Nov
30
TIP #1: Avoid the “Too Much Information” Syndrome
I’ve seen many a marketing postcard that just has too much information on it. Too many words set in tiny type is an all too common problem.
And the poor recipient, who only has limited time in his/her day, feels overwhelmed and gives up. Into the trashcan your card goes.
Ouch.
The solution? Let that postcard sit for a day or so. Then, when you’re feeling grumpy and argumentative, go back and edit that card copy.
When you’re in a bad mood, you’ll be merciless with all of those “fluff” words that seemed so indispensable before. And those sentences that just ramble on and on? They’ll be trimmed down — way down.
TIP #2: Back Before Front
Chances are good that your recipients will look at the back of the card first. Think of how your mail gets delivered to you each day. It probably goes into your mailbox address side up.
This means that the back of the postcard shouldn’t be an afterthought.
Yes, you do have to squeeze the sender’s and recipient’s addresses and the stamp or indicia in there, but you do have a lot of extra room for creativity.
You could even employ elements of your front design on the back. Like your logo, your photo and your website address.
Or try this idea: Let’s say you’re a real estate agent looking for listings, and you’ll provide a free market analysis to those who request one. Make the same offer on the front and back of your postcard. That way, your prospects will see it, coming and going.
Martha Retallick, “The Passionate Postcarder,” hails from Tucson, Arizona, USA. She is the author of Postcard Marketing Secrets, a downloadable PDF manual that will show you how to put postcards to work for your business?profitably. Learn more about it at:
http://www.PostcardMarketingSecrets.com
Share This
Nov
29
A WORD FITLY SPOKEN
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Proverbs 25:11
I expect to pass through this world but once. Any
good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human
being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it for I shall not pass this way
again.~Stephen Grellet
Acceptance: The act of accepting, a receiving what is
offered, with approbation, satisfaction, acquiescence; especially favorable
receptance, approval ~ Webster’s Revised Dictionary
Within the busyness of our everyday lives we often overlook an important aspect
which can actually add to the quality of our lives daily. It is not found in all the
wonderful self achieving activities that fulfill our days. It will not be found in our
oasis of personal escapes. It is however, found in the simplest words spoken from
the Heart.
With all the anxieties that seem to creep in from our incredible 21st Century life
styles some of our “Kinder and Gentler Ways” have been altered. The security of
acceptance is not an assurance to most of us anymore. From the very young to the
very old and every age in between, the desire for acceptance is still longed for and
appreciated. The comfort of sincere acceptance is like pouring honey on a warm
biscuit; it just makes it all the more the better! So it is in Life when we know we are
accepted and are shown acceptance by someone else.
Perhaps today YOU can make someone else’s day more acceptable! YOU can be the
one to reach out and express a sincere heartfelt acceptance to the one right next to
YOU. Be it toward your own Family member, your Friend, your Neighbor. Right
where YOU are at! Share a thoughtful moment of Heart to Heart acceptance. Out of
the blue, for no other reason than they too are a Human Being on this Great Planet
Earth with YOU. Remem-ber, some of the simplest words spoken are still the most
appreciated!
brought to you by design twenty three
C.L. Mareydt
Brief Author Bio:
Liberated and Inspired thru The Holy Spirit, C.L. Mareydt writes to Purposely
Share from the Spirit to the to the Spirit. Motivated and Parallel with a Divine Vision,
each Writing is Thoughtfully Expressed to Progressively Inspire, Encourage, and
Propel Inner Growth toward Personal Enlightenment.
Share This
Nov
28
I’ve had the same barber for the last 10 years and the same deodorant for the five. How about you?
I’ll bet that you have a trusted barber/stylist, and if you’re like me, once you find a deodorant you like, you stick with it. Okay, enough about barbers and antiperspirants, the question is, “Why are people so unwilling to try new products and services?” Even though when you ask people if they think there might be a better alternative out there, why don’t they make a switch? Risk - the risk is too great.
Hair and sweat probably have nothing to do with your business, but no matter what business you’re in, there are customers - good customers that want to buy from you but their perceived risk is too high. If you own your own business, ask yourself, “Am I losing customers because it’s too risky to work with me?“
The more risk there is in working with your business, the more prospects will elect to stay with their current choice, or perhaps look into another solution that’s not quite so risky. What risks are associated with doing business with you? If you don’t know you need to find out - now! Ask your prospects what risks they feel are associated with working with you, and ask your customers what risks they overcame in deciding to work with you. Smart business owners don’t speculate or use a magic 8-ball in identifying consumer risk, they get right to the source - asking their prospects and customers.|
Take a Look Around:
Once you’ve talked to your prospects and customers, take a close look at what the rest of the industry is doing. Does your competition attempt to reduce the risk for prospects? Do they make it easier for prospects to work with them? Ask yourself, “Is it easier for prospects and customers to work with XYZ Company than me?” If the answer is “Yes”, you might be losing a lot of business.
What’s the Risk?
Smart business owners identify what are the main risks in doing business with their company, and then try to minimize them. Here are some common consumer apprehensions that can keep prospects from buying from you:
- How do I know I am getting the best value?
- What if I find a better price two weeks after I buy from you?
- How do I know your service will be good three months down the line?
- What if you don’t make our deadlines?
- What if I don’t like your product, can I get a refund?
So What Can You Do to Minimize Risk?
- Offer a guarantee (price, delivery, service, quality)
- Offer a trial period
- Offer a discount to new customers
Taking risk away from prospects makes it easier to them to business with you. You might have seen Right Guard do this several years ago with wonderful success. They proposed that if you didn’t like their deodorant you could, “send it back and they’ll buy you a stick of yours”. This gives you tremendous credibility and let’s prospects know that you stand behind your product/service. Prospects think, “Hey, if they are willing to stand behind their product/service, it has to be good”.
The Bottom Line for Sharp Business Owners:
- There’s a risk to working with you
- Find out what those risks are, do it today
- Analyze how your competition is reducing customer risk
- Conceptualize and test your strategy to minimize customer risk
- Make sure that your marketing and advertising confidently expresses how you’ve minimized the major risks that prospects have, after all, what good is minimizing risk if no one knows about it? If you’re not an expert in marketing and advertising, hire someone who is.
A business savvy graphic designer is often a contradiction in terms; however, Jeremy is a unique combination of sharp business marketer and creative designer. This one-two punch provides clients with targeted marketing, advertising and design projects that yield outstanding results and a terrific return on their investment; they actually work. Companies looking to feel more confident and credible with their business brand, tired of getting lost in a crowd of competitors and always feeling like they have to compete on price, need to call Jeremy at 480.391.0704.
If you are looking for more free insight and inspiration, you’ll want to get in on the “Can-Do Confidence Builder”. Emailed weekly, the Confidence Builder provides you with essential marketing and design insights that help you get the most out of your investment and help you to stay one step ahead of the competition. Email Jeremy at comments@candographics.com and asked to be added to our list or visit http://www.candographics.com
Share This
Next Page »
