Marketing Manner

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.
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Gaining customers is often the hardest task for a start-up or growing business, but your lawn care business will easily prosper if you use some simple marketing techniques. For instance, using print and word of mouth to distribute your brand will increase the first time customer base for your lawn care business. After this, service and quality will keep the customer satisfied. Want to know more? Here are five marketing tips for successful marketing of a lawn care or landscaping business. 

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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.

Creating designs that help a poster to really shine is all about the graphics, but a great image is only the start of a great print poster. So, then what’s next? First select a graphic that gets the attention of the viewer. Then state your message and just tweak it all from there. 

Get the Viewer’s Attention

There are several ways to get attention on print posters. Big and bold, or a little bit of shock and mystery work well to get attention. Going big and bold isn’t just using a larger poster, but also placing a bold image on a poster that cannot be ignored. Shock and mystery will create a desire to figure out what is being advertised.      

Say What You Mean

Lead the viewer to successfully understand your message by stating the obvious. The “keep it simple stupid” or KISS method applies here. If you want to convey the convenience of your product, show the convenience in the image and use a statement such as, “Wouldn’t you like this to be just as easy for you?” 

Choose Your Text Carefully

The amount of copy included on the print poster should be minimal, but that’s not to say that you shouldn’t pay special attention to the selection of your fonts. The font color does not have to be casual. When matched to the theme, the use of exotic fonts will add to the overall design of the poster.   

Balance It All Out

After placing images, check to see if your print poster is balanced. View the right side versus left and top versus bottom. If one portion is visually “light” on content, this is usually the best place to add your text. If the text is already placed or does not fit, add other elements or adjust the placement of the images.             

Lead the Viewer to the Message

Often, the message is placed at the bottom of the poster, especially when the image does not automatically lead the viewer to it. If the images chosen allow it, connect the image to your message. Shapes and lines, a straight highway or road, or even tree roots or waterfalls are all parts of images than can draw the viewer along. Color can also be used to point to the message of the print poster. You can use a bold color to stand out or a change in hues to lead more subtly.

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:

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Marketing is tricky. While marketing efforts are supposed to be what turns your small business’s product into a household brand, marketing can also become a money drain if not conducted correctly. If you find yourself quickly sinking down the drain of inefficient marketing, turn your efforts around by following a few steps that will increase results, not increase your costs.
Trade More Expensive for More Effective
Any marketing that isn’t bringing in leads and making an impact on consumers needs to be eliminated. For instance, brochure printing and mailing to your most encouraging prospects or in response to direct inquiries are more promising rather than continuing to air lots of radio commercials that aren’t bringing in leads. Also, look at those areas in which you can increase exposure while cutting costs, for instance, a weekly email newsletter rather than monthly print newsletters.
Go After the Right Consumers
Don’t waste your valuable marketing dollars chasing those consumers who will never be interested in your products or services. Rather than sending your print brochures to everyone in town, reserve them for your target market. Instead of hanging print posters on every street corner, post them in the path of your intended audience.
Prepare a Better Message
Is your sales pitch all it can be? Does it really tell consumers why your product is the best, how it can solve their problems, make their life easier, and then some? If not, then you will need to revamp your message and print brochures and business cards and re-design your website to include this new approach. When making a purchase, customers don’t care about the history of your business and other irrelevant information. They want to know why they should be purchasing this product from you.
Use a Combination Approach
Limiting your marketing to only a few different media and materials will limit your results. Combine print brochures, email blasts, social networking, and more. Get creative and try some new methods of exposure. Accept speaking engagements, attend a trade show or two, hand out your print brochures during carnivals, if your target market will be there. Just remember to choose those marketing efforts that are bringing in new customers, otherwise your marketing will suck your pockets dry rather than increase revenue.
Commit to Daily Marketing Tasks
Write a portion of your newsletter. Send greeting cards to customers with birthdays this month. If you are the only one doing the marketing in your business, you may need to complete several tasks a day. What if you don’t have time to keep up with it all? Instead of hiring a new employee for marketing purposes, divide marketing tasks among current employees. Or, for less than hiring a marketing department, you can outsource your efforts to a marketing firm. You just need to decide which path will give you more for your marketing dollars.

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 »

Powerful call to action phrases will make all the difference with a brochure printing design – a difference between a stellar increase in sales and a little bit more than what you had before. In this market, brochures can illustrate your willingness to do what it takes to go the extra mile, but make sure that yours are worth your time and advertising dollar by including the following call to action phrases.

Sweeten the Deal with an Upgrade
Insist upon a giving an upgrade for ordering now, for instance, “Call now and we will add even more to your order for the same price.” Leave out how much you are adding on the printed brochure to create a curiosity. This will entice the procrastinators to order now rather than putting off ordering and just forgetting to order later. 

A Guaranteed Trial Period is a Must 
Nothing motives more than a win-win situation. With a guaranteed trial period, the consumer has no risk or reason not to order. Inform the consumer that returning the product will simply give you feedback and allow you to better serve your other future customers. Best of all, most consumers do not return a product within the given time period.  

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry! 
“Special offer” or “Limited time only” are great call to action phrases for brochure printing pieces. Motivate the consumer with a discount that will not be available in the future. Use a short term deadline or a coupon. You might even try a “Coupons are limited to the first 1000 callers.”

Free Gifts are Great Motivators
Offer a free gift if the customers places their order now. To further encourage an immediate purchase, make it clear that the gifts are limited with a phrase such as, “Get your free gift before they are gone!” Free gifts are great for causing the phones to ring with more orders. Everyone loves a good deal and a free gift is just the way to do it.

Other Free Stuff! 
The customer will say, “Oh my gosh, this is unbelievable!”  A free gift, free accessories, and a limited time discount. No customer will be able to resist. Oh, and don’t forget the upgrade. All of this will call customers to action and push your printed brochure over the top.
        
One final tip for motivating customers: if what you sell is only available on your website or at your storefront, let customers know. For instance, “Call now! This is not available in stores.” You may even want to advertise that operators are available 24 hours, but only if you plan on following through with this offer.

A successful brochure printing can be similar to an athletic event: you too can take that shot that an athlete takes to make the winning score in the final seconds of the game. A good athlete will not let that chance for success pass them by and great brochure printing will not allow a consumer to pass by either. This chance is not a result of pure luck. It is the result of preparation and opportunity crossing and resulting in success. With a few simple tactics and phrases on your brochures, they too will seize the opportunity more often than ever before. Here’s how:

Action Phrases

Action phrases are the best way to motivate your customer.  Don’t sell your message short by being to timid for the action phrases. Most ads use “Call Now! or Purchase Today” to motivate the customer. Your brochure printing should too to move your customers to action.

Free Trial

Don’t just show confidence in your brochure printing; show the consumer that you have confidence in your product. Offer a free trial period in which they will be billed after the fact, if the product is not returned. By establishing a trial period, this will aid in getting that sale when the opportunity arises. Use a “Satisfaction Guaranteed!” for the action phrase in this type of advertising. Delayed billing and a time limit will especially attract new customers.               

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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.