More Than Just Ink On Paper

In a busy world filled with lists and to-dos, how do you put out content that will rise to the top and be read by others? Here are some great writing tips to help your newsletter get the attention it deserves. 1. Figure out who your audience it first. Are you sending the newsletter to prospective customers? Or are you sending it internally to your staff? This will determine the tone of the language you use, be it formal or informal. 2. Determine the voice you want to use. Most of the time, it’s best to write as if you are writing to a friend. Use a more casual tone so that everyone feels welcome to read it. 3. Keep it short. Don’t over-write. Figure out your message, then tell it in as few of words as necessary to get the point across. 4. Organize your articles. Put the most important article first, on the front side of the newsletter. Then add the following essential articles. 5. Use pictures and graphics. Insert some visual aids in your newsletter. No...

Competitive advantages are the factors that allow your company to produce goods or services better or more cheaply than your rivals and are the key factors in what makes your business better than others. If your competitive advantage can be easily copied or imitated, it is not considered a competitive advantage. Your competitive advantage is the essence of your strategy, messaging, and marketing. According to Jack Welch, “If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.” Comparative Advantage vs. Differential Advantage  Comparative advantages and differential advantages are the two different forms of competitive advantages. A comparative advantage is your company’s ability to produce something more efficiently, leading to greater profit margins. One way to achieve a comparative advantage is to increase your economies of scale. An economy of scale is the savings in costs your company generates when it increases levels of productio...

Happy New Year! How crazy it’s already 2022! How was your 2021 marketing strategy? Whether splendid or slightly lacking, any marketing strategy has room for improvement. In the new year, try incorporating (or reincorporating) direct mail marketing strategies. This long-standing proven method, with added new technology, is a perfect way to hit the ground running in 2022. And the best part? It can start with a simple postcard. The Many Benefits of Postcards Postcards are highly effective. Did you know that 86% of customers take the time to read through their mail? Due to postcards’ higher visibility, you can expect a higher response rate than any other marketing medium, along with a 70% higher brand recall. This translates into a high return on investment. Every $167 spent translates into about $2000 in goods sold. That’s a great investment! Increase your benefits by incorporating a fantastic postcard design.  The Postcard Design The postcard desi...

Storytelling has been around for ages. To this day, people love stories. It unites people while stimulating imagination and passion. Although often seen as a fun pastime, stories usually have a purpose, such as sharing a message, conveying a moral, or telling history.  Humanize the business One sometimes overlooked use of stories is within business marketing campaigns. Stories can be especially moving in the marketing world. Storytelling humanizes the brand, which is beneficial because people like buying from other people. The more you can humanize the brand, the better.  Stories to remember  Storytelling is also useful for remembrance. People tend to remember stories better than they do statistics. Sometimes, being remembered is half the battle. After all, the marketing world is saturated with numerous businesses vying for attention. “Brands that tell more sell more.” Storytelling is a unique way to stand out. Stories take on different formats ...

The new year is a terrific time to focus on your health. One of the greatest overall benefits to your health is eliminating or reducing your stress. Here are some tips on how to stay healthy when you’re stressed out. 1. Get regular exercise. This sounds simple enough, yet most of us struggle with it. Exercise can include parking farther away so you have a longer walk to work or the mall. It can involve swimming, playing basketball with a friend, and even window shopping at the mall. Just find ways to move around more and things you enjoy. 2. Keep a sense of humor. Try to relax enough to laugh. Read a joke book. Read a funny book or watch a funny TV show or movie. Have lunch with a friend who lightens the mood. 3. Try some relaxation techniques. Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, tai chi, or even getting a massage are great makes to stop awhile and take care of yourself. This is the best way to stay on top of your game. 4. Take time for hobbies. Think about wha...

Do you marvel at beautiful artwork? Are you dazzled by the use of exquisite colors? And are you perplexed as to how images are chosen for certain marketing efforts? That’s the job of a graphic designer. Designers have training in choosing colors and images; they make the ordinary a work of art.  Why You Need a Graphic Designer Even if you have ideas of what you want, a graphic designer can bring that vision to life. That’s why it’s best to leave the execution to the experts. Graphic designers know the rules and how to break them to create a compelling message. They are trained in color, form, line, shape, size, space, and texture. And the principles they must learn have to do with: balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, proportion, and rhythm. Graphic designers adhere to the principles of design. These basic principles achieve effective composition in creating balance and stability for the work. Most of us haven’t been trained this extensivel...

You know how a new haircut can change the way people see you? It can make all the difference in your level of professionalism. And die-cutting can do the same for your marketing materials. With die-cutting, the possibilities are as endless as your imagination. With fresh, new die-cut marketing materials, the public will definitely take notice. What is Die-Cutting? It is a cut using a sharp steel blade that is formed into any specific shape you want. It is then used to cut through the paper. It’s a lot like a cookie-cutter, except you cut paper instead of dough. Just think what you could do for your dull, old marketing materials. It’s not just circles and squares. Die-cutting allows you to make stair steps, holes, rounded corners, sharp points, and much more. Make any point you want with fresh, new die-cut materials. Creative Uses with Die-Cutting You have probably thought about using die-cutting on your business cards to make them stand out in the pile of rec...

Knowing how the human brain works and what drives people to make decisions is immensely beneficial in marketing. Luckily, there’s much research and information regarding various psychological tips and tricks to drive sales and expand your business. Here are a few. Cut down on the options Sometimes too many decisions can cause a customer to shut down, resulting in no sales.  To avoid this, research your prospective client beforehand to determine what products or services would best suit their needs. When doing the sales pitch, focus on only these to cut down on the options. Even better, you can lump products into packages, so your prospect needs only to make one big purchasing decision instead of multiple small ones.  No matter what you ultimately pitch to your client, it’s imperative you do so with the correct framing techniques.  Utilize positive framing Framing is how the information is presented.  Positive framing increases sales. Ther...

You’re at a new business or a social event. You look around in the sea of business people and wonder how to make the best first impression. Then you look down at your hand, holding your business card. What do you feel next? Are you excited to show off your business card and how it represents you? Or do you fear they will underestimate you based on your card? Here are ten tips on creating a memorable business card that shouts, “Work with me!” 10 Tips for a Memorable Business Card 1. Make sure your design represents your business. If you are a fun, quirky business that dabbles in creativity, make sure your business card reflects that mood. On the other hand, if you are a serious, no-nonsense business, make sure your business card is sleek, simple, and uncluttered. 2. Choose the right font and size. Do not go smaller than 8 point type on your card.  Try to enlarge the name of your business, so it is clear who you represent. If you have a website, ...

Communication is the key to running a business, and writing emails is one major way we communicate. So it is worth saying that writing a good email is key to getting your initiatives out and in keeping customers happy. Here are some tips to consider when writing an email. Think of Your Audience Who are you writing to? Is it your coworker? Your boss? Your friend? These all deserve a well-written email, but the tone of your letter will vary depending on whom you are writing to. Keep the tone similar throughout the email. For example, if it’s for a friend, it’s okay to be light-hearted and funny. But if it’s your boss, and you’re inquiring about something for work, you probably want to keep the tone professional and more serious. What do you want your audience to do? Make sure you keep your goal in mind while writing your email. This will help you not to wander and get off track. Proofread Your Email Don’t just send your email right after t...

Print is a powerful marketing tool. People trust print more. In fact, 82% of consumers say they trust print ads more than digital ones. This is one reason why print helps generate loyal customers.  Print is also more likely to be noticed and has a higher response rate, growing your client base. Although print is intrinsically powerful, there are actions you can take to grow its effect further.  Include a Call-to-Action Perhaps self-explanatory, a call-to-action is when you call on your client to act.  Call-to-actions are often included within your advertisements. They ask the client to check out the business website, follow the social media account, or sign up for a newsletter.  Often, customers’ interests are piqued by your print campaign, but they’re not sure what to do next. A call-to-action solves this problem, increasing the likelihood of customer interaction.  Call-to-actions can reside within a plethora of print forms.  U...

What’s little, powerful, and packs a real punch? A postcard from you! Postcards are often overlooked as a great way to market, but they effectively get your message out. People are forced to read your message even before thinking of throwing it away. It’s right there, in the pile of envelopes, shining through with full color and catchy wording. If you haven’t thought of postcard marketing in a while, or ever, here are a few ideas to help you on your postcard journey. 6 Tips for Effective Postcard Marketing 1. Hone Your Message What message do you want to get out? An event? A sale? A thank-you? A new product? Be specific about what the purpose is, and stick to that message. You don’t want to try to promote everything at once on a postcard. Think about what your best, most immanent message should be. 2. Research and Determine Your Size Options It’s common to use oversized postcards as well as regular postcards. What type of impact do you wan...

Getting people to laugh can be a highly effective marketing strategy. However, before you jump right in, it’s imperative to decide if humor in marketing is right for you and your business. After all, the best marketing is engaging, memorable, and shareable. Humor, when done correctly, checks all these boxes.  Pros to Incorporating Humor into Your Marketing Strategy Humor helps your advertisement stand out by grabbing people’s attention. This is why it is often easier for people to remember comedic advertisements. Your company becomes more relatable and trustworthy. Your marketing will become more likely to be shared because people like to spread laughter. Some companies have gone ‘viral’ for their humorous marketing advertisements.  Cons to Incorporating Humor into Your Marketing Strategy Not everyone has the same sense of humor. Something you find hilarious may flop on your audience, causing your company to appear unprofessional. The...

We all work in customer service to some extent…it just depends on who the customer is. If you’re in an office, it’s your boss who is the customer. If you’re in retail, it’s the shopper who is the customer. And the list continues. So, it bears repeating that customer service is important. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that our customer service skills could be honed a little bit. Or, maybe you have a new employee who doesn’t see how valuable good customer service is. Well, either way, here are a few ways to brush up on your customer service. The Importance of Caring for Your Customers Customer service, or customer care, is vital to us all. It’s the difference between keeping and losing customers to the competition. One wrong move, and we might lose a valuable customer. Customer service is how we respond to customers, and it entails a lot of duties. It’s not just how we answer the phone. It’s how we help them when they...

Business people collect a lot of business cards; in fact, there are so many that sometimes these items get lost in the shuffle. But there is a way to print business cards to let your message not only dazzle the recipient but help you get truly noticed.   Let’s take a look at spot UV coating! It is a magical way to make your images and message pop and get noticed. What is UV Coating? UV coating is a clear compound that is applied to wet paper, then instantly dried by ultraviolet light. The UV portion of spot UV comes from the ultraviolet light that is used to instantly cure the glossy varnish. And there’s no need to worry about toxicity because UV coatings are environmentally safe. They are free of solvents and do not emit volatile organic compounds or VOCs when cured. It dries at a fast speed, making it easy to add detail to your marketing materials. Due to its eye-catching appearance and versatile applications, spot UV is one of the most popular printing te...

When asking employees what makes a meeting worth attending, 62% said “clear,” “specific,” “defined,” and “concrete” information should be given. This may sound like basic information, but many bosses hold meetings that are contrary to these terms. So how can you ensure you’re not making this mistake? Here are 10 tips to keep your meetings effective and productive. 10 Tips to Make Your Meetings More Effective 1. Determine why you are having the meeting. Try to pinpoint exactly why you are holding a meeting for these particular people. Start by identifying the purpose and desired outcomes of the meeting, then include it in both the meeting invitation and the meeting agenda. 2. Determine the appropriate attendees. You won’t hurt anyone’s feelings if they aren’t invited to the meeting. In fact, people don’t want to waste their time if they aren’t the appropriate people to handle the topic o...

Time management is something we all strive to improve. When you think you have it down to a science, a big project comes along and stretches us. But we all know that time management is the key to being successful.   These tips will help you re-evaluate your time management skills in case you have been bombarded by stress. Delegate. Okay, we said it. Delegation is key but make sure you give the job to the right person so you don’t feel like you have to micromanage them. Don’t multitask. It feels like we are being more productive, and people often applaud it but don’t fall into the trap of multitasking. Studies show we are actually less productive when we spread our attention among several projects. Instead, make a list of things you need to do and cross them off as you go. That way, you won’t forget a project, but you can get it off your mind right away. Deal with stress positively. We all get stressed out at times, but it’s how we han...

Trade shows can be tricky. They can cause a lot of anxiety when you are preparing for the unknown. Luckily, there are some steps you can take to ensure you are successful. Here are a few to add to your to-do list. Start early. It should go without saying, but sometimes we procrastinate starting to plan for a trade show because it seems daunting. This is to encourage you to start as soon as possible so that you will be prepared for any problems that might arise. Prepare your team. Be sure to have team meetings regularly and at least a week before the trade show to discuss items such as dress code, hotel, transportation, duties, and responsibilities. Make sure everyone knows their schedules at the booth and contact information in case they get lost or have questions. Be active on social media. This is important to do before, during, and after the trade show. Include your booth number and hashtag so people can find you easily. Tweet about the upcoming show and give glimpses of...

Public relations help your company look good in the eyes of the public and create more sales. PR can be a powerful marketing tool because it is regarded more highly by consumers, given that it is a third party advertising your business. Even better, it can sometimes be possible to use unpaid tools, such as media, the internet, and business networks.  Marketing vs. Public Relations On the surface, PR and marketing may appear to be the same; however, there are key differences. Marketing promotes your businesses’ products and/or services. Public Relations focuses on promoting a positive reputation for your company. The goal of marketing is to increase sales, while PR’s goal is to generate a positive reputation. Marketing generally targets the consumers, while PR aims to reach the public, especially stakeholders and media.  3 Tips for Developing a PR strategy A good PR campaign will cause the public to think more highly of your business, increasing ...

Branding helps your business create the desired image of your company by clarifying and expanding what your company stands for. According to Kotler and Keller, "Branding is endowing products and services with the power of a brand." It helps put your business above the competition by giving customers an idea to attach themselves to. It affects consumers, employees, and shareholders.  Brand vs. Products Branding can be challenging to understand, but it helps to know the difference between a product and a brand. A product is an item or service your company is selling. Although unique products or services are excellent, they can usually be easily copied by other aspiring entrepreneurs. A brand is the idea and image behind the product. It is the promise made to the customers regarding what the product can deliver. It fulfills the customers' desires while creating an emotional appeal for customers to attach themselves to.  Why Focus on Branding?  So, ...