Marketing Archives - Page 7 of 17

18Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

How to Use QR Codes Effectively

Customer Retention, Marketing, Starting a new business

New businesses need to market their services in the best way possible. Generating brand recognition is one of the most important steps for growing companies, and also one of the easiest ones to mess up. It's easy to get excited about marketing technologies and dive into the coolest trends, but some marketing trends need to be given extra care. Quick Response (QR) codes are one marketing trend that can be beneficial if it is used well - yet it often isn't. While QR codes make a great addition to printed marketing materials like business flyers, they require more effort than simple text. Here's how to make sure your QR codes bring you a response. Audience When considering any kind of marketing tool, it's important to think about who you're trying to reach. In…

14Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Business Cards: What Not to Do

Marketing

Your business cards should make an impression, but you need to make sure it's the right one. The wrong design decisions can take away from your message and leave whoever is holding them with a bad taste in their mouths. Here are some business card mistakes you don't want to make:Forgetting Contact Information The main point of a business card is to let people know how to reach you, so make sure yours does. It's not as simple as including a phone number and email address: You want to make sure there's a clear path to reaching you. If your email address is listed as [email protected], people may assume their emails won't go directly to you. Even if you're the only one reading emails sent to that address, it's important to list an…

13Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Benefits of Handwritten Letters for Small Businesses

Customer Retention, Marketing, Starting a new business

Between emails, instant messages and texts, it's easy to forget about pen and paper. Research done in 2012 found that of 2,000 study participants, a third could not remember having written by hand in the preceding six months. Handwriting may be in decline, but small-business owners should consider brushing up on their penmanship.Hand written notes are an excellent way to network. The clearest reason for this is that they're unique, since most business correspondence happens over email. Because letter writing was such a standard practice before the popularity of email, the rarity of hand written letters only makes them stand out in a good way. Handwritten letters are really impactful for the person on the other end. Consider the last time you got a handwritten letter: Odds are good you were excited the moment…

12Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Designing a Logo for Your Business Card

Marketing, Starting a new business

Making a logo is one of the major parts of establishing a brand and creating a new business. This icon will be the symbol for your company for years to come, residing on emails, business cards and all of your client or customer-facing communications. That's why it's important to take your time creating the logo to be sure it really represents your company. Here are some things to consider when making your logo:Logos Are (Almost) Forever Think about a big brand that is a household name. How often has that logo changed? The answer is very likely not often. Changing this iconic image can be difficult because it involves altering so much of your business, from the standard business cards to door hangers, email signatures and even the sign outside…

10Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Should You Order Business Cards?

Marketing, Starting a new business

There comes a point in every young entrepreneur's life when they have to decide, "Should I order business cards?" This often feels like a big step - like you're making your chosen career official, or like the idea of a company you've been kicking around is finally a legitimate endeavor. If you're trying to decide if you should order standard business cards, here are some tips to convince you it's a good idea:Are Your Company Details Finalized? If you're starting your own business, you don't need to know every nuance of the company before you order business cards. The only information you really need is the company name and a way to contact you. It's also smart to have a logo that you're really happy with and plan to use for the…

04Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Consider These Tips When Making Custom Address Labels

Marketing, Starting a new business

As a business owner, it's important to provide insight and quality control in many aspects of your company. You want to make sure everything is on brand and represents what your values are. That means all forms of communication must be well done and thought out. If you're looking to make mail correspondence easier and less time consuming, you should make some custom address labels. Here are things to consider when doing so:Style If you've already made business cards, company flyers or event postcards you've likely established some kind of style that represents your company. Take a look at your logo. What colors do you use? This is a great place to start. Browse through the options that already exist, like "Solid Silver," "Great Connections" and "Evergreen Forest." There are…

28Jul 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

How to Craft the Perfect Customer Survey

Customer Retention, Marketing, Starting a new business

Customer surveys are a valuable part of improving your business. They allow you to learn what you're doing well (and not-so-well) so you can make changes for the better. It is necessary to spend some time creating your survey in order to be sure you are asking the right questions and are working toward a goal. Here are some tips for crafting the perfect customer survey:Establish a Goal What do you want to learn from your survey? Have you implemented a new billing system that you want customer feedback on? Maybe you're more interested in learning what your customers want so you can better understand your target market. Establish a goal in order to help you decide what questions to ask in the survey. Decide on Distribution Many companies opt to conduct online surveys…

27Jul 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

4 Lessons You’ll Learn From Your First 100 Customers

Customer Retention, Marketing, Office and Homeworking, Starting a new business

Starting a new business is often a big game of trial and error. Everything from creating custom business cards to getting your staff to fully understand your invoicing system is likely to involve some triumphs and a few mistakes. The good news is you'll learn a lot, especially while working toward obtaining your first 100 customers. Here are some things you'll learn during this exciting time:1. Set Reasonable Goals In your first few months of business, you will come to realize whether or not the goals you set for yourself, your company and staff are reasonable. For instance, you may have hoped to make $50,000 in your first two months. When you were just starting out, it's possible you thought this was attainable. Now that you've been handling operating costs and seeing how your…

14Jul 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

5 Tips for Making Meetings Less Boring

Marketing

If you asked your employees to raise their hands if they enjoy going to meetings, probably less than a handful of them would shoot their hands into the air. While meetings aren't supposed to be the most exciting events in the world, they don't have to be dreadfully boring either. It's possible to conduct meetings in a more fun way. Here are five tips for making meetings less boring:1. Allow Your Employees to Doodle The idea of allowing your staff members to draw in personalized notepads during a meeting might sound counterproductive, but it can actually be beneficial. According to Bernard Marr, keynote speaker and author of "Key Performance Indicators," letting your staff members draw can spark creativity."You might storyboard a problem together as a group or let people in on…

13Jul 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

LinkedIn for Startups

Marketing, Starting a new business

There are so many social media websites out there, it's hard to know which ones your new company should partake in. LinkedIn is one of the most popular ones for businesses. Not only is it a great place to get your name out there, but you can use the site to make valuable industry connections, share updates on what you're doing and even find employees. Here are some tips for using LinkedIn for your startup:Establish a Business Profile You might already have a personal profile on LinkedIn, but it's necessary to create a business one as well. This is where potential job-seekers and possibly even customers may turn to find information on your company. Include your company name and logo as well as a summary of what you do. If you have…

Category: Marketing