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.