Customers will line up to receive your business cards. 
Monthly Archives: April 2009
Business cards, thank you notes and magnets.
Filed under Marketing
To market is to create sales for tomorrow. Unless your product is viral, you will have to invest both time and/or money to promote it. But for a small business investing in marketing can be cheaper than you think. For example with just under $100.00, you can create a decent print marketing starter package that includes business cards, thank you cards and magnets. But why do you need these products?
1- Because it is a business, not a hobby.
Business cards are more than a piece of paper with your contact information. Consider them as pocket-sized billboards. Besides conveying a professional image and creating rapport, you are also ensuring the recipient has the proper information. How many times have someone told you their website /blog URL which you tried a few times before calling them to get it right or finally giving up? Only a few people will have the patience to key-in your phone number, email, twitter id and other contact info on the spot. A business card eases the process.
2-Because you must set your business apart.
One of the areas where small companies can outperfom large organizations is customer service. As consumers we are almost accustomed to a low quality of customer service, hence a tiny act of kindness and appreciation can make the difference. When shipping a product, adding a Thank-you card can differentiate you from other sellers and build customer loyalty.
3-Because you want repeat customers.
A marketing message needs to be sticky, sometimes literally. Using magnets as business cards or notes is the perfect example. They are likely to end up on a fridge or somewhere prominent within the office space. When creating a magnet card, the goal is to make sure recipients will find it interesting, funny, informative or all the above. As long as they are reminded of your business in a positive manner, you are winning.
Marketing does not have to be expensive. By doing a little research, and budgeting wisely you can invest small amounts in print, online, affiliate and other forms of marketing can yield a positive return in both the short and long term.
The Right Font Makes All the Difference
Filed under Uncategorized
There is often a tendency to choose fonts based on what serves our preferences. Some people prefer the formality of Helvetica or Times New Roman, while others like to use fonts that are fun and informal.
There is no such thing as the right font but rather, the right font for the occasion. For small businesses, using the right font in your print marketing can be the difference between a strong, memorable brand and one that is quickly forgotten or worse, remembered for the wrong reasons.
Consider the following examples:
In the examples above we have two fictional companies, one a serious company and the other a fun company. As an important investment firm, Davis investment services is not very likely to be taken seriously by affluent, wealthy customers when they are using an informal font. By the same measure, OnlineFunZone.com does not look very fun at all when displayed in a highly formal brush script.
What to do with your pile of business cards?
Filed under Marketing
One side effect of the recent economic downturn has been the pile-up of business cards for which there is no corresponding job. This has apparently left some to ponder the question of exactly what might be done with all those obsolete cards.
TheDailyGreen.com has a few creative ideas. Rather than simply throwing the cards away, they suggest a few ways to recycle them by replacing the out-of-date info.
While the eco-friendly aspect certainly appeals to us, as marketing professionals we also have to consider the limitations of such an approach. The question to ask yourself is who exactly are you going to give the cards to? If the answer is strictly friends and family, then you’re probably fine. But if you are going to use the cards for professional networking, or in your new job search, then you may want to consider the effect this might have on your appearance.
For better or worse, a professional appearance is more important than ever. If you apply for a new job and there are fifty other people competing with you for the position, you probably don’t want to be the only one with the bottom left side of your business card torn off.