Business Corner

When it comes to advertising many people are inclined to take the stance that advertising is just ‘making people buy stuff they don’t need.’

There is a lot of dislike verging on hatred towards the advertising industry. Perhaps not as a whole but certainly towards some areas namely, direct or personal selling. What is the main catalyst to this aversion to the advertising industry? I feel it is the fact that people just do not like being told what to do, it’s human nature to want to be able to make up your own mind with the thought that no one is telling you what to do. Although it has been proven that as part of the purchasing process information gathering is one of the main components; advertising is one of the main methods companies use to explain their products.

It can be argued that over the past years the ‘hard sell’ buy now luminous signs and in your face television advertisements have proven to be financially lucrative for all of those parties involved despite the cynicism surrounding them. There is the other technique used in the formulation and deliverance of ads. The ‘soft sell’ which in essence is trying to sell a product or service without trying to obviously appear as you are trying to sell. It is removing the sales pitch from the ad without losing any of the punch or effectiveness.

Today’s consumer is known as the post modern consumer. They are intelligent, brand aware, skeptical and in need of convincing or eye catching creativity and design if they are to give an ad more than five seconds attention. Never mind to part with their hard earned money.  Read more... (410 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

In light of the 2012 presidential elections we have seen candidate after candidate step to the podium and express why they are the best CEO to lead our country. Mostly it has been a republican stampede of candidates because the democrats are going to stick with President Obama for the most part since he has elected to run again. Each republican candidate is rolling out a massive campaign, which is another word for promotion for their legitimacy. We are not at the point where we see them on television every evening but we are seeing them attempt to get the national attention. Although we do not see them every day, I am willing to bet my morning breakfast that they and their team are promoting themselves everyday. This is what business owners have to do; campaign for your business.

This is not a one day thing, or something we do for a couple of weeks; it has to be a constant campaigning for your business. Nearly 80% of your business needs to live in the marketing, promoting, and campaigning. This will take effort, resources, and money but you have to make a budget for it; whether it is time or money (depending where your business is financially) and design a campaign. There are many marketing methods you can do to campaign and I would select the one you like doing the most or the method that is easiest to you and really spend time doing that to perfection.  Read more... (505 words, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

It is undeniable that promotional products have been gaining skyrocketing popularity today as more and more people are seeing its success in the field of marketing. However, making use of these advertising tools isn’t a sure way to victory. It’s still possible that you might fail using this great advertising device if you will use it the wrong way. If you are planning to pull off a new campaign, here are the best times custom merchandise are highly effective:

Start of School

Do you remember how you felt during the start of the school year? Remember that childlike desire of buying new school supplies even if your old ones are still functioning because you simply want to smell the fresh scent of new ink, hold the smooth texture of a new notebook or boast about a new school bag to your classmates? This desire is so strong that we spent hours annoying our parents just so we can convince them of buying us these things we don’t need. This happening is crucial for adversities because it makes it such a potent time to give away school promotional items that the students will definitely be raving about and the parents will be more than happy to keep. It’s a great time to give promotional bags, notebooks, pens, papers, journals and other custom supplies that can be used for school.

Anniversaries & Birthdays

The most valuable days in the lives of people are always the perfect moments to give them corporate gifts simply because people subconsciously make an effort to remember every bit of encounter and experience that will come their way during these days. For companies, anniversaries are celebrated in a grand fashion so better not forget to give some freebies to people to remind them of who you are and for them to be able to partake to your glory! For individuals, birthdays are generally the most celebrated event in their lives. It’s interesting to note that the two are quite similar since an anniversary is a celebration of a “birth” or start of something special.  Read more... (421 words, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)

Perhaps you understand by now that catalogs are still an effective marketing material that will help you sell your business. Despite modern marketing techniques, catalog printing remains a reliable marketing tool. If you want to include catalogs in your marketing program but don’t know how, here are some tips you can consider:

Tip #1: The cover. It is important that you use heavy paper for your catalog. It is the first thing that people will see of your catalog. This makes it important to design the cover creatively so when people see it they will be encouraged to take a look through the pages inside.

With a heavy paper stock, your catalog is likely to last longer. This will give you a professional image and tell people what you are a credible business. Ask your printer the best type of paper to use in your material.

Tip #2: The inside pages should likewise be printed from high quality paper. You can get away with a low grade paper but make sure it wouldn’t affect the impression you convey to your customers and prospects. Remember that the heavy the paper, the more you will spend for printing. If your budget doesn’t allow for heavy paper, look for a more cost effective alternative. But if you have enough money, always go for heavy paper.

Tip #3: It’s important that your catalogs are vibrant and eye-catching. To do this, you need to pick the right colors to use in your materials. The colors you pick should be relevant to the message and the image you want to convey. Both the cover and the inside pages should be printed in full color. If you can’t afford full color printing, you can go for two or four color printing. There are plenty of colors to choose from. It would help understand the meaning of each color first to pick the best for your business.  Read more... (566 words, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)

I’m sure there has been a time where you launched an advertising campaign and didn’t get the results you wanted. To the extent where you swore off direct mailers or ads completely, unfortunately, just like most endeavors, there is a right and wrong way. Understanding the proven fundamentals of what makes a great campaign will help you boost your advertising successes.

The most critical two steps, preceding the actual copy or design of the ad, the two steps that is often neglected, is establishing the specific goal of the ad and picking the media that fits your message. For instance, there’s a difference in the result of having increases in customer traffic to your retail locations and having people call you to schedule appointments. There’s a difference between asking for an RSVP to a special event and asking people to leave their contact information for further follow up.

Does that make sense? Again, what is the end result of your advertising? Are you selecting that newspaper, magazine, or web ad placement because your competition is doing it? Or did you select that medium because it’s the most likely place for the eyeballs of your most likely customer, target audience, to be? Always remember what it is that you are trying to accomplish and why.

Once you understand your goals and media, best suited, to communicate to your target audience, it’s time to get to work on the third step….

The third step is the headline. A helpful trial when deciding on a headline is whether it answers one or all of these four questions:  Read more... (1291 words, estimated 5:10 mins reading time)

• Who Cares?
• What’s In It For ME?
• Why Are You Bothering ME?
• So What?