Expect the Unexpected for Marketing in 2014

So what can you expect for the world of marketing in 2014? Unpredictability. There’s no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to business, so creating an accurate forecast of the next year is impossible. After all, who saw Snapchat’s crazy rise to success coming in 2013? There’s no way to determine what The Next Big Thing will be, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be anxious and unprepared. The only thing you can count on is yourself, so gearing up for the rest of the year will allow you to navigate the changes that lie ahead. Here are some ways to develop maximum marketing adaptability: Get your ducks in a row. You won’t be able to keep up with changing situations and trends if you don’t have a clear idea of what you’ve done in the past. What channels or campaigns have worked best? Do you have a system of tracking customer behavior? By organizing a history of your marketing efforts, you’ll be able to identify what will (and won’t) be effective in the future. Identify the story that you’re trying to tell with your brand. By now you might have an established narrative, but make sure that the storytelling concept is fully concrete. Outlining what your brand is and isn’t will allow you to make easy decisions when new trends and platforms emerge. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Perhaps in two months, an exciting new social media platform will become all the rage. Don’t hesitate to check out what the buzz is all about, but don’t feel like you have to invest all your time in energy in the latest social media fad. If its capabilities and reach align with your brand’s goals, then jump right in. But also know that there’s no point in letting something new (and not fully established) detract from your other marketing efforts. Have different team plans in place. As different options and campaigns come up, make sure you have different teams and team members who can handle various tasks. Marketing is reliant on timeliness, so you don’t want to waste any time trying to figure out who can do what. By appointing roles ahead of time (and knowing that flexibility will be required) you’ll be able to tackle issues and opportunities as soon as they arise.

Tell a Story With Your Marketing in 2014

“Tell me a story!” This typical refrain heard from children at bedtime also applies to your customers. When it comes to marketing, they don’t just want information. They want a story too. Scientific studies have shown that our brain activity increases and we become more engaged when there’s a narrative involved. As you go into 2014, be thinking of how you can make your business’s marketing all about storytelling. Here are a just a few ways to create an intriguing narrative for your customers. Infuse your personality. Personify your business to identify key personality traits. If your company were a person, what would they be like? How would they write? What values would be important to them? By fleshing out a unified set of characteristics, you’ll be able to create intriguing and cohesive marketing. Develop characters. This doesn’t mean you have to create a company mascot with a big backstory. It can be as simple as tying a loyal customer’s buying experience into your narrative. And don’t forget your employees. They are your best brand advocates. Make them a part of the story, giving customers a glimpse of the kind, interesting and passionate people who are the core of your company. Get visual. Images are always going to capture more attention than plain text, and recent updates from Facebook and Twitter make it even easier—and more important—for you to include them in your posts. Weave images into the overarching marketing narrative to enhance the storyline, or find visuals that tell a story on their own. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Create experiences. The best way to get customers talking about your business is to give them something to talk about. Create events that allow them to be part of your story. This doesn’t have to be on the scale of a YouTube-worthy flash mob, but think outside the box to interact with customers in unexpected places or bring them into your business. By doing something memorable and out of the ordinary, they’ll be excited to share their story (and yours) with friends and family.

Remaining Accountable in the Midst of Holiday Cheer (And Stress)

It seems that every time December rolls around, someone hits the fast forward button on life. Suddenly, moving at ten times our normal capacity, everything requires our immediate attention: work is piling up, the kids are out of school and requiring extra time (which you obviously want to give), presents need to be wrapped, lights are waiting to be hung, oh and there’s a foot of snow between you and all of these said goals. It’s important to remember to balance these aspects of your life—and, where your job is concerned, it’s important to remain in touch with clients. Despite all of the tempting distractions (food, friends, family, etc.) it’s vital that you stay a reliable contact for your clients. Here’s how: Set Reasonable Guidelines Taking a week off to celebrate the winter holidays? Perfectly fine. Just be sure your clients are aware that you’ll be out of the office and out of contact. On the other hand, abandoning them the whole month of December because you’re swamped with other things won’t go over well. We know you’ll be busy, but they’ll appreciate your timely responses and assistance with whatever they might need, since December is a busy time for everyone, your clients included. Remember Important Things The anniversary of your client engagement? Send them a note, thanking them for their year(s) of business. December or January birthdays? Wish them well with a handwritten note or small gift. Or consider a social media shout out—it’ll make them feel special, and bonus it shows potential clients how you care about your clients. Don’t Send them Clutter You may be tempted to up your mailings of newsletters or special holiday somethings. This may work. But be sure that you’re delivering valuable content—be it a holiday gift or a nice promotional discount. But double-check all of your content being sent out. What’s normally tolerated and welcomed at other points of the year may come off as “junk mail” during this hectic time. Be Cheerful According to Buddy the Elf, “the best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.” Now, we’re not saying you have to sing to your clients—in fact, please don’t. But we are advising you to remain cheerful during this potentially stressful month. Nothing frustrates clients more than snippy salespeople—they’ll feel as if you don’t have time for their problems, which may permanently strain your client relationship. If you’re talking to a client, put aside your holiday stresses, because they translate.

Unique Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Clients

Well folks, Thanksgiving has officially passed. The turkeys have been eaten, the potatoes mashed and slathered in gravy and the pumpkin pies all devoured (even when we all thought it impossible to eat dessert—way to persevere). Now that Thanksgiving is over, the winter holiday season is officially in full swing (cue: Jingle Bell Rock). This fact makes now a perfect time to start planning your corporate holiday gifts—because your clients deserve a gift that’s thoughtful and not last minute. Here are some holiday client gift ideas that will make your company stand out. Remember, it’s important to show your clients that you appreciate their business, even if it’s with a small little something. A set of coasters. Everyone has this special work drink (be it coffee, tea, water or whatever). Recognizing this fact and giving a nice, thoughtful gift can go a long way. Just beware selecting anything with too much personality. Opt for neutral colors and shapes with a simple pattern. A set of letterpressed thank you notes. Practical and affordable, our favorite combination. The letterpressed quality adds a little something extra that they couldn’t pick up at a discount store. Gift certificates to the coffee shop down the road. If they’re coffee drinkers, this nice gift can be as large or small as you’d like. Perhaps package the gift card in a nice travel thermos. Party drink recipe handbook. With the holidays upon us, many of your clients will be hosting gatherings. Give them a nice collection of drink ideas (perhaps ask your office employees to contribute their favorite holiday drink and have a book printed and bound) and they’ll think of your company each time they reach for it. Gourmet food basket. Food is always a fantastic option. Look for something unique that you think they’ll find appealing (perhaps a basket of unique olive oils, a collection of local cheeses or a sampling of baked goods from your favorite local bakery). Bottles of regional wine. Show off your local winery by ordering a bottle (or case) of regional wine. Just be sure to know if a) your client drinks wine and b) if they prefer red or white. Donation in the name of their favorite charity. Include some personality in delivering this message if it suits your company’s brand (“We donated the equivalent of four paperweights and two deluxe fruitcakes to Heifer International in your name.”) This philanthropic approach can warm hearts everywhere, and makes your clients look great. Hire a barista for their office for a morning. Looking for something a little more creative? This gift idea will surely show your appreciation—and it offers them a specialty drink, rather than the black coffee offered in their break room. Send the office to a reserved movie theater for a special showing just for them. December brings about great holiday flicks. Rent out a theater room or buy movie passes for their office and send them out for a nice treat.

Lessons Dwight Schrute Can Teach You In Salesmanship

Dwight Schrute was a Dunder Mifflin Paper company enthusiast. He loved what he sold and it showed—through numerous hilarious quotes as well as a few moments of over the top salesmanship. (If you’re completely lost, we’re referencing NBC’s The Office.) The only thing he might have loved more than selling paper was his beet farm (everyone needs a hobby, right?). While the illustration is silly, there is a valuable lesson we can all learn from Dwight K. Schrute: love what you sell. If you love what you sell, you’ll know everything there is to know about it. Your clients will be (theoretically) incapable of asking you a question you don’t know the answer to. And, when posed with an unanswered question, you’ll do whatever it takes to figure it out (partly because you’re client will demand it, but mostly because you just want to know). Next? Your passion will earn you sales. (And this makes your superiors very, very happy.) When you have genuine appreciation for your products and services you’ll be invested in showing your clients how they can improve their current situation. And always remember this: technology won’t make the sale. As much as Facebook, Twitter, and other online marketing mediums will drive curiosity and initial investigation, it’s authentic human contact that will make or break your sale. In other words, don’t worry, you’re never going to be replaced by a computer—a human voice will always be better than an automated one

Getting to the Bottom of the Slide: Find the Nudge to Make the Sale

Here’s a basic model for you: you want to transform potential customers into devoted ones. So how do you do this? To explain the process we’d like you to picture a slide. Not a twisty, intense covered one, just a plain old regular slide with a ladder leading up to the top. Your prospective customers are currently sitting at the flat top. And they aren’t budging. And they won’t (to purchase or act) unless something (your marketing) nudges them into action. Granted, gravity is on your side. They want to move. They’re naturally compelled to be interested in buying. But keep in mind that this desire already exists. That is not what you need to create. Your task is to align your offer with what (and gravity) pulls them to. Now, back to that nudge. It can take multiple forms. Perhaps an email, website advertisement, a sign in your window, a billboard, or a past customer’s kind words. This will start the process and get them to that critical downward angle. It’s at this angle that you will make or break this slide experience. Without enough momentum, they won’t make it to the bottom (the sale). Ensure that prospective customers (ones who’ve expressed an interest) are wooed. They desperately desire to be shown the features, benefits and prices of all that could suit their needs. Answer any questions, address any concerns and assure them that you’ll see that they are satisfied with your products and services. Remember seeing that poor kid get caught halfway down a slide because they didn’t push off hard enough so they embarrassingly had to scooch down to the base and slink away? Don’t let that happen. Friction is present in every aspect of this interaction—trying to keep them from sliding down. Poor customer interactions, confusing interface on your website, long form payment processes or simply poor salesmanship are all ways to lose the momentum and ultimately the sale.

The Holiday Season is Upon Us!

Are you starting to feel the stress of the upcoming Holiday Season? Worried about what to send to all of your customers, staff and friends? BC Print and Web has the solution you are looking for. We are offering quick, easy and affordable personalized Holiday postcards. In just 3 easy steps you can create a completely personalized Holiday card for each and everyone on your list. BC Print and Web will handle the design, printing, addressing and mailing. It is as easy as 1 2 3 ! 1: Choose your favorite Holiday image 2: Choose your Holiday greeting & personal message 3: Upload your mailing list To see available images and personal message options visit our website at anytime at bcprintandweb.com. For additional questions and pricing options call Dan or Kimberly at 303.320.4855. For your planning, Wednesday, December 18, 2013 is the last day to mail the postcards for delivery by Christmas Day.