Think Small!

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For many years, “think big” has been the theme for many businesses, as they try to compete in a sea of retail giants. However, the tables are turning, and large organizations realize that their audience is looking for more personalized, customer-focused attention, causing businesses to “think small.” Here are a few ways to leverage your natural small business advantages in your marketing efforts:

  • Personal attention. Small businesses are more likely to recognize their customers and provide sincere, personal attention, without customers feeling like they’re just another number in the company’s statistics.
  • Industry experts. Many small businesses develop a narrow market focus and develop a premium reputation for serving that niche market effectively.
  • The power to change. While large companies generally take several months to change company policies, small businesses usually have the ability to make decisions on the spot and implement changes quickly when they feel it is appropriate.
  • Flexibility. Small businesses are more willing to work with customers and do whatever it takes to earn their business, including filling customized requests at a moment’s notice.
  • Customer satisfaction. Because it takes more effort for a small business to build a strong customer base, they also work harder to keep their current customers happy.

When it comes to marketing, don’t hide the fact that you are a small business. Instead, take the opportunity to promote it proudly and show customers the many advantages of thinking small.

First Impressions – Tips For Awesome Business Card

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The adage “First impression matters” is not in vain. In all spheres of life, business included first impressions matters. It will determine whether you will be able to close that deal you have been eyeing for some time now. In the business world, business cards aren’t just used to pass contact details, but promote your business idea.

When searching for means through which you can endorse your products and services (i.e. business establishment), you need to consider a business card. While it may seem like just another piece of paper, it plays a huge role in business transactions. To your business partners, your business card is an extension of your business.

Discussed herein, are tips and guidelines on how to create an awesome business card:

1. The first things you need to consider while making a business card are your business name and personal name. You need to know how you are going to place your name as well as business name. Normally, the business name is given a larger font than the individual’s name. Nevertheless, this may differ hinging on the kind of business that you are doing. If you are a sales representative, then you need to make the names of your business more conspicuous than your personal names. However, if you are an author or an artist, you need to make sure that your names are more conspicuous than the business name.

2. The center of the business card is usually the focus of a business card. The most important details such as business name and contact details are usually included in the focal point. A logo is important when creating a business card because it is a sign of professionalism.

3. To draw the attention of the reader, you can utilize designs alongside images. In case your business has a unique logo, then you can use as the center of attraction in your business card. If you are considering using logos on your business card, make certain that it is a simple logo so as not to overshadow everything else on the card. But, do not make it so simple that it will bore the reader to death. The objective here is to draw the attention of the person you are passing the business card to so that they can see what you have to provide.

4. When designing a business card, it is important for you to list the products and services that you are offering. This is particularly important if your business name is not fully describing your line of business. For example, in case your business name is XYZ Products Inc. and is selling computers and accessories, it is crucial that you include a statement which clarifies the nature of your business, for instance, a slogan or the kinds of computers and accessories that you are selling. Do not include each and everything that you do in your business. What you need to do is to bring out the nature of your business with as much clarity as possible using fewer words.

Does Your Marketing Need a Workout?

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A successful marketing strategy often resembles the five steps of an exercise plan. And just like exercising, finding the motivation to get started is often the hardest part. Here are a few tips to help you give your marketing plan a workout:

  1. Follow a regular schedule. Remember that erratic actions will not bring results. Just as an occasional jog will not make you fit, marketing requires a regular, ongoing schedule.
  2. Exercise all your muscle groups. Like fitness plans which incorporate several variables, including diet, aerobic exercise, and strength training, successful marketing plans should also include several well-balanced strategies working together. Just as everyone’s body is different, every company should have a customized combination of print marketing, social media, online/web marketing, e-newsletters, and the like to meet their specific needs.
  3. 3.Don’t overdo it in the beginning! Too much exercise can exhaust you and cause your muscles pain, making it hard to think about exercising again. An overkill on marketing can have the same result. Start slow, then build momentum and strength gradually as you develop your plan of attack.
  4. Maintenance is key. Don’t let your firm’s marketing efforts turn flabby with a lack of follow-up actions. Regardless how popular your brand becomes, ongoing marketing is essential to keep your name at the top.
  5. Look to professionals if help is needed. Our creative team is available and eager to help you develop marketing materials your customers are sure to love. Give us a call today!

Appreciation Marketing

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Everyone likes to feel appreciated. That’s especially true when it comes to your customers. Appreciation marketing can help you develop lasting relationships and make customers think of you the next time they’re ready to purchase. Here are a few ways to show customers your appreciation:

  • Send a hand-written thank you card every time someone does business with you.
  • Reward repeat customers with special deals, exclusive discounts, and coupons.
  • Send holiday, birthday, or anniversary cards. These simple, pressure-free greetings will help increase top-of-mind awareness throughout the year.
  • Offer useful information and helpful tips to educate customers and promote your expertise via blogs, newsletters, social media, and the like.
  • Invite customers to an exclusive appreciation event designed for existing customers.
  • Collaborate with non-competitive local businesses to create a coupon book or discount program across a range of industries.
  • Create a customer loyalty program, such as a loyalty punch card, upgrade offers, or cash rewards after reaching a specific purchase level.
  • Respond quickly to customer questions or requests, and follow-up to be sure all questions were thoroughly answered.
  • Ask for customer feedback in the form of surveys and response cards.
  • Send out a voucher or postcard for a free gift, redeemable at your business.
  • Send discounts and coupons “just because” to thank customers for their business.
  • Include statement stuffer coupons with bills not only as a thank you but also to encourage customers to make additional future purchases.

If you’re interested in any of the above print marketing ideas or need help brainstorming the perfect promo to show customers your appreciation, our creative team is eager to help. Give us a call today!

Information Overload?

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The amount of information (images, videos, blogs, etc.) available to businesspeople is increasing at dizzying speeds. This can be a problem. A big and messy problem.

You see, there’s a lot of junk out there. Yet amid that trash valuable information exists that can help you and your customers achieve exactly what you’re looking for.

As with any problem, there are opportunities to be had.

Can you become the go to source for your top customers to help them find the gold? If you can manage that, you’ll become their trusted ally and vendor of choice.

That in essence is what “content curation” is all about.

You can send your customers and prospects copies of articles and links to important information — basically any resource you think will help them grow in their personal and business life.

Some think that content curation is a brand-new concept, but it’s been around for many years. Where the information comes from has evolved, but the essence has not changed.

Zig Ziglar said it best: “You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

You can’t go wrong with that kind of philosophy.

Product Naming Tips

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If you’re planning to introduce a new product into the market, here are a few tips to help you create a likeable product name that will also be relevant and memorable:

  • Choose an expressive name that describes what the product does.
  • Avoid acronyms. Give your product a full name, and use brief acronyms internally only.
  • Consider naming similar products together as a family. For example, Apple’s operating systems have used similar names such as Panther, Jaguar, Leopard, and Lion.
  • If you have a tiered product line (good, better, best), name your products accordingly to show order of ranking.
  • Add a prefix or suffix to a common name, such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod.
  • Choose a name that gives people a mental image of the benefits your product provides or how it works.
  • Select a name that is easy to pronounce. If your audience can’t pronounce it, they likely won’t remember it.
  • Creatively change the spelling of a real word. The popular cereals Kix and Trix are good examples.
  • If your products are sold internationally, always screen your product name to check for embarrassing meanings in other languages.
  • Consider using a verb as your product name, like Bounce dryer sheets.
  • Blend two descriptive words together to form a new word that describes your product, such as Miracle Whip.
  • Beware of any potential acronyms that may cause issues. For example, some people joke that Microsoft’s Bing stands for “But It’s Not Google.” Also check if there could be issues with shortening the product name.
  • Think about what you like/dislike about other product names across various industries, and compare that to the list of names you’re considering.
  • Lastly, beware that a long, drawn-out product name may cause a challenge when creating advertisements and promotional materials.

No matter what product name you choose, we have endless creative ideas to help you spread the word and increase your sales. Give us a call today!

Tactics or Strategy?

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You’ve probably heard the phrase “tactics vs. strategy” countless times.

People love tactics. Tactics can be fun and exciting. They’re relatively easy to pick up and seem to have magical quick results (at least for a short time). Social media in the form of a few tweets is a classic example of a tactic.

But there’s a critical part most businesses seem to miss, and it’s why tactics often fail in the long run. To be successful, you have to put all the tactics together in a logical and cohesive way to make it all work.

That’s where strategy comes into play.

Without a well thought-out strategic plan, all tactics will ultimately fail. It’s not the fault of the tactic that it didn’t work. It’s the fault of the person behind the tactic who thought it would be the magic pill it didn’t turn out to be.

A strategy is a plan to get you and your business where you want to go. Without a strategy, you are lost in the Sahara with no compass and no water. Once you have your strategy in place, the right tactics will fall into place where they need to be.

Overwhelmed by Your Marketing Efforts?

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Marketing your business can be a nonstop, exhausting task. Here are a few ways to avoid feeling overwhelmed and get the most out of your marketing efforts:

  • Create a SWOT analysis, which is a strategic planning method to evaluate your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By identifying and understanding these four areas of your business, you can more easily create a strategy that will distinguish your company from the competition, so you can compete successfully in your market.
  • Hire a talented assistant. An assistant can help you manage your workload, get things done faster, and relieve the stress of looming deadlines. Even a part-time assistant can help you free up time to focus on more important tasks.
  • Find a marketing intern. Interns can provide a lot of value… if you let them. Interns are best utilized to help you reach business goals. For example, consider assigning interns to manage social media accounts, write articles and other blogs to increase your web presence, develop creative campaign ideas, etc. Interns can help relieve capacity issues and “test” new hires before making them official.
  • Remember to delegate. It often seems faster and easier just to do something yourself, but you also risk not having trained backup when you really need the help. If you’re nervous about trusting others with key projects, be sure to frequently track progress, give feedback, and help people solve problems.
  • Communicate with other departments in your business to gather new marketing ideas. For example, your production crew may suggest highlighting a new product feature, while your sales team may receive suggestions from customers about requested promotional ideas.
  • Learn from others. Collect examples of marketing materials or creative ideas that caught your attention, and organize them in an ideas binder. Combine your favorite traits from each into marketing ideas that are customized for your business.
  • Create a wish list of marketing initiatives, as well as a list of necessary projects with realistic deadlines. Schedule a weekly or bi-monthly meeting to review your progress, identify issues that are holding you back, and reassign tasks or projects.
  • Consider outsourcing projects if you or your team doesn’t have the time or resources to complete an important project. Freelance writers or designers can also be a great solution to keeping up the pace without hiring permanent staff. One great way to use freelance writers is for customer case studies. As an outside party, freelance writers can often ask sensitive questions and may be able to get customers to open up more as a result.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to put a professional finishing touch on your marketing efforts by choosing a printer who can offer helpful advice, creative ideas, meet tight deadlines, and provide a quality product you will be proud to distribute. We’re here anytime your business needs help putting your best foot forward.

Positive Steps for Handling Negativity at Work

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We’ve all heard the saying that one bad apple can spoil the bunch. The same is true of negativity in the workplace. A single employee’s negative attitude can bring coworkers down and hurt morale. So how can you combat it?

  • Confront the offender. While it may seem easier to ignore a problem and hope it goes away, that rarely works. In fact, the problem usually just keeps getting worse until you have no choice but to act. When you see someone displaying a negative attitude (or hear about it from coworkers), sit the person down and let them know their attitude is not acceptable.
  • Get to the root of the problem. In your meeting, try to discover the cause of the person’s dissatisfaction. Perhaps they feel slighted by something that happened at work. They may think someone else received preferential treatment over them or that what they do goes unnoticed and unrecognized. Whatever the case, hear them out and acknowledge their feelings, even if you disagree. Share your own thoughts, discuss the issues, and try not to be too confrontational.
  • Seek solutions. As you’re discussing issues, look for ways to resolve them as best you can. Keep in mind that not all grievances can be easily solved and not all negativity is completely work-related. However, approaching the situation with a solutions-oriented mindset should help at least let the person know you’re taking their well-being seriously.
  • Hold your ground. No matter the outcome of your meeting, make it clear that the employee is responsible for their own actions and that continued negativity will not be tolerated. Spell out the consequences and stand firm in your resolve.
  • Reward positivity. Hopefully, your meeting and the solutions you devise together will trigger an attitude shift in your employee. As you notice changes, offer positive reinforcement and encouragement. Of course, even if you don’t see changes in the employee, try not to get too discouraged. Instead, focus on the more positive members of your team. Reinforce, reward, and encourage their attitude and its positive influence on those around them.

Make Unsubscribing Easier

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In the world of email marketing, many companies are so focused on encouraging people to opt-in or subscribe to their emails that they overlook the wishes of recipients who may want to unsubscribe.

If unsubscribing to your messaging is not easy, you run the risk of increased spam complaints and ISP blocking, annoyed customers, and a weakened brand image. More than 40 percent of email recipients click the easier option (the spam button at the top of their email) rather than searching for an unsubscribe link. This occurs most often because many companies hide the link, push it down to the bottom of a message, or purposely blend the “unsubscribe” text into the background.

One way to make unsubscribing easier is to place an “unsubscribe” button at the top of your email. In addition to making your unsubscribe button more noticeable, you may also want to offer other options (change email address, change/reduce message frequency, choose different types of messages to receive, change message delivery to RSS/direct mail, etc.). Consider adding a survey, too, that asks why the recipient chose to unsubscribe (I receive too many emails from your organization, emails are not relevant to me, I did not subscribe to these emails, etc.).

Overall, the unsubscribe button isn’t always a bad thing and doesn’t have to mean goodbye. It can not only help reduce email complaints, but can also clean your email list, ensuring that only people who are truly interested receive your message.