How to Know If Your Brochure Works

Nothing in the business world is easy. Everything has to be done with hard work, purpose and good strategy.

Let’s face it, most promotional materials especially brochures end up in the basket. Most companies spend their time writing everything about the company in the brochure instead of focusing on their services and products and its benefits. This is why most readers would not read beyond the cover of the brochure and instead toss it in their storage basket. This is the common mistake that businesses often commit &ndash an often costly mistake. Thus, the headline and cover page should be given the same if not much attention as you would give to the inside pages.

So let’s say you were able to create a good headline and cover page, is it enough? How would you know that your brochure is really able to encourage readers to respond? The best thing to do is ask yourself, your customers, prospects and acquaintances. Ask if you were able to create a brochure that looks professional and pushes readers to contact you. If your brochure looks like it was printed off a bad printer, your prospects will lack confidence in you and would scout off for other stores. Also, determine if your brochure answers the questions of the readers. If not, know what is lacking. And remember to include more information the next time you print your brochure. Include also information about your company but do not focus much on it. Just tell the readers what they need to know about you.

Ask also if your brochure is able to prompt prospects to make some action. This means encouraging them to call, stop by your store, e-mail you or request more information from you. Additionally, find out if you are able to give your reader a reason to keep the brochure even if they are not interested in your products right now. How can you do this? You can put recipes at the back of the brochure if you know that most of your customers are women or you can put a calendar in it. On top of this, ask yourself whether readers are able to easily find the contact information. Make sure that you put your phone number, e-mail address and website in easy-to-find places. A reader would not waste his time searching through the whole brochure to find your contact information. They would never make that call if they get frustrated and that is a big loss for you.

Understand that people buy from people they feel comfortable with. Thus, when you are able to send off a professional and comfy feeling to your prospects with your brochure it would be easier for you to make that big sale.

Selling Food in Your Catalog

Fabulous news: There are a lot of food choices in the market today.

Not so fab news: Not watching what you eat could cost you your perfect slim figure and your health.

Everybody loves eating. It is one of the basic necessities for survival. Our body needs energy to be able for us to perform our activities. But not eating the right kind of foods can be unhealthy to our body. Have you ever wondered why it is that today, in spite of advancements in technology, in spite of having more experienced and educated doctors, nutritionists, therapists and diet experts, people are more sick that ever? Were people always this sickly? Could it be what we are eating? Yes, perhaps it is because of the foods that people eat today. After all, you are what you eat.

Aside from health considerations, people are more and more concerned of what they eat because they want to be slim and sexy. People are much pickier these days. Before paying for something from the department store they would spend at least a few hours trying to read the nutritional contents on the box. That is why it has become more and more difficult for food companies to market their products. But food is one of the most enduring products to sell. Thus, if you are able to create an effective advertising material chances are you will not have a problem attracting your potential customers.

Catalogs are perhaps one of the ways to market your food business. When designed and printed effectively, catalogs can be a big investment for your business. So before choosing a printer to do the job for you make sure they can accommodate the number of pages you need to print in your catalog. Make sure to also check the layout and alignment of the text and graphics. Likewise, consider how and where your catalogs will be distributed when choosing the paper stock for the front and back cover as well as the inside pages.

However, creating the right food catalog can be very tricky. Photographing foods can be really difficult. You are shooting an unstyled, non-engineered product so if shot at the wrong angle the picture can look unappetizing instead of yummy. If you are unsure how to go about with your catalog it may be a good idea to hire a good food stylist. A good food stylist will know how to change those gloomy lumps of food into works of art. They may be expensive, but worth every penny in the form of higher sales and profit for your food business.

Marketing With A Custom Postcard

Custom postcards are often used for direct mail campaigns. The advantages are many. Custom postcards are cheaper to make and mail than traditional direct market brochures or letters. Custom postcards get a higher response rate than most other marketing methods. Potential customers are more likely to look at a custom postcard than a letter. In fact, there is no good reason not to try a custom postcard campaign for your next direct mailing.

Be creative. Make your custom postcard stand out. If you don’t have the tools or the creativity to make your own custom postcard, seek the help of experts. Those experts are local printshops or online printshops with experience in creating custom postcards.

When looking for an expert to print your cards, don’t let price be the final factor. First and foremost, make sure the printer you choose can give you the help you need. If you know nothing about a custom postcard campaign, you need a printer who is an expert on how to make an impression with your mailing. Full color custom postcards get a better response rate. Any printer with experience should know that. They should also be able to give you advice on postcard size and the best font to use.

Your printer should be able to discuss your ideas and come up with a design that is effective for the message you are sending. Look for a printer who can make your custom postcard stand out from the rest. You don’t want a postcard similar to those that others are using.

Your custom postcard should be creative enough and attractive enough to draw the customer’s interest. If done right, a custom postcard can be a great addition to your marketing tools.

Newspapers At large

People throughout their lives have always tried to establish good contact with anyone they can easily communicate with. And mass media has made this desire of every individual possible.

The newspaper is one of the oldest forms of mass media and it has several advantages over the other forms of media. For one, it can be read in almost every condition. It can give you detailed information of a story much more than the others and you can keep it for now and read it later on. Some news do not easily lose their importance for a week or month, thus, it is possible to re-read the paper anytime.

After the newspaper companies gathers the news they present it to readers as soon as possible. Doing this, the educating and giving information role of newspapers are very important. With this in mind, the function of newspapers includes educating the readers, providing information, amusement and promotion and advertisement. Because of this, newspapers help develop the way of thinking of humans and motivate them to deal with what is going on around them. Likewise, newspapers give people a chance to forget their problems and rest their minds from worrying even for a few hours everyday.

Since the day the very first newspaper made its appearance there have been many changes to it &ndash from the way it looks to the manner it presents the news. One of the most essential tasks of newspapers is its contribution to the economic and industrial development of a country through its integration of the people’s voice. There are so many ways newspapers can help people today. People who know more about current events often find it easier to talk to other people because they have more subjects to talk about.

The world of technology that is blossoming in our very eyes has made global interaction possible. Perhaps newspapers that are on actual papers are becoming objects of our past. Newspapers in the Internet are common nowadays. This makes accessing newspapers faster and easier. Nevertheless, responses to this advancement in the newspaper industry have been met differently by publishers. For instance, some have required their reporters to write stories for both print and online. They have tried to integrate the Internet in every aspect of their operation.

Although the future of the newspaper industry is cloudy because readership is slowly decreasing as a result of competition from the Internet and the television, publishers, writers and reporters for newspapers continue to gather and develop stories that people love to read. With their continued dedication to responsible journalism, newspapers will continue to be delivered to our doorstep every morning.

What to Consider When Availing of POD Publishing

Until recently, printing a single copy of book was unlikely. Publishers, in the past, have to publish their books in hundreds or even thousands of copies to avail of the best price possible. After printing the books are then sent to bookstores. Those books that were not sold are stocked in warehouses perhaps waiting to be shipped when orders come in. But if no orders come, this can be a big loss to the publisher as these unsold books are part of their investment. This is probably why many publishers are careful in admitting new authors and experimenting with their formats. They would always want to be sure to get the value of their investment and not waste it.

Print on demand, on the other hand, uses a different process. As the name implies publishers have to print only a single copy of book when the order arises rather than produce it in mass copies. Authors have to understand though that when they choose POD publishing their books would never be available in bookstores. Additionally, authors have to do the marketing themselves and can expect that some book critics would never consider their books as true publishing credits.

However, regardless of the downsides of POD publishing there are still individuals who think that POD is right for them. If you would avail of this publishing technique there are several factors you need to consider such as the cover cost, set up cost, royalty payments, distribution and control among others. Keep in mind that since POD publishing involves printing one copy of book at a time naturally printing cost would cost more than mass printing. There are POD companies, however, that can allow you to have lower cover price. But this could also mean lower book royalty so be wary when making arrangement with a POD company.

Additionally, most companies also have set up fees to publish your book. If you opt for a lower set up cost, understand carefully the arrangement as lower set up cost means higher cover prices and lower royalties on average. So before you sign a contract with the POD company see to it that the publisher explains to you thoroughly how much it cost to print a copy of your book and how much you will receive per sale of the book. Also, thoroughly read the website of the publisher that you are considering and ask them to send you a copy of the contract before getting that print job started. When you have taken note of this few considerations its time to start hunting for the right POD publisher and getting your book distributed as soon as possible.

The Short Run Technology

Say you own a training or consultation company. You probably use training manuals and instructional materials often. These can include instruction booklets, user guides, training manuals and others. From time to time you need to add or change some information in these manuals so that all materials are up-to-date. But printing a whole set of new materials every month can cost quite a lot and most companies cannot afford these. Short run printing ensures that you don’t have to throw away obsolete materials and can allow you to print new manuals easier, faster and at low cost. Short run printing makes it possible to print high quality materials at shorter runs than before.

Short run printing has benefited from the changes in the printing technology and the growth of the Internet. For the first time, technology can make small print jobs economically possible. Perhaps the most expensive part of short run printing is the binding and cover. Many people have opted for simplified cover design that may be one color or unlaminated.

So why should you avail of short run printing? First of all, it offers improved quality of printed materials. In the past in order to avail of cost effective printing, the alternative is to avail of lower quality printers and copiers. These days it is now possible to print full color materials with no additional prices. Short run printing has made printing high quality materials possible. Additionally, short run printing requires less labor. Traditional printing press operation can be labor intensive from start to finish. Short run printing technology, on the other hand, requires little labor but it needs skilled employee to run a digital press. They have to be knowledgeable about pre-press and print.

Moreover, when revisions have to be made the cost of additional print runs and manual update can add to the overall cost of the document. When you are using short run printing, you make revisions just before the document is printed. And as fewer employees are needed for the short run printing workflow, administrative costs can also be lower. Likewise, the printing company can store your document and print additional copies as needed since your document is done digitally. So when you need additional print runs, the printer can produce additional copies that look the same as the first print run.

By and large, short run printing represents a bond of print technology, Internet development and skilled printers that can only work in the interests of greater sales to the benefit of printers, business owners and customers alike.

Booklet Designing, Tips, and It

Pamphlets, brochure, leaflets, folder, catalogs, etc. are just some of the different types of booklet. Booklets have many uses for us, especially for business companies. Companies use booklet as their promotion tool in order for them to market their products and services to us as their prospective consumer. Booklets are the perfect way for companies to show to their prospective customers what they can offer for them.

Booklets are not only important for business companies but also for us as their valued consumer. We need to have a clear idea of the products and services that they are offering to us.

If you are planning to make a booklet, designing is the first step you must do. However, designing a booklet is not easy. You have so much to consider in order for your readers to appreciate and read your booklet. The layout, imposition, color, contents and its printing are some of the factors you need to consider in creating an effective and informative booklet.

The booklet cover has the great impact for your readers because it is the first seen page of your booklet. So, you should be very careful in planning your booklet cover. The reason is that booklet covers speaks a lot about your company, you must first do a research for the images and photographs that you will be using for the booklet cover, if possible have images and photographs that is related to your business products and services. Do not make wrong indication to your customers which you may get in some vibrant images which are misleading.

Having just some ordinary graphics won’t help your booklet been marketed properly, create a booklet which is neat and informative. For instance typesetting the font, have a bright background with dark letter which will be easy and better to read. Always try to have a light background dark letters and dark background with light letters.

Pages are also important in making a good booklet. Always make the booklet simple in the sense that you must limit the pages of your booklet, it is wise enough that your booklet must only have 2 or 4 pages with all information on it, rather of having 10 pages. A typical consumer just takes couple of minutes to read a booklet, by that time you should be able to leave an impression about your company in the reader mind.

We have now come to the final step process in creating a booklet design, which is selecting your printing company to do the printing job. This final step could be easy because nowadays finding a printing company is easy as 1, 2, 3. Do it online, internet can provide more online printing companies that offers many services. It is also important to find the printing company that has the latest equipments for printing. Lastly, find a printing company who can finish your booklet in a professional way.

5 Tips On Making Your Business Card A Powerful Marketing Tool

When used effectively business cards can be a great marketing tool. In this article we will discuss 5 of the most effective ways that you can use your business cards everyday.

1. Be Creative.

Be creative in the design of your business cards. Business cards do not just need to be bits of paper with your contact details on them. Be creative and give your business cards a use and purpose. Make them a powerful marketing tool in the promotion of your business.

Your aim is to make your business card something that the receiver will want to keep and make use of. This is the difference between a well thought out and designed business card and a piece of paper with your contact details on it that will probably be thrown into the trash.

Give the recipient of your business cards a special offer. For example if you are a school/training centre you may offer ‘first lesson for free with this card’ or if you run a shop maybe you will offer ‘10% of any purchase over $50′.

Whatever your business, there is a creative way to give your business card real value to the receiver. If you can think and implement these new creative ways before your business does, you will have an instant advantage in that area of business, and should definitely see a rise in business if you have promoted you cards correctly.

2. The 1 minute rule

The 1 minute rule basically says, if you talk to a person for longer than 1 minute they should already have one of your business cards in their hand.

This means in conversations you need to find a way to talk about what you do, and be in the position to be able to offer one of your business cards to the person you are talking to in the first minute of conversation. This can be likened to a conversation you may have with someone at the bus stop or on the elevator. The conversation will end in a very short time and you only have a very short time to get your message across, or in this case get your business card to the recipient.

The 1 minute rule is basically just practice to get your business card out there as much as you can. Many people go through all the trouble of ordering business cards just to let them sit in a corner of their office. To use business cards effectively you must be giving them out at every opportunity that you have.

3. Make them keepers

Once you have given your business card to someone what is going to keep it from being thrown in the trash or forgotten about. Unless you are selling necessities it is probably fair to say that most likely they do not need the product/services you are offering at the present moment. Hopefully though in the future will come a time when they are looking for that product/service and that is when your business card still needs to be in the hands of the person.

Why does someone want your business card? If you cannot answer that easily, maybe it is time to think about a new business card design.

Does your business card have valuable information on it? By valuable I mean a map, discount, calendar, measurements, charts or anything relevant to your industry? If it doesn’t, you may want to think about adding a value feature to your business card.

4. Leave them everywhere you go

During a number of trips around a number of businesses in my local area I have noticed piles of business cards on the counters of various businesses. For example a recent trip to my accountant I noticed they had a few piles of business cards on the counter for mortgage lenders, home loans, etc.

This can be likened very much to link swapping that goes on with webmasters looking for business referrals from similar businesses.

Every place that you frequent, you should ask if they mind you leaving a stack of you business card there for their customers. You could try this at your doctors office, your dentist, accountant, lawyer, beauty saloon or hairdresser.

For similar businesses (e.g. accountant > lawyer or money lender) maybe you can arrange to have a stack of their business cards displayed at your business when they offer your business cards at theirs. This can be a very effective way to use you business cards and can have great returns.

5. Ask for an opinion

‘Do you mind if I ask you a quick question? I’m looking for opinions on my new business card’. After asking the question and bringing the topic up hand them a business card. Make sure that they keep it, even if they try to hand it back to you tell them that you have thousands printed already.

Thank the person for their time, and if they ever need the product or service that you are offer that your contact information is on the business card. Even if that person may not directly contact your business, there is always a chance that they may pass your card or business name onto another party.

Even in the worse case they may go home and tell their friend how a nut just came and talked at the bus stop and handed them a business card for his lawn mowing service. That friend may say, ‘I’ve been looking for a good lawn mower’. ‘Here’s the business card I got’. And there is a situation where you may still even get business out of handing your business card to a stranger and even a disinterested stranger.

By following just one of the above five ideas each day, you can turn your business card into a great marketing tool, and see an almost instant increases in business.

Meet The Students

Meet the students

A strange and diverse tribe, students date back to ancient times. They’re out there in their millions but tricky to track down. Find out who they are, where they hang out and the opportunities they offer:

Rockus Maximus

Who are they?

This genus is extremely fond of Pete Doherty, The Killers and regularly reads the NME.

What are they like?

A bit scruffy, they went to university because they’re not quite sure what they want to do in life (apart from headlining Glastonbury, obviously). Also identified as a ‘procrastinator’ (Mintel, 2004).

Where can they be found?

When they’re not downloading the latest Green Day track onto their iPod, they can be found lurking in dingy pubs, scouting Indie record shops to pick up rare promos or renting a DVD. Often nocturnal creatures, fond of smoking - how shall we say? natural remedies, they are among the half of all students who go to rock concerts.

Most likely to:

Wear a Nirvana T-shirt (’It’s history man, my dad loves them!’)

Least likely to:

Listen to The Cheeky Girls.

Marketing opportunities

Rockus Maximus want to know about gigs, CD deals, beer promos, music festivals and where to find cheap Rizlas.

Urbanicus Fashionista

Who are they?

Most likely to be female, this small bird-like creature is set to be a high-achiever. Taking care of mind and body, they are among the 26% of students who take part in some form of sport or exercise at least once a week (Mintel 2004).

What are they like?

Nicely-groomed, with clear, shiny skin, finished with a touch of lip-gloss in the day, but togged-up in their favorite number from the designer sales when they hit the town once a week. They like quality but are thrifty because they fear student debt. They try and budget, shopping around for interest-free credit cards to help manage their finances.

Could be one of Mintel’s ‘planners’ (2004), believing a degree will enhance their career prospects.

Where can they be found?

The gym, cocktail bars, the bookshop, the library, designer stores (just to get ideas) and high street fashion stores.

Most likely to:

Wish they could afford Stella McCartney for Adidas’ designer exercise gear.

Least likely to:

Drink alcopops

Marketing opportunities

Keep Urbanicus Fashionista fully-informed about bargain flights to Thailand, innovative bank accounts, Pilates classes, organic cafes and deals on facials.

Culture Vulturecalus

Who are they?

They are the approximate 30% of students (compared to 17% of non-students) who regularly visit art galleries and exhibitions. (Mintel, 2004)

What are they like?

They are lively and engaging, probably quite noisy, and love discussion and debate about the latest cultural happening. The female of the species may well be among the 15% who attend contemporary dance performances.

Where can they be found?

The cinema, the art gallery, the museum, the theatre or swanning around the cooler summer festivals, such as the Big Chill or Lost Vagueness. Nighttime sees them at a select club night hosted by a small up-and-coming breaks or hip hop label.

Most likely to:

Try to blag their way into the local art gallery’s latest private viewing or urban music event.

Least likely to:

Do the ‘big fish, little fish’ dance on the podium at Ritzy’s nightclub.

Marketing opportunities

Attract this group with two-for-one theatre tickets, art gallery memberships, museum cafe discounts and student cinema offers.

Academius Geriatricus

Who are they?

This breed is the 10% of students that are 21+ and are more likely to be male. They could be a Workplace Refugee (Mintel, 2004), who has decided to come to university after working, wanting a degree in order to progress.

What are they like?

On average, they have about J350 more cash over the academic year than younger students. There is a strong chance they have lived in London (DfES, 2002/03).

Where can they be found?

Generally studying at one of the newer universities or working part-time in paid employment. They make the most of their course by researching in the lab, archive centre or library.

Most likely to:

Have their old work suit from Next hanging in the wardrobe and regularly brush their hair and clean their teeth.

Least likely to:

Hang out with the school-leavers in the student union.

Marketing opportunities

Those who market postgraduate courses, bookshop discount days and properties to rent could be targeting this group with their services.

I-am-mad-i-am-icus

Who are they?

They want to get a degree with minimum fuss, while thoroughly enjoying themselves and making the most of the university social scene.

What are they like?

Jolly, nobody’s as nuts or up-for-it as they are, you should have seen them at the clubs in Ibiza or Ayia Napa this summer.

Where can they be found?

Attending every Freshers’ Week event, at the hilarious ’school disco’ in the student union or making the most of cheap shot deals at the local pub chains in town.

Most likely to:

Apply to Big Brother (male) or FHM Magazine’s High Street Honeys (female).

Least likely to:

Be a wallflower.

Marketing opportunities

Freshers’ week events, cheap club entry, novelty condoms and drinks promotions will all attract their attention.

Geekus Spectacalus

Who are they?

Commonly translated from the Latin as ‘geek’ this academia lover probably excels at maths or science. They were always expected to go to university as the next logical step and so fit into Mintel’s category ‘Production Liners’ (2004).

What are they like?

Very shy around potential mating partners, not too hot on the old fashion sense, but always happy to explain the latest techno-wizardry to a fellow student.

Where can they be found?

More likely to be a student at the ‘older universities’, go to the cinema, sci-fi conventions or the student dating agency.

Most likely to:

Remember how to do long division.

Least likely to:

Enjoy extreme sports.

Marketing opportunities

Geekus spectaculus loves a gadget, computer fair, book sale or extra-curricular lecture event.

Catalogs through the Years

Winter, New Year, spring or summer, you name it. Whatever the season is mail-order catalogs fill in your home almost every week. This is because everything imaginable can be ordered by mail today. And with the introduction of the Internet, online catalogs have allowed people to order products and avail of services online. This is not a new trend. People have been using catalogs to buy goods for years. There was even a time when catalogs were the only link people in rural areas across America have to the new products being sold in the big city.

For years, shopping malls have blossomed and progressed across the country. But people can’t neglect the simpler way of shopping without mall crowds and traffic. Some still prefer shopping right at the comfort of their own home. But will catalogs replace shopping malls? Perhaps not, but a combination of the two will be seen in the market for quite a long time.

Catalogs seem to have taken an important role in the lives of busy people especially around the holidays. During the rest of the year people are more likely to do the actual purchasing online or at an actual store. But during the holiday season catalogs seems to be the perfect solution to getting all the shopping out of the way with a minimum hassle.

However, some merchants consider catalogs as an increasingly less important part of the marketing mix as new media and marketing channels rush in the market. Nevertheless, even though catalog purchasing may decline as online shopping becomes more popular, retailers should begin to view catalogs as the gateway to their stores and their products.

As a customer, remember to choose wisely and use your head when ordering from catalogs. Remember the old maxim that if something sounds or looks too good to be true, it probably is. So be very wary when ordering. Additionally, don’t feel obligated to place an order just because you have received a free catalog. Companies send out huge numbers of catalogs to make money. But receiving a catalog does not mean that you have to purchase some of their products.

Retailers and merchants should, thus, find ways to make their catalogs as exciting and stunning as possible. The catalog should not only be a way to show all the items available but it should also serve as an idea provider and a source of inspiration. After all, shopping is not just about finding the right item; it is about the whole experience.