17Jul 2014 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Thinking Inside the Box: 8 Product Packaging Tips

Customer Retention, Marketing, Products and Services, Small Business Info
How often have you received a package you've been eagerly anticipating and found the entire experience a complete disappointment? More often than not, the shipping envelope or box was underwhelming (and somewhat beaten up from its journey), the product presentation inside was non-existent, and finally, there seemed to be a potpourri of everything this vendor had available in its promotional arsenal, i.e., mini-catalogs, product inserts, a customer satisfaction survey, a packing slip and more. Most marketers would agree — the after-sale contact is the best opportunity to turn a first-time customer into a loyal and returning one. It should then come as no surprise that all aspects of your shipment — from the mailing label to the packing materials — are critical to future success. Let’s review a brief synopsis…
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15Jul 2014 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

10 Best Practices for Postcard Design

Customer Acquisition, Design, Marketing, Products and Services, Promotional Marketing, Small Business Info
Sending out a postcard is still one of the most used and effective ways to mass market a message. (Remember — direct mail isn't dead!) Summertime is the perfect time of year to bring in current customers for a new product or special promotion, or to entice new customers to come out and visit you for the first time. Whatever your reason is for running a postcard mailing campaign, make sure you follow these ten best practices to get the most of it! 1.     Use colors wisely. Make sure different colors are used creatively and intelligently throughout your postcard design. You’ll want to incorporate the colors of your branding, as well as the colors of the season if you’re promoting a seasonal offer. Make sure your colors don’t clash…
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14Jul 2014 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

9 Ways to Heat up Your Business This Summer

Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Marketing, Monday Marketing Minutes, Outdoor Marketing, Small Business Info
The temperature is heating up, and your summer marketing efforts should be off the thermometers! Summer is a unique time to try some new marketing tactics for your small business that you may not feel comfortable risking during your busy season(s). Read on to learn nine outside-the-box marketing ideas for the summer season: Take a client out to lunch. Take an afternoon to bring your top customer to that new, hip restaurant for lunch. Learn more about them and their business (if applicable) and discuss the history of your relationship and get their unique perspective on the good and bad of your partnership. You’ll want to make them feel comfortable enough to know the lunch serves as an open forum and you are interested in their honest feedback to help…
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12Jul 2014 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

The Early History of SEO

Marketing, Online Marketing, Search Marketing, Small Business Info
“Many years in a land far away” would be an appropriate beginning to many histories. However, search engine optimization (SEO) is another — albeit unique — story. Not only is it still a relatively new industry, but its true inception as an entity is about as ambiguous as nailing down the ROI for a link earning strategy. What is certain is the importance SEO holds in the online marketing industry and the potential SEO holds for traffic and ecommerce revenue. These factors have led me to wonder where the practice of search engine optimization began and who the people were responsible for its initial growth. (more…)
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09Jul 2014 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Keeping Your Small Business Website Up and Running: The Importance of Availability

Marketing, Online Marketing, Small Business Info, Website Tips
Like all eCommerce websites, availability is clearly critical to our success at 123Print. We fully understand that when our site is unavailable, we are not open for business. It’s as if we walked through our store and kicked everyone out, leaving half-full shopping baskets in the aisles. This is not a business practice we recommend! It’s critical that your small business' website is actively monitored so it stays available to customers — whether you have a full e-commerce site or not. Small business websites enable a wide range of capabilities, and most are not full eCommerce sites.  There are three broad categories of websites: (more…)
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07Jul 2014 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Going Up! How to Develop an Elevator Pitch for Your Business

Customer Acquisition, Marketing, Monday Marketing Minutes, Planning, Public Relations, Small Business Info
Wherever you’re at in your entrepreneurial journey, developing and fine-tuning your business’ elevator pitch is one of the most important things you’ll do. Your elevator pitch allows you to give prospects a snapshot of your business. You’ve got only a few sentences to convince prospective customers why they need your product and/or service and why they can’t get what you provide anywhere else. To kick off the process of developing your small business’ perfect elevator speech, consider these five tips while you brainstorm. Think about what makes your business unique. You want your product/service to be intriguing to your potential customer(s). Don’t simply state the nature of your business (i.e. “I am a flower shop.") What makes your business stand out from your competitors’? (more…)
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30Jun 2014 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

9 Easy Tips to Stay Focused and Be Productive

Marketing, Monday Marketing Minutes, Planning, Small Business Info, Workplace
If you’re like many small- and medium- sized business owners, time is your enemy — there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. Focus becomes the key element to your day-to-day productivity, and with the distracting world that surrounds us every day, it’s hard to stay productive. But, getting key tasks done quickly and efficiently is not as daunting as it seems! Read on for nine easy tips to stay focused and increase productivity. 1. Learn to say no. If you’re a people pleaser like me, saying “no” to someone is easier said than done. But when it comes to productivity, it’s important to learn to say “no” so you can stay focused on important tasks. But here’s one thing to make it easier: Learn to…
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23Jun 2014 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

How to Have a Killer Presentation

Customer Acquisition, Marketing, Monday Marketing Minutes, Public Relations, Small Business Info
Looking to drum up some new business? Consider conducting a presentation or demo in front of perspective clients or customers. These face-to-face meetings are a great way to make a great impression that lasts. Here’s what you’ll need to prepare for your stellar presentation: A laptop or tablet. If you have the ability to hook up your laptop or tablet to a projector, that’s even better. This allows you to show a digital representation of your work, including things that were too complex to bring into the demo. If your product/service contains an electronic element, this will give you a chance to walk your customers’ through a step by step process of how it’s used. Make sure whatever you decide to bring in is fully charged before your presentation! (more…)
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14Jun 2014 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Keeping Up with SEO

Marketing, Marketing Info, Online Marketing, Search Marketing, Small Business
Search Marketing is constantly changing. One week, forums like Webmaster World are abuzz with theories on Panda and Penguin updates. The next, everyone is talking about how Google is cracking down on guest posting. So what to do? Being a good small business SEO definitely involves keeping up with the ever-evolving world of Search Engine Optimization, so I’ve outlined four resources I use when I am simply trying to keep up. Websites and Blogs There’s a wealth of information online regarding SEO, new updates and best practices. I like to base my online SEO reading material on trust and authority. In doing so, I’ve found Search Engine Land, Search Engine Watch and SEOroundtable.com to be about as trustworthy as they come. But even when I can’t keep up on a…
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