More Than Just Ink On Paper

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...