Whether you've been charged with finding the items your company will give away during the holidays or you need to locate just the right gift for a special client, make no mistake, the job is a big one. Should you be required to find gifts appropriate for a number of different people, all of different faiths or beliefs, the prospect can be even more so daunting. Finding the right corporate gift is bigger than making a gesture, too, it needs to be classy and leave an impression on those who receive it. With the gravity of what a gift can mean for your company, it's a good idea to consider your client base before rushing out and buying the first gift baskets that strike your fancy. If there is a great deal of diversity involved, you may want to first set a spending limit per client and then choose individually within that range. Or, at the very least, select a few different standards gifts and send the one that is appropriate for each different client. A Christmas gift box might not be appreciated by your Jewish clients and non-drinkers may frown on a wine selection. Once an approach has been set, it's time to start looking at corporate gifts. There are a number of great ideas available and many provide the option to have the company's logo emblazoned on the box, card or even within the gift itself. Whenever possible, it's a good idea to go this route otherwise the impression left could be too self-promoting. No one really wants to wear a T-shirt with your company name on it, but they might appreciate a chocolate box with your logo on the top. Keeping in mind these ideas may not be good for every client, here are some different ideas on what can be sent to say "thank you for your business:" * Flowers. This is a timeless classic that really helps brighten up a client's office, but remember the impression will be a short one. Flowers don't last forever. These are appropriate, however, if you know the client has a particular passion for a certain kind of flower. * Chocolates. Chocolate boxes and chocolate gift baskets from gourmet makers work well for just about any client. Although the chocolates inside may be eaten up quickly, specialty wood boxes with logo name plates can have some serious staying power. * Fruit, cheese or preserve baskets. These also are appropriate for just about everyone. The staying power isn't always that great though. * Wines. These can be great selections for clients you know well enough to know they'll appreciate it. Since not everyone drinks and not everyone appreciates wine, it's a good idea to reserve alcoholic gifts for those you know will enjoy them. * Gift cards. Whether for a night out or a specialty store, these will be used up, but the client's likely to remember where the item came from. Choosing corporate gifts can be tough, but if you apply a little common sense and try to put some thought into what each client receives, the gifts can say thank you while also reminding customers of your products and services.
Do You need a sexy company logo or would a stinker be more effective
The debate over how much of a companys large reserves of spending power should be spent with greedy, oafish design agencies rages on and is not about to be resolved in this trite article, however we can suggest some alteatives to the usual company logo ideas and perhaps for once bad could be the new good...or something.
A company logo should make you stop and think...
How many times have you heard your design manager or someone from the marketing/advertising department going on about the need for a clever logo or a design that 'thinks outside the box'? In marketing terms this is met by much consteation by people with any sense of reality and nodding agreement from the rest of the clueless saps who pass off as the workforce these days. Thinking outside the box in this day and age is what all your competitors are doing. To move with the times we either have to think 'over' the box or get on a retro trip and think yourself back inside the box, now that everyone has gone outside to think.
A company logo should stick in your minds eye
Continuing with our theme of going back to basics in terms of logo design. The trend that is emerging and proving highly profitably in certain quarters is the 'so bad its good' theme. Easyjet, Pot Noodle, Tango, Spam... I'm thinking off the top of my head here but allthese brands once languished in obscurity and given a little bit of a trashy makeover have seen sales rocket. The same can be said for the previously unheard of Cillit Bang cleaning brand - design so off putting it makes you want to punch yourself in the face and with the most ridiculous name imaginable but hey whats happening, it's stuck in shoppers minds and bingo like groaning zombies they've bought the product without actually realising what it is and why they've just paid for it.
When good logos tu bad or how to undesign a logo
Built in obsolesence plays a big part in todays quick tuaround world. In a similar way to consumable products like mobile phones and cd players having built in components that only last a year or so before needing to be replaced by the latest model, cheeky graphic designers and logo designers have started to build in 'dated' fonts and styles that will make the company logo you spent 10,000 dollars on and proved a big hit at the time, look like a piece of bumfluff this time next year. Solution: Design it to be as bad as possible in the first instance and the vague whims of the fashion cognescenti shall sooner rather than later pronounce it a hit - meaning big time pay off for you. So there you have it in a nutshell, don't listen to your head when it says you are committing an atrocious mistake in combining stripes and polkadot pattes with some electric blue neon fonts, listen to your greedy heart and think of those filthy bank notes that will soon be piled up in your bank vault..
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Mindtap Graphic Design Resources is your single point entry into the UK creative industries. A unique site where you can access information on UK graphic design, logo design, brochure design, catalog design, flyer design and web design
Buying Radio Read This and Don t Waste Your Money
Pay close attention and make it work the best for you.
No doubt you've listened to, and then quickly deleted, messages from account execs from your local radio stations. Maybe you've even entertained them in your office. Hopefully you didn't have to sanitize your phone or office afterwards.
Well, radio can be great way to gaer awareness cheaply... ahem, inexpensively... if you do it right. Remember... 97.823% of all radio ads S-U-C-K. That leaves you to carry the banner for great radio advertising. And when you do, you will get noticed. Believe me, you will get noticed.
Why do so many radio ads suck? Between the screaming car ads, nasally voiced business owners who should never get anywhere near a microphone reading their own ads, and the next "tukey" business opportunity, they are all dressed in their plaid suits and resorting to hucksterism. They want your money and they want it now.
They forget one thing. Well, actually a lot of things, but the main thing they forget that people are not tuning in for their ad. Listeners want Rush, Rome, Al, Laura, music, sports, news, or whatever. People aren't saying, "Gee, I gotta hear great heating and air conditioning ads today!"
Your ad is interrupting what they listen for. By nature, you are already behind the eight ball before you start in radio. But there is hope.
First off, do NOT let a radio station employee write your ad.
If your exec isn't a writer (you may luck out in that some radio execs are copywriters in training looking for an agency gig) and you don't speak up, your ad will probably get written by either: the station producer- who may have already written 4 or 5 other ads that same DAY,who doesn't have enough time to fully attend to your needs, and thereby wasting your money; OR a disc jockey (strange term- they don't spin wax anymore, Daddy-O) whose annoyed he or she has to write an ad, or who's not a talented writer to begin with, also wasting your money; OR by an inte, secretary, or other employee - who may relish the opportunity, but may not have the chops yet, or is being pressured to write something "quick and dirty" so it can produced and on the air -- also thereby wasting your money.
You have creative control and the ultimate yay or nay, so feel free to choose your writer. Hint and Shameless Plug : There is a link here to direct you to an excellent radio writer. It's http://www.brandedbetter.com.
Now, when it comes down to concepting and reviewing scripts, remember this: Radio is called Theater of the Mind for good reason. Use it to your advantage. Recall your disadvantage before starting.
Cleveess will grab attention. But... it must be on strategy to be effective. Give your writer ONE benefit to express. How does that benefit resonate with the target audience? Don't think if you have a "mundane" or "boring" product or service, there's no cleveess to be had. Give a good writer enough information, and they will find it.
A few of the BEST radio ads I've ever heard was for a soil conditioner. Yup. A soil conditioner. Two voices. One performed by the writer. The other performed by midlevel (read... talented, and nonunion) voice talent. Writer as The Hick Farmer. Nonunion Talent as the Smart Farmer.
Hick Farmer: "Hey, nay-bor...Whatzzat on yer roof?"
Smart Farmer: (obviously) "It's a satellite dish."
Hick Farmer: "Whazzit fer...? Talkin' to the Martians?"
You can almost hear the slack jaw in your head. And it makes you want to hear more. That's your goal for radio.
Another ad for the same product was even better.
Smart Farmer: "Hey, neighbor... Why so glum?"
Hick Farmer: "Aw... the weeds, the bugs, the disease... my crops are about ruined... I've had an awful year. The wife has been pickin' her tooth for leftovers."
Now, I'm not a farmer. I never heard of conditioning soil. But, you can bet I understood what it did after these ads. And did I mention I was wondrously entertained when receiving this information?
To be fair, these ads were produced by an ad agency with a good sized budget. The campaign also won some ad awards and some industry awards. The point is-- a good ad isn't loud, repetitive, trite, condescending, or tries to jam as many words possible into the time frame. In fact, silence works to your advantage. Silence in radio (or even TV) is like white space on a print ad. It tastefully surrounds the content for maximum effectiveness, drawing the eye (in this case, ear) in to read (hear) the copy.
Voices are important, too. Ever listen to the radio and hear the same voice all over the ads? That's usually Mr. or Ms. Producer-- the person who makes sure the ad gets made. That's why they don't have time to write a good one for you. Many freelance writers, myself included, know something about voices and casting, and can probably get you the best talent for your dollar. Some writers can even voice their own copy. And think twice, no... three times about voicing it yourself. Better make that four times.
Oh, and if you're wondering what length of ad to buy? In most cases, go for the :60. For just a few dollars more, you get twice the time to play with. If you are spending money on radio, use ALL the resources available to you to create the best possible ad. And that usually entails going outside the radio station walls to get it. ~~
John is a freelance commercial writer based in Omaha, Nebraska. He publishes a free monthly e-zine focusing on branding, advertising, and marketing from his website http://www.brandedbetter.com. Speaking with both agency and in- house experience, he knows the most valuable asset of a businees is its brand.
Are You a One Punch Advertiser Take It From a Boxer There s a Better Way to Reach Customers
I am not a huge guy, in fact I am about 5'8", 175 lbs. In addition to designing business brands that help companies build more confidence and credibility, I am a boxer. Much to my family's chagrin, particularly my Dad who ponied up the money for my braces when I was young. Thankfully, I still have all of my teeth and faculties, and I'd like to share what boxing has taught me about advertising more effectively.
It wasn't until I read something in Permission Marketing, by Seth Godin that I saw a strong similarity between boxing and promoting my business. My goal as a boxer is to knock the other guy out so he/she can't fight anymore - that's how I win. In marketing and advertising for my business, my goal is to reach and attract new prospects and clients.
The similarity lays within the different strategies both marketers and boxers can use to accomplish their goal. Boxer behemoths like Mike Tyson and George Foreman can go for the one-punch knock out to accomplish their goals (knocking someone's teeth out), just as IBM, Monster.com and Ford can run one Superbowl advertisement and attract a load of new prospects. Most of us, including me, don't have the size or muscle of Mike Tyson or Ford, so we might consider another approach.
If you are looking for the best approach in either boxing or advertising, the key to success (unless you're Mike Tyson or IBM) is frequency. Take me for example: I am not very big and neither is my business, so neither of us has the resources to make a one-punch knockout count.
Spending all of my resources (either time, money or energy) on one roll of the dice isn't a good idea. I don't have the weight or the muscle for that to work, and if you own a small business, you probably don't either. But that's okay, just because we're not huge doesn't me we can still accomplish our goals; we just have to use a different strategy.
In advertising, the one-punch knock out used to work so much better, there was less competition, less products to choose from and people didn't have so many distractions. Things are different now, and even if someone sees your ad there's a fair chance they might not pay attention to it. So it makes sense not to evaluate or invest all of your money into one ad, that's where persistence and frequency come in.
Did you know that your prospects need to see your ad at least 3 times for it to sink in? I know, it's insane, but research has proven it time and time again. And if you've ever watched boxing, how often does someone go down in the first 3 punches? It almost never happens.
So you want to avoid what most business owners make the mistake in doing in that they run one advertisement and then pull the plug on campaign. Remember the boxing analogy, one-punch knockouts rarely happen. It'll take persistence and frequency to get your prospect's attention and to get him or her to take action, but if you keep at it, you'll succeed.
Keep on punching!
About Jeremy:
I help small businesses build more confidence and credibility into their business brand. Through marketing and design initiatives, I help you feel better about your company. Making you feel good about your business gives you more confidence and less anxiety when you are networking, promoting or selling your business.
If you have are a business owner who isn't comfortable or confident in your business image, or you're just not as proud of your business as you'd like to be. Call me today at 480.391.0704 or email me at comments@candographics.com, I'd love to send you a free insider's bulletin and talk with you about your specific situation.
You'll also want sign up for the "Can-Do Confidence Builder" at http://www.candographics.com. 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.
Lea more about me and how you can gain a competitive advantage with a better brand by visiting http://www.candographics.com
Fax Broadcast Services Get Your Message to Millions
If your company is one of those innovative businesses that has taken advantage of new fax broadcasting technologies to get your message out, you've probably come to realize that the fax broadcasting services industry is ever-changing and new developments are coming out all the time.
It's pretty much a full-time job just to manage a fax broadcast database of any size, not to mention keeping the related fax broadcasting software updated and operational.
If you've gotten frustrated with the overhead and manpower required to manage your entire fax broadcasting operation inteally, it's time to lighten your load by considering some outsourcing, and the possible use of an outside fax broadcasting service. Not only can this free you and your people up, but it will leverage your time and allow you to reach more people, quicker and with less money per fax.
Tips for Selecting the Best Fax Broadcast Services
In selecting the outside fax broadcast services that are right for your company, remember – technology is everything in the fax broadcast industry. Fax broadcast services won't save you time unless they're convenient to use and require little involvement by your own personnel.
When shopping for fax broadcast services, you'll want to ask a ton of questions about the software and systems used by each fax broadcast service that you interview.
How flexible are their systems?
Do you get a lot of options and tailoring, or are you pretty much stuck with the system they have, even if it doesn't meet your exact needs?
Really good fax broadcasting services have state-of-the-art fax systems that can do things like integrate faxing, email and direct mail. The better systems also allow you to control and tailor your various fax broadcasts from your own PC at your own office.
This allows you access and control of your fax broadcasts when it's convenient for you, and reduces the time it takes to communicate instructions from your office to your fax broadcast service provider.
Take some time, shop around, and ask a lot of questions. This will be time well spent, and you'll be very pleased when you end up with a fax broadcast service that's easy to use and gets your fax broadcasts out quickly and by the specifications that you yourself can control from your own computer.
You'll be tickled pink with the staff time that will be freed up, and your new fax broadcasting capabilities will make you glad that you chose to investigate the use of fax broadcast services for your own company.
Chris Bradley is V.P. of 3 Cent Fax Broadcast.com, where they help business save money and increase profits with their do it all fax service, where they do all the work and you can concentrate on your business. To lea more about their money and time saving service by clicking here ... fax broadcasting services.
Don t Blame the Messenger
I recently had a call from a fellow in Scotland and taking into account the time difference, it was about 2PM there. He called to complain that the ad he placed with us two weeks ago, hadn't produced any leads. While he was venting, I looked up the ad he had submitted. He was in an affiliate program, and they provide a personalized web site, which not only gives information about the program, but also tracks the leads. He didn't include the web site in his ad, and his only method of contact was by email. The ad he originally submitted was full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, which we had cleaned up prior to posting. As he slurred his way through the conversation, I realized that he probably had a very long liquid lunch, and when I tried to explain what he needed to do, he called me a "con artist" and hung up. Now is this to be expected if you provide web space, or run an ezine which allows advertising? Not usually, but as in real life, there are people like this on the web. Ad space in an ezine or on a web site, is just that - space, and the web has no magic. If you write a bad ad, you will not get responses. The same ad in a print publication, such as a newspaper or magazine, would yield the same results. You can't blame the messenger, in this case the space provider, if your ad doesn't produce. Many people have fantastic results with this type of advertising, and they all have a few things in common. They are selling a quality product at a reasonable price, and have taken the time to develop a good ad. They also realize that the only purpose of the ad is to get someone to request more information. They all have a web site that gives complete details, and where they make the actual sale. Just having a quality product or program at a reasonable price is not the only thing you need. You must advertise it in an intelligent manner. The ad you place is referred to as the "tease". If this is done properly, it gets you to the next step in the sales process, and that is the "education" stage. People want information about the product or service they are about to buy. When people get to your web site, or ask for further information, it is because they are interested. This is the case where "more is better". The more information you can give them, the greater the chances you have of making a sale. A very common mistake is to confuse the "tease" with the "education stage". If the web site gives little or no information, it is in effect just another "tease". You can't expect people to buy if you do this. You must provide solid information on how they will benefit from your offer. Others mix up the "education" stage with the "tease", and try to give too much information in their ad. Neither approach will produce good results. The final stage in this process is referred to as the "close", or the "call for action". This is where you give the person a reason for becoming your customer. This can take various forms, but every good ad campaign has one. All of these elements from the "tease" to the "close" must be in place if you hope to be successful in your inteet marketing. Miss anyone one of them and you will join the ranks of the "also rans". If your ad doesn't produce, examine each of the three stages to see if it would get you to buy. Have a disinterested person look at your sales effort. Sometimes you might get so close to the process, you can't honestly evaluate what you're trying to accomplish. You must of course get ad space that is reasonably targeted to your potential market. The ad for your product should appear in places that your target market will visit. Don't forget that it might take 5 to 7 exposures to your ad before someone bites. Don't be discouraged if immediate results are not forthcoming. Above all, don't blame the messenger - that is simply a copout. They did their part by making the space available and disseminating it to their subscribers - did you do yours?
Careers In The Advertising Business Internet Marketing Style
So you are interested in seeking a job with an advertising business Inteet marketing firm? The first step would be to gain enough knowledge in marketing theory and practical applications. A four-year college degree is helpful but those without a college degree can still land a job with a top firm if they have enough real-world experience. You must have a genuine love for advertising to be successful. Often the initial salaries are small and job tuover is high. But with a strong determination, you can succeed in the advertising business Inteet marketing field. When entering the advertising business Inteet marketing arena, try to become as familiar with successful clients as possible. Leaing how successful firms have succeeded in business will give you an idea on how to be successful yourself. Also, if you do a good job working with a dominant firm, they may direct you into your next step in the advertising world. Lea what clients need and want from an advertising firm and seek to fulfill their needs. A second step toward a career in the advertising business Inteet marketing world is making bold moves. Don't be afraid to experiment a little after you have established yourself. Your superiors will recognize innovation. Look for great advertising program and try to figure out how they work and why. Apply the knowledge in projects you are involved with. Always be willing to improve your work and clients will see your efforts. Another important thing to remember when leaing about the advertising business Inteet marketing industry is to keep the client first. Visualize his perspective in all your work. By keeping the client first, you will gain their respect and their advertising business for a long time. Gaining loyalty is a major asset in the advertising world. If you choose to someday join another firm, often times your clients will move with you.
