People love gifts. It leaves a smile on the face. So if you print your logo on a gift, even a small inexpensive gift, it will be taken positively. And that's what you want when people see you're logo. To associate it with positivity. It's not just that people love to get stuff for free, although they do. Promotional products deliver more impressions or frequency than other type of media, because promo items are kept for a longer period of time than other media like print or radio advertising. Print lasts for as long as it takes to get read and thrown away and radio spots only last as long as the commercial. According to a recent industry study, promotional items are kept for an average of 5.8 months. 87% of recipients could identify the advertiser associated with the item and 31% reported a high likelihood of doing business with the advertiser after receiving a promotional product. That's a great return. Money well spent. Remember though, it's like any other marketing, you need to understand that some products will be more effective than others. The promotional item needs to be relevant and useful. The majority (81%) of promotional products were kept because they were considered useful. 90% of an audience reported currently owning or possessing a promotional product that they received in the last 24 months. That's a long duration for any advertising. Choosing something that corresponds with your business is also the best bet. A good example would be a measuring tape for a decorating company or a bottle opener for a beer company. The relevancy to the promo product will make the association with your company stronger. Writing instruments are the most-recalled advertising specialty items (54% of respondents recall owning them), followed by shirts, caps and bags.nAmong wearables, bags were reported to be used most frequently with respondents indicating that they used their bags an average of 9 times per month. Although promotional products have a wonderful return, your not going to make millions of dollars on return with them. Definitely add promo items into the budget and tie into your campaign, but don't spend all of your ad dollars on freebies. It should accompany radio, print and online advertising.
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Well that's an easy questions to answer. Do you have something to say? Or perhaps some knowledge you think should be shared? Well maybe you're thinking to yourself, not really. But wait until you see the statistics below.... you will change your mind.
Business owners who have a website, and everyone today should, need to add content on a regular basis in order to get good rankings, so why not? Why not make the content original and a blog? Here are the statistics that will change your mind about blogging:
• Most people read 5-10 blogs. (HubSpot Science of Blogging, 2010) • Nearly 40% of US companies use blogs for marketing purposes. (eMarketer, August 2010)
Let's face it, if you're a business owner and you talk to people, you already network. Everyone you talk to talks to others and so forth. But what about those organized networking groups? There are so many. And the hard part is first finding one that's right for you. It can take some time, because there are many with a variety of different purposes. Here are a few steps that can help you.
Your Purpose of joining. First, what do you want to get out of the group? Are you looking for support, to mentor others, to help the community or just for the business contacts. Is there something you want to learn from other business professionals in the area? Some groups offer mentoring and other business services. Your availability. Based on the meeting schedules, will you be able to actually make the meetings? The truth is, if you are not going to participate, do not join. It then just becomes a burden. Your industry. Depending on how large the group is, it is important that the particular group is not saturated with your industry already. For instance, you don't want to be the 10th accountant in a group of 100. Find another group. The aggressiveness of group. Some groups are more aggressive than others. Where they may put a lot of pressure to force leads. Forced leads are not nearly as effective as solid leads. And sometimes when you're in a room and they expect you to spass leads, you may feel pressured to give leads, even though they are weak. I do not participate in the high pressure leads groups. It creates an uncomfortable environment. I prefer a more casual approach. Who are the members? Are the members of that group influential in the community? Are they participators in community events and know the movers and shakers within that community? One thing that is important to know is that you'll get out of it what you put in to it. So go to the meeting and participate. I enjoy introducing people who can mutually benefit each other. I am a huge fan of small business. I like to help others connect. It helps grow the community and helps my business as well. As a matter of fact I like it so much, we started our own group called Brevard Connections. We enjoy an evening every quarter where we get together and drink a couple of glasses of wine and talk business. If you are interested in joining, please go to http://www.brevardconnections.com or like our Facebook page. We all seem to recharge every year. Whether you have personal goals or professional ones, this time of year is perfect for making some decisions and sticking with them. I use this time of year to evaluate my business and see what I can change for next year that will improve my customer relationships, my packaging, and my marketing. Below are a few ideas for you to consider for your business.
1. Get organized. It is so easy to get bogged down searching for things instead of just being organized and know ing exactly where your files are. There are many ways to get organized.
2. Get your goals back on track. Take a look at what your goals were last year and see what you missed or what was successful for you. Then adjust. Make yourself a list and stay focused on what you want to accomplish. In order to be successful, they need to be realistic goals. Make sure you look at that list everyday to keep it at the top of your mind. 3. Learn to delegate. It is hard for us business owners who want to do everything so it gets done right. But you are only one person. And if you are already working many hours during the day, you will have to make some choices. Either work harder and more organized or delegate some of your tasks to someone else. It's that simple. 4. Find one new way of connecting with your customers. Whether you choose to go mobile, social networking or joining a local organization, they are all successful. It is because people like to know exactly who they are doing business with. If you're out and about, even online, meeting new people, you are going to gain awareness. 5. Give back to the community. This is one of mine this year. I have a goal of volunteering at 4 events in our city this year. You should pick where you want to make a difference and really give it your all. But again, make realistic goals. Or you will just disappoint yourself. 6. Time for yourself. Make sure you have time to recharge and refresh. Whether you need one day monthly or a couple of hours weekly. Do what you need to do to stay smart and healthy. 7. Drop what fails. If you have something that is holding your company back, an employee, procedure, product, etc. Get rid of it and make the change to something successful. 8. Shop small. You are a small business. You want people to shop your small business. So shop theirs. Buy local and shop in the small local businesses in your town. You will find the practice reciprocated. 9. Waste Less. I keep this one on the list, because it is so easy to control the waste. Get your statements and bills sent electronically. Reuse items that can be washed. I hope you are inspired to make positive changes in your business this year. Happy New Years to all, may all your hard work pay off and fill you with warmth and prosperity! In retail advertising, the saying goes, "feed the fires." This Chirstmas, when your sales are at their highest, you want to feed that fire with advertising. The wrong approach is to think that the sales are going to come anyway because it's your biggest season. It may be that you will have higher sales this time of year because it's the natural way of the holiday season, but you will have more impact on your market if you feed those sales with more advertising.
This is the time of year you increase your advertising. Time to call all your suppliers and vendors and ask about co-op dollars. Use them now, while the fire is still hot and burning. 'Tis the time of year for corporate holiday card ordering and mailing planning. And how do you plan from beginning to end the process of this excellent opportunity? You use our simple guide. I say opportunity because, the holidays are a great way to personally "touch" your customer. The whole idea behind the greeting card is to personally wish another a wonderful holiday season. So, you're riding the happy, warm wave of holiday wishes. No better wave to ride with your logo and a personal message.
First, you need cards. Don't go buying the standard cards you can find in a card store. You need something quality and professional and printed just for you. You don't want to send a second rate anything with your logo on it. Choose something nice and tasteful. You want to keep your warm message generic and unless you are a religious oriented company, make sure you keep religion out of it. This is out of respect for your customer's beliefs. And try to keep t keep humor out of it. You may think you're being clever and inadvertently insult a client. Santa in an outhouse sounds funny, but doesn't look all that professional to a customer. And doesn't help your business image. The next thing you need is a list. Who should be on that list? You want to reach your current customers, prospective customers, and old customers. Give everyone warm wishes. And make sure that list is accurate and up-to-date. What you do not want to have happen is to waste a bunch of money on return to senders. So, have someone verify your list. Make sure your list contains business addresses and not home addresses. Unless you have a home based business, then it's perfectly acceptable. At that point, you would still address it to the business. A personal touch to the inside. That's right. You need to physically sign your name. And anyone you would like to send the card from needs to physically sign it. Do not print the signatures, everyone will know it was printed. Also, the proper etiquette is to write a hand written personal message. Something short and sweet. Do not include your business card or brochure. There are other mailings for that. A personal touch to the envelope. You're not quite done yet. The right way is always the most manually intense way! You should never meter your holiday cards. Always use a generic holiday stamp. And then, yes.... hand write the address. And make sure you have the person with the best handwriting do it. The ones that get delivered and look like a 3rd grader did them, are not that impressive. But worse would be to print labels. Do not print your labels. A time to send. Absolutely there is a wrong time to send. the wrong time is too early and too late. You want to send them by December 15th. The exceptions are if your sending out of the country and if your customer's offices will be closed for the holiday. You want to make sure anything send internationally leave around the 5th of December. If you're sending to a company that is closing early, make sure they receive it a week before their offices close. May your holiday greeting go well. If you are interested in purchasing quality printed cards, click here. We will design a beautiful and appropriate card for you. Have you ever asked yourself, does the time of day matter when sending out an email campaign? Or even the day of the week? You were right to ask, because apparently it does. When I was researching this issue for myself, I came across some pretty helpful information, which ultimately changed my behaviors as far as email marketing. I want to share them with you.
People's routines drive these stats, which I found extremely interesting. When are people really focused on email? Mornings between 8am and 9am for opens and click-throughs. This is when people are just getting into work and settling in for their day. Afternoons 3pm to 8pm for opens & 3pm to 4pm for click-throughs. This is the after lunch time, when people are getting back into their afternoon routine. Almost 40% of all messages are sent between 6am and noon, creating inbox clutter. This is where your message can get lost. 23.63% of all email opens occur within the first hour after delivery. The results drop by half within the second hour after delivery. Within the 3rd hour, they drop another 30%. 5 hours after delivery, the results drop more than 90%. So you want to send your email to arrive at the recipients desk no later than 1 hour before top open times. Which are morning 8am to 9am and early afternoon 3pm to 4pm. Most emails are in your inbox in the morning, so the ones that get sent in the afternoon have more of a chance at being noticed, opened and clicked. Now, what day of the week for best effectiveness? Only Monday to Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are no go. You will not get the most out of your campaign. Other facts: 5:00 pm, most people are on their way home 6:00 pm, most people are eating 7:00 pm, most people are bathing children 8:00 pm, people to start reading email again So, don't send an email on Friday at 5pm. No one will hear it :) I want to share an event coming up. Come join us in a relaxed, casual environment and talk about your business. The event will be held at Downtown Melbourne's Debauchery, on November 7, 2012 from 5pm to 8pm. You can visit www.brevardconnections.com to learn more or to participate and promote your own venture. We look forward to seeing you there. The benefits of networking are huge. There is no better return on investment than a face to face meeting and exchange of information. You may give your card to someone that does not need your services, but they may meeting someone that does. They will then forward your card/info. Networking does not mean you have to sign up with a group, although it does help. Networking is keeping your eyes and ears open to whats going on around you and meeting as many people as you can. Think the girl at the cash register is just a cashier? Well, she might be in college right now and will need your services in the future or she might have a boyfriend that owns a sign company. Keep your mind and ears open. And connect others when you see a fit. They will return the favor. Know your competition
Something people seem to overlook is their business' competition. It's easy to get caught up in your own business, let alone try to figure out what's going on with your competition. The importance of knowing where your competition stands effects so many aspects of business. You want to know exactly what you're up against and how to gain your share of the market. How do you get the information? You talk to people and ask questions. You physically go to see your competition. You take a look at their website and other pages to see how they represent themselves. Know your market Every market has a different personality. In order to really understand your market, you have to not only participate in it, you have to understand buyer's behaviors in your market. Why and when do people buy? Is it price, is it service, is it selection? All important questions that you need to know in order to succeed in that market. Know your strengths/weaknesses Once you know the competition's weaknesses, you'll be able to find your strengths. Also, a great way to find your strengths is by talking to your existing customers. They will tell you why they do business with you. They want to. And they like to give feedback. You also need to know your weaknesses, because you'll want to try to eliminate those altogether. Those are good though, because they give you goals and things for your to do list. Here is an example of using your strengths (true story) . There is a new company offering IT services. Their competition is a big box store that has a similar service. The big box charges twice as much as the new company. The big box store has the dollars to market the service better than the new IT business, however, they are charging retail prices. The new business will use this to their advantage. With advertising that starts with "Don't pay retail for IT." They are able to offer better service with more offerings for a much smaller price. That is the big store's weakness, price. Basically, you are spotting a weakness and using it to your benefit by highlighting your strength. Other aspects that have just as much importance are quality merchandise, better service, selection, even turnaround times. EDDM or Every Door Direct Mail is a relatively new program by the post office that offers a direct mail service that's half the postage. It's a great tool, but will it work for you?
Based on your needs, which is the best tool for you? The right choice is easy. Both Direct mail and EDDM have their specific purposes. Do you have a mailing list of customers and you want to let them know about a specific sale? Then direct mail is the way to go. You will only spend postage to a select group of people that you know already frequent your shop. If you're trying to hit a specific region, they will both work. But why would you spend double on the postage of direct mail, when you could do the EDDM for half of the postage price. Since postage is the most expensive cost in a direct mail campaign, definitely save your money. Also, no worries about the cost of the mailing list either, there's no addressing an EDDM piece. EDDM works like this. You go online to USPS.com and make an account. Once you get your log in, you would then go the EDDM part of the site. From there you put in your city or zip code to get the specific routes in that area. There are other perimeters to consider, whether you want to hit P.O. boxes and rural areas. But it's easy to see in the list how many are residences and how many are businesses. It will allow you to break it up at your preferred ratio or pick heavier on the residential or business side. The drawback from this fancy program is that you cannot only target businesses or residences. You can get close, but you have to hit the entire route, sometimes leaving business to business companies spending half their budget reaching residences. Another reason to love EDDM, the mail pieces must be at least 6.25" on one side, so they are nice and oversized. They really stand out in the mail. A great poster for an advertisement. Put an image that will stand out and grab people's attention. It will make a big difference. Below is the EDDM we just ran. I live in Florida, so the tropical images hit nicely here. Some people save them just for the image. Below is a link to learn more about the EDDM program through the post office. https://www.usps.com/business/every-door-direct-mail.htm |
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