During the month of February, it certainly makes us think about how much we love our customers. After all, without you, we wouldn’t be here and since you keep coming back, there’s obviously something that you like about us so we invite you to participate in our “I Love Colour Tech” video contest.

Every participant will receive a $20 gift certificate that can be used toward a future order and one lucky winner will receive 1,000 Business Cards and a box of Belgian chocolates.  Now, isn’t that a sweetheart of a deal?

Just ‘Like’ our Facebook Page (if you haven’t already) and then go to our wall.
Click on ‘Video’ to record or upload your 30-second submission. Or, if you’re in the area, drop by our office to record it and we’ll upload it for you.

We look forward to hearing from you… Happy Valentine’s Day!”

Robert and Margaret Campbell
Colour Tech Founders
www.colourtech.com

Key Successful Branding Tips
1. Establish your identity by using a specific colour, slogan and/or logo
2. Create a unique personalized and memorable look.
3. Carry this new look throughout your marketing material/advertising
4. Market to the same target audience on a regular basis
5. Consistency is key.

These are just a few marketing tools that can be used in a direct mail campaign resulting in brand awareness and new prospects. If done correctly, it will reside within the hearts and minds of customers, clients and future prospects.

What’s your branding strategy?

Written by: Helga Unzog
www.colourtech.com

1. Get your house cleaning done early – house, office, car, desk, PDA, even your mind (seriously!)…in fact, anywhere you conduct business!

2. Organize the clutter – lots of folders lying around? File ‘em, archive ‘em or toss ’em. After all, you need room for the new customer files that will be coming your way!

3. Kick start a ‘back burner’ project – because the sun isn’t going down quite as quickly so look at the hours you’re gaining!

4. A Fresh New You – a new haircut, update your photo or a new look for your marketing material!

5. Market Yourself (yes, again!) – have lots of business cards at the ready. In fact, why not affix them to our Spring Calendar (Mar 2012-May 2013) for a handy client give-away?

Do you have a strategy for the approaching season?

Written by: Bob Campbell
www.colourtech.com

#5 Do NOT… put every award, designation and affiliation you’ve ever had. Limit it to 2 or 3 at the most.

#4 Do NOT… use a profile photo that’s 5 years or older. Keep it current and use a professional photographer. If your photo requires extracting from the background, make sure there’s enough contrast in it so we can more accurately crop you out of there.

#3 Do NOT… force all your information to fit on one side of the card. List the most important information and remember there’s a blank canvas on the back you can take advantage of.

#2 Do NOT… use extremely thin or small fonts on dark backgrounds. It may appear fine on screen, when you’re zoomed in at 500%, but when it’s printed you may not be happy.

#1 Do NOT… forget to proof read your business card. If you read the information backwards, it will force you to pay attention to what you are looking at. But it’s not the end of the world if you missed something. Remember, they’re business cards and we can always print more.

Thanks to the graphics team at Colour Tech for helping me compile this list. As always, we’re here to help… so if you’re unsure about anything, just ask.

Over to you… Do you think this list is too harsh or would you add some more? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers!
Brian Ramoutar, Graphic Designer
www.colourtech.com

1) Itemize Today’s Tasks – make a note of 3 things you must do and get them done!

2) Find Your Optimum Energy Moments – determine the time of day when you operate at your very best and use that window to complete your top 3 tasks!

3) De-Clutter Your Desktop – we all have ‘stuff’ that we’ve put aside with the intention of ‘getting to’ or reading and there will always be new stuff so if you can’t deal with it in the next few days, delete it!

4) De-Clutter Your Brain – when things aren’t quite coming together, step away for a five minute break. It can sometimes be all it takes to give you a fresh perspective from someone else’s point of view or from an impromptu brainstorming session!

5) A Place for Everything and Everything In Its Place – it worked when your parents told you to do it and it still works now. Whatever it is, put it away when you’re done with it!

See? Easy steps to start you on your way to a lifelong habit and not just a 12 month resolution because as Lao Tzu, the great Chinese philosopher said, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step”…or five.

Have you made a ‘different’ kind of resolution this year?

Written by: Jaclyn Kader
www.colourtech.com

There is much talk of being ‘politically correct’ these days, especially when it comes to how you should extend your greetings during the holiday season. But for this blog post, I’m not going to adhere to that, I’m simply curious to see how many of you speak a language that can be found in the word cloud above.

So, if you see the words that say Merry Christmas in your mother tongue, string them together and tell us what the language is…. because it’s always fun to learn something new.

Written by: Jaclyn Kader
www.colourtech.com

If you made it out in one piece, congratulations! With an abundance of gifts to choose from, how many of you purchased a book for someone? I bet a lot of you did, since it is a billion dollar industry.

This large and fanatical market segment is the ideal client to receive a bookmark as a gift. Many of our blog posts are related to promotional items with added value; bookmarks definitely have it, along with longevity. They are a subtle and classy way of promoting yourself while giving the recipient a product we all need. Whether it is a book for leisure or business documents, we all have our quirky ways of marking where we left off. How many of us have a nice, elegant bookmark?

I still have one I received in grade school, believe it or not. It has a picture of an orange kitten with the caption “A hug would make my day”. Wretchedly adorable, I know; but I kept it!

If you have any great ideas for a bookmark, let us know. We would love to design it for you!

Written by: Radovan Marinkovic
www.colourtech.com

If I were to ask, “What do you think of when you hear THIN magnet?” I hope the answer would be Colour Tech, because it is one of our most popular and impressive products.

With an almost razor thin surface, available in multiple shapes and sizes, the thin magnet is a great piece to complement your marketing plan. With a retention rate of over 18% versus paper products, it is sure to keep your contact information with the client for a long time. The main advantage is the weight reduction compared to traditional magnets, which would incur additional mailing costs through Canada Post. THIN magnets don’t increase postage when mailed yet they are just as strong.

Popular items to print on the 4” X 7” include kitchen conversion charts, emergency contact numbers, team schedules, and calendars. For 2012, we have updated our calendar templates with new designs.

Some of our customers have come up with a few other interesting and creative ideas as well. What would you like to see us create on a 4” X 7” magnet?

Written by: Radovan Marinkovic
www.colourtech.com

Lynn Carter is a pleasure to work with and we, as a company, enjoy working with her. I have met Lynn (and her husband) in person on several occasions, and she is always gracious to me, and towards Colour Tech.

We are in business to earn a living, but helping people is why we get up each and every day! Lynn, thank you kindly, it is always great to hear from you!

“The staff and their commitment to customer service and ensuring that their products are exactly what the customer wants is why I keep coming back to Colour Tech! Each time I call to speak to a representative who I have worked with in previous orders, they remember me and make my experience very personal and that I like. I am not just another order to them. I am very particular when it comes to my material I am ordering as I tend to work with the designers to make my cards, or letterhead etc, very personalized in content and design, and each and every time, the designers and staff go out of their way to ensure that I am completely happy with my changes and my order before going to print. It’s this extra step in personal service that keeps Colour Tech first and foremost in my printing needs!” – Lynn Carter, CENTURY 21 Classic Realty Ltd.

Written By: Radovan Marinkovic
www.colourtech.com

I stayed a while and shared a family story with him and when it was time to go he said how much he had enjoyed our chat and thanked me for taking the time….and I thanked him for taking the time. It took no effort on my part and all I gave him was a few minutes out of my life….it was nothing compared to what he gave me.

Jim was so appreciative and it made me realise that we should be so much more appreciative of what he and others gave of themselves.  The very least we can do each November is wear a poppy until Remembrance Day.  So, let’s all remember….to ensure that we never forget.

Do you have a memory involving one of our Canadian Veterans that you’d like to share with us?  We’d love to hear it!

Written by: Jaclyn Kader
www.colourtech.com