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May 20 2021 Catalog Creativity In Catalog Design
You don’t need a masters degree in arts or English to create a catalog that attracts attention and grabs customers for you. This is because drawing prospects will mostly depend on the impression that you will create in the first few seconds that a reader will take hold of your catalog. Your logo, packaging style, color choices, and printing quality should work together to help you succeed. Understand that your business image is priceless but the design and printing process does not have to be costly.
- Unique Catalogs Won’t Create Sales.
These days, catalog design has gone a long way – from the usual product information catalogs to these days’ unusual catalogs with bizarre color and typography to make them look different and attractive. But different and attractive catalogs don’t really mean greater sales. Being unique can help you though to stand out among other catalogs in today’s ever crowded mailboxes, but your catalog will not make the sale for you. You have to do the deal yourself.
Before you get on with your creative style in creating your catalog, make sure that you, your designers and printer know the rules in producing catalogs that sell. Your graphic designer and printer can help you save money if they know about printing presses and techniques and the fine touches needed to make your marketing material successful.
- Where To Put Your Best Products In Your Catalog.
As a technique to make your readers interested in the catalog, you can put your best selling or unique products in the upper right corner of every page.
Doing so, can encourage the reader to read through the entire catalog. You can also add order forms in your catalog that can be easily fill-up and mailed. Although few customers use order forms to mail orders, businesses and customers alike use them to organize their orders before calling or ordering online.
- Being Simple Yet Creative.
And of course, four-color catalogs look better and perform better than one-color or two-color catalogs. Oftentimes, the sales do not justify the cost of four-color printing. So you might want to try other printing options that can still help set your catalog apart from the competitors.
Keep in mind that no matter how much information you put in your catalog, it has to be legible and simple. Use headlines that quickly communicate your message to the readers. Nonetheless, there are words in the catalog that need to be presented in bolder or larger fonts. Do present them in a distinct type that will make them stand out.
And when it is time to create a new image for your business, make sure that you still hire designers and printers that can create a credible image for your company and your products or services.
Need help with your catalog ideas or designs? We can assist you, Contact us now!
- Unique Catalogs Won’t Create Sales.
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May 20 2021 Using Colors To Create Marketing Magic for your business
Using Colors on a product might have a hypnotic effect on people. For instance, many people feel drawn to azure blue.
The odd thing about blue is that it can make you feel trusted. It is subtle feeling. You are probably not aware of it. Other colors work in the same way. Shades of colors also have a subtle effect on your mood. Bars are often decorated in dark shades of red, grey or blue in order to soothe customers into staying. Kindergartens are filled with pastel shades to keep the children happy.
How can a color help sell your product? Easy. It can put your customer in the buying mood. You can color anything your customer sees – your product, its packaging, the website, and sales materials or your logo. If you choose the right color, you could send people scrambling for their wallet.
Here are 9 examples of colors and their power.
1. Blue is an all-time favorite.
If you use blue, people see you as trustworthy. It is conservative and solid. Blue is the color for little boys because according to folklore, baby boys are born in the blue shadow under a cabbage. Good products and services for blue are boys’ clothes, jewelry, travel, insurance, business services and art. Blue exerts another extraordinary effect: it curbs the appetite. Dieters sometimes eat in blue light, from a blue plate in a blue-colored room. The odd thing is – it works. They do not eat as much.2. Red signals excitement – and danger.
It makes people feel expectant. It is often used for introducing a new product. Some good products for red are security products, toys, sports accessories, cars, children’s clothing and pet products.3. Pink is a calming color.
Pink is used to sell girls’ clothes and toys as well as cosmetics. Pink shades and lampshades soften the light in a room. A sales price printed in pink tends to make it appear less expensive. Perhaps, it is the calming effect at work. Pink also has a pure innocence effect on customers. Little girls are given the color because ancient folklore has it that girl babies are born in the heart of a rose.4. Yellow grabs the eye.
In fact, it is the first color babies recognize. It gives off a secure feeling. It is excellent for children’s clothing, health services, vitamins, pet items, music, flowers and household appliances.5. Cream is serious and elegant.
It is good for costly items. It is used in women’s fashions, interior design, linen, bedding, kitchens, and books.6. Grey is serious.
Light grey is efficient and sleek. It is good for men’s fine clothing, silverware, machinery, genealogy and family crests. The walls of office buildings are often light grey. Dark grey is ultra serious.7. Green expresses freedom, purity and spaciousness.
A soothing color, it goes well with food, water, cooking, flowers, house shutters and doors. Light green is associated with money and ties in with the stock market and business.8. Purple is commanding and sure.
In olden days it was used only for royalty. It gives the impression of quality and works well for exclusive and costly items. It is used for heirlooms, books, music and memberships in exclusive clubs.9. Orange makes you look twice.
It says: danger is near. It is a bold, hot color that works well with sports clothes, games, camping gear, outdoor vests and children’s apparel.To learn more about colors and it effect on a product here is another article that related to this topic .
Need help in understanding what color fits your company? We can asset you in choosing the right color for your Company or Product. Contact us now for more information.
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May 18 2021 Using Scratch Cards To Effectively Market Your Business.
Would you like to attract more customers to your business? Scratch cards are a profitable and cost-effective way to market your business. Trying a scratch and win promotion for your company can help your company marketing to be effective.
Scratch and win cards are the best and most cost effective way to promote your business. Customers are always looking for an extra value in their purchases. A scratch card promotion will give your prospects the chance of winning something – in turn, your business itself will be a winner.
Scratch and win cards are perfect for promoting a new or existing product in order to increase excitement and traffic for your business. By using the scratch and win method through a direct mail promotion, you can give your customers an opportunity to earn a percentage of savings off their first purchase.
A scratch card employee incentive program will increase employee production and boost employee morale. By giving everyone the opportunity to win prizes, scratch and win cards generate enthusiasm among employees within your company.
Through the use of scratch and win cards, your company can also attract potential customers who want to learn more about your products and create your very own database of prospects.
Your company can generate its own creative edge against competitors, rather than typical advertising. Scratch and win fundraising is a low cost, highly effective opportunity for your company to utilize, and a creative way to market your business . The production rate of your business will greatly increase as a result of a scratch card fundraising program.
In a nutshell, a scratch and win promotion will create excitement, promote growth, and a increase sales!
We will assist you in finding the right scratch and win promotion for your company, Contact us now for more information.
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Feb 26 2021 Choosing Promotional Products To Sell Your Company
Promotional products are a type of marketing that can allow your business to take off. Many companies find that providing a product to the public about the service that they have to offer or the product that they are selling is important. Perhaps you have a new product that you want to get the word out about. Or, maybe you have just changed your name and want old and new customers to take note. The promotional product can help you with doing just that.
A promotional product can be virtually anything. When choosing one, you will need to consider the message, the budget and the overall cost of manufacturing/printing of it. Your largest determining factor will be finding the options that are within your budget. You can do this through any of the numerous websites that offer promotional products for you to choose from. But, that is not all of your cost. Oftentimes, printing is more as well as the cost of getting those products into the consumer’s hands.
So, what can you use? You can use pretty much anything that you want to, really. For example, if you printed up and provide 100 associates with mugs that bared your logo on it, with a website or message, it would not be just those 100 people that would hear that message. It will be all individuals who see them carrying the mug to and from work, on the bus, or come in to see them at the office. It will be all those individuals who visit their homes or watch the game with them as they sip from their mug.
As you can see, the promotional product can be quite beneficial to you. Other products such as shirts and jackets can be even more powerful. But, it is wise to keep in mind that just because an individual sees the product that doesn’t mean they will act on it. To get them to do this, you need to have a powerful marketing logo, slogan or design. The combination of these elements can do wonders for a company!
We offer promotional product development services that will pay dividends for your brand; contact us now!
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Dec 05 2020 How to Create an Effective Content Marketing Strategy
When done correctly, blogging and content marketing can boost your company’s brand and increase sales far beyond what is possible through traditional outbound marketing.
However, there are common misconceptions around what a content marketing strategy should look like and what it can mean for your business.
As a business owner, you should consider your content marketing strategy to be the map that leads to more customers and higher revenues.
A well thought-out and effective content marketing strategy will guide you in meeting the unique goals of your business and help potential customers find your products or services and see you as the best solution to their individual needs.
One of the strongest tools available in a content marketing strategy is blogging. This post will detail the key elements of a content marketing strategy, why you need one, and how regular blogging can help you meet your business goals.
Content Marketing and Blogging
Content marketing plays an important role in a digital marketing strategy, but as a business owner, how can your business use a company blog to generate more website traffic, leads, sales, and results?
Contrary to what most marketers may think, content marketing is not simply about starting a business blog:
Content marketing is the creation and sharing of high-quality online content, typically using text, images, and videos in order to promote general interest in products, services, and/or a brand. Content marketing is considered to be a strategy for inbound marketing and a tactic used by marketers to drive traffic towards a specific brand. This differs from outbound marketing which puts the brand in front of potential consumers.
You can think of content marketing as a type of passive marketing. A good content marketing strategy will identify a niche area that the brand can address and then drive traffic towards their solution by frequently posting informative, relevant, or engaging content.
Blogging without strategy is like sprinting a marathon.
In general, there are three major ways that businesses can leverage blog content: by blogging for lead generation, blogging for thought leadership, and blogging for brand awareness.
In the end, the content strategy will be specific for the blogging goal since each goal will require its own content type, recommended blogging frequency, and avenue(s) for promotion.
Why All Brands (Big and Small) Should Be Investing in Content Marketing
Some of the biggest value in content marketing comes from the soft sell.
Instead of being subjected to an explicit sales pitch, viewers of blog content will be educated about a particular topic or issue and, if done properly, start to see the source as an expert resource.
The content is (or should be) unbiased and generally informative to the reader or viewer. It’s as if the brand has no investment in the content and simply wants to help people to understand a particular issue or item.
Once a visitor trusts the brand as an authority, they are more likely to purchase from them when the time is right.
To provide content that genuinely interests the target audience and grows the brand, the brand must do several things:
- Provide generally useful content: Informative content means first educating a viewer on something that can be applied to their everyday life. This is typically content that the viewer was previously unaware of or was seeking the answer to. They can then take this information and apply it to their life.
- Generate organic traffic: If the blog traffic comes through search engines, other blog posts, or shares, it is considered organic. Once the viewer is on that page, they become aware of the brand. This might spark interest in the viewer and help them to remember the brand when that product or service is relevant to the viewer and the viewer is looking to make a purchase.
- Build brand awareness: If the article is appealing to the reader, it might encourage them to remember the company name and what they do. This might encourage the reader to refer back to the website at a later date. This might also be a way for the viewer to pass along company information. If the article was well written, they may pass it on to a friend who is also interested in the information provided. This is how a brand becomes a topical authority and a thought leader, further increasing brand awareness.
Elements That Every Good Content Strategy Needs
Your content marketing strategy will identify the goal(s) of the content, the audience(s) that the content is intended for, and the expected outcome(s).
Once the goals and desired outcomes are established, the following questions can then be addressed:
- Who is the target audience for this campaign?
- How can I help my target audience?
- What type of blog content would make sense for my goals?
- How often should I blog?
- What is the ideal blog length for my goals?
- Should I be outsourcing my content creation?
Since each strategy will look different, the answers to these questions should help your company to derive methods that work best for the brand and goal.
So, let’s look at an example.
EXAMPLE BRAND: A home living and furniture store
GOAL: Drive organic traffic through the blog and to the store’s ecommerce page
DESIRED OUTCOMES: Increase sales and bring brand awareness up by 17% after 6 months of blogging (based on polling)
If a brand is interested in generating organic traffic to an ecommerce site, they must first identify the audience:
- Who is the target audience for this campaign? Right now, the audience may be young adults, ages 18 to 35, who are looking to purchase affordable new furniture for their college apartment or first home. Ideally, these young adults will be taking advantage of the brand’s current marketing campaign, buying sophisticated home living items on a budget.
- How can I help my target audience? If your target audience is first-time homeowners and college students, they will need to know the basics about what a living space needs. They also need to see that the particular lifestyle that they find aspirational and aesthetically appealing is affordable with the right planning and design.
- What type of blog content would make sense for my goals? Based on the previous answer, the content should be written in plain English for a crowd who is younger, a bit more casual, and for those interested in trends for living spaces. Your readers might be interested in budgeting for living spaces, life hacks for living spaces or house maintenance, fabric types, taking care of certain furniture and fabrics, the benefits of certain space designs, putting together a color palette, among others. Make sure each new blog post has quality content that the reader can benefit from.
- How often should I blog? There is a lot that can be said about the current topic choices, so you have enough content to blog five times a week. But, given the busy lifestyle of young adults’, they might not read your blog every day and five times a week might be too much for the business to handle. Consider a posting frequency of three times a week so that it lands in their social media feed enough to be seen but not so much that it becomes a nuisance.
- What is the ideal blog length for my goals? In short, a blog should be long enough to complete the purpose of the article. A longer post might not be read all the way through. In this example, the company should aim for 1100 words. Keep the writing style concise, but allow for colloquialisms.
- Should I be outsourcing my content creation? Most likely, yes. The brand in our example is small-to-medium, so three blogs per week might be too much to manage, especially since this includes research, editing, posting, and promoting the content. Outsourcing blog creation will alleviate the writing aspect, but the business will still need to coordinate the blogging and posting schedule, engage with followers on social media, engage with leads, and complete normal operations. The entire content strategy and management can be outsourced as well, meaning that in time, increasing blog frequency or topic depth is possible.
What Does a Successful Blog Look Like?
If this is your first time developing a blogging strategy and implementing it, it can seem daunting to take that first step and begin publishing blog articles.
But do it! Rip off the Band-Aid! Take the leap!
Business blogging should not be that scary. As a business, your corporate blogs are going to be far more unique than the typical content put out by a successful blogger or what you will find in someone’s personal blog. Your goals are vastly different from theirs. Instead, be confident knowing that your brand has useful information and people really do want to learn about that information.
A successful blog is one that:
- Knows that it doesn’t know everything: Cite your sources and stay modest.
- Is regular: Keep your blog updated. Establish a publishing frequency that your social media followers and blog followers can look forward to.
- Is tidy on the backend: A successful blog will have high-quality content on the front end, but will have its SEO strategy in place on the back end to help obtain a rank high on search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Should be shared with social sites: Once a blog is posted, it should be immediately shared to social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Blogs should be written in a format that can be easily included in email marketing, social media marketing, and influencer marketing campaigns.
- Is just great content: According to Google, search engines look at content that makes sense. Don’t write keyword-infused gibberish. It should be readable, informative, and relevant to the brand.
- Is custom content: No cheating! Your blog content does not necessarily need to be new information but it should absolutely be original writing and with all external sources cited.
- Maybe features a guest blog: Sometimes a guest post can mix it up and keep your page fresh. Don’t hesitate to bring on a guest blog, especially if the guest blogger can increase the number of quality posts and provide a different, relevant perspective.
- Is enjoyable: A successful blog should be easy to read and, while it should be emotive, it should not make people feel bad about themselves.
- Is engaging: Fresh content will mean that potential customers and readers are more likely to enjoy your content more often. Don’t repurpose content that isn’t yours and don’t repeat your own content too often.
- Cares about strategy: Establish a content calendar so that blog post frequency is consistent.
We have services that can assist with your content marketing strategy; contact us now!