Marketing Manner

Independence Day is an important holiday in America as it represents the pinnacle of patriotism for holidays as well as encapsulates all things related to summer.  This makes Independence Day an important opportunity for businesses to connect with customers and associate with the positive imagery surrounding this holiday, and this is especially true for small businesses that are locally owned.

There are many design elements associated with Independence Day that can be incorporated into print advertising.  Knowing the right one for you depends on your goals and what kind of print advertising medium you are using.  This article discusses a number of design tips that you can use to connect your business with the positive excitement and energy surrounding Independence Day.

Support local business
Don’t be afraid to point out the fact that your business is locally owned, if that is the case.  Many customers would gladly support a local business over an international firm as long as prices and services are competitive.  Using the “Made in the U.S.A.” phrase can go a long way to connecting your customer with the fact that you are a local business.

Be brilliant
Make sure that your print advertising is in full color.  Independence Day imagery should include fireworks and summer themes.  Black and white simply cannot translate these ideas properly.  Explore a number of alternative printing methods, such as plastics, to really help your promotional items standout.

Call to action
Make sure to include a call to action such as the “limited time only” sale, promotional events, or even include coupons in your print advertising materials.  Print advertising has at its core the goal of improving sales, and a great way to get customers shopping with you is through a call to action that includes sales and promotional events.

Red, white, and blue
Of course, a great way to connect with the patriotic elements of Independence Day is through the red, white, and blue colors that are iconic of this holiday.  To stand out from other patriotic advertisements, incorporate the colors of your company into your print advertising materials and consider using red, white, and blue as a backdrop or incorporating these colors into other graphical elements.

Sticker printing is a very cost effective marketing method for increasing brand recognition.  Because of the limited space on a sticker, you’re often limited to a short message or even just your logo.  But careful design and placement can yield your business a significant brand recognition boost.  Take the following examples into consideration when you think about inexpensive advertising that your company could use.

Continue reading »

As a small business owner, you may find yourself at a loss when needing photos for brochure or poster printing. You can do a search online for free stock photos, but the only problem is that many of the sites that come up in such a search do not really offer their photos for free if used for corporate or commercial materials. Below are a few of the best sites for free stock photos, along with a brief explanation of the terms of use each site puts forth. Continue reading »

Do you have trouble creating an effective piece of advertisement? Maybe you don’t know where to start. Or maybe you have so many ideas that your poster printing piece looks like a novel. Fortunately, ad writing is relatively simple if you know a few simple rules. When you are creating advertising for your small business, keep the advice in mind for a much smoother writing process and much better results.

Continue reading »

What IS so great about a custom print calendar? Well, for one, a custom calendar sent to your customers and prospective customers promotes your business 365 days a year while providing a useful benefit to recipients. And print calendars have a proven track record of being highly affordable and effective advertising. They are versatile as well, which makes them work for any industry or business. Still not convinced that a print calendar is a viable marketing tool? Here are a few more reasons your business should invest in calendars. Continue reading »

After awhile of being in the business, a company can find itself at a loss as to how to get out of the vicious stale marketing cycle in which it is trapped. This problem often occurs when a business finds a few marketing techniques that really work well and can’t bring themselves to leave it behind when it no longer provides the same results. (It worked before, so why not now?) But recycling old marketing ideas will eventually backfire, and your company will find itself gaining fewer and fewer customers and, unfortunately, losing loyal customers to the competition across the street with the latest and greatest marketing efforts.

Below are some ideas on how to create fresh marketing designs using the example of a booklet printing, but these techniques can be used for any advertisement that needs refreshed.
Continue reading »

The best way to increase your profits is to provide everything people need in one place; just look at the success of Wal-Mart Supercenters or Super Targets. You can create this same atmosphere through cross-selling and up-selling techniques in your print catalog. All you need to do is brainstorm about what people need — what will help them solve their problem the most sufficiently. Here are some ways that you can use cross-selling and up-selling in your print catalog for encouraging a larger purchase.
Cross-sell Products that Go Together
Consider your main products and what people will need to use that product. Then offer those other products along with your main product. Very often, consumers will never see the importance of purchasing more than the one product they have set their mind on without some help. So not only will you increase your profit by selling more stuff, you will be helping consumers better fulfill their needs.

Cross-sell Services Along with Your Products
Some products are difficult to use and so customers need services to go along with them. For instance, if you sell computers and software, most customers would appreciate help with the installation. Either offer such services at a low price, or include it with the cost of the software as a promotional perk.

Up-sell Products that Work Better
Up-selling is simply getting customers to upgrade to a better product from the one they were originally going to buy. When you create your print catalog, you should describe the benefits of upgrading to a better model in glowing terms. In the computer catalog example, tell how much faster and more efficient a higher quality computer would be.

Sell Packages at Bargain Prices
Customers love to buy everything they need in one package when it saves them money. In your print catalog, spell out how much they will save by buying everything together. On the pages with your big ticket items, give a bullet list of complementary products that go with it along with their separate prices, and then print the bargain package price in large, bold type.

Cross-selling and up-selling can take your struggling business and make it thrive. Just keep the above tips in mind and your print catalog will be one that customers feel they can trust to truly fulfill their needs.

So, really, why all of the hype about promotional calendars? Of course, they are an excellent marketing tool that can be customized to fit any industry or clientele. And they do offer your business the ability to find advertising real estate right in your customer’s living or working space at a small cost to you. But are they really worth the time and cost for your business? Here are some ways that promotional print calendars are a big deal for your business. In other words, yes, you should invest in a new promotional calendar each year. Take a look:

  Continue reading »

Not only do calendars make great gifts that people can use, they can be a promotional tool for your business. When someone uses your calendar, they get a daily reminder of your company. Not only that, if you give wall calendars, then you may gain new customers from their friends and coworkers viewing the print calendar. Below are some tips for designing an attractive calendar that people will want to use.

Use Creative Pictures of Your Product
Your calendar can be both functional, and a tool to sell your product or service. Just make sure your pictures are attractive and interesting to look at. For example, if you own a boutique that sells children’s clothing, you could take photographs of animals dressed in the clothing you sell. Or if you run a restaurant, you could feature toddlers dressed like adults placed like customers.
 
If you have an interesting business such as making custom jewelry, you could put photos of different steps in your work. Then you could include a little information at the bottom of the picture. Or, if you own a bakery, you might feature attractive pictures of your baked goods and include a recipe underneath each corresponding picture.

Use Photos of Local Attractions
People like seeing pictures of their home town. You could include pictures of local landmarks or places of historic significance. You might also take pictures of local festivals and events. Be sure to include people in your shots, but get their permission if they are close by.

Leave Space for Writing
To encourage people to use your calendars, leave enough blank space on each page for people to write. You should make the date squares large enough to write in. You can also leave room at the top and bottom or sides of each page for notes. Continue reading »

Distributing door hangers begins long before the boxes of freshly printed materials arrive at your business. Before you even place a new door hanger printing order, there are a few simple steps you should take. Here are a few ways you can be prepared when distributing door hangers.

Create a distribution list
Your distribution list may be a list of current customers or it may be a list you have purchased from another vendor. The message of your door hanger will depend on your product or service and the audience you will be targeting with your distribution.

Set a goal and write the ad to reach that goal
There are many reasons businesses launch a new door hanger printing campaign. What is it your business hopes to accomplish with this marketing campaign? Some common goals include new business launch, expanding the customer base, reaching a new market, informing current and prospective customers of new services / products available, a sale, limited time offers, etc.

Introduce the business and get to the point
Your business name and logo should be prominent on the door hanger printing design with your contact info not far away. Do not waste time or money proclaiming the virtues of your business. Jump right in to the everyday problems of your target market and start to tell them how your business can help.

Give a statement of benefit
Insert a clear statement of how your business can help in a specific circumstance:

- “We can lower your overhead cost by …”

- “Our product will last twice as long”

- “Our service department is on call 24 hours a day”

Include a testimonial or two
Testimonials can be a powerful sales aid in door hanger printing. The power comes from the testimony of a fellow worker with the same or similar issue that your company was able to resolve. Perhaps consumers reading the door hanger have never heard a solution to their problem, so they call you to put you to work for them!

Focus on the needs of consumers and how you can meet those needs
The best way to increase sales by distributing door hangers is to focus on your customers and the multitude of ways that you can help their process to be more profitable and successful. This should be the focus of your door hanger printing message and design. Remember that the offer has to be useful and so good that they won’t be able to refuse.