Flyers are one of the most cost-effective marketing techniques you can use. But for them to be effective, they need to be well designed and well written. Here are some pointers for creating effective flyers:

Start off with a benefits-laden headline. Your headline will be the first, and could possibly, be the only thing a prospect will read when seeing your flyer. Pick words that will stand out and tell the reader how your product or service will benefit them. Some magic words include: easy, secret, unlock, free, how to, discover and proven. There are plenty more magic words that draw people in, but you get the idea.

You should address the reader personally, and tend to their needs, not yours. This means your flyer text should focus on the reader and his needs, not yours. Use “you” and “your” instead of “we” and “us.” Make the flyer about the reader, not about you. Use some magic words along with “you” and you’ve got a pretty good chance of someone reading your entire flyer!

Use complementary colors. Use colors that don’t contrast, like pink and red. Complementary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel. (Google “color wheel” to see some examples.) Red and green are complementary. Blue and orange are complementary. Basically, don’t pair colors that are next to each other on the color wheel and you’ll be fine.

Use colors that bring out your message. If you’re trying to promote a spa where people can come in for a free 15-minute massage, using bright pink and neon green isn’t going to emanate that relaxing feeling. For a spa, you’d want to stick to relaxing baby blues, light grays or pastel colors. For a flyer for an edgy night club, you’d want to use black and perhaps a shock of bright orange and a bright blue. Colors make people feel a certain way. Pick the right color for your message.

Feature testimonials. When people can vouch for you and your product, that brings another level of credibility to your brand. People will believe what other people say about you quicker than they’ll believe what you say about you. Ask satisfied customers for endorsements and make sure to get a full name and location. T.W. from Indiana doesn’t look as authentic as Tim Whitley from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Don’t overdo the design. White space is your friend. White space refers to the space of your flyer that isn’t covered by design, image or text. Don’t try to cram every square inch of your flyer with information – it will become cluttered and hard to read. No one will want to take the effort to try to sift through all that design to find out what’s important.

Lastly, as a bonus tip, you need to proofread! Oh, and did I mention proofread!? Yeah, it’s that important that it bears repeating. Try to get someone to proofread your flyer for you (if you wrote it) or proofread the flyer yourself if someone else wrote and designed it. Make sure all the contact information is correct – correct telephone number, address, etc. You wouldn’t want an extra “o” in 555-BOBS, right? Not only would that be an extra number, but well, I won’t even go there! Proofread!

By using cause marketing – connecting your brand to a charity or nonprofit group – you can create a positive brand image and increase sales while giving back to your community. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Cause marketing is about 25 years old. American Express first invented the idea in 1983. For a limited amount of time (several months), whenever a cardholder made a purchase, Amex donated a penny to a fund to restore the Statue of Liberty. As a result, Amex raised a few million dollars to help restore the Lady, plus garnered consumer goodwill, positive media coverage and increased sales.

Cause marketing has boomed ever since and continues to rise. According to a study by IEG, Inc., over $1.1 billion was spent on cause marketing in 2005, and almost $1.4 billion was spent in 2006. Here are some do’s and don’ts in how to run a cause marketing campaign:

Do choose a cause that fits your business. Your goal should be to support your brand with a nonprofit group that falls in line with your business values and practices. If your product doesn’t fit well with the nonprofit’s goals and/or activities, the fit won’t be right and consumers won’t feel good about buying your product. If you’re a mortgage company that is known in the community for foreclosures, then partnering with Habitat for Humanity will have people scratching their heads. Evaluate what you sell and get to know the target market you’re trying to reach and what’s important to them. Align yourself with what your target market values, like homelessness or another cause.

Don’t fake your concern. If you don’t really care about a cause or issue, don’t fake it – people will be able to see right through you. Plus, you won’t be as committed if you don’t really care about the cause. If you have a genuine passion for the cause, you’ll be more likely to stay involved with the nonprofit and help in any way you can. Your passion will show through to your marketing efforts.

Don’t skimp on your own marketing needs for the cause. Remember that you are still running a business and this is still a marketing campaign. The nonprofit is still an organization that you’re helping out, and the situation is a 2-way street. Make sure to get down in writing how many times your logo and company name will be seen in the nonprofit’s marketing and vice versa; what kind of info will be on each Web site to support the other; and what kind of articles will be written and where they will be placed. Cause marketing is still a somewhat formal marketing campaign – don’t get too lax just because the nonprofit may not have the same resources you do.

Do measure the campaign’s effectiveness. You don’t need to record everything down to the last penny, but you need to measure results so you know if this is a worthwhile campaign. Request a report from the nonprofit, and offer your own report about sales and marketing efforts. You may even want to assign an employee whose responsibility is to contact the nonprofit group on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

Don’t rely on cause marketing as your sole marketing campaign. You should still be doing other types of marketing independent of the nonprofit. You may want to use cause marketing as a big part of your marketing campaign, but don’t rely on it as your sole marketing strategy. Some people simply don’t care about certain charities, so be sure you touch those people with your other marketing techniques. Don’t try to meld your identity with the nonprofit with business card printing that features both organizations’ logos. That’s a waste of money.

Don’t get too carried away and just use cause marketing as one strategy in your marketing arsenal.

There are far too many small businesses that do not take the time to develop a marketing plan.  In fact, most small business owners only bother with marketing plans when they are required by the bank in order to secure financing.

However, it is a good idea for anybody in business – no matter how big the company is – to develop a strong marketing plan.  Here are five reasons why this can benefit you.

Focus on the Big Picture
Running a business every day can make it very difficult for you to look at the big picture.  The more you get into the daily grind, the less you are able to step back and remember where you are trying to take your business.  Having a marketing plan – especially if you develop one right from the beginning – will help you to keep your eyes on the overall plan. 

Good to Have it on Paper
Business experts will tell you that you should always have your intentions written down, rather than keeping them in your head.  Not only does this keep you from forgetting your plan, but it also can serve as a good motivational tool for you when you hit a rough stretch.  Remembering what you are trying to do can help you keep your focus.

Having Instructions to Follow
Many products that you buy from the store come with instructions on how to put them together.  Think of your marketing plan as your instruction booklet.  It will tell you how to advertise your company.  Every time you make up business cards, look to your marketing plan to tell you what information to put on them.  Whenever you design a brochure printing project, look to your marketing plan to help you determine what techniques to use to make the brochures effective.

A Plan is Necessary
Many people like to think that marketing plans are useless because it is impossible to predict the future.  If you don’t know how things are going to progress, why have a plan?  Well, that is poisonous thinking for any business.  You absolutely must have a plan.  A bad plan, in fact, is better than no plan.  Without some kind of plan, especially one on paper will often lead you to wander aimlessly through the business world.  If you have a plan, on the other hand, you will usually stay close to the beaten path.  And if your plan proves to be misguided, you can always change it later.

A Team Builder
Finally, having a written marketing plan can often help your team to work together more effectively.  When your employees have something to look to for guidance, it helps them stay on course and gives them something to rally around.

I just don’t see enough companies that seem to care very much about their catalogs. This is, they seem to think, just another form of marketing and therefore will be given only as much attention as it needs to be given.

Catalog printing has the potential to be a very effective style of marketing if you understand the major differences it has with other kinds of advertising.

Unlike any other form of marketing a catalog holds a person’s attention for a lot longer, and therefore has the ability to invoke a much stronger message. The placement of your products along with the style of font you use and the layouts of each page are just a few of the things you can take complete control of.

Ok, take the example of The White Album by the Beatles. This album was considered such a masterpiece for reasons other than just the songs being sung on it, but for the placement of the songs themselves as well. Time was taken to make sure that there was an artistic element to what songs appeared in what order, such as the chaotic Revolution 9 being followed by the soothing Goodnight.

Now, I’m not saying you should make your catalog printing paramount to The White Album, but that doesn’t mean you can’t consider elements of it that you might not normally focus on.

Too often a company seems to care about nothing more than packing those catalogs with products. Artistic expression in the layout and order of products isn’t anything to consider, but this is the very thing that can help sell to people.

When they open your catalog make sure they’re entering a separate world just as they would when opening a novel. Quality printing can lead to a quality experience that they’ll be glad to delve back into.

The presentation can be just as important as the product being sold. This is especially true if what you’re selling isn’t a matter of need. I’ve picked up all sorts of catalogs filled with cool, if unnecessary products. I’m not buying anything from them because I need to but because I want to, and companies need to give people a reason to want to.

A good catalog printing service should know all of the tricks of the trade, even those not typically used. Take pride in the work you have to do and try to make something people can immerse themselves in. Consider what products will go best with each other and what products will benefit by being at the beginning of the catalog as opposed to the end.

Even the smallest things can start to have a big impact even if people aren’t fully aware of it at the time. Those unique placements might affect people more than even they’ll be aware of.

If you put in some real effort, it will be noticed, and the benefits will be felt.

“Hello,

Terri Porter
Managing Director
Big Sky Repertory Theatre”

PrintPlace.com scores again with another happy customer:
http://adamrice.typepad.com/kristinarice/2008/07/a-customer-revi.html

So, you’ve gone through all the hard work of getting new customers by hanging marketing posters around town, creating eye-catching brochures and updating your Web site. Now that you have all these customers, what are you going to do with them?

You can’t just sit back and wait for them to walk into your store or surf to your Web site. Your hard work isn’t over yet! You need to start to build relationships with these newbies to ensure they stay around, and even become some of your biggest advocates.

Use the following tips to create long-term relationships with your newest customers:

Influence your customers’ opinions of your company before anyone else does. You’ve gotten their business once, so they already know a little bit about you. But there’s so much more that they don’t know.

Why not send them a thank-you letter or brochure, telling them how much you appreciate their business and also saying, “By the way, did you know …”? Many people buy products without knowing a lot about the company.

You can also send customers a welcome kit that tells them about your company’s history and what else you can do to help them. Doing this proactively helps you control your image among new customers so they won’t be swayed by your competition or others who don’t know your business well.

Track their buying behavior. Then use this information to segment your new customers into categories. You’ll need to market differently to people who are looking for price over quality and vice versa. You can determine who would be more apt to react to an up-sell and those who just want the basics. Tracking and segmenting new customers can save you a lot of time and money by focusing on what each category of customer wants.

Give them a consistent experience. You need to make sure every time your customer calls, they are greeted in the same, friendly manner and that they get the help they need. If a customer has a technical problem, he should get the same solution no matter which customer service rep he talks to. Make sure that all employees are trained in the same way, or are given access to the same information.

If your training is consistent, and you meet customer expectations every time, the customer will grow to trust you and that’s the most important ingredient in a long-term relationship.

Ask for feedback. People feel good when asked for their opinions. This is another venue ripe for building a long-term relationship. If you ask new customers for their feedback and then you implement that feedback, not only will that customer’s experience be more positive, but other customers’ experiences will likely also be more positive. If there’s a problem, you can fix it early and keep that customer, rather than wonder why he or she didn’t come back.

Whatever you do, don’t overwhelm a new customer. You don’t want to seem desperate for their business and you definitely don’t want to annoy them with loads of mail. Keep it simple and just let them know that you care. That’s what solidifies a long-term relationship.

Most small businesses still have to do a great deal of business over the phone. Working with customers by phone is a whole different ballgame. It is much different than any other marketing technique, like brochures, postcards, flyers, or any other impersonal tool. On the phone, you have to be personable and likeable.

Here are some general tips to help you improve your over the phone marketing.

Get to the Point Quickly
You usually only have a few seconds to convince the person on the other end to stay on the phone. If you don’t do so in a hurry, you will probably be hung up on. If you have been hung up on a great deal, it could be because you are too slow at getting to the purpose of your call.

You should get to the point of your call in no more than 15 seconds. That is just enough to time to say, “Hi, my name is…” and then tell them why you are calling. Don’t waste any time by trying to warm the customer up…they are far too accustomed to marketing calls to fall for that.

Be Friendly and Positive
This sounds painfully obvious, but, sadly, it’s not. How many times have you received a call from a company and had a bland, uninterested person on the other end? Even if you didn’t have much of an interest in their product to begin with, a negative salesperson will certainly clinch your decision to not buy anything. Always be upbeat and bright when talking to customers over the phone, even if you are having a bad day. You have no idea how important that can be in your efforts. A negative – or even just a less than happy – mood will be noticeable and detrimental.

Try to Become a Friend
Although you have very little time with which to work, try to get personal with your customer during your phone conversation. I’m not talking about asking questions regarding their personal life, but try to learn something about them that will help you in making the sale. If you learn that your customer has 13 grandchildren, you might want to pitch your product as a great Christmas gift. If you learn that your customer works in an industry that relates to your product, use that to your advantage. Any information you can get could be very valuable.

These tips should go a long way towards improving your phone etiquette and improve your sales performance. Combine these efforts with your other techniques, such as your printed literature, to create a tremendously effective marketing campaign that will have your company succeeding for decades.

You don’t need a black trench coat to become an effective business spy. Competitive intelligence does not entail anything underhanded or nefarious. It simply consists of some simple steps you can take which allow you to keep your finger on the pulse of your industry.

The first easy technique is to peruse your competitor’s ads in the local paper. Firstly, this will enable you to decipher which markets they are targeting. Maybe it might be one you are leaving out. Additionally, you’ll see their pricing and any upcoming sales. This will enable you to match deals they are giving so as not to lose that business.

Actually visiting competing stores is another good idea. Oftentimes, a visit will yield valuable tips to help your own operation. Seeing their traffic as compared to your own can also be elucidating.

Networking is also very important. Keeping in touch with participants in your space ranging from vendors to competitors themselves is a great idea. Vendors like the local color printing service can be a great source of intelligence. This enables you to be the first one to know of goings on in your industry allowing for quick exploitation of any opportunities.

Feedback from customers of your competitors is also valuable. You might come across them in other areas of everyday life. Be inquisitive. Ascertain why they shop with your competition. They answers can often provide good insight to shortcomings of your business which need to be addressed.

Keep your eyes and ears open. Develop your intelligence file. Don’t forget that sometimes a business owner also has to be a spy.

Although they have been around forever, business cards are still some of the most powerful advertising and marketing weapons available to the small business owner. Let’s go over some of the things that make business cards so effective.

1. They are cheap

Business card printing is not expensive. For a small business with budget constraints, business cards are perhaps the most cost effective option available. Of course, finding the right commercial printer to handle your business card printing is important. Unless it is absolutely necessary, you should not print your own cards on your own printer. That just does not produce the kind of quality that you get from a reputable commercial printer.

2. They pack quite a punch

Despite their small size, business cards can include a great deal of information. You can put more than just your contact information on a business card. You can put some advertising material, or even offer a deal or coupon. Be careful not to include too much information on your cards, though. You don’t want to overwhelm the recipients.

3. They are convenient – for you and the customers

Although they are the only advertising tool that customers actually keep, they are not annoying. They are small enough for the reader to keep them in a wallet or purse without overcrowding it. Many people even have special containers or binders in which they keep business cards for later reference.

4. They never stop working

Unlike a radio or television ad that only lasts for about 30 seconds, a business card stays with the customer. Every time that customer looks at your business card, he or she is reminded of your company. And every time that happens, the chances of that customer using your services increase exponentially.

5. They work

When it comes to business cards, the bottom line is that they work. Businesses continue to hand them out because they continue to bring in more customers each and every year. As with every advertising tool, however, it is important to plan adequately. You have to include the right information (and the right amount of information) on your cards, and you have to get them into the hands of the right people. If you do those things sufficiently, though, they can be tremendously effective for you.

Business cards are cheap yet effective tools for your business. When you plan your marketing strategy, do not neglect the power of the little business card. They may be old, and they may be small, but they work. They can increase your revenue, which is exactly the point of any advertising, right? And with the small costs involved, there really is no reason to ignore business cards as a marketing tool.