoid being vague.

In a world where marketing strategies thrive, a vague message doesn’t stand a chance of being heard. Indeed, opportunities are nil when it comes to generating leads. A vague message from your postcard does not speak at all to your target readers. To be successful, you need to have your messages focused and targeting a specific market so you can explain to them fully what your product can do to solve a problem or an issue.

So avoid being vague. If you want to get clients to take you seriously, be specific about what you want to say. A specific and concise message has more chances of attracting clients to your business.

Give Your Clients The Benefits To Generate Leads

2008-02-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

You want your marketing collaterals such as your advertising flyers to be effective sales materials, then do what smart and successful marketers do – say the right things in your ads.

Successful business owners and marketers would tell you that in order for your full color flyers to generate more leads than you can ever imagine, you need to convey the right message to your clients and prospects. The way to do that is to provide the benefits of your products and services, and do away with the features.

When you mention more features than benefits, you make it harder for your clients and potential customers to relate to what you have to offer. If you want your message to hit the right note, then give them the benefits.

And mind you, customers tend to look at the benefits more than the features. How will your product improve their life? What can you do to solve a problem? Can your product provide answer to their nagging issues?

When you are able to provide them the benefits, then your target clients as well as your current customers would not only keep your promotional flyers; more than that, they’ll probably be heading for your shop as fast as their feet can take them.

Credibility and Reliability Will Increase Your Sales

2008-01-29T17:08:00.000-08:00

The best way to get people to actually deal with you is to make them believe that you are credible and reliable, and that you deliver what you promise. And you don’t even have to tell it to the world if you have these qualities. Your customers and clients will do it for you.

Word-of-mouth is still the best means to spread the good word about you. Let somebody else toot your horn for you. It’s more believable and convincing on the part of your prospects to know that someone actually tried your product or your brand of service and were satisfied with it. To have someone swear by the product and service you offer is ten times more effective than telling it again and again in your business brochures till kingdom come.

Your customers’ words are still the best sales copy ever. When you have satisfied customers, no doubt about it, everybody close to your client would definitely hear about it. But a bad experience would not only be heard by your customers’ relatives and lovedones, it would even reverberate to anybody who would care to listen. Just one word and what image you’ve accomplished for so many years will be erased just like that.

So be smart and add testimonials the next time you get into brochure printing and save yourself the effort of promoting yourself because your testimonials will do it for you.

Killer Strategies That Work Double Time

2008-01-29T16:41:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the postcard marketing strategies that you can use to double your sales:

1 – Always follow up on your customer and clients especially when you make a sale. A thank you postcard or a discount card for loyal clients would go a long way in making them feel appreciated. Hence, they would be more than likely to come back for repeat business.

2 – Always upsell when you send your full color postcards. Whenever your clients order from your print cards, remember to include a few extra related products that they can add to their order form.

3 – Always ask for a referral. But entice your clients to do it with an irresistible offer such as a discount whenever they provide a referral to your business.

4 – Offer an opportunity for your clients to join your affiliate program. It allows your clients to have commissions every time they are able to sell your product.

5 – Cross promote with other credible businesses that has the same target market as yours.

Your postcard can be a valuable tool to help you increase your profits. If you can make your postcard marketing campaign more effective with these strategies then you’re nearer to accomplishing what you have set out to do with your business.

Small Businesses Can Compete With Smart Marketing

2008-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

Smart marketing means that you are able to promote your products and services in coordination with the needs of your target clients. The more your marketing campaign such as your printed brochures can answer the needs of your target clients, the more it can attract leads to your business, which means a successful tool in your marketing arsenal.

If you want to grow our business, you have to be attuned to the needs of our clients. It’s not about you or your products and services; it’s all about them – your customers. When you are able to persuade your target readers that you are the answer to their problem, then you can truly say that you have effective marketing brochures in your hands.

So how can you make your marketing campaign work for you even on a limited budget? By focusing on acquiring more customers, that’s how. By acquiring more customers to your business, you are more likely to increase your database, hence, giving you more opportunities to increase your revenues. Simple.

The next question now is how you get more leads to your business. First, you have to spend time researching your target market and then developing a strategic marketing plan that includes marketing brochures in your marketing collaterals.

Second, you have to structure your plan and product development to effectively reach out to target customers that are not in your database.

Third, provide a competitive price. And lastly, create your message and marketing brochures in such a way that your target audience understands that you can provide solution to their problem.

Provide Yourself A Working Marketing Calendar

2008-01-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

One of the most important marketing tools that a business owner or marketer should have is a marketing calendar. This calendar is often mistaken by most people as something of the ordinary and regular piece that reminds us of the date and events in our lives.

On the contrary, custom calendars such as your marketing calendar can be a significant marketing tool that you can add to your bevy of instruments to help you grow your business. In fact, this seemingly regular device can help you achieve your dreams of success for your business.

How? By helping you to create not only an effective marketing campaign but most importantly, a successful one. Your marketing calendar is not just something that reminds you of what day it is today or when’s your foundation day going to be. It’s more than that. Your marketing calendar functions as your means to assist you in accomplishing all your tasks in ways that are well thought of and carefully planned.

When you develop your marketing calendar, it does not just get you on track, but it also helps you create a schedule that can save you a lot of money, especially if you have one that is tailor made to your own marketing needs.

So the next time you need to accomplish more tasks for your marketing efforts, make use of your marketing calendar. It can save you much of your time and energy, as well as keep you on track when it comes to making sure that you work within your budget.

For A Successful Print Design, You Need To... (read on)

2008-01-18T16:06:00.000-08:00

1 – Put space between your elements. Don’t overcrowd your print design with too many elements. Especially with limited space in marketing collaterals such as postcards and flyers, it is of utmost importance that you provide enough breathing room for your target readers to rest their eyes and not be distracted by all the graphics and text.

2 – Use large graphics instead of many small ones. If you want to attract more readers to your marketing collaterals, then apply a print design that includes big images.

3 – Use more graphics than text. Your images can emphasize and enhance your message. In fact, the human eye has more appreciation for the visuals rather than big blocks of text. So if you want your message to get through to your target audience, consider using illustrations in your marketing collateral. Moreover, make sure to have your image enlarged to almost half the size of your page.

4 – Use a print design layout that would entice your target audience to read the whole page. Don’t let your customers leave a space unread. A good layout provides the smooth flow that would lead your reader’s eyes to the different elements found in your marketing collateral.

Finally, a successful print design needs to have one focal point, which is your message. Without a good message to convey to your target customers, any effort to come up with a great print design would just be a waste of your time and resources.

Set Goals For A Smooth Printing Transaction

2008-01-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

Before you bring your marketing collaterals to your brochure printing company, you need to be clear about your specifications, as well as your printerʼs requirements from you. This is a two-way relationship you know. Thus, it is also important to understand what your printing company needs to provide you with the best business brochures you expect from them.

When you go see your printing company, be sure to have clear and specific goals for your specific requirements. What are your requirements? What about your printerʼs requirements from you? How much is the final quote?

Your brochure printing house would have a quote ready for your approval when you give them the information they need. Your information is the basis for the cost of your printing job. Hence, you need to give your printer all your specifications for them to be able to come up with the most reasonable price for your business brochures.

And as always, donʼt just rely on one brochure printing company for your quote. Get at least three prices if possible. You can go online for easier access to instant price quotes from online printers like PrintPlace.com. You only have to input your specifications and the system would automatically provide you with the final quotation for your print job.

Professional Printers For Professional Business Cards

2008-01-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

If you want your business to succeed the way you imagined, you need to have business cards that reflect the kind of brand you would want to market to your target audience. And the only way to do that is to get a professional business card printing company to help you accomplish your goals.

A professional printer would help you come up with card pieces that would be able to send your customers and prospective clients with the right message and complete contact information. Whether they are printed as standard black-and-white pieces or full color business cards, your business card printer can give you what you need.

When you go online, there are already printing companies such as PrintPlace.com that lets you put your specifications in their automatic pricing system. This way, you are able to have instant pricing quotes on your color business cards. You just type in your product, your specifications, and then you can already get the final quote for your print job.

Why do you need a professional to print your business cards? Because you donʼt want to ruin your reputation with a haphazard business card printing job. It took you a long time to create a brand that your customers and prospects can respect. Recognizing that only quality business card printing can help you accomplish your goals, it shows your clients that you are sincere in providing them the best service you can give.

A Trade Show Secret: Understanding Your Attendees

2008-01-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

Not all who attend trade shows have the same feelings and emotions towards the exhibit. Some may be very excited, which is a very welcome emotion for you and the rest of the exhibitors. Maybe some would be indifferent to most of the presentations just because theyʼre there to while away their time. And still some would be very eager to leave even before they have arrived.

When youʼre in a trade show, the best tool to have is to know how to interpret the body language of your attendees. Check them out. They might look regular to you but they do have something to hide that they wouldnʼt want you to discover even if you force them to.

That is why it is important that you not only have a great product offer in your brochures and advertising flyers, in addition to the professional people to represent your business, you also got to learn to understand what the attendees of every trade exhibit wouldnʼt want to show you.

Needless to say, not all are the same, and definitely not everybody who attend such gatherings share the same feelings and expectations. But definitely all these emotions that they have influence their decision to buy from you. Learning to distinguish them and what it means can help you provide a better offer, hence, a higher sales rate for your business.

Be Successful; Set Your Goals

2008-01-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

The dream and goal you have are yours. No one else can tell you when or how you should accomplish the goals you’ve set. It is up to you to develop your time frames and make sure that every deadline is met.

Hence, you need to have a clear and precise goal and schedule so you’ll be able to achieve them. The only way to do that is to have yourself a clear target which you can see and aim for. There’s no sense in setting up a goal that is clearly very difficult to accomplish. Why waste your time with those things? Having a clear goal gives you the chance to realize what you have set to do especially in creating your marketing collateral such as flyers, postcards or catalogs. You surely can’t aim for a target that you cannot see. It’s like aiming for the bull’s eye without looking at the dartboard and praying fervently that you hit any point in the process.

Setting up your schedule gives you the opportunity to take action and complete your tasks. And even if you don’t reach your exact goal, you were able to increase your chances of success at the very least. This, in a way, is already a small measure of your success.

Goals For Growth

2008-01-10T13:49:00.000-08:00

When you want your dreams to come true, you got to have goals. When you want to accomplish anything in business, you need goals.

Goals can help you get your desired success because it can give you deadlines in which you can accomplish the things you’ve set up to do. One speaker in a seminar I’ve attended last month even said that the goal is the most important ingredient in every success story in any business. If you want to fulfill your objective, then set your goals and work your way to accomplishing every process.

For example, if your dream is to have successful postcard marketing collateral that is beyond any marketing material ever written, create a goal that would concretize that dream. Give yourself a definite time to set your deadline – from developing your design to postcard printing. Don’t be fuzzy when you would want your color postcards to come out. Your goal is your deadline to make your dream become a reality.

In addition, in every dream you need to have a specific and easy-to-accomplish goal. You don’t need to have grandiose goals. You just go to have specific timetables and schedules to get you closer to your dreams.

The key is to have your goals, accomplish your goals, and live the dream you’ve always wanted.

Branding vs. Marketing

2008-01-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

Many people have the misguided impression that branding and marketing can be considered two separate entities. They could not be more incorrect. Both aspects are essential to an effective marketing plan, as one definitely drives the other. Try doing only one facet, however, and you’ll discover it makes the task of marketing your company more difficult than necessary. Determine your brand identity from the onset and it will serve as the guidepost in developing the remainder of your marketing strategies.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers”. However, your brand is more than just your logo; your brand is the integration of your visual presence, employee representation, customer interaction -- specifically, your brand is the way you want your customers to think of your company. Additionally, you want your customers to think of your company as the only one out there who can provide the solutions they seek.

In order to achieve a successful brand, you must first understand what your current and prospective customers want and need. Who better to give you that information than the employees who work with your customers each day? Start your brand identity from within your own organization. If your employees don’t deliver your intended brand, the remainder of your marketing plan will be for naught. Need proof? Visit a travel website, for instance – TripAdvisor.com, Travelocity.com, Expedia.com – and you are likely to find several negative reviews with “poor customer service” as the main downfall. Those employees did not represent their company’s brand successfully, resulting in an unfavorable experience to the customer. On the other hand, employees who consistently uphold the brand can facilitate enormous company growth.

Once you have established your brand identity to your employees, it’s important to back it up. Lead by example; be consistent with your brand guidelines – everything from how your logo is used to your company’s core values. When your customers consistently receive service that mirrors your brand, the next step of your marketing plan will practically write itself.

The purpose of a brand is to differentiate one company from another. Used correctly, a well thought out brand will shape everything from the color combination on your color business cards, to the photos that should be used when printing catalogs, to the type of language you should use when printing booklets for your employees. Strengthen your brand and the strength of your marketing will soon follow suit.

Looking In To Get Inspiration For Your Marketing Copy

2008-01-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Writing marketing copy is supposed to be “easy”, right? I mean, just talk about what’s best about your business, how it can be beneficial to your customers, why you’re the best business for the job, etc. – easy enough. Or so it seems. However, coming up with different ways to say essentially the same thing is the biggest challenge. The next time you’re faced with a mental block to achieve good marketing copy – be it for your website, your press releases, custom business cards or your brochure printing – begin by looking within your company to get a new perspective.

Good marketing starts from the inside and works its way out. If your employees don’t believe in the products, goods or services that you offer and stand behind them 100%, your marketing plan will never completely get off the ground. It’s important to the success of your company and marketing strategies that your employees are well informed and, most importantly, delivering a unified message to your customers about the company. Once the internal “foundation” is strengthened, you can be assured of having a future filled with successful marketing plans.

Shake your marketing block loose by working from the inside out. A few tips to jump start the process:

Sync It Up!
Getting all aspects of your company’s operations on board regarding your company philosophy, values, mission statement, etc. will ensure that everyone is working toward the common goal of the company’s success. Work with your Human Resources group to make sure everyone is on the same page from the very beginning. A successful unified approach must begin at the training stage and be consistently enforced through every stage of employment.

Get the Team Behind You!
Once you’ve chosen the company philosophy, build your team based on those values. With your company goals in the forefront, decisions regarding hiring and employee rewards will become easier – and your marketing success will be better for it in the long run.

Cheer Them On!
With your philosophy and hand-picked team in place, the ongoing priority turns to positive and consistent reinforcement. Use the communication tools at your disposal – email, newsletters, company events, etc. – to reinforce the common goals of the team. Encourage and reward consistent “brand behavior” and before you know it, your company philosophy soon becomes a way of life.

Your team IS your company and the face of your brand. Happy, team-oriented employees attract and keep happy clients. Keep your staff encouraged and motivated; take advantage of their first-hand customer knowledge when preparing your next focus group or customer survey. Not only will you build up your team by encouraging involvement, but you will also get insight and ideas that you may not have otherwise considered, thus creating a unique marketing effort tailored specifically TO your company, BY your company.

So who said writing marketing copy wasn’t easy?

Get that Appointment through Postcards

2008-01-03T16:33:00.000-08:00

What is an appointment rate? For marketing professionals, it is the percentage of qualified leads that result in a sales appointment or demonstration. For dummies like us, it is the opportunity, a chance to close the sale. An appointment does not necessarily translate to a sale but at least you have one foot in. But before you get that appointment, you have to do several other things to get that appointment.

Among the many tools that can get you that appointment is through a postcard by direct mail. I find postcards as a personal favorite because it offers your potential clients a glimpse of what you are offering in an unobtrusive way. It is a way of introducing yourself to prospects without forcing yourself on them.

After the postcards, you now have to be more aggressive. If you are lucky, then you might just be able to get that positive client response; and they will be the one calling you instead. However, more often than not, it is you who must make the follow up. To get that appointment, you will have to be more aggressive. You have to follow up with you prospect. A phone call or a visit would be in order. By doing these, you have done the most important steps towards getting that nod.

Loyal Customers Is Big Business

2008-01-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

Itʼs hard to get new customers to go into business with you. But do you know whatʼs even harder? Itʼs to get your current customers to stay with you. Boy, does it take a lot of energy and effort to do so!

Customer loyalty takes a lot from you and your business especially with your marketing efforts. But it sure does help you grow your business to the level you have imagined the first time you started out.

Do you have a plan to build your customer relationship? If not, then donʼt you think itʼs time for you to have one? You need to develop your strategy to build customer loyalty. When you try to develop on your existing customer base then you start to add to your growth rate which is I think the bottom line to every business.

To build customer loyalty, you need to focus your marketing efforts on your present customers. When your customers donʼt get the satisfaction they expect, who do you think do they go to to sound off their concerns? Not you. For the most part, theyʼll be babbling about it to anybody they meet and of course, to their lovedones and nearest of kin and chair.

So the next time you try to grow your business, start on your current roster, and youʼll see how your efforts would pay off with additional customers to your database.

How To Get Ready For a Trade Show: Be Prepared

2007-12-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

For many businesses, trade shows are essential if you want to grow in your chosen niche. Trade shows are THE venue for most businesses to meet new prospects and build better relationships with current clients as it is during such an occasion that many business cards and brochures are exchanged.

For those who participate in these events as exhibitors, trade shows provide the environment for business owners and clients to meet face-to-face. Not only that, exhibitors also have the chance to do market research especially when it comes to getting new leads and ideas to develop their business further.

As exhibitors, you know for a fact that disasters and emergencies are part and parcel of these events. You cannot avoid them. But you can always prevent problems from getting worse.

When you have to participate in a trade show, the only way to avert a major catastrophe is to come prepared for the event.

If you find out that the organizers did not include a table for your booth then be prepared to set up one. If they have a different set of electronic device for booth presentations then, by all means, bring your own digital paraphernalia.

The key here is to be prepared. You cannot avoid emergencies. But you can prevent them from making your trade show a mess. Make a checklist of what you can do during emergencies. List all the things you might need. And before you go to your trade show, be sure to discuss these things with your staff.

When you come prepared then youʼll have a better chance of introducing your business to your clients and prospects.

How To Get Started With A Branding Strategy

2007-12-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

Creating a brand strategy for your business is one of the most difficult tasks in your marketing campaign. In fact, most business owners would tell you that coming up with a distinct brand in your marketing collaterals such as your flyers or brochures, gets the number one in the list of challenges for every business.

Creating your brand tactic is fairly easy as long as you know what you have to offer and how youʼre going to make your offer. A strong brand would be able to tell your clients and customers of your skills and abilities when it comes to providing them their needs.

When youʼre ready to begin creating building your brand strategy, you need to make sure that you develop a strong brand. A strong brand would help you get ahead of the competition on a regular basis.

Hence, it is essential to define what kind of brand you would want your target clients to remember you by. Spend time researching, learning and getting all the information you need to come up with a brand that would define you and your business. Get your team to brainstorm for ideas and concepts that would be distinct to your image. And donʼt forget to develop a brand that would answer the needs of your clients.

The kind of brand that you develop for your business would be the one youʼll be remembered with for the rest of your business life. So make sure that you communicate your message clearly to your target audience.

To Brand Or Not To Brand

2007-12-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

Branding is generally a valuable tool to have in your business. However, corporate branding is more often difficult to market than personal branding. You know why? Personal branding promotes an individualʼs skills and ability and makes use of strong brands that dictates who and what you have to offer as an individual.

When you do personal branding, all you got to do is to sell what you believe in, which is your image. Your image is already there; all you have to do is to market it.

So how do you make your company brand easier to achieve? By making your marketing collaterals like your brochures more personal. Your brochure printing pieces must be able to create your image as a professional and an expert in your business niche.

You have to develop a strong and consistent brand. After all, what you have for your brand is what your consumers will hold on to until youʼve stopped existing or when you have created a totally new one.

Treat your business brochures as your own unique mark that will brand you for the rest of your business life. Establish your image as an expert and build your reputation as a professional. Before you know it, people will be clamoring for your product and service. And your brand will be identified as your own unique mark of success.

Go To College If You Want To Use Your Flyers Effectively

2007-12-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

Hold it.

Before you ask me what I am talking about, let me just say that what I mean is for you to go to your local college or school to get your flyers distributed effectively. If you’re on a tight leash when budget is concerned, you can use the bulletin boards in the colleges nearest you to get the word out about your business.

Yes, college bulletin boards are great places to post your flyers. Not only do hundreds and thousands of students walk past these boards everyday, they actually look at these boards and read the advertisements posted.

Prepare a simple flyer with tags at the bottom which anybody can tear out after they’ve read your ad. This way, your clients may be able to reach you right away when they need your business.

Also use colored paper to create your custom flyers. With so much ads posted in bulletin boards, you might want to make your flyer printing piece to stand out. A bright colored paper, coupled with an awesome headline would most certainly help you to attract the clients you need for your business.

Place your flyers in a prominent position in the bulletin board, and don’t be afraid to move some to get your position. It takes good positioning to have your clients to see your ad.

And lastly, don’t forget to ask permission from the administrative office of the campus before you post your flyers. It’s common courtesy to do so.

Be Prepared For Trade Shows

2007-12-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

We cannot avoid catastrophes and emergencies during trade shows. What we can only do is to come prepared during these events.

Preparation is the key to having a successful trade show exhibit. Nevertheless, it is only the first step. Depending on how you and your team act during emergencies is the basis of what works well and what does not.

To ACT on disasters, here are 3 things you need to establish first:

A – Assess the problem
The first thing you have to do during problem situations is not to panic. It is indeed terrifying to find yourself in a mess when you’ve invested time and money to be in this trade show. So make sure that you stop and breathe first before you tackle the emergency. And when you’ve calmed down, assess the situation and then list all possible solutions to your problem.

C – Coordinate with your team members
Let every member of your staff know what’s going on, and what you intend to do to solve the problem. You also need to indicate each and everyone’s role during the process. This last is to avoid duplication, and to avoid having an empty booth. One or two members should be able to cover for the others and be able to go on with the show.

T – Take action and implement your solution
After you’ve assessed the situation, decided on the most effective solution, and have informed all the booth staff, now you can implement your solution.

Simple Direct Mail For Real Estate

2007-12-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

I’m a real estate agent and I know very well that prospecting is one of the essential elements in this industry. It’s difficult enough to market my real estate business to the public, but to generate more leads is so much hard work that I sometimes question if I’m in the right business after all.

I have to admit, developing my leads is by far the most expensive, not to mention, time consuming part of my work. Nevertheless, I agree that I have to do it because if not for the leads that I’ve generated, I won’t be able to stay long in this business.

And I found the best formula for my real estate marketing: direct mail + brochures = leads.

Direct mail is very simple. It’s just you sending out your message to as many prospects as possible. It’s an invitation for your target clients to get in touch with you to talk about your real estate business. What’s more, direct mail allows you to pitch your message to many prospects without having to spend a fortune.

With direct mail, you just have to focus on your target market so you can create a special marketing campaign through your brochure printing pieces. And because you are able to create custom brochures that are tailor made to your prospects’ specific needs, you can stand out from all the junk mails littering the environment.

So use direct mail and recruit as many leads as you can. Direct mail tools such as your brochures can help you close deals for your real estate business.

Get More Response

2007-12-14T11:59:00.000-08:00

To get more response, you need to provide reading information that is of interest to your target clients.

Most business owners and top officials of companies are bombarded with so much information everyday. As a business owner, you know the importance of getting yourself updated and informed on advice, tips, pointers and strategies that can help you better run your business, as well as give you a better chance to compete.

Thatʼs why you understand the importance of providing valuable information through your catalogs.

Your focus should then be a topic of interest to your clients. It has to have relevant and up-to-date information that can be useful to your audience. Your topic should also be unbiased and avoid discriminating in your copy.

In addition, (and most importantly) your catalog printing information should be able to sell your readers to your products and services. You can do this by emphasizing the benefits of your products to your clients. Be sure to explain how they can accomplish the expected results and how to turn your products into miracle workers that make life better. Of course, you would want to write your copy in a way that your clients would be favorable to what you have to offer.

After youʼve chosen the topic for your catalog, finally, give it a title that will turn your prospects into instant clients.

Turn your ordinary catalogs into outstanding marketing collaterals. And turn your prospective readers into buying clients in no time.

Brochures That Actually Work

2007-12-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

What do brochures and magazines have in common? Seriously, none. But you can have your brochure printing company produce marketing collateral for your business that actually works like a magazine.

Magazines have something that most brochures don’t – they actually get read by a lot of people. Why so? For the simple reason that magazines have stories and copy that people liked to read.

Keep in mind that when target clients grab your brochures, they usually make a split-second decision to read or not to read what you have to say. To make sure that you stop them in their tracks and avoid getting dumped in the garbage bin, think and act like you were the editor of a magazine and work on your copy and layout.

Provide wonderful photos and images to capture the essence of your message. And make sure that whatever you include is necessary to your purpose and goal for your print collateral.

Create a short magazine in your custom brochures and duplicate what good editors and journalists have done with their magazines. Think of what will make your target clients stop and pick up your brochures for pure curiosity. Make your brochure magazine work to help you increase readership, and eventually your profits.

Postcard Marketing Thatʼs Tried And True

2007-12-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

Why would anyone choose a postcard over all the high-tech tools that one can use to market a business? Simple. Because postcards are the easiest, the most flexible, and the cheaper marketing collateral that can effectively reach out to your target clients.

For one thing, your postcard printing piece is cheaper than most print collaterals because you can get a postcard printing company to produce a thousand pieces at a price of a few hundred dollars. Even the mailing them is cheaper compared to a standard letter.

Two, they are so flexible that you can personalize and customize your print cards according to your target reader.

Third, you donʼt need an envelope to mail your postcards. Your message is there for everyone to see. Your clients donʼt need to rip open an envelope before they could even get to your first word.

Fourth, they get along with the other print collaterals that you can use them to complement another for a more effective marketing campaign.

Fifth, you can let your creativity run wild and create postcards in any shape and size you want to stand out from the crowd. And with any purpose, you can design your layout tailor made to your goals.

So why choose postcard marketing? Because theyʼve been tried and tested, and finally came out a winner.