On-Hold Messages Using Humor? - It's Serious Business!

Chances are, the last time your customers called your business and got put on hold they didn't think it was very funny... but they could have. If you currently play messages-on-hold at your company - and if you aren't, you should be - there are several reasons why you may consider threading-in at least an occasional bit of humor or trivia.

A good on-hold message program communicates vital sales-related information on your products and services, conveys customer care to your callers and is easy to listen to. Customized message-on-hold programs have been shown to increase sales, improve a company's image and retain callers longer and with far better results than silence, radio or music only.

So, combining all of these elements gives you a great program. But, you have to hold the interest of your callers or even the best messages will go in one ear and out the other. Companies using messages that contain a little comic relief or industry-related trivia have reported that their callers actually ask to be put back on hold to continue listening.

Let's establish something right up front: There are some situations where using humor or even trivia on-hold will not apply. You know your callers. They may be most responsive to the standard, straight-ahead approach. If that's working, don't try to fix it!

Here are some things to consider that will help determine if your business is a candidate for using humor or trivia on-hold:

First, think about the products and/or services you sell. If you sell life insurance policies, provide legal services, or you're fielding calls for customers who have a complaint or a problem with a product, etc., common sense tells you that the overall tone of your on-hold messages needs to be more reassuring. Not necessarily stuffy, but humor just simply won't work there.

However, where a spot or two of humor or a trivia tidbit is warranted and is both tasteful and clever it can bolster respect for and confidence in your company as an industry leader.

Secondly, and most importantly think about your callers. Ask yourself what frame of mind your callers may be in at the time they call your company. Perhaps they may have been "putting out fires" of their own all day. Create just the slightest diversion from the fast track they've been on and they'll relax a little.

Now, when you share your sales information with them they're bound to be more receptive, more likely to listen to what you're saying. And, consequently they'll be more comfortable asking questions and conversing with your salespeople. That sounds like more sales, doesn't it?

Let's not get ridiculous. The humor and/or trivia in your messages need to support your products, services and company values. If you stray off - either into the inappropriate, the offensive or simply get too disconnected - your messages will work against you. So make sure your on-hold message producer keeps the promotion of your company image at the core of the script.

The point is that there is no reason you can't deliver some serious communication about your products while callers enjoy a brief, innocent escape from the standard pressures of the workday.

Have a competent message-on-hold production company try it as a mix, tossing in a humor or trivia segment now and then. Or maybe even more. Perhaps your callers will begin to see your company as a refuge from the mundane or the stressful.

Don't worry. As I mentioned, if the humor/trivia is done right your callers will not only continue to take your company seriously, they'll probably discover the "human side" that so many consumers feel is missing, making them feel better about doing business with you. And that would be a really good thing!

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3 Offline Advertising Techniques That Work

Many marketers these days have changed their focus from offline marketing to online marketing. But leaving offline opportunities is a big mistake. Offline marketing strategies are generally more personal, and if you're more personal with people, they'll feel like they know you and will be more apt to buy your products or services.

Several low-cost options in offline advertising are effective and easy to implement. Here are three of them that you should be using.

1. Business Cards. One of the first things you should do once you establish a business is get business cards. They are relatively cheap to print and are easy to distribute. This is one of the necessary marketing devices you need. Of course, an effective design is key. It should be simple, with no more than two fonts and your logo clearly placed. Your logo should be the main element on your business card.

Business cards are easy to transport and easy to distribute - just hand them out to people you meet at conferences, trade shows, restaurants, anywhere! If you provide a product or service a waiter might need, leave your card on the table with the tip. I've even heard of someone who leaves his business cards in bathroom stalls or on bathroom sinks.

2. Flyer advertising. Flyers are extremely easy to create - at home or you can pay a printing company to do it for you. You can create your flyer in many software applications, the most common being Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher.

You need to decide whether you want to use color printing or black-and-white. Color printing is more expensive, but the colors attract people to the flyers and you'll have a better chance of bringing in more sales. When designing your flyer, keep it simple.

Don't use more than two fonts if possible, and one main photo (you don't have to use a photo, but it's a good idea). If you use multiple photos, be sure to choose one as your main focal point - it should be bigger than the rest and placed on the top half of the page.

You can distribute your flyers to people on the street walking by; hang them up in supermarkets and other stores; or hang them in banks and community centers. Be sure to check the local ordinances so that you don't break any laws by hanging your flyers in community spots.

3. Vehicle advertising. This one isn't quite as conventional as the previous two, which is precisely why it works. People don't expect it. If you commute in a city, you drive past thousands of people every day. If you're stuck in slow or stopped traffic, people will want something interesting to look at. You might as well be that something!

You can stick magnets that have your company name and Web site address to your car. If you want something more permanent, you can have decals or an ad painted onto your vehicle.

You could also use your license plate holder as advertisement space. Many car dealerships do it, and you can too! There are many Web sites that will make custom plate holders for you. Vehicle advertising is on the rise, so get in on it while it's still new so that you get noticed!

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Become The Hunted! Dump Your Phone Book!

Advertising or marketing is KEY to getting clients for your business! Any experienced CEO will tell you that quality DOES matter when it comes to getting the right kind of marketing for their products & services. Like with any product line these days there are the "cheap" items and the "quality" items. The same is true for advertising. If you are going to invest in advertising, which you must, there is one thing you should know...BECOME THE HUNTED!

HOW TO BECOME THE HUNTED!

Traditional advertising is Phone Books. Unfortunately they are very expensive and only generate a local market. The average company spends $8,000 - $10,000 a year on phone book advertising, and experiences about a 10% return. With SEO optimization for your website you can spend a lot less and generate 41% return, plus now you have a global market.

The ever growing increase of high speed internet access, both at the office and at the home, has pushed this even further. There are currently over 200 million internet users within the U.S. alone and over one billion internet users worldwide.

When online users were asked how they found the websites they purchased from, a survey from DoubleClick revealed the following results:

Search Engines: 41%

Guessed URL: 28%

Word Of Mouth: 13%

Print Ad: 10%

TV Ad: 9%

Email Ad: 8%

Outdoor Ad: 3%

On top of this, the pre-qualification of search engine generated leads is historically higher than those that come from other forms of conventional advertising (such as print ads, direct mail and tradeshows).

These are not people that you had to hunt for, these are people who are hunting for you! Knowing the specific keywords that they are using AND being found at the top of the major search engines for these various search terms should be a top priority in your overall marketing plan. Our clients have seen incredible results from our search engine placement services.

"Over 80% of search engine users find what they are looking for within the first three pages. Sales leads made from keyword and phrase searches are the most qualified and have the highest purchase probability."

- Forrester Reports

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Business Card Design Tips For New And Up And Coming Entrepreneurs

Imagine meeting hundreds of people per day, thousands of people a week and millions of people a year. Would you even remember a big number of them? This is where the business card design comes in. Having a business card that sustains the ties you would have with people everyday is a step to growing your business networks.

However, you also have to remember that together with your business cards, you also give out your identity. It is together with the opportunity to introduce yourself properly that makes for make a lasting impression.

The Virtues of Designing and Ordering Your Business Cards

Here are some tips to render your business card design more attractive yet functional and equally impressive at the same time.

1. Simple

There is no point in making your business cards formal. First and foremost, business cards are meant to be formal so there is no reason for it to be fancy at all. All you have to do is make sure that you tell people what they need to know. Use a readable font that is large enough for people to easily read. Make sure that the layout is clean, proper and formal.

2. Direct

Make sure that the contact information you put on you business card is ours and yours alone. Just imagine having a client call you and once he does, your mom picks up the phone for you. That would be a big turn-off for your clients which could cause you your business. Also, be considerate enough to have a formal e-mail, by formal I mean use your name and not any other nickname your friends call you.

3. Leave it to the pros

• If you cannot shape your business card the way you wanted to, you can gain the help of professionals without spending a cent for it. There are printing companies that gives you foolproof templates that you can customize to your own needs.

• Just prepare the logo you need and you can upload it to personalize the template in an instant. This free assistance on the layout and design of your postcards is something you should capitalize on.

4. Bulk

It would really be convenient for you if you have your business cards printed in bulk orders because most companies lower down their prices as you increase the number of your orders.

5. Visuals

If ever you are planning on putting an image on your business card, make sure that the image you will put would not be blurred when you print it out. If a certain picture is pixilated then it would only mean that there is something wrong with the resolution of your picture.

6. Proofread

It may seem funny that you would still have to proofread your business cards but yes, it is a must to do it. Make sure that there is nothing wrong with your name and of course, your contact details. Imagine the embarrassment of spelling your own name all wrong or much worse imagine the income you are bound to lose because of a wrong telephone number that you put in your business cards.

A simple check of every detail of your business card design goes a long, long way - and along with it, your identity. Work on these details and discover more ways you can optimize your business cards.

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Email And Online Advertising

Don't fool yourself - email and online advertising, although not expensive, are not going to generate all the leads you will need. As a piece of the overall marketing puzzle they can be a great help, but don't rely only on these two media for your livelihood.Email and online advertising should be tested for many reasons, including:

1. COST. They are relatively inexpensive. You can send millions of emails in bulk or tens of thousands of guaranteed clicks for as little at $200. You can also run word or image ads with major search engines for just a few cents per click or accept ads on your site to earn a few cents per click.

2. SPEED. You can begin sending emails or running and accepting ads immediately. It may take a while for you to design the right email or word / image ads, but sending, placing and accepting the emails and ads is almost instant.

3. TARGETED. You can target your ads to your primary market AND by region for no extra cost. If you are running ads on your site, search engines will target the ads which run so they have the same target market as you but do not compete with your company.

Email Campaigns...

When sending emails your campaign should include an email design that is an image or series of images and links which open when the email is opened, not a simple text email.

Each image can be a link to either your home page or certain pages within your site. You can track the results through the Unique Visitor statistics supplied by your website hosting company.

The Number of Unique Visitors is also important, as is the number of visitors who save your site as a Favorite. This Favorites statistic is a good indication of how successful your site will be. If your site and your products and services have value, then your visitors may need what you have to offer, if not now than in the future. They will save it in favorites, and this figure is supplied to you by your hosting company.

Placing Online Ads...

Online advertising is easy to test and VERY cost-effective.

There are two approaches: placing word or image ads in sites that have similar target markets but do not compete with you, or placing ads within a search engine so your word ads appear on the page when a search occurs.

You can set yourself up with accounts and have ads placed that same day through Google, Yahoo, AOL and other search engines. Tracking results is as easy a clicking a button, and if it looks like you need to update or cancel an ad it can do done immediately.

Accepting Online Ads...

You can also ACCEPT ADS on your website to earn income. Google, for example, will show you samples and sizes of the kinds of image and word ads you can place on your site. Once you register you can download the codes they supply directly to your site. The ads that run on your site many times add value to your site - quality products that tie into YOUR products or services but do not compete with you. Each time one of the ads on your site is clicked you earn income.

You can also accept online ads through other services that do not pay you for clicks, but offer exposure for your site in exchange for running ads on your site. You simply download the codes they supply to your site, and in exchange you supply YOUR ads to their site. For each ad you run on your site you receive a reciprocal ad for your site which runs on another site.

Be very careful, however, when running ads on your site. If not done carefully and with some sensibility to your design you will sacrifice the quality of your site to make a few dollars or receive a little exposure.

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Original Advertising Draws In Customers

If traditional advertising techniques aren't getting the responses or business you want, you may need to think more originally. Try to come up with ideas that no one in your area has done. Try using color printing techniques that no one in your area or product industry has used.

Perhaps using the same image in an Andy Warhol silkscreen effect (the same image repeated with alternative color schemes). Here are six examples of original approaches that worked to get the word out to the public or press.

1. One woman created a typing service in Antelope, California, and bought a vanity license plate for her car that read "TYPE4U." She had a plate frame created with her telephone number on it. This was a cheap and effective way to get the word out. One day a man followed her for many blocks and asked for her business card.

He was a lawyer, frantic for someone to replace his current word processing person. He not only became her first long-term client, he referred her to several other lawyers needing word processing and secretarial help.

2. A software company in California wanted to give out software samples on a small budget. A mass mailing or a disk insert in a magazine weren't feasible because of the cost, so an advertising consultant created an ad with an arrow pointing at the binding with copy that stated, "If your demo copy of our software isn't here, call XXX-XXXX." Of course, no one found a disk there, and before they knew it, they had several calls to get the free software.

3. A graphic designer in St. Louis, Missouri, learned about some defective shoes available at a bargain price, bought some, and sent one wrapped in a gift box to potential clients with a card that read, "Just trying to get a foot in the door." It worked well and won him new clients.

4. One woman from Washington trained her Springer spaniel, Bubba, a few unusual tricks and mailed out media kits promoting him to local television stations. She included a stamped reply postcard with three options: 1. Yes! I'm interested in having Bubba on my show; 2. Not sure if Bubba fits the show format; and 3. Sorry, Bubba's cute, but not for us.

She quickly followed up with anyone who checked off options 1 or 2. She also followed up a few months later with the people who chose option 3 with a picture postcard of the dog. One producer who eventually invited Bubba on her show told the owner, "You wore me out with your persistence, but I'm glad you did!"

5. In her book, Taming the Marketing Jungle, Silvana Clark notes a house cleaning company competing with three others in its area. One of the companies, called Fresh as a Daisy, made a more memorable impression than the others by leaving behind a trademark present in every house it cleaned: a vase with three daisies on the kitchen table.

"We've had more people call and tell us they've heard about us because of those daisies," said the owner. "We don't have to do any other form of advertising since we began leaving the flowers."

6. In the book How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Guy Kawasaki cites a California contractor, required by law to guarantee its work for one year, that takes advantage of the law by calling customers 11 months after an installation to see if they need any repairs before the warranty expires. "The calls generate a small amount of warranty work and a huge amount of new work and referrals," Kawasaki comments.

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Six Common Advertising Mistakes

Marketing your products and services effectively is seldom as cut and dry as putting your company name and phone number on a flyer and hoping for the best. No, to see real results, you have to have an understanding of the audience you hope to reach, you have to have a clear message you want to get across to your audience and you have to have an attractive ad design.

Its easy to make a mistake in the process that can limit the effectiveness of the ad campaign. With that in mind, consider these avoidable, but far too common mistakes.

1. Choosing the Wrong Medium for Your Needs - Simply choosing the right tool for the job can save you money and ensure that you reach your advertising goal. To use an extreme example, if your intent is simply to get your company name into the minds of local construction companies, why would you spend thousands of dollars on putting your name on a blimp and flying it over the city for a few days? Instead, you could achieve greater success with simple, business card printing and a direct, in person marketing pitch.

2. Not Having an Effective, Attention Grabbing Headline - The first thing your potential customer is going to see is your headline and this one sentence or catch phrase will determine if they bother to read the rest of your ad.. Regardless of the medium your ad takes, you should test your headline. You've probably labored over just what to say in your headline, so you may not have the sort of unbiased point of view you need in judging your headline. You should test your headline on several people who aren't involved in the ad creation process to help measure its impact. This helps you refine your message and ensures that your marketing message appeals to a broad range of prospective buyers.

3. Choosing the Wrong Time to Advertise - . You may have the best product in the world, a once in a lifetime deal or even an award worthy ad design, but if your timing is off, your results will be just as off. It won't matter how much time and money you put into advertising if the ad campaign reaches consumers at a time when they had simply have no interest in buying the product you're looking to sell. For example, if you're giving away free ice cream with each purchase during a record December cold streak, don't expect an increase in sales. Save that kind of promotion for a blistering week in July.

4. Relying on a Single Ad - Consumers are hit with hundreds of advertisements everyday. In addition to this, they typically need to see your marketing message an average of 3 times before they notice it. In short, this means achieving results takes time and consistency. Placing a single ad in the newspaper or sending a single postcard cannot deliver effective results. Instead, run your ads for multiple weeks, changing out your ad design at pre-planned intervals to keep your ads fresh and enticing.

5. Failure to Re-engage - Far too often, consumers only hear from companies when its time to buy again. If you have an established customer base already, chances are you've worked hard to acquire them. You should be spending some of your marketing budget on retaining the customers you've worked so hard for. Try sending your customers "thank you" post cards to let them know that they are more than just a number to you.

6. Not Measuring Advertising Effectiveness - Over time, your business is going to do a lot of advertising. Regardless of the size of your ad campaign or the expense involved, you need to track your results. This can be done with a simple spreadsheet or, on the other extreme, by hiring an professional statistical analyst. Whatever the case, you need to take note of what works and what doesn't so that you can improve your results in the future.

If you're planning on starting up a new ad campaign or just looking to improve your current marketing results, be sure to learn from the mistakes of others. Success means ongoing work towards improving your marketing effectiveness. Avoiding these common marketing mistakes will put you well on your way to delivering noticeable results.

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Be Aware Of Your Image

There's a lot that goes into a good company image.

I once went into an interview with a small company. The building I entered was almost entirely void of pictures, had hardly any furniture, and the office I was greeted into was largely bare. The very look of the place around me felt shabby.

I left that interview with no interest in working for the company. I was left with the impression of a very temporary kind of business that wasn't going to be around for very long.

I couldn't honestly say if they were, but that's the impression I was left with when the interview as over.

Now, this was a rather extreme example, sure, but it's still important to be aware of. Everything about your business is going to go into the image you present to the public. I don't know how good those people were at what they do, and I never will. You can do a great job but if people don't have trust in you it doesn't really matter.

The bigger your business is the more this is going to apply to the kind of store you run and the people you hire. The type of clothing they wear to the design and layout of the building are all going to be taken into consideration by a person shopping there for the first time. People like to feel safe with a place, and you need to give off that image.

If you have a smaller business how you present yourself is going to be even more important. Think about the kind of body language you use and how you carry yourself through conversations. You'll need to really step back and analyze how you act when you're doing business.

Business card printing is also going to be a must. Not only is it going to look a lot more professional to have some full color business cards ready to hand to people whenever you need to, but it gives them a means of remembering you.

Another important factor when dealing with business card printing is that it shows people that you're willing to spend the money on the small, but important details. A lot of small business owners strapped for cash might rely on a great impression to be enough to make a person remember them.

It's always great to make a good impression, but it still can't compete with the tangible nature of a full color business card when it comes to staying with a person.

Take a step back with your business and consider exactly what kind of image you're putting forward. Stop to consider every angle that you can, because all of it comes together when people are taking a good look at you.

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The Best Reasons To Get Into Brochure Printing

Thank you to the advancing technology we are experiencing today, printing seems at be at its peak. All the up-to-date machinery and equipment have made brochure printing as convenient as possible and as fine as ever.

Making the Most of Brochures

There are many obvious reasons as to why you should consider using brochures but here are the best reasons that make brochure printing most appealing.

a. The most convenient way to promote and/or advertise is through your brochures. This is mainly because of the evident reasons which are the following:

• Send your message easily and spread it out through mail. You can ask your postal services to deliver them to the people you want to relay your ideas with.

• Personally handing them out is also one of the easier options.

• Another is you could take them to events and leave them in racks or stacks for the people to get hold of.

b. Brochures are available online where web-to-print press production technology lets your designs be printed anywhere you want, at any volume, and have it shipped to you. Online printing makes for faster time when it comes to ordering or making your transactions.

c. Conventional offset printing is the most affordable way to make brochures at the most economical rates. Digital printing is available too where short-run prints can be made as low as 25 prints. There are, however, certain advantages that make offset or digital printing your cup of tea.

There are some advantages that each printing service offers and matches to your specific needs. This depends on the demands you ask of your brochures - whether you want them in 1 day turnaround time, custom-made, and so on. T

Offset makes things cost-effective because it is capable of the gang run process wherein the printer could process numerous templates all at the same time. Digital printing, on one hand, can give you brochures even at short time for a small volume.

d. You can have your brochures printed in five different sizes. You can pick out the best size that suite the purpose of your leaflet or handouts. Though the prizes may vary depending on the size you choose, rest assured that your prints would still come in the quality you want. Most printing companies offer the following sizes for your brochures:

• 8.5" x 5.5"
• 8.5" x 11"
• 8.5" x 14"
• 11" x 17"
• 11" x 25.375"

e. There are a comfortable number of orders that you could access. While short run prints offer very manageable number, offset printing gives you volumes of prints with practical denominations. It can start at a few 250 prints, increasing to 500, 1000 and all the way to 25,000 or more if you want to.

f. Technology has allowed brochures to look more appealing nowadays. With the type of printers that are being used, colors tend to be more vibrant. Full color printing makes your brochures more interesting to those that receive it. Nothing quite captures and emphasizes a particular style or look that completes your concept.

Brochure printing is greatly considered today as a huge component is anyone's marketing strategy. It is known to be greatly effective which gives you no single reason not to have your brochures printed now.

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Your Offset Printing Choices For Large Format Posters

There are people who often question why many companies opt for posters and offset printing services for the promotion of products and services.

As you have probably noticed by now, posters are everywhere. They are an indispensable tool that occupies many public and open spaces, put on walls, placed in stands, and hung on windows. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are small, some are large format, some printed on one side, sometimes both.

It all depends on what message you want to come across. Nevertheless, posters are readily acknowledged by the public or the market. These are ready visible with its vibrant colors as well as great resolution, attracting as much attention as possible.

Offset posters provide just that.

Printing Large Posters Fit to Your Needs

All kinds of business can use posters in different fashion - from motivation posters to advertisements. What makes this choice not only the popular one but the practical one are these reasons:

Offset means more prints at lesser costs

There are printing companies that accommodate your prints needs at a minimum of 50, so you can always afford to print posters you need from small to large scale events. The denominations may range from a minimum of 50, 100, 150, 200 and all the way to 100,000 prints.

The more you order, the lesser the print cost per unit becomes. This means, you don't double what you are paying for 50 posters just to avail 100 posters. Only a fraction of the cost is added to make twice as much posters.

Versatility

Large format posters always points to unimaginably large posters. Most of the time, when you think of this, you need to have digital prints.

However, offset posters can accommodate the poster sizes you need all the way to a 27 x 39 size. And many would accommodate custom sizes that don't fall between standard sizes.

Custom Printing

You can translate the details you want on your posters like any other offset prints. You can have your posters with die-cuts, folding and more. The stocks many printers use involve 100 lb. Gloss Text and 100 lb. Gloss Cover - both of which are ideal in reproducing photo-quality prints.

This means you can make presentable materials as movie posters, convention posters, trade show posters and more.

Additional Tips

• Talking about your posters and design, it is best to remember not to feel intimidate with big posters and feel overconfident with small-sized ones. Designs should always work to communicate and enhance your message. These should be clear and not cluttered.

• Cut away anything that will make people lose their concentration. Your main message should be seen loud and clear - like titles, dates, and more.

• Sometimes a single image can convey your message more effectively than many images jumbled together.

• Lastly, you should leave an image that will make people remember who you are or what your company is. Your company logo should be visible without sticking out of the design like a sore thumb.

These and more are the possibilities you can realize and create with offset printing. So you can very well arm yourself with posters that fit your needs and budget.

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Make Your Own Layout - Graphic Design Rules for Designing Marketing Materials

Making your own layouts for your marketing materials may seem overwhelming at first. But if you learn five basic graphic design rules, you are well on your way to designing your own marketing pieces. These rules are balance, proportion, sequence, emphasis and unity. Here is an explanation of each of these rules.

To make your own layout, the first rule you need to learn is balance. There are only two kinds: symmetrical and asymmetrical.

Symmetrical balance is easier to work with and it is ordered, simple and formal. If you use symmetrical balance, your layout will have a mirror image -- left to right or top to bottom (or both). Symmetrical balance gives you a basic structure for unity (unity is explained later), and is hard to mess up. The most obvious example of a symmetrically balanced layout is an invitation where each line of type is centered.

Asymmetrical balance is complex and informal and brings "movement" to a page. It is also harder to use. To use asymmetrical balance well, you need to know more about graphic design rules.

When you are making your own layouts, the second rule you need to learn is proportion.

Proportion compares related parts of your layout, like blocks of text or graphics. It looks at how one part's color, size, shape or weight relates to the same characteristics of another part. For example, if one line of type is darker than another, the difference in proportion (weight) shows which line of type is more important.

To make your own layout effective, the third graphic design rule you must learn is sequence.

Sequence is the visual direction of the information in your marketing piece. Sequence is usually left to right and top to bottom. The typical sequence for a printed piece is:

The headlineA subheadThe main messageA tagline (in the case of flyers or advertisements)

Like proportion, you can use sequence to show the relative importance of an element in your layout. The important parts of your marketing message are usually positioned above and to the left of less important parts.

In your own layouts, one -- and only one -- element should dominate. Emphasis is the rule that applies here.

If you want to grab attention with a graphic, then make that graphic stand out. If you don't want anyone to miss your headline, make sure it's big and bold. If you try to emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing.

When you are designing your own layouts, unity is the rule that ensures that your headlines, text areas and graphics are in harmony.

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The Power of a Classic

Never underestimate the power of a classic. After all, they did not attain that title without reason. In the arena of promotional products, shirts and pens take the cake of products that are most likely to be able to get your message across.

According to the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), wearables are the most commonly used promotional product taking 29.16% of the pie. Writing instruments place second with a share of 10.39%. In close competition are calendars with 7.20%, drinkware with 6.20% and bags and desk/ office/ business accessories tie with 6.02%.

The one thing these classics have in common? Recipients find them useful. The PPAI study also showed that the number one reason respondents keep the item is because of their functionality. 75.4 people who received useful products kept them for more than a year, while only 20.2% kept the item because they though it was attractive.

Marketing tactics that don't wear away easily
T-shirts, or any wearable item for that matter, are valued for their constant use. Your client becomes a virtual walking ad when they use the product that you've given them. As such, the quality of the material should play an important role in your decision-making.

Another reason why wearables are considered an enduring promotional product: these items are not easy to lose in the clutter of swags collected during big events like conventions or trade shows. While a handful of useless trinkets may end up in the trash bin or left behind in the hotel room, the chances of the shirt or other wearable items surviving the final packing up process is far greater.

Having a large imprint area also makes it the ideal promotional product. You will be able to get more of your message across with wearables than you would with a keychain or a notepad.

The pen is mightier than...
other promotional products. Indeed it is. Pens and other writing materials are given greater value for obvious reasons. Especially in events such as tradeshows and conventions, it posts immediate use. Anytime a company asks for a participant's name or other pertinent information, the first thing that person will whip out would be a pen. Not all participants keep one handy, so equipping them with one might be the smartest move you can make.

The use of a pen is not limited to big events like these. They're also the perfect executive gift. Buyers, executive secretaries and purchasing managers often experience the most difficulty purchasing gifts for people who already have everything. Simply said, you can never go wrong with a well-made pen.

Business online blog

Creating Flyers that Get Results

Flyers are a great way for you to advertise your business, especially if you are a small business owner. Here are some of the measures you can take to ensure you create kick butt flyers that get noticed by potential customers.

Use Color

Have you ever noticed how many flyers on white paper with black text are hanging around your neighborhood or city? Chances are you haven't since these types of flyers fail to attract attention. Rather than simply blend your flyer in with several others or even the surroundings of where you hang it, use color to make it stand out. Neon pink or yellow flyers stand out to drivers on their way to work since things in the natural setting don't have this shade. Of course you can take color even further and produce full color flyers. Not only are these on colored paper, but they contain a variety of colored images and text. This helps to make your products and the ad copy on the flyer stand out to customers.

Print a Lot

The great thing about using flyers to promote your business is the fact that they are very inexpensive especially when compared to other types of advertising. You can easily print up hundreds or even thousands of flyers for a few hundred dollars. This gives you enough flyers to ensure one is placed in multiple high traffic areas around your town rather than trying to pick one or two strategic locations like you would if using a billboard. Plus the great thing about flyer printing is the more you print the more you save!

Different Sizes

While most people assume a flyer is a sheet of standard paper that measures 8.5 by 11 inches, the truth is flyers can come in all shapes and sizes. Full color flyers can be made into poster sizes, which work great for businesses attracting motorists as they drive by. You can also get unique shapes and designs of flyers, which can help your business stand out as unique and make your flyer memorable in the minds of the customers.

Location and Disbursement

Finally it is important to remember location and disbursement are everything when using flyers to attract attention to your business. High traffic areas are ideal for your flyers since this gives you the greatest opportunity for your flyer to be seen. However, you should consider what areas your target market visit and target these as well. For example, placing your flyer at the senior center may be the perfect spot for you if your business targets the elderly population even though you could place it at the mall and have it seen by more people on a daily basis. Of course regardless of where you put it make sure you get permission before posting. Also remember that the more you handout and disburse, the more chances people have to see flyer and learn about your business.

Franchising

Consider A Fridge Magnet Business Card Next Time

Next time you want to give a thoughtful gift that makes your company's name stick with customers, consider a fridge magnet business card, -calendar or -notepad.

Ask yourself this question: how many of us actually keep the business cards handed to us by business associates? I don't know about you, but mine goes to the back of some drawer somewhere, and it only gathers dust. Every few months or years I proceed to just simply empty out the drawer without giving them a second glance.

If you are part of an ecological drive to use less paper and save some trees, it makes even more sense to stay away from traditional paper business cards. Fridge magnets use no paper in the manufacturing process, and the printing is done on white vinyl that is applied to the magnet sheeting. Most traditional paper business cards end up in the dustbin anyway, which means it is a sad waste of paper.

Now while a fridge magnet is a bit more expensive than just a plain business card, the value that one gets from it is far superior. The obvious place to put a fridge magnet is on the fridge, which means it does not go missing, and the customer is exposed to it several times every day, at least on a subconscious level. Even if they just use the magnet to hold up other items on the fridge door, the mileage gained from this is often underestimated.

If you consider that the magnet is only six or seven times more expensive, and that it will be 20 times more effective than a traditional business card - it does not matter how well-designed and flashy your business card is - then it really starts making good business sense. And the best of it all is, you know where to find it when you need it - on the fridge door.

Add another dimension to your fridge magnet business card by actually making it into a useful item such as a notepad or calendar, and the exposure you get from it is increased exponentially. You might also be surprised to find out how cost-effective a fridge magnet can be as a corporate gift.

branding news

2 Reasons Why Digital Printing Services is Essential for Your Business

Many businesses today are discovering the advantages offered by digital printing services to their businesses. And while it can't be argued that offset printing has a firm grip on producing bulk prints, there are two things that make digital printing an indispensable tool for your business.

On Demand Printing

The most useful aspect of digital printing services is that you can order any number of printed materials that you want while specifying the exact date that you want them to finish.

Consider this; your company is currently under a lot of stress since it is the launch of a new product line that the company has invested a lot of money in. To your horror, you discover that the posters you produced for tomorrow's launch is short of about 25 copies. What are you going to do?

Traditional offset printing is now totally out of the question. First of all, finding an offset printer that will accept your job order is very hard to find. And even if there is an offset printing company that accepts your request, the production of the plate needed for the printing process will eat a lot of time and will cost you a lot of money. Also, by printing only a small number of prints, you can't maximize the use of the plate that have just been made.

Considering the circumstances, digital printing is your best bet. Since digital printing does not present itself with the problems mentioned above, digital printing is very well equipped to handle the specific job requirements.

You do not have to produce plates so you that saves you time and money. By printing directly from a computer, you can print your poster in no time. Also, because digital printing does not need plates to create prints, it is very cost effective even in printing small quantities of prints.

Full Customization Options

The way that you can customize and create your very own printed materials according to your desired specifications is another aspect of digital printing that is very useful for your business. In this market driven world where company identity is very important, there is nothing more valuable than having an image that you can call your own. Digital printing services can make this image or design a reality.

Custom sizes - in using digital printing methods, you are no longer confined to the standard sizes offered by traditional printing methods. You can now have your design printed no matter how big or small they are. If you want, you can also have your designs cut in the shape that you want.

Custom "paper" - paper is not the only thing that you can print on today. You are no longer confined to printing on cover or text paper. Digital printing has opened the doors to other materials like vinyl and artist canvass.

Vinyl is a flexible yet very durable material that can withstand heavy wear and tear. It is ideal for advertising campaigns that requires to be exposed to the elements. Artist canvass meanwhile is a material that can be used in various ways. It is much like paper but provides a more artistic feel to whatever is printed on it.

Know when and where you can fully avail yourself the advantages of digital printing services and get the solutions you need.

customer services

The Importance of On Demand Printing and Rapport Building in Business

Rapport is an important element in any business. You need to establish the right connection with every people that you meet. You must learn how to use every business tool, from business card to brochures and on demand printing to work towards this goal.

You never know who is going to help you through time. So it's better to build a bond and make it lasting. Some people are naturally friendly. It's an advantage that you must put in good use when dealing with clients.

Here are some tips in creating a better rapport with your customers. You better learn fast and soon. You cannot afford to lose even one of them just because you failed to be nice.

1. Use on demand printing for your ads

Don't stuck up on old postcards and distribute those to clients over and over again. With the print on demand technology, you can get your ads printed just when you need those and according to the specific numbers that you require.

This way, you will be able to target your ads accordingly. You will be able to answer people's needs and queries. And with such process, your clients will feel that they are important to you. This may lead them to reciprocate the treatment.

2. Make a lasting and positive first impression

You have to be very careful on your first meeting with your clients. This will form their ideas about you. You must do everything right to turn that first meeting a step towards more to come. To do this, you must give them the proper treatment. You must show them that you know what you do and how to do it right.

3. Find ways to help your clients

Extend extra efforts to help out with your customers' concerns. If you have resolved a problem, ask if you can do anything more. If you have been hearing some troubles regarding a product, be the first to ask those who have purchased if they have encountered any trouble. If they do, do something about it. Assure these people that you are ready to do something in such cases.

4. Exceed your clients' expectations

If you have made any promises to your customers, do it. You should outdo yourself every time a client seeks your service. You must be a better provider as days go by. This way, you will have happy clients who are satisfied with how the things are being done.

5. Strive to make the business relationship last

You can make this happen if you treat your clients well all the time. You must be attentive to their needs and even with their complaints. You must do something about any petty problems and most especially the bigger issues that they may encounter.

Rapport building with clients is vital to make your business grow. These people will make or break you. You need them to last in the industry. So you must know how to keep them satisfied and care for their needs.

With the ever evolving printing technology, you can update your tools using on demand printing. This way, you will also be appreciated by your clients because they feel that you are always thinking about them.

customer services

4 Reasons Why You Should Consider Sticker Printing

Do you want to try something new and unconventional for your marketing campaign? Are you tired of using posters, postcards and catalogs again and again? Try sticker printing instead.

Stickers are unappreciated and undervalued in terms of what it can contribute to the marketing strategy of your business. Often times, a sticker's purpose in a company is only for labeling and signage. But stickers can be so much more than that.

Stickers attracts the attention of a wide audience

• Just like in postcards, a good sticker must be interesting enough to keep it from being thrown in the trash can. The difference between the two is that once a sticker is applied in visible locations such as cars, notebooks, musical instruments, even luggage. It has the capability to be visible and attract attention of other people as well.

• A good sticker design takes these two functions into account and takes advantage of both unique characteristics. You will know when a sticker is effective when it is striking from even a relatively close distance as well as legible from afar with the message being quick, clear and concise.

Stickers are fun and are not usually seen as promotional materials.

Even with a great concept and design, fliers, posters or postcards usually find themselves discarded and barely paid any attention to. People nowadays are wary of advertising and promotional materials that are given to them on a daily basis.

• One of the biggest strength of a sticker is that it is not usually viewed as a promotional tool. That is why when a person finds your sticker interesting, they readily apply it to surfaces they see fit - adding it to a collection, a composition of stickers, or accentuating the design of the surface. In this way, the aesthetics of your stickers alone can provide free advertising for your company.

Even the back has its uses

In sticker printing, you can choose not to leave its back side blank. You have two sides to use so might as well use both right? Here are some suggestions on the things you can do with the back side of the sticker:

• You can have sales coupons printed on the back side of your stickers. When you are selling a particular product, a nice way to entice a potential buyer is by giving them several offers that give value to their money.

In using this strategy, you are effectively killing two birds with one stone. You are promoting and re-enforcing your company's image with the front side while selling your products on the other.

Reinforce your marketing activities and tactics

Draw up stickers that would be similar lottery tickets your clients can peel open and reveal a reward. This makes stickers a promotional tool unlike other. You can make your clients more interested in acquiring your stickers, probably, in coincidence with buying certain products or certain amounts and so on.

Disregard the stereotypes and throw away the your preconceived notions on what stickers should be. Instead, open your eyes to possibilities and see how sticker printing could help you to rise above your competitors.

customer services

The Importance of Printing Services and Five Other Business Must Haves

Whatever your business is, you must not be new to the world of printing services. Yes, there are other ways to promote your stuff. But this medium is still effective so you must not look beyond that.

Aside from printing services, here are some things that your business must not be caught without. Look over the list and check your biz if you've got the following.

1. Customer service hotline

You don't want a rival beating you just because they have secured a 1-800 number that is easy to remember. Your clients must be confident that they can reach you whenever they need you.

The number is important. But what's most important is to provide them with efficient people that can do their tasks right. You have to employ courteous individuals for this service. You also have to be sure that they were trained well before you ask them to answer any queries.

2. Company website

Do not be left out with the fast advancement of the technology. Use it for your own advantage. Just make sure that it is user-friendly so that people will easily grasp how to work things out.

Include every detail that you feel that your clients would like to know about. Highlight each and every product. And don't forget to write out your contact details as well. Make it easy for clients to get hold of you.

3. Marketing plan

Establish a good and stable plan first thing when you go about your business venture. You can change some details along the way. But it is important that there is a guide that you are checking on every time you feel like it.

You cannot avoid mistakes in business. But with a good and solid plan, you can lessen those occurrences.

4. Advertisements

A good marketing plan must include effective marketing ploys. You have to promote your stuff no matter how successful you already are. You can go directly to broadcast if you can afford the medium.

But if you still can't, then print is your next best option. It won't be as expensive. But it definitely can be as effective.

Invest on the services of the best printing company. Match your tools according to the line of your business. Make sure that you have the right materials that will best represent you to your target market.

5. Good customer service skills

If your every business plan fails, you can always trust your good customer service skills to keep you going. People will buy from you for reasons that you are treating them the best way possible.

It will not come naturally. But with the right experience and practice, you will definitely learn how to hone the act.

There may be more things that you can think about. Add you own thoughts on the list. And learn the art of mixing and matching the good ads done by the right printing services with those mentioned above. And you are on your way to a productive road to your business success.

Franchising

The Attributes Of Advertising To Marketing

Advertising is a single component of the marketing process. It's the part that involves getting the word out concerning your business,product, or the services you are offering. Advertising and marketing are key elements in a company's success. One cannot be used without the other. Advertising works based on statistics. So there are definitely some people which are not reached by most ads.

This essentially is charged with having a product or service and creating a need or a perceived desire of the consumer to buy it. The message is designed to create awareness that the product exists, how it will be of value to the consumer or make their lives easier because they have it and explain why they should buy it immediately.

This only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy. All of these elements must not only work independently but they also must work together towards the bigger goal. Advertising Conference underscored the fact consumers trust other consumers more than they do marketers for product information. In today's oversaturated, fragmented media landscape, word-of-mouth marketing remains a cost-effective part of many advertisers' marketing mix.

It is a single aspect of marketing, which involves spreading the word about a business, product, or service offered to the public. Strategy is definitely a key part here, as there are many avenues to use. Advertising can serve for marketing well if it is suitable for the marketing strategy. It is a way to marketing the products or service of a company. Advertising is one of the keys to a successful business.

Advertising, personal selling, publicity, and public relations form the components of the marketing communication or promotional mix. Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is the strategic use of the aforesaid components towards . Advertising is to "display" ones wares. It is entirely passive.

It isn't what it used to be. Media has changed dramatically. Advertising builds brand awareness, which builds trust and credibility. Of course, that translates to more purchases.

Advertising and promotions managers may travel to meet with clients or representatives of communications media. At times, public relations managers travel to meet with special-interest groups or government officials. It reaches people through varied types of mass communication. In everyday life, people come into contact with many different kinds of advertising.

Advertising trojans make clandestine connections to adservers behind your back, consume precious network bandwidth and may compromise the security of your data. The latest versions of these "ad-viruses" operate in full stealth and are nearly impossible to detect without advanced knowledge of the system environment.

branding news

Top 20 Facts of Successful Radio Advertising for Internet and Brick and Mortar Businesses

Radio is still surprisingly inexpensive for advertising. The medium has been around for about 100 years. Many businesses give radio a pass because of the misconception of the return on investment.

Radio is an intrudes into the mind of the listeners. The power of radio advertising is two-fold. The right stations and demographic target coupled with a consistent delivery of your message will yield the best results. Like Direct Mail, you must have a clear idea of who your most profitable market is and conduct a campaign to brand your message in their minds.

Radio works by familiarizing your prospects with your brand through association. When they first hear your commercial, there usually is no major response. The process is similar to growing corn. The results do not show up until the hard work, patience and persistence has been consistently applied. The campaign needs time to instill its message in the minds of the listeners for at least 13 to 20 weeks.

To expect instant results is naive at best and counter productive. The process will also depend on the correct sequence of frequency - by that I mean will you run the ad four times a day for 20 weeks or 12 times a day for 15 weeks? Are you appealing to the folks who listen to the local shock jock in the morning or the smooth talking DJ in the rush hour traffic going home?

So, first you will need to define your goals, objectives, challenges, strengths, competitors, and your unique advantages and benefits. Then determine what you want to do about it. What do you want to accomplish?"

The greatest advantage of radio is its ability to go after a very specific kind of market. You don't waste your advertising budget sending your message to thousands of people who don't qualify or aren't likely to be interested in what you sell.

Recent trends show radio is rapidly becoming the advertising method of choice for thousands of businesses and web sites. The medium allows you to focus your message to a tightly targeted audience.

Here are some Radio Facts

Radio has a distinctive advantage over print in that the audience is more focused on the message especially through repetition.

Google now sells radio advertising online.

One in five have listened to online Radio in the last month. Twenty percent of the U.S. population age 12 and older have listened to online Radio in the last month. The estimated monthly audience for online Radio is approximately 49 million.

Satellite radio now competes with tridational AM and FM radio for audience share but has also brought with it a new audience well; the Internet radio demographic

Radio reaches 93% of all adults each week.

Radio reaches 94% of college grads age 18+.

Weekly Online Radio Audience Remains Steady Over the Past Year.

96% of adults 18-49 with a college degree and an annual income of $75,000+ tune into radio over the course of a week.

95% of adults 18-49 with a college degree and an annual income of $50,000+ tune into radio over the course of a week.

Radio reaches 233 million listeners over the course of a week.

63% of American adults listen to the radio every day.

Radio reaches 85% of likely voters.

94% of Black Non-Hispanic persons and 95% of Hispanic persons, age 12+ tune into radio over the course of a week. Radio reaches 95% of Black Non-Hispanics and 96% of Hispanics age 25-54 over the course of a week.

The average person spends 1,000 hours per year listening to the radio, second only to television at 1,500 hours. The Internet, newspapers and magazines are all under 200 hours per year each.

Radio Advertising used in conjunction with television advertising increased brand recall by 34% than television advertising alone.

Radio Advertising used in conjunction with newspaper advertising increased brand recall almost 3 times than newspaper advertising alone.

Radio Advertising used in conjunction with Internet marketing raises the return on investment 4.5 times more than just using Internet marketing only.

Most radio ads generate emotional levels equal to or higher than T.V.

Radio has a 49% better R.O.I.(return on investment) than Television.

Setting online radio aside, there are over 10,600 commercial stations licensed in the United States.

The field has grown rapidly in recent years with the addition of satellite radio. Sirius and XM Radio have done for music and talk what cable did for Television. The two giants might be merging if the FTC gives its blessing. This format is similar to traditional radio, though there are a mixture of sponsored and commercial free channels.

If this is the first time you're buying air time, call a few stations. You will get a much better deal by buying advertising packages. Stations will sell you multiple commercials at different times of the day to run over weeks or months. The

price of individual spots can drop significantly.

Sixty second ads are usually a better deal than 30 second ads. They only costa few dollars more and double the time your message is on the air. Be sure torepeat the main benefit you offer customers at least three times in yourcommercial. End with your phone number, store address, or web site URL solisteners can remember it. The advantages of radio are tremendous.

entrep

Five Advantages of Mobile Advertising Using Vinyl Printing

We are living in a fast-paced world. This is especially true in business. You must always be updated with how certain business elements are being done. You must know when to be practical and when it is safe to be experimental. You must know when is the right time for a simple poster and when would you opt for vinyl printing.

You cannot be caught unaware of what's happening around you. If you aren't satisfied with your advertisements seen only on certain spots, why don't you try vinyl printing and go mobile?

Move to the Beat

Big or small, companies can benefit from mobile advertising. They can use their own vehicles to carry their product names and images printed in classy vinyl. What are the advantages of this type?

1. People will be able to see your ads when they are already outside. This means that it will be easier for you to persuade them to make the purchase. All you need to have are the right materials with attractive design and effective words in it.

Give those people all the info that they need. And supply them added details to influence them more. Make them act on their impulses. Make them go and proceed to your store after seeing your ads in a moving vehicle.

2. This will be easier to maintain especially if you own the vehicle. You can take proper care of your ad materials to make them last longer.

In comparison with the vinyl signs used as billboards or placed on certain locations, it will be harder to preserve those types. You cannot put them down in a jiffy when the weather gets bad. And aside from that, those will only be seen by a limited number of people. And most of the time, the same people will pass through the site.

3. You will be able to target a more diversified group. With mobile ads, you will no longer think who are the people who will see your ads. Because it all depends on where your vehicle will go. The only thing that you have to be certain with this type is that the ad is really captivating. You must make people look at it even while the vehicle is on the go.

4. If you don't have a suitable vehicle, there are companies that rent out their trucks or vans for ad placements. You can avail those to take advantage of the space they provide and the routes they take.

5. If you are running a promotional campaign that will end soon, you can use this to reach out to more people. Just direct the vehicle where there are people to see. They may not be your target market. But they may know someone that needs your services.

Advertising can be done in many ways. The mobile way makes it all the more exciting. With the ever evolving printing technology, it has also become easier to make attractive ads.

Vinyl printing is a popular choice for mobile marketing. Ask the right printing company to process your ads. Remember that your ads need to stand out amidst the jungle on the road.

ethics news

Promoting a Carpet Cleaning Business

Do you have your own business? Are you offering a service that you wish to promote? Definitely, you love your carpet cleaning business and you wish to expand it and make it succeed. Are you determined? In order for your business to succeed, you need to be determined and creative enough to promote your business.

For sure you have a good service to offer your potential customers, but no matter how good your business is if no one knows your business, nothing will happen. You need to know your target markets and you must be creative in promoting your service to them.

Having a carpet cleaning business, you need to promote it in order for people would know about it. Of course, in order to earn and succeed you need to have lots of customers, but how on earth can you get it if people do not know your business. You have to make ways to let your target markets to know what you can offer them. Marketing is one of the keys for you and your business to succeed.

Actually, there are lots of ways for to gain customers, you have to advertise your business. Read on in order to gain ways on how to promote your business.

Definitely, your target markets are the homes and businesses in your neighborhood, so you would want them to know about your business. They can learn about your business by making business cards. Create cards which has your business name, last and first name, contact details. As soon as the cards are ready, visit the homes and businesses in your neighborhood and give them your card.

You can produce door hanger. Hang these door hangers to the doors in your area. Just make sure that these door hangers are water proof. In creating such, you can promote your business and can let the people in your neighborhood know about your carpet cleaning business.

Providing special offer is a good way of promoting your business. You can provide discounts or freebies to your clients. Be creative, you need to make special offer that potential customers can't resist.

Another good way and definitely, the best way of promoting your business is by providing the best service that your customers will be happy about. For every happy and satisfied customer, you can end up having more and more customers due to recommendations and referrals.

Business online blog

Basic Sign Equipment for Printing Vehicle Wraps

If you read the marketing literature for printers from sign suppliers, they may led you to believe that their printer is all you need to adequately create vehicle wraps that stand up to your competitors. There's numerous factors involved when deciding to expand or launch your business and in this article we'll cover some of the options available to you. One of the first things to consider is what types of vehicles you intend on wrapping? - this will give you an idea on sign media handling. A small operation who plans to strictly wrap cars and trucks may be able to use 30" - 36" printer such as a Mimaki JV3-75, while another might prefer to wrap cubevans and larger vehicles may opt for something at 54" or more.

After deciding on a printer, you'll need a method to laminate your prints to protect them from chemicals and outdoor exposure. Despite ink guarantees from your vendor, unlaminated graphics are still extremely fragile to such things as UV exposure and scratching. Your choices should match the media size of your printer and either cold film and liquid laminate are standard. Liquid laminate has quite toxic fumes but is very inexpensive, while film laminate is clean and quick to mount. Cold laminators can also be used for mount vinyl to substrates as well as premask graphics which may be huge advantage over a liquid laminator.

If space allows and your printer can have an exclusive space away from employees, you may not need an air scrubber. Solvent fumes can cause havoc on your staff's body - causing skin irritation and fatigue. If your budget allows it's a good idea to properly vent and clean the air with a product such as a PAT Captivair.

Some solvent printers have contour cutting capabilities on-board, while most will print register marks to mainstream cutters with optical eyes. If you're interested in selling decals, this is definitely something to look into. It's not necessary to buy matching printers and cutters to achieve this effect as your RIP software will ultimately print marks to match your cutter. Unlike conventional vinyl cutting, printing and contour cutting scenarios are limited to the machines being tightly registered and typically remain accurate to about 10-12 linear feet.

The last thing we'll need to create our vehicle wraps is RIP software. "RIP" stands for Raster Image Processor and is the heart of your preflight work. In between your design software and solvent printer, your RIP software acts as a intermediate stage to process images. This where you can tile, scale, adjust colors, nest images, etc. While some printer manufacturers bundle their proprietary software with their printers, it is a good to idea to purchase a program for the increased file handling and functionality. Popular RIP programs are Wasatch SoftRIP and Onyx ProductionHouse.

Business online blog

The Power Of Transit Advertising

Transit advertising is a powerful up and coming advertising method. What exactly is it? What makes it great? Who offers it? Where can I get it? These are all great questions and all in the scope of this article.

First, what is transit advertising? Transit advertising is an outdoor advertising medium that consists of placing advertisements on the outside of buses, cabs, fleet vehicles, and other vehicles, as well as inside buses, bus shelters, trains, and train stations. Basically the term transit advertising refers to placing an ad on anything with wheels.

There are many benefits to transit advertising. One of them is the fact that it is good for all ranges of a businesses advertising budget. With the average price range of $500-$1500 many companies can afford this. If you choose to use transit advertising there are many options. If you advertise with a bus company, $500 per month will typically get you an ad on the back of the bus and $1500 will get your ad wrapped on the whole bus. Its worth noting that these prices reflect the cost of the service, not including the cost of the wrap; it is an additional fee. If you want your advertising budget to go further, you can work with smaller transit advertising companies. They may offer only one or two sizes, but the full vehicle advertisement will cost less than half that of a full bus ad.

The cost of Transit Advertising is reasonable to good, but how does it compare? First we look at the price comparison of advertising techniques. Let us start with coupons and direct mailers. It typically costs something like $300-$400 to reach 10,000 households in a specific zip code. Next let's talk about radio and television commercials. You may pay $1,000 to $20,000 per minute for video production, depending on the quality. Most small business owners do not have advertising budgets that large. Price-wise, transit advertising gets your advertisement to more people for less.

If you are reading this and thinking that you get what you pay for, you are wrong. I am sorry to have to tell you, but it is true. Direct mailers typically have a response rate as low as 5 responses per thousand mailings. In other words you have a success rate of 0.5%! $400 spent to get only 50 responses.

When small businesses look at using radio and TV, they find that these two effective methods can pose many problems. First, you must consider you target audience. Then determine which radio station or TV channels they watch and when the listen or watch them, just to make sure you're reaching the right listeners or viewers. Next, you must figure out your angle. Is your advertisement going to be funny, educational, real-world; after all, you have about 60 seconds to impact your audience. To add to the pressure and uncertainty of these options is the fact that most people do not listen to or watch commercials. They find another station playing a song they like, they leave the family room to go get a snack, or they just fast forward past your $2000 commercial that lasted 60 seconds.

Herein lays the beauty of Vehicle Advertising. It can not be tuned out, it can not be ignored. It does generate conversations. It engages the viewer. It is affordable.

There are many places and ways for you to implement transit advertising in you advertising campaign. If you already have a fleet of vehicles, you can get them wrapped. Wrapping is the process of printing you ad on vinyl film and having it placed onto your vehicles. To find locations in your area try looking in the phone book or online for vehicle graphics or car wraps. A lot of times the places that perform the wraps are sign companies. Typically it takes under 5 business days to create and apply your wrap, but it can vary by size and complexity. If you do not have your own fleet, many companies rent advertising space on their fleet. These companies can be found again in your phone book or online by looking for transit advertising or vehicle advertising. You can also call companies who perform wraps and ask if they can suggestion a transit advertising company as sometimes they refer customers for each other.

careersemp loyment

Evaluating Your Promotional Products Supplier

You've probably been around the block a couple of times and have tried several of them. Some are good. Some are bad. So, how do you really tell which one is right for you? Here's a checklist of what you should be looking for in a promotional products supplier to ensure you get the service you deserve:

Large selection - Don't limit yourself to a couple of pens and some mugs. The world is promotional products is vast and unpredictable - you can have something as fancy as glassware or as simple as flipflops. When picking a vendor, make sure it's one that can offer you the widest range of products available. Find out if they have reliable suppliers and brand name products that let you take advantage of the power of co-branding. With the extensive selection should come a comprehensive search engine, a navigable website or at the very least a knowledgeable salesperson that could make the proper recommendations.

Quality products - Work with a promotional products supplier that offers only premium merchandise. The quality of your giveaway says much about your company. As such, working with a company that gives you the best value for your money should be a big concern.

Lowest cost - A big company you could trust should be able to use its buying power to your advantage. Basically, a company that truly looks out for your needs will be able to offer you the promotional products at the lowest cost. It's also worth checking out if the supplier has a lowest price guarantee.

Quality imprinting -There are a number of imprinting methods out there, but certain items require particular methods of imprinting. For instance, glass would go well with etching or laser engraving while cloth can be embroidered or screen printed. The sales staff should be able to tell you which imprinting method goes best with your item. More importantly, they should be able to connect you with a service provider that can apply that imprinting method to your chosen item. Apart from the fulfillment issue, a good promo products company would have an art department or a system that would ensure your logo is rendered in the best possible manner.

On-time delivery of goods - Normally, the company should be able to quote you a practical shipping date. This is a combination of your item's production time plus the time it takes the product to get to you via a carrier. While the shipping time is highly depended on the carrier, your promo products company should at least be able to manage your expectations by giving you a pretty accurate range. If unforeseen circumstance cause delay to your shipment, a reliable company will notify you in the soonest possible time and clue you in on the reason behind the inconvenience. Honest and timely correspondence is just as important as the accuracy of shipping date quotes.

Personalized service - A promo products supplier is basically a company that offers personalized items. As such they should remain true to their roots and offer you personalized service as well. Work with someone who takes the time to get to know your industry, your goals and your budget. They should have the right resources, knowledgeable and helpful staff and the proper fulfillment systems in place.

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Free Radio Advertising is Easy To Get If You Can Think Like A Radio Talk Show Host

Many people think that radio and TV talk shows are difficult to get booked on and that radio and TV producers are power-hungry gatekeepers that don't want to share their kingdom with anyone. In reality, the opposite is true. Radio Talk Show Hosts want you to be on their shows as much as you want to be on their shows. Booking exciting and entertaining guests is what they do for a living. It's all part of their jobs.

The average radio show lasts between 3-4 hours everyday. That's about 20 hours of original material that radio hosts and producers are tasked with producing. You try talking for 20 hours a week and see how well you do. That is why radio shows actively pursue guests for their programs. You need free radio publicity and free radio advertising, they need free guests to fill their broadcast schedule. It's a win-win.

So why is it that so many people you talk to are finding it difficult to get booked on radio talk shows? Why do so many experts have difficulty getting free radio publicity? Simple, because they aren't thinking like radio hosts. When making your pitch remember these three simple rules:

1) Radio Hosts Don't Care About YOUR Product, They Care About THEIR Product.
And their product is their radio show. It is their job to produce the best, most entertaining program that they can each and everyday. They don't really care about your new book, or your latest invention, or your killer blog, or your new song. All they care about is their audience. That means YOU should care about their audience too. Know who the target demo is. Know what interests them and target your segment around them. If you can entertain the audience, then you are making the host's job easier and you will be asked back again and again.

2) Be Interactive.
Radio Talk Shows are interactive. That's why the host is constantly giving out the studio phone number. As a guest on a radio talk show you need to be interactive as well. The host may not have questions for you but his audience probably will. Be prepared to take calls on your topic. In fact, encourage the host to take calls. Have answers prepared - Good answers. Also, people like to play games. Can you drum up a quick quiz and give away some free prizes? Is there a self-test that the audience can do at home or in their car? Can you make your segment fun with a personality quiz related to your topic? The more you can involve the audience, the more they will trust you. The more they trust you, the more likely they are to buy your stuff.

3) The More You Sell, The Less You Will Sell.
You aren't doing an infomercial. This isn't a paid advertisement. You have been invited on a program to entertain and inform the audience. You can't do that by selling your own product. Think about a radio appearance as a game of show and tell. Only this time, you only show. Leave the telling to the host. Show the people that you are an expert on your subject. Show them that you have the answers to their questions. Show them that you can help them with their problems. Then, let the host tell them where they can contact you for more information. If you sound like a commercial the audience will do what they always do when they hear a commercial...change the station!

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Critical Information You Must Know Before Hiring A Logo Design Company

Logo Design is one of the most difficult areas of graphic design to master. The goal of a company logo is to embody a number of qualities in the mind of existing and prospective customers. It should identify your products and services, distinguish it from similar companies, and communicate value and quality. The decision to search for a logo design company is a big one and calls for careful consideration. With the growth of the logo design industry, a multitude of logo design companies have arrived. When you hand out your business card, write a letter or put out a brochure, your company logo must be memorable. This article will offer invaluable advise on how to sift through log design companies to find the right one for you.

One of the key qualities a logo design company must have to meet your needs is their capacity to produce the right image for you. This can be gaged in a number of ways. Always take a close look at the companies portfolio. Does it include logos from your industry and how much do these match your expectations? Companies with limited portfolios indicate that they may be run online on a part-time basis and full attention may not be dedicated to your project. Find out how many designers will be working on your account. This can range from one to four depending on your budget and the package you choose. Having more than one will improve the likelihood of creativity in your design. Also, the more concepts presented, the better. These can range from 4 to 10 depending on the options you choose. In addition, it is wise to consider how many revisions are allowed. Unlimited revisions protect you from receiving a logo that you believe can still be improved upon. Some designers put a cap on revisions to prevent them from doing unpaid work.

Factors such as the one's discussed above, namely logo concepts, portfolio, revisions and number of designers will have a significant bearing on price. It is obviously important to in effect make a checklist of these, shop and compare where you will be receiving the greatest value and benefit. Beware of companies that offer low prices - logo design is a specialized form of graphic design that takes skill and talent. Consider how a designer is able to offer their years of experience and creativity, with unlimited revisions, for say $60.

There are other aspects of the logo design business that you need to pay attention to. The turnaround time for concepts should be about a week while revisions shouldn't take longer than 2 or 3 days. Make sure the final version is in a format that you can adjust to a variety of sizes to use on letterhead, brochures, business cards and surfaces as large as billboards. EPS files and Abode illustrator accomplishes this while a simple Jpeg file does not. Above all a strong guarantee will ensure your satisfaction. It is ill advised to deal with any company that will not issue a refund if they are unable to produce an image that meets your standards. A strong guarantee in writing demonstrates their dedication and confidence in getting the job done.

There are a few simple, basic ways to screen logo design companies for credibility. There are definite warning signs if they do not post their address on their website or if you are not able to actually speak with a company member over the phone. The actual designers should be accessible via phone for the initial concepts and/or revisions - it is not always easy to convey what you want over the phone.

In the end, it is critical that you hire the right logo design company to create your image. It is very costly to get your logo reproduced on various company materials, only to find that it really does not work. You definitely do not want to discover that it has been made using clip art or copied from other companies. The best advice is to take your time, research, compare packages and decide on one that will create the ideal image for you, leading to the greatest impact on your target audience.

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The Logic Behind Implementing Newspaper Advertising KPI

For a long time coming now, newspaper advertising has been one of the effective methods when it comes to the provision of updates on news events and classified ads. The great thing about news advertising is that news events and classified ads here can take all sorts of forms. It is because of this that newspaper advertising is indeed one of the first-ever mediums that have been used by people worldwide. Since its inception, the newspaper has been one of the most preferred mediums used by people in advertising services, products, jobs, and so many more. But just because newspaper advertising is so popular does not necessarily mean that it is indeed as effective as it should be. Thus, there is a need to implement newspaper advertising KPI or key performance indicators, to be able to accurately measure the performance of newspaper advertising.

By definition, key performance indicators are quantifiable measures that are used in determining the progress of a certain company towards the accomplishment of corporate goals and objectives. Any business in any industry would certainly come up with their own goals and objectives that they want to achieve. This is because these goals give direction and meaning to the establishment of the business itself. However, as time goes by, it is actually quite easy to lose track of these goals and objectives. With the many issues and concerns that will surely sprout about, the management of the company and even the founders themselves would focus on solving present problems or issues at hand. The implementation of an effective balanced scorecard that contains relevant KPIs is then needed, to constantly remind employees of the corporate goals and objectives they have sought to achieve from the very beginning.

The same concept is applied in newspaper advertising. Newspaper companies will have to efficiently come up with relevant key performance indicators, to guide the progress of the company along the achievement of corporate goals and objectives. It just so happens that newspaper companies would have different sets of goals and objectives that they would want to achieve. This is understandable even if these companies do belong in the same industry. No two or three companies would have the same mission, vision, goals, and objectives, right? Since KPIs are aligned with these differing aspects, then it is also expected for these quantifiable measures to vary to some extent.

The size of the newspaper ad and the cost per response are amongst the common metrics used when implementing newspaper advertising KPI. These metrics actually play a huge role in determining the most effective form of advertising that there is in newspapers. For instance, an ad that occupies a whole page attracts the attention of roughly 80 people. However, the ad that just takes up a fourth of a whole page is enough to attract the attention of roughly 60 people. No 1:1 ratio is implemented here at all. It would then make sense to include ad size as one of the newspaper advertising KPIs to use.

As for cost per response, you have to analyze the cost that it would take to entice significant number of responses. In the same example, it is clear that the fourth-page ad is more effective when it comes to cost per response. Having this as part of the newspaper advertising KPI can also assist in achieving corporate goals and objectives in the long run.

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The Logic Behind Truck Advertising KPI Implementation

The advertising industry has certainly expanded in such a way that some people would even deem unpredictable. In the past, newspapers were just about the most effective means of advertising. Whether you were out to advertise jobs, houses, products, services, and just about anything you can name under the sun, it was already sufficient enough to turn to the typical newspaper company and take out an ad with them. These days, advertising has certainly evolved in so many unexpected ways. This is not just about the Internet becoming quite a popular advertising medium on its own, because it is actually quite reasonable to turn to the web for advertising as well. But transportation? More importantly, trucks? Yes, truck advertising has indeed become quite popular nowadays. In fact, more and more companies are experimenting with this particular medium of advertising. However, just how effective is truck advertising? How do you measure the effectiveness of this method when the medium itself is mobile and is implemented in the outdoors? Here then lies the importance of implementing truck advertising KPI.

Simply put, KPI or key performance indicators are quantifiable aspects that are used to measure the performance of certain processes utilized by a company in line with the achievement of corporate goals and objectives. In this case, KPI would be used to measure just how effective truck advertising is, especially when aligned with corporate goals and objectives.

Because it is implemented outdoors, truck advertising is understandable quite volatile. Companies making use of this medium actually have no say on audience selectivity. Yes, the companies do have a say as to the particular route the truck would take, to reach certain portions of cities or even the suburbs. However, companies still do not have control over the people who would see the rolling truck advertisement. There is still no guarantee as to what particular market would be exposed to these promotional materials. Thus, this should be one of the metrics to include when developing truck advertising KPI.

Another thing to consider is the high possibility that response speed being slow. Let us face it: when you are driving on the road, and you see a rolling truck with a huge banner or streamer advertising a certain product, would you really take your eyes off the road? Yes, if you are currently parked at the side of the road. But if you were on the freeway, then the chances of taking time to really look at the ad and read whatever information it has to offer would be close to nil. This makes response volume all the more difficult to assess. This is also one metric to include when developing a balanced scorecard for truck advertising.

However, if companies would take time to study the potential hot sites of the city that would most likely contain their target markets or audiences, then truck advertising could still work out here. But then again, conducting such feasibility studies would just bring more expenses for the company itself. The better option here would then be to determine the relevant truck advertising KPI to be used on your balanced scorecard. This way, with the right KPIs implemented, you can then make an in-depth analysis of this medium of outdoor advertising that you plan to use.

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Great Solvent Sign and Vehicle Printers Under $20,000

Where going to take a look at a few good printers to get started printing digital signage and car wraps. All three of these printers come in under the $20,000 price point, offer 543 media handling (a standard roll size), and each has custom RIP software. Let's take a look.

Mutoh ValueJet 1304 is a four-color (CMYK) that uses Mutoh's Eco-Ultra inks and has a maximum print speed of 145 sq.ft. an hour. As with the three other printers featured, the Mutoh ValueJet 1304 will print on uncoated media and maximum print resolution of 1440 dpi. A nice feature that comes standard, is the built-in takeup roller for unattended roll-to-roll operation. This is especially helpful if you'd like to queue multiple prints to run overnight. To reduce horizontal banding, Mutoh incorporates their proprietary Intelligent Interweaving Print Technology which prints a series of waves as opposed to straight lines for each pass of the head.

Roland VersaCAMM SP540v Sign Printer is also a four color machine with a maximum print speed of 114 sq.ft or (3.5) 42 x 82 sheets an hour. A takeup roller is optional ($1,995), but one of the big advantages of the VersaCAMM series is the built-in cutter for simple contour cutting operations. The VersaCAMM SP-540V includes VersaWorks™ RIP software which uses the Roland Color System and Swatches for fast and accurate color matches. This is really helpful to produce graphics fast without the hassle of trying to test and match CMYK colors.

Mimaki JV3 130SPII Sign Printer is the fastest of the three printers with up to 478 sq.ft. an hour at 360 x 360 dpi. The JV3-130SPII can be set to use 4 (CMYK), 6 (CMYKcm), and 7 (CMYKcm+W) color modes with Mimaki's standard inks SS-2, ES-2, or HS-1. Printing white can be a define bonus, but it does require the operator to flush out the inks with wash cartridges before switching from 4 and 6 color modes. The printer comes standard with a takeup roller, an enhanced intelligent heater, drying fan, Mimaki's RIP software, and Mimaki's profiling software for making custom profiles of your inhouse media.

If you're planning to mainly do vehicle wraps the Roland VersaCAMM SP-540V is a strong contender with it's built-in cutter, potentially saving you $5,000 - $6,000 by buying a separate machine. The color matching system is also a great feature, but it does require you to use OEM inks and not a bulk ink system. Roland has positioned itself as a standard in the sign graphics community and with the lion's share of users, information, advise, and service is widely available.

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Vehicle Wrapping Vinyl Films

The world of vehicle graphics have changed considerable in the last 10 years with solvent printers and comply vinyl being introduced. To often I will meet a sign writer, pinstriper, or fleet installer who reminds me of that fact. But the days of super aggressive 2mil 'you got one shot' graphic film are long gone and there's a wide assortment of digital vehicle wrap media available on the market. Deciding on what brands to use can be a difficult choice when first venturing into the business of printed vehicle graphics, but many suppliers are more than happy to provide sample rolls to test out.

In cut vinyl graphics, it isn't important if you use one brand of media one day to the next - your cutter doesn't cut any different. But be aware in solvent printable films, it's often a good idea to continue to use the same brand time and time again to ensure accurate color production. Once you go through the headaches of profiling your media or simply finding a profile that works best with your printer, you should probably stick to it. If you change brands one day because there was a sale at your local sign supplier - you might be surprised that you're spending the next day or two getting it configured properly before you can sell one square foot.

Oracal Orajet 3951RA is an economical professional vehicle wrapping film with a technology they call Rapid Air (like Comply). It has a grey back for block out capabilities and is offered in 2mil cast vinyl. Rated at 10 years. I've use it and I like it but I can't seem to get a good profile for it. I hear it's quite popular with Roland users.

Avery Graphics MPI 1005 EZ is a 2.1mil cast film using Avery's Easy Apply technology and is priced comparatively to IJ180. They advertise clean removal over the warranteed life of the media which is 7 years laminated. I've used this media here and there - it prints well and very glossy. If you can get a better price on 1005 EZ vinyl than on Controltac for this, it's a great option.

3M Controltac IJ180-10 is the mainstream leader in vehicle wrapping film. Media profiles are easily available and is backed by 3M's warranty when using compatible print supplies. IJ180 comes in classic checkered Comply pattern and V2, which is the new smooth finish media for those that didn't like the old pattern.

Mactac JT 5529 M BF is an economy calendered wrapping film with a rating of 10 years. I personally wouldn't use it for permanent applications, but rather short term promotional car wraps. I have used it and it prints very well, however the adhesive is not as aggressive as I would like.

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