June 7, 2007

Marketing Newsletter

Creating a marketing newsletter for your business is one of the best ways to maintain the attention of your customers in between purchases, making sure that your information is at the ready the next time they need it.

A marketing newsletter can be defined as a regular update sent out to your customer list that offers insights and updates as well as promotions that they will find valuable. Not only can you give them information about changes in the products that you offer, but let them know about upcoming sales that will save them money. In this way, you can not only offer them a deal but push the products that you need to get rid of.

Marketing newsletters can also assist your customers in staying on top of the field or industry that you specialize in. For example, if you sell computer supplies, then your marketing newsletter might include a feature article about how to use a new product or how to manipulate one of the rarely used features on one of your top products. Teaching your customer valuable lessons makes your business more than just a supplier but something that gives them a leg up on their competition or in their work place.

In the same way, if you offer a service or products that apply to a hobby, then information you have to offer also provides value. It also has the added benefit of keeping your business at the forefront of your customers mind. With a hobby, unlike a computer supply store, your customer doesn't 'need' your products or services. They are a luxury, and so to remind your customer that she needs to repurchase what you have to offer, it is essential to keep reminding her what you have to offer. With a marketing newsletter, you can easily accomplish this.

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June 5, 2007

The Importance of Designing Your Own Functional Office Stationery

Office stationery serves two basic purposes, both of which are vital. First, business stationery gives your business's correspondence a professional look and feel and ensures the customer that the company is fully professional and uses firm business practices. The second function of office stationery is more mundane but just as useful–office stationery serves as a handy reminder of what your company provides and how to contact it. It is not uncommon for customers, when seeking contact information for your company, to remember that the office stationery that their last correspondence came on contained both the mailing, internet, email, and phone contact information. As such, the original letter that was sent now serves another purpose–it allows your customers to easily and quickly contact your company. Customer communication is vital to ensure customer satisfaction and encourage repeat business.

Office stationery is, for the most part, required for all businesses. No consumer expects to receive correspondence on a plain white sheet. Since every business correspondence that they encounter is on office stationery, when a letter is received that is devoid of corporate embellishment, it is instantly noticed. It is simply impossible for a company to provide a professional front to its customers if it does not use office stationery for its written correspondence. Additionally, it is now possible for electronic messages to be communicated with office stationery. Therefore, the act of designing office stationery is now as important as ever, since all communication, whether paper based or electronic, will use the office stationery design.

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June 2, 2007

How to Create an Effective Sales Brochure

Direct mailing is one of the most effective marketing tactics available to the modern corporation. With new federal laws that limit when and how companies can contact customers via telephone and electronic mail, sending a letter and sales brochure via the mail is one of the last truly effective direct marketing tactics. Combining a sales brochure with a sales letter is a great one-two punch combo that has led to many successful direct mailing experiences. The letter introduces the customer to the product and piques their interest, while the sales brochure expands upon the product and details how the product is useful to the consumer. This article discusses how to write an effective direct mail sales brochure.

To write a sales brochure that is able to both inform and persuade potential customers, the author must be intimately familiar with the product or service being offered. Not only must the author have a deep knowledge of what is being offered, but he/she must also truly believe in its value. The public has an uncanny ability to pick out material that is produced half heartedly, and a sales brochure that is written by an author who is lukewarm about or, perhaps worse, completely ignorant of the product is not likely to persuade the potential customer.

Good sales brochures are both informative and persuasive. The customer looks to the sales brochure to expand upon the information given in the sales letter and provide direct evidence of how the product can solve their particular problem. Therefore, the best sales brochure writers try to anticipate the most common customer needs and address them in the sales brochure.

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May 31, 2007

Designing Your Own Logo and Stationery

If you want your mailings and letters to stand out above the rest, you should consider creating your own logo and stationery for your business and personal needs. It is a creative way to show people that youre someone who rises above with creativity and class. You can choose to use color letterhead or black and white. The style also may vary, depending on what you are using the stationery for.
Business
Your business logo and stationery should obviously be different than your personal. When thinking about designing your letterhead, you might want to stay away from a color letterhead, unless you are a creative business. If you do more professional and traditional business services, a black and white letterhead would be more appropriate. You can choose to design your own logo or you can have a graphic artist do it for you. Often times you can get programs on your computer that will help you design your own.

Personal
When it comes to personal logo and stationery choices, anything goes! Often families will get an artist to design their family logo and use it for all occasions, including invitations to friends, holiday cards, and other mailing occasions. This is a neat way to connect your family and to personalize each mailing you place in the mailbox. Your friends will likely love your creativity so much they will want their own customized logo and stationery. That is when you can choose to reveal who helped you create it, or keep the secret all to yourself!

Overall, having your own logo and stationery is a great idea. It is usually not very expensive to have your own created or to do it yourself. The most expensive part is getting the items printed with your logo on it. However, if you do it yourself or get your graphic artist to allow you to save the image on your personal computer, you should be able to create your own items cheaply.

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May 28, 2007

Custom Printing

Custom printing in any medium is a great creative way to reach a variety of customers. You have your choice when it comes to printing options. They include:

* Business cards
* Logos
* Letterhead and stationery
* Flyers
* Brochures

Alone or in concert, all of these forms of advertising are extremely effective in getting your contact information and, in general, news of your business out into the world. When you customize and design your own logo, stamping it on everything through bulk and wholesale printing, you're increasing your sales potential with each run of the printer. And it's so cost effective that it's really hard to turn down. Consider the possibilities:

Business cards Business cards are small enough to be slipped into the hands of a networking agent or a potential client or slid into brochures. Clipped anywhere and easily filed, customized business cards are essential.

Logos Like business cards, it's difficult to run a business successfully without a logo. Create your own or hire a graphic designer or artist to create one for you. Use an online company that offers a step by step guide to designing a logo with their selection of templates, fonts, and colors. No matter what, before you get too far in your advertising campaign, you must create an original logo.

Letterhead and stationery Letterhead and stationery will utilize your logo in order to stamp your brand at the top of all of your correspondence. Clip a business card to the top and there's no way that the recipient will be unable to track you down.

Flyers Post flyers with your logo and reminders of upcoming sales and promotions before big grand openings or special events. They grab attention and serve as a reminder when used in addition to other media.

Brochures Brochures offer a chance to not only imprint your brand but offer detailed answers to questions that a potential customer might have about your products and services.

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