Bartleby Press

Bartleby Press

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Benefits of Branding Your Business


Your business needs a brand – something that makes the business unique and stand out from the competitors while simply showing what it is your business does. A failed brand can create loss of audience, a misunderstanding of the product or service you offer, and many other downfalls. The print industry provides your brand with relevant content that drives customers to the web.
                 
From using unique colors, distinctive behavior, and your own identifiers, you are able to give your company a brand that the public can remember you by. Being distinctive and unique will help the company stick out from competitors, think of brands such as FedEx with their orange and purple brand, compared to UPS’s brown brand.

The print industry has changed from what it used to be. Today it is a viable support mechanism that is used to drive customers to the web with relevant content. Many people have grasped the idea of using a website to market the company, but it’s just as important to have something on paper and in a person’s hand for more tangible evidence that the company exists.
                 
A brand gives the company more credibility. When people are looking to make a purchase, they want something they can trust and rely on. Once a customer has a positive experience, they’re more likely to continue using that same business and spreading the word to everyone they know about the experience they had with the business.  Being able to provide your customers with business cards, brochures, flyers and posters gives them more reliability.
                 
Putting money into creating a brand with digital printing can be expensive. However, after you invest in creating the brand, you can maintain it without having to tell the story about the brand every time you market it. Once your brand is recognizable, it will pay for itself.
                 
By making your company noticed with a brand that uses print to its advantage, you will benefit greatly in the competitive world. Without a brand, your company is not reaching an audience or maintaining any customers. Without a brand that is supported with print, the chance of reaching any sort of audience is very minimal.

About the Author:
Denver printing company, The Print Connection is pleased to bring you this article on the Benefits of Branding Your Business with Print in an IT World. The Print Connection specializes in Denver bookbinding, digital printing, offset printing, graphic design, and so much more.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Is Your Advertising Hit or Miss?


Most business’ are small and don’t have a strong national brand to rely on scores of marketing teams to provide you with content and promotions. But every business needs to have its own personality and investment within its community to succeed. If your business is going to grow it has to adjust to its target customer base and there is no one that knows your business better than you. There are simple ways to reach out to your local audience through a combination of an online presence, small-targeted direct mail campaigns, and ads in local specialty publications.
You may hear a lot about localization. Localization is content matched to local media and searches. If you feel like the return on your local promotional initiatives is hit or miss, you may be neglecting some basics that can bolster your business and reputation.
Here is a look at three common mistakes businesses make when it comes to reaching local customers as Posted on February 28, 2013 by Megan Totka. Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com, one of the largest business directories on the web.

No Web Presence. Even owners of longtime mom and pop establishments can benefit from a simple website or inclusion in an online directory. It is not often that a local business owner says he or she has “too many” customers. In addition to regulars, a web presence brings in new clientele that happen upon sites when looking for a product or service. Many websites cost very little to create and maintain, and results-driven online directories are affordable too. If you are truly at a loss on where to begin in building an online following, hire someone to help you. The money you invest will pay off over time and many companies offer a flat fee to maintain the site for you.
Remember that it is not enough to rely on word-of-mouth or traditional marketing techniques to bring in new local customers. Hanging your digital shingle in cyberspace is also vital and easier than ever to accomplish. Give potential customers the answers to their questions in an immediate way in order to win their business and not lose them to more visible competitors.
Difficulty to Find. This point is similar to having a lack of web presence but applies beyond the digital realm. If people do not know where you are located, they cannot give you their business. This means promoting your web location in addition to your physical address. Unfortunately, people are so programmed to find the answers to all questions immediately that they will not take the time to track you down if a competitor offers ease of information. Do whatever it takes to let people know where you exist, from web presence optimization to the signage outside your location to inclusion in web listings for your industry.
There is really no financial advantage to being an industry “best kept secret.” Ask customers how they found you and how you can improve your physical visibility. Those that are most loyal to your business will want to help and will be honest with you. Do not lose customers to frustration or impatience at having to track you down, instead make it easy to find you and even easier to buy your products or enlist your services.
Lack of Community Outreach. There is a reason that people say “the more you give, the more you get.” Find simple ways to give back to the community of your loyal clients and build your reputation for future local clients. Simple ways to get involved include sponsoring a local event, donating a product or service to a fundraising auction or volunteering at a local non-profit organization. Align your name with a cause that you believe benefits your client base and one that represents your business ideals.
Not only does outreach earn you the respect of the community, but it also creates a culture of social consciousness in your business, encouraging employees to reach out when they are off the clock too. You can feel satisfied knowing that you went beyond the call of duty to help the community and build a strong image of beneficence in the process.
Focus on local marketing does not have to be overwhelming or exclusive to the Internet. There are simple ways to reach out to your local audience through a combination of an online presence, small targeted direct mail campaigns, and ads in local, specialty publications that have a qualified demographic. 
Thomas Miner is president of Bartleby Press