123Print's Tips for Your Small Business

13May 2013 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

5 Quick Tips that Improve PowerPoint Presentations

[caption id="attachment_4052" align="alignleft" width="300"] (c) All rights reserved by allicejacqueline[/caption] We've all had it happen: That PowerPoint presentation that should have taken two days to prepare ends up taking 10. Good news. There's hope in sight! Optimize your performance with these five effective, time-saving tips. 1. Sharing PowerPoint Presentations You've got your slideshow exactly how you want it. The slides look sharp; the effects are fluid ... but when you email it to your colleagues, will all of your hard work stay as it should? If you’ve ever emailed a PowerPoint presentation only to find that your fonts, spacing and other features got messed up on the other end, you know it’s a crapshoot. To avoid the mishap, PowerPoint advice site Bit Better suggests sticking “with fonts that come installed…

09May 2013 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Business Women Have Come A Long Way [Infographic] UPDATE

Small Business Info

Last June, we gave you our "Business Women Have Come A Long Way" Infographic, displaying some impressive stats on they ways in which women drive the economy. Some new research has been published as of late, further showing how the success of Female-Owned SMBs (small and medium businesses) has surged. According to the 2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, the "number of women-owned firms is growing at 1.5 times the national average." As of 2012, 8.3 million companies were listed as being owned by women—a 37% increase from 1997. Talk about Girl Power. (more…)

07May 2013 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Let’s Get Organized

2nd Tuesday Tune-Up Your Life, Life Insight

As much as we'd all love to boast a spotless home, let's face it, sometimes life gets in the way. Soccer games, office meetings and impromptu dinner parties do not a clean house make. Fortunately, when you assign each object a place and get uber organized, you can cut that cleanup time in half. Here, we've pulled together 10 easy tricks for trimming down the clutter, and scoring an impeccable home. Happy organizing! 1. Visit your favorite home store and stock up on baskets and drawer organizers. Sorting everything from magazines and kitchen utensils is a cinch when you've got a convenient place to slip them away. Home organizing solutions — done! (more…)

06May 2013 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Let It All Hang Out – Tips for Effective Outdoor Advertising

Monday Marketing Minutes, Small Business Info

When it comes to outdoor advertising, let it all hang out! What do we mean by that? Be yourself. Be loud and proud. Make people want to shout your brands name from the rooftops! BUT do it all with a purpose. Whether you are designing a custom outdoor banner or yard sign, getting ready to be on the move with a custom car magnet, or letting it hang with a door hanger, your message must be clear. Check out these tips to assure a firm foundation with your outdoor marketing materials and you will be a lot better off than most outdoor advertisers out there! (more…)

04May 2013 by Cindy Berrier 2 Comments

Home Office Décor Inspiration

1st Saturday Style, Small Business Info

[caption id="attachment_3962" align="alignleft" width="256"] (c) All rights reserved by decorology[/caption] There's no way around it: You stay busy. Which is part of the reason why you've been neglecting that home office. Don't sweat it! All that is about to change. Now you can spruce up your workspace — and get it looking spick-and-span — with products that scream, “I've got style.” Here are five simple ways to whip your home office into shape and crank your inspiration into high gear. 1. Unleash your inner artist. You don't have to compete with The Met. A productive workspace is one that evokes creativity, and what better way to get the wheels turning than with a wall filled with beautiful imagery? Revisit that last family vacation, blow up favorite photos (those fishing boats,…

01May 2013 by Cindy Berrier 2 Comments

How to Make a Good Outdoor Banner

Life Insight, Small Business Info

Have you ever considered using an outdoor banner? Banners are great for both work and play! Whether you're using them to promote an end of the year sale or just to broadcast your company’s message, banners work as a great go-to tool for catching potential clients’ eyes. You can even use them for a graduation celebration or a garage sale! Whatever the reason may be, your banner must look professional and be attention-grabbing. Check out these simple tips to achieve maximum outdoor banner success: (more…)

30Apr 2013 by Cindy Berrier 7 Comments

Easy Online Marketing Techniques for Beginners

Small Business Info

[caption id="attachment_3897" align="alignleft" width="300"] [credit: smallbiztechnology.com][/caption]Many types of Internet marketing strategies can be very intimidating for someone with little to no technical expertise. Though there are many types of strategies that may be too difficult for a beginner to use, there are also a lot of simple online marketing options that don't require a degree in marketing or programming to implement. Read on for a few easy to understand marketing strategies to promote your site. Keep in mind that there are no miracle solutions to marketing. These strategies may be easy to understand and easy to implement, but that does not mean that they do not require any effort on your part. If you want to really see strong results from your marketing efforts, you will have to put in…

29Apr 2013 by Cindy Berrier 2 Comments

Generating Customer Loyalty Through Email

Monthly Email Marketing, Small Business Info

A well-rounded email marketing program is about much more than hard-hitting discount campaigns. In fact, when you are creating and fine-tuning your email marketing plans, you should only pepper your messaging with aggressive sales promotions. These days, the email subscriber has control. They know what they want, and although they do want discounts, they don’t want to be hit over the head with them. Today’s email subscriber is looking for a relationship with their favorite brands. They want to interact (albeit on their terms!) with you — they want to learn about you and tell you about themselves. So, as you build your email marketing program, be sure to think about ways to build not just sales, but subscriber loyalty and engagement as well. (more…)

26Apr 2013 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Small Business Spotlight — Direct Sales United

Small Business Info, Small Business Spotlight

This week, 123Print is shining its Small Business Spotlight on ... Direct Sales United! [Taken from: http://www.directsalesunited.com/] "Support our hardworking small business owners! The Direct Sales United online directory is here to help you find all the products you love. Anything from purses to chocolate to candles to spa products. Our small business owners make handcrafted items and are independent consultants for all the companies you know and love. Everyone here is working part time to full time to live the American dream. We appreciate your support." (more…)

24Apr 2013 by Cindy Berrier 7 Comments

Your Business Was Here: Mark Your Territory with Guerilla Marketing Tools

Marketing Info, Small Business, Small Business Info, Small Business Lounge

[caption id="attachment_3825" align="alignleft" width="200"] Word cloud courtesy of www.tagxedo.com.[/caption] Efficient guerilla marketing can help make your small business a household name. Send that potential new client out of your office with everything from branded post-it notes to your business cards and magnetic fliers, and all of a sudden — like a bad one-hit wonder — they can’t get you out of their head. That’s exactly what you want. Your workplace should be chockfull of quality branded materials that you can hand out to current and potential clients alike so that they’ll remember your small business when the time comes that they need your services. Here’s what you need to mark some new territory now. (more…)